Okay, the government has decided that it will not open up Dublin's bus routes to the competitive market place. Dublin Bus's monopoly is safe.
I like competition and would probably think that competition would be good for Dublin's bus customers, but I'd be willing to listen to an argument against privatization and competition on city buses. So we're sticking with the status quo for another while at least.
Still, if Dublin Bus has a monopolistic position on the city's routes, does this mean it can use this tremendous power to try and drive competitors out of business in some of those areas where there is competition? Independent tour bus operators are having trouble competing with Dublin Bus, which is using its best new buses on the tour routes rather than putting them into use as 46A's or whatever. This is wrong and really the government should impose restrictions on Dublin Bus that prevent it from operating in those markets where there is competition for bus services.
