Dublin Bus route 43 started out as a simple route in 1985 operating from Clontarf Garage, using mostly 2 buses throughout the day. It linked Swords with the Malahide Road & Fairview unlike the traditional 41 routes which operated from Dublin Airport & Drumcondra. The timetable remained fairly static until early 2006, when it was extended from its terminus in Swords Village ( Main Street ) up to Swords Business Park, where large multinationals like DHL & Hertz Car Hire were based.
The timetable was further enhanced in 2007 with increased peak journeys, using buses supplied by Harristown as Euro duties.
Today, route 43 is incredibly busy in both directions throughout the day.
The terminus at Swords Business Park is also very photogenic & the route itself is trouble free.
Seen above operating route 43 is Clontarf Garage RA 274 on the 21st May 2007. This RA type was delivered in batch RA 264- 277 to Clontarf in 1996 in overall white Cityswift livery & used to launch super " route 27 Malahide Road Flyer " in May of that year. Having been cascaded & the Cityswift brand discontinued, these RA's are now usually allocated to short stint route 130 from Dublin City Centre via Fairview & Dollymount to Castle Avenue in Dublin 3. From time to time, the RA's appear on other Clontarf routes, such as the 43 above. This RA batch is set to withdrawn from Clontarf with the arrival of brand new Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double deckers during this summer ( EV class ).
For the moment, Clontarf operates the following Olympians :
RA 240, 241 originally from Donnybrook ,
RA 243- 244 originally of Summerhill ,
RA 248 from Summerhill/ Phibsboro,
RA 264- 277 & later Volvo engined RV 402, 404- 407, 423- 431, 463- 468
RV 497- 501 & 541
