Bus-owners face increases in '€20-a-year' licence fees

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Bus owners are facing a hike in the fees they pay for licences.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) is to increase the cost of bus licences after it emerged that the State is collecting just €44,000 a year in licence revenue from the country's commercial bus fleet.

Bus operators are required to have two licences, one to carry paying passengers and a second to run buses along a particular route.

Figures released by the Department of Transport show that commercial operators are paying as little as €101.58 for a five-year licence to carry passengers, an average of €20 a year.

A bus route licence costs just €7.62, while the cost of renewing it every year is €2.54. The fees were last reviewed in 1955.

An 'occasional' bus licence for one-off events such as concerts, costs a mere 65 cents, little more than the cost of posting the licence application.

Passenger licences generate an average of €39,000 a year for the State coffers while bus route and "occasional" licences raise about €5,000 a year.

The astonishingly low fees are in stark contrast to the turnover generated by some of the private coach operators. Citylink, which operates routes in Galway, is owned by the world's second largest transport group, ComfortDelGro, which had a turnover of $1.5bn (€1.1bn) in 2008. Aircoach, which runs coaches to Dublin Airport, reported a turnover of €18.6m in 2009.

Bus licence fees are being reviewed by the NTA, which will take over responsibility for issuing bus licences from the Department of Transport.

A Department spokesperson said: "The National Transport Authority is currently considering a new fee structure for annual bus route licences." The bus sector is being overhauled by the Government, with the aim of modernising an archaic national bus licensing regime for public and private operators.

The NTA was set up by the government last year to implement this policy.

€20 quid for a licence is nothing, I can't believe it's that low :eek:
Any bets as to how high it'll go?

amacachi

Is that per vehicle or what? Any increase could massively hit the bigger private operators, which wouldn't be good for consumers at all at all.

Victor

I think a fee in line with the cost of inspecting buses (both annual engineering inspections and on the road inspections) should be a roughly break even exercise. Total up the costs, divide by number of buses, adjust for major exceptions.

Similarly, the licence fees new routes or route changes should be based to on totaling up the costs of the licencing section, divide by number of buses, adjust for major exceptions. There may be a situation in the future for tendering of licences.

AlekSmart

Any increase could massively hit the bigger private operators, which wouldn't be good for consumers at all at all.

It highlights the two-faced nature of Irish Political Life that we are overwhelmed by a daily dose of yet more Green Party inspired eco-friendly nonsense about reducing our carbon emissions or whatever.

However at every step of the way,the Green Party in Government have failed to recognize the role which Public Bus/Coach services could and should be playing in helping to keep the country moving...affordably.

No better way would be for the Government to ABOLISH some of these largely symbolic fees and instead recognize that Public Bus Services require the support of Public Administrators,Nationally and Locally.

I have no great confidence in these three-card-trick merchants taking this on board,just as they could`nt bring themselves to exempt Public Transport Vehicles from their Toll Charges....not THAT would have been a truly ecologically friendly move but..hey ! our Greens are Green....but not THAT green

As it now stands we can expect a VERY big increase in these licence fee`s to ensure that everyday Bus & Coach users can keep the likes of Roman Abramovich in clover.....:mad:

No doubt we`ll see Minister Dempsey appearing on our screens soon to spout PR inspired guff about how the increase will help to maintain services to the old,poor and handicapped.....The Irish will swallow any oul nonsense if it`s said by a politician !

dowlingm

No problem with it as long as any increased revenue goes back into public transport and not the general slush fund. Somebody should get a proper spanking over this.

I've never been able to understand why government can't simply specify in Bills that "the fee/fine shall be 100 Euro (say) at 2010 prices plus increases as provided by a Fee and Fine Index passed in future Finance Acts" but then I'm not a lawyer, still less a parliamentary draughtsman!

antoinolachtnai

The level of fees is a total irrelevancy in the whole thing. The amount of bureaucracy and nonsense involved is the real issue.

Why, for example, is a licence necessary for providing transport to a once-off event? What is the point of that?

That fee has nothing to do with inspecting buses. Inspections and all the rest of it are covered by a completely different fee.

A public transport route licence which grants a monopoly cannot be tendered or auctioned. It is forbidden by EU law. A public service contract could be tendered or auctioned but that is a different matter.

All these fees ultimately have to be passed on to the consumer. The fact that some transport companies are quite big does not change the fact that they work on a principle where they have to find money to pay their expenses. Anybody who thinks there is massive margins in public transport is just wrong. (In fairness, the NTA is not proposing particularly high revised fees.)

AlekSmart

All these fees ultimately have to be passed on to the consumer. The fact that some transport companies are quite big does not change the fact that they work on a principle where they have to find money to pay their expenses. Anybody who thinks there is massive margins in public transport is just wrong. (In fairness, the NTA is not proposing particularly high revised fees.)

Quiote true Antoin,however my point is that if we are thinking in the Grand Scheme of things and the State`s Official Policy is to facilitate,as far as possible,a modal shift away from Private Motoring and onto Public Transport then the State has to prioritize access to Public Transport.

All the Bus Gates and Kassel Kerbing in the world are useless if the Operators (large & small) cannot operate their companies in a manner which approaches the current domination of the Private Car in Ireland.

Imposing Road Tolls for example on a company carrying a Full Coachload of regular commuters from Dublin to Drogheda is little more than anti-social in my opinion.

The State should be attempting to make that express-coach service even more affordable and frequent rather than simply sticking its grubby paw out for a toll on every trip,or a hefty licence fee for what should be a nominal sum anyway.

antoinolachtnai

It's like bus fares. If we were going to pay more and get a better overall service, it would be fair enough. But we probably won't and that's the problem.

Now waiting two years and eight months for a decision on a straightforward licence application. Half a million euros in legal fees later (paid for by the state), still no licence.

a.

buzzwell

AlekSmart wrote: »

Quiote true Antoin,however my point is that if we are thinking in the Grand Scheme of things and the State`s Official Policy is to facilitate,as far as possible,a modal shift away from Private Motoring and onto Public Transport then the State has to prioritize access to Public Transport.

All the Bus Gates and Kassel Kerbing in the world are useless if the Operators (large & small) cannot operate their companies in a manner which approaches the current domination of the Private Car in Ireland.

Imposing Road Tolls for example on a company carrying a Full Coachload of regular commuters from Dublin to Drogheda is little more than anti-social in my opinion.

The State should be attempting to make that express-coach service even more affordable and frequent rather than simply sticking its grubby paw out for a toll on every trip,or a hefty licence fee for what should be a nominal sum anyway.

Nicely said; and as for the original question, they'll probably increase it by a multiple, just like they increased the cost of renewing a taxi operator's SPSV driving licence.

One does wonder if the bright sparks in "The Departments" earn themselves little silver stars for coming up with these "Initiatives".

AlekSmart

One does wonder if the bright sparks in "The Departments" earn themselves little silver stars for coming up with these "Initiatives".

Hmmm..."Silver Stars"....Not a bit,but most likely each little "Task" achieved by the middle rankers ensures another tick on their appraisal...and perhaps even another increment ???

Bright Sparks are in short supply round these parts pardner !!