Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 5 December 2018

Select Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport

Estimates for Public Services 2018
Vote 31 - Transport, Tourism and Sport (Supplementary)

9:30 am

Photo of Shane RossShane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

This is not privatisation. A tendering process is being set. To the best of my knowledge, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus are tendering for all of the routes. It is open to outside companies, including those from outside the State, to tender. The selected provider will get a contract which will probably run for five years. However, it will not get any assets. We are not selling any assets. The contract will last for a limited period of time. There is an open competition to provide the services. The State companies will compete to provide the services. They have won such tenders previously and presumably will do so in the future. The objective is not privatisation but, rather, to introduce more competition in the market in order to benefit the consumer. Obviously, competition is healthy. It may not be welcome from the point of view of the incumbents, but they compete very successfully for such tenders. We must realise that we have some very successful bus companies of which the Deputy would be very supportive which are carrying far more passengers. The introduction of new routes and companies can only help passengers and expand the service. That will not necessarily be to the detriment of the incumbents. The Deputy and I probably differ in our definitions of privatisation. She seems to believe that the tendering of the routes is privatisation. It is true that some of the routes will be operated by new companies for a finite period, but no assets are changing hands.

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