Details of Bus Éireann cutbacks announced

patrickc

http://www.buseireann.ie/news.php?id=832&month=Jan

Bus Éireann has today (January 29th 2010) said that the implementation of changes to services with low customer support under its cost recovery plan as recommended by the Labour Court will begin on 28th February 2010. Changes to conditions of employment and other cost reduction measures under the cost recovery plan have already begun.
In recent years, Bus Éireann has significantly expanded its network of services across the country. However, the economic downturn has seen a significant drop in demand for public transport because of the fall in the number of people in work, the drop in the number of non-Irish nationals in the country, the significant slowdown in retailing and a substantial reduction in the number of tourists visiting Ireland. This has resulted in Bus Éireann customer numbers falling by over 10 per cent in 2009, which has impacted negatively on the company’s revenues and means it can no longer afford to operate the same high level of services as it has previously.
As a responsible commercial semi-State, Bus Éireann must address this situation by further reducing its cost base and bringing service levels in line with falling demand. According to an independent review by Deloitte, which was commissioned by the Department of Transport, because Bus Éireann is efficient “it will not be possible to make major cost savings on the Bus Éireann network without reducing services”.
Bus Éireann has continually reduced its cost base over the last number of years and further significant savings will be achieved through the implementation of the company’s cost recovery plan. The plan involves a reduction of approximately 250 positions across the organisation, alterations to work practices and terms of employment, and changes to services with low customer support.
The cost recovery plan is designed to protect as many services and jobs as possible so that Bus Éireann can continue to provide transport to the considerable number of people throughout the country who use our services every day, while returning the company to a stronger financial position.
The first changes under the plan involved alterations to work practices and terms of employment that will reduce earnings across the company. These changes will not have any adverse impact on services over the next four weeks. The plan will also see a reduction of approximately 250 positions across the organisation. Bus Éireann has received the required number of applications for its voluntary redundancy scheme under the plan.
From 28th February 2010, Bus Éireann will begin phasing in changes to services with low customer support as recommended by the Labour Court and the independent Deloitte report, which was commissioned by the Department of Transport.
Following a detailed review, service changes are being introduced on a phased basis and will focus on services that have low customer support. The majority of changes will be to the frequency of services or the routing of services. This is the start of the first phase of changes under the cost recovery plan. The level of further changes required will depend on the savings that can be achieved in earlier phases.
Unfortunately, there are a small number of services throughout the country that have very low customer support and given the current economic environment and the limit to the operational funds available to the company these services are no longer sustainable.
Such services often have five passengers or less per departure. In many such cases, the fare revenue from these customers doesn’t even cover the fuel for the bus let alone the wages for the driver or the maintenance of the vehicle. Bus Éireann must curtail such services otherwise it would have no alternative but to make changes to services that have much higher levels of support.
In making these changes, Bus Éireann will seek to minimise their impact on its customers and its integrated network as much as possible.
It is with great regret that Bus Éireann has to take this action, but it is unavoidable and necessary given the deterioration in the economy over the last 18 months and the subsequent fall in customer numbers. The company is acutely aware of the difficulties these changes may cause for customers and staff. However, implementation of the cost recovery plan, which follows on-going cost reducing measures over recent years, is vital to ensuring the continuance of as many of the our 330 routes as possible.
Safety and customer service will, as always, remain the company’s priorities.
Customers on routes where alterations come into effect from 28th February 2010 will be informed of the change to their service from today (29th January 2010) and information on service changes will be available from local travel centres and viewable at www.buseireann.ie. Further service changes will be announced in advance of them coming into place.
In light of the current economic position of the country, the company will continue to review its financial position on an on-going basis.
The following service changes to come into effect from 28th February 2010:
Timetable and Route Changes

