The National Transport Authority (NTA) says a redesigned bus network for Dublin would see a big increase in services.

It has published the Dublin Area Bus Network Redesign Public Consultation report, which was prepared by Jarrett Walker & Associates. 

The report makes far-reaching proposals that look to bring about improved services for bus passengers in the Dublin metropolitan area - as well as providing a more integrated public transport system.

Under the proposals, the level of bus service will increase by 27% - this includes services on 11 brand-new orbital routes that will operate on a 15-minute frequency or better, in the north, south and west.

The report proposes a number of changes to the network, including services to be arranged along seven cross-city super-frequent 'spines', an increase in the numbers of orbital services and an increase in the number of all-day high-frequency services.

Spines would be designated by the letters A to G, which separate into branches further out from the city.

Each bus on a spine service would be designated by a letter followed by a digit, for example A1, where the letter indicates the spine, and the digit indicates the specific branch.

 

Source: NTA

It also proposes moving to a "simplified two-fare system" as well as a new route numbering system.

Fares will be simplified in a way to make interchange between bus, DART and Luas seamless.

On this, the NTA say two Leap fares will be available: a 90-minute fare that will allow a customer any combination of bus, DART and Luas for a journey - and a short-distance fare paid each trip for particularly short journeys.

Source: NTA

The report says the number of people living within 400m of a bus service that operates every 15 minutes, or better, will increase by 31% from 765,000 to almost 1,000,000.

Consultation

A process of consultation on the report will formally get under way on July 16th and continue for nine weeks until September 16th.

As part of the consultation process, Dublin Bus and NTA will conduct a series of information events across.

It says feedback will be invited from members of the public and other stakeholders.

"Greater scope for interconnection"

NTA Chief Executive Anne Graham says: "The current system of bus routes and services in Dublin is complex, with about 130 different bus routes forming the network.

"Currently the network is radially focused, with most routes emanating outwards from the city centre.

"Orbital bus services - routes that skirt the city - are few and far between.

"As a result, many bus journeys can only be made by firstly traveling into the city centre on one radial route, and then taking another radial bus service out.

"We believe that a system with greater scope for interconnection between routes, and where connecting passengers don't necessarily have to travel to the city centre, is one that would be far more attractive and convenient."

Source: NTA

Dublin Bus Chief Executive Ray Coyne adds: "This proposed network design is part of an ambitious investment of €2bn in Dublin's bus system.

"BusConnects will deliver over 200 million customer journeys per year which will be of significant benefit to the city and its people.

"While the proposed network is a significant opportunity to continue the growth and success of Dublin Bus, it represents a huge change for everyone in the city."