City Centre Back to Swords (41X & Swords Express)

M.J.M.C

Hi Guys

Firstly can I say this thread is not about, which service is better, dublin bus or the swords express. I am purely just looking for your thoughts, especially from people who do this everyday.

I live near Applewood Village in Swords, and the 41x service through the tunnel is great in the mornings. I love it. However as all of you will know it doesnt go back through the tunnel.

The swords express obviously does but only as far as the pavilions. I have read on the swords express website that they have applied to service other areas (applewood, river valley etc)

If you like I do in the surrounding areas, applewood, Glen Allen etc, like me you have two choices.

1-Get the swords express home and walk the half hour for the remainder of a journey (total 1hour 10 minutes)

2-Get the 41x home not through the tunnel (total 1hour 25mintes)

Here's my point.Do people living in the above areas like myself have to suffer huge travel times because the swords express application is at a stand still AND the 41x isnt aloud go back through swords via the tunnel?

What do others do? Am I the only one angry with this?


Thanks

KC61

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Department of Transport Licensing Section, where the entire process revolves around who operates which service rather than what is best for the customer.

Join the commuters along the Lucan QBC where Dublin Bus were not allowed change any timetables for fear it might conflict with Mortons operations.

Join the residents of Carpenterstown and Laurel Lodge who are deprived an extension of the 37 to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre because that route shares 1.5 miles of road with Urbus between Ashtown park gate and Castleknock.

Join also with people living along the Swords QBC (I emphasise not just in Swords) who were deprived the 141 linking Swords and Rathmines along the old Swords Road because it could conflict with Swords Express.

Basically the bottom line is that the DoT run scared of any potential route conflicts for fear that someone will launch a legal action on anti-competitiveness grounds due to Dublin Bus being in receipt of Public Service Obligation support from the government.

The National Transport Authority is now finding its feet, but its going to take some time before it starts developing a strategy here - whether that will put the customer first over the operator as it stands now is anyone's guess. I am not holding my breath.

M.J.M.C

Thanks for the reply, im not holding my breath either.

What are other people doing that live in the area (having recently moved there myself)

Thanks

JHMEG

KC61 wrote: »

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Department of Transport Licensing Section, where the entire process revolves around who operates which service rather than what is best for the customer.

Join the commuters along the Lucan QBC where Dublin Bus were not allowed change any timetables for fear it might conflict with Mortons operations.

Join the residents of Carpenterstown and Laurel Lodge who are deprived an extension of the 37 to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre because that route shares 1.5 miles of road with Urbus between Ashtown park gate and Castleknock.

Join also with people living along the Swords QBC (I emphasise not just in Swords) who were deprived the 141 linking Swords and Rathmines along the old Swords Road because it could conflict with Swords Express.

Basically the bottom line is that the DoT run scared of any potential route conflicts for fear that someone will launch a legal action on anti-competitiveness grounds due to Dublin Bus being in receipt of Public Service Obligation support from the government.

The National Transport Authority is now finding its feet, but its going to take some time before it starts developing a strategy here - whether that will put the customer first over the operator as it stands now is anyone's guess. I am not holding my breath.

With all due respect I can see why people think you work for Dublin Bus. There are examples where state operators benefitted at the expense of private operators.

Circle Line maintain Dublin Bus flooded their route with buses which ultimately ended in Circle Line having to withdraw.

I remember Eddie Hobbs was on the news years ago saying a private operator was not allowed do a Galway-Limerick service as Bus Eireann already had that route covered.

KC61

JHMEG wrote: »

With all due respect I can see why people think you work for Dublin Bus. There are examples where state operators benefitted at the expense of private operators.

Circle Line maintain Dublin Bus flooded their route with buses which ultimately ended in Circle Line having to withdraw.

I remember Eddie Hobbs was on the news years ago saying a private operator was not allowed do a Galway-Limerick service as Bus Eireann already had that route covered.

Well I could also metion that Swords Express took over two if not three years to get their original licence application approved. They've now been waiting for several years to get the Applewood extension approved.

There are numerous examples of this nonsense, of which I gave three (which happened to be Dublin Bus related).

There was Wexford Bus and Bus Eireann on their services to/from the Airport which had totally bizarre stopping patterns on individual journeys due to restrictions by the Department which made no sense whatsoever.

My fundamental point is as a CUSTOMER. At the end of the people have been deprived an improved service in certain parts of the city/country due to DoT daftness. Why should someone in Leixlip or somewhere else on the Lucan QBC not served by Mortons been deprived an improved Dublin Bus service as they were? Why shouldn't Swords Express be able to improve their service?

It is nuts.

As for Circle Line - well my own personal opinion is that an excellent niche service to/from Lucan and Celbridge was expanded into something that just was not economically viable (an all day service to Celbridge) competing with a long standing Dublin Bus operation. However, that will be decided in the courts this year. The interesting thing about their claim is that the majority of the alleged saturation was suggested to be in Lucan (where the service remained unchanged) and not Celbridge where the all day service operated. However, we will have to wait and see what the courts say.

Cookie_Monster

JHMEG wrote: »

With all due respect I can see why people think you work for Dublin Bus. There are examples where state operators benefited at the expense of private operators.

Circle Line maintain Dublin Bus flooded their route with buses which ultimately ended in Circle Line having to withdraw.

There's never been any proof of that.

Auvers

when I used to live in Applewood I used to cycle (10-15 mins) to the pavillions and get the swords express

M.J.M.C

Auvers wrote: »

when I used to live in Applewood I used to cycle (10-15 mins) to the pavillions and get the swords express

Thanks for this suggestion, Ive never thought about that one.

I've seen alot of people park their car in Airside, but i'd imagine that will be done away with soon.