Posted by The by far the most frequented public transport system in Dublin is the bus. Almost all city bus lines are operated by the state-owned company Dublin Bus. Almost 1000 buses are in operation. Meanwhile over 95% of the buses in Dublin are modern low floor buses, many of them double decker buses.
Busses run in Dublin from around 5am to midnight at the latest. On weekends there are night buses (Nite Link) and during the week there is no public transport at night in Dublin. During the week you have to rely on taxis. Dublin Bus goes almost everywhere. Hardly any house in Dublin is more than a few hundred meters away from the next bus stop. As the buses are often stuck in traffic jams, they are often not punctual. On Sundays there are significantly fewer buses in Dublin than on other days of the week. The frequency of the buses varies a lot – some lines are served every 5 minutes, others only once an hour.
The calculation of the fare for single tickets is rather complicated and depends on the number of stages (zones) travelled through. But this is not so bad. You just tell the bus driver where you want to go. The driver then tells you the fare.
Transfer by bus from Dublin Airport: Those arriving in Dublin by plane will need a transfer in the city centre. Taxis are expensive, there are alternatives though. If you travel with a few people you can arrange a private transfer. For three people it works out at around 20 Euro per person.
You can even go by public bus. The DoDublin Freedom Card cost 45 Euro per person but is valid for 72 hours and gives you unlimited access to all public transport. On top you get a 48 hours pass to the Hop-on-Hop-off busses.
Due to the lack of ticket machines you pay directly in the bus. You throw the requested fare into a box and get a ticket. You have to give exact change as any amount overpaid is returned as a voucher
The amount on the voucher can be collected in the central office of Dublin Bus in O’ Connell Street (short opening hours, only during the day on weekdays).
Banknotes are not accepted in buses, coins only. If you don’t have enough coins, you can’t get on the bus. During a trip through Dublin, one usually drives through 2 to 10 stages. Up to 3 stages a single ticket costs 2,10 €, 4-13 stages 2,85 €, over 13 stages 2,65 €.
By now there is the so-called Leap Card. This is a reusable plastic card that you can use instead of cash. If you stay longer in Dublin, you should get one of these. They are pretty good and you get a discount. With the Leap Card you pay only 1.50 for 3 stages, 2.15 for 4-13 stages and 2.60 for over 13 stages.
Different Tickets Dublin Airport Transfer
Trips to the airport cost a flat rate of 7 €, night buses a flat rate of 6,60 (Leap 5,29) €. Compared to the other price levels in Dublin, bus travel is not too expensive. Attention: if you change buses, you have to pay again!
In addition to single tickets Dublin Bus also offers so called Rambler Ticket. They cost for adults: 5 days: 32,10 €, 30 days 160,50 €.
Remarkably, there is also a monthly ticket, which costs 134 €. Why anyone would by a 30 day Rambler Ticket eludes us.
An annual ticket costs 1340 €. For the monthly ticket and the annual ticket you need a passport picture. In addition, there are day tickets for bus and Dublin tram (Luas) for 7,20 €. It gets more complicated with the weekly ticket. Depending on the zones it costs between 16,30 and 27 €.
All these tickets are available in many shops and kiosks. The bus/Luas tickets can also be bought in the vending machines at the LUAS stops. Usually all time tickets are also valid for trips to Dublin Airport, but not for the night buses.
Many Dublin Bus lines stop at central O’ Connell Street. There are about 10 bus stops on both sides of this street, the respective line numbers are written down. Timetables are posted, but there is no city map with bus lines marked on it. Thus, taking the bus in Dublin is not particularly easy.
People coming to Dublin for the first time tend to need some time to find their way around. The best way to find the right bus to your accommodation is to search the internet in advance. The homepage of Dublin Bus is ok: http://www.dublinbus.ie