No 8 bus to be restored after complaint to EU

A bus service from Dalkey in south Dublin to the city centre is to be reinstated following representations to the European Commission.

The No 8 bus service, discontinued in 2000, will be back on the road within the next few weeks.

The No 8 will serve its traditional route of Dalkey and Sandycove, Monkstown and Blackrock and will also serve Glenageary, Sallynoggin and Mounttown. The decision by Dublin Bus follows a complaint by local Fine Gael councillor Eugene Regan to the competition directorate of the European Commission in 2003.

Mr Regan had complained that the discontinuation of the service by Dublin Bus, a monopoly, was in conflict with EU competition rules and should not have been allowed by the Government.

He said that following a meeting earlier this year with the competition directorate, the commission intervened by writing to the Department of Transport.

"That intervention of the commission ultimately brought about the change in policy," he said.

"I acknowledge the professionalism of Dublin Bus in the manner it has handled this issue given the limited number of buses made available to it by the present Government."

A spokeswoman for Dublin Bus said that they were pleased to be reinstating the route and had decided to do so because of a combination of factors. "There was no ruling or finding from the commission," she said. "But we were aware that Cllr Regan had made a submission and we were in talks with him." She said that the company did not take services away on an ad hoc basis but that they had reviewed and altered the route and there were now more houses along it.

"We have a provisional recommencement date of December 12th and we will be informing locals through a leaflet drop before then," she added.