Aircoach Dublin-Cork express

bk

KCAccidental wrote: »

I do think there is a bit of a PR war going on from both sides at the moment especially through Facebook recently. Interesting times!

In the end all pretty pointless. I'm sure the people who have actually visited and liked the Aircoach facebook page have already used the service and know the truth.

The reality is word of month is already spreading in Cork about how good the Aircoach service is. BE can try and bend the truth all they like, but the reality is most people know they are slower, much slower.

Over time the Aircoach service is only going to gain customers, people who are currently using it will tell their family and friends how good it is, who will try it and in turn tell their friends and so on.

devnull

All of the three late 2006 Aircoach vehicles from the UK are now in service, along with the white Setra which is also in service, that now makes four vehicles which have toilets. No news on any more coming as of yet.

The word on GoBus is they will start next month, they have had a 2012 vehicle delivered which is similar to the Caeteno's Aircoach have but on a Mercedes chassis, apparently there may be a few more to come.

bk

Saw one of the new Aircoach Caeteno's on the quays yesterday. Very nice looking. The baggage doors are automatic and make an announcement to watch your head when it closes.

They also seem to have a 2006 Iziar, which I hadn't seen before.

Great news about GoBus, hopefully they will fill that 5 hour gap in schedule from 7pm ex-Cork. I think a 9 or 10pm service would be quiet popular.

devnull

They've had that 2006 Irizar for a few years now, it doesn't have a toilet or full leather seats (just part leather), they used to operate it on behalf of Citylink on Dublin to Galway commuter until that contract ended, the interior is to Citylink spec from 2006 when they had nothing but Scania Irizar's.

bk

On the new/old levante to Cork at the moment. The one with the black grill.

It is great to have a toilet onboard, makes the trip much more pleasant. The toilet is large and comfortable and at ground level at the back of the bus.

But surprisingly we have still stopped at Urlongford, wtf, why? At least the stop seemed quicker.

Also no wifi on board.

On the other hand the seats are very nice and comfortable, fully leather, reclining and nice and cushiony. But no tables.

There are about 6 seats up front that have loads of leg room.

So a nice improvement, but still a way go to make the service more consistent, specially if GoBus come along soon.

devnull

I'd send your comments off, either by Facebook or email and try and get answers to those questions, I'm guessing they haven't got around to installing Wifi yet as those coaches are only just in service, but maybe I am wrong.

Does the coach look like it has been refurbished recently? The one with the black grill to me looks the roughest of the three by far externally, but I've not seen the inside of it. Unless GoBus are getting a few more Caetano's themselves, I'd say their fleet is going to be mix and match also.

bk

Doesn't look like it has been refurbished internally.

While yes GoBus might be a mixed fleet aren't all their buses equipped with a toilet anyway. Just down the steps.

Sponge Bob

Don't Gobus lease a lot of their fleet from Kavanagh in Kilkenny??

They also have a high standard of CS, very pleasant and professional drivers.

LXFlyer

bk wrote: »

On the new/old levante to Cork at the moment. The one with the black grill.

It is great to have a toilet onboard, makes the trip much more pleasant. The toilet is large and comfortable and at ground level at the back of the bus.

But surprisingly we have still stopped at Urlongford, wtf, why? At least the stop seemed quicker.

Also no wifi on board.

On the other hand the seats are very nice and comfortable, fully leather, reclining and nice and cushiony. But no tables.

There are about 6 seats up front that have loads of leg room.

So a nice improvement, but still a way go to make the service more consistent, specially if GoBus come along soon.

Frankly your second comment makes you sound like you have either a medical complaint or a toilet fetish.

As for the rest - well I'm sure you don't need me to tell you where DOES have tables, wifi and large toilets?

AlekSmart

bk wrote: »

It is great to have a toilet onboard, makes the trip much more pleasant. The toilet is large and comfortable and at ground level at the back of the bus.

But surprisingly we have still stopped at Urlongford, wtf, why? At least the stop seemed quicker.

.

Bk,could you perhaps expand on the Toilet issue a little ?

I have to admit I'm struggling with the concept of a "Large & Comfortable" Toilet on any form of road pasenger vehicle..

On the second issue,could the Urlingford stop be where the Large & Comfortable Toilet is emptied perhaps ?

V_Moth

Took the Aircoach from Dublin during the week and I was quite impressed. It stopped at Urlingford on the way down, but not on the way back. Journey times were 3:15 and 3:00 respectively to/from Westmoreland Steet.

