Public transport - please recommend...

Bard

If you were to commute from, let's say, Donabate - to the Ballyfermot Road, and wanted to do it by public transport, how would you go about it?

Train into somewhere in the city first, I presume... what's next?

And is it worth it over - say - driving...

mikemac

Train to Tara St.
2 minute stroll over to Aston Quay and get the 78A.
I'm just gotten off it, I hope you like Scooter and dance music played off a mobile phone :mad:.

So for sure drive it, get a motorbike

BendiBus

micmclo wrote: »

Train to Tara St.
2 minute stroll over to Aston Quay and get the 78A.
I'm just gotten off it, I hope you like Scooter and dance music played off a mobile phone :mad:.

So for sure drive it, get a motorbike

I'd recommend the 79A (also Aston Quay) rather than the 78A. It goes straight to Ballyfermot along the quays and out by Heuston. Does a little detour into Decies Rd before getting to Ballyfermot itself.

micmclo, cop yourself on and use the 79/A

mikemac

BendiBus wrote: »

micmclo, cop yourself on and use the 79/A

Fantastic!
I was wondering if there was a bus going along the quays instead of wandering around Inchicore and Kilmainham. I honestly didn't think there was one.

Thanks a mill and this will help the OP too

Bard

Thanks - all sounds good.

Will it work out cheaper in the long run than driving though? I'll be going there pretty much every day and will be living in Donabate for the forseeable future...

anotherlostie

The 79's still go down Grattan Crescent whereas the 79A uses the Con Colbert Road, so 79A is the quicker of the two routes. That it goes on a roundabout tour via Decies Rd to serve every resident in Ballyfermot walking less than 100 yds to their doorstep* does take away from the time saving I would guess.

* back in the day when this was standard practice I assume

Bard

Actually, there's good directions here - which is where I should have looked first, in fairness

Cheers,

monument

It's questionable if the 79 or the 78/78a is faster. I've timed the two a good few times in the past few years and it very much so varies depending on time of day, traffic on one route or another etc.

Dublin Bus times the 79 as being five mins slower - going via Kilmainham and the estate off the Ballyfermot Road kills the speed of the route. One way or another, the 79 is a far less frequent. However, I would side towards it being faster than the 78a.

Note the section of BCFE.ie which says: "The following bus routes service BCFE to the bottom of Chapelizod Hill". If you're any way of a fast walker it's just over 10min walk from the bus stop to the collage, but the 66/66a etc have a clearer run out from town. The 66s are timetabled as taking 25mins - which is five to ten mins faster than the 78a and 79, but the 66s only have one major bottle neck (Chapelizod).

Also, the likelihood of druggies or others smoking on the bus drops to zero compared to the Ballyfermot services. Then again you should go on them once or twice, it's an experience!

EDIT: If you're going in there to lecture or study on the radio course make sure there's some proper attempt at a website. In the print journalism course, we put them to shame with ours. Pity we didn't podcast too, just to rub it in.

anotherlostie

anotherlostie wrote: »

The 79's still go down Grattan Crescent whereas the 79A uses the Con Colbert Road, so 79A is the quicker of the two routes.

Are you sure you're not referring to the 78? Runs only a handful of times a day during rush hour. Goes from Aston Quay past Heuston Station on to the Con Colbert Road straight on to Ballyfermot Road bypassing Decies Road.

As far as I know, by being on it so many times, the 79 and 79A are identical from the city centre to Ballyfermot, it's after that where they diverge.

KC61

Karsini wrote: »

Are you sure you're not referring to the 78? Runs only a handful of times a day during rush hour. Goes from Aston Quay past Heuston Station on to the Con Colbert Road straight on to Ballyfermot Road bypassing Decies Road.

As far as I know, by being on it so many times, the 79 and 79A are identical from the city centre to Ballyfermot, it's after that where they diverge.

The 79A changed in April.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/news_centre/latest_news.asp?action=view&news_id=767

Re-routing of Route 79a

Dublin Bus is pleased to announce the re-routing of Route 79a in the Inchicore area as and from Sunday 27th April 2008.

The service will now operate along the following route:

Inbound
Buses will continue onto the Con Colbert Road from Sarsfield Road, and will no longer serve Grattan Crescent/Inchicore Road.

Outbound
Buses will continue along Con Colbert Road, turning left onto Sarsfield Road and back onto normal route, and will no longer serve Inchicore Road/Grattan Crescent.

Ah thanks for that. Left the area in May so might have just missed it.