Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

The key point is that the Minister says he is satisfied generally. However, he is not completely satisfied. Private bus companies who were providing commuter services, such as Circle Line, have gone out of business because of what they claim to be unfair competition from Dublin Bus. There are serious issues in this area. One of the problems is that there is no transparency about the routes that are PSO and those that are not. The allegation is made, and I appreciate it is being investigated by the European Commission and the Competition Authority, that State funding is being used to keep a private bus operator from operating competitive services. That is unfair and unacceptable.

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