Luas operator buys Galway bus firm

[James Shields]

Came across this today:

Luas operator buys Galway bus firm

Luas operator Veolia Transport has acquired Nestor Bus, a Co
Galway firm for E1m

The benefit to the owners, Pat Nestor and his wife Teresa, whose
business has had difficult relations with Bus Eireann, will be
less than E1m because the company has significant accumulated
losses and debts

Formerly known as Connex, the Paris-based Veolia Transport has
long signalled its intention to enter the bus sector after
establishing its business here with the Luas operating contract

"We are very keen to break into the bus market. The start of the
Irish operation is Nestor Bus. It coincides with the 20th
anniversary of Nestor Bus almost to the day," said Veolia head
Richard Dujardin

While the group is positioning itself to benefit from the
Transport 21 initiative, it is also in contention for a new
multimillion-euro contract to run a bus service linking the
long-term car park at Dublin Airport with the terminal

The Nestor services link Galway, Dublin and Dublin Airport. Pat
Nestor, who declined yesterday to comment on the deal, will stay
with the business after the transaction, which closed yesterday


This external information has been sourced from Business World,
a service of Media World Ltd.

[alek smart]

Its kind of interesting that Veolia are positioning themselves to elbow Aircoach off the Dublin Airport Authority Car Park contract.

The decision of Nestors to call it a day may well have stemmed from the financial fall-out which their high profile,High-Court tussle with Bus Eireann left.

Days in the Four Goldmines do not come cheap and usually only the Legal Profession are the ultimate beneficiaries.

It could be said that neither Bus Eireann or Nestors derived any ACTUAL benefit from the Judgement,Appeal and More Judgement process.

Its interesting that Veolia`s first move has been to source some late model Touring Coaches from the UK to replace Nestors rather individualistic though ageing fleet.

[Oisin88]

Excellent, the private monopoly now starts.

next step: Veolia buy aircoach

step after that, they take Dublin bus to court for going to the airport at all.

Then, as homer simpson would say "THEY JACK UP THE PRICE"