Kevin Cannon: Why the future of public transport is brighter than you think

A modern, integrated public transport system is being built in Ireland, and in a few years, we’re all going to wake up and be surprised by where it came from

Buses now have wifi and USB charging points on buses, 24-hour routes, real-time displays, and integrated ticketing. Picture: Larry Cummins

I used to spend three hours a day, five days a week, taking the bus from Tallaght to Dublin City University. This was in the time before smartphones, and doing this trip every day for years gives you lots of time to think about how things could be better. 

I never would have dreamed back then that we’d have wifi and USB charging points on buses, 24-hour routes, real-time displays, integrated ticketing and maybe, just maybe, the emergence of something resembling a good countrywide public transport service.