With a return fare of €22, I don't think I will use IrishRail considering prices can be at a minimum twice and at worst four times more expensive. The extra expense is just not worth it for 15 minutes less travel time.

bk

lxflyer wrote: »

Frankly your second comment makes you sound like you have either a medical complaint or a toilet fetish.

That is a stupid and unfair comment.

Please remember, attack the post, not the poster.

You know that I've always been of the opinion that intercity direct non stop services should have a toilet on board. I often make the journey in the past without using the toilet, but I know a lot of people who worry about getting caught short during the journey.

I've some friends who say they would love to use this new service, so much cheaper, but won't until they have an onboard toilet. I think this is the last obstacle to Aircoach stealing a lot of customers from rail.

Obviously Aircoach agree, or they wouldn't have bothered to get these new coaches which are older then their existing very nice 09 Jock coaches.

lxflyer wrote: »

As for the rest - well I'm sure you don't need me to tell you where DOES have tables, wifi and large toilets?

And I'm also sure you don't need me to tell you what service is between 2 and 4 times more expensive?

The wifi is just a temporary problem that I'm sure will be fixed. Now with toilets onboard I see no reason why I will ever use rail to Cork again now. The differences jsut aren't worth the price difference any more.

I also don't need to tell you which service is far more convenient and flexible. Take my trip this weekend, friend in Cork rings me Saturday morning inviting me to a party in Cork last night. I say cool, get the bus into town and jump on the Aircoach to Cork after just a 5 minute wait for €22 return.

This would not have happened if I was depending on Irish Rail as I would have had to pay the €80 walk up fee, which would have been far too much for a spur of the moment thing like this.

Tonight I'll probably get the 1am or 3am ex-Cork service back to Dublin after hanging out with my friends. Again completely impossible with Irish Rail.

AlexSmart wrote:

I have to admit I'm struggling with the concept of a "Large & Comfortable" Toilet on any form of road pasenger vehicle..

On the second issue,could the Urlingford stop be where the Large & Comfortable Toilet is emptied perhaps ?

Alek, yes you are correct toilets on all public transport suck, I meant within the scope of public transport and in particular bus coaches.

Toilets I've used on the coaches to Galway work, but aren't great, you have to walk down steps and it is very cramped, smaller then an airline toilet. But these new ones are on ground level, so easier to access and are larger. About twice the size of an airline toilet, but slightly smaller then the Irish Rail toilets.

Just trying to give people an idea of the facility.

No, they didn't empty the toilet in Urlingford. The coach stopped at the entrance to the petrol station and no pipe etc. was attached. I was walking around the coach at the stop.

LXFlyer

bk wrote: »

That is a stupid and unfair comment.

Please remember, attack the post, not the poster.

You know that I've always been of the opinion that intercity direct non stop services should have a toilet on board. I often make the journey in the past without using the toilet, but I know a lot of people who worry about getting caught short during the journey.

I've some friends who say they would love to use this new service, so much cheaper, but won't until they have an onboard toilet. I think this is the last obstacle to Aircoach stealing a lot of customers from rail.

Obviously Aircoach agree, or they wouldn't have bothered to get these new coaches which are older then their existing very nice 09 Jock coaches.



And I'm also sure you don't need me to tell you what service is between 2 and 4 times more expensive?

The wifi is just a temporary problem that I'm sure will be fixed. Now with toilets onboard I see no reason why I will ever use rail to Cork again now. The differences jsut aren't worth the price difference any more.

I also don't need to tell you which service is far more convenient and flexible. Take my trip this weekend, friend in Cork rings me Saturday morning inviting me to a party in Cork last night. I say cool, get the bus into town and jump on the Aircoach to Cork after just a 5 minute wait for €22 return.

This would not have happened if I was depending on Irish Rail as I would have had to pay the €80 walk up fee, which would have been far too much for a spur of the moment thing like this.

Tonight I'll probably get the 1am or 3am ex-Cork service back to Dublin after hanging out with my friends. Again completely impossible with Irish Rail.



Alek, yes you are correct toilets on all public transport suck, I meant within the scope of public transport and in particular bus coaches.

Toilets I've used on the coaches to Galway work, but aren't great, you have to walk down steps and it is very cramped, smaller then an airline toilet. But these new ones are on ground level, so easier to access and are larger. About twice the size of an airline toilet, but slightly smaller then the Irish Rail toilets.

