[Article] More competition on bus routes key to new FG policy

Sulmac

More competition on bus routes key to new FG policy

DEAGLÁN de BRÉADÚN, Political Correspondent

Wed, Nov 04, 2009

SWEEPING CHANGES in public transport regulations to provide for the maximum degree of competition are at the centre of a new Fine Gael policy document.

Competitive tendering for “bundles” or groups of bus routes were the basis for the new policy, Fergus O’Dowd TD, the party’s transport spokesman in the Dáil, told a news conference in Dublin yesterday.

Fine Gael in government would establish an Irish transport authority (ITA) to set out the routes and services required and the level of public service subsidy needed to operate these routes.

“The ITA at the outset will create a national transport strategy, define the bundled routes and then invite tenders from all and sundry,” Mr O’Dowd said. The bundles would include profitable routes as well as other routes required from a public service viewpoint.

“We’re not talking about cherry-picking of routes, but we’re allowing people to compete and get in there, whether you’re Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus or Paddy Murphy or whoever with your private fleet of buses or just one or two buses.”

Both CIÉ companies and private operators would be allowed to tender for routes. Successful applicants would sign a five-year contract with the ITA (open to a two-year extension based on performance) setting out service standards such as frequency, cost, reliability and cleanliness.

“The ITA will take ownership of State-owned bus stations and city-centre depots,” Mr O’Dowd said. Upon signing transport contracts, bus companies would be allowed to use these facilities.

Fine Gael is opposing the Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009, being debated in the Oireachtas, because, according to a party statement, “it maintains a veil of protection around CIÉ and does not offer any real competition”.

Fine Gael transport spokesman in the Seanad Senator Paschal Donohoe said the objective was dramatically to reduce waiting times for people in need of bus transport.

Gerry Mullins, chief executive of the Coach Tourism and Transport Council, told The Irish Times that his organisation favoured the immediate introduction of greater competition.

© 2009 The Irish Times

Link to official press release.

Link to the policy document (PDF).

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Anything to get rid of the CIÉ monopoly can only be a good thing at this stage...

Cool Mo D

Sulmac wrote: »

Link to official press release.

Link to the policy document (PDF).

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Anything to get rid of the CIÉ monopoly can only be a good thing at this stage...

I think competitive tendering for routes is exactly the right idea - you could use it to make sure that profitable routes are combined in a package with less profitable ones, so a good level of service can be provided everywhere. It avoids the situation where a deep-pocketed company runs its competitors out of business by flooding the route with buses, only to let service slide later. It also allows the authority to enforce uniform branding and ticketing across the network, giving flexibility to the public.

What happens to all the drivers in CIE though - what was the British experience? Did they get rehired into private companies?

armada104

Wow... that actually makes sense. Kinda TfL-ish rather than the free-for-all with no off peak services that's usually associated with private buses here. Remains to be seen how well it would be implemented here though.

armada104

BUMP!

Just remembered this thread and thought I'd give it some help. I think it disappeared off the radar too quickly. Given that bus route licensing is generally such a contentious issue around here I'm surprised nobody's commented on this. If I'm wrong and everyone chose to ignore it on purpose then please do so again and forgive me.

bk

I think it makes a lot of sense, I've always promoted the TFL model.

However, I'd prefer if they required all buses to carry the same livery and branding. All tickets cost the same, integrated and electronic ticketing and a central website for bus info. Also all companies required to use certain types of buses.

Basically the bus user shouldn't realise that there are different companies, all buses should look and act the same, just like with TFL.

HydeRoad

The problem is not whether public transport should be public or private owned. The problem is how the tendering process is managed. Our track record in this country for government appointed agencies is shocking, particularly anything that Noel Dempsey might envisage.

Who will be on the board? What will be their prior experience? Why will they be appointed? What will their remit be?

Chances are, the sum total of their remit will be to make the minister look good at all times, say and do nothing embarrassing, and nothing at all to do with their grasp of good public transport policy.

The state operators are grossly mismanaged. The private sector is full of sharks. The agency that will mediate between these needs to have their eye firmly on the ball, and not on what tomorrows bit of news spin for the minister will be.

JayeL

If they ever managed to pull this ITA off, they should also look at redefining the Dublin area re fares. Right now, Dublin Bus serves areas over 30km from the city centre, with weekly tickets around 20. But Bus Eireann serve places like Ashbourne and Dunshaughlin for 30+ a week.

It's long past time that these cash cows were taken off BE!

Colm R

JayeL wrote: »

If they ever managed to pull this ITA off, they should also look at redefining the Dublin area re fares. Right now, Dublin Bus serves areas over 30km from the city centre, with weekly tickets around 20. But Bus Eireann serve places like Ashbourne and Dunshaughlin for 30+ a week.

It's long past time that these cash cows were taken off BE!

I agree, but I don't care if its BE, or DB that picks me up. As long as I'm entitled to the same ticket.