Latest news with #PublicServiceObligation
Irish Daily Mirror
29-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Bus Éireann to spend €7 million on gift cards to reward staff for safe driving
Bus Éireann is set to spend around €7 million on gift cards for its staff to reward safe driving and other positive practices at work. The state-owned company, which relies heavily on public funding, recorded total losses of €2.2 million over the course of its two most recent financial years. It's now seeking tenders for the supply of pre-loaded gift cards for its staff members, which will be used to reward positive performance, such as safe driving and employee referrals. The estimated value of the contract for the supply of the gift cards is €7 million excluding VAT, according to tender documents, and it's for a period of five years with two possible 12-month extensions. Bus Éireann has specified that the gift cards it will purchase must be universally accepted in Ireland, but they will not be redeemable for the purpose of online gaming or gambling. The cards must remain valid for at least one year and recipients should be able to check the balance of each card by phone, online, or in store, the tender states. They will use debit card technology and will not feature the name of the beneficiary. 'Bus Éireann seeks to engage the services of a qualified agency to provide pre-loaded gift cards for its staff,' it said. 'The main demand will be for bonus cards for driving staff and engineering staff. The cards will be required in varying denominations.' The successful supplier will be required to deliver the cards to the company's offices throughout the country based on 'award lists' provided by Bus Éireann. They will be purchased in batches at various times during the year. The bus and coach operator receives significant public funding and was awarded a five-year contract worth €1.2 billion last year for services on Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes. In 2022, it recorded a €1.5 million loss, and a further loss of €700,000 the following year despite revenues rising by 14 per cent to €583.7 million, and passenger journeys climbing nearly 20 per cent to 107 million. Tenders for the €7 million contract for the supply of gift cards must be received by June 24, according to the company. Bus Éireann did not respond to a request for comment.
Irish Independent
28-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
What the carbon tax increase means for you as household fuel costs set to rise
For a household using gas, the total carbon tax bill will rise by €17 to around €138 a year. People using home-heating oil will end up paying an extra €19 to fill a 900-litre home-heating oil tank after the May Day rise in the tax. Thursday's rise comes after it was revealed that the State's take from carbon taxes hit €1bn for the first time last year. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín called for a review of the taxes on electricity, gas, home-heating oil, petrol and diesel after it emerged some taxes on energy and fuel have surged. Figures supplied to him by Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe show carbon tax receipts have doubled in the last five years. This led Mr Tóibín to accuse the Government of 'cashing in' on the cost-of-living crisis at a time when energy bills have increased. Filling a 900-litre home-heating oil tank will now cost households around €160 in carbon tax in total. However, this comes at a time when heating oil prices have fallen heavily, due to a sharp fall in crude-oil prices. The cost of 1,000 litres of the fuel is approaching €880, down from €1,000 at the start of the year, according to price-tracking website Higher carbon taxes on petrol and diesel were imposed soon after the Budget in October, adding around 3c to the cost of a litre of both motor fuels. The tax now adds up to around 17c on every litre of petrol and diesel. Carbon tax is applied to carbon-emitting fuels such as coal, oil, petrol, diesel and natural gas. ADVERTISEMENT Introduced in 2010, the tax is intended to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and is part of Ireland's strategy to support a greener and cleaner environment. It was raised by €7.50 to €63.50 per tonne of CO2 in last October's Budget. The rate of carbon tax is set to increase further in increments to €100 per tonne by 2030. However, as is now customary, the increase was postponed until May on home-heating fuels such as natural gas and home-heating oil. The carbon tax doesn't apply to electricity, where the PSO (Public Service Obligation) levy is applied. This is currently just over €42 a year, and is largely used to subsidise wind farms. Daragh Cassidy, head of communications at price-comparison and switching site said home-fuel prices were already at record levels. 'Gas prices are still around double what they were before the war in Ukraine broke out,' he said. Recent figures from the energy regulator showed that a quarter of all household gas customers were in arrears, he added. This works out at more than 171,000 households. 'So a further hike in gas costs is probably the last thing people need to hear,' Mr Cassidy said. 'Gas customers will now be paying around €138 a year to the Government in carbon tax alone. 'And by the end of the decade, this will increase to around €220 a year as the tax is set to increase to €100 per tonne by 2030.' Mr Cassidy said that to offset the tax, the easiest step for gas customers to take would be to switch supplier. Customers who switch can get discounts of more than 20pc from their new supplier for an entire year, which would more than negate the tax increase.
Irish Independent
25-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
New train fares for Wicklow explained: commuters in one town to take serious hit
This fares determination sets out the fares for all the main Public Service Obligation (PSO) services – namely rail passenger services operated by Iarnród Éireann, bus services operated by Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland, the Luas etc. The NTA first published its National Fares Strategy in 2023, and the key objective was to move to a more equitable and consistent structure for all public transport across Ireland. Part of the requirements of the strategy was that bus and rail fares should increase in line with distance travelled, regardless of route used or geographic location. This led to the creation of Dublin city zones and it is essentially these that have been revised, meaning an adjustment to fares. The new fare structure, which kicks in on Monday, April 28 will have a significant impact on commuters in north Wicklow as the 'Dublin Commuter Zone' (DCZ) will replace the 'Short Hop Zone', which has now effectively been extended. This will result in significant changes to ticket fares, and for those who tag on and off with Leap cards. Leaving the confusing nature of the changes to one side, there is just one question that all commuters want answered: will the changes mean cheaper travel or not? The answer, confusingly, is yes and no, depending on what zone you now find yourself in. The DZC is broken down into the Dublin City Zone 1, and then Zones 2, 3 and 4, based on distance from Dublin city centre. Dublin city zone 1 covers the central city and its suburbs, and extends as far south as Bray. Greystones, meanwhile, has now been exiled to zone 2, at a cost to the town's commuters. The DZC will increase from the former limit of Kilcoole, to now include Wicklow town and Rathdrum, which are in zones 3 and 4. And while fares will come down in the areas now part of zones 3 and 4, there will be a mixture of increases and reductions in zone 2, with commuters in Greystones actually facing a hike in their fares. A single adult ticket from Dublin Connolly to Bray, from Monday, April 28, will remain at €2.60, while an adult day return will cost €5.20. The adult Leap card fare will be €2. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more A single ticket from Dublin Connolly to Greystones will increase from €3.90 to €5.10. A return ticket will set you back a fairly hefty €9.20, from the earlier fare of €7.20. The adult Leap card fare will be €3.90. The fares are the same for commuters to Kilcoole. However, the inequity for Greystones commuters doesn't end there, because the annual tickets are also going to be increased to €1,400, as opposed to €960 for those commuters who live in the Dublin zone, such as Bray. Bizarrely, an annual Dublin commuter bus only ticket will cost €1,295 for those in both zones one and two. Meanwhile, for commuters to Wicklow town, in zone 3, the fares are now €7.80 for an adult single ticket and €14 for an adult day return. However, because Wicklow town will be included in Zone 3, Leap cards can now be used as the cheapest option, with charges from €6 for an adult. Zone 4 will be furthest from the city centre, covering Rathdrum, at a cost of €7.50 for an adult with a Leap card. Otherwise, an adult single ticket will cost €9.80 and a day return will cost €17.60. Irish Rail communications manager Barry Kenny, speaking to RTÉ, has explained that the new fares mean using a Leap card will be the best option. 'We're encouraging all customers who use the Leap card, to make sure to touch on and touch off for your journey, so that you aren't charged a higher fare than you're due,' he said, and added that while cash fares are still available for the journeys, 'Leap will always be the cheaper option'.
