Dublin - Belfast BE/Ulsterbus bus route

meglome

Was just reading the thread about the Aircoach service to Belfast being cancelled. As I mentioned in that thread I'm up and down to Belfast regularly, at least once a week right now. So there are a couple of things I'm wondering about.

Has there been no talk of running an actual express bus? I appreciate there is good reason to include Dublin airport in this route but most people get on/off in either Dublin, Belfast or Dublin airport. Most times this bus takes 2 hours 45 and sometimes more when it can driven in under 2 hours in a car.

Has anyone who uses this bus noticed the amount of crappy hire buses used on it? Most often at the more unsocial hours.

And lastly I was wondering does anyone know if BE (and IE) run any special offers to Belfast like can be found on the Translink site here

Terrontress

I notice that Chambers coaches who have run services on that route for BE and Ulsterbus have gone in to administration.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11610851

Peadar06

meglome wrote: »

And lastly I was wondering does anyone know if BE (and IE) run any special offers to Belfast like can be found on the Translink site here

Hey,

If you look here, you can book with IE and get 20% off your train fare.

Peter

foggy_lad

CLapped out coaches are used by bus eireann on many of their long distance routes! THere seems to be no proper standards adhered to when passing hired busses fit for expressway use.

meglome wrote: »

Was just reading the thread about the Aircoach service to Belfast being cancelled. As I mentioned in that thread I'm up and down to Belfast regularly, at least once a week right now. So there are a couple of things I'm wondering about.

Has there been no talk of running an actual express bus? I appreciate there is good reason to include Dublin airport in this route but most people get on/off in either Dublin, Belfast or Dublin airport. Most times this bus takes 2 hours 45 and sometimes more when it can driven in under 2 hours in a car.

Has anyone who uses this bus noticed the amount of crappy hire buses used on it? Most often at the more unsocial hours.

And lastly I was wondering does anyone know if BE (and IE) run any special offers to Belfast like can be found on the Translink site here

Ham'nd'egger

foggy_lad wrote: »

CLapped out coaches are used by bus eireann on many of their long distance routes! THere seems to be no proper standards adhered to when passing hired busses fit for expressway use.

Have you ever heard of the Boy Who Cried Wolf?

Numerous posters have made it clear time and time again to you (many of whom are in the bus trade so they have first hand knowledge) that any public or private hire buses are strictly tested, monitored and serviced while working so any bus out on the roads are fit for use. Granted, some buses won't be shiny new clean and the odd bus will pick up a fault but overall they are fit for service and if not they are taken out of service ASAP. I don't know what standard you expect from buses in service but whatever it is, it's never good enough for you.

meglome

Peadar06 wrote: »

Hey,

If you look here, you can book with IE and get 20% off your train fare.

Peter

Excellent thanks. Translink do a day return on the Train for £10 so if someone was to get two day returns for €10 and em... forget... to take one leg on each. £20 return on the train whenever you like (booking 3 days in advance).

Hamndegger wrote: »

Have you ever heard of the Boy Who Cried Wolf?

Numerous posters have made it clear time and time again to you (many of whom are in the bus trade so they have first hand knowledge) that any public or private hire buses are strictly tested, monitored and serviced while working so any bus out on the roads are fit for use. Granted, some buses won't be shiny new clean and the odd bus will pick up a fault but overall they are fit for service and if not they are taken out of service ASAP. I don't know what standard you expect from buses in service but whatever it is, it's never good enough for you.

I hear what you're saying. However I've been on a couple of buses that seemed far from perfect to me. And the GF was on one which was so trashed she actually took pictures of it.

sellerbarry

meglome wrote: »

Excellent thanks. Translink do a day return on the Train for £10 so if someone was to get two day returns for €10 and em... forget... to take one leg on each. £20 return on the train whenever you like (booking 3 days in advance).



I hear what you're saying. However I've been on a couple of buses that seemed far from perfect to me. And the GF was on one which was so trashed she actually took pictures of it.

Hi meglome. Please can you link me to the page for the day returns on translink. I can't seem to find it. Thanks;)

meglome

sellerbarry wrote: »

Hi meglome. Please can you link me to the page for the day returns on translink. I can't seem to find it. Thanks;)

https://www.translink.co.uk/Buy-Online/-Enterprise-Web-Fare/

KC61

Note that those fares are only valid for single or return journeys starting in Northern Ireland.

Journeys starting from stations in the Republic of Ireland should be booked via www.irishrail.ie

sellerbarry

meglome wrote: »

https://www.translink.co.uk/Buy-Online/-Enterprise-Web-Fare/

Thanks for that. They seem to have gone up to 15 per day return for my dates. Thanks again:mad:

meglome

KC61 wrote: »

Note that those fares are only valid for single or return journeys starting in Northern Ireland.

