DUBLIN BUS HAS said that it is an “iconic brand” that should be used as much as possible as concern was raised in the Dáil that the operator could be “erased from the public transport map”.

Fianna Fáil’s John Lahart TD voiced concerns that the rollout of a new brand by the National Transport Authority (NTA) could be used as a way of “seamlessly and invisibly” increasing bus privatisation.

The new brand is to be called Transport for Ireland and its colours will be used by British transport company Go-Ahead when it begins its operation of 24 bus routes in the capital in August.

The NTA has confirmed that those same colours will also used by Dublin Bus services and that this will be introduced on a phased basis.

It means that the current blue and yellow colour scheme for Dublin Bus will be phased out as the services come under the Transport for Ireland umbrella.

The NTA has said that Dublin Bus services using the Transport for Ireland livery will continue to feature the Dublin Bus logo.

A spokesperson said that the new colours will be introduced on Dublin Bus vehicles as older buses are replaced, usually at a rate of about 100 per year.

Speaking in the Dáil yesterday, Lahart said that the branding change was done without proper consultation.

“The new brand will also cover all new additions to the Dublin Bus fleet from 2019 onwards, guaranteeing the disappearance of the iconic Dublin Bus brand,” Lahart said.

No one asked the millions of Dublin commuters who rely on this service about this. The decision to erase Dublin Bus from the public transport map is simply not worthy of our National Transport Authority. The Dublin Bus brand is worth defending and fighting for.

The Fianna Fáil Dublin spokesperson added that the single colour scheme for all buses could make it more difficult for commuters to tell the difference between private and semi-state operators.

“This new brand, Transport for Ireland, could ultimately become a means of seamlessly and invisibly transitioning towards greater privatisation of services,” he said.

Asked about these concerns, a spokesperson for the NTA said: “There are no plans to privatise any additional bus routes at this stage.”

In a statement, Dublin Bus agreed with Lahart that it represents “an iconic brand” that should be protected.

The Dublin Bus brand is an iconic brand, which is widely recognised nationally and is a significant asset to the state. The value of this citizen brand should be utilised to the maximum, building on its strong performance to drive further customer growth. Dublin Bus has not received an official proposal from the National Transport Authority on this matter.

“Dublin Bus will continue to work with the NTA to seek the best possible outcome for our customers, company and city,” the statement added.