Dublin Bus has started to implement a series of wide-ranging safety recommendations following the bus crash which killed six people on Wellington Quay earlier this year.
A committee of inquiry, which completed a 100-page report within the last fortnight, recommends that Dublin Bus and other agencies review the safety of all 3,000 bus stops in the Dublin area, as well as city-centre terminuses.
Dublin Bus withheld publication of the report in recent days after the DPP warned publication could prejudice a fair trial for anyone charged over the crash.
However, details of the recommendations were published in yesterday's Irish Daily Star, despite the newspaper receiving a similar warning from the DPP's office.
A spokeswoman for the DPP declined to comment on the matter yesterday and was unable to say when a decision would be made on whether charges would be pressed.
The Star, however, said it was entitled to publish extracts of the report in the light of a landmark High Court case in which Mr Justice Peter Kelly found that publishing material prejudicial to a fair trial prior to charges being preferred in court could not amount to contempt of court.
Sources yesterday confirmed details of the report's recommendations which advise Dublin Bus to:
• Instruct drivers to turn off their engines after completing their duties and when handing over vehicles;
• Investigate the possibility of changing the design of foot pedals on buses to avoid any unintended acceleration due to pressing the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal;
• Establish a public awareness campaign to warn people about the dangers of getting on and off buses.
It also adds that the report's recommendations should be published to maintain confidence in Dublin Bus.
A spokeswoman for Dublin Bus declined to comment on details of the report except to say that recommendations were being implemented and that safety was a top priority for the company.
The chairman of Dublin Bus visited families of the deceased recently to explain why the report was being delayed.
The families of the dead and injured in the bus crash were due to be given advance copies of the report and counsellors had been arranged to offer support to the bereaved.
A translator had also been organised for a Chinese woman injured in the crash.
However, the firm took steps to retrieve all copies of the investigation report after receiving the DPP's letter.
The report, which took around 11 weeks to complete, includes detailed appendices on technical aspects of the crash and the reconstruction of the circumstances.
The chairman of the inquiry, Mr Arnold O'Byrne, also reported to the board of Dublin Bus yesterday morning on details of the investigation and its conclusions.
Meanwhile, the drivers involved in the crash are still out of work and receiving attention from CIÉ's chief medical officer.
