€16M RETURN FOR INTERCITY BUS SERVICES
Big boost after closure fears
IRELAND’S main intercity bus service, touted for closure last year, is pumping up to €16million into the lease of dozens of coaches over the coming years.
Bus Eireann has put out a tender for 18 single-deck vehicles and eight double deckers for its beleaguered Expressway service.
The lease will be for five years with options to extend the contract or buy the vehicles.
Bosses at the State-owned company are also planning further investment in routes and a new advertising campaign aimed at boosting passenger numbers.
Only last year, consultants suggested shutting down the Expressway service – which is run as a commercial business – as part of a rescue package for the loss-making Bus Eireann. The latest tender for a new fleet of coaches is being seen as a renewed commitment to the intercity service.
Bus Eireann spokeswoman Nicola Cooke said it was part of “the normal vehicle replacement programme and continued investment in our fleet.”
She added: “It is our part of the company’s overall plan to grow Expressway revenues and meet our customers’ expectations.
“There are plans for further investment in routes over the coming year and we are also engaging new ticketing technology, and a new advertising campaign will commence shortly.”
The investment follows a commitment by the Government in recent weeks to increase payments for pensioners’ free travel on Bus Eireann services.
The deal will be worth up to €7million in extra income for the bus company, which will be injected into the Expressway service.
Bus Eireann has axed some routes, brought in new rosters and pay rates and agreed a voluntary redundancy scheme with unions as part of a massive costcutting programme. The measures were agreed after a three-week strike by drivers last spring.
Single deck busses and eight double deckers will be leased