Lucan QBC is praised by the AA and Dublin Bus

The least controversial Quality Bus Corridor is the Lucan one which begins near the Hermitage golf course in west Dublin and travels, largely on a dual-carriageway, in to the north quays.

The route was opened in mid-1998, and the AA and Dublin Bus agree it is a success.

According to Dublin Bus, the bus-journey time into the city is down from 50 minutes to 40, while the bus travels about 50 per cent faster than cars along the route.

Passenger numbers are also up, rising at a rate of 15 per cent a year, according to Dublin Bus. A quarter of these new passengers have switched from cars.

Dublin Bus says 90 per cent of customers are satisfied with journey and waiting times on the route.

The bus corridor runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m, with a break between 10 a.m and 12 p.m to facilitate deliveries to shops along the quays.

Dr Alan Westwell, managing director of Dublin Bus, said last week that the "real-time" information displays for bus stops which provide electronic advice on the time of arrival of the next bus would be introduced on a pilot basis on the Lucan corridor in the near future.