Public Service Obligations – Recent Determinations by NTA
NTA has the role of evaluating whether a Public Service Obligation (PSO) exists on a bus route.
Typically, a PSO determination is needed when an existing operator withdraws from a route, or when there is a change in the economic or demographic make-up of an area (for instance, a large new housing estate is constructed).
Under European Union law, a PSO is an arrangement by which the Authority procures the service of a bus operator through a tendering process. The winning bidder will be obliged to operate a specified bus service for a specified period of time in return for the payment of a subsidy by the NTA. PSO is aimed at routes which are not commercially viable, but where there is a socially desirable advantage to transport being available.
Some recent determinations are shown here:
