Bus commuters along the east coast of Ireland will see significant service improvements early next year with new schedules and timetables to be introduced on routes 101 and 133. Operation of the two routes was put out to tender by the National Transport Authority (NTA) last year, and the Authority recently announced that the preferred bidder for the contract is Bus Éireann.
The 101 provides links between Drogheda and central Dublin, and under the new contract, will operate on a 24/7 basis, running every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday, and every 20 minutes at peak times. There will continue to be an hourly service on Sundays. Overall, this represents an increase in services of 6.4% compared to the current timetable.
The 133 currently runs between Wicklow town and Dublin; service levels will remain broadly similar, but under the new contract, the 133 will by-pass Bray, reducing overall journey times by approximately 10 minutes. Associated services 101X, 133B and 133L will see minor changes.
A plan to improve bus stop infrastructure along both corridors will be agreed by the NTA and Bus Éireann as part of the contract. The NTA will provide Bus Éireann with 35 brand new vehicles, made up of 19 single-deck and 16 double-deck regional commuter vehicles.
The 19 single-deckers will be Sunsundegui SB3LE-bodied Volvo B8RLE 49-seat coaches, and the 16 double-deckers will be VDL Futura FDD2-141 integral 75-seat coaches. All will be equipped with passenger information systems, air-conditioning, WiFi, USB power supply sockets to every seat and CCTV.
The new services will become operational in early 2023.
