GoBus, New direct service to Shannon Airport

jayoo

Just saw this.

times are 3.00am and 5.00am its a direct bus so is expected to take slightly under an hour, There are no return trips though, so you would still have to get citylink back

Xiney

odd.

presumeably they would need to bring the bus back to galway... why not charge passengers for a trip they have to make anyway?

jayoo

They might at some stage, but at the moment it leaves half an hour before citylink plus is 10euro.

There is a bit of a bus war on at the moment :rolleyes: City link have gotten a large cash injection from their parent company, 2.2 million, with the aim of being the only direct route to dublin.

I would bet on citylink getting a grip of the derry route at some stage

inisboffin

Ya, maybe they're just testing it to see, but it would make sense to charge on the return journeys, unless the bus is going elsewhere.

I am a regular traveller (used to be on both) but time and time again the service on Gobus (customer service, site, drivers, punctuality, etc) has way surpassed Citylink, so if I have a choice regarding time, I will use gobus, even if it is a few bob more. They also are the only service after 8pm from Dublin, and this is dead handy.

snubbleste

inisboffin wrote: »

Ya, maybe they're just testing it to see, but it would make sense to charge on the return journeys, unless the bus is going elsewhere.

I am a regular traveller (used to be on both) but time and time again the service on Gobus (customer service, site, drivers, punctuality, etc) has way surpassed Citylink, so if I have a choice regarding time, I will use gobus, even if it is a few bob more. They also are the only service after 8pm from Dublin, and this is dead handy.

Ahem, don't forget poor BusEireann

snubbleste

Seeing as Ryanair will be moving some flights from Shannon to Knock next summer, it's only a matter of time before one of them starts heading up the N17

tonyhiggins

Same here as regards Go Bus, if it's a matter of a few euro difference I go with them..

inisboffin

snubbleste wrote: »

Ahem, don't forget poor BusEireann

Fair enough Last time I took them the last one was 8pm, now the last one leaves I see at 9pm..

Ok, so gobus are the only ones running after 9 pm then

I usually get the 9.15 or the 11.15 gobus back down, there's even one around 1am if I miss the others.

Sponge Bob

free wifi makes buses so less boring, I always take Gobus even for the extra few squiddlys it may cost.

Mrs OBumble

snubbleste wrote: »

Seeing as Ryanair will be moving some flights from Shannon to Knock next summer, it's only a matter of time before one of them starts heading up the N17

You'd think.

Or getting some of their Dublin-bound buses to make a slight detour into Galway Airport.

Ahh, the joys of bus service licencing ...

citycentre

Good to see gobus broadening their service. I was seriously worried that Citylink's dirty tricks - launching an illegal express service to dublin, introducing unsustainable loss-leading fares subsidised by their multinational parent company etc. would drive them under. It just goes to prove that good customer service goes a long way. It's not just citylink's tactics that are dirty either. The smell and standard of cleanliness on even their newest buses leaves a lot to be desired. I definitely don't mind the extra euros spent on gobus for this reason alone.

lucianot

I also try to use GoBus, their units have toilet and also it's a local company, only when their schedule doesn't match my requirements I go then to Citylink.

Mrs OBumble

Xiney wrote: »

presumeably they would need to bring the bus back to galway... why not charge passengers for a trip they have to make anyway?

I just realised: there aren't any at that time of day. See http://www.shannonairport.com/flight-info/arrivingflights.asp


Even people living down/around there who want to come to Galway won't be coming at that time of the morning.

ethernet

Brave. The 0300 CityLink service is very quiet leaving the station so can't imagine GoBus doing very well out of a competing express service.

cactus86

im always getting the gobus. I ask them if they will stop at gmit, since its on the way. The majority oblige, but after coming back from the prodigy gig on friday night, I asked the driver as I was getting on if there was a chance he would make the stop, I was told no as we were taking the new motorway. Fair enough i thought.

