Gardaí have “commenced enquiries” after a Dublin Bus was filmed driving down a footpath to get past a line of traffic in the city.

Images on social media showed the double-decker travelling down the Rathfarnham Road this week with one wheel on the footpath and the other in a cycle lane.

The stretch of road heading towards Terenure does not have a bus lane.

Gardaí said they are “aware of recent videos circulating on social media and have commenced enquiries into an alleged incident of dangerous driving”.

Meanwhile, a Dublin Bus spokesperson said the operator “takes all such incidents extremely seriously” and confirmed that is has opened a “full investigation”.

"Disturbing"

This afternoon, the Junior Minister for Road Safety Hildegarde Naughton described the footage as “disturbing”.

“It is very concerning and I know that an investigation, I understand, by An Garda Síochána has been launched in relation to that,” she said.

“[Dublin Bus] are also carrying out investigations in relation to it.

“It looks from what I can see, extremely serious. That activity should not be happening. We need to keep our passengers safe and all road users safe.”

"Shocking"

Dublin Councillor Keith Connolly told Newstalk Gardaí should be investigating the matter.

“I saw that video myself and I thought it was shocking,” he said.

“But ultimately, it is down to an enforcement issue. Someone illegally driving and mounting a pavement is an issue for the Gardaí.

“It is dangerous driving essentially and if anyone had walked out on that … it is really, really bad.”

Dangerous

The driver who originally posted the footage said he was sitting in traffic when the bus “went past me on the inside in the pavement and bicycle lane”.

Meanwhile, City Councillor Carolyn Moore raised the issue at Dublin City Council's debate on the Road Safety Authority's "Be Safe, Be Seen" campaign.

“If you take that bus in Terenure yesterday, any pedestrian who stepped out of their front gate into the path of that bus could have been lit up like a carnival and they still would have been injured in that scenario,” she said.