NBRU outlines case against bus privatisation

The National Bus and Railworkers Union has claimed that the Government's plan to model Dublin's bus system on that currently in operation in London will lead to nothing but disaster.

NBRU general secretary Liam Tobin said the privatisation of bus services in London led to such low pay for bus drivers that the companies running the service needed a hand-out from the British government to recruit and retain staff.

Mr Tobin said the British transport regulator had to pay £4 (€5.60) per day to each bus driver to prevent them from leaving their jobs, even though the drivers were employed by a private company and not by the British government.

The erosion of pay and working conditions associated with privatisation of London bus services, Mr Tobin said, had led to a 10-12% shortage of bus drivers and a consequent deterioration in the reliability of the service they provided.

The NBRU secretary general said staff turnover among London bus drivers is now running between 25% and 35%.

He said the private companies given the franchises to run London buses currently receive a subsidy of 31% of their operating costs, while Dublin Bus, which is publicly owned, receives just 25%.

Transport Minister Seamus Brennan is planning to privatise 25% of Dublin Bus routes by next year and has announced his intention to model the privatisation on the London system. The minister has claimed that privatisation will lead to an improved and cheaper service.