Aircoach Dublin-Cork express

Jamie2k9

devnull wrote: »

Read my post again - I didn't mention anything about the bus having an effect on any service.

Fair enough but I am just pointing out that the over capacity on this service has alwyas being there and its not something more recent like some other who read this page will think.

SandyfordGuy

Jamie2k9 - do you have any connection with Irish Rail or any Railway body in this country?

You are far too defensive and seem to have a severe chip on your shoulder about the bus.

This has gone completely off topic and once again has been derailed by the usual suspects.

Jamie2k9

SandyfordGuy wrote: »

Jamie2k9 - do you have any connection with Irish Rail or any Railway body in this country?

You are far too defensive and seem to have a severe chip on your shoulder about the bus.

This has gone completely off topic and once again has been derailed by the usual suspects.

I have no connection, know one of two that work. I have a problem with some of the criticism they get and as you say by the usual suspects.

I have no problem with this service, have even used it 5 times and would do so again before GoBe service. Its a great service but its overated on here.

devnull

I do agree that some of the criticism of the CIE companies is over the top and there are some people who are using any opportunity to put Irish Rail down, although to be fair there are some people who are the opposite on this board so it is just not one way.

There is a market for both the bus services and the train, personally I prefer the bus but I respect that there are reasons why the bus won't suit and for others the opposite, but to think just one type or other is needed is OTT in my view.

LXFlyer

devnull wrote: »

I do agree that some of the criticism of the CIE companies is over the top and there are some people who are using any opportunity to put Irish Rail down, although to be fair there are some people who are the opposite on this board so it is just not one way.

There is a market for both the bus services and the train, personally I prefer the bus but I respect that there are reasons why the bus won't suit and for others the opposite, but to think just one type or other is needed is OTT in my view.

A very fair post!

devnull

They have now posted a news article up about it:
http://www.aircoach.ie/news.article.php?ID=385

They still have not updated the timetable page however

Victor

SandyfordGuy wrote: »

Jamie2k9 - do you have any connection with Irish Rail or any Railway body in this country?

You are far too defensive and seem to have a severe chip on your shoulder about the bus.

This has gone completely off topic and once again has been derailed by the usual suspects.

You might tone it down a bit.

Moderator

bk

Aircoach 4pm ex-Dublin today full, about 20 people left behind, given tickets for the next coach.

Aircoach 5pm ex-Dublin, full again, about 25 people left behind, given tickets for the next coach.

Aircoach 6pm ex-Dublin, two coaches come, both full or very close to it.

Obviously a very busy day, but looks like Aircoach to Cork is doing really well, if they keep this up they will need to get one or two double deckers!!

BTW the 3 Aircoaches I saw heading to Cork were all Jonckheeres.

The chap boarding passengers was recommending people book online in future. That is good advice, but it would be much easier if you could book the same day, rather then just 5pm the day before.

Dublin Coach to Limerick, saw two services, both completely full.

Checking online, it seems the 6:30 GoBE to Cork was sold out too.

I really can't believe GoBE cancelled the 5:30 to Cork service, it must be the busiest service every day, makes no sense at all. Fair enough going, bi-hourly for the rest, but you would think they would keep this service. Having a service at 4:30 and 6:30 only and leaving 5 and 6 (right in the peak) to Aircoach seems crazy.

Anyway good to see all the coach companies doing well.

Richard Logue

Always good to see all travel businesses doing well.

devnull

To be fair the mid-week ones from 2-4pm in Dublin I have seen are only around 50% and peak times are always going to be Fri-Sun.

I believe Jonck's are put on the busiest services where possible on purpose since they seat the most.

bk

Well it is still a massive improvement over what I was seeing on the route just a few months ago.

Every time I take it, it seems to be busier and busier.

LXFlyer

And here was the post on the DB twitter page - just think I've wasted my own spare time to just prove the inaneness of your post:

https://twitter.com/dublinbusnews/status/322242526310440961

A version of the calculator is being worked on for our apps and hope to have it live later in the year.

monument

Ok.

Because it's worth it: Bus stop / parking / loading discussion moved to a new thread.

Bickering posts deleted as there were so many of them... but great to see everybody backing down in the end!

bk

Just been on the 11pm ex-Cork Service. Arrived in Dublin at 1:45 am (just 2 hours 45 minutes). Superb service, will be using it frequently in the future.

BTW Driver was very nice and friendly too.

BBTW How does the Cork bus get to the Airport from Dublin City, does it take the port tunnel?

Jamie2k9

Uses the tunnel.

devnull

Can't imagine it was that busy though seeing as it's barely advertised?

SandyfordGuy

It was advertised on the News Page, and Facebook, and Twitter, what more do you want?!?

devnull

Oh it was advertised on their website but no mention of a start date!

Aircoach is very pleased to advise our customers using our Cork service that, as part of an ongoing review and Aircoach's commitment to the route, we are delighted to announce a new later departure from Cork to Dublin City Centre through to Dublin Airport.

This service will depart from Cork at 23:00 each day, will arrive into Dublin City Centre at 02:00 and Dublin Airport at 02:20.

Now considering it's not on the timetable page, and a couple of days after it started the stop at Westmoreland Street showed the last service from Cork as being 7pm, then I think it's a reasonable expectation that people either don't know about it, or don't think that it has started yet.

