Go-Ahead Dublin and the National Transport Authority yesterday signed the contract relating to the operation of 24 Public Service Obligation (PSO) bus routes in the Dublin metropolitan area.
The value of the contract is €172 million over 5 years. This includes full mobilisation costs and the provision of depot facilities.
Go-Ahead Dublin is expected to begin operating some of these routes by the middle of October 2018 and all routes by the end of January 2019. The company was last year selected as the preferred bidder under a competitive public procurement process.
Under this process, the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (the “MEAT” tender) is identified through detailed assessment which includes a weighted score for price and quality.
Go-Ahead Dublin is expected to begin operating some of these routes by the middle of October 2018 and all routes by the end of January 2019. The contract is modelled on the arrangement that has been in place for years for Luas. Luas is owned by the state and run by Transdev. These routes will be owned by the state and run by Go-Ahead Dublin.
The company is one of the largest bus operators in London and was established in the late 1980s in North East England with the privatisation of the National Bus Company. It grew through the acquisition of a number of bus companies and expanded into the rail market in the 1990s.
At the official signing, Managing Director of Go-Ahead Dublin, Ed Wills said, "We are delighted to have been awarded this new contract by the NTA and are looking forward to rolling out the new fleet of buses and drivers, commencing Autumn 2018. Go-Ahead is passionate about putting customers first and signing our first contract in Ireland is something we are very proud of."
Chief Executive of the National Transport Authority, Anne Graham added, "This is ultimately about improving bus services for Dublin and the NTA is confident that passengers will benefit from this decision. We believe that with Go-Ahead Dublin as an operator there will be a fresh dimension to the way that services are offered. Introducing new providers encourages everybody to focus on their customers’ needs and it encourages innovation and improvements to service quality."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
