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THE ANNUAL REPORT released by the Irish transport authority CIÉ has found that Irish people were taking a lot more trips in 2014 than previously.
Last year there was an additional 10 million journeys taken across services offered by the group, which includes Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and Iárnród Éireann.
In total, the number of journeys taken went up by 4% from from 227.9 million in 2013 to 237.5 million last year.
Increases across the board
These boosts in passenger numbers have led to an increase in revenue and commercial income of €52.2 million to €817.1 million for the transport authority.
A big change for the group was recording a surplus of €9.8 million in 2014 compared with a deficit of €11.6 million in 2013. This was the result of additional funding for repairs to rail fleet and networks as well as maintenance to Bus Éireann PSO service fleet.
Payroll savings were also achieved across bus and rail services. This came after agreements made on this matter in both bus companies in 2013 and Iarnród Éireann in 2014.
Last year, the transport authority’s rail company Iárnród Éireann reported an increase in passenger numbers as well as improved punctuality across its services.
Bus services
The statistics for Dublin Bus showed a healthy performance for the service in 2014.
There was an increase of 4.2 million passengers, bringing the total figure up to 118.6 million. It also recruited 160 new drivers as part of its first recruitment drive in seven years.
Bus Éireann also saw passenger numbers increase in the number of people using its service as well as an increase in its financial surplus from €0.4 million to €5.1 million.
This comes despite unhappiness among workers from both services over potential privatisation of services that has seen strike action causing major disruption already this year.
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Nobody loves taking the bus. The government has made having a car so damn expensive some people have no other option
If “bus” is code for “piss” then I wholeheartedly agree!
I love my Dublin Bus.
@Brian you see amazing things when you take the bus, such as:
-junkies having sex in the back;
-someone talking too loud on the phone;
-oh shit I think I just stepped on poop;
-how did a begger get in to ask me for money? o.o
Actually nevermind, point taken o.o
If you’re using public transport never give up your seat to an old lady…
That’s how I lost my job as a bus driver.
Now that passenger numbers have increased will fares be coming down? After all, one of the main reasons for all the increases over the last number of years was falling passenger numbers.
X1,000
I love the bus, you do see all sorts. I once seen two junkies having sex at the back of bus coming home one night. To quote them he said “get your tits out?” She replied “Ah noo not yet, wait” charming experience all together
I think we are the only country that say thanks to the bus driver when getting off
We’re the only country that’s passes the bus driver getting off the bloody thing holding up all the boarding passengers.
Because you’d need two staff per bus to do it the other way. Saying thanks to the bus driver is just polite. You say thanks to a taxi driver so why not a bus driver?
We like to think we are. They do it in most countries. It’s just of those ‘aren’t we Irish cute’ things.
Do you know what Irish people hate? A lack of proper fücking transport!
I often use the train, Bus Éireann and the luas and I think all those services run quite well although they could do with coming down in price. Dublin Bus on the other hand is the most chaotic, confusing and user unfriendly service out there, it’s as if they don’t want people to use the bus.
Bus Eireann intercity is fine if you want to get from the very start of the route to the very end of it. The timetable is only a vague suggestion for stops in between.
And make sure you use relieve yourself before hand as if theres a jax its sure to be locked.
Dublin Bus would be brilliant if it wasn’t for the other passengers.
I urinate several times a day, too. Doesn’t mean I love it.
It’s the bus drivers because we are all so sexy!!!
I love the bus. I bleedin hate the withworth road!
They’re a nightmare, they bring you on safari. I honestly think the number 16 passes through Donegal twice on its route.
I hate taking the bus with a burning passion.
Must make it difficult to sit down alright.
Excellent Caroline B-)
And yet before September comes they will be given an increase in ticket prices citing “falling passenger number”.
This will be the third consecutive year.
Blame FG/Lab… Maybe they will give Dennis O’Brian favourable loan terms so he can but it. He seems to be buying everything else!!!!
How come there is no link to the previous story about two people being assaulted on the bus?
Irish people love getting the bus without being beaten mercilessly for no good reason by some waster….
Nice phrasing…. They experienced a surplus owing to allocation of additional funding and subsidies.
So they run an unprofitable constant tax payer subsidised deficit. The deficit was merely less than they expected it to be this year?
Said no man ever
Just reading this as I wait for the number 44 to arrive. Five minutes to go. I’m all excited now. I’ll let you all know how I got on…. oh, hurry up!
Do you know what Irish people love?
Gossiping, getting things rear ways and Chinese rumours???
Whoops…
So you don’t think there are more journeys because more people are in work?
What work, there are more journeys because the pensioners love riding the free travel lol.
“Public transport is for losers” – Homer.
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