Dublin Bus route 66x - Leixlip to UCD Belfield

allanb49

Leixlip to UCD Belfield,

Just been on the DB website and have some questions if anyone can answer.

I have seen it leaves Maynooth at 7.15, how long does it take to get to Leixlip, and does it stop in leixlip and if so where? Thank you

KC61

It follows the normal 66 route through Leixlip, serving all bus stops.

JHMEG

(Why not call the 66x* the 66y instead of the 66x*?)

66x/66x* don't necessarily follow the 66 route in Leixlip, tho that one does. Some serve Captains Hill.

Bazzer2

JHMEG wrote: »

(Why not call the 66x* the 66y instead of the 66x*?)

66x/66x* don't necessarily follow the 66 route in Leixlip, tho that one does. Some serve Captains Hill.

The letter X is supposed to stand for the limited-stop express, or "Xpresso" brand, although there is a couple of routes which don't adhere to that moniker, such as the 51D and 70B.

JHMEG

Call it the 66x2 then?

KC61

JHMEG wrote: »

(Why not call the 66x* the 66y instead of the 66x*?)

66x/66x* don't necessarily follow the 66 route in Leixlip, tho that one does. Some serve Captains Hill.

That difference is purely for website purposes to denote which serve Lucan village and which don't - the buses still all bear 66X.

I was answering the specific question asked when I stated that the bus operates via the normal 66 route through Leixlip.

JHMEG

KC61 wrote: »

I was answering the specific question asked when I stated that the bus operates via the normal 66 route through Leixlip.

I acknowledged that.

Rudy Jakma

Dublin bus seem to be a bit secretive, at least I cannot find it in the published timetable but one of them seems to leave at 07:55 from Captain's Hill.
Like the other 66X's it does not go through Lucan nor Chapelizod, instead it follows the N4 via Heuston Station and the quays. Sorry, I get out in d'Olier Street so I cannot tell you how it continues from there to Belfield. But UCD Belfield seems to be the final destination . The "regulars" know it by now, of course but maybe this is of interest to someone. :rolleyes:

ardmacha

maybe somebody on the UCD board could shed some light on things.

Bazzer2

Rudy Jakma wrote: »

Dublin bus seem to be a bit secretive, at least I cannot find it in the published timetable but one of them seems to leave at 07:55 from Captain's Hill.

I found the timetable with the 0755 from Captain's Hill quite easily:

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/66x1/

KC61

There is nothing secretive about it at all.

There are two route 66x timetables - one for services via Lucan and another for services that use the N4 Lucan bypass.

Both timetables appear in the timetable search.

Rudy Jakma

I am surprised. My "google" search gave me the info on 66X going through Leixlip allright, but I could not see any reference to the early one leaving from the 66a bus terminus at Captain's Hill. I just came across it sitting there, ready to go, as I was prepared to walk into the village to get one of the other 66-es.

I have not tried again, but will try to search and find the timetable for this bus (what other services did I miss, the "little dears" have torn and burned the timetable at the bus stop).
Otherwise I may have to contact a good optician.
Thanks anyway !

KC61

Rudy Jakma wrote: »

I am surprised. My "google" search gave me the info on 66X going through Leixlip allright, but I could not see any reference to the early one leaving from the 66a bus terminus at Captain's Hill. I just came across it sitting there, ready to go, as I was prepared to walk into the village to get one of the other 66-es.

I have not tried again, but will try to search and find the timetable for this bus (what other services did I miss, the "little dears" have torn and burned the timetable at the bus stop).
Otherwise I may have to contact a good optician.
Thanks anyway !

Just click on the two links in my post above for the two 66x timetables!

