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Bus Éireann Route 2 (Dublin-Arklow-Wexford) timetable changes

  • 18-09-2012 6:30pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭


    This has been highlighted in the Wexford forum and the C&T one, but some may not be aware. Bus Éireann plan to launch a new timetable on the 002 route effective 30/9/12. Most notable is the cutting back of services from Rosslare to Wexford town, and the reduction of the service past Vincent's hosptial/the RDS to one each way per day.

    It also appears that most of the intermediate request stops between towns will disappear from the route, including the Beehive, Ballincor/Lil Doyles, Jack Whites, Inch and Clough. The 2 service will no longer call at Ashford and Wicklow (up till now it has done so at night).

    The 17:00 service from the Airport (or 17:30 from Busáras) will bypass Arklow, as will the 6:00 service from Wexford in the morning. While there is the 7:00 133 service from Arklow to Dublin Monday-Friday, this means that there will be no service from Arklow to Dublin between 5:00 and 8:05 on Saturday mornings and no service between 5:00 and 9:05 on Sunday mornings.

    http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1347896346-2.pdf (forthcoming timetable)

    http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1300287394-2.pdf (existing timetable)


Comments

  • Moderators Posts: 9,936 ✭✭✭LEIN


    Thanks for the heads up. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,514 ✭✭✭PseudoFamous


    Bloody hell, the 7.15 bypassing Arklow has put me in a rough spot, as the 384 takes fairly different route through Dublin.

    Has there been any additions to the 384's schedule, on the same note? I'd accept major cuts to the 002 service if we were promised buses that are guaranteed to have seats before getting to the town, rather than the driver speeding through giving us a shrug, and didn't stop at every bloody stop on the way to or from Dublin


  • Registered Users Posts: 191 ✭✭dudmis


    These changes will have a big impact on hospital patients and visitors all along the east coast as the bus will now only stop at Vincents twice a day - its just not good enough!

    Sign a petition here:

    http://www.thepetitionsite.com/847/402/390/save-the-st-vincents-hospital-bus-stop-bus-eireann-route-2/


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭Niles


    dudmis wrote: »
    These changes will have a big impact on hospital patients and visitors all along the east coast as the bus will now only stop at Vincents twice a day - its just not good enough!

    Sign a petition here:

    http://www.thepetitionsite.com/847/402/390/save-the-st-vincents-hospital-bus-stop-bus-eireann-route-2/

    Indeed, I've signed it myself.

    Even more worrying is that many rural request stops will loose their service altogether - Beehive, Ballincor (Lil Doyles), Jack Whites, Inch, Clough, and the entire Ballycanew road. Whilst accepting that it is an expressway route surely it wouldn't be unreasonable to have at least one service each way via these stops?

    In my experience the delays are encountered in the Dublin area, not down the country. And I doubt the avoidance of the St.Vincent's stop will help to any great extent, I remain unconvinced that the supposed 5 mins from Busáras to Kildare St. will happen in practice. Nor the 25 mins from Busáras to Loughlinstown.

    Anyway, I've wrote to my TDs and councillers about the issue, along with Bus Éireann themselves and the National Transport Authorithy. I'd advise anyone concerned to do similar.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 15,515 ✭✭✭✭admiralofthefleet


    another nail in arklow's coffin. im moving home very soon and cant wait


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,514 ✭✭✭PseudoFamous


    another nail in arklow's coffin. im moving home very soon and cant wait

    Jaysus, that's a bit dramatic. They cut what, one journey a day each way? If anything, it doesn't *really* affect Arklow negatively beyond the hospital being slightly harder to get to, and it actually improves journey times to the city centre and airport. However, it seriously hurts the villages and rural areas around the cut stops (not that I really care of course, I selfishly want my journey to be a bit quicker anyway).

    Nail in the coffin? Yeah right, the bypass was supposed to be another of those and it's the best thing to happen to the town.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,918 ✭✭✭TechnoFreek


    They're also planning on reducing the number of stops in Arklow. The plan is for it only to stop on main street and Knockmore.

    Supposedly the 384 leaving gorey in the morning is being cut as well. The slightly later 2x will be taking those passengers.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭Niles


    They're also planning on reducing the number of stops in Arklow. The plan is for it only to stop on main street and Knockmore.

