Phase 1 of the new BusConnects network launched on 27th June with the introduction of H-Spine (H1, H2, H3, H9) and Route 6 (all operated by Dublin Bus).

Old routes 29a, 31, 31a, 31b and 32 have now been replaced with the new H-Spine routes.

Old Routes New Routes
29a H1 (Baldoyle – Donaghmede – City centre)
32 H2 (Malahide – Carrickhill Road – Bayside – City centre) 102 and 32x
31 / 31a / 31b H3 (Howth – Bayside – City centre) and 6 (Howth – St. Fintan’s – Bayside – Watermill Road – City centre)

Frequency

H-Spine:
Day Route Approx. day-time frequency
Monday – Sunday H1 every 15 mins
H2 every 30 mins
H3 every 30 mins

Combined frequency along spine is approximately every 8 minutes

Route 6:
Day Approx. day-time frequency
Monday – Sunday  every 60 mins

Fares

Fares will remain the same for all new routes. Leap Card and the free travel pass are still both accepted on these services.

Changes to 102 and 32x

Routes 102 (operated by Go-Ahead Ireland) and 32x (operated by Dublin Bus) will now operate via Strand Road instead of Carrickhill Road and Wendell Avenue. The remainder of both routes will stay the same. In Portmarnock route H2 is running along Carrickhill Road, unlike route 32 which ran along Strand Road. This is to bring the spine service within reach of more residents and gives Carrickhill Road an all-day/all-week link with the city centre.

Special school routes 102a, 102c, 102s and 102p are not changing.

Route 130 Terminus Change

The terminus for route 130 has moved from Lower Abbey Street to Talbot Street as of Sunday 27th June to facilitate the H1, H2, H3 and Route 6.

Timetables

H1 (Baldoyle – Donaghmede – City centre)

H2 (Malahide – Carrickhill Road – Bayside – City centre)

H3 (Howth – Bayside – City centre) 

H9 (All Saints Road – Lower Abbey Street)


Route 6 (Howth – St. Fintan’s – Bayside – Watermill Road – City centre)

 

FAQs

The new routes implemented in Phase 1 are H1, H2, H3, H9 and Route 6.

Old routes 29a, 31, 31a, 31b and 32 have been replaced with the new H-Spine routes.

Old Routes New Routes
29a H1 (Baldoyle – Donaghmede – City centre)
32 H2 (Malahide – Carrickhill Road – Bayside – City centre) 102 and 32x
31 / 31a / 31b H3 (Howth – Bayside – City centre) and 6 (Howth – St. Fintan’s – Bayside – Watermill Road – City centre)

The H-Spine serves Dublin City centre to North-East suburbs including Baldoyle, Donaghmede, Raheny, Malahide, Portmarnock, Howth and Kilbarrack.

Route 6 serves Howth, St. Fintan’s, Watermill Road, and the city centre.

The other routes that are part of the new BusConnects network will be rolling out on a phased basis over the next several years. The next phase is C-Spine, which will serve areas including Celbridge, Maynooth, Leixlip, Lucan, Chapelizod, Inchicore, and city centre.

Fares for Phase 1 will remain the same. The 90 minute fare will be introduced in later phases making transfers between services easier.

Some bus stops have moved. Please check the TFI Journey Planner to plan your route.

Spines are very frequent routes made up of individual bus services.

Other city bound services operate into Dublin City centre. These services are not part of any Spine and operate to their own timetable.

In phase 1, all new routes operate into the city centre.

The H1 has a daytime frequency of 15 minutes while the H2 and H3 have a 30 minute frequency. The combined frequency along the Spine is every 8 minutes.