Profits rise but congestion holds back Dublin Bus growth

Dublin Bus recorded a 64 per cent jump in pre-tax profits to €3.83 million last year as passenger numbers hit a record 159 million. Revenue climbed by 12 per cent to €375.8 million despite higher third-party and employer liability payouts doubling to €5.17 million and staff costs topping €268 million.

Performance penalties imposed by the National Transport Authority halved to €4.67 million as service reliability improved, with lost kilometres falling to just over three per cent. However, CEO Billy Hann warns that without urgent investment in bus priority measures, worsening congestion will erode journey times and operational gains. The firm recruited 482 drivers last year to keep pace with growing demand.

For transport leaders, Dublin Bus’s results underline the tension between record ridership, operational efficiency, and systemic city infrastructure constraints. Strong profits mask a fragile balance between performance targets and external conditions.

Read the full article to explore how strategic investment in urban transport infrastructure is shaping operator performance.