Dublin Transport Authority
Encyclopedia
The National Transport Authority is the transport authority for Greater Dublin and the public transport licencing agency for the entire Republic of Ireland
. It was established under the provisions of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 and the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009, on 1 December 2009. Part 2 of this Act having been brought into operation by S.I. 459 of 2009, the Dublin Transport Authority (Part 2)(Establishment Day) Order 2009.
The NTA took over certain functions from the Department of Transport
and the entire role of the Dublin Transportation Office
. It is also to take over the functions of the Commission for Taxi Regulation
when Part 4 of the Public Transport Regulation Act is commenced, but this has yet to occur.
, the Chief Executive
and a member of the senior management team, and a chairman and six other members appointed by the Minister for Transport
. The NTA will have charge of public transport in the Greater Dublin Area
, which is defined legally for the first time in the Act. The counties covered will be the City of Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
, South Dublin
, Fingal
, County Wicklow
. County Kildare
, and County Meath
. An advisory council, consisting of local government officials and councillors, representatives of An Garda Siochana, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions
and business and community interests, will also be established. The Public Transport Regulation Act retains this structure, though it provides that its functional area in respect of the additional functions that it is granted under that Bill its functional area will be the entire state.
The NTA has subsumed the activities of the current Dublin Transportation Office
, which was dissolved on 1 December 2009. John Fitzgerald is chairperson of the NTA, and Gerry Murphy is chief executive officer
.
within Greater Dublin. Unlike authorities such as Transport for London
and RATP it will not normally operate services itself, although there is provision for it to do so in certain circumstances. It will have contracts with transport operators, including Coras Iompair Éireann
and the Railway Procurement Agency
and private operators. Although the RPA was originally intended, like the DTO, to be subsumed into the NTA, a lobbying campaign by the RPA led to it retaining its separate status. The CIE companies (Dublin Bus
, Iarnród Éireann
and Bus Éireann
) will retain their existing services but they will now subject to direction from the NTA within Greater Dublin.
A major re-branding of services is due to take place in a yet unknown colour.
announced in October 2008, the Government announced a major review of public service bodies
, with bodies being amalgamated where it was felt savings could be made. A separate national transport regulator was originally intended to be set up to licence public transport, but an annex to Budget 2009 revealed that the Government intended to incorporate both this body and the Commission for Taxi Regulation
into the DTA. In an interview in The Irish Times
on 14 January 2009, the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey
, confirmed this would indeed be the case.
On 23 January 2009, the Public Appointments Service advertised the position of chief executive officer
of the DTA. The advertisement noted the Government's intention to "assign national responsibility to the DTA for bus market regulation and the procurement of public transport services under public service obligations" and for the DTA to take over the duties of the Commission for Taxi Regulation
.
On 1 September 2009, former Dublin city manager John Fitzgerald
was appointed chairman designate of the DTA, with Gerry Murphy appointed chief executive designate.
On 8 September 2009, the Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 was published. This gave it responsibility for licencing road passenger transport services throughout the State. It will also provide for the abolition of the Taxi Regulator and the transfer of its functions to the renamed National Transport Authority. This is in addition to its Dublin-specific functions granted under the DTA Act, which it will retain.
On 1 October 2009, the Minister announced that the Commission for Aviation Regulation would be merged with the new authority, with certain functions of the Irish Aviation Authority
also to be transferred. However, neither of these proposals actually made it into the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009, which was promulgated on 27 November 2009.
The Public Transport Regulation Act 2009 proposed to change the name of the organisation to the National Transport Authority. and this was done with effect from the establishment day of the Authority under the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009 (National Transport Authority) (Appointed Day) Order 2009,
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It was established under the provisions of the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 and the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009, on 1 December 2009. Part 2 of this Act having been brought into operation by S.I. 459 of 2009, the Dublin Transport Authority (Part 2)(Establishment Day) Order 2009.
The NTA took over certain functions from the Department of Transport
Department of Transport (Ireland)
The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for transport policy and overseeing transport services and infrastructure. The Department is led by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport who is assisted by two Ministers of State...
and the entire role of the Dublin Transportation Office
Dublin Transportation Office
The Dublin Transportation Office was a government agency, formed in 1996, which provides transport and land use advice to organisations operating in the Greater Dublin Area. It had relatively limited powers and is not a full transport authority...
. It is also to take over the functions of the Commission for Taxi Regulation
Commission for Taxi Regulation
The Commission for Taxi Regulation was a public body in Ireland that existed between 2004 and 2011 regulating small public service vehicles - the generic term for taxis, wheelchair accessible taxis, hackneys and limousines.Taxis and wheelchair-accessible taxis are allowed to pick up passengers in...
when Part 4 of the Public Transport Regulation Act is commenced, but this has yet to occur.
Organisation
The act establishing the NTA made it a a body corporate consisting of the City Manager of Dublin City CouncilDublin City Council
Dublin City Council is the local authority for the city of Dublin in Ireland. It has 52 members and is the largest local authority in Ireland. Until 2001, it was known as Dublin Corporation.-Legal status:...
, the Chief Executive
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
and a member of the senior management team, and a chairman and six other members appointed by the Minister for Transport
Minister for Transport (Ireland)
The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport is the senior minister at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport is Leo Varadkar, TD...
. The NTA will have charge of public transport in the Greater Dublin Area
Greater Dublin Area
Greater Dublin Area , or simply Greater Dublin, is a term which is used to describe the city of Dublin and various counties in the hinterland of the city in Ireland. The term has no basis in law and no local government, department of government or agency of the state is bound by the term...
, which is defined legally for the first time in the Act. The counties covered will be the City of Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. Located to the south-east of Dublin city, its county seat is the town of Dún Laoghaire. It is one of the four constituent parts of the Dublin Region...
