Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Transport if his Department instructed Dublin Bus to reduce the number of buses servicing the 25X route to Lucan on foot of a complaint by a private operator; the minimum acceptable service on a bus route that is required under current licensing rules; the number of bus licences that are individually held by private operators and Dublin Bus; the number of private operators holding licences for routes without a service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3408/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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It is not the case that my Department instructed Dublin Bus to reduce the number of buses servicing the Route 25X route to Lucan on foot of a complaint from a private bus operator. My Department has made no demand on Dublin Bus to cease any of its authorised services.

The initiation or alteration of a bus service by Dublin Bus is subject to compliance with the requirement of giving 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.

My Department wrote to Dublin Bus on 4th October, 2007 indicating that three Route 25X departures which the Company was operating from the Newcastle Road Area, were not the subject of an authorisation by my Department and should, therefore, cease. The letter indicated that an application for the authorisation of those services should be made and would be considered. To date no such application has been received in my Department.

The Road Transport Act, 1932, as amended, provides the statutory basis for regulating the provision of public bus services by private bus operators. In accordance with that legislation, private bus operators apply to my Department for licences to operate scheduled bus passenger services within the State.

All licences issued have standard conditions associated with them and compliance with those conditions is the responsibility of the service operator in each instance. A condition of all licences includes the requirement whereby the service must be in operation in its entirety within 4 months from the date of issue of the licence. In exceptional cases the four month deadline may be extended subject to the prior written approval of my Department.

It is also a condition of all licences that the licensee adheres to the approved timetable as listed on the licence.

There are currently 611 valid passenger licences on issue to private bus operators and details of these licences are available on my Department's website. The introduction of all authorised services by Dublin Bus is an operational matter for the Company itself and all services in operation by Dublin Bus are published in the Company's timetable and are available on the Company's website.

My Department is not aware of any licences being held by private operators that are not being operated save in the limited number of cases where the period of introduction has not yet expired or where the operator has applied to my Department and has been granted an extension to that period in accordance with the provisions of the Road Transport Act 1932 as amended.