Most people would logically start at the timetables page, after all, that is what it is there for and this page is incorrect. Really what Aircoach need if they don'#t want to hire someone to fix all of the wrongs is to get some customer panel for example like other First Operating Companies have to feed back to the business and get action, since a website is effectively a sales pitch and a lot of it does nothing to sell the service and it's like nobody has thought about how it reads/looks from a customer point of view who won't have the knowledge of the staff member writing it.

bk

SandyfordGuy wrote: »

It was advertised on the News Page, and Facebook, and Twitter, what more do you want?!?

In fairness, it really should be on the timetable on the website.

After all that is where the vast majority of travellers are going to look. Most regular travellers won't be following them on twitter, facebook, news, etc.

Second most important place is the timetables on the bus stops.

Really updating the website is a completely trivial task, should take no more then 60 seconds.

There really isn't any excuse for the Aircoach site to be so badly broken and out of date.

BenShermin

Aircoach are just dreadful at updating their information.

I went back to them briefly when GoBÉ raised their fare to €22. I had one trip on an uncomfortable toiletless bus that was delayed due to an Urlingford stop. But what done it for me was a trip on the Caenteno bus with the smelly toilet at seating level, egh! Needless to say I'm back to GoBÉ these days.

devnull

It's a lack of customer focus at the end of the day that is the problem when it comes to their website.

The floor level toilet was that was as the coach used to operate on National Express work and National Express would plain refuse any contractors vehicle that did not offer a floor level toilet.

Still the Aircoach Jonck's blow anything that GoBe Out of the water but they don't have a toilet either and I agree that the Caetano's are a bit tight on leg room apart from the first few rows, but again down to being built to National Express contract spec.

BenShermin

I have to admit that I really love the Volvo 9700s. The Joncs with full leather seating are just uncomfortable to me, I know I'm probably in a minority on this board with that thinking.

Those Caenteno yokes are the reason why I'd never use National Express in the UK.

devnull

I hate the Volvo 9700's since if you are pretty tall and don't sit in the front half of the bus they're just horrible since there is no room for your head at the back due to tiered seating and the seating recline system is horrible, since whilst it allows you to lay back, it just reduces leg-room as the seat moves forward. I can imagine if you are not a bit over 6ft though they're quite nice, just don't suit me at all.

For me the standard of UK coach on scheduled services is nothing special, whilst NX bang on about how great their Caetano coaches are, they're really nothing special, with bad build quality, badly designed luggage racks, poor leg-room and generally just badly laid out in my view.

The general standard of private coaches on front line services here are much better than in the UK, but saying that the coach market share is much smaller there and trains have a much higher modal share than they do here.

bk

The Volvo 9700's are ok but far from the best.

The best coach I've used in Ireland are the Citylink Van Hools. Really an absolutely superb coach, pretty much the prefect intercity coach with almost everything you would want in an intercity coach. I hope Aircoach get coaches like these eventually.

Yeah the whole toilet situation and the Urlingford stop is definitely Aircaoch's weakness.

On the other hand, since GoBE cut their schedule in half, I just don't think it is a useful schedule any more.

Departure is either 4:30 which most people wouldn't be finished work yet or 6:30 which is a bit late after work, meaning too much waiting around for it.

The Aircoach times of 5 or 6 are much better for the evening rush hour. I really can't believe GoBE cancelled their 5:30 service, it most have been one of their busiest departures!!

So really neither company of really cracked and perfected the Cork route, unlike Citylink and to a lesser extent GoBus on the Galway route, but in fairness the Cork route is only a year old, while the Galway route has been around for years. I hope the Aircoach and GoBE services similarly mature.

devnull

Citylink are going to two hourly though from May when every other service is going express to Dublin Airport.

bk

devnull wrote: »

Citylink are going to two hourly though from May when every other service is going express to Dublin Airport.

Not quite, they will still be hourly at peak times, but bihourly off peak, with the other hourly direct service going direct to Dublin Airport:

http://www.eireagle.com/images/timetables.jpg

To be honest, I agree, I don't think the direct Dublin Airport services are a particularly good idea, you will lose people heading to Dublin City, for the sake of 15 minutes faster to Dublin Airport, but I suppose they want to try something new!

BenShermin

I think a weekend in Galway is on the cards for me just to sample these new VanHools . Do they operate many of the services on this route?

bk

BenShermin wrote: »

I think a weekend in Galway is on the cards for me just to sample these new VanHools . Do they operate many of the services on this route?

Nearly all the coaches they use on this route seem to be VanHools now. They are all very good, but not all have the same superb spec as I described earlier with the timber floor and coach level toilet. But all have most other features.

devnull

The Aircoach site is now updated, the PDF isn't though:
http://www.aircoach.ie/table.routes.cork.php

Only three weeks late, better late than never I guess though.

bk

devnull wrote: »

The Aircoach site is now updated, the PDF isn't though:
http://www.aircoach.ie/table.routes.cork.php

Only three weeks late, better late than never I guess though.

But only partly updated, the timetable as a heading that says:

"Departing 11:00 - 19:00 Hours" but then has the 23:00 service under that table.

Surely it would have been better to put the 23:00 service in the table above it, which currently says "Departing 00:00 - 10:00 Hours"

Note there is no 00:00 service. Change this title to:
"Departing 23:00 - 10:00 Hours" and put the 23:00 service in this table and both tables would be be more balanced and have the same number of departures, they currently have 8 departures on one table and 10 on the other, rather then 9 in both!

Also I don't understand why they have the late night departures before the day departures, doesn't make sense.

Attention to detail people!