Dublin Bus increases passenger numbers by four million

Mark Hilliard

Dublin Bus has reported an increase of four million passengers last year leading to the the recruitment of an additional 160 drivers.

The bump in customers brought last year’s total to about 119 million.

"The continued increase in passenger numbers marks a significant step forward for Dublin Bus and we are delighted to be able to create additional driver positions to meet the increase in demand," said chief executive Paddy Doherty in response to the numbers.

“The growth also proves the effectiveness of the many developments which have been delivered over the past three years such as improved services through the Network Direct Project and customer service improvements such as Real Time passenger information.”

In 2013 the company launched a recruitment drive to cater for rising demand on services and last month it signed a new contract with the National Transport Authority to provide services in the Greater Dublin Area for the next five years.

The application process for drivers remains open this year with a further 50 drivers expected to be recruited.