Route 40 Cork-Tralee
Thirteen departures a day in each direction. Change will see one less departure - Tralee-Cork (Monday only).
All services will now operate on the main road via Ballyvourney only. Route 257 will provide a shuttle connection between Macroom/ Killarney and Millstreet/Rathmore.
Route 337 Miltown Malbay-Ennis
Currently operates two departures a day in each direction, extra departure ex Ennis Fridays only. Change will see one less departure each way.
Route 329 Kilfinane-Limerick
Currently operates five times a day on Saturdays, twice during the week in each direction along the route. Change will see one less departure from Kilfinane during week and one less departure from Limerick on Saturday.
Route 14 Limerick-Killarney
Seven departures a day each way. Change will see one less departure ex Killarney (Monday only).
Route 110 Navan Town Service
Reduction in frequency on Routes A, B and C, and change in routing on Route B with main areas still served.
Route 186/189 Drogheda-Clogherhead-Grangebellew
Amalgamation of two routes. Route will no longer serve Togher Cross due to low customer numbers and this will result in longer journeys for some customers.
Route 440/441 Dooagh-Westport
Two departures a day (Monday-Saturday) each way. Change will see one less departure a day each way.
Route 490/487/491/494 Ballybofey/Letterkenny/Strabane
Re-organisation of local network of services that will see routes altered and some reduction in frequency.
Route 362/364/366/386/387/388 – Dungarvan local services
Re-organisation of local network of services that will see routes altered and cancellation of services to secondary locations.
Route 459/459a – Athlone Town Services
Reduction in frequency on routes.
Route 52 - Galway-Ballina
Operates seven times a day. One departure each way to be withdrawn.
Low frequency services withdrawn

Route 122 Portumna-Dublin
Operates once a day in each direction.
Alternative high frequency services on main portions of the route are available along the Dublin-Athlone and Dublin-Tullamore corridors.
Route 71 Cork-Roscrea-Athlone
Operates once a day in each direction.
Alternative services on main portions of the route are available - Cork-Clonmel-Kilkenny-Dublin, Cork-Dublin via Portlaoise, Cork-Cahir-Horse & Jockey, and from Birr-Athlone.
Route 210A Cork City Service - South Mall-Mahon-Jacob’s Island
14/15 departures in each direction each day.
Alternative services available – Route 2, 10 – within 500 metres of 10A routing.
Route 231 Ballyvourney-Cork
One departure each way per day.
Alternative services available - Route 40 (Cork-Tralee high frequency service) and Route 233 Cork-Macroom
Route 102 Ardcath-Dublin
One departure each way per day.
Alternative higher frequency services available from adjacent locations - Ashbourne, Duleek or Kilmoon Cross.
Route 271 – Tralee–Cork Via Naad
Operates twice a week.
Public and rural transport services available along the route.
Route 418 – Galway – Kiltullagh
Operates once a day Mon – Sat.
Alternatives - 7.20 departure from Athenry. Rail service available from Athenry.
Route 255 Macroom-Ballingeary-Kealkil-Kilcrohane (Saturday only)
Operates twice a day each way on Saturdays only.

Cookie_Monster

Not as large an impact as I was expecting

patrickc

same as tbh, expected worse

FlameoftheWest

Not at all draconian. I can think of several rural routes I know which I expected to be culled. Very surprising at how few changes have been made. Frankly a lot of the slash n' burn stories would appear to be more jounalistic hype than anything else. Some stories made it sound like 80% of the network was to be shut down. It is true though about the east europeans no longer here being a major impact on bus numbers.

Cookie_Monster

8/330 cut = 2.4%
22/330 reduced = 6.6%

Very small IMO actually. I really wonder if this is the true end extent. They were talking about taking 100+ buses off the road weren't they, surely more routes would be affected by that?

serfboard

Guys, read the press release. This is only the first phase. There will be more cutbacks announced later on.

Bus Eireann wrote:

From 28th February 2010, Bus Éireann will begin phasing in changes to services with low customer support as recommended by the Labour Court and the independent Deloitte report, which was commissioned by the Department of Transport.
Following a detailed review, service changes are being introduced on a phased basis and will focus on services that have low customer support. The majority of changes will be to the frequency of services or the routing of services. This is the start of the first phase of changes under the cost recovery plan. The level of further changes required will depend on the savings that can be achieved in earlier phases.
Unfortunately, there are a small number of services throughout the country that have very low customer support and given the current economic environment and the limit to the operational funds available to the company these services are no longer sustainable.

