RTÉ reports that congestion is costing Dublin Bus €60m a year out of a total subvention of €80m, according to a submission to the Joint Committee on Transport.
Bill McCamley, SIPTU worker director, said Dublin Bus also paid VAT on its subvention and these factors had to be considered when looking at the subvention.
He told the committee that in relation to private operators SIPTU had a pragmatic attitude but claimed that up to 50% of licences issued to private operators to provide a service on some bus routes in Dublin were not being used.
He claimed the private operators were sitting on their licences and in the meantime Dublin Bus could not develop a service on that route.
The Joint Committe on Transport looks predominantly a conservative lot, so I don’t hold out much hope, but if congestion costs Dublin Bus €60 million a year, and Dublin Chamber Commerce estimated in 2003 that congestion cost its members €3 billion, isn’t it time to think out of the box and create a free-at-access public transport system - if necessary incorporating private companies like Luas and other bus lines? If the figure was so high in 2003, it must be closer to €4 billion now. Anyone got up to date figures?
At least then the subvention would be supporting public transport, and not congestion.
If you’d like to read some of the arguments I’ve made so far, click here. Click on the headings to get the full article. And please do add your own ideas in the comments. Criticism welcome but refinement of my idea even more so.
Great idea. Pity Dublin Bus did not think of this in the sixties, when the city was growing. They went on strike when ever they felt like it, however if they receive a non-strike bonus of 20% of pay, it could be that people would start trusting bus travel again, and with the millions saved, we cold have a pollution free city and people could get to work without stress and forget about their cars.
We COULD have a pollution free city!