TSSA News Release

Gerry Doherty, former Irish Secretary of the TSSA and now a union official based in London said: "Having first hand experience of the chaos resulting from policies similar to those mooted by Minister Brennan, I ask the Irish people to cast a glance over the water to Britain to see the results of selling off public transport."

The Conservative government of the eighties and early nineties argued that splitting up and selling off Britain’s rail and bus services, and introducing "competition" would push up standards, drive down costs and would benefit both the public and employees.

"The reality", says Gerry Doherty, "is quite different.

"If privatisation was so good, why are taxpayers subsidising private train operators to the tune of £1.24bn this financial year, compared to £885m (in real prices) provided to British Rail in 1989/90? And total state support is expected to hit £3.8billion in 2003-4.

Shareholder greed, usurping the interests of passengers is one of the reasons why costs have reason so drastically but punctuality and reliability have collapsed with commuters yearning for the return of the ’good old days’ of British Rail.

"The experience on the buses is no laughing matter either. After 17 years of privately-run buses, the director of Transport 2000 complained recently that buses were infrequent, especially in the evenings and weekend, leading to traffic congestion, had poor connections to other modes of traffic, lacked passengers security and staff were indifferent to passengers. Rural and suburban areas had poor or non-existent routes.

Transport 2000 recently revealed that bus fares increased by 87% in real terms since 1974, while motoring costs remained the same. So much for competitive cheap transport.

After the stampede by bus and train companies to take advantage of a deregulated market, the industry is dominated by a handful of aggressive companies, including Stagecoach, which has been the subject of four investigations by the Competition Commission.

The director for Transport 2000 found little evidence to show that the bus service has improved since privatisation. The bus and train operating companies submit bids on the basis of reducing staff numbers and their wages. This may lower operating costs, but how does this improve services to the public?

"The dramatic fall in bus drivers’ pay package after privatisation has led to a crisis in recruitment and retention of frontline staff. It’s reasonable to suppose that this experience will be replicated in Ireland, so instead of creating jobs, as Seamus Brennan suggests when 25% of Dublin Bus is hived off, we predict the opposite," commented Gerry Doherty.

"Inexperience and staff shortages has resulted in a failure to deliver adequate bus services, short changing customers who have no alternative to the bus. Transport for London, which manages London Buses, was forced to address this gap by subsidising the bus drivers’ pay by £17.5million in 2001/2002.

"Does anyone really believe that the multinational bus companies who trawl the world looking for profits really care about the travails of the Irish travelling public? asks Gerry Doherty. "If they enter the Irish market it will be for one reason - to make money - the same as in Britain.

"The losers will be the very people that Minister Brennan has identified as winners, passengers, taxpayers and employees". TSSA urges the Irish government to think again on these tried and failed policies.