If the DB situation in regards to timetable-keeping, route-cutting, etc. had not been permitted to run amok unabated, then quite simply there would be no talk of privatisation.
You simply do not keep your bus service viable by cutting trips (frequency sells, you know), degrading quality of service, failing to deliver on promises (QBCs spring to mind among other failings), and especially letting the customer service communication break down in entirety (one too many apathetic responses means a severe down-turn in revenue from passengers).
Of course, privatisation will absolutely not mean lower costs for the government; they will have to continue to subsidise these operators as well as deal with their maintenance issues (you think that they can operate out of the fare-box exclusively?? Not without major compromises). Historically, private operators have had the lowest-quality buses plus less frequent service (they will attempt to target the most profitable times of day to operate and cut all the rest). Furthermore, private operators would be required to finance their own health-care plus retirement funds for their personnel, or not, as the case may be—they may also be averse to unionisation, which would result of course in lower wages being paid to these operators, who in turn would have to suffer a lower standard of living (and we do not want to put our lives in the hands of sickly bus drivers).
If DB had simply been far more accountable to the public over many of its present issues (malefactions?), then no such talk of privatisation or break-up would be in the air. However, it is worth noting that the entire CIE group has let abuses continue, mostly due to insulation from public accountability, the self-same public that they are supposed to serve (their other divisions, Bus Eireann and especially Iarnrod Eireann, have put on equally horrid displays themselves). Accountability, not break-up, is what would have solved these problems before they had even started…
BUSRAGE Discussions » Deregulation
Accountability for DB
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Posted 5 years ago #
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An excellent posting Al!
I entirely agree with your summary of the situation. CIE have an awful lot to answer for!
[posted by: Donnybrook Observer]Posted 5 years ago # -
Accountability and Dublin Bus, those 2 words dont appear ina smae sentance! Dubin Bus is accountable to nobody, nobody at all. Ive said b4, I'll say it again, Irish Stell was sold for ONE Pound, lets flog off Dublin Bus for FIVE euro, I'll give it myslef, I'll give the 5 euro myslef, gets the incompetent staff (from the TOP down I mean) out of it & get a proper bus compnay serving Dubin people,Posted 5 years ago #
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Yes, we already know that DB is not held accountable to anybody, which has caused today’s problems. I understand that. However, selling off the agency to heaven-knows-whom would only mean throwing more money down the leithreas instead of truly solving anything. Having public accountability plus the right man at the top (to flog the slackers near the top into shape) would change lots of things for the better. Besides, this whole privatisation thing seems to be a requirement of the EU now.
I take it that you want to throw the public transportation in Dublin into bigger chaos than is already proposed for it? Like I said before, who on earth would buy Dublin Bus. No private concern would, ever. No bus companies would think to run solely out of the fare-box, because that would be a total nightmare. You can kiss monthly passes and transfers to rail/bus good-bye if that happens. Same goes for reliable buses, plus unprofitable off-peak service.
And what comparison does the Irish Steel situation have to the DB situation? Nothing. The true price that the buyers of Irish Steel, Ispat, was some £27 million, Irish Steel’s debts. Who will dare to take on Dublin Bus’ constant deficit without receiving subsidy for doing so?? Absolutely no entity. Outfits like Connex and Herzog would only take on Dublin Bus operations under contract, not as full-time operations that they had to self-fund.(going back to “wait and see” mode for now…) Posted 5 years ago # -
Excellent points that nobody wants to bring up and this is why we are where we are. Why are the unions defending CIE for god sake? If they had of run decent railways and bus services with integrated transport modes that worked together and not fought one another, rather than seeing them as a by-product of the tourist industry this situation would not be coming about. CIE spend more time developing their property and trucking concerns than running public transport. I am amazed that ordinary workers from CIE are coming out to support the CIE board who are the ones who landed them in this position in the first place.
Personally speaking, I am in favour of private companies being allowed to supply aditional public transport if the various CIE entities either can’t or won’t offer to the public. Also, the CIE unions really have to grow up and alaigning yourself with the taxi federation – give me a break! I am undecided about the franchising out of the Dublin Bus routes, but when I seen all these people trying to protect CIE like some precious and infallible entity I really have to wonder.Posted 5 years ago # -
One of the reasons for meetings such as the one being discussed is the amazingly compliant media of all types who appear to dote on every facet of Seamus Brennans ministry.
