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Aircoach Dublin-Cork express

  • 31-03-2012 8:53am
    #1
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,565 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Looks like they have pipped GoBus to being the first to launch with this service:
    http://www.aircoach.ie/news.article.php?ID=346
    Aircoach, Ireland’s leading private bus and coach operator, and provider of luxury coach services operating to and from Dublin Airport, will shortly be making improvements to its Cork – Dublin City Centre – Dublin Airport service.

    Following trials at key times alongside our regular service, we are very pleased to be the first coach operator to announce the introduction of an All-New Scheduled Express Service between Cork City Centre, Dublin City Centre and Dublin Airport.

    We are pleased to confirm that we will be offering hourly services to and from Cork during parts of the day. Our coaches have complimentary WiFi access, leather seating and extra legroom, to help make your journey more comfortable.

    The journey time between Cork and Dublin City Centre is scheduled to be just 3 hours, whilst the journey time between Cork and Dublin Airport is scheduled to be only 3½ hours.

    Commencing from 07:00 on Monday 2nd April 2012, Aircoach will be offering Express services between Dublin and Cork at the following times:

    From Cork to Dublin City Centre and Dublin Airport
    01:00 04:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00

    From Dublin Airport to Cork
    07:30 09:30 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:30 19:30 23:30

    From Dublin City Centre to Cork
    08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 23:59

    Please note that, in response to demand, our current service at 01:00 from Cork will become an Express service and will no longer serve intermediate towns heading to Dublin. Our current service at 19:30 from Dublin Airport and 20:00 from Dublin City Centre will also become an Express service and will no longer serve intermediate towns heading to Dublin.

    Please check our website, www.aircoach.ie, for more details and complete timetable information. Booking for these new Express services will also open very soon at www.aircoach.ie. In the meantime, don’t forget you can still book online for all our services, including our existing Cork – Dublin City Centre – Dublin Airport service at www.aircoach.ie

    If would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service Team, between 09:00 and 17:30, 7 days a week, on +353 (0) 1 844 7118 or by email at info@aircoach.ie

    You also keep up to date with the latest developments through our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/aircoach.ie or through Twitter at www.twitter.com/aircoach. Don’t forget to ‘Like’ us on Facebook to be notified of changes and offers.

    We are very pleased to be able to offer these improvements on the services linking Cork and Dublin. We look forward to welcoming you onboard our existing Cork – Dublin City Centre – Dublin Airport and our new Express service in the near future.

    Aircoach Team
    Tagged:


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    How long will it last?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,017 ✭✭✭invinciblePRSTV


    That is excellent news on there being a 23.59 service Dublin - Cork. FINALLY a late night service to appease gig goers & sports fans.


  • Registered Users Posts: 740 ✭✭✭Aka Ishur


    That is excellent news on there being a 23.59 service Dublin - Cork. FINALLY a late night service to appease gig goers & sports fans.

    Agree completely! ;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,492 ✭✭✭KCAccidental


    the late night bus from Dublin is much needed and will be a success. Twice I had to sleep in T2 in the airport last year because my flight got in at 9pm


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,292 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    How long will it last?

    Aircoach is a not a 'here today, gone tomorrow' company, they run several services to and from Dublin airport from all around Dublin city. The drivers are civil and courteous, the buses are clean and they have Wi-Fi on board.

    Given a choice between Aircoach and a 1996 Toyota Corolla taxi which reeks of air freshner and cigarete smoke, I know which one I'd take to the airport.


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


    The express bus will beat the socks off the train for city centre to city centre timings!

    What are Irish rail going to do now?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    The express bus will beat the socks off the train for city centre to city centre timings!

    What are Irish rail going to do now?

    In the time honoured fashion they will jack up the fares for an ever diminishing number of passengers.


  • Registered Users Posts: 622 ✭✭✭greenbicycle


    Wish they would bring back their belfast route now!

    That's a great service to cork though.....