Bus Eireann wrote:

Such services often have five passengers or less per departure. In many such cases, the fare revenue from these customers doesn’t even cover the fuel for the bus let alone the wages for the driver or the maintenance of the vehicle. Bus Éireann must curtail such services otherwise it would have no alternative but to make changes to services that have much higher levels of support.

In fairness, you can't argue with this. 5 passengers is a waste of time (and money). I was on a service the other night that had only 3 passengers (including me) on it.

Cookie_Monster

serfboard wrote: »

In fairness, you can't argue with this. 5 passengers is a waste of time (and money). I was on a service the other night that had only 3 passengers (including me) on it.

I do agree that there should be cuts on low usage routes, I'm just surprised there are so few. Even if it is only the first cut I would have thought that the first would be the biggest hit overall.

There are probably at least 10% of those 330 route that could do with some form of cut back, even if it is only 1 route per day / week. I don't wish to cut people out but they do need to scale back on loss making routes

Danno

Alot of the Bus Eireann timetables are silly. Their fares are expensive. This company needs an overhaul.

Hungerford

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I do agree that there should be cuts on low usage routes, I'm just surprised there are so few. Even if it is only the first cut I would have thought that the first would be the biggest hit overall.

Nope - I think it'll be far more cynical than that - the bigger cuts will come in the later phases when public attention has waned.

If you remember the original hit list, they were going to engage in more drastic and damaging cuts, such as the withdraw of most services to Newgrange. Such cuts will come in later phases, I suspect. :eek:

Cookie_Monster

Danno wrote: »

Alot of the Bus Eireann timetables are silly. Their fares are expensive. This company needs an overhaul.

care to back that up with anything. As far as bus companies go BE is one of the better ones in operation here or in the UK imo. Yes they do have to contend with useless government and unions who will rape every penny out of them but overall I think they do quite well in providing services to every end of the country.

They are certainly more competant then IE and Dublin Bus!

Vic_08

Hungerford wrote: »

Nope - I think it'll be far more cynical than that - the bigger cuts will come in the later phases when public attention has waned.

If you remember the original hit list, they were going to engage in more drastic and damaging cuts, such as the withdraw of most services to Newgrange. Such cuts will come in later phases, I suspect. :eek:

Well the word is that ministerial interference has had a big effect on the cuts and in the last week they have been scaled back in many areas.

It is being made clear that this is only the first wave and more cuts will follow.

Grindylow

The only thing Bus Eireann needs to cut, is their prices.

Cookie_Monster

Loss-making services hit as 100 bus routes axed

Saturday Independant wrote:

PASSENGERS face major cuts to public transport services after Bus Eireann admitted yesterday up to 100 routes would be axed or frequencies reduced before the end of the year.

The company is also seeking 250 voluntary redundancies by February 28 next which could result in industrial action by angry SIPTU workers who have refused to accept changes in work practices.

Yesterday, it announced that eight services will be axed altogether from next month and frequencies reduced on another 24 because of the economic downturn which has resulted in a 10pc drop in demand for public transport.

It also warned that more services would be affected before the end of the year. But the Irish Independent has learned that the company signed a five-year contract with the National Transport Authority (NTA) less than two months ago where it agreed to provide many of the axed services.

Subsidises

The contract was signed in return for a €45m public service obligation payment which subsidises the cost of running services which are not commercially viable.

However, less than two months after the contract was signed, the company told the NTA it would have to axe some services and reduce frequency on others.

The NTA agreed to the changes, saying the decision was made because the company's Government subvention was reduced in the Budget.

"These are five-year contracts, but we do take account of changing circumstances," a NTA spokeswoman said.

"We did sign the contract in December which had been negotiated over the autumn. The December subvention reduced in the Budget. These changes we consider appropriate."

Bus Eireann said that changes are being made to services with "low customer support" under its cost recovery plan which has been recommended by the Labour Court.

Changes to conditions of employment and other cost reduction measures under the plan have already begun, it added.

