Private bus operators are being invited to apply for licences for an array of new routes in the greater Dublin area as well as late-night and local services.
Announcing the new licensing round yesterday, the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, described it as "another leap forward in improving the range of public transport in the city".
She said the Government had invested heavily in public transport since taking office. The new licensing round, based on revised guidelines, would "ensure increased private funding on top of major public investment".
Private operators are being invited to bid for orbital services linking the outer suburbs with one another, rather than going through the city centre, as well as "urban interlink services" between towns outside the built-up area and the city.
Also up for tender are feeder services linking population or employment centres directly to DART or suburban rail stations, Quality Bus Corridors or existing bus services and the planned Luas lines serving Tallaght and Sandyford.
Private bids are also being sought for dedicated services providing access to major factories or business parks, routes linking these areas or the city centre with designated park-and-ride sites, and direct services to Dublin Airport or the seaports.
All applications received by February 16th will be assessed in accordance with criteria relating to level of service, quality of vehicles, etc. Licensed operators will have to comply with the terms, on pain of losing their licences.
Guidelines for the licensing of bus operators in the Dublin area were revised in July 1999 to permit limited private participation. Since then, 17 licences have been granted and two more have been offered to private operators.
The guidelines were promised in the Government consultation paper, "A New Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Public Transport". The Attorney General and the Public Transport Partnership Forum were consulted on their implementation.
