Cleaner and greener New state-of-the-art buses are sign we're moving with the times

Abstract

The new layout of the bottom deck has allocated more space for the wheelchair user or for customers travelling with children and buggies. A total of 50 new buses are being pressed into service by Dublin Bus, funded by the government's Transport 21 programme.

Anyone growing up in Dublin in the '50s and '60s will remember the green buses which had no doors and youngsters going to and from school would frequently hop on and off the buses.

Many of the old buses are now housed in the Transport Museum in Howth, where the last tram in Dublin ran around the Hill of Howth.

THEY'RE cleaner, greener and safer, and look completely unlike the typical Dublin bus.

The first of 50 new-look state-of-the-art buses are being rolled out this week, replacing the older style models which have passed their "best before" date.

The new Volvo and Alexander Dennis EV models, are designed in keeping with recent technological developments in bus design and have a range of new features.

They are specifically designed to deter vandals as each bus is fitted with eight CCTV cameras to record any illegal activities.

The new buses are also equipped with engine technology which will result in lower emissions.

The buses have the standard low-floor accessible design with a kneeling ramp to facilitate ease of access to the wheelchair bay.

However, the traditional hand pole has been removed and replaced with an electrically operated power arm controlled from the cab by the bus driver.

The new layout of the bottom deck has allocated more space for the wheelchair user or for customers travelling with children and buggies. A total of 50 new buses are being pressed into service by Dublin Bus, funded by the government's Transport 21 programme.

The new-look buses are a far cry from the old-fashioned models that graced the streets and suburbs of Dublin between the 1940s and the 1960s.

Anyone growing up in Dublin in the '50s and '60s will remember the green buses which had no doors and youngsters going to and from school would frequently hop on and off the buses.

Hard-pressed conductors would try and catch the youngsters as they ran down the stairs and jumped out the open gap of the moving bus.

The conductor would also have to literally punch a silver handle to communicate with the driver that he wanted to stop the vehicle.

Many of the old buses are now housed in the Transport Museum in Howth, where the last tram in Dublin ran around the Hill of Howth.

TREACY HOGAN