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NTA to finally support private operators?

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    #2
    Xterminator
    Registered Users Posts: 4,718 ✭✭✭Xterminator


    paywall ...


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    #3
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,491 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Under the initiative, bus operators could receive grant aid up to a maximum of €500,000, receive a direct-award public contract for a service or a combination of both.

    .....
    “The funding is only available to licensed regular services which were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and meet the clear public-interest justification criteria. Therefore any services which were not in operation before March 17th 2020 cannot be funded. Tour or event licensed services cannot be funded as they are discretionary travel and so do not meet the clear public-interest justification. The authority is currently determining the licensed regular services that the meet the clear public-interest justification.”

    .....
    The NTA said it recognised that the current 50 per cent capacity limits in place due to public health restrictions “may require additional vehicles to be deployed to meet demand”.

    “As the additional buses would be required to operate the services, the provision of these additional services would be included in the direct operating cost.”


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    #4
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,587 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    Just to confirm that this initiative is not to support private operators.

    It is to support commercial operators, whether they be public owned or privately owned who operated licensed scheduled commercial routes fully within the Republic of Ireland.

    This means for example, it would not include Go Ahead Ireland, but it would include Bus Eireann's intercity routes and the Airlink routes of Dublin Bus if those operators were to apply for a grant and be successful.


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    #5
    Yggr of Asgard
    Registered Users Posts: 5,157 ✭✭✭Yggr of Asgard


    As a matter of interest, could this apply to GoBus for their Cork to Dublin route than?


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    #6
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,587 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    Yggr of Asgard wrote: »
    As a matter of interest, could this apply to GoBus for their Cork to Dublin route than?

    Yes. If they were successful


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    #7
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,491 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    devnull wrote: »
    Yes. If they were successful

    I wonder though what happens on routes with two companies operating.

    Take the Dublin to Cork route, Aircoach are already operating that route currently, so I'd doubt GoBus would be able to operate as a PSO on the same route, directly competing with a commercial company.

    Unless both Aircoach/GoBus both get granted the temporary PSO license and perhaps both operate fully or perhaps they operate as PSO at half capacity, so each operates every two hours, so at least one operates every hour, maybe with some coordination between them.

    Citlink/Gobus to Gaway, Dublin Coach/Eireagle to Limerick, etc.

    Oh and how does this work for cross border routes to Northern Ireland.

    I'd assume that the NTA has talked to all or most of the major companies and gotten some level agreement/understanding between them all.


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    #8
    GT89
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,770 ✭✭✭GT89


    Would it be legal for the NTA to change the status of some commercial routes to PSO. I'm thinking routes which did not operate at all during Covid for example the JJK Waterford city routes which would be more appropriate to be PSO as they are local routes servicing some areas of Waterford with no other PSO routes.

    There's a few areas of the country that have a lack of PSO services.


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    #9
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,491 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    That seems to be what they are suggesting to do on a temporary basis for 6 months, to temporarily convert some routes at least to PSO.

    Makes sense to me, as PSO is supposed to only apply if commercial services fail to supply a service, for which there is a clear social need. Clearly that is the case here, though not due to any fault of the operators themselves.


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