Journeys starting from stations in the Republic of Ireland should be booked via www.irishrail.ie

The only real issue is where they will send the tickets to. Otherwise as i mentioned above you could get two day returns and for whatever reason not be able to make one leg on each.

sellerbarry wrote: »

Thanks for that. They seem to have gone up to 15 per day return for my dates. Thanks again:mad:

Seems to depend on the time you go and come back.

maximoose

meglome wrote: »

Excellent thanks. Translink do a day return on the Train for £10 so if someone was to get two day returns for €10 and em... forget... to take one leg on each. £20 return on the train whenever you like (booking 3 days in advance).

that wont work i'm afraid. had a few friends from came down from Belfast to visit with intentions of doing this, when they went for the return journey their second day return tickets weren't accepted as they hadnt been validated on the Belfast-Dublin Journey!

meglome

maximoose wrote: »

that wont work i'm afraid. had a few friends from came down from Belfast to visit with intentions of doing this, when they went for the return journey their second day return tickets weren't accepted as they hadnt been validated on the Belfast-Dublin Journey!

Seemed a little easy all right. How are the tickets validated I wonder?

maximoose

meglome wrote: »

Seemed a little easy all right. How are the tickets validated I wonder?

It might have changed (its been a long while since I got the enterprise, ah the joys of having a car) but the last time I got the train it was just a simple hole punching job on the ticket!

dowlingm

I wonder should BE and Ulsterbus be allowed to cooperate on that route. How is a new entrant meant to compete with two State companies? (And yes, I know that routes like that aren't directly subsidised, but the fact that they are state supported on other routes means they have a lot more cred with the newly-Scrooged bankers.)

foggy_lad

Hamndegger wrote: »

Granted, some buses won't be shiny new clean and the odd bus will pick up a fault but overall they are fit for service and if not they are taken out of service ASAP. I don't know what standard you expect from buses in service but whatever it is, it's never good enough for you.

When You Travel on our Services

* It is our policy to update our fleet on a planned basis.
* We will ensure that the heating, ventilation and lighting on board our vehicles are working and set to a comfortable level.
* We will clean the inside and outside of all in-service buses and coaches at least once a day.
* Our drivers will be well presented, friendly, helpful and courteous to you at all times.
* Smoking and the consumption of alcohol are prohibited by law on our services; we will continue to enforce these laws with the assistance of the relevant authorities.
* Buses and coaches will display correct destination information and/or route number at all times.

these are tha standards i expect from hired busses, the very same that we are supposed to expect from bus eireanns own coaches!

http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=93#delivering

GTE

foggy_lad wrote: »

these are tha standards i expect from hired busses, the very same that we are supposed to expect from bus eireanns own coaches!

http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=93#delivering

They do update the fleet. For better or worse the LC and LD's have been a big investment where fleet age comes into it.

I havent been on a BE bus that hasnt had vents, lights etc. not working. If they arent on or set to a good level the driver is always accommodating.

Never had a smoker on a bus and alcohol hasnt been a problem. I have witnessed a drunk person on the bus coming out of Dublin and he didnt make it past Lucan.

Unless you have some experiences to share where the bus you have been on has been genuinely unfit for service it sounds like you are giving out about BE just because some of their buses, although mechanically fine, are ageing on the inside.

Although this is a problem it is most definitely going to be addressed.
Hell, they even kept my old school buses in better condition then you may want to realise.

meglome

The bad buses I've seen have not been BE buses, they have all been hired buses.

Irish Halo

The late night timetable for this route has changed from once an hour through the night to every 3 hours now so its now 21:00, 23:00 and 1am, 3am and 5am from each terminus(PDF), the hourly service was handy for travel to and from gigs in either city.

dowlingm

Irish Halo - you mean every two hours?

Vic_08

Irish Halo wrote: »

The late night timetable for this route has changed from once an hour through the night to every 3 hours now so its now 21:00, 23:00 and 1am, 3am and 5am from each terminus(PDF), the hourly service was handy for travel to and from gigs in either city.

That timetable is incorrect, the Bus Eireann website has the correct current timetable for that route http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1282311638-1.pdf

Only the 22.00 and 00.00 from Belfast and their return workings at 02.00 and 04.00 from Dublin have been withdrawn. The corresponding BE services from Dublin at 22.00 and 00.00 are currently still running.

There had been talk for some time about cutting back the overnights to every 2 hours long before Aircoach announced their withdrawl from the route.

The two services that have been cut are no great loss, they were very lightly used most of the time. I hope that sense has prevailed and the corresponding BE services will not be cancelled as they are used primarily by NI-Dublin Airport passengers and leaving 2 hour gaps at busy airport arrival times significantly reduces the attractiveness of the service IMO.

meglome

meglome wrote: »

Has there been no talk of running an actual express bus? I appreciate there is good reason to include Dublin airport in this route but most people get on/off in either Dublin, Belfast or Dublin airport. Most times this bus takes 2 hours 45 and sometimes more when it can driven in under 2 hours in a car.

Anyone any info on this?

Irish Halo

dowlingm wrote: »

Irish Halo - you mean every two hours?

Oops sorry, yes I meant every 2 hours, stupid fingers.