BusConnects Dublin - Big changes to Bus Network

This is the single biggest reason bus connects will never reach its full potential, even if we somehow manage to build 100% of the corridors.

So then who will enforce this? The gardaí don't have the time, resources or the interest . And they themselves are among the worst offenders. No doubt they'll give themselves a free pass

And filter out their mates reg numbers obviously. But I can't see that happening either to be honest. There's the other problems I mentioned with AGS plus that plan would require 2 arms of government working together, fundamentally impossible in this country.

Read on the Irish Road Passenger Transport Forum that Go-Ahead are believed to have won the tender for the W4 and W6

The 145 is to go as part of E spine, 155 is essentially the replacement on an enhanced timetable.

That was all in the bus connects plan

I don't think 24 hour routes have anything to do with Busconnects. We've seen that with 24 hour services on non-BC routes and with the absence of 24 hour services on the H spine.

That would explain why they're on a mad hiring spree lately. Although I don't see how they (or DB, for that matter) will manage to attract and retain enough drivers for BusConnects without improving their conditions considerably.

Because usually in public tendering it's very difficult to exclude an individual tenderer from applying, lest you want a string of court or tribunal cases over public discrimination.

In saying this, the W4/W6 tender was a two-step limited-entry tender where the NTA would limit the number of offers that would actually undergo consideration. That's to say, anybody could apply, and then the Authority would choose up to six or seven entrants that looked the best in theory to be suitable.

However, until I see a proper NTA document stating this, I wouldn't listen to rumours. We know somebody's been chosen, we know it's not DB.

Bartons aswell maybe? Do they have the resources to compete against a multinational being backed by 10s if not 100s of millions who already have a foothold in the Irish market? Don't get me wrong it would be great to see a local independent operator competing for and winning tenders but I'm not so sure they'd have the resources similar to Sullivan buses in London perhaps.

City Direct who have the NTA contract for city routes in Kilkenny is another one who might compete for this. Go-Ahead would still be clear favourites for me.