Dublin Bus launched Nitelink a new after midnight bus service in the capital aimed at bringing Christmas revellers home from the city centre. The service was to run from December 6th 1991 to January 4th 1992 apart from Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day. There were 4 departures every night at 12am, 1am, 2am and 3am. It is an express service and passengers may only board the buses at the city centre termini although they may disembark at designated points along the route home. The buses will return to the city centre without passengers.
A flat fare of £2 per person will apply irrespective of how long or short the journey. Nitelink passengers were expected to pre-purchase their ticket at a special ticket sales bus on Westmoreland Street.
A: D'Olier Street to Howth via Fairview, Clontarf, Raheny and Sutton.
B: D'Olier Street to Donaghmede via Howth Road, Raheny and Kilbarrack.
C: D'Olier Street to Swords via Drumcondra and Santry.
D: Westmoreland Street to Finglas via Phibsboro, Glasnevin and Finglas.
E: Westmoreland Street to Blakestown via Castleknock and Blanchardstown.
F: Westmoreland Street to Lucan via Chapelizod and Palmerstown.
G: Westmoreland Street to Clondalkin via Ballyfermot and Neilstown.
H: College Street to Tallaght via Dolphin's Barn, Crumlin and Walkinstown.
I: College Street to Templeogue via Rathmines and Terenure.
J: College Street to Ballinteer via Ranelagh, Milltown and Dundrum.
K: College Street to Kill O'The Grange via Donnybrook and Stillorgan.
L: College Street to Dún Laoghaire via Ballsbridge and Blackrock.
In excess of 37,000 passengers were carried over the initial period from December 6th without problems. As a result of this, it was deemed to continue the service indefinitely on Friday and Saturday nights. For Christmas 1992, the nightly service was brought back. A new route M was introduced to operate to Malahide and route J was extended to Rathfarnham. By the time Dublin Bus issued their June 1993 timetable booklet, several other services had been extended and another had commenced. These included:
Route B extended to Baldoyle.
Route F extended to Leixlip.
Route I extended to Tallaght.
Route M extended to Portmarnock.
and new Route N: College Street to Willington via Harold's Cross and Whitehall Road.
In the April 1995 timetable booklet, the N had been extended from Willington to Tallaght. At this time the departures stayed the same at 12am, 1am, 2am and 3am. The fare was also static at £2.00.
For the Christmas period in 1996, a route P was introduced operating from Westmoreland Street to Maynooth via Celbridge. The P only had 2 departures. The price for the trip to Maynooth was £4. At this time the normal fare had increased to £2.50.
In the summer of 1997, the L service was extended to Ballybrack (Wyattville Road). By Christmas 1998, the departures were now shifted forward 30 minutes to 0030, 0130, 0230 and 0330am. At this time the 0330 departure on the L service was extended from Ballybrack to Shankill Church.
In 1999, the terminal arrangements changed in the City Centre. The A, B, C and M would commence at St.Stephen's Green picking up at D'Olier Street and O'Connell Street and then operate as normal. The D and E would commence at St.Stephen's Green picking up at Westmoreland Street and O'Connell Street and then operate as normal. The F, G and P would commence at St.Stephen's Green picking up at Westmoreland Street and then operate as normal. The H, I, J, K, L and N would commence at College Street picking up at St.Stephen's Green and then operate as normal.
For Christmas 1999, another new service, designated Q would operate from St.Stephen's Green picking up at D'Olier Street and O'Connell Street then operating via Summerhill, Griffith Avenue and Beaumont to Malahide Road (UCI). During this Christmas period a staggering 219,830 passengers used the service, up from 87,841 in 1999.
In the new year, the services reverted back to their original terminating points at College Street, D'Olier Street and Westmoreland Street resoectively. A shuttle service began operating from St.Stephen's Green via Cuffe Street, Camden Street, Harcourt Street, St.Stephen's Green, Dawson Street, Suffolk Street to Fleet Street. It operated every 15 minutes between 12am and 4am. The fares for the Nitelink services increased to £3.00 (£4.50 for all departures on the P service).
In the summer of 2000 an extra departure was introduced at 0430 for all services except the P service. The 0430 departure on the L service was also extended to Shankill. By mid-October, the 0130 and 0330 C services were extended from Swords to Balbriggan via Lusk, Rush and Skerries. The higher fare of £4.50 was charged for any trip beyond Swords.
From Thursday November 30th, the Nitelink service was greatly expanded. All services were renumbered and four additional services were introduced:
A was renumbered as 31N.
B was renumbered as 29N.
C was renumbered as 41N (The service beyond Swords to Balbriggan became 33N).
D was renumbered as 40N.
E was renumbered as 39N.
F was renumbered as 66N.
G was renumbered as 51N.
H was renumbered as 77N.
I was renumbered as 49N.
J was renumbered as 48N.
K was renumbered as 46N.
L was renumbered as 7N (All services now terminated at Woodbrook Roundabout in Shankill).
M was renumbered as 42N.
N was renumbered as 54N.
P was renumbered as 67N.
Q was renumbered as 27N.
The four additonal services were:
15N: College Street to Old Bawn Road
44N: College Street to Cornelscourt
70N: Westmoreland Street to Dunboyne
88N: Westmoreland Street to Ashbourne
The new services would operate as:
0030 and 0200 departures on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Departures every 20 minutes between 0030 and 0430 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.