Licence application
Before making an application you will need:
- Provide proof of your Tax Cleared Status, from the Revenue Commissioners; and
- A valid Road Passenger Transport Operators Licence or a valid European Community Licence, both of which are issued by the Department of Transport.
Please provide as much detailed information as you can about the service you intend to provide.
For example:
- The market it will service
- How it will add value for public transport users
- Any information you have regarding the number of potential passengers.
- To demonstrate that there is demand for your proposed service you should include any documentation, such as passenger questionnaires, evidence of new or expanding passenger pools (businesses, universities, shopping centres, housing estates) along the proposed route, requests from local businesses which support your application
- How it differs from existing public transport services
- Information about your vehicle(s) or service’s accessibility to people with disabilities
- Any documentation that requires the agreement of a third party must be verified by the third party, either by submission of the original hardcopy of the document or by direct email from the third party to the Authority. A forwarded email from the third party or a photocopy of the original document is not acceptable.
- If the documentation is a stopping place approval, please have the third party e-mail the approval directly to stop.approval@nationaltransport.ie
To make a complete and valid application for a new public bus passenger service Licence you must supply the following:
- A completed application form, signed and dated
- The appropriate fee
- A verification number to demonstrate your tax cleared status
- A complete timetable for proposed service. All stops must be listed on the timetable
- A complete map of the proposed route
- Maps clearly showing each individual stop. If they are Dublin Bus or Bus Éireann stops, please note the stop number, if available, on the timetable)
- Complete fare table
Note on the mapping requirements:
The maps submitted with your application should enable the Authority to follow the route used by the service at all times, outbound and return.
If necessary, please provide a textual description of the route if detailed maps cannot be provided. Use of online maps such as Osi.ie, GoogleMaps, BingMaps is allowed as part of the application.
You may also include any of the below documentation. Inclusion at the application stage will greatly speed up the process.
If the licence is offered, they may be required later in the process if not submitted.
- Stop approval (for every stop where passengers board/disembark) from either the land owner or relevant road authority
- A copy of a valid Insurance for all vehicles proposed to operate the service
- A copy of a valid Public Service Vehicle (PSV) for all vehicles proposed to operate service
- Vehicle livery description (a picture is sufficient)
- A copy of a the Certificate of Road-worthiness for all vehicles proposed to operate the service
When can I start?
When an application for a licence or an amendment is made, you must wait for the licence or licence amendment to be granted by the Authority before you start.
The application for the new licence or the application to amend an existing licence does not grant any rights to provide the public bus passenger service while it is under consideration by the Authority.
This would be in contravention of the PTR Act, 2009.
In other words, you cannot commence a public bus passenger service or change the licensed service you already provide without a licence being granted by the Authority.
If an offer for a licence is made, you will still need to provide some documents before you can start.
An offer is not a licence.
What is offered to you by the Authority may be different to what you applied for. This will be explained to you at this stage, for example an offered timetable. Acceptance of a licence must be made in writing. An offer is just an indication and not legally binding, as the granting of a licence is conditional on receipt of any outstanding documentation and/or payments. The applicant will be notified with this information.
Please see the Authority’s Guidelines for the Licensing of Public Bus Passenger Services and the Brief Guide Public Bus Passenger Services for more information.