Dublin Bus is to complete a review of its services by the end of the year to cope with an expected 15 per cent increase in the capital's population over the next decade.
The semi-State company carried 150 million passengers last year within the greater Dublin area, which is now taken to include north Kildare, north Wicklow and east Meath.
However, Fine Gael TD Richard Bruton has revealed that the company has not received 242 buses from the Government under a promise made in the National Development plan.
Under the plan, Dublin Bus was supposed to have got 60 new buses in 2003, 70 in 2004 and 80 this year. However, the company has not put a new vehicle into its fleet since 2001.
Mr Bruton's claim that the peak-time passenger numbers of Dublin Bus fell by 10 per cent last year was rejected by both the Department of Transport and the company last night.
Explaining the statistical drop, Dublin Bus said passenger figures had previously been calculated over a peak-time period lasting two hours and 15 minutes, but this has now been cut back to two hours in line with best international practice.
Questioning the success of quality bus corridors (QBCs) , Mr Bruton alleged they had failed to cut car traffic numbers or to increase bus passenger numbers in line with the extra capacity.
Rejecting Mr Bruton's criticisms, Minister for Transport Martin Cullen said Fine Gael "appear dead set" to undermine public transport following the party leader Enda Kenny's criticisms of Luas recently.
He said the capacity of Dublin Bus would rise by 25 per cent during the term of the National Development Plan. "We made a promise to invest in public transport, and we will do that."
