BUS EIREANN AND the National Transport Authority (NTA) have announced enhancements to four bus routes on the east coast of Ireland, with a service between Dublin and Drogheda to be made a 24-hour route.

The four enhanced routes will be served by 35 new, fully accessible buses.

The revised timetables will come into effect this Sunday, 7 May.

Route 101 from Drogheda to Busáras, via Dublin Airport, will become a full 24-hour service with 293 departures each way per week. The new buses on this route will be both double- and single-decker vehicles.

Route 101x from Drogheda to Wilton Terrace in Dublin, via Balbriggan, will have services operated on a greater number of accessible single- and double-decker buses in response to increased passenger demand. The frequency of the route will stay the same.

Route 133 from Wicklow town to Busáras via Ashford will be rerouted so it will no longer serve Bray, which Bus Éireann and the NTA say will improve punctuality and reliability. Route 133 will now have 143 departures each way per week.

The route has been consolidated so that the former 133B, 133L and 133X routes will cease.

A new service, route 131, will instead travel between Bray and Wicklow town, the first such bus service on that route. It will have 112 departures each way per week and will connect passengers with the Dart via Bray station.

Anne Graham, the CEO of the NTA, said in a statement: “We know that where new and enhanced services are made available, people respond positively and choose to travel by bus.

“The new, enhanced East Coast Commuter Corridor marks a step-change in bus transport in counties Louth, Wicklow and Dublin – with greater frequency, improved capacity and an entire fleet of new, fully accessible vehicles to service increased passenger demand.”

Bus Éireann was awarded tender for the services following a competitive process.

Bus Éireann CEO Stephen Kent said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected to operate the newly enhanced East Coast Commuter Corridor bus services, having delivered these essential routes to communities for many decades.

“This new investment will mean a greater number of commuters, tourists, students, airport passengers and Free Travel Pass customers having the option to travel more sustainably by bus.

“There has never been a more exciting time to be involved in public transport in Ireland, with developments in BusConnects Cork and Galway and enhanced rural routes through Connecting Ireland, funded by the NTA.”