Bus company bosses set to step down
The current contracts of Dublin Bus head, Dr Alan Westwell, and Bus Éireann chief, Bill Lilly, expire at the end of March and will not be renewed.
However, spokespersons in both companies said neither retirement was in any way connected to recent controversies involving both companies.
Last week Dublin Bus found itself at the centre of a political storm after Dublin Bus officials said that opening up new Quality Bus Corridors (QBC) was pointless since the company did not have any new busses.
In January, Bus Éireann hit the headlines for the wrong reasons after a simulated media exercise involving a phantom bus crash was communicated to news organisations as a real event.
However, sources in both companies denied the move was in any way connected to recent controversies and pointed out that both men had simply come to the end of their contracts.
Along with secretary generals of Government departments, managing directors of semi-state companies such as Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann routinely serve a seven year contract.
Dr Westwell, 65, former bus executive in Britain, has been in place at Dublin Bus for close to eight years.
Mr Lilly, 62, a former Coca-Cola executive, has been at the helm of Bus Éireann for over eight years.
Latest figures show that Dublin Bus returned a surplus of €7.4 million in 2003, while receiving a State subvention of €53m.
In the same period Bus Éireann made a profit of €1.5m while receiving a State subvention of €22m.
Passenger numbers at Dublin Bus stood at 149 million in 2003.
Bus Éireann carried over 50 million passengers during the same period.
However, urban gridlock is costing both bus companies €68.6m a year with average day-long city bus speeds as low as 12kph compared to an international average of 23kph.
