BusConnects is preparing to launch a number of new 24 hour routes in Dublin as part of its network redesign. 

The programme will eventually boost the number of kilometers covered by bus routes by 35%, as well as increasing the frequency and capacity of the capital’s buses. 

Sunday will see the start of Phase 7, which BusConnects described as the “most geographically expansive phase of the programme to date”.

 “This is really about connecting more people to more places,” Dublin Bus spokesperson Blake Boland explained to Newstalk Breakfast.  

“And there’ll be greater coverage off the back of this as well. 

“There’s going to be some adjustments to routes and I suppose it could be a good opportunity to correct a misconception that this is simply putting a few new stickers on bus stops. 

“This is part of a much wider scheme of connecting more people.” 

A double decker bus. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Mr Boland continued that Phase 7 will increase the number of kilometres covered by bus routes by 14%. 

“The effect on each person living along these routes will be different,” he said. 

“But overall, it’s going to be an enhanced scheme connecting more people to more places.” 

A bus on Wexford Street. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Overall, Mr Boland believes it is “really good news” for people who take public transport. 

Especially those who would like to do so at night. 

“In Dublin, we’re striving to move on as a modern European capital city,” he said. 

“Having that nighttime economy supported by public transport is really important. 

“But it’s beyond entertainment as well; it’s people who are working shift work, working late into the night. 

“That’s going to help them a lot; so, there’s three 24 hour routes in there - the F1, F2 and the 80. 

“Also, the 24 is not 24 hours but it is a 20 hour route.” 

A bus on Dame Street in Dublin. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Overall, Mr Boland said the changes would “connect more people to more places”. 

“So, the F1 and the F2 are part of that f spine,” he explained. 

“So, they’ll be running down that central [part of the city] and you’re looking at moving out towards Charleston, where they’ll start and they’ll head down southside as well. 

“That’s the idea of an f spine; so the F1, F2, F3, they combine at a certain part on the northside of the city. 

“Those three buses then run along the same route for the vast majority of it until they separate.” 

The transport sector is Ireland’s second largest source of carbon emissions and the Climate Change Advisory Council advised that if the Government to meet its targets, it must “demonstrate increased ambition for sustainable public transport investment”.

Main image: Buses in Dublin city centre. Picture by: NurPhoto SRL / Alamy.