From 05:40 to after 23:00 on weekdays, Dublin Bus (Bus Átha Cliath) provides an extensive service for Dubliners who don’t have their own set of wheels. With a fleet of 950 buses crisscrossing the city and its peripheries on 140 routes, Greater Dublin is dotted with bus stops, marked by tall green or blue lollipop-shaped signs. Since the buses are as predictable as the weather and drivers are renowned for only keeping loosely to their schedules, timetables (www.dublinbus.ie) are rarely reliable – especially at rush hour.

To flag down a bus, signal with your hand. Fare-saver tickets (Rambler passes, Bus or Luas passes) can be purchased at newsagents, tourist offices or directly at Dublin Bus, while single and feeder tickets can be bought upon boarding. If you opt for the latter option, give the exact fare in change or you might award Dublin Bus with an unintentional tip – refunds can only be obtained at the O’Connell Street office. As fares are calculated according to the number of stops travelled, a single adult ticket will set you back between €1.00 and €1.90 within the city zone.

Special services provided by Dublin Bus include the Xpresso (express service), the School Link, the Railink (rail service), the Airlink (airport service) and the Nitelink (a service for night owls).
In recent years, the Department of Transport has granted various private bus companies the licence to operate in Dublin, opening up the market for competition.