The reality of Dublin Bus operations especially in the recent past is one of a company being asked to comply with political requests to operate service levels which are unustainable in a commercial sense but which central or local government do not want to pay for either.
Comparisons with the UK can be very misleading in many ways,not least because the UK retains local taxation by means of a range of local taxes such as water rates,domestic rates,council charge tax etc.
Even with these local taxes it appears that Central Government is STILL pumping massive amounts of Cash into public transport.
Substantial amounts of this subvention goes directly into the funding of dividends to the shareholders of the large private multi-natoionals who dominate UK public transport and who are keen to dominate the Dublin and Irish scene too.
Take for example the steadily increasing presence of Metroline.
Since the inception of Aer Dart,augmented by the acquisition of Galway CityLink this company is now the pre-eminent UK scene operator in Ireland.
Its chief exec was emboldened enough to egg on Minister Brennan to Whip the Unions (Vested Interests acording to the man) into submission.
Yet when one roots a bit deeper into the Metroline pot some interesting observations come to light.
For example in the highly ordered and well run but expensive London Bus market, Metroline has been a consistent poor performer in the publicly available league tables published by London Buses (TfL)
Indeed a quick observation on the physical state of much of this operators fleet in central London shows a very different picture from the Spick an span Aer Darts.
More importantly the parent company of Metroline,the Singapore based Delgro/Comfort corporation has declared its intention to become a dominant force in the UK/Irish Bus scene.
The Delgro/Comfort corp is capitalized at in excess of $US 9 BILLION.
Yet the Irish Department of transport and other regulatory agencies raises not a whimper when this fantastically wealthy conglomerate accquires a local small-time operator and simply continues to operate from a side-of-road "Terminus" in Dublin City which is both dangerous as well as unbefitting of the type of Bus and Coach operation which this country should be aspiring to.
Delgro/Comfort should have been REQUIRED to prove its long term intent by investing in its own infrastructure BEFORE being allowed to start revenue-gathering operations.
But this would require a rather more in-depth knowledge of public transport operations than that which is possessed by our administrators who in the main are career civil servants whose main goal in life is to retire at the highest possible grade or even to attain cult status by getting to Brussels or Strasbourg.
Quite simply these Civil Servant/Poltical types will be taken in,chewed up and spit out by some of the highly motivated,and very focused senior management of the Big Boys.......
Lets watch and see for example how long it will be before the "Golden Boy" John O Sullivan of AirCoach is approached with an unrefusable offer which will see him kept in 4x4 Mercedes for life and which will allow Aircoach to benefit from the considerable resources of a large conglomerate etc etc etc ....The race to dissapate the old CIE groups energies and replace them with what is simply another monopoly is well under way.
What a pity it is being overseen by those with no knowledge of their chosen field. Sad Sad Sad ....Posted 5 years ago # -
what a frightning prospect to look forward to post deregulation when are we gonna wake up and smell the stench emminating from our gvnt depts namely the dept of trans,letting these sharks in from blighty to run our trans system we have a pretty good idea what to expect(and it wont be improvements judging from their recent history,stagecoach,national express,metroline take note)that gentleman from blighty who spoke at the protest meeting in the teachers club (driver)raised some very valid points i dont no about anyone else but i would tend to take this mans poiint of view over any govnt officiall(like come on did you ever see anyone as shifty or as untrustworthy looking as "our seamy"(mr brennan)or consultant or whomever,he is afterall in the coalface of transport can see all points of view"ie"from passengers,drivers,staff and managements points of view.Accountabillity is cie's big problem, replacing it with another monopally with boards based god knows where wont solve any existing probs,just make some very lucky individuals very wealthy,while we still suffer.maybe this is our queue to get walkin folks,we have become a nation of couch potatoes afterall"according to some govnt appointed consultant anyway"its all a big conspiracy me tinks;"all jokin aside that maybe true'r than we tink,when that twenty year old atlantean gives up the goat on your way home to finglas,wit nuttin to replace it courtesy fo metroline or whomever,thats exactly whats ahead of us folks.
[posted by: ollie dlk]Posted 5 years ago #
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