Student Bloggers

Dublin Buses

By Colleen H., University College Dublin Internship, Ireland

The population of Ireland is about 4.6 million (not including Northern Ireland which is another 1.6 million), of that population about 40% live in the Dublin area. As I am sure you can imagine the traffic can be awful. To help eliminate traffic, the public transportation system is commonly used by the Irish to get around the city faster.

The public transportation system that I use the most is the Dublin Bus System. The buses have two stories to them, which can be scary when sitting at the very font of the bus. It took a while to get used to not only the buses driving on the wrong side of the road, but how the bus drivers drive in Dublin. The roads are narrow and almost every turn you swear you are going to hit something.

Everyone in the internship program uses the buses to get around or else you are walking at least an hour to get to your job. I do walk sometimes if I want a little bit of exercise, but just incase I feel too tired I know that the next stop will be ahead of me shortly. The buses run until 11 at night, which is great for my roommates and I who travel into town to get dinner, shop, and site see. It is also nice for when we are finished with work and want to grab some dinner without feeling rushed.

Before arriving in Dublin I never rode the bus and especially not alone. Even at home I would always get lost walking and completely relied on the map on my phone to get everywhere. That was one of the biggest things I had to get used to when coming to Dublin. As a tourist without an international plan, I am constantly looking for places that have Wifi. The best part about the Dublin Bus System is the free Wifi on all buses. This has been extremely helpful for me to make sure I know where I am going once I get off the bus and no longer have a way to communicate or access GPS.

Not only is there free Wifi on the buses, but there is also a bus app, which I use almost everyday. The app allows you to see every bus that runs in the system and every stop. The app even has a route planner which really helps if you are unsure which bus to take or what stop to get off at. I am pleased to say that after being here for almost three weeks, I feel like I know Dublin pretty well thanks to the bus app.

Colleen Hess is a student at Washington State University and is blogging from her summer abroad with the University College Dublin Internship program in Dublin, Ireland.