Minister rejects ‘right-wing’ and ‘hawkish’ claims on bus privatisation policy

Proposals to privatise 10 per cent of Dublin bus routes are intended to bring “competitive tension” into the market, according to the Minister for Transport.

Paschal Donohoe said the sole objective was to improve choice to passengers but he insisted "I am committed to the role of a public bus service in the future".

And he rejected claims that Fine Gael’s policy was complete privatisation of the bus network, insisting it was about implementing the “right policy”.

Fianna Fáil spokesman Timmy Dooley said Fine Gael in opposition talked about effectively privatising the public transport network.

Mr Dooley told the Minister that “you should be in no doubt the hawks in your party want ultimate privatisation of the bus network”.

The Clare TD said the long-term “game” was about “privatisation and dismantling of a public transport network that has been built up over many generations”.

And he warned Mr Donohoe that if he continued with that policy he was “ultimately allowing a process to begin where the endgame is very clear”.

Rounding on the Fianna Fáil spokesman Mr Donohoe said however that Mr Dooley had repeatedly accused him of being “right-wing or hawkish”.

Mr Dooley said “not you,your party”.

But the Minister insisted: “I am not interested in implementing a policy based on being right-wing. I am interested in implementing the right policy, which is to put in place a mechanism regarding 10 per cent of the bus routes with the sole objective of improving choice to passengers.”

He said that once contracts were awarded for 10 per cent of routes “it will result in certainty over a five-year period for those routes and others”.