Go South Coast Operations Director Ed Wills has been promoted to MD Go-Ahead Dublin – the new contracted operation due to start 24 routes in outer Dublin later this year.
Former Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire Operations Director David Lee-Kong will take over Mr Wills position at Go South Coast.
The Dublin routes – the city’s first privately-tendered services will run from a new depot in Ballymount.
Serving the suburban north and south side of the city, they will comprise 125 buses and 350 drivers.
The tendering by the National Transport Authority (NTA) is part of an initiative intended to encourage innovation and improvements to service quality.
Service levels on the routes will be increased by about 35%. Go-Ahead begins operating the first of these services later in 2018, with all 24 to be taken on by February 2019.
Says Go Ahead CEO David Brown: “After eight years with Go South Coast, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Dublin operation.
“We have an excellent team bringing local knowledge and international expertise to support the Dublin NTA as it transforms the local transport landscape.”
Go-Ahead’s arrival in Dublin is part of a strategy to expand internationally.
The company already operates bus services in Singapore and will shortly begin running trains in Germany.
In its home market in the UK, Go-Ahead is the largest operator of buses in London and runs 8% of buses across the country, in addition to several rail franchises.
