Mr. Ultan Courtney:

I am honoured to have been asked by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Donohoe, to become chairman of Dublin Bus. I also wish to thank the Chairman and members of the committee for the invitation to come before them today.
To give some background information, I am a native of Dublin and grew up in Artane, where I attended Chanel College. I joined Córas Iompair Éireann in 1979 as a bus conductor and qualified as a bus driver in 1985. During my time in CIE I became a full-time student in Trinity College and graduated in 1987 with a BA (Hons) in economics. In my final year I studied transport and labour economics and in my undergraduate thesis I examined how economically efficient Dublin Bus was against a basket of other bus operators. I left CIE in 1987.
I have been awarded postgraduate diplomas in corporate legal governance from the Law Society of Ireland, in employment law and arbitration law from the school of law in UCD, and in strategic management and executive coaching from DIT. I am a qualified mediator and arbitrator, master trainer and executive coach. I am currently a member of the Central Bank disputes resolution tribunal and a lay member of the client and complaints committee of the Law Society of Ireland. I am a former board member of the Equality Authority and a current member of the Institute of Directors.
In 1987 I joined IBEC and started a career in HR and in industrial relations. I have held senior management positions in Glanbia, Superquinn and C&C Group plc. I was the group HR director in C&C Group plc for seven years until 2008. For the past seven years I have been managing director of Courtney HR, which provides management consultancy services to many leading Irish companies. I have an interest in history, sports and the theatre.
With regard to the strategic priorities, Dublin Bus is a vital transport network and is a key component in enabling economic growth and the creation of jobs. In 2013, its 3,200 staff and its fleet of 932 buses were responsible for transporting 114 million passengers over 56 million km. As the economy starts to grow again, so also are passenger numbers. Our priority is to meet that customer demand and provide the services the city needs when it needs them. The strategic imperatives are to develop the network to meet the needs of the city and county; to ensure a safe, continuous, reliable and efficient service for our customers; to establish a sound financial footing for the company; and to develop the skills of all the team in Dublin Bus.
Moving on to operations, the Dublin Bus Network Direct review has transformed the service. Consultation with the users was key, and 110 routes, including 19 high-frequency routes, now crisscross the city. The network is now simpler, more direct, better integrated and more user-friendly. However, the work goes on, and the priority is to work with the NTA, Dublin City Council and other transport networks to provide a truly integrated system, of which Dublin Bus forms an integral part. Full accessibility, the introduction of hybrid buses and safety are also priorities.
Dublin Bus is striving to keep its existing customers and attract new ones. Dublin commuters now have travel options. They include walking, cycling, and using scooters, cars, buses, trams and trains. At present, 61% of all public transport trips into Dublin city centre are on the bus. Our aim is to continue to make the bus option the most attractive. This is achieved, first, by having a modern clean, reliable fleet of buses, second, by giving value for money, and third, by providing more on-board services.
Dublin Bus services include real-time passenger information and passenger displays at stops, and on-bus real-time passenger announcements are next. All of the Dublin Bus fleet have free Wi-Fi access for all our customers. The introduction of the Leap card is one of many steps towards a truly integrated transport system, and Dublin Bus is committed to this process through the National Journey Planner. Leap cards will be used more than 30 million times in 2014.
With regard to the financial aspect, Dublin Bus has had a very difficult few years and much hard work has been done by the management team to make the most of the reduced revenues available to it.

This has meant making some very tough choices about reducing costs, fleet size and changes to routes and schedules. All of the staff in Dublin Bus have made their contribution to these changes and the company is now heading towards a more stable financial position. However, capital investment is also a priority and has to be renewed and sustained.
Significant challenges still remain and the careful and prudent management of the limited financial resources available to the company remain a top priority for senior management and the board. Areas of focus include the ageing of the fleet, the nature and size of the subvention, continuing to give customers value for money and getting value for money from our suppliers.
The staff of Dublin Bus are our greatest asset and provide an essential economic service for the city. One of our highest priorities is to develop all of our team members and continue to make Dublin Bus a great place in which to work. The challenge for us all in Dublin Bus is to accept how critical our service is to the people of Dublin and ensure at all times we provide for continuity of this vital service. This is the one of the highest priorities for the board.
In three years time Dublin Bus will be an integral part of an integrated transport network, providing a safe, reliable, efficient and continuous service for the people of Dublin. It will be seen as an alternative to all other modes of transport that customers elect to use by choice both as a means of transport and an experience in itself. I look forward to making my contribution to that change and in my role as chairman to provide strategic support, for supervision and value for money as the changes happen.