Dublin Bus - additional routes with fully accessible Low-Floor buses

Victor

http://www.dublinbus.ie/news_centre/latest_news.asp?action=view&news_id=761

12 routes will operate with fully accessible Low-Floor buses.

Dublin Bus is pleased to announce that from Monday 31st March 2008, the following routes listed below will operate with fully accessible Low-Floor buses.

8, 27b, 43, 50, 53, 54a, 56a, 83, 102, 111, 130 and 220

snorlax

They need to get the 48a/ 14 and 44 accessible. If you look at the demographics for these areas there is a high porportion of elderly people / people using rollators etc who need to use the bus service.

Victor

Hmm, even if one of the routes doing the Ballinteer loop was upgraded, it would at least provide an initial capability. Until then its Luas and the 11/a, 63 and 128.

Note they have added a lift at Dundrum Luas.

CtrlSource

They can't replace those 1997-9 double-deckers fast enough as far as I'm concerned! Only 313 left to go

Mary O'Rourke sanctioned the purchase of about 250 more of these buses at the start of '99 even though Dublin Bus had previously committed to making all the fleet accessible. At the time they claimed that low floor double-deck technology wasn't available in Irealnd. But that was just a swizz. It was about money.

Less than a year later the first accessible double-deckers were delivered. The large number of non-accessible buses still in service is due to this purely cost-based decision 10 years ago. They knew that the new low-floored buses would be initially more expensive, so they rushed to acquire loads of the older models before the EU put pressure on them to go accessible.

It still irritates me that my local 44N Nitelink is accessible, but the 44 day service vehicles are ancient and inaccessible. The frequency of the 44 is still poor, but at least I would have greater public transport choice and not have to face the 40 minute walk to the Luas in Sandyford, or use my car all the time. Ah well, only another few years to wait :rolleyes:

Victor

Note, some route 83 buses are still non-low floor buses. I've made a complaint and they've essentially said its down to when a breakdown happens, only non-low floor buses are available as replacements.