Public Transport in Dublin and Ireland

The first thing to remember when paying for transport in Ireland is that you're a student, so you will have a number of discounts with your Student TravelCard.

In Dublin, there are a few different options for public trasport services. These include...Dublin Bus, the DART train and the LUAS tram service.

Dublin Bus operates a service in and around Dublin city. The first bus is at about 06:00 and the last at about 23:30.

The buses in Dublin usually don't follow a very strict time schedule and you will often hear people complaining about it.

The DART train runs along the coast from Wicklow to the north-east of Dublin city. The trains are generally on time, except maybe at rush hour when they can be very busy.

The LUAS tram is relatively new in Dublin and has a much more accurate schedule.

There are currently two trams that operate in Dublin city:

One from west Dublin (Tallaght) to the Docklands in the north city centre.

The other from south Dublin (Sandyford) to St. Stephens Green Park.

Unfortunately the two trams are not connected, so you will need to walk if you are planning to travel on both lines.

All three of the transport types above offer monthly travel plans. If you think you will use any of them frequently, then it's probably a good idea to buy a monthly ticket. It will also save you having to use coins every time you use them. Do not forget that you can not pay the bus with notes!

Outside of Dublin, Ireland has two main bus and rail service providers...Bus Eireann and Iarnrod Eireann. (Iarnrod means "railway" in Irish, and of course Eireann is "Ireland"!)

Bus Eireann operates all over Ireland and its main base is in Dublin city centre, beside Connolly station.

Ticket prices are generally good, but travel times can be a lot longer than if you are driving.

For example,to travel from Dublin to Galway by bus can take 4 hours. By car, it's approximately 2 hours.

Iarnrod Eireann operates train services around Ireland and serves all the main Irish towns.

Tickets for these trains are noticeably more expensive than getting a bus.

But...

The journey times are usually shorter and you have more comfort.

Monthly tickets can also be bought for trains in Ireland and of course...

you can get a discount as a student!

Taxis can be an alternative to public transport here, but they are a LOT more expensive.

There is a basic charge of 5 Euro as soon as you sit into the taxi, so even a short journey can be expensive.

The best advice is to ask the driver to give you an estimate of the price before you leave.

For example, if you are travelling from Dublin Airport to Dublin city centre, you will pay about 30 Euro (or more if you have baggage).

If the taxi driver says 50 Euro, this is too much!

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