Just trying to give people an idea of the facility.

No, they didn't empty the toilet in Urlingford. The coach stopped at the entrance to the petrol station and no pipe etc. was attached. I was walking around the coach at the stop.

I was attacking the post. That part just came across as totally ludicrous.

I have never seen anyone else go on and on and on about toilets.

It is (to me) coming across as bordering on obsessive.

Sponge Bob

lxflyer wrote: »

I have never seen anyone else go on and on and on about toilets.

It is (to me) coming across as bordering on obsessive.

Then you are evidently missing the point.

It is reasonable when planning a journey with elderly people or kids to assume that they will manage 'up to' 2 hours without a toilet break. This has meant that intercity journeys in Ireland have often not had buses 'in the mix' in the past as eg Bus Éireann could take 5 hours to reach Galway from Dublin as late as 2005. One took the train instead or a car. Alternatively the bus stopped to let people wee wees and disimproved journey times.

Intercity journeys by express bus have improved times greatly but as Cork Dublin will take 3 hours and Cork Galway 2:30 hours the bus MUST have a toilet to attract people travelling with kids..or elderly people. This they do with professional operators. Under 2 hours ( Dublin - Belfast) one should be OK with no toilet if departing a coach station with one.

Unsurprisingly buses ( with toilets) on the Galway Dublin route are a roaring success because people know they cannot be caught short any more. These buses stop in custom designed bus stations with pumpout facilities in Galway.

I have never personally used the toilet on a Galway - Dublin bus...but if I need to.

bk

lxflyer wrote: »

I was attacking the post.

No you didn't you directly accused me of having a toilet fetish or a medial problem. That is attacking the poster.

dowlingm

re: the large/comfortable toilet thing - are there standards for on-bus toilets similar to those being imposed on railcars? Perhaps the newer buses with the larger toilets are adhering to newer standards?

bk

dowlingm wrote: »

re: the large/comfortable toilet thing - are there standards for on-bus toilets similar to those being imposed on railcars? Perhaps the newer buses with the larger toilets are adhering to newer standards?

Well the toilets are larger, they aren't wheelchair accessible like the ones on Irish Rail. I think the toilets on the latest levantes in the UK maybe.

I think it is more just an evolution of facilities and levels of service over the years.

Victor

lxflyer wrote: »

Frankly your second comment makes you sound like you have either a medical complaint or a toilet fetish.

What is wrong with having a medical complaint?

Lucyn

Both myself and my better half are now using this service regularly instead of the train. The flexibility is fantastic. We used to book the train online but if you miss it you have to pay extra to transfer your ticket to the next one. None of that nonsence with Aircoach. Buy your return ticket and used the return leg whenever suits you (within 12 months). Brilliant. It's always bang on time too which is so important for work, meetings, appointments or even just for the person who may be collecting you. I also find the drivers very pleasant and helpful. Long may this service last!

Lucyn

Oh the irony!!! I should never have posted my last post. Talk about jinxing us! My better half has just phoned me to say that he (along with approx 15 others) couldn't get on the 7pm service at Westmoreland St because of all the Kilkenny supporters using the service. They're all getting it as far as Urlingford. He's now waiting til the 8pm service but who knows if he'll get on that one either. Now I totally understand the whole supply and demand thing espcially on a Croke Park Sunday but these people are not even travelling to Cork! They obviously boarded at Urlingford coming up. This should not be allowed. We're seriously cheesed off at Aircoach to put it mildly :mad: It's not even supposed to stop at Urlingford anyway. It's called the Cork/Dublin Express non stop or whatever it says on their blasted website.

Right, lets see if Gobus can get it right. Obviously Aircoach are not interested in retaining existing customers. I'm off to their website to send them a strongly worded email (for all the good that'll do!) :mad:

devnull

IF they are indeed getting on/off at Urlingford then that is not on, and not just on the basis of fairness either. I would indeed write a strongly worded complaint about the situation and maybe post on their Facebook page also.

What did the driver say about it, I'm just very interested to know because this is not on.

Lucyn

Well I'm only going on the phonecall he made to me and what he told me but he was chatting to a couple of the lads while they waited for the coach to arrive and they told him they were getting off at Urlingford. They were raving about how handy it was :rolleyes:. Obviously when I collect him, I'll get the whole story in detail and let you know. He's been working all day and is wrecked and could have done without this.

