It's hoped several strike days planned at Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann over the next couple of weeks can be called off.
Management from both companies are meeting unions today to discuss concerns over plans to sell one in ten routes to private operators.
Both companies have thanked the Labour Relations Commission for stepping in again after talks were abandoned before the May Bank Holiday strike.
The Head of the LRC, Kieran Mulvey, said he doesn’t know if either side’s position has softened, but expects to be in talks for days.
Unions and workers say they need cast-iron assurances over plans to further privatise bus services from 2019, and that there is little room to compromise.
