Mr. Kevin Traynor:

I thank the Chairman and the committee for the invitation to attend and give a submission on behalf of the Coach Tourism and Transport Council. The Coach Tourism and Transport Council is the sole representative body for the private us and coach sector in Ireland. CTTC members are experts in all types of transport, including private hire, school transport, coach tourism and scheduled services under licence from the National Transport Authority.

Our members have a combined fleet of 1,200 vehicles and employ approximately 2,500 people.

The CTTC believes that cost-effective and efficient transport is a key component in promoting the economic well-being of the greater Dublin area, which is of vital importance to the wider national economy. The distribution of population is a critical factor in determining travel behaviour, particularly in respect of key services such as work, education, retail and leisure outlets. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in population in the commuter belt outside Dublin city, particularly in Fingal, Kildare and Meath, with a corresponding increase in private car traffic volumes resulting in severe traffic congestion on the incoming arterial routes. In order to remedy the current and future private car congestion and the inherent problems this brings in terms of increased journey times and its negative environmental impact, it is fundamentally important that a comprehensive, cohesive and cost-efficient transport plan is put in place.

Private operators, while currently providing quality services in the greater Dublin area under licence from the National Transport Authority, NTA, are uniquely placed to improve transport services in a cost-efficient manner. However, there are significant barriers which are restricting the continued positive growth in this area. I will set out these barriers. At present, Dublin is one of the few capital cities that has no designated transport hub that can be used as a nucleus for private and public scheduled route services. This leads to disorientation and confusion among the increasing number of travellers in our city when attempting to access services from the capital.

Section 62 of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 was included to facilitate access by non-public funded transport operators to bus stations and railway stations. However, this has failed to materialise. The protection of existing PSO services is stifling any innovation which might be forthcoming from the private sector in the provision of express-type services from various parts of the city along busy commuter corridors. The current economic upturn has seen a significant increase in coach tourism volumes in the greater Dublin area. It is estimated that this sector provides in the region of €450 million to the Exchequer each year. A significant proportion of this income is generated within the Dublin city area. During 2016, there will be in excess of 180,000 cruise passenger visitors to Dublin, however, there is no permanent set-down and pick-up area for these visitors within central Dublin. The increase in construction and demand for on-street parking are leading to a gradual erosion of coach parking in central locations to be substituted in areas where there is a significant risk of antisocial behaviour. While there are plans at an advanced stage for the construction of a designated coach park in South Wapping Street, the facility can only accommodate 50 coaches and its planning is of a temporary nature. The site is also the location of the proposed Dart Underground and there are no alternative locations should this proposal come to fruition.

The provision of additional affordable park-and-ride facilities in the commuter belt is one of the measures that would significantly contribute to the continued growth of the transport system and the erosion of congestion. Such facilities would act as an incentive to private motorists to use public or private transport and avoid long traffic delays and expensive parking costs.

In the past, there has been clear evidence that there has been a communication failure between statutory bodies. Therefore, there is an urgent requirement to ensure that a joined-up thinking process is put in place between planners, transport providers and statutory agencies to facilitate transport infrastructure in any new developments, particularly in the hotel sector, to accommodate the increased tourism volumes projected in the future.

The CTTC welcomes the opportunity to make this submission and looks forward to liaising with and contributing to the design and implementation with the statutory bodies and other stakeholders in designing a vision for transport for the greater Dublin area which will encompass all the requirements needed to ensure safe, efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly transport into the future.