[Article] CIE hopes plans will win back passengers

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...300655374.html

CIE hopes plans will win back passengers
TIM O'BRIEN

CIE GROUP companies are backing on the introduction of integrated ticketing and real-time travel information as a means of winning back passengers in the light of declining numbers, reduced public subvention and rising costs.

Outlining the future strategy to the Oireachtas Committee on Transport yesterday Vivienne Jupp, incoming chairwoman of CIE, said the group would attempt to increase revenue through attracting new customers, while continuing to target costs.

She said this would include the integrated ticketing project which allows passengers to make complex journeys across a range of transport providers using one ticket. The issue of competition between trains and journey times on the State’s new motorways would also be tackled, as would the long awaited widespread deployment of real time information at bus stops.

Dr Kevin Bonner, incoming chairman of Dublin Bus, told the committee the aim was to create reliable public transport at reasonable rates and a scheme to send real-time information about bus arrival times to bus stops would include sending information to passengers’ mobile phones. It is to be rolled out in conjunction with the integrated ticketing project making services more predictable and reliable for customers.

Dr Bonner, who has extensive labour relations experience, particularly in delivering recent social partnership programmes, said he believed “difficult” days of industrial relations at Dublin Bus were in the past. The company now enjoyed a good ethos and staff were consulted by management about change and the future of the business.

Paul Mallee, incoming chairman of Bus Éireann, said it would also be rolling out real-time information, but the implications of rising fuel prices on the company’s activities was serious.