Dublin Bus
Encyclopedia
Dublin Bus is a public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...

 operator in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. It operates an extensive bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

 network of 172 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 18 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area
Greater Dublin Area
Greater Dublin Area , or simply Greater Dublin, is a term which is used to describe the city of Dublin and various counties in the hinterland of the city in Ireland. The term has no basis in law and no local government, department of government or agency of the state is bound by the term...

. The company, established in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann
Córas Iompair Éireann
Córas Iompair Éireann , or CIÉ, is a statutory corporation of the Irish state, answerable to the Irish Government and responsible for most public transport in the Republic of Ireland and, jointly with its Northern Ireland counterpart, the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, between the...

 which is owned by the Government of Ireland. Dublin Bus operates the vast majority of bus services in Dublin but in recent years an increasing number of other bus companies have received licences to operate in Dublin from the Department of Transport
Department of Transport (Ireland)
The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for transport policy and overseeing transport services and infrastructure. The Department is led by the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport who is assisted by two Ministers of State...

.

Background

Dublin Bus is the main transport provider in the Greater Dublin Area and carries 70% of all peak time public transport users into Dublin. The network carries on average 500,000 customers a day and 150 million a year. The company currently employs around 3,729 full-time staff members and utilises a fleet of 1,031 buses.

Fares

Dublin Bus fares are generally calculated on a stage system based on distance travelled. There are several different levels of fares, which apply on most services. Certain routes (particularly Xpresso, see below) use a different fare system.

Dublin Bus follows an "exact fare - no change" policy on almost all buses for passengers who pay cash fares - to minimise the risk of staff being robbed, passengers must place the exact fare in coins (notes are not accepted as the counting machines in the garages cannot process them) in the fare box before the ticket is issued; in the case of overpayment a "change ticket" is issued which can only be exchanged for cash at the company's head office on O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare. It measures 49 m in width at its southern end, 46 m at the north, and is 500 m in length...

. The only exception are routes 747 and 748, the express routes to and from Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...

, where with a minimum fare of €6, banknotes are accepted and change is given in cash.

There are several types of pre-paid tickets available, including:
  • single day and multi-day tickets ("Rambler" and "Travelwide")
  • tickets corresponding to cash fares (on airport or Nitelink services)
  • 90 minute tickets which allow unlimited travel (or more precisely the right to board as many buses as required) for 90 minutes (only available as a ten use smartcard)
  • tickets valid on Dublin Bus and Iarnród Éireann
    Iarnród Éireann
    Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...

     or Luas
    Luas
    Luas , also promoted in the development stage as the Dublin Light Rail System, is a tram or light rail system serving Dublin, the first such system in the decades since the closure of the last of the Dublin tramways. In 2007, the system carried 28.4 million passengers, a growth of 10% since...

     or all three, although tickets valid for all three systems are only issued by Iarnród Éireann
    Iarnród Éireann
    Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...



All prepaid tickets must be validated in a machine by the door of the bus at the start of each journey.

Old age pensioners and certain other people are allow to travel free of charge; this is part of the national "Free Travel Pass" system operated by the Department of Social Protection.

Minimum fares are payable on some services in order to discourage passengers wishing to travel short distances from using seats which could be used by those who wish to travel longer distances. A standard fare (currently €50) is theoretically payable by those who evade payment of the full fare for the journey, but is rarely collected.

The main radial routes are focused upon Dublin's sixteen Quality Bus Corridor
Quality Bus Corridor
Quality Bus Corridors are an initiative to give dedicated road space and traffic signal priority to buses in Dublin, Ireland in order to reduce journey times and improve service consistency. The aim of the initiative is to encourage people to change from cars to buses and thus reduce traffic...

s which provide buses with daytime access to the city centre.

Express buses (branded "Xpresso") operate on similar routes, but have a limited number of stops and a higher minimum fare.

Dublin Bus operates a "Nitelink" service of approximately 24 routes overnight which up until January 2009 ran between Monday and Saturday, with the greatest service frequency being on Friday and Saturday nights, however the midweek schedule was scrapped causing consternation with commuters. Special (higher) fares apply on Nitelink buses.

No "Park and Ride" services are available.

There is also a unique Ghost Bus Tour
Dublin Ghost Bus Tour
The Dublin Ghost Bus Tour is a night-time bus tour through Dublin, Ireland taking in several allegedly haunted places, and visiting many of the city's historic sites. The tour is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes long...

 through some of the supposedly haunted places in the city.

In April 2010, Dublin Bus announced it would be simplifying many of its routes around the city in order to create better efficiency. However, as part of these measures, the company also announced that 150 jobs would be lost.

Route network


Route Map

Uniquely for a capital city's primary transit network, no full systemwide street map is available online. Dublin Bus cites high licensing fees from its fellow state owned sister company, Ordnance Survey Ireland
Ordnance Survey Ireland
Ordnance Survey Ireland is the national mapping agency of the Republic of Ireland and, together with the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland , succeeded, after 1922, the Irish operations of the United Kingdom Ordnance Survey. It is part of the Public service of the Republic of Ireland...

. A print map is published erratically every few years.

Fleet

Dublin Bus Fleet @13/10/2011:
Class Size Body Chassis Introduced Number
AV Double Deck Alexander ALX400
Alexander ALX400
The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...

Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...

