Speech to Labour Party Conference on Dublin Bus cuts and removal of No. 3 Bus from Larkhill
28th March 2009
Last year Dublin Bus made an operating loss of €31 million. That's just over €3 million more than the pension that Michael Fingleton will receive.
Last year there was a spike in the price of oil, which won't be repeated this year, so last year's loss was a once off loss.
If you look at the service that Dublin Bus provides from a financial point of view, we know that by investing in public transport, we improve the efficiency of Dublin, we improve the footfall into the city centre, and improve the way that business works in our city. So, financially we must support Dublin Bus.
But there is also a social side. In my own area of Larkhill, there is a large elderly population. Dublin Bus is exploring the option of removing the No. 3 bus from this estaste, or else seriously curtailing it. That will have a huge negative impact on many people's lives and cut many elderly people off from the city centre.