As we're heading back down, he stops randomly at a crossroads somewhere, to let a girl off. Nice of him I think to myself. As we approach Galway I see he is on the way past Merlin so I get up to ask him again if he minds dropping me off. "No, this is a non stop journey" " But im only 2 mins away from GMIT & ur drivibg right past it" "no". What an a*****e! So had to pay a tenner for a cab back home, coincidentally the same amout as a trip to Dublin costs!

All this wouldnt bother me if every driver said they wouldnt stop, but it just depends on the drivers mood.

inisboffin

Was the crossroad where he stopped a bit out?
Even the strict ones will do certain stops, but only outside the city. And then only on the buses past 9.

One of the drivers told me once, that they make exceptions on the very late buses for people who need to get off outside the City as there are no other options. The night I was on he let someone off at the exit for Ballinasloe but again didn't stop at GMIT as it was tecnically 'town' and only one stop there.

I have seen drivers drop 'unofficially' at GMIT if they are ahead of schedule.

inisboffin

Lemondrop kid wrote: »

They'll have to make GMIT an official unofficial stop - coming into Galway anyway. So crazy passing by your home knowing it would not effect their timetalbe by more than one min.:(

Think that happens to a lot of folks the Dublin end too. Late at night cab is the only option.

Mrs OBumble

I went up and back on the weekend. There was a stop at Heuston Station on the way up, and GMIT on the way back. Both well before 9pm too. And both took more than 1 minute - Heuston due to the sheer number getting off, and GMIT 'cos the 1 person took ages getting their bag out of the luggage bit.

I don't think anyone minded though: the motorway makes the trip so pleasant (not only time, but also lack of bumps and twists) that happiness reigned.

cactus86

JustMary wrote: »

I went up and back on the weekend. There was a stop at Heuston Station on the way up, and GMIT on the way back. Both well before 9pm too. And both took more than 1 minute - Heuston due to the sheer number getting off, and GMIT 'cos the 1 person took ages getting their bag out of the luggage bit.

We arrived back in Galway at 3.30am so naturally there was no traffic & i had no luggage to take out, it would have taken the time it takes the door to open to let me off, hence the reason for me being so angry bout it.

inisboffin

Heuston, afaik, is an *official* stop inbound only to Dublin, so I guess it would make sense to do the same for GMIT inbound. I think we can all deal with getting TO the bus either end in normal hours.

I have heard lads get the driver to stop by adding 'I've no bags' if he was hesitant for stopping at GMIT, so that may help? Ring gobus or better still get a few people to send an email to request a GMIT stop late in the pm, as there are no/few public transport options.

snubbleste

BusEireann currenty offering €2 fares to Shannon till end of February
https://194.106.151.95/asp/TourList.asp?reservations=true

Chris_5339762

Cancelled

SERVICE UPDATE
Shannon Airport Service
The Galway to Shannon Airport service has been suspended pending further discussions with the Department of Transport.

donfers

I have a flight from shannon in a couple of weeks, leaving at 10.10 am and I can't find a bus service that gets me there from galway, what an absolute farce.....surely there must be some way to do this via public transport

snubbleste

donfers wrote: »

I have a flight from shannon in a couple of weeks, leaving at 10.10 am and I can't find a bus service that gets me there from galway, what an absolute farce.....surely there must be some way to do this via public transport

What do you mean you can't find? Where have you looked? Have you tried trusty google?

RolandIRL

citylink run a service to shannon

Mrs OBumble

whiteman19 wrote: »

citylink run a service to shannon

OP, what time do you need to be there by? Bus Eireann's first service arrives at 8:50 ... before that is CityLink arriving at 4:45, kinda painful I know.

KC61

donfers wrote: »

I have a flight from shannon in a couple of weeks, leaving at 10.10 am and I can't find a bus service that gets me there from galway, what an absolute farce.....surely there must be some way to do this via public transport

The 0705 Bus Eireann service arrives at Shannon at 0850 - I am assuming that you are on the 1010 Ryanair flight to Gatwick, so that should be more than enough time.

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1272287885-51.pdf

dowlingm

cactus86 wrote: »

All this wouldnt bother me if every driver said they wouldnt stop, but it just depends on the drivers mood.

If you did your hair and makeup maybe you'd have a bit more success