2000–2005 434
AX Double Deck Alexander ALX400
Alexander ALX400
The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...

Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL
Volvo B7TL is a low-floor double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian...

2006 200
DT Double Deck Alexander ALX400
Alexander ALX400
The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...

Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2
Dennis Trident 2 is a 2-axle low-floor double-decker bus chassis originally built by Dennis in the United Kingdom, which was unveiled in 1997 and replaced the Dennis Arrow...

2003 10
EV Double Deck Alexander Dennis Enviro400 Volvo B9TL
Volvo B9TL
The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...

2007–2008 100
RV Double Deck Alexander R-type Volvo Olympian
Volvo Olympian
The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engine double decker bus built by Volvo at Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. It was first built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian....

1997–1999 81
VG Double Deck Wright Eclipse Gemini
Wright Eclipse Gemini
The Wright Eclipse Gemini is a type of double-decker bus body built for Volvo B7TL and later Volvo B9TL and Volvo B5L Hybrid for use in the United Kingdom....

Volvo B9TL
Volvo B9TL
The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...

2008–2009 50
VT Double Deck Alexander Dennis Enviro500 Volvo B9TL
Volvo B9TL
The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002. It superseded the older Volvo B10TL and the Volvo B7TL.-Chassis:...

2005, 2007 70
WH Double Deck Wright Pulsar Gemini HEV Based on VDL DB250
VDL DB250
The VDL DB250 is a double-decker bus sold in the UK through VDL Bus International's UK dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. A small number of DB250s have also been exported to Istanbul, Turkey.-DB250:...

LF
2008 1
WV Midibus Wright Crusader 2 Volvo B6BLE 1999–2000 12

History and Preservation

As the vehicles become of age they have been withdrawn to make way for newer technology. Types of significance such as the Bombardier
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

/GAC (Irish built) have been preserved by the National Transport Museum of Howth who house R1 (the first double decker service bus in Ireland).

Many ex-CIE types have been acquired for preservation by private preservationists, some of whom associated with the Transport Enthusiasts Club (TEC). The vehicles are garaged, restored and run by the owners without state funds and take part in films, television programs and in vintage rallys. One event was CIE60th. The 30 October 2005 saw Dublin Bus host CIE60th in the new Harristown depot. This event was done in co-ordination with the Transport Enthusiasts Club. Buses new and old were on display showing the contrast and how far the company had come.

Dublin's main bus operator was formerly the Dublin United Transport Company
Dublin United Transport Company
The Dublin United Transport Company operated trams and buses in Dublin, Ireland until 1945. Following legislation in the Oireachtas , the DUTC and the Great Southern Railways were vested in the newly formed Coras Iompair Éireann in 1945.-Formation:The DUTC was formed by the merging of several of...

. This company was incorporated into CIÉ
CIE
-Organizations:* Cambridge International Examinations, an international examination board* Cleveland Institute of Electronics, a private technical and engineering educational institution — the International Commission on Illumination...

 in 1945, but regained partial autonomy in 1987 when Dublin Bus was created as a wholly owned subsidiary company of CIÉ.

Wellington Quay

On 21 February 2004 at Wellington Quay, Dublin, a bus mounted on a pavement and ploughed into a queue of 30 people, killing five and injuring 14. The driver was charged with dangerous driving, his trial began in February 2007 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court
Courts of the Republic of Ireland
The Courts of the Republic of Ireland consist of the Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeal, the High Court, the Circuit Court and the District Court. The courts apply the laws of Ireland. Ireland is a common law jurisdiction and trials for serious offences must usually be held before a jury...

. He has since been found not guilty of any misdoings.

Bus Roof Damage

On 5 February 2009 a bus travelling from Abbey Street
Abbey Street
Abbey Street is located on Dublin's Northside and is one of the principal shopping streets of Dublin, running from the Customs House in the east to Capel Street in the west...

 to Artane
Artane, Dublin
Artane, sometimes spelled Artaine , historically Tartaine is a Northside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. Neighbouring districts include Coolock, Beaumont, Killester, Raheny and Clontarf; to the south is a small locality, Harmonstown, straddling the Raheny-Artane border.-History:Artaine, now usually...

 collided with a tree on North Strand Road
North Strand Road
North Strand Road is a street in the Northside of Dublin, Ireland.-Route:North Strand Road is a continuation of Amiens Street that runs northeast from the junction of Portland Row and Seville Place...

 and the entire roof section was torn off. The driver was treated in hospital with shock but apart from that there was no injuries as no passengers were seated in the upper saloon. The bus was an Alexander ALX400
Alexander ALX400
The Alexander ALX400 is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders...

.

Luas and Dublin Bus crash

On 16 September 2009 at 3pm, a collision between the Red Line Luas and a number 16 Dublin Bus from Ballinteer to Santry in Dublin City Centre at the intersection of Abbey Street and O'Connell Street injured 21 people. Three people, including the Luas driver, were cut out of the wreckage. The Luas was derailed in the accident. Two female passengers remained trapped on the bus for up to 45 minutes after the crash.

Bus Arrival Information Service

The Bus Arrival Information Service is being rolled out across Dublin, and provides real time estimates of bus arrivals at certain bus stops, based on current GPS locations of buses. It is being run by the National Transport Authority under the brand Transport for Ireland, a single portal providing information on public transport in Ireland.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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