Dublin Bus

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

History
Dublin Bus was established in February 1987 when it was split out from the Córas Iompair Éireann.

Services
Dublin Bus operates an extensive network of 111 radial, cross-city and peripheral routes and 18 night routes in the city of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area. 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. 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.

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.

In 2012, the company carried 115.2 million passengers which is a reduction of 21.1%, compared to 2005 numbers (first full year of the Luas, which has seen an increase of 33.6% passengers in the same period).

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)
 * 90 min tickets which allow unlimited travel (or more precisely the right to board as many buses as required) for 90 min (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 new 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.

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 traveled.

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 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 January 2014 the fleet consisted of 932 buses.

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

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 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. 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.

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.

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.

Bus roof damage
On 5 February 2009 a bus travelling 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 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.

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.