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,565 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    In the time honoured fashion they will jack up the fares for an ever diminishing number of passengers.
    Not really - nothing to back this up and who knows what the fare structure will be. They tend not to jack their prices up very often, before the changes earlier this month, the time before was in 2008 and the time before that 2005.
    Wish they would bring back their belfast route now!

    The co-operation between two publicly owned transport operators in each country and their resources, as well as blocking access to the Europa bus centre meant that the Belfast route was frequently losing passengers and was pretty empty in the last year or two of it's running meant that the axing is not going to change.
    foggy_lad wrote: »
    What are Irish rail going to do now?

    This is a bigger issue for Bus Eireann than Irish Rail as it stands at the moment, because quite frankly at 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm you have a Bus Eireann stopping service taking 4hrs 25 mins with an Aircoach one taking three hours. I can't see any sense for people using Bus Eireann now between the two cities although some no doubt will.


  • Registered Users Posts: 21,015 ✭✭✭✭Mushy


    Can't wait to use this. Much handier now, au revoir to the train for me anyway.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 8,295 ✭✭✭n97 mini


    The irony that you can travel week nights from Dublin city centre to Cork (and Galway, Belfast etc) after 11:30pm for a lot less money than you can to somewhere in Dublin like Lucan, Balbriggan etc.


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


    In the time honoured fashion they will jack up the fares for an ever diminishing number of passengers.
    They can't jack them up much more surely or all they will have travelling are board members and political wannabees in first class and free pass holders in steerage:D
    devnull wrote: »
    Not really - nothing to back this up and who knows what the fare structure will be. They tend not to jack their prices up very often, before the changes earlier this month, the time before was in 2008 and the time before that 2005.
    They cant do much more damage than a standard fare of €60 single and €80+ open return(booked on-line)
    This is a bigger issue for Bus Eireann than Irish Rail as it stands at the moment, because quite frankly at 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm you have a Bus Eireann stopping service taking 4hrs 25 mins with an Aircoach one taking three hours. I can't see any sense for people using Bus Eireann now between the two cities although some no doubt will.
    Those Bus Eireann stopping services are pretty well patronised by people travelling between intermediate stops and there are not so many people travelling to cork because of the distance and the current aircoach service being cheaper and more comfortable and having WiFi.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,309 ✭✭✭dowlingm


    without realtime vehicle location accessible from a cellphone I wouldn't chance an Aircoach service ex Dublin City Centre originating from DUB. The other way would be a different story as it would simply being a question of being on time to be in the queue in Cork.

    Just looked at Aircoach's realtime info on the website - requires IE (actually says "IE5.5 on a PC". As Ross O'Carroll Kelly would say: Fock off.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,565 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    Interestingly on their twitter account they are calling this the first phase so perhaps more to come.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 504 ✭✭✭LeftBlank


    Do Aircoach buses have a toilet on board? 3 hours is a long time to go without access to one.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,282 ✭✭✭Slugs


    Was actually just coming on boards to see if anyone knew of a late night bus service from dublin to cork, perfect timing really. I hope this service lasts, at least til May! :p


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,565 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    LeftBlank wrote: »
    Do Aircoach buses have a toilet on board? 3 hours is a long time to go without access to one.

    There's a couple that do (the two white coaches) but the majority of them do not. The ones without the toilets are more comfortable though and have leather seats and better legroom but obviously that is not really helpful if you desperately need a slash!!

    The Cork to Dublin existing service had a stop half way on the trip for toilet breaks etc, I'm not sure if the new one would have such a stop, I guess it is something you could ask them on Facebook, twitter or email them etc?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,492 ✭✭✭KCAccidental


    LeftBlank wrote: »
    Do Aircoach buses have a toilet on board? 3 hours is a long time to go without access to one.

    maybe they might still have a comfort break in urlingford. I know when BE run an express service they still stop in urlingford for 15 mins.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,309 ✭✭✭dowlingm


    All jokes aside - (haha very funny RUI on twitter/Victor here) - IE need to respond now. They surely knew those applications were in/granted. They still retain a competitive advantage to Charleville/Mallow/Tralee/Killarney but faffing around with services through Nenagh when there is a seeming more obvious market leaving Dublin to make Cork and Limerick before 9 is inexplicable.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,565 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    I think the majority of people who are going to use bus over train are going to do so on cost grounds more than anything else, sure you can still get some good fares with Irish Rail, but at the end of the day the bus allows more flexibility and no need to book far ahead to get the cheapest prices and with the new services there is no longer the time difference there once was.

