 levied a total of €17.9 million in financial penalties on transport operators last year, with Dublin Bus accounting for over half of the total amount.){kind=link}
The National Transport Authority (NTA) levied a total of €17.9 million in financial penalties on transport operators last year, with Dublin Bus accounting for over half of the total amount. This figure represents a decrease of €1.5 million from the €19.4 million withheld in 2022.
The penalties were imposed as part of the NTA’s Public Service Obligation Contracts Annual Performance Report for 2023. The deductions were made due to the operators’ failure to meet specified minimum performance standards.
Dublin Bus faced the largest penalty, with €9.09 million deducted, which constitutes 52% of the total penalties. The Dublin Bus annual report, released earlier this month, cited traffic congestion in Dublin as a major operational challenge, adversely affecting service reliability.
Other penalties included €3.25 million for Bus Éireann, an additional €760,000 for Bus Éireann Waterford City, and €2.42 million for the Luas. Iarnród Éireann had €1.26 million in deductions, and Go Ahead Ireland faced €1.1 million in penalties for its Outer Dublin Metropolitan Area and Dublin Commuter Outer Metropolitan services.
Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA, acknowledged the challenges faced in 2023, including a record increase in public transport usage, resource constraints, and traffic congestion. She expressed that these factors had an impact on punctuality and reliability, particularly in urban areas.
“The Authority recognizes the disruption and inconvenience caused to customers and has worked diligently with operators to address these issues,” Graham stated. The NTA has engaged with operators regularly to review performance and implement remedial actions, such as adding capacity or adjusting journey times to improve reliability.
The NTA’s overall expenditure for the year rose by 18.5%, from €1.67 billion in 2022 to €1.97 billion in 2023. This increase was driven by a rise in Public Service Obligation (PSO) expenditure from €809.9 million to €982 million and an 18% increase in capital expenditure, from €735 million to €870 million.
In terms of executive compensation, CEO Anne Graham’s basic pay increased from €202,000 to €215,000, not including retirement benefits. Graham was the highest-paid employee, with five others earning between €160,000 and €180,000 and 25 employees earning between €100,000 and €150,000.