Dublin Bus needs to become more efficient to halt the slide in passengers numbers, according to Transport Minister Noel Dempsey. He said that the service can be improved despite the recent announcement of cutbacks.
A report on bus services has found that €2m could be saved on one arterial route - the Finglas corridor - alone.
In general it found that much of the capital's services were complicated and duplicated and prone to buses arriving in bunches. The report also said the service had failed to keep up with changes in population
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said Dublin Bus passengers have been falling despite a record subsidy for public transport and a 35% increase in the bus fleet
He said he wanted the report's recommendations on the redesign of routes and timetables implemented within a year. He also promised to review the law on privatisation
Fine Gael said competition is what is needed, while Dublin Bus said it would be studying the report's recommendations.
