Introduction of OPO
From Dublin Transport
Contents |
Introduction
One-Person Operation (OPO), or One-Man Operation (OMO) as it was also known, refers to the biggest and most recurring issue that faced CIE Trade Union Relations for 30 years. In the 'old' days, if one pardons the cliché, buses were designed to be two-person operated. The driver sat in a separated cab while the conductor was in charge of collecting fares and ensuring the safety of passengers embarking and disembarking. The vast majority of buses were front engined and the doors were generally placed at the rear though in some cases they were placed to the front. The general point to take was that the driver was separated from the passengers or at least was unable to monitor loading and unloading of passengers.
By the 1950's the trend across the British Isles was towards under-floor engined single-deckers. Such vehicles allowed doors to be placed right at the front of the vehicle. The driver was no longer separated in his own cab and could monitor the boarding and alighting of passengers. Many operators saw the financial benefits of having the driver collect fares, hence dispensing with one-member of staff per bus. For CIE the E Class of 1961-64 heralded the way of the front-door single-decker buses/coaches.
It is important at this point to quash any distinction we have between Dublin City Services (now Dublin Bus) and Provincial Services (now Bus Éireann). In the 1960's CIE was a single company and was not split into three subsidies. Though Dublin City Services and Provincial Services were separated in operational terms, bus operations were considered as such and therefore any change that occurred in either area in way of operational changes would affect both.
The Initial Squabbles
CIE first raised the concept of OPO services in 1959. The objective was to first start with private hire and day-tour coaches. Increased driver pay and no redundancies or loss of earnings were part of the package. However the unions stalled on making a decision on this for a number of years.
The first breakthrough in OPO services occurred in 1961. The concept of a network of express services was a new idea aimed at enticing passengers onto provincial buses, in order to increase revenue, but also to minimise the effects of lost railway services to communities. Dublin area management of provincial services decided not to wait on a national accord and set about launching a new OPO service to Cavan. The service would be non-stop and tickets would be purchased off the bus prior to boarding.
A deal was struck on the basis that this was a new type of service which could expand bus services if successful. On November 27th, 1961 the Cú Uladh, the name given to the first express bus, took off from Busáras without a conductor. It was a success, taking an hour of the normal journey time. Within a couple of years driver-only express services were operating to Enniskillen/Derry and Letterkenny and the seeds of the present Expressway Services were sown.
As previously stated, the unions stalled on the issue of OPO and did not formally consent to its introduction. So to bring matters to a head the CIE board decided on April 10th, 1962 that conductors would be dispensed with on private hire and tour buses with effect from May 1st.
An unofficial strike ensued at DCS and Broadstone depots crippling bus services in the capital. After a few days the unions made the strike official, a frequently used ploy to involve themselves and the Labour Court in finding a settlement. In the words of Todd Andrews, the then CIE Chairman: 'In the labour court hearings, the unions not only accepted the principle of one-man bus operation but also the terms under which it applied'.
CIE moved to the next stage of OPO introduction, introducing it to 100 provincial routes operated by single-deckers. The ITGWU refused to allow this extension of OPO services, using it to lodge a claim for substantial improvements in a wide-range of fringe benefits, e.g. holidays, sickness benefits, pensions and travel facilities which would apply to all bus crews, whether affected or not by OPO. CIE insisted on OPO introduction and another 'Lockout', as it was seen, ensued for a month until the Government intervened telling CIE to defer OPO introduction. Andrews only lifted the lockout after insisting on a publicised instruction by the Government to show that the negotiations had been taken out of CIE hands.
The issue of OPO services would ensue for another 30 years.
The Background to Trade Union Issues
It is important now, to develop an understanding as to why the trade union situation at CIE was so sour. CIE was the main employer in the Republic bar the state itself. The majority of its employees were employed in the area of bus provision and therefore any changes made in this regard would have far reaching implications for both CIE and its workforce.
OPO services would have serious impacts on the number of staff employed, financially an advantage for CIE but a disadvantage for staff who may be left redundant and on the Trade Union's fees. CIE was heavily constrained by both its workforce and by successive Governments tightening the purse-strings while still maintaining a resolute stance in relation to cutting services that would cause a political controversy. In reality the on-goings of the nationalised CIE were very much perceived as Governmental issues by the general public. Hence CIE were plagued with deputations by members of the Dáil on most decisions made.
Above, the 'Lockout' of 1962 was mentioned and the intervention of the government in order to alleviate the situation. In reality, such intervention was a hindrance to CIE negotiations. Given the government could not allow strikes to go on for too long, unions could see such events as cheap strikes, eventually CIE would give in and its employees would achieve their objectives thus heightening the power of the unions among the workforce.
