Union warning over bus route cuts

Industrial action could happen “sooner rather than later” following Bus Éireann’s review of its services, a union representing bus drivers has warned.

This warning follows Siptu’s criticism of Bus Éireann’s decision to review its commercial Expressway services.

The National Bus & Railworkers’ Union is currently engaged in talks with the National Transport Agency and management from Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus at the Labour Relations Commission over government plans to open 10% of public bus routes to private operators.

General secretary Dermot O’Leary warned that his members would see the benchmarking of Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus cost base with private operators as a “race to the bottom”.

He said any policies that would force staff to work for less pay would be a false economy, as any savings made by the Department of Transport would be offset by increased demands on social protection.

He said that drivers would become dependent on Family Income Supplement or the provision of social housing, but added his union’s argument was getting ‘no traction’ with the NTA or the Department of Transport.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has defended cuts to rural bus services.

He told the Dáil yesterday that changes needed to be made to services as he outlined financial difficulties faced by Bus Éireann.

Sinn Féin leader, Gerry Adams, said the cuts were a “set back for rural Ireland”, as he criticised what he said were “years of underfunding” for such routes.

Mr Kenny said that €101m had been given to CIÉ, Bus Éireann’s parent company, before Christmas. Bus Éireann now had to spend €31.9m of its own funds on express services and also faced extra costs buying new buses, he told the Dáil.

Mr Kenny said when express services went off the motorway between urban areas, this was “not as a commercially advantageous.”

“Change is necessary and we will not have mainline buses leaving the main routes from city to city and driving through the countryside. There is an opportunity for a different kind of service to be supplied that would meet the demands of people throughout the land.”

Funds could instead be spent on small rural bus operators in some communities, he suggested.

The issue of Bus Éireann’s route review was also raised at yesterday’s meeting of the Oireachtas environment committee where Ann Phelan, minister for rural economic development, discussed the issues facing rural areas.

Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen said rural Ireland was facing a “crisis”, and was critical of the timing of Bus Éireann’s announcement given Mr Kenny had pledged to invest in rural areas during his speech at Fine Gael’s national conference at the weekend.

Mr Cowen said the day for “bland” declarations on investment in rural Ireland has passed. “The Taoiseach wants to make a statement like that on a Saturday, and then come the Monday, 100 rural routes scrapped, two days after we were told by the Taoiseach of the country that €4bn is to be invested in rural Ireland. That day is over.”