Dublin Bus

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Dublin Bus - Bus Átha Cliath
File:Dublin Bus logo.png
Dublin Bus buses.jpg
Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TLs in December 2007
Slogan "Serving the entire community"
Parent Córas Iompair Éireann
Founded 2 February 1987
Headquarters Dublin
Locale Dublin
Service area Dublin
Service type Bus services
Routes 110
Depots 7
Fleet 950 (June 2015)
Annual ridership 119 million (2014)
Fuel type Diesel
Chief executive Paddy Doherty
Website www.dublinbus.ie

Dublin Bus (Irish: Bus Átha Cliath) is a bus operator providing services in Dublin. It is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann.

History

Original logo from 1987 to 2000
Dublin Bus logo 2000–2007
Volvo B9TL Alexander Dennis Enviro400 (Dublin Bus)
Volvo B9TL Alexander Dennis Enviro400 (Dublin Bus)
Alexander bodied Leyland Olympian in March 1994
Alexander bodied Volvo Olympian in May 2003
Alexander ALX400 bodied Volvo B7TL in August 2006
Line up at Ringsend depot in May 2010

Dublin Bus was established on 2 February 1987 when it was split out from the Córas Iompair Éireann.[1]

Services

Dublin Bus operates an extensive network of 110 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 18 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. The company carries around 325,000 people each day. [2] The main radial routes are focused upon Dublin's sixteen Quality Bus Corridors 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. These services run Monday to Friday at peak times and do not operate on public holidays.

Dublin Bus operates a "Nitelink" service of approximately 18 routes overnight which up until January 2009 ran between Monday and Saturday, with the greatest service frequency being on Friday and Saturday nights. Due to cutbacks necessitated by the economic downturn in Ireland, the midweek schedule was scrapped causing consternation with commuters.[citation needed] Special (higher) fares apply on Nitelink buses.

There is also a special Ghost Bus Tour through some of the supposedly haunted places in the city including St Kevin's Church and St Audoen's Church.[3]

In April 2010, Dublin Bus announced it would be simplifying many of its routes around the city in order to create better efficiency. This programme is called Network Direct. However, as part of these measures, the company also announced that 150 jobs would be lost.[4][5]

In 2014, the company carried 119 million passengers, which is a reduction of 18% compared to 2005 numbers (first full year of the Luas, which has seen an increase of 33.6% passengers in the same period).[6][7][8]

Route Map

Uniquely for a capital city's primary transit network, no full system-wide street map is available online. Dublin Bus cites high licensing fees from fellow state owned company, Ordnance Survey Ireland, which published a printed street map every two to five years and included bus routes. However, the latest edition, published June 2011 omits these for the first time.

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 operate an 'exact fare' policy. Passengers place the exact fare in coins (notes are not accepted) in the fare box before the ticket is issued. In the case of over payment, a "change ticket" is issued which can be exchanged at the company's head office on O'Connell Street. Route 747, the express route to and from Dublin Airport has a minimum fare of €6; banknotes are accepted, and change is given in cash.

There are several types of prepaid tickets available, including the following:

  • Single day and multi-day tickets ("Rambler" and "Travelwide")
  • Tickets corresponding to cash fares (on airport or Nitelink services)
  • Travel 90 minute tickets which allow unlimited travel (or more precisely the right to board as many buses as required) for 90 minutes (available only as a ten-use smartcard)
  • Tickets valid on Dublin Bus and Iarnród Éireann or Luas or all three, but tickets valid for all three systems are issued only by Iarnród Éireann.
  • Leap card, a prepaid smartcard which can be used for pay as you go travel in the Dublin area. It offers discounts over standard on bus cash fares and can also be used on Iarnród Éireann and Luas services.

All of these tickets have migrated to the Leap card. This process was completed in May 2014 when all Rambler tickets, all Travel 90 and some in the Bus/Rail and Bus/Luas range were no longer available to purchase as separate smartcards. Instead, they are now loaded into the Leap card.

Prepaid tickets must be validated in a machine by the door of the bus at the start of each journey, although the validation process for leap cards differs depending on the distance being travelled.

Old age pensioners and certain other people are allowed to travel free of charge; this is part of the national "Free Travel Pass"[9] system operated by the Department of Social Protection.

Minimum fares are payable on some services to discourage passengers wishing to travel short distances from using seats that could be used by those who wish to travel longer distances.

Fleet

As of June 2015 the fleet consisted of 950 buses.[10]

Depots

Dublin Bus operate seven depots in Clontarf, Conyngham Road, Donnybrook, Harristown, Phibsborough, Ringsend and Summerhill.[10]

History & preservation

As the vehicles become of age they have been withdrawn to make way for newer technology. Types of significance such as the GAC Ireland have been preserved by the National Transport Museum of Ireland who house R1 (the first Dublin United Tramways Leyland double decker service bus in Dublin).

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 CIE 60th. 30 October 2005 saw Dublin Bus host CIE 60th 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.

September 1961 with the airport bus and horse powered hackney carriage competition.

Dublin's main bus operator was formerly the Dublin United Transport Company. This company was incorporated into CIÉ in 1945, but regained partial autonomy in 1987 when Dublin Bus was created as a wholly owned subsidiary company of CIÉ.

Accidents

Christchurch

In 1989 a youth grabbed the steering wheel of a Tallaght bound Bombardier KD bus as it turned the corner opposite Christchurch and the bus crashed onto its side. Many passengers were injured but none seriously.[11][12]

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. He has since been found not guilty of any misdoings.[13]

Bus roof damage

Bus accident on 5 February 2009 at North Strand Road

On 5 February 2009 a bus enroute from Abbey Street to Artane collided with a tree on North Strand Road and the entire roof section was torn off. The driver was treated in hospital for shock but apart from that there were no injuries as no passengers were seated in the upper deck. The bus was an Alexander ALX400.[14]

Luas and Dublin bus crash

On 16 September 2009 at 15:00, a collision between a Red Line Luas tram 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.[15][16][17][18][19]

See also

Dublin Bus Route 46A

References

  1. ↑ Córas Iompair Éireann Steve Johnson's Railway Pages
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ [1][dead link]
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Annual Report December 2014 Dublin Bus
  7. ↑ Annual Report December 2005 Dublin Bus
  8. ↑ Frequently Asked Questions Luas
  9. ↑ Department of Social and Family Affairs - Free Travel
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Dublin Bus Fleet Dublin Bus
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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