Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 27 January 2022

Public Accounts Committee

National Transport Authority: Financial Statements 2020

9:30 am

Mr. Tim Gaston:

One would nearly forget one was wearing it. We have a contract as a result of the tender competition and if a private operator wins it, we provide that operator the vehicles on exactly the same basis we would provide them to Bus Éireann or Dublin Bus. The contract has terms and conditions and the operator has obligations to meet against the maintenance and upkeep of those vehicles. We inspect those vehicles on a regular basis to make sure the operator maintains those contractual obligations and at the end of the contract, those vehicles return to the authority to move on to whoever is successful in the subsequent competition.