[PR] Dublin Bus - New Route 33X

Victor

http://www.dublinbus.ie/news_centre/latest_news.asp?action=view&news_id=653

New Route 33X

Dublin Bus are pleased to advise customers that from Monday 26th March 2007 a new route 33X will come into operation.

This service will operate from St. Stephen's Green to Skerries.
via Eden Quay, Drumcondra Railway Station,M1, Lissenhall, Blakes Cross, Lusk, Rush Railway Station and Skerries

Wishbone Ash

It uses the M1 and avoids Swords but it's scheduled as being 5 minutes longer than the standard 33 from Skerries to Dublin! :eek:

Am I reading it incorrectly?

shltter

Pity nobody in DB had the sense to run it down the Port Tunnel It could be in the city in 15 minutes from the entrance.

Instead it will sit in gridlock on the M1 and on through drumcondra and take about an hour

John R

Wishbone Ash wrote:

It uses the M1 and avoids Swords but it's scheduled as being 5 minutes longer than the standard 33 from Skerries to Dublin! :eek:

Am I reading it incorrectly?

The timings given on many of the DB timetables are complete rubbish (mostly over-estimates as well) and have little bearing on actual performance OR official running boards.


An account of the first 33x service on the Garaiste message board gives a time of just under 80mns with the 06.45 arriving at 08.03.

AlekSmart

Quote [Shltter]: "Pity nobody in DB had the sense to run it down the Port Tunnel It could be in the city in 15 minutes from the entrance." [End]

Very very true.
This point cuts to the bone of what Express Bus Services SHOULD be about.

I understand the ORIGINAL 33X routing even included Sòrd Cholum Cille in its merry ramble through North Dublin....?

As can be demonstrated over on the leafy South Side, Dublin Bus`s idea of an Express Route is to run express only as far as it has to and then to lapse into Help mode for whatever trunk route it operates along.
The 84X vis a vis 145/46A is a case in point.

The 33X-Port Tunnel routing will Immediately have the "But wat about if I want to get orf in Drumcondra lobby baying at your heels"
Eezy Peezy Missus...just get a 33,41,or whatever and do that.

The essential marketing thrust of a successful Express route should be directed towards accquiring a sustainable full-journey customer base AT THE OUTER TERMINUS and perhaps a few selected population points closeby.

Having secured this customer base the ethos SHOULD be to offer Reliability of schedule and operation so as to be seen as a viable alternative to regular Private Car usage.

Current DB policy simply does not hold that viewpoint with the result that supposedly Express services are little more than Ordinary Buses for half their route.

Incredibly,even many of the Drivers continue to attempt to issue "Ordinary" fares and serve every stop in some vaguely Customer Focused way......except that the Customer they are focusing on should`nt be using that route at all if they are attempting to use it as a regular service route.

With Dublin having developed more or less in an unplanned politically expedient manner our Public Transport appears to be following a similar track....

But DB should pay strong attention to the likes of Morton/Circle Line Bus who would not be snapping at the DB heels today if it were`nt for their recognition of how to operate the Express Bus concept out there in Dublins Wild West hinterland...... :rolleyes: