Bus Éireann carried a record 111million passengers last year – yet still made a loss of €4.2m.

The company blamed losses on its national Expressway service, which gets no subsidies.

In its 2024 annual report, released yesterday, it said it had to hire in buses to maintain services “when staff and vehicles shortages arose”.

“Rising operational costs, additional bus hire costs to maintain services when staff and vehicles shortages arose, coupled with ongoing cost inflationary pressures, impacted financial performance, particularly on the commercial business, which operates routes under the Expressway brand,” the report said.

The company almost broke even in 2023, when it incurred a loss of €700,000.

Chief executive Stephen Kent admitted the firm needs to improve its punctuality and reliability.

He said: “There are many opportunities for further service enhancements, improving the punctuality of our services and customer experiences, and, of course, delivering on incentives under our contracts.

“In particular, delivering reliable services on every local network will also require close collaboration with local authorities for greater bus prioritisation, in addition to providing further investment in frequency of services.”

He added: “To secure our long-term future, it is also a priority that we return to profit on our commercial services while ensuring we remain competitive.

“At the core of our success is our people and their dedicated focus on our customers and their expertise, and so I believe our shared values will continue to drive Bus Éireann forward, helping to make life better throughout Ireland.”

Bus Éireann chair Miriam Hughes said the company’s strategy was “designed to accelerate passenger growth, strengthen our role in Ireland’s public transport network, and advance sustainable mobility”.

“As we continue to scale, we must also ensure the business is financially sustainable,” she said.

“Therefore, we will continue our work with the Department of Transport to ensure we develop appropriate actions to support the company’s return to profitability in 2025 as a critical priority as we deliver the essential public transport growth that Ireland requires.”