    However those who like tables to be able to work at, and value toilets will probably prefer a train if they feel the cost is worthwhile. I personally never use the train, because of the reasons I gave above.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 87 ✭✭toadpenguin


    Excellent news, really hope this stays going! Does anyone have any ideas what kind of price increase this will have over the Dublin - Cork service they're currently running?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 450 ✭✭SandyfordGuy


    I'm not sure why there would be any issue getting a coach from Dublin Airport at Dublin City Centre to Cork, I have relatives down there and have been using the service about a dozen weekends there and back in the last 12 months or so and have never had a problem. There was once instance when the Quays were closed and there was heavy delays but that was the only issue - Of course I've seen 2-3 people turned away before on one or two occasions where the coach is full, but then again Aircoach have not recently been shy pushing the fact if you book online you are sure of a seat.

    In any case as has been said in the other thread, they are using the 2009 registered Volvo Coaches which are very nice, great legroom, wifi and leather seats, a cut above anything that Bus Eireann have ever offered, although if rumours about the new coaches Bus Eireann are going to get in stock are true then that may not be the case for much longer. But then again the BE timetable is far less attractive so I don't think that is going to be a big winner on it's own for BE.

    I think only the one coach had a toilet on it, a white Setra, but I am not sure if that is still around as I have not seen it for a few months or so.

    What I will say though is Aircoach need to improve their marketing if they want this route to be a success, as at the moment it is diabolical and their website needs a re-design.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,309 ✭✭✭dowlingm


    SandyfordGuy - it may be that my experience was atypical (being left in Westmoreland St and arriving at destination over two hours down on a time-sensitive trip having preferred AC over BE for exactly that reason) where a DUB bus simply bypassed the city centre without another one being ready to do (and with a driver who had a scooby what the route was). That was January 2011, maybe things are better now.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,005 ✭✭✭✭AlekSmart



    I think only the one coach had a toilet on it, a white Setra, but I am not sure if that is still around as I have not seen it for a few months or so.

    Coach Toilets are a fantastic idea,as long as you do not choose to sit within 3 rows of seats from them.........:o


    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)



  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,565 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    I've only been on one coach that hasn't suffered from the problems thar AlekSmart has alluded too, this was a very high end Setra 431DT double decker which had the toilets under the back stairwell, sealed off in a very comprehensive way almost like a proper compartment rather than a cupboard like most!


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,350 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    I'm obviously delighted to hear this news :D

    As I said before this will mean big trouble for Irish Rail and BE.

    However I look forward to the launch of GoBus's service. I much prefer to have a toilet on board.

    I hope GoBus intersperse their timetable with AirCoachs, so we end up with an hourly service between Cork and Dublin.

    Very happy news and just in time for my trip down to Cork next weekend. After 10 years of use, I'll not be using Irish Rail again.


  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,350 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Yes the Aircoach website is fairly awful and in desperate need of a redesign.

    The GoBus site is much better, however it could do with one or two bug fixes and it would be great if it had a Real Time Arrival info and Map.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    bk - does that mean you'll stop posting about Irish Rail then? :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭jaspertheghost


    thats great!! screw you irish rail...time to drop ye`re prices....only bad thing about aircoach is no jax on the bus....


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  • Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,565 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    The Aircoach site does need updating - it was nice when it was introduced, but it must have been in place for about 6-7 years now and they really could promote Twitter and Facebook more etc which maybe would help drum up extra business and spread the word better.

    No toilets is not a problem for me, maybe they still have a rest stop, it would be nice to find out if that actually is the case or not I do prefer the newest Aircoach vehicles to the GoBus ones though, the seating layout, as mentioned before on Gobus, is not as roomy or as comfortable, especially down the back.


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