It blamed the economic downturn; the drop in the number of non-Irish nationals in the country; a reduction in tourist numbers; and the slowdown in retailing for the reduction in services.

"Changes are being introduced on a phased basis and will focus on services that have low customer support," a spokesman said.

"Unfortunately, there are a small number of services throughout the country that have very low customer support and given the current economic environment and the limit to the operational funds available to the company, these services are no longer sustainable."

In some cases, fewer than five passengers used a service which did not cover fuel costs, drivers' wages and the maintenance of the vehicle, he added.

The move was criticised by Irish Rural Link which said it showed that Bus Eireann no longer considered it had a public service obligation.

"Transport poverty is an issue in rural areas," a spokesman said. "Bus Eireann only consulted with unions on these cuts instead of looking at the needs of the communities they are supposed to serve."

Labour's Tommy Broughan said the cuts were a "devastating blow" for commuters.

SIPTU, which represents 400 workers, warned of industrial action unless the company addressed concerns about wage cuts and reduced driver hours.

The company said it will achieve all 250 job cuts through a voluntary redundancy scheme, but SIPTU said it could not rule out a strike.

"There's a concern about what our members will do after the changes," SIPTU spokesman Andrew McCarthy said.

"If they go ahead without our agreement our members will go on strike on March 1."

The bolded statement is an interesting point. We all know they need to save money but there is a point that of course the lower usage "PSO" route will suffer the most defeating the whole purpose of PSO's

Carawaystick

how has the labour court any competency to decide how the residents of ireland should or should not get a bus service? :eek:
The fact BÉ quote this shows the usual CIÉ crap is alive and well. the company is run for the benefit of staff and management, not the people of Ireland.

unJustMary

It's fair to say that any company is run for the good of its owners and/or shareholders firstly, and then for the good of it's management and employees.

The transport needs of the people of Ireland should be looked after by the government, who should be funding services that aren't commercially viable where needed --- and not necessarily be using a govt owned company to run them. (similarly to school-buses).

Vic_08

There are a number of other changes to various routes NOT listed in the press release quoted above.

The timetables are available on the printed timetable section of the BE Website http://www.buseireann.ie/bubble.php?id=43

The old and new tables are listed so it is easy to see which are altered/removed.

One that seems to have slipped by is the 23 Dublin - Sligo
15.35 sunday only limited stop service from Sligo and 20.15 return withdrawn.

Of note it is not all bad news, there are also some service improvements on certain routes.

In Dublin/Meath area the 104 Ashbourne - Blanchardstown shuttle will be withdrawn to be replaced by the 105 Dublin-Ratoath now serving Blanchardstown centre on all departures (1 per hour) with every second departure extended to Ashbourne

The 109A Navan - Airport - DCU now starts an hour earlier at 4am from Navan returning at 5.20am from DCU and has a later finish at 10pm from Navan returning from DCU at 11.20, Dublin Airport 11.30.

All 109A departures will now operate via Ashbourne.

In Sligo the 472 Sligo - Strandhill and 473 Sligo - Rosses point now have a Sunday service, starting from today.

number10a

I can't believe they're getting rid of the 10A in Cork!! I mean in reality it was severely underused - but more importantly, what am I gonna do for a nickname now!?!?

It's going to be such a waste of time now that there'll be no 10A. 10A - Mahon Point to City Centre in 10 mins. 10 - Mahon Point to City Centre in 30 mins. number10a is gonna be sad without his favourite bus route........

KC61

The reality is that operating many of these routes cannot be justified - rural transport schemes would be far more appropriate than Bus Eireann.

As for Bus Eireann fares - they are regulated by the Department of Transport.

lucernarian

Hungerford wrote: »

Nope - I think it'll be far more cynical than that - the bigger cuts will come in the later phases when public attention has waned.

If you remember the original hit list, they were going to engage in more drastic and damaging cuts, such as the withdraw of most services to Newgrange. Such cuts will come in later phases, I suspect. :eek:

I couldn't find an old list of proposed cuts when it was being talked about. Can you provide a link for this?