Ireland hosted the Special Olympics World Games 2003. Over 7,000 atheletes, their coaches, familes & friends decended on Dublin during the week long sporting activities. The movement from the various sporting centres & hotels was well co ordinated using a large fleet of Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann & sub contracted private coaches.
Here is a snapshot of the Dublin Bus operation........
Dublin Bus operated a hub & spoke route system from the Phoenix Park using Broadstone's entire fleet of City Imp WV class Volvo 6BLE's
( WV 21- 40 ) & Clontarf based WV 41-43, 45 & 46.
The buses received special contravsion advertising the Special Olympics on the side windows, plus a mega rear.
The dot matrix displays were programmed for the various routes that these " INTERVENUE SHUTTLE " buses operated.
WV 23 is seen on Bachelors Walk 22nd June having left the Phoenix Park on YELLOW ROUTE, which operated every 30 minutes serving the RDS & Belfield before terminating in Dun Laoighre. This route seem to be the most popular throughout the games.
Similar Broadstone WV 34 seen on Simonscourt Road at the RDS 28th June 2003 where it picked up & dropped off some atheletes while enroute to Dun Laoighre.
These Volvo's are ideal, with large low level interior space & ramp access.
Rear view of WV 28 at its Dun Laoighre terminus, which it shares with route 46A. This angle shows the mega rear which was applied to the WV class for the Olympics.
This is the first time the WV class have received mega rears.
As well as the INTERVENUE SHUTTLES run by the WV's , quite a number of low floor AV Volvo class were used to move the participants around.
Seen here at the 11 B terminus at University College Dublin are Broadstone AV 153 & 215 .
Brand spanking new Volvo AV 311 seen on Yellow Route on Westmoreland Street 28th June 2003. This bus entered service on Special Olympic duties before operating normal service from Ringsend Garage in early July 2003.
