Ed Wills, current Operations Director at Go South Coast, is to become Managing Director at the firm’s new bus operation in Dublin.
Beginning later this year, Go-Ahead Dublin is set to operate 24 routes in the Outer Dublin area under contract to Ireland’s National Transport Authority (NTA).
All 24 routes are expected to be taken over by Go-Ahead by February 2019.
Based in Ballymount, the new depot will run 125 buses and employ around 350 drivers, serving the suburban north and south sides of the city.
These routes are the first to be tendered by the NTA as part of a push to encourage innovation and boost the quality of services offered in the capital; it is anticipated that the level of operation on each route will increase by around 35%.
In his former role at Go South Coast, Ed ‘made huge strides’ in improving the standard of the service, implementing new technology in multiple areas.
The addition of Go-Ahead’s Dublin branch is part of a wider strategy to expand the business internationally; it currently operates buses in Singapore, with a train service to begin soon in Germany.
Former Operations Director for Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire, David Lee-Kong, will fill Ed Wills’ spot at Go South Coast.
David Brown, Chief Executive of Go Ahead Plc, said of the announcement: “After eight years with Go South Coast, Ed brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Dublin operation.”
