Provincial Past

2009 finds Bus Eireann DD 15 having a bad day on O'Connell Street in Dublin.

This bus was one of the twenty-three members of the DD Class which were delivered between 2002 and 2004. DD 15 was new in 2002. These were the first double-decker buses delivered to Bus Eireann since its creation in 1987. DD 15 was initially allocated to Dublin. It moved to Galway in 2012 and to Cork in 2015. It was withdrawn in 2017.

The bus is dressed for route 103 to Kilmoon Cross. Bus Eireann still operates the 103 today, but only between Dublin, Ashbourne and Ratoath. Kilmoon Cross is now served by routes 105 and 103X.

26/01/2009

2001 finds VR 16 at the bus station in Drogheda, dressed for route 101.

VR 16 was new to Bus Eireann in 2000, and was initially based in Drogheda / Dundalk. Around 2009 it joined the school fleet in Longford. It was withdrawn in 2017.

Bus Eireann still operate route 101 between Drogheda and Dundalk, but as a TFI tendered route.

28/01/2001

2005 finds TE 14 parked outside Belmullet, in County Mayo.

This bus new to Bus Eireann in 1988, and throughout the 1990s operated services on the Expressway network while based in the west. It was withdrawn in 2008, spending its final years in the school fleet, as seen here.

09/02/2005

1989 finds KD 195 parked with some other buses at the station in Ennis.

This bus was new to CIE in 1982. Initially allocated to Limerick, it moved to Cork around 1994. It was withdrawn by Bus Eireann in the late-1990s.

04/03/1989

1998 finds KR 32 parked in the yard at Drogheda railway station.

This bus was new to CIE in 1985, and was withdrawn by Bus Eireann in the early-2000s.

This part of Drogheda station is now a car park.

17/03/1998

1993 finds KR 37 at the bus station in Drogheda.

The bus was delivered new to CIE in 1985. By 1998 it was a school bus, still operating out of Drogheda / Dundalk garage. By 2005 it was in Cavan, and was withdrawn around that time.

The bus is displaying Sallygardens. This could refer to a crossroads near Slane, where a pub is located. Before CIE, the GNR(I) ran a bus service to Sallygardens Cross from Drogheda via Slane.

31/03/1993

1982 finds C 199 at the bus station in Drogheda, "dressed" for a service to Clogherhead.

C 199 was new to CIE in 1966 and was withdrawn in 1985. Initially based in Dublin, it moved to Dundalk garage around the time this photograph was taken.

CIE and Bus Eireann are sort of famous for using paper destinations in the front windscreen for decades. It can even happen today even though most buses come with destination displays. This bus goes one step further by having "Clogher" written in chalk on the front.

Bus Eireann still serve Clogherhead today with route 168. Prior to that it was route 189.

13/04/1982

1994 finds SS 487 parked between school duties in Ballinamore.

SS 487 was new to CIE in 1970. It was withdrawn by Bus Eireann in 1996.

04/05/1994

1993 finds school bus SS 781 parked between duties at Monaghan bus station.

This bus was new to CIE in 1978. It was withdrawn by Bus Eireann in the year 2000.

14/05/1993

1997 finds VWL 1 on Patrick Street in Cork with a service on route 8 to Bishopstown.

VWL 1 was new to Bus Eireann in 1997, and was the first low-floor single decker bus in the fleet. VWL 1 was withdrawn around 2009, however it had a long legacy. Between 1997 and 1999, Bus Eireann received 11 VWLs. Then in 2000 it received nineteen more (VWL 101 - 119), between 2001 and 2004 another twenty-five (VWL 120 - 144), between 2007 and 2008 another forty-eight (VWL 145 - 192), and finally in 2012 another twenty-five (VWL 301 - 325). It has been the dominant single-decker bus class on town and city services for the last few decades.

Bus Eireann still operate route 208 in Cork, running between Ashmount and Curraheen.

26/05/1997

1996 finds DL 3 at Bus Aras in Dublin, operating a service to Kingscourt.

DL 3 was one of four DL coaches purchased by Bus Eireann from Conways of Limerick in 1992. Originally they were built for Ribble in the United Kingdom. DL 3 became a school bus in Athlone in 1997, and was withdrawn in 2001.

Bus Eireann still serve Kingscourt today with route 107, but it only runs as far as Navan. Passengers have to transfer onto other routes to continue their journey to Dublin.

15/06/1996