With an extra investment of €4.9m from the National Transport Authority (NTA), Dublin Bus has announced a new 24hr service and 80 jobs.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said the extra funding is received as a result of the Government’s July stimulus package and that funding for a public transport system is important for post-Covid recovery.
From 13 December, Sunday onwards the Route 39a running from UCD to Ongar will become a 24hr service.
This will be the third 24-hour route. Route 41, which connects city centre to Airport and Swords and Route 15 that connects cross city from Ballycullen to Clongriffin are the other two previous 24hr services.
The latest Route 39a service will operate every 30 mins from 11.30pm to 5am.
Dublin Bus through a statement said that the 24 hour services will facilitate increasing employment in the night time economy as businesses expand their opening hours.
“It is no longer the case that the city shuts down at 11 or 12 at night. We believe that enhancement like these, along with the revised bus network in Dublin, and the investment in our bus corridor infrastructure under BusConnects, will bring about the kind of improvements that people expect in a modern city.” Anne Graham CEO of the NTA said.
Dublin Bus is also planning to bring in improvements to routes 1, 9, 13, 24, 39, 39a, 40 and 83.