Five Tipperary operators convicted of school bus collusion

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Raymond Heney, Andrew Walsh, Noel Browne, Larry Hickey and Anthony Flynn were convicted of the single school-bus competition charge by a jury at the Central Criminal Court. The charge alleged a concerted practice between 1 November 2014 and 31 December 2016 to prevent, restrict or distort competition in school transport services.

They each pleaded not guilty. The defence argued there were gaps and unanswered questions, with Heney's counsel saying he assisted operators with tender paperwork as a consultant and that Bus Éireann knew of this role. Mr Justice David Keane remanded all five on continuing bail pending sentencing on 23 March 2026. The proceedings were reported on 18 December 2025.