New blow to Public Transport

[Piaras]

Have used both services and the circle line was very helpful especially when I was working in Ballsbridge and travelling across from Lucan. As pointed the services really only ran at peak times i.e. into towns in the morning and out of town thereafter. As a person who commuted from Lucan to UCD/Blackrock while in college and then to town for the first year of work, I have to say that the number of X buses being run in the morning most definitely increased. Being honest didn't complain about that because helped me get a bus easier, also not a 100% sure whether these were authorised or not but as I said definite increase over the last couple of years.

[Leave Bertie a loan]

Haha circle bus!

[alonso]

Legal action over Dublin Bus route

The State is facing legal action from a private bus operator that runs a service to and from Dublin city centre to Swords.

It comes to light after the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said Dublin Bus had been engaged in predatory behaviour by adding extra services where it competed with private operators.

The case by Swords Express is due for mention in the High Court today.

The Swords Express was licensed to run services from Dublin city centre to Swords through the Port Tunnel.

Shortly after the firm began operations it noticed Dublin Bus began running services on a similar route.

It complained to the Department of Transport.

Document obtained by RTÉ News under the Freedom of Information Act show Dublin Bus was running unauthorised services along the route.

Dublin Bus then applied for a licence and was subsequently granted one by the Department of Transport.

Now the Swords Express is taking legal action challenging that decision.

It believes its business is under threat.

Dublin Bus says it own express services have always take the fastest route available.

It says it changed an existing route and began using the same route as the Swords Express after the Port tunnel opened.

These people, these dinosaurs, these are the tossers mainly responsible for the mess in Dublin's transport system. It's unreal and utterly unacceptable for this type of balckguardism and anti-competitive practice to continue. They're doing all this while many many less profitable routes are left high and dry. They're a national embarrassment and bring shame to our capital

[Macy]

Dublin Bus say there were three extra morning buses from Maynooth. That may or may not be a doubling, but if the privateer can't cope with that standard of competition he has more issues than Dublin Bus.

The Swords one is also not as clear cut as it appears. The Dublin Bus express route always ran, so the private company is giving out about it using the most efficient route into the city. I doubt either of them are stopping in the Port Tunnel to pick up customers?

Competition is alright, once there isn't actually any competition seems to be the real issue. How's it competition if they simply want to restrict it to Private Operators? If you believe the hype (which to me still smacks of companies entering and then not having the customer base/ profitability to be a success finding an easy target to blame), then surely the competition is working and the customer is getting a better service?

[myksav]

Secondly, it would be naive to expect that Dublin Bus, were they to choose anti-competitive action, to reflect this is their public timetables. The real proof would be in driver rosters, records of buses actually deployed, etc.

Are you saying that Dublin Bus put on extra buses outside of their publically rostered time tables to swamp these routes?

From anecdotal information, yes they did. People who use the routes that Circle Line were operating on noticed an increase of DB traffic.

[dempsey]

I have lived in the Celbridge area for the last twelve years. Celbridge has being ignored in the area of public transport for the last twelve years. The number of buses serving the route in the last six years or more has not increased. I do not know the real reason why circle line went into liquidation I know one thing for a fact Dublin Bus did not saturate the route to celbridge with buses. I think that is very unfair of paul morton to state that this is the reason he went out of business. He had a very loyal customers base in the celbridge area who supported during the last few years. But it is these customers who are now left without an adequte transport service into and out of the City Centre. There are hugh gaps in the timetable for example there is a bus at 9.35 in the morning into the city the next bus is not till 10.30 leaving Maynooth which is nearer to eleven by the time it reaches Celbridge this is a disgrace. The off peak services are just as bad one every hour after eight. While this debate is continuing the public transport users in Celbridge are suffering. I have to agree that the the Lexlip and Maynooth have a more frequent bus service than celbridge despite celbridge having the largest population. I feel that the Dept of Transport should as a matter of urgency look at the celbridge area and their requirements for an frequent public transport service.... I am extremely annoyed at all the attention that Paul Morton has received in the media i am genuinely sorry he went into liquidation but there is no concern being voiced in the media about the public transport users in the celbridge area. I have written to the Dept of Transport in realtion to the inadequate bus service to celbridge before circle line went into liquidation imagine what the service is like now. I dread the thoughts of the winter if this situation is going to continue... Please can someone please give thought to the ordinary member of the public in celbridge this situation has been going on for a couple of years now. I feel maybe paul morton ran his bus at the same time dublin bus ran theirs so there was competition for customers.... If when granting the lience the Dept of Transport used their heads and looked at dublin bus timetable and also looked at mortons timetable and they had it in such a way as there was a bus to celbridge every half an hour all day from 6.00 in the morning till eleven thirty at night in from celbridge to the city centre and from the city centre to celbridge, both dublin bus and mortons could have shared the market and also Circle line would have to stick to that timetable and not change it when it suited.... Anyway i hope there is an answer to this problem for the general public in the celbridge area a bus service every half and hour in and out the city is not a big ask........... I feel that the general public in celbridge are the meat in the sandwich between Dept of Transport, and Paul Morton and Dublin Bus..... WE DO NOT DESERVE IT.

[Geekzilla]

How was Dublin Bus providing more busses on those routes anti competitive?

If I set up a second chipper in the village am I being anticometative to the first one?

No, but if you were part of a large chain that put in chippers around the first one until it went bankrupt, then you would be. Especially if you reduced the number of chippers after the first went out of business.

[Geekzilla]

Dublin Bus say there were three extra morning buses from Maynooth. That may or may not be a doubling, but if the privateer can't cope with that standard of competition he has more issues than Dublin Bus.

You do know that historically a privateer was a pirate mercenary?

The Swords one is also not as clear cut as it appears. The Dublin Bus express route always ran, so the private company is giving out about it using the most efficient route into the city. I doubt either of them are stopping in the Port Tunnel to pick up customers?

The case involves allegations that proper procedures weren't followed:
http://www.rte.ie/business/2008/0724/bus.html

Given that the Minister for Transport has himself described certain Dublin Bus behaviour as predatory, it's naturally a matter for concern:
http://www.rte.ie/business/2008/0723/bus.html

I'm a great supporter of public transport (I use the DART frequently), but such behaviour shouldn't be tolerated whether from a state body or a large corporation.