Wright-bodied Volvo B7LA on evaluation in Dublin, 2000
This Volvo B7LA with Wright Eclipse Fusion coachwork (registration number 00 D 31079) was pictured at Donnybrook Garage and along the 46A route during May 2000 on evaluation for Dublin Bus.
The articulated low-floor vehicle was tested with the aim of injecting high capacity buses into the network to cater for the movement of large volumes of passengers, especially at peak periods.
At the outset, the buses, classed as 'AW', were based at the then Dublin Bus Garage at Broadstone and operated mostly during morning and evening rush hours, including on some newly created routes, such as 65C, 127 and 129. The 65C, which operated between Tallaght and the City Centre did not last long however and was quietly dropped, but bizarrely even after the route's timetables disappeared from circulation buses still made ad-hoc appearances on the route. Even then, quite some time elapsed before references to '65C' were removed from some bus stops!
Routes 127 and 129 were new services created to provide low-floor accessibility and supplement existing services at peak times to the Donaghmede and Baldoyle areas respectively, using the AWs. The relative success of this move was somewhat muted, however, and standard double deckers started creeping onto the routes.
In 2002 Dublin Bus decided that a new direction for these buses was needed and so the entire Route 10 (with newly created 10A morning extensions to and from Stillorgan Village) was converted to operation of the AW class. However, over time it was found that the physical length of the buses meant that they got caught in snarl-ups around many of Dublin City's narrow streets and confined bus stop bays. Coupled with Dublin City's chronic traffic problems, it often gave rise to an unreliability of Route 10/10A at certain times of the day.
In 2004, Dublin Bus vacated their bus storage space at Broadstone to move the AWs, among others to the new Harristown Garage. Subsequently Route 10 (and 10A) reverted to standard double deck operation from Phibsboro Garage, including the use of older non low-floor vehicles.
The AWs were now pretty much back to how they started - normally to be seen at peak periods, operating express routes and supplementing other main services. Rumours circulated about whether or not Dublin Bus would keep the AWs on the road at all. Among continuing uncertainty about the opening up of the bus market to competition and the stagnation of the number of vehicles at the disposal of Dublin Bus, it was believed the 'bendy buses' were just living on borrowed time.
However, things changed in 2006. A programme announced by the Irish Government entitled 'Transport 21' promised a massive investment in providing for the public transportation needs of the capital city for the 21st Century. The arrival of the VT-class as an addition to the Dublin Bus fleet enabled the company to supplement existing routes - and create a new cross-city service. From 12 March 2006 new life was breathed back into AWs with the introduction of Route 4 , running between Ballymun on the northside and Merrion on the southside. Areas served include St. Vincent's Hospital, Ballsbridge, Holles Street Hospital, Pearse Station, O'Connell Street, Parnell Square, Phibsboro and Dublin City University.
The 'bendies' are back!
Pictures supplied by Dave O'Connor
Page created July 2005, updated July 2006