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Aircoach launching Belfast - Dublin Airport - Dublin City Express

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Comments

  • #52
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,684 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    No - you can book online if you want but it's not required.

    Driver takes both Euros and sterling.


  • #53
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,684 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    ballooba - did you get the service, if so how did you find it?


  • #54
    ballooba
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭ballooba


    devnull wrote: »
    ballooba - did you get the service, if so how did you find it?
    Started to post up a trip report yesterday but got lazy.:D

    We had a great trip on the Aircoach. We arrived at Glengall St about 20 minutes early and went in to the bus station to buy some reading material. When we came back out there were a small crowd of people waiting to get on the bus. I would estimate it was between about two thirds full when fully boarded.

    The driver seemed confused by working in dual currencies with multiple fare options. He messed up our tickets and gave us the price to Dublin Airport. He acknowledged the mistake but gave us that price anyway.

    The bus left bang on time and made steady progress all the way. This despite some bint in a private hire minibus blocking the stop when it arrived. The driver politelty asked her to move after she had delayed the boarding of the bus by about five minutes.

    My partner and I got the seats behind the rear emergency exit which had extra legroom. No problems with space whatsoever, although the standard seating seemed to have ample room too.

    The onboard wifi did not seem to work until we got back into the Republic. I had a book on my phone which I read until the wifi came into service. Once in service it was good quality.

    The lack of a toilet was not a problem, although it might of been on Friday when I polished off four Bulmers on the Enterprise on the way up. I'm not sure what the attitude to alcohol or food consumption on the Aircoach is.

    I was impressed by the number of backpackers on the Aircoach, the taxi driver was well aware of the service and knew exactly what we were at when we asked for Glengall St. The service seems to be known to hostels and taxis at least.


  • #55
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,684 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    Thanks for the report. Encouraging it was that well loaded as every coach i have seen has been pretty lightly loaded overall but i have only seen people get on and off in Dublin city centre. So if most people are going to or from the airport i would not see this.

    Also it seems that some of the fleet have been swapping their Irish registrations for the UK style plates. Can someone in the industry explain what a company has to gain by doing tip versus leaving them on the Irish plates?


  • #56
    ballooba
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,315 ✭✭✭ballooba


    Quite a few of the backpackers got off at Dublin Airport, which would make sense.


  • #57
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    devnull wrote: »
    Thanks for the report. Encouraging it was that well loaded as every coach i have seen has been pretty lightly loaded overall but i have only seen people get on and off in Dublin city centre. So if most people are going to or from the airport i would not see this.

    Also it seems that some of the fleet have been swapping their Irish registrations for the UK style plates. Can someone in the industry explain what a company has to gain by doing tip versus leaving them on the Irish plates?
    When you say swapping their registrations for UK style plates do you mean an Irish 12 D XXXX registration on a yellow background? this would be illegal and should not happen.

    many of the buses used on the route are probably kept in Belfast and as such would be required to be registered there or in the UK just as those operating from the republic are required to be registered here.


  • #58
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,980 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    When you say swapping their registrations for UK style plates do you mean an Irish 12 D XXXX registration on a yellow background? this would be illegal and should not happen.

    No, turns out they now have a proper UK registration.

    One reason they might do this is to hide the age of the buses?

    It is possible to work out from a UK reg, but most ordinary people wouldn't know how. So perhaps a competitive move against BE's new 2012 coaches.


  • #59
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,684 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    They are actually Northern Ireland plates in the form of something like RKZ 2547 Which means it is impossible to tell the age unlike UK plates. When Aircoach ran the Belfast service before i remember them using Republic of Ireland plates.


  • #60
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    bk wrote: »
    No, turns out they now have a proper UK registration.

    One reason they might do this is to hide the age of the buses?

    It is possible to work out from a UK reg, but most ordinary people wouldn't know how. So perhaps a competitive move against BE's new 2012 coaches.
    it is more likely that the buses are being kept and used from Belfast and as such would be required to be registered there within a certain period following importation. Vehicles brought into the republic are subject to the same rules on registration with some limited exemptions.


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  • #61
    double jeopardy
    Registered Users Posts: 21 ✭double jeopardy


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    bk wrote: »
    No, turns out they now have a proper UK registration.

    One reason they might do this is to hide the age of the buses?

    It is possible to work out from a UK reg, but most ordinary people wouldn't know how. So perhaps a competitive move against BE's new 2012 coaches.
    it is more likely that the buses are being kept and used from Belfast and as such would be required to be registered there within a certain period following importation. Vehicles brought into the republic are subject to the same rules on registration with some limited exemptions.

    First northern ireland are operating the service. Of course they are entitled to use ni plates. Thats is the reg issued to them when they register a vehicle. North is their base!!!!!!


  • #62
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,684 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    Yes, but why is First NI being used and changing some of the plates? The old Belfast service was just operated by Aircoach.

