Go-Ahead Ireland has opened its new bus depot at Ballymount, in preparation for taking over 10% of the Dublin region’s bus network from Dublin Bus next September. 

Transport minister Shane Ross was on hand for the official opening, and said: “The opening of the new bus depot today marks the next step in the bus market opening process. Introducing competitive tendering into the market encourages everybody to focus on their customer’s needs, and we must place passengers at the centre of our public transport policy. 

“It also encourages innovation and improvements to service quality. I am therefore delighted to welcome Go Ahead into the Irish market — and the creation of 425 local jobs and an €8.5m investment in its operation.”

Managing director Ed Wills added: "The opening of the Go-Ahead Ireland depot is a key milestone for our operations in Dublin. We are creating new jobs, investing in developing new skills and we are confident that there is a lot of interest in our company. We believe in working closely with the communities we serve and wish to provide a friendly service that our customers can rely on.”

Go-Ahead will run 24 bus routes, including a new No 175 service from Citywest to UCD which will be the first to begin operations, on 9 September next. A tranche of seven more routes will commence on 7 October, to be followed by more in November and next January.

In Association with

The company is getting 61 vehicles from Dublin Bus, ranging up to four years old, which will be rebranded in blue, white and green Transport for Ireland livery. Leap Card and Free Travel Cards will be accepted on all routes, Real Time Passenger information will still apply, and fares will remain the same.

At present the company employs 85 people, due to grow to 425 by the end of this year. It is not clear how many of these will be new jobs and how many staff will transfer from Dublin Bus.

Photo: David Brown (left), CEO of The Go-Ahead Group (UK) and Ed Wills (Pic: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography)