Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE of the National Transport Authority has blamed a driver and mechanic shortage in Cork for Bus Éireann’s current performance in the city.
Anne Graham also told an Oireachtas committee today that recruitment for drivers for BusConnects in Dublin is “stable” but not satisfactory.
“In terms of driver recruitment, Dublin Bus and Go Ahead are in a stable position but Bus Éireann have shortages in Cork, in particular, which is impacting their performance in the city,” she said before the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications at Leinster House today.
She explained that the NTA judges performance based on a number of metrics, including ‘loss kilometres’ – which is a measure of the contracted service kilometres that were not operated – and punctuality which is measured for each stop along the route.
She said the NTA doesn’t pay for any services that don’t operate where failure wasn’t in the control of the operator.
The lack of drivers and mechanics, she said, has resulted in the loss of services and an increase in ‘loss kilometres’.
“Recruitment of additional drivers and mechanics for BusConnects in Dublin is steady but not at the pace that we would like to see which is delaying the phase of BusConnects in Dublin,” Graham said before the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications at Leinster House today.
Graham took questions from the committee around issues such as congestion during peak hours, as well as lack of bus frequency and facilities in rural Ireland.
Graham informed the committee that the public transport sector has seen growth in the past six months.
“In 2024 to date, we have seen 9% growth on bus services in Dublin, 10% growth in Luas services. Bus services operated outside Dublin by Bus Éireann grew substantially last year – at 20% higher than 2022 passenger journey numbers – but this growth has tempered to 6% so far [this year],” the NTA CEO said.
She added, “Rail services grew to 46.1 million passenger journeys in 2023, which is just back to pre-Covid levels and the growth and volume so far exceeds 2023 levels by 9%.”
After doling out the figures, Graham identified the NTA’s current challenges including the demands faced due to increase in the number of passengers. The total passenger number stood at 311 million in 2023, a 24% increase from pre-Covid times.
She said, “We are working with operators to provide additional capacity where necessary and where drivers and fleet resources allow.”
Last week, the committee met Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD to discuss the need to tackle congestion issues in Ireland and it emerged again as a topic today, with an emphasis on Dublin.
Committee chairman Fianna Fáil Senator Gerry Horkan asked if a change in fare during peak times could improve the situation.
Graham alluded to past mistakes in her response, saying where they did alter fares previously, the desired results were not achieved.
“If we start introducing a layer of off-peak fare, that’s introducing complexity to the system that we have been trying to reduce. There had been an off-peak fare that we introduced in Luas services a number of years ago which we have now removed because it didn’t actually cause any change in behaviour.
“People are travelling at a particular time. They are travelling at that time for a particular reason, and even a substantial fare change doesn’t really make much difference in their driving patterns,” she said.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Judge Nolan strikes again. Serious questions need to be asked of him. And I see Ukraine is on an irreversible road to joining NATO. Can’t wait for the war. What a shambles
@Gareth Wogan: very strange judgement as are many of judge nolans judgements. Offender has to suffer public opium?…not a chance, he lives in a flat and likely never integrated into the community. His raglan road neighbours wouldn’t know him from Adam. Would be interesting if a real investigative journalist found what immigration checks were completed on this person and what’s the chances he’s got form for similar perverted sick activities in other countries.
@Gareth Wogan: How can someone like this be let walk free?
We should be handing out maximum sentences to keep these dangerous animals away from Ireland’s children.
@Gareth Wogan: Why does Nolan keep getting these cases? Can someone please check his hard drive?
@Pad: so you don’t think it’s worth knowing if this individual had history of similar crime elsewhere? European or not, there’s a level of criminality being imported and our policing and judicial systems cannot cope with it, and as a result each day brings more and more innocent victims. Security intelligence prevents and protects.
@Gareth Wogan: imprisoned should always be the last retort, As to standing up to bullies, that is called courage
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: What about criminals exported from here to the EU? Should we all be vetted going through airports and ports?
Pay a decent wage and people will take these jobs. Don’t forget drivers give up weekend’s and have to work nights, not an easy job by any means.
@Michael Cummins: they should make the job more attractive, like letting them work from home.
@Michael Cummins: They also have to pee into bottles when bus is empty. No toilet breaks
Bankers cap of €500,000 and massive calls to change it as they apparently can’t get enough bankers.
Bus drivers – actual shortage of drivers – and no calls to increase measly salarys or terms & conditions.
Surely all the new engineers and scientists arriving on our shores wouldn’t mind driving a bus!
@Gerard Carey: lmfao
@Gerard Carey: We’ve a shortage of workers for EVERY area of employment in the country and never had more people flooding in. Literally 100,000 plus in a few years and no one to do the basic roles to ensure our country runs. Utterly ridiculous.
@Paul Kavanagh: why don’t you do some of the gigs. I’m not working hard if you don’t have to!
Of course there’s a shortage of bus drivers, exactly the same as the hospitality sector.Who in the name of God wants to deal with an ever increasing number of entitled scrotes who believe they are above the law.
Judges in this country are a total joke.
Perhaps if they allowed people 70+ drive there would not be any shortages of drivers
We need more people to work as bus drivers. Poor people should be made work evenings and weekends, it’s their duty in life. There should be a poverty tax in this country. Monday to Friday office gigs should be for the academic elite with rich parents.
Wonderful. We here in Waterford have buses going every hour to cork. But none going directly to cork airport. A disgrace in this day and age. Not forgetting it’s an express service. Stopping at every village on the way. Good old Eamonn Ryan. Always dependable.
My father was a bus driver, cancel his pension and force him back to work..make him drive till he dies…think of that amazing productivity..IBEC would be so proud..foaming at the mouth. This right wing politics stuff is just so easy!
I actually know a lad who got an office gig doing an apprenticeship, slipping through the academic radar. How is he not braking rocks 80 hours a week being spat and laughed at for 20k a year in the dirt….legislate FG…immediately! Do your job!
Isn’t this article about Bus Eireann’s Driver Shortage. The comments on here
Anyone else read not the a##hole?
Some of these comments are such uneducated waffle. Dan the Man holding the fort for those who like to contribute nonsense.
.
have your say