    Supposedly the 384 leaving gorey in the morning is being cut as well. The slightly later 2x will be taking those passengers.

    I note that only Knockmore and Main St. are the only ones mentioned in the timetable, but does that necessarily mean that the others will disappear? Up till now the ones at Knockmore and Wexford Rd.(Lidl) have never been mentioned in the timetables. That said I've often wondered would they be better combining the Templerainey and Ferrybank stops.

    Surprised at them cutting the 384, presume this means that the 17:45 ex-Dublin will go too. Madness. This would mean no Arklow serving bus from Dublin between 16:30 and the 18:00 New Ross.

    The ridiculous thing is they're doing this to compete against Wexford Bus, which don't serve Arklow town itself - surely the sensible thing would be to capitalise on Arklow where they can almost have a majority. If they want to speed up the buses by avoiding a town why not have the 17:30 serve Arklow but avoid Enniscorthy by going down the Ballycanew road, thus also retaining a service that way.

    The insanity of this is that Gorey/Camolin/Ferns/Enniscorthy/Oylegate/Wexford will have a huge amount of bus services between BÉ and Wexford Bus, Arklow will have far less and the rural places none. Madness.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,918 ✭✭✭TechnoFreek


    Niles,

    I know that the timetable has never mentioned any of the other Arklow stops but Bus Eireann still plan to reduce where the number 2 will stop in Arklow. The new timetable lists Main Street and Knockmore stops so the other three are fair game for removal.

    It was only the morning 384 from Gorey that was supposed to be cancelled but the story now is that it hasn't been cancelled but will possibly also serve Arklow to some degree. Not sure how this works but I suppose Bus Eireann's plan is to get all the Gorey people on to the number 2 (6.45am) as this is now a direct service to Dublin bypassing Arklow.

    In the evening time something similar is happening. As the 5.30pm number 2 doesnt serve Arklow I guess their plan is to get the Gory people on that and the Arklow ones on the 5.45pm 384.

    The bus drivers union met with Bus Eireann drivers in Rosslare yesterday and told them that this was the way things are going to be and they'll have to accept the changes. The drivers hours on route 2 are being cut from 55 to 39 with 6 drivers being taken off the route. This would seem to be the real reason behind Bus Eireann changing the route and not offering customers a faster service to and from the airport.

    Wexford Bus have no plans yet to come though Arklow to serve customers there but supposedly they are looking at a plot of land near Hills garage to build a shelter for pck up/drop offs.

    *Lots of use of supposedlys and apparentlys - I'm just passing on the gossip!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,514 ✭✭✭PseudoFamous


    The new timetable lists Main Street and Knockmore stops so the other three are fair game for removal.

    Yeah, noticed today that they'd blacked out the stops on the Wexford Road with a binbag and some tape, this could be fairly likely.

    Also occured to me this morning that when the M11 Arklow-Rathnew is built , all the country stops would be bypassed anyway.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭Niles


    Yeah, noticed today that they'd blacked out the stops on the Wexford Road with a binbag and some tape, this could be fairly likely.

    Also occured to me this morning that when the M11 Arklow-Rathnew is built , all the country stops would be bypassed anyway.

    Yeh the stops at Beehive/Lil Doyles/Jack Whites are blacked out as well.

    I too suspected that once the M11 Arklow-Rathnew is built they would have wanted to avoid the stops, but ideally a compromise should have been reached whereby some services would go by the old road - similar to the way Inch has been served up till recently, with roughly 1 in 3 services going via that road.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 493 ✭✭petals


    Niles wrote: »
    Yeh the stops at Beehive/Lil Doyles/Jack Whites are blacked out as well.

    I too suspected that once the M11 Arklow-Rathnew is built they would have wanted to avoid the stops, but ideally a compromise should have been reached whereby some services would go by the old road - similar to the way Inch has been served up till recently, with roughly 1 in 3 services going via that road.

    Some of Route 5 buses cover these stops or so tonights bus driver was telling people.

    After today I feel so sorry for those bus drivers and instructors. People in bus station and on the bus abusing the staff over the changes when the decision comes from head office rather than the actual floor staff if you like. They just do as they're told.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,918 ✭✭✭TechnoFreek


    Yeah. To be fair it seems the drivers are almost as much in the dark as we the passengers.
    Thongs seem to be changing on a daily basis.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,514 ✭✭✭PseudoFamous


    Thongs seem to be changing on a daily basis.