Rudy Jakma

OK guys, that is all the info I need ! Thanks very much !
What we need now is a timetable telling the public what time the bus is supposed to be at their stop, not when it leaves the terminus which may be many miles away.
It can be done, but a lot will depend also on the willingness of the Gardai to enforce the bus lanes. All too often a bus lane is full of cars with drivers that proclaim their intention to "turn left" at some yet distant intersection. The words " Bus lane / Lana bus" do NOT mean that it is OK to use it as an (extended) filter lane.
In contrast, some years ago I was waiting at a bus stop in a small village on the continent. The timetable said "11:16" - FOR THAT STOP. At 11:14 i saw the bus coming around the corner, at 11:15 it arrived at the bus stop and at precisely 11:16 it moved off the bus stop. This was in a small village, perhaps 5000 inhabitants. And nowhere near the larger town from where it started it's journey. But bus lanes are precisely that and no cars are tolerated in them. Buses run a precise schedule there.
So if it can be done elsewhere, why do we have to rely on guesswork to calculate what time the bus will be at our bus stop ? Even Iarnrod Eirann give the timetable of their trains in relation to departure time from the first station. Surely, an Intercity with it's own dedicated track can run according to a schedule along it's stations enroute?

KC61

Real time information is coming - the buses are all being installed with GPS equipment to facilitate this. It will probably be next year before it is finally rolled out.

Rudy Jakma

KC, That would be a large step forward, at least we would have an idea how far the next bus is. Provided it can be made vandal-proof and the fate of many bus shelters does not give me much reason to be optimistic. But even if installed, it is more suitable to a high density system like the Luas. It will not be equal to the efficiency of public transport systems in other countries where, as I described, a bus, or train, runs according to a pre-published timetable. Where departure times are publised for EVERY INDIVIDUAL stop or station and where the bus (or train) can usuallly be relied on to leave that station or stop at EXACTLY the published time.
Trains should easily be able to achieve this. They run on a dedicated track. So why is information at the stations enroute given in relation to the departure time from the first station ? Is Iarnrod Eireann suffering from so much insecurity that they do not dare posting timetables from intermediate stations?
And insofar as buses is concerned: I do not need an illuminates GPS announcement at a bus stop if there is a (not vandalized !) printed timetable, giving me the exact time when the bus will leave THAT stop AND if I can rely on the bus actually meeting it.
But a few things will have to be altered: First and foremost bus drivers seem to be a law onto themselves. Departure times dictated by the time they have finished their newspaper. Not driving either like a hound out of Hell or at snail's pace according to the whim of the individual driver but at a realistic speed that allows them, assuming normal road coinditions, to meet their schedule over the entire route.
Then, the Gardai should be more aggressive policing bus lanes. I remember once sitting in a traffic jam where it took the bus 25 minutes to move from Islandbridge to Park Gate because the entire bus lane was occupied by cars.
What is often overlooked is that one double decker has the capacity to take more than 50 cars off the road during the rush hours !
In some countries, line buses have the right of way when pulling out of a bus stop and again, they have the right of way joining the main stream of traffic when the bus lane ends. The other thing that helps is that bus tickets (multiple length and multiple journeys) can be bought at virtually every newsagent's. With a machine that stamps the ticket at the bus entrance. Why do we have to suffer the Dublin Bus rip-off where, if we do not have the exact fare, we get an "IOU" that we can only redeem in O'Connell Street ? At least, it should be valid for use on the next bus.
And: Bus drivers seem to be allowed to get away with appalling service. There either is none or they travel in convoy. If your bus is one of the last in the queue, chances are that he will not bother to pull in. A few months ago a bus sped by my stop - several people trying to flag it down, good weather, no excuse whatsoever. I sent a letter of complaint to Dublin Bus with details that would satisfy the most fastidious lawyer. I did not even get a reply. So when last week, this time in pouring rain, my passing bus ignored me - I was at a Dublin bus stop on my way to the Airport - I just flagged down a taxi (a taxi driver NEVER fails to spot a fare, even in appalling weather conditions). I knew a complaint would not get me anywhere.
So, KC, I think I have fairly exhausted the subject.
Perhaps someone will take notice? If the powers-that-be are really serious about getting people back in public transport they better improve the service. As a rule, once someone has given up on the bus and buys a car he or she will not readily be persuaded to take the bus again. Perhaps the current economic crisis may help reverse that?