Cullen welcomes Bus Éireann expansion plan proposals for Leinster Region

Date: 25 April 2007

Transport Minister, Martin Cullen TD, today (Wednesday 25 April 2007) announced that he has approved over €20 million in additional funding under the Government’s investment programme Transport 21, to Bus Éireann for the purchase and delivery of 75 new buses. This is in addition to funding allocated in September 2006 of €50 million for the purchase by the company, of 160 new buses. The Minister made the announcement at the presentation by Bus Éireann of its bus expansion plan for the Leinster/Greater Dublin Area.

Bus Éireann’s key objectives (2007-2009) in the region - primarily covering Dublin, Meath, Wicklow and Kildare and parts of Westmeath/Laois/Louth - include enhanced frequency, more destinations, more feeder buses, extra late night services, services from new residential areas and improved airport and college links.

Thirteen new commuter routes form part of the plan proposed by Bus Éireann including, for example:

· Navan-Dunshaughlin-Dublin Airport-DCU
· Newry-Carlingford-Dundalk
· Portarlington - Portlaoise Feeder.

Twelve routes which Bus Éireann would like to enhance include the Ashbourne to Dublin route (service every 12 minutes); Wicklow-Rathnew-Dublin (every 15-30 minutes) and Navan-Dunshaughlin-Dublin (every 15 minutes).

In the time frame 2007-2009, the company expects to carry 8.4 million extra passengers with the aim of reducing car journeys by 2 million per annum up to 2016.
Ninty-two million passengers were carried by Bus Éireann around the country in 2006.

Welcoming the ambition underpinning the proposals outlined, Minister Martin Cullen said: “I am delighted to be here today at Bus Éireann’s announcement of its proposals for the development of its bus services in the Leinster/Greater Dublin Area for the next three years. The proposals, envisage substantial improvement and expansion in the level, frequency and quality of Bus Éireann’s range of services in the Eastern Region. In addition to new services, existing service frequency will be improved, with integrated services for town, commuter and interurban services”.

In September 2006, the Minister approved funding under Transport 21 of €50 million for the purchase of 160 new buses by Bus Éireann. Of the 160 buses, 75 buses will be deployed in the Leinster region.

Today, Minister Cullen announced additional funding support to the company. He said: “I am happy to announce today that I have approved additional funding of over €20 million for the purchase and delivery in 2008 of a further 75 new buses by Bus Éireann, including an additional 21 new buses for the Leinster Region”.

Funding for the remainder of Bus Éireann’s proposals for 2009 and beyond will be considered in the context of the capital allocations under Transport 21.

The Minister also spoke about bus priority measures. There has been strong investment since 1997 in the Quality Bus Corridor (QBC) Network throughout the GDA. That Network consists of almost 150km of QBC. Since 1997, over €290m has been invested in GDA traffic management and bus priority projects. Transport 21 has allocated almost €600m to traffic management and bus priority related projects in the GDA over the 10-year life of the programme.

The Minister also said he was pleased to see an emphasis in the Bus Éireann plan on increasing the level of integration with other transport modes and improved customer services. “On-line journey planners, cleaner buses, customer information systems are all areas, as set out in Bus Éireann’s plan, where higher standards will assist in attracting more passengers. We need to get more people out of their cars and on to public transport”.

Minister Cullen concluded: “Bus services are and will remain the work-horse of our transport system. This is recognised in Transport 21 which provides for ongoing investment in bus services, bus priority measures and park and ride facilities over the lifetime of the programme”.

Editor’s note
The approved funding for the purchase of buses by Bus Éireann (160 + the additional 75) is for use only on routes, which are the subject of a public service obligation.

Issued by: Michelle Hoctor, 087 8563070, Veronica Scanlan, 087 6430622.