‘We’re flying’: Dublin Express on track for record growth as airport parking crisis looms TRANSPORT

● British-owned bus operator is also benefiting from new tie-ups with Ryanair and Irish Rail, writes Fearghal O’Connor

Bus operator Dublin Express is expecting a record year of growth on its bus services and is looking to expand these as quickly as it can, according to its managing director.

The airport coach operator – which is owned by Britain’s dominant operator National Express – is benefiting from new partnerships with both Irish Rail and Ryanair and may now see a further boost in numbers from a looming car parking crunch at Dublin Airport.

Rory Fitzgerald, who heads up the new operator ever since it won an NTA tender and began operating the week before Covid closed down the country in 2020, revealed that journeys are significantly ahead of schedule and on track to surpass 250,000 passengers by early next year.

The new operator has recovered well from its unfortunately timed start.

“We are flying. Everything is ahead of schedule. People want to travel on coaches and public transport, there’s no doubt about that. We are expanding as quickly as we can and then filling services months ahead of schedule.”

A new service from Dublin Airport to Terenure was “going really well” so far, he said, adding that the company is already looking at further options for expansion.

The Irish Rail partnership allows passengers on rail services to and from Heuston to add a Dublin Express airport journey to the same online booking.

In 2023, 188,000 people travelled on Dublin Express services between Heuston and the airport.

“The way it is growing at the moment, in the first few months of the year, that number is going to be 30pc higher in 2024. We’re going to hit a quarter of a million.”

National Express may be the big player in Britain but Fitzgerald said the link-up with the train company in Ireland had given the new services increased profile.

“It’s great to be associated with such a big brand in the Irish market and it is incredible the spread of places people are coming from.

“Train passengers are coming from everywhere onto our Heuston service to the airport. Galway and Cork stations are our biggest points of origin from the train but they only account 9pc of tickets. Farranfore [in Kerry], for example, is selling really well and towns like Mallow [in Cork], Thurles and Templemore [in Tipperary].”

The coach company has also kicked off a partnership with Ryanair that similarly allows passengers to book a coach connection along with their Ryanair flight to or from Dublin.

An issue set to further fuel public transport growth at Dublin Airport in the months ahead is a looming shortage of car parking. With travel demand surging, the airport is nearing its car parking capacity.

“From what I hear and what I see, it looks like the next few months will be a challenge at the airport from a parking point of view,” said Fitzgerald. “But I have great sympathy for DAA. It only has a certain number of spaces. But I hope to be at least one of the solutions to that problem.”