FAQs

Bus licensing FAQs

Due to the increasing number of applications being received by the Authority for Event or Venue Specific licences, and feedback from Local Authorities, the Authority hereby notifies you that the application process for an event or venue specific:

  1. An updated application form specifically for event or venue specific service applications.

The following are strongly recommended:

  1. A minimum timescale for receipt of an application in advance of the event has not been set, but you are strongly urged to make any event or venue specific licence application at least six weeks in advance of the first proposed operational date. Applications made closer to the event date than this may not give you sufficient time to obtain all the required documentation for the licence to be issued.
  2. All vehicle documentation for your vehicles necessary to provide your proposed service should be supplied at application stage.
    • This means that complete vehicle documentation should be submitted for the Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR) of the new application and all overlapping licensed or applied for services.

Example – this assumes that existing licences and applications all overlap with the proposed service:

Your new venue specific licence application has a PVR of 5 vehicles. Your existing licences have a combined PVR of 3 vehicles and your other applications, not yet finalised as a licence, have a combined PVR of 6 vehicles. Then complete vehicle documentation for 14 vehicles should be submitted.

  1. All sub-contractors should be declared by you at application stage.
    1. This includes submission of:
      1. a copy of the signed sub-contracting agreement,
      2. the sub-contractor operator licence number,
      3. the sub-contractor tax clearance reference number, and
      4. documentation for all vehicles that the sub-contractor would potentially provide.

To streamline the application process for you and cut down on the overall administration time required, you can submit complete documentation for all sub-contractors and vehicles with your first event or venue licence application of the year. The Authority will then maintain this list and use it for all subsequent event or venue specific applications made in 2023. This will be sent to you with all offers of grant of licence.

  • It is an offence under the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009 to provide a public bus passenger service in contravention of the requirement to be licensed.
  • The Authority is authorised under Section 22 of the Public Transport Regulation Act of 2009 to bring proceedings and to prosecute offences.
  • Each offence is liable on summary conviction of a fine up to €5,000.

If you have any queries in relation to any of the above, please email them to: buslicensing@nationaltransport.ie