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

I will drive a coach and horses through everything the Minister said because the Dublin Bus tender came in at a lower price than the Go-Ahead tender. What competition can Go-Ahead engage in? Can it reduce the cost of fuel, hiring, servicing or maintaining a fleet? It cannot. The only costs it can reduce are labour costs and conditions within the company.

In case the NTA did not tell the Minister, the tender from Dublin Bus indicated that it reached 98% of the targets on all routes. The NTA's determination level is 90%, so it went way above that. It reached 98% above the NTA's own targets. There is no reason whatsoever to award this contract to another company other than Dublin Bus other than there is an agenda of privatisation. The Minister is right. There is no underhanded attempt at privatisation. It is blatant, and the Minister is pursuing it. The NTA is driving the Minister to pursue it. Somebody is answering the Minister's questions wrongly because he does not have the right facts. Dublin Bus came in cheaper and can provide a better service, and it has done for years.

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