Improved Bus Services for Balbriggan and Balrothery with Launch of a new 24-hour coach service
NTA and Bus Éireann launch East Coast Commuter Corridor from 7 May
New 24-hour coach service between Drogheda and Dublin serving Balbriggan, Balrothery, Swords and Dublin Airport
Passengers in Fingal, East Meath & Louth to see enhanced services on two key routes, with improved frequency, greater capacity and new accessible vehicles
Route 101 from Drogheda to Busáras serving Balbriggan, Balrothery, Swords and Dublin Airport to become a 24-hour service, while Route 101x will receive new double-deck coaches to improve capacity for passengers
Funded by the National Transport Authority (NTA), the routes will be operated by Bus Éireann, which won a competitive tender process
Newly enhanced services will launch for customers on Routes 101 and 101x from Sunday, 7 May
Bus Éireann has announced that it will be launching a new 24-hour coach service between Drogheda and Dublin from 7 May, which will serve Balbriggan, Balrothery, Swords, and Dublin Airport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) funded this initiative, and Bus Éireann won the competitive tender process to operate the service. The new East Coast Commuter Corridor will offer enhanced services on two key routes, with improved frequency, greater capacity, and new accessible vehicles.
Route 101, which runs from Drogheda to Busáras via Balbriggan, Balrothery, Swords, and Dublin Airport, will become a 24-hour service, with 293 departures each way per week. The route will be operated using a fleet of new, fully accessible double and single deck coaches. It is projected that the route will carry a record one million passengers this year, with passenger numbers currently running 37% ahead of 2019.
Meanwhile, Route 101x from Drogheda to Wilton Terrace in Dublin via Balbriggan and Balrothery will see the frequency of services maintained, with a greater number of accessible single deck buses and double deck coaches in response to increased passenger demand.
The fare reductions on public transport services last year have made public transport more affordable than ever, with a single adult Leap Card fare from Balbriggan to Dublin costing just €4.06, and fares for people aged 19-24 years with a Young Adult Leap Card costing just €2.03.
Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA, said, “We know that where new and enhanced services are made available, people respond positively and choose to travel by bus. The new, enhanced East Coast Commuter Corridor marks a step-change in bus transport in Fingal – with greater frequency, improved capacity and an entire fleet of new, fully accessible vehicles to service increased passenger demand."
Stephen Kent, CEO of Bus Éireann, expressed delight at being selected to operate the newly enhanced East Coast Commuter Corridor bus services, saying, “We are excited to partner with the NTA on these new and enhanced services and are committed to providing frequent, reliable, and accessible bus services for our passengers in Fingal – and across the country."
With Bus Éireann delivering 89.5 million passenger journeys in 2022, a return to pre-Covid levels, public transport in Ireland is going from strength-to-strength. In addition to the East Coast Commuter Corridor, the NTA is also funding developments in BusConnects Cork and Galway and enhancing rural routes through Connecting Ireland.