EU regulations 'threaten Irish coach tourism'

THE NUMBER of days a professional coach driver can work is to be increased from six to 12 under EU law – but only for drivers from abroad. Drivers based in the Republic will continue to work the old six-day rule.

New regulations mean a tour operator based in the North can hire a driver to work 12 straight days while a company in the Republic must give a driver at least one day off after six days.

The Irish Coach and Tourism Council, which unsuccessfully lobbied Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey on the issue, said the regulations have the potential to ruin the coach tourism industry here.

Since the application of a 2006 EU directive, coach drivers who travel abroad have been required to take at least one rest day every six days. Tour operators complained this forces them to employ two drivers for most journeys and to claw back the extra cost from their customers.

Now, under an accord reached between the EU and the industry, a “12-day rule” allows the period in which coach drivers can work on international journeys only to be raised to 12 days, from January next.

Gerry Mullins, chief executive of the Coach Tourism Transport Council, said the 12-day rule was an acknowledgement that tour bus drivers do not work continuously behind the wheel, as hauliers do.

He said the ability of operators in Northern Ireland to operate with one driver would put operators in the South at a considerable commercial disadvantage. Mr Mullins said firms based in the Republic would not enjoy a corresponding advantage in selling tours in Northern Ireland, as the area is not geographically large enough to require a driver for 12 days.

The new rules include a provision that makes it easier for goods hauliers to pick up distribution contracts while returning from abroad, a feature the EU said will result in fewer lorries travelling empty across the continent.

The regulations also allow for the creation of national electronic registers in EU member states, which will contain information on transport operators including the firm’s finances, place of establishment, staff management and any previous infringements.