There was widespread anger in Drumcondra after plans to scrap the Number 11 bus route were announced last year.
It will be replaced with the Number 19 bus which was originally due to terminate at Parnell Square, forcing passengers to transfer to another bus in the city centre.
The plans are part of wider changes under the Bus Connects redesign which include 13 new routes, with 24-hour spines – E1 and E2 – serving areas including Bray, UCD, the city centre, Ballymun and Santry.
However, users of the number 11 route were unhappy at what they saw as a reduction in their local service.
It has now been announced that the Number 19 bus will go as far as Merrion Square, making life easier for those commuting to the southside.
Green Party councillor Feljin Jose welcomed the news.
“After a lot of engagement over the last couple of months, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has agreed to extend the terminus of the new no 19 bus from Parnell Square to Merrion Square.
“When the 19 bus is launched as part of the next BusConnects E spine on January 26, every second bus at peak times (every 20 mins) will terminate at Merrion Square instead of Parnell Square.
“As more drivers become available in the coming months, this will increase to all buses terminating at Merrion Square instead of Parnell Square.
“This will ensure that people travelling from the Home Farm Road area will not have to change buses to reach locations on the southside of the city centre.
“While there has been a lot of fear and misinformation spread about these changes, I’ve been committed to engaging constructively with the NTA on these changes for many years to deliver better outcomes for the area.”
In 2020, it was announced that the new Number 19 route was to operate once every hour which was not acceptable compared to the 30-minute frequency of the Number 11 bus which will be replaced.
“Together with former TD Neasa Hourigan, we have secured significant improvements on the original 2020 proposal,” Mr Jose added.
“The new 19 bus will now operate every 20 minutes throughout the day and every 10 minutes during peak times.
“At peak times, every second bus will start in Wadelei to ensure there’s capacity for Glasnevin and Drumcondra.
“The new 19 bus will also provide a direct service to Dublin Airport via Ballymun Road.”
