Traffic in Dublin was heavier than usual yesterday as thousands of commuters took their cars into work to avoid being stranded during the protest.
An AA spokeswoman said traffic was heavier than normal during the rush hour yesterday morning as people realised bus and rail services would not be running after 9 a.m.
The worst affected area was South Quays, which was totally blocked off from 12.15 p.m. to 1.15 p.m. as protesters marched towards CIÉ headquarters at Heuston Station.
AA Roadwatch said traffic disruptions were relatively minor at lunchtime, and the march through the city centre went off "without a hitch".
Evening rush-hour traffic was only slightly busier than normal, with heavy outbound traffic on the Swords Road and around the Red Cow roundabout. The AA was last night attributing most of the extra traffic to badlydisrupted DART services.
Dublin Bus and Iarnród Éireann employees marched from O'Connell Street to the Dáil, where they handed in a letter of protest and continued to a rally at Heuston Station.
A spokeswoman for Dublin Bus, who said "at least a thousand" of its employees took part in the march, said that by 4 p.m., 80 per cent of bus services were back to normal, and all routes were fully serviced by 5 p.m. Iarnród Éireann said its services were also back to normal by 5 p.m.
Bus lanes in Dublin were open to traffic until 4 p.m. to minimise disruption.