Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

That is a more substantial reply than the one I thought I would get. However, the main point is that the level of investment put into this service will not make the service more competitive. What makes the service more competitive is from the point of view of Go-Ahead, not from the point of view of the Minister, this State or the passengers who use the buses. Go-Ahead will make it more competitive because it will drive down the labour costs, wages and conditions of its workers.

I put 11 questions about this contract to the NTA and I have the replies here. With the exception of two, they all state that it cannot give me the information because it is commercially sensitive. The cost element, the labour costs, the differences in cost between the two, and the logistical difficulties are all commercially sensitive issues. I asked if it could give me a detailed analysis of how the agency decided that Go-Ahead was better than Dublin Bus but it said that was commercially sensitive. As a parliamentarian, it is very difficult to get an answer, on behalf of the public and those who work for Dublin Bus, about what is going on. I contend, as do many people, that what is really happening is an attempt to privatise the bus service, drive down wages and conditions, and drive a wedge into a very well unionised workplace. There is no evidence that privatisation drives down costs or efficiency. We only have to look at the bin service and the way the cost of electricity has soared.

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