Private bus company Go Ahead Ireland is to employ up to 450 workers at a planned new bus depot for north Dublin as part of an expansion that is expected to add €50 million in revenues to the business annually.
Go Ahead Transport Services (Dublin) Ltd has lodged plans with Fingal County Council for a bus depot with capacity for 187 buses and employing up to 450 people at Unit 200 Northwest Business Park, Ballycoolin, Dublin 15.
Go Ahead recently signed a letter of intent with the National Transport Authority (NTA) to operate services in the outer Dublin metropolitan area, north and south, and the expansion requires the establishment of a new depot to operate from.
In Go Ahead Transport Services (Dublin) Ltd’s most recent accounts, the directors said mobilisation has commenced for the new services “and we expect to go live in October 2025”.
“This will see the company’s turnover increase by approximately €50 million, an increase of 175 vehicles, an additional 500 drivers and 5.5 million kms [travelled]”, they added.
The site of the proposed bus depot is on land owned by Werdna Ltd, a subsidiary of Derevoya Holdings, which is controlled by Limerick-based timber tycoons the McMahon family.
A planning report lodged with the application by consultants Tom Phillips + Associates says the proposed transport depot “will generate significant employment opportunities, including bus drivers, mechanics, maintenance staff and ancillary personnel, on land zoned for general employment purposes”.
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The report anticipates that up to 450 staff, primarily bus drivers, along with engineers, cleaners and office staff, will be employed at the depot.
Given the shift nature of driver roles, it is expected that up to 310 staff may work concurrently, either on-site or off-site, with off-site (ie bus driver) work requiring a check-in at the depot before and after a shift.
The depot will operate on a 24/7 basis in line with the NTA’s plans for the roll-out of more 24-hour bus services, the planning consultant report says.
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Linda Colleran, of Tom Phillips + Associates, said the Northwest Business Park site was “optimally located in northern Dublin, is highly accessible and requires minimal intervention to accommodate Go-Ahead’s needs”.
The company currently operates depots in Ballymount, Co Dublin, and Naas, Co Kildare, and Ms Colleran said the proposed depot at Northwest Business Park would establish a third key facility to support operations and enhance public transport options.
NTA chief executive Anne Graham, in a letter to the council, said: “We wish to confirm that the NTA is supportive of this application as the proposed new depot facility in the Northwest Business Park is an integral element of the infrastructure required to operate the public bus passenger services.”
