I welcome the publication of the Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 which has been promised by Transport Minister Noel Dempsey and his predecessors for many years.

The ongoing failure to reform the antiquated 1932 bus licensing laws has been one of the most glaring gaps in Minister Dempsey’s tenure in office. In particular, Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann and private operators have often been precluded from offering new services to commuters because of the outdated and cumbersome bus licensing system overseen by Minister Dempsey and the Department of Transport.

The Public Transport Regulation Bill will establish a National Transport Authority and transfer the responsibility for bus licensing to the NTA. It is also proposed that the Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) and the Commission for Taxi Regulation will be subsumed into the NTA. However, Minister Dempsey has not indicated whether the new NTA legislation will slow down the establishment of a much-needed transport regulator for the Greater Dublin Area. The Minister has also failed to provide a timeline for establishment of the NTA and to report on how it will be financed. Many taxi drivers have informed me that they hope that this development will provide an opportunity for serious reform of the failing regulatory system that oversees the taxi industry.

The new bus licensing regulations contained in the Bill will have a profound effect on public transport bus services. There must now be an in-depth examination of all of their implications during Second Stage Dail statements and at the Dail Transport Committee.

Over the next couple of weeks I also hope to meet with Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, the main transport unions SIPTU and NBRU and representatives of private bus and coach operators across the country to fully discuss the proposals contained within the Public Transport Regulation Bill.