Bus Connects, Cork & Dublin

Bus Connects is a major infrastructure project that aims to overhaul the current bus system. It will do this through a €2 Billion, 10-year programme of integrated actions to deliver a more efficient, reliable and better bus system for more people. The project has the ambitious aim of increasing bus passenger numbers by 50% to over 200 million passenger journeys per year.

We were appointed by the National Transport Authority to undertake the Feasibility and Options Study for 3 of the 16 Core Bus Corridors (CBCs) that form part of the Bus Connects project. This consisted of a constraints study for three large areas of Dublin City, assessing the feasibility of each of the three CBCs and ultimately led to the concept design of 45 km of bus corridors on busy, constrained urban roads.

The route selection process considered Economy, Integration, Accessibility & Social Inclusion, Safety and Environment. This was used to determine the optimum route available for each of the CBCs amongst all the possible routes through the study areas.

These schemes will deliver substantially improved priority for buses, particularly in the sections where they currently experience their longest delays. It will also enhance the existing cycle infrastructure, improve the pedestrian permeability and rationalise the bus stop locations. This improved bus priority will allow for faster, more efficient and more attractive bus services which can compete more strongly with the private car as the primary mode of transport along this corridor.