, South Dublin
South Dublin
South Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. The county seat is Tallaght, the largest suburb of Dublin and the biggest urban centre in the county. Other important centres of population are Lucan and Clondalkin...
, Fingal
Fingal
Fingal is a county in Ireland. It is one of three smaller counties into which County Dublin was divided in 1994. With its county seat located in Swords, it has a population of 239,992 according to the 2006 census...
, County Wicklow
County Wicklow
County Wicklow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wicklow, which derives from the Old Norse name Víkingalág or Wykynlo. Wicklow County Council is the local authority for the county...
. County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
, and County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
. An advisory council, consisting of local government officials and councillors, representatives of An Garda Siochana, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions
Irish Congress of Trade Unions
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions , formed in 1959 by the merger of the Irish Trade Union Congress and the Congress of Irish Unions , is a national trade union centre, the umbrella organisation to which trade unions in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland affiliate.-Influence:There...
and business and community interests, will also be established. The Public Transport Regulation Act retains this structure, though it provides that its functional area in respect of the additional functions that it is granted under that Bill its functional area will be the entire state.
The NTA has subsumed the activities of the current Dublin Transportation Office
Dublin Transportation Office
The Dublin Transportation Office was a government agency, formed in 1996, which provides transport and land use advice to organisations operating in the Greater Dublin Area. It had relatively limited powers and is not a full transport authority...
, which was dissolved on 1 December 2009. John Fitzgerald is chairperson of the NTA, and Gerry Murphy is chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
.
Services
The NTA will have charge of most public transportPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
within Greater Dublin. Unlike authorities such as Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
and RATP it will not normally operate services itself, although there is provision for it to do so in certain circumstances. It will have contracts with transport operators, including Coras Iompair Éireann
Córas Iompair Éireann
Córas Iompair Éireann , or CIÉ, is a statutory corporation of the Irish state, answerable to the Irish Government and responsible for most public transport in the Republic of Ireland and, jointly with its Northern Ireland counterpart, the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, between the...
and the Railway Procurement Agency
Railway Procurement Agency
Railway Procurement Agency is a State Agency of the Department of Transport in the Republic of Ireland charged with the development of light railway and metro infrastructure...
and private operators. Although the RPA was originally intended, like the DTO, to be subsumed into the NTA, a lobbying campaign by the RPA led to it retaining its separate status. The CIE companies (Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus is a public transport operator in Ireland. It operates an extensive bus network of 172 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 18 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The company, established in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann which is...
, Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
and Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann, established as a separate company in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The logo of Bus Éireann incorporates a red Irish...
) will retain their existing services but they will now subject to direction from the NTA within Greater Dublin.
A major re-branding of services is due to take place in a yet unknown colour.
Expanded remit
The name of the body, under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008, was originally to be Dublin Transport Authority. However, In the brought forward BudgetBudget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
announced in October 2008, the Government announced a major review of public service bodies
Public service of the Republic of Ireland
The public service of Ireland consists of agencies which, while not formally part of a Department of State, provide services on behalf of the government...
, with bodies being amalgamated where it was felt savings could be made. A separate national transport regulator was originally intended to be set up to licence public transport, but an annex to Budget 2009 revealed that the Government intended to incorporate both this body and the Commission for Taxi Regulation
Commission for Taxi Regulation
The Commission for Taxi Regulation was a public body in Ireland that existed between 2004 and 2011 regulating small public service vehicles - the generic term for taxis, wheelchair accessible taxis, hackneys and limousines.Taxis and wheelchair-accessible taxis are allowed to pick up passengers in...
into the DTA. In an interview in The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
on 14 January 2009, the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey
Noel Dempsey
Noel Dempsey is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Meath and Meath West constituencies from 1987 to 2011...
, confirmed this would indeed be the case.
On 23 January 2009, the Public Appointments Service advertised the position of chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the DTA. The advertisement noted the Government's intention to "assign national responsibility to the DTA for bus market regulation and the procurement of public transport services under public service obligations" and for the DTA to take over the duties of the Commission for Taxi Regulation
Commission for Taxi Regulation
The Commission for Taxi Regulation was a public body in Ireland that existed between 2004 and 2011 regulating small public service vehicles - the generic term for taxis, wheelchair accessible taxis, hackneys and limousines.Taxis and wheelchair-accessible taxis are allowed to pick up passengers in...
.
On 1 September 2009, former Dublin city manager John Fitzgerald
John Fitzgerald
-American football:*John Fitzgerald , former Dallas Cowboys center*John Fitzgerald , former quarterback with the af2's Austin Wranglers* John Fitzgerald , former University of Central Oklahoma lineman...
was appointed chairman designate of the DTA, with Gerry Murphy appointed chief executive designate.
On 8 September 2009, the Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009 was published. This gave it responsibility for licencing road passenger transport services throughout the State. It will also provide for the abolition of the Taxi Regulator and the transfer of its functions to the renamed National Transport Authority. This is in addition to its Dublin-specific functions granted under the DTA Act, which it will retain.
On 1 October 2009, the Minister announced that the Commission for Aviation Regulation would be merged with the new authority, with certain functions of the Irish Aviation Authority
Irish Aviation Authority
The Irish Aviation Authority is a commercial semi state company employing approximately 700 people at six locations around Ireland. The IAA has two main functions; the provision of air traffic management & related services in Irish controlled airspace and the safety regulation of the civil...
also to be transferred. However, neither of these proposals actually made it into the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009, which was promulgated on 27 November 2009.
The Public Transport Regulation Act 2009 proposed to change the name of the organisation to the National Transport Authority. and this was done with effect from the establishment day of the Authority under the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009 (National Transport Authority) (Appointed Day) Order 2009,