Minister for Transport Martin Cullen has insisted the financing for an extension to the Dublin Bus fleet was in place but would not be released until an internal review at Dublin Bus had been done.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at Oneradio programme today, Mr Cullen said extra capacity at Dublin Bus, due to the effects of Luas, was such that the company needed to reallocate a number of buses to ensure they got the maximum value from them.
According to Dublin Bus figures, 7,000 passengers per day are choosing Luas when they previously opted for bus.
Mr Cullen added that Dublin Bus needed to expand its services and review existing routes to ensure best value for the customer. But he said he had the resources ready and he would give them to Dublin Bus once they had completed their internal review.
The Government has come under increasing criticism for failing to provide Dublin Bus with sufficient resources to buy extra buses for its fleet as catered for under the National Development Plan.
The company was to receive funding for 80 new buses last year and 70 for this year, but the Government has withheld funds pending reform of the market.
The Labour Party has described as "utterly nonsensical" the decision to withhold funds.
Labour Party Senator and Representative for Dublin North Central, Mr Derek McDowell, was critical of the Government's failure to provide additional buses, saying new Quality Bus Corridors were being provided "with consequent loss of road space for private vehicles".
The Green Party's TD for Dublin Mid-West, Mr Paul Gogarty, criticised the lack of funding and said if the Taoiseach "got away from the ribbon cutting for one minute he would see a bus service that needs serious investment to catch up with existing demand".
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is opening a new Dublin Bus depot in north county Dublin this lunchtime.
The depot, at Harristown, south of Finglas, cost €43 million and is the first new bus depot built in Dublin in over 30 years.
