Bus Éireann has emerged as the surprise winner for the first public tender for bus services outside of Dublin run by the National Transport Authority, despite significant international competition.
Five routes in Waterford that have been run by Bus Éireann for decades were put out for tender as part of the Government's plan to see a tenth of all routes decided by competitive tender.
The semi-state bus company went head-to-head with Go-Ahead, the British transport company that recently acquired 10 per cent of Dublin Bus routes, Transdev, Matthews Coach Hire and UrBus.
Bus Éireann's spokeswoman Nicola Cooke said: "This is our first ever competitive bid. Given that there were international competitors in the mix as well, it's great to see that we're able to compete."
The semi-state will continue to run the 601, 602, 603, 604 and 605 services in the city, but it will have to add 17 disability-friendly buses with motorised ramps to its local fleet.
Wheelchair and buggy spaces will also be provided, along with a visual display informing passengers of their stop. In addition, the new buses will have wifi and USB chargers for every seat.
Public transport in Waterford will be more attractive, said Cooke, where just 2 per cent of commuters use it, while Sunday services may become available.
There will also be an overall increase of roughly five per cent in services, with the daily Carrickphierish Road to the Quay route service upped from 15 to 21.
Customer complaints
Welcoming the decision, Waterford City South's Sinn Féin councillor Breda Brennan said: "I am absolutely delighted. I'm happy to that there's 19 drivers that won't be worried about their jobs."
However, she said: “Bus Éireann must take note of their customers’ complaints over delays. The waits on the quay are unacceptable and it would be good if more people used the toll, but that won’t happen straight away.”
Saying that Waterford has one of the worst public transport rates in the country, Fianna Fáil councillor Eddie Mulligan said local services need to continue to improve.
National Bus and Rail Union representative Mark Fitzgerald said local planning must improve, since the "vast majority of traffic" must come down the city's quays.
“There’s only one main thoroughfare and it can take you half an hour to get to [Waterford Institute of Technology] on a weekday and only 15 minutes on a Saturday.
“We need a second bridge at the tower hotel, that way you could put in a one-way traffic system. One bridge will not properly suffice if you want to grow the city to 100,000, it just can’t be done,” he said.
Less carbon emissions
The new buses which will be in service from next year will be significantly cleaner, says NTA chief executive, Anne Graham. "They generate about 30 per cent less carbon emission than standard diesel buses.
The European Commission has ordered the liberalisation of all bus routes by 2019, but the Government has limited competition to 10 per cent of the market. Routes in Dublin and Kildare will be decided next year.
The victory for Bus Éireann is a surprise, though the National Bus and Railway Union still argues that the Government wants to replace it with private operators.
The “real agenda” of the NTA and the Government was exposed this year when Dublin Bus lost 10 per cent of its routes to a British multinational, even though it was 5 per cent cheaper, the NBRU’s Dermot O’Leary claimed.
One long-time user of the service in Waterford is Annette Cleary, living in Kilcohan, said she had "hated" the possibility of privatisation but was unhappy with the existing poor service.
“It’s happened before that I’ve been 45 minutes late because of the buses. I know it’s not the bus driver’s fault but they don’t really have a good process for dealing with complaints.
“Sometimes you’d be there, thinking ‘I’d be nearly in town and all if I had walked it. But I just hope that while they’re keeping it with Bus Éireann the service will get better,” she said.