Bus workers expected pay to rise not merely to keep up with inflation, but also to provide them with the improved living standards being achieved generally in the community. This was not easily arranged in a major employer – Ireland's biggest – which was beset by pay relativities and which, because of its subvention status, always in the eye of government.
Though governments would condemn CIE 'Lockouts', as they were termed, they never allowed CIE the room for flexibility in trade union negotiations. Hence, bus drivers saw a struggle necessary to achieve any gain and trade union issues, especially in Dublin, became a major problem in the late 60’s. CIE always maintained that increases in living standards could be achieved by suitable increases in productivity. However the major-issue of one-person operation (especially of double-deck buses) which could achieve such productivity boosts was strongly opposed by the workforce.
CIE was not the only major operator of bus services to be hit by union disputes. In reality bus workers with varying duty rosters and the fact that they spent most of their time out on the road away from any centralised office meant that communication was always a problem. The size of CIE bus operations and its inherent complexity in terms of operational structure (i.e. number of depots, types of operational personnel etc…) lead to complex trade union structures.
In reality trade-union issues led to falling passenger numbers, and coupled with increasing traffic congestion in the city, made the financial position of CIE bleaker and the requirement for OPO ever more urgent. The situation was also problematic due to the varied unions that bus drivers were members of and the fact that there existed a rivalry between trade unions. The NBU (National Busworkers Union) were not members of the ICTU (Irish Congress of Trade Unions), while the ITGWU (Irish Transport and General Workers Union) and WUI (Workers Union of Ireland) were. This caused CIE to be faced with opposing claims from their staff.
Such a situation came about in 1974. A claim by all unions was lodged with regards to a five-day week and had been conceded and accepted by all-busmen. But a few days before it was to come into operation the ICTU unions withdrew. Thus CIE faced a strike whether they implemented or didn't implement the 5-day week. This strike lasted 9-weeks (May 5th to July 8th) resulting in a loss of 168,263 man-days. By mid-June the government decided to get the army in to provide substitutional transport to the city, however on the weekend of that decision 6 buses were damaged by fire in Donnybrook Garage and the decision was suspended, but did go ahead due to the continued stoppage.
Drivers went back on the basis of a 6-day week with further negotiations and eventually, on September 8th, a two-tier roster system was agreed upon, working in effect on a 5.4day-week, a full 4 months after the dispute had begun. It was the kind of dispute where neither reason nor concession appeared capable of achieving a solution.
Early Dublin OPO Introduction
Dublin City Services first converted routes to OPO in 1965. This included the conversion of routes 52, 53A, 53B, 59, 70, 80, 82, 85, 87 and 88. These were to be operated by the U Class. The U Class were not intended for operation as OPO buses and a substantial amount of modifications were carried out on these buses. In 1966, routes 27, 27A and 36 were introduced with OPO U's. [1] They were followed by Route 36A in March, 1968. [1] Later, routes 17, 17A and 76, were introduced as single-deck OPO routes. However, there was a distinction made for OPO routes. They could only be operated by single-deckers and were designated as low-capacity routes.
The proposal to introduce OPO for double-deck buses in Dublin continued to be resisted. In 1977 it was referred to the employer/labour conference which set up a special committee to examine the problem. The initiative also failed, the NBU being mandated to negotiate on the issue while the ITGWU and WUI not even prepared to discuss it. CIE claimed that many advantages would be made from the introduction of OPO services to the drivers. This fact was disputed so An Oireachtas Committee in 1979 proposed a 12-month closely-monitored trial on four routes, but no subsequent trial followed.
The Final Breakthrough
By 1984, and the introduction of the DART service, the industrial relations within Dublin City Services were in a bleak position. The Phibsboro strike was ongoing as the first DART services began to operate and the issue of the feeder buses was not being discussed by the unions. Though the 1984 strike at Phibsboro Garage saw a major proportion of bus services withdrawn for a period of eight weeks, bringing some unwanted bad publicity for CIE, it also heralded a change with regards to strike outcomes. First of all, no other garages went out in support, and secondly, drivers eventually returned to work with no gains made.
However the issue of OPO lingered on, and it got allied to the introduction of feeder buses with unions opposing both. As has been clearly pointed out previously, the concept of redundancies was the main agitator to the introduction of OPO services. By October 1984, the fear of such redundancies was heightened with the announcement of the break-up of CIE into three separate companies. On October 3rd, the Irish Times published an article outlining the Government's intentions on the matter, with the announcement that at least 900 jobs were to go. [1] These referred to the fact that the road haulage and transtrack parcel sections of CIE would be abolished in 1986 unless profitable by then, however, it was evident that further redundancies would be required for reforms to be made to CIE operations.
