Commuters travelling on the new City Flyer buses along the Stillorgan QBC yesterday morning found themselves virtually escorted into the city-centre by several Garda motorcycles.
With a large number of media representatives and Dublin Bus staff climbing aboard, there was some worry that ordinary passengers might not be able to squeeze on to the 46A bus outside Foxrock church at 8.13 a.m.
Any car drivers tempted to slip into the QBC were probably put off by the glowering gardai lining the route. "You would think the Popemobile was coming down the road," one bus passenger said.
By 8.23 a.m., the 46A had reached the Stillorgan Park Hotel - leaving long lines of cars in its wake.
Just past UCD, the bus met its first immovable object - a BMW driver emerging from an apartment complex right into the bus lane. Because the man could not enter the traffic, which had halted, his car prevented the bus continuing its journey for more than a minute. Eventually the bus pressed on, although a man driving a timber truck decided to avail of the lane for a few brief seconds before a garda on the path shot him a dirty look.
Refreshingly, the bus was clean and odourless and passengers enjoyed watching motorists stranded on the road looking on enviously as it sped past Donnybrook church at 8.30 a.m.
The journey from there into town would have been seamless only for the constant battle of wits between the 46A and several cyclists competing for space.
As the cyclists risked life and limb, a garda tried to adjudicate by making various hand gestures to the bus drivers.
Passing through Donnybrook's main street, the road looked congested, albeit not as badly as some had predicted. The bus powered ahead and overtook about 20 cars in around 25 seconds. The steady progress continued and the bus reached Leeson Street Bridge by 8.40 a.m., much to the amazement of some of those on board.
"I have been getting this bus for years and this was pretty quick, although it had improved in the last year anyway," said Mr John Whelan, who got aboard near the Montrose Hotel.
By the time it reached Stephen's Green at 8.45 a.m., the race between car and bus had been decisively won - the comparable trip by car took 50 minutes.
A half-hour from Foxrock to Stephen's Green was an admirable performance, but Dublin Bus will have to maintain it, without the help of legions of gardai, in September. Bands of parents dropping their children to school are also likely to pose difficulties.