    What is the benefit of setting up a NI company to run the Belfast service when before they used a ROI service for both the Dublin and Belfast base.


  • #63
    AlekSmart
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,005 ✭✭✭✭AlekSmart


    devnull wrote: »
    Yes, but why is First NI being used and changing some of the plates? The old Belfast service was just operated by Aircoach.

    What is the benefit of setting up a NI company to run the Belfast service when before they used a ROI service for both the Dublin and Belfast base.

    AFAIK,there are still some write-downs and grants available to Public Transport in Northern Ireland which our Government in their wisdom have abolished here.

    There may be VAT,Duty and Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) payments still available Up North....:confused:


    Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one.

    Charles Mackay (1812-1889)



  • #64
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    devnull wrote: »
    Yes, but why is First NI being used and changing some of the plates? The old Belfast service was just operated by Aircoach.

    What is the benefit of setting up a NI company to run the Belfast service when before they used a ROI service for both the Dublin and Belfast base.
    AlekSmart wrote: »
    AFAIK,there are still some write-downs and grants available to Public Transport in Northern Ireland which our Government in their wisdom have abolished here.

    There may be VAT,Duty and Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) payments still available Up North....:confused:

    They have also opened a travelcentre in Belfast for selling tickets etc so the service is being operated from Belfast by First NI so their buses must be registered in the UK or NI. within 30days of starting work on the route afaik


  • #65
    schemingbohemia
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,606 ✭✭✭schemingbohemia


    10% discount on this and the Cork service available until end of year (must be booked soon though) posted on bargain alerts

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056698826


  • #66
    cabincrewifly
    Registered Users Posts: 66 ✭✭cabincrewifly


    I used the Cork to Dublin Airport service last week and it was brilliant. I'd encourage everyone to use it. Quick, good value, comfortable interior, decent WiFi. What more could you ask for?


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  • #67
    Rock Steady Edy
    Registered Users Posts: 362 ✭✭Rock Steady Edy


    Interesting to read the earlier less complimentary comments about FirstGroup, the parent company that runs the Aircoach service. The current edition of Private Eye dubs them "WorstGroup" after abandoning rail franchises in the UK before payments were due to the Department of Transport, and they've apparently abandoned bus services in several parts of the UK.


  • #68
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,684 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    Rock Steady Edy wrote: »
    Interesting to read the earlier less complimentary comments about FirstGroup, the parent company that runs the Aircoach service. The current edition of Private Eye dubs them "WorstGroup" after abandoning rail franchises in the UK before payments were due to the Department of Transport,

    That is not the whole story unfortunately. What happened was when First signed the contract for First Great Western in 2006 there was supposed to be a government backed investment in replacement high speed trains for the FGW network entering service in the second half of the franchise under the intercity express programme, the tender for which started in 2007 and was being discussed from 2005. This has been delayed may times by several years by government procedure and bureaucratic issues, the initial business case for the franchise was based on such trains being in service, the department of transport have not kept to their side of the deal, so FGW have exercised a clause in the contract to allow them to exit the franchise early.

    The problem is all related to the crazy rolling stock procurement in the United Kingdom, train operators cannot go out there an order trains off their own back even if they wanted to as the order has to be approved by the department for transport who have a history of forcing train companies to cut orders, train lengths in new stock they wish to purchase. If anything has any government funding it holds the situation up even more, for instance in this case, although the winning bidder was announced in February 2009 the contract was only signed by the government in the last few weeks.

    You can read more here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercity_Express_Programme

    The only people to truly abandon franchises in the UK are GNER (Couldn't afford premium payments), NXEC (refused to continue to finance loss marking operations) Connex (Low customer satisfaction and financial problems). All FGW did was exercise a clause in their contract which any sensible company would have done so in the circumstances.


  • #69
    J_Dublin15
    Registered Users Posts: 217 ✭✭J_Dublin15


    Special offer on the Belfast route now.
    http://www.aircoach.ie/table.routes.belfast.php

    8 pound or 10 euro single.

    Uptake still seems to be quite low on this route however despite the fact it's quicker than the BE service.


  • #70
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,684 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    Used this for the first time in the last week, morning service up and evening service back, on the way up I'd say there were around 23-24 on the coach, on the way back about 12 or so. Coach to Belfast arrived just under 10 minutes early and coach back to Dublin arrived at Dublin Airport 5 minutes early, arriving at Dublin City bang on time. Friendly driver both ways, happy to help with luggage.

    I'd say about half were online bookings and half were walk ups for the passengers. Seems to be exclusively Setra operated, despite their age they're still in excellent condition mechanically and as smooth and as quiet as a brand new coach. Some of the seats are more worn than others but still cannot complain, Some rows seemed to have new seats fitted and their seat back tables replaced.

    In short I'd recommend, but from what I saw most services were loaded like the return journey with around a dozen or so passengers on, so they'll need to pick up a little bit I'd say.


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