Dublin Bus achieved a 64% increase in pre-tax profits to €3.83 million last year, driven by record passenger numbers of 159 million customers and improved operational performance.
The state transport company’s financial success came despite receiving €4.67 million in performance-related penalties from the National Transport Authority, though this represented a significant improvement from the €9.09 million imposed in 2023.
Revenue grew by 12% from €334.8 million to €375.82 million, while the company expanded its workforce to 4,224 employees, including recruiting 482 new bus drivers to meet increasing demand.
Dublin Bus CEO Billy Hann acknowledged that while punctuality metrics remained strong, traffic congestion continues to challenge services. “Dublin is one of the most congested cities in Europe, and without further investment in bus priority measures, journey times will suffer,” he said.
The penalties reflected ongoing challenges with service reliability, though operational improvements were evident. NTA figures show “lost” kilometres – services that failed to run – decreased from 7% in mid-2022 to just over 3% by mid-2024.
Staff costs totalled €268.7 million, with drivers’ salaries, overtime, and allowances comprising the majority. Hann’s compensation remained unchanged at €276,000, while key management pay increased from €2.33 million to €2.53 million following an executive restructure.