1985 began with threatened strike action from the NBU with regard to a 4% increase in wages which should have been given to CIE staff prior to January 1st, but wasn't given. Issues went to the labour court which in mid-March decided that a 7% increase was in order. Though CIE agreed to the increase, it said that it could only implement such changes upon the implementation of feeder buses on April 1st and of OPO services by July 7th, 1985. The NBU emphatically rejected the proposition. [1] However CIE did finally back down and negotiations continued.
In August, CIE were back in the labour court again over the issue of OPO services. The verdict reached was of a 33.5% increase in wages for OPO drivers for the introduction of double-deck OPO services and a once off payment of £300. Introduction of feeder buses was also part of the proposed agreement. Even though the agreement would be introduced voluntarily (on a driver-by-driver basis) the three unions still rejected the offer. [1]
The issue of crew safety, though always a concern, came to a head in 1985. Unions would point at such issues as reasons for the postponement of OPO introduction. Assaults on bus workers were increasing and by May of that year certain routes were avoiding their termini. The route in question were Route 27, Route 27A, Route 36, Route 36A, Route 42C, Route 56A, Route 77 and 79. Buses still serviced their respective termini picking up passengers already there, but did not stance there, awaiting appropriate departure times at safer locations like the nearest Garda Station. This situation occurred after two armed robberies of buses occurred in one night, on a 17A in Finglas and a 77 in Tallaght. [1] Due to such concerns Unions began to push for the Autofare System if OPO introduction was to be introduced. Systems like this had been introduced to parts of the UK, however CIE rejected such plans. It would be over a decade before such a system would begin to be introduced to Dublin's bus services.
CIE were under severe pressure to resolve these issues and to introduce DART Feeder Services for the DART train service. The initial target for DART usage was 80,000 passengers per day, however, by the end of 1985 only 40-50,000 passengers were availing of the service. [1]. Eventually they took matters into their own hands and December 8th, 1985 was the date set for the introduction of DART Feeder Services and three large-capacity single-deck OPO routes (namely Routes 17A, 36 and 76). These routes were already OPO operated but they were to be reclassified as high-capacity allowing the KC Class, already introduced to these services, to be used to their full licensed capacity of 79 (35 seated and 44 standing). The distinction between single-deck and double-deck buses would also be removed due to their high-capacity classification. The date set for the first double-deck OPO conversions was January 1st, 1986.
Training was to begin for the new feeder buses on December 4th, however drivers refused and were subsequently suspended. Suspensions continued as drivers were rostered for training. This action led to 365 drivers being suspended and 85 conductors laid off crippling the city's bus services. Eventually agreement was reached on January 9th, 1986 and all staff were reinstated. [1]
February 2nd, 1986 saw the introduction of DART Feeder Services and the first large capacity OPO single-deck routes (17A, 36, 36A and 76). On March 9th, 1986 the first double-deck OPO service on Route 38C was introduced.
It would be a further four-years, and a couple of strikes (especially in relation to the redeployment of conductors from garages where there was surplus to one in which there wasn't), before the issue would be finally settled when an agreement between Dublin Bus and the Unions was stuck in July 1990 stating that all remaining crew-operated routes could be operated by OPO drivers, with remaining conductors seeing out their terms with Dublin Bus but not being replaced on retirement. The follwing routes were referred to under this agreement: 1, 3, 11, 11A, 11B, 14, 14A, 15, 15A, 15B, 15C, 20A, 20B, 22, 22A, 33, 41, 41A, 41B, 41C, 42B, 42C, 48A, 51, 51B, 51C, 60, 67 and 67A.
