New express bus between Limerick and Galway

lasno

Bus Eireann have introduced a new express service between Limerick and Galway, covering the journey in 90 minutes. The service is the 51X and only stops in Gort and Oranmore.

www.buseireann.ie/news.php?id=886&month=Aug

zuroph

So it gets there much quicker than the train? this country.. :rolleyes:

Kess73

Yeah was thinking that about the rail service.

They bring back the rail service, then a few months later they introduce a bus service that is far cheaper and far quicker than the train service.

Berty

Kess73 wrote: »

Yeah was thinking that about the rail service.

They bring back the rail service, then a few months later they introduce a bus service that is far cheaper and far quicker than the train service.

But "THEY" are two separate entities with a view to making a profit. Its high time they introduced an express service. There used to be one between Limerick and Dublin before the motorways were open and used to drive passed people waiting in certain towns. Weird.

Also if people wanted a good reliable comfortable service with free WIFI they could always have used Citylink.

rubensni

Berty wrote: »

Also if people wanted a good reliable comfortable service with free WIFI they could always have used Citylink.

That's the only reason this is happening: they're facing competition, so finally have to ask themselves what their customers actually want, as opposed to what is the best for themselves/their employees.

Once they have driven Citylink out by reducing prices to run this at a loss (or more likely prosecuting them, as they did in Galway: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0309/1224265879531.html) and restored their monopoly, Bus Eireann will be back to taking detours through Shannon and Ennis.

Kess73

Berty wrote: »

But "THEY" are two separate entities with a view to making a profit. Its high time they introduced an express service. There used to be one between Limerick and Dublin before the motorways were open and used to drive passed people waiting in certain towns. Weird.

Also if people wanted a good reliable comfortable service with free WIFI they could always have used Citylink.

Well there was such a fuss about the re opening of the rail line, one would have thought that the prices could at least be somewhat competitive

But it is no big deal. If the new bus service does well, and with the current prices and excellent travel times they really should do well, then the rail line will eventually go the way it did before and be no great loss. It's not like there is an airport etc enroute that they could run a rail line to.:D

Just amuses me that for a country so small, basic decent rail services are so hit and miss, especially given the amount spoken by members of the government about people needing to use public transport more.

Amazotheamazing

What's the point in Oranmore being bypassed if every bus stops there? Must be the best served town in Ireland, iirc, the Dublin Galway bus stops there too. Not a major delay but used to really annoy me back when I took the bus.

Berty

Personally I still use Oranmore in the mornings. Just before you rejoin before the hospital there is another left which brings you further up. Great during rush hour.

Any other time of the day its such a waste of time.

Tech3

90 minutes is fairly good. When Gort-Crusheen motorway opens later in the year the time will be even less than that. Excellent news.

Txatxu Urki

took this express bus last week, on a friday morning and returning same evening.
The journey up to galway was just over 90 minutes, but only just over.
The journey down was almost 2 hours, due to rush hour
traffic in galway and also very slow going through gort.Still faster than the train though. Very good sevice..leaves and returns every hour