Lack of updates...

Apologies for the lack of updates, my internet connection is down at the moment...

Once the problem is solved normal service will resume...

Thanks!

RV604 now a Ringsender...

So there I was minding my own business passing through the city centre this evening when I spotted a 50 to Westbrook in the distance... Gotta be a new to Ringsend RV, and as luck would have it, it was RV604... However, due to peak time pedestrian congestion and some peoples ignorance to a camera I didn't get a photo of it this evening... ah well, there's a few years left in them yet, its the RA's I should have been chasing!

However, rather than no photo I decided to have a look in the archives, and I came across this gem, RV604 on the 270 in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in September 2005 looking great in CitySwift livery. AV375 is the AV on the 39 behind. Enjoy!

On the streets...

I've always been a firm believer that providing a bus service is not just about the buses. How you present yourself to your customers is important... one aspect of this comes in the form of street furniture, however, its a bit up and down in Dublin!

A couple of weeks ago Dublin Bus began to install Transport for London (TfL) style bus stops, manufactured by Trueform Engineering, in O'Connell St. These were highly successful and the second phase of the roll out is expected shortly.

Following on from this last week, private operator, Swords Express has installed new, also Truefrom manufactured, bus stops around Swords. These look brilliant and its great to see private operators investing in this infrastructure for their customers.

However, what goes up can often come down (at some some part!). Getting back to O'Connell Street and Aircoach (or First Aircoach now!), have been operating a luxury coach service from the city to the Airport for years... however, while the coaches maybe luxury, the bus stop on Dublin's main thoroughfare is not... in fact its hit rock bottom, or the timetable carousel has...
To add insult to injury the stop also promotes 'serving Park n Ride sites en route'??? So while you journey to the Airport on a luxury Setra coach maybe worth the luxury price, the profit made isn't going back into infrastructure...

Making the Wright choice for Dublin...

In case you haven't heard, the latest word is that Dublin Bus have ordered 50 Wrights Geminis, not forgetting the 1 Hybrid Electric Gemini thats due to Dublin shortly.

For this reason, I decided to look through my collection and see what Wright Gemini photos I have, mostly from London were Geminis are very common. However, one picture I came across was of a HEV Wrights Gemini for London, like the one due to Dublin, at the NEC Bus & Coach Show in 2006.

As I said Wrights Geminis have a pig presence in London, here's a few pics of them...Arriva's DW59 at Hyde Park Corner on Route 137 to Oxford Circus.

London General's WVL156 on Route 11 passing along The Strand towards Fulham.

London Central's WVL259 on Route 68 to Euston.

But how could I publish photos of London buses without putting in a shot of an iconic Routemaster...
Arriva's RM2344 on the last day of Routemaster operation on Route 38, at the terminus at Clapton Pond.

Go West...

Your probably familiar with those Failte Ireland ads telling us to go West... the one's with the catchy "All these highs and lows" song...

Well this day last week, I was way out West, Sligo to be exact... and there was plenty of highs and lows in my trip!

The train to Sligo was one of these new Wasps (or 22,000's, if your into your trains). The journey was very comfortable and pleasant. However the return journey to Dublin was another story. A commuter train was operating the return trip, and the journey was painful! These trains just aren't suitable for long distance travel, anything more than an hour is too much. As the song by Go West says 'We Close Our Eyes' and clearly eyes were closed when the decision to allocate these trains to InterCity services was made!

Anyway, less of my complaining, back to the point, here is Sligo's ME208 operating the Sligo City Service, Route 478. The days for these Imps in Sligo look limited as DPC109 has transferred in with more DPC's due to replace the remaining Imps...

Paddy's Day '08

So, its all over for another year... Hope you had a great Paddy's Day and made the most of the bank holiday, but sure if you didn't, relax, there's another next Monday!

My memories of bank holidays are a visit to Granny's house for dinner where she would take out the 'silver service' for a special occasion, however todays silver service was a different kind...

A UK private operator on Merrion Square... a name like this just proclaims 'posh', and a nice fleet of Van Hools & Mercs too!
Anyway, as I said in yesterdays entry, I went out and about today with the main aim to sample the diversions and get some photos... so to keep my promise, here you go...

While we now take LED destination displays for granted, as they're fitted to all new VT's & EV's, never forget how we got here... trials! AV389 was one such trial and its seen here coming off its temporary terminus of Custom House Quay heading for Newcastle.
Thats it for Paddy's Weekend '08, but before I go, the luck of the Irish goes to a good friend starting a new venture tomorrow (Tuesday), best of luck with it!

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day... begorrah... Isn't is a great day to be Irish!

Right, thats enough of that! Its March 17th a what does that mean... no not leprechauns, bus diversions, and loads of them! Across city centre bus routes will be setting up termini in unusual locations, Cook Street, Wood Quay, Georges Quay, Mountjoy Sqaure to name a few... I'll be heading out to snap a few of these odd workings but in the meantime enjoy a goodie from last year... AV174 on the 4 & Av29 on the 19 on City Quay...

Happy Paddy's Day!

Something old, new, borrowed & blue!

To kick off my new 'blogging' venture I decided to have a look through the archives for a photo.

Here is RH60 on the 19A in May 2005:

• something old, RH60 no longer with Dublin Bus.
• something new, this blog!
• something borrowed, RH60 wasn't always Phibsboro bus.
• something blue... well clutching at straws but the livery of two tone blue... and yellow...
  

Welcome

Welcome to the irishdecker.com blog, our new way of keeping you updated on the current Irish bus scene. Most updates will now centre around this blog, and we hope you enjoy reading it.

Talk soon!