A LEADING bus company is due to appear in court today on charges of running an unlicensed bus service between Dublin and Galway.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has summonsed Citylink representatives to appear before Galway District Court over the running of an unlicensed non-stop service between the two cities.
Citylink says it will fight any prosecution and may also seek a High Court judicial review of the Department of Transport’s failure to grant a licence for the service.
The company, which is owned by Singapore-based global transport giant ComfortDelGro, argues that the service is licensed because it is covered by the terms of an existing licence for a Dublin-Galway service with scheduled stops along the way.
Despite the pending court proceedings, Citylink is believed to be close to getting a licence for the non-stop service from the department, which regulates bus services in the State.
A spokeswoman for the department said the company had lodged a fresh submission in relation to its application on Friday and this was being considered.
Department officials have written to Bus Éireann and GoBus, the two other operators on the route, saying they are considering an application for a new express service. Even if the rival operators object, it is thought unlikely that Citylink’s application will be refused.
The row has provoked a price war on the route, with fares as low as €1 for some online bookings with Citylink. Mr Bushell said 5,000 seats were available at this price in the first month of operation of the service in October.
GoBus claimed Citylink, is using unfair tactics to drive a family-owned firm out of business. Citylink has denied this.
A Bus Éireann spokesman said yesterday it hoped Citylink would not be ‘‘rewarded’’ for running unlicensed services. ‘‘These have given Citylink an unfair competitive advantage, and have significantly reduced our revenues on our Dublin-Galway route, which will impact on our ability to provide services in rural areas of the West.’’
