Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The provision of a public bus service on a specific route by a private bus requires a licence under the provisions of the Road Transport Act 1932. In the case of Bus Éireann, the initiation or alteration of a bus service is subject to compliance with a Ministerial requirement to give advance notice to my Department and to compliance with the provisions of section 25 of the Transport Act 1958 concerning competition with licensed private operators.

It is an operational matter for the private bus operators themselves to apply for a licence or in the case of Bus Éireann to notify my Department of their intention to provide public bus services. Once a licence has issued or a notification has been formally noted it is a matter for the transport provider itself to advertise and promote the service. Currently, my Department has no applications from private bus operators or notifications from Bus Éireann for bus passenger services between Patrickswell and Limerick City.