Written answers
Thursday, 22 September 2022
Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport
National Transport Authority
Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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86. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will re-examine the role of the National Transport Authority in the provision of bus services across Ireland given the recent failures of their tendering and contracting process in relation to public service obligation services, specifically the attempt to contract out the 101 Bus Éireann service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45699/22]
Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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It is a statutory function of the National Transport Authority (NTA) , under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 and EU Regulation 1370/2007, to determine the appropriate mix of directly awarded and competitively tendered PSO services.
International experience indicates that introducing competitive tension into our PSO bus market (i.e., a mixture of direct award and then competitively tendered contracts) provides potential value for money benefits.
It is well-recognised that good public transport is a key enabler of both social inclusion and economic progress and opening up the bus market forms part of this Government's commitment to improving our public transport system and services.
The operation of bus route 101 along with 133 was put out to tender by the NTA last year and the NTA announced that Bus Éireann was there preferred bidder. The new services are due to become operational in early 2023.
I have no plans to re-examine the role of the NTA in the provision of bus services across Ireland.
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