The allocation of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) provision for 2010 has been agreed between the National Transport Authority (NTA) and the CIÉ operating companies as follows:
Iarnród Éireann, €155.43 million;
Bus Átha Cliath, €75.90 million;
Bus Éireann, €44.69 million.
CIÉ has a statutory mandate under various Transport Acts to provide PSO services passenger services. The NTA governs the funding of these PSO services through the Public Service Contracts which are in place between Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus. These contracts set strict standards for operational performance and customer service and contain penalties for non-performance. Currently no Exchequer funding is provided to private operators but it is expected that the NTA would tender any new routes requiring additional public subsidy over and above that provided for within existing PSO contracts.