    That's only hygienic


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,918 ✭✭✭TechnoFreek


    D'oh!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭Niles


    petals wrote: »
    Some of Route 5 buses cover these stops or so tonights bus driver was telling people.

    After today I feel so sorry for those bus drivers and instructors. People in bus station and on the bus abusing the staff over the changes when the decision comes from head office rather than the actual floor staff if you like. They just do as they're told.

    Interesting... though the notices up state there is no service. The 5/6 traditionally never stopped at them, at least on paper. I actually think it would have been a good idea to include the displaced 2 stops onto the 5 (where possible, obviously no good for people on the Ballycanew road !). From what I've seen the 5 is rarely full with the exception of Friday evenings during the college season.

    While the loss of the Lidl stop isn't as big an problem as some of the others, it's mad the way it was the one stop that actually had a bus shelter (paid for by the town council I believe), along with something of an unofficial park and ride facility by being close to Tesco.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,918 ✭✭✭TechnoFreek


    I believe that the CEO of Bus Eireann was in Arklow last night at a town council meeting.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭Niles


    Wexford Bus have no plans yet to come though Arklow to serve customers there but supposedly they are looking at a plot of land near Hills garage to build a shelter for pck up/drop offs.

    *Lots of use of supposedlys and apparentlys - I'm just passing on the gossip!

    I see in this week's Wicklow People that Wexford Bus have confirmed they intend to operate a new Arklow service in recent weeks. It seems that this will be separate to their existing service. Doesn't go into specifics as to what stops/how many stops it will use. I can't imagine a sole drop off near Hills would be of much convenience to the majority of users, certainly no more than the existing BÉ locations are (apart from Templerainey residents maybe).

    Mind you compared to some of the rural stops lost (not to mention Rosslare) Arklow's woes seem fairly insignificant.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,186 ✭✭✭Niles


    An update on this situation:

    http://www.wicklownews.net/Post/2012/12/3635/bus-eireann-do-u-turn-on-wicklow-routes
    Bus Eireann have done a U-turn on Wicklow routes according to a letter they sent to Wicklow Councillor Pat Fitzgerald.
    The letter read as follows
    Following recent correspondence in relation to our commercial Expressway service Route 2 Wexford-Dublin, I wanted to update you on revisions to the route that we have submitted to the National Transport Authority following feedback from yourself, fellow public representatives, and our customers.
    The main changes are:
    Route 2 will stop in Arklow at Lidl, Main Street & Ferrybank
    Some services on route 2 will now stop at Jack White's Cross / Ballinacor / Beehive
    There will be a new routing in/out of Dublin City via Lesson Street and Donnybrook to counter congestion, and new stops in Dublin City Centre including the O2 and Convention Centre, IFSC.
    We will provide further details to yourself and customers when and if these changes are approved by the National Transport Authority.
    Councillor Fitzgerald told Wicklownews.net "It falls short of what we are looking for, what we want is all the stops reinstated and hopefully this can be achieved in the new year."

    I find in practice the new route through Dublin doesn't seem to be any improvement on the old Ballsbridge one - buses seem to be arriving at UCD at least 20 minutes after departing Busáras (the old time for the Ballsbridge route) if not later.

    Likewise only the 133/384 Commuter and route 5 New Ross buses seem to arrive in Arklow on time - even at weekends the route services arrive in Arklow late, the timings are just too tight to be achievable.

    Also noticed that the 9:05 from Arklow is regularly full on Sundays as it's the first one after the 5:00am. Given that the 7:00 133/384 only runs weekdays it's a pity the 6:00 from Wexford can't run through the town on weekends (which would give a service around 7:00ish).


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,918 ✭✭✭TechnoFreek


    Niles, agree with your observations completely. I get the bus at ucd every evening and only the fastest of drivers are able to make it to ucd within fifteen minutes.

    I get the bus at Knockmore and I'm worried that the stop might go as its not listed on that press release.

    Hopefully its because it is listed as a stop in its own right on the timetable already and not considered one of the Arklow town stops.

    A pick up and drop off stop at donnybrook would really help as well


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