List of OPO Introduction Dates
Below is a list, containing the dates of each bus routes conversion to OPO. [1][1][1]
| Route | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 3 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 5 | 13/12/1987 | |
| 6 | 13/12/1987 | |
| 7 | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 7A | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 8 | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 10 | 09/10/1988 | |
| 11 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 11A | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 11B | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 13 | 11/09/1988 | |
| 14 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 14A | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 15 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 15A | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 15B | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 15C | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 16 | 11/09/1988 | |
| 16A | 11/09/1988 | |
| 17 | 16/02/1986 | Reclassified as large-capacity OPO route from this day |
| 17A | 02/02/1986 | Reclassified as large-capacity OPO route from this day |
| 18 | 09/10/1988 | |
| 19 | 20/12/1987 | Also first non-smoking route as of this day. It was Ash Wednesday 17/02/1988 before this measure was fully introduced |
| 19A | 20/12/1987 | Also first non-smoking route as of this day. It was Ash Wednesday 17/02/1988 before this measure was fully introduced |
| 20A | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 20B | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 21A | 21/06/1987 | |
| 22 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 22A | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 23 | 07/12/1986 | |
| 24 | 1986 | Noted in January 1987 issue of Buses Magazine |
| 25 | 14/02/1988 | |
| 26 | 14/02/1988 | |
| 27 | 1986 | Always OPO, upgraded around May 1986 |
| 27A | 1986 | Always OPO, upgraded around May 1986 |
| 27B | 13/07/1986 | |
| 28 | 20/07/1986 | |
| 29A | 1987 | Noted in May 1987 issue of Buses Magazine |
| 30 | 6/101986 | Noted in December 1986 issue of Buses Magazine |
| 31 | 13/07/1986 | |
| 31A | 13/07/1986 | |
| 32 | 13/07/1986 | |
| 32A | 13/07/1986 | |
| 32B | 13/07/1986 | |
| 33 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 33B | 20/07/1986 | |
| 33C | 20/07/1986 | |
| 34 | 30/03/1986 | |
| 34A | 30/03/1986 | |
| 36 | 02/02/1986 | Reclassified as large-capacity OPO route from this day |
| 36A | 02/02/1986 | Reclassified as large-capacity OPO route from this day |
| 37 | 18/05/1986 | |
| 38A | 09/03/1986 | |
| 38B | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 38C | 09/03/1986 | |
| 39 | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 39A | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 39B | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 40 | 13/11/1988 | |
| 40A | 13/11/1988 | |
| 40B | 13/11/1988 | |
| 40C | 13/11/1988 | |
| 41 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 41A | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 41B | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 41C | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 42 | 01/06/1986 | |
| 42B | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 42C | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 44 | 1986 | This was the first Donnybrook route to be converted to OPO. Occured prior to May 1986. |
| 44A | 6/101986 | Noted in December 1986 issue of Buses Magazine |
| 44B | ||
| 45 | 02/10/1988 | |
| 45A | 26/10/1987 | |
| 45B | 26/10/1987 | |
| 46 | 25/05/1986 | |
| 46A | 21/06/1987 | New Dublin Bus logo also launched |
| 47 | 17/05/1987 | |
| 48A | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 49 | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 49A | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 50 | 06/11/1988 | |
| 50A | 06/11/1988 | |
| 51 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 51A | 29/11/1987 | Double-Deck to Single-Deck |
| 51B | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 52 | 02/02/1986 | Reclassified as large-capacity OPO route from this day, also became a DART Feeder Service |
| 53 | 20/07/1986 | Route 53 was converted to the KC class but it remained crew-operated in part from several months awaiting retirements – noted in October 1986 issue of Buses Magazine |
| 53A | 1986 | Around August 1986 |
| 54 | 06/11/1988 | |
| 54A | 06/11/1988 | |
| 55 | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 56A | 06/11/1988 | |
| 58 | 27/04/1986 | |
| 59 | 02/02/1986 | Reclassified as large-capacity OPO route from this day, also became a DART Feeder Service |
| 60 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 62 | ||
| 63 | 25/05/1986 | |
| 65 | 11/08/1986 | |
| 65A | 11/08/1986 | |
| 65B | 11/08/1986 | |
| 66 | 14/02/1988 | |
| 67 | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 67A | 16/07/1990 | TPO/OPO from this day |
| 68 | 13/07/1986 | |
| 69 | 13/07/1986 | |
| 70 | This was an OPO single-deck service prior to 1986 operating from Conyngham Road Garage. No exact date is known for its large-capacity conversion | |
| 76 | 02/02/1986 | Reclassified as large-capacity OPO route from this day |
| 77 | 06/11/1988 | |
| 77A | 06/11/1988 | |
| 77B | 06/11/1988 | |
| 78 | 02/10/1988 | |
| 78A | 02/10/1988 | |
| 78B | 02/10/1988 | |
| 79 | 18/05/1986 | Certain Peak-Hour extras remained crew-operated after this date. |
| 80 | This was an OPO single-deck service prior to 1986 operating from Conyngham Road Garage. No exact date is known for its large-capacity conversion | |
| 83 | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 84 | 18/12/1988 | |
| 85 | 16/02/1986 | Reclassified as large-capacity OPO route from this day |
| 86 | 04/09/1988 | See Gallery |
| 88 | 02/02/1986 | Reclassified as large-capacity OPO route from this day, also became a DART Feeder Service |
| 90 | 02/02/1986 | Launched as large-capacity OPO route on the first day of their introduction |
| 101 | 02/02/1986 | Launched as large-capacity OPO route on the first day of their introduction |
| 111 | 02/02/1986 | Launched as large-capacity OPO route on the first day of their introduction. |