Regarding your query about the driver - He gave those unable to board a handwritten piece of paper (back of receipt/till roll) and said they would be given priority on the next service. Oh he just rang again there now and said he's on the 8pm service and all those refused at 7pm got on first. He also said that the driver said there was nothing he could do and told them to write to the company if they weren't happy. However, he did announce that they would not be stopping in Urlingford and himslf says there is only one person on board with a Kilkenny jersey on (but she might be going to Cork in fairness) I told him to let me know if they do stop in Urlingford and if so, how many get off etc

In the meantime, I've emailed aircoach customer service and informed them but really, what's the point? They don't give a monkeys. I'm not really offay with facebook but thanks for your suggestion, will def give it a go.

SandyfordGuy

are you referring to the pm bus or the 8pm bus in relation to the one Kilkenny person and the not stopping?

Lucyn

What 'pm' bus? The ones I am referring to are the 7pm and 8pm services. The 7pm service was full of Kilkenny supporters who stated they would be getting off in Urlingford. As a result, my husband was unable to get on. The 8pm service has one (visible) Kilkenny supporter on it whom as I stated may be travelling to Cork. The driver of the 8pm service annouced that they would not be stopping in Urlingford.

Lucyn

Sandyfordguy,

As you can see from the number of my posts, I'm not brilliant with technology so I am at a loss to know why I have received a email from boards.ie quoting a sarcastic post from you but it does not appear on the thread. This is the email I received:

Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************

---Quote---
My better half has just phoned me to say that he (along with approx 15 others) *couldn't get on the 7pm service at Westmoreland St because of all the Kilkenny supporters using the service*. They're all getting it as far as Urlingford.
---End Quote---

---Quote (Originally by Lucyn)---
However, he did announce that they would not be stopping in Urlingford *and himslf says there is only one person on board with a Kilkenny jersey on (but she might be going to Cork in fairness) I told him to let me know if they do stop in Urlingford and if so, how many get off etc*
---End Quote---
Interesting posts, had to check they were from the same person....

When he has finished with his teleport or special vision goggles that allows him to see exactly what is happening in the bus which left one hour earlier without actually being on it, maybe he would like to share his secret of how he did it to some technology company, as clearly he has come up with a very good invention that will change the world.

Once again, we see a fake complaint on boards, in line with what has been posted on here before, and also the Facebook thread that was pointed out just a few pages ago. It really is getting desperate.
______________________________________________________________

Firstly Sandyfordguy, I apologise if I did not explain the situation clearly enough and secondly, this is not a fake complaint and who are you to state that it is? Who made you judge and jury?

I attempted to contribute to a thread about a subject which both my husband and I have first hand practical experience of, in the attempt to assist others. I will not do so again. I've read on boards many times that we are to attack to post and not the poster so therefore i will say no more to you.

SandyfordGuy

I originally misread the post - I thought you were refering to the 7pm bus, I re-read it and realised you were speaking about the 8pm, hence I edited my post and removed what I originally said because of the fact it was not appropriate because you were not saying things that contradicted yourself.

I'm replying from a mobile phone and skim-read the post so I apologize for any offence which may have been caused. I don't believe it is a fake complaint and sorry if I gave you that impression, I edited my post very soon after I posted it realizing my error. So once again I'm sorry and will be more thorough and make sure I am not in a rush when replying! in future!

kieran4003

This is a most bizzare incident. What baffles me is how the driver of the service they came up on stopped in Urlingford to pick them up and sell them tickets! I dont think it is the fault of Aircoach itself to be fair.

It is unacceptable to expect customers to wait an extra hour. With BE, even if there is just one person who cannot be accomadated on the bus, an extra bus is provided. All passengers going the full length to Cork/Dublin will be put on one bus and this will run non stop. It is well and good to say there is great flexibility with Aircoach, but IE and BE will never turn a passenger away on an Intercity service.

The service overall seems to be pulling good loads, I noted several buses on Friday and they were all nicely filled. Having said that the 07:30 train was standing room only, 370 odd in standard class and a nicely filled CityGold. The BE service is definately quieter, but I think that is because of the disasterous running time of the new X8. It usually arrives in Cork about 50 minutes late, making it only 5 minutes faster then the old service!

The Idyll Race

It says a lot that "a bus - with a jax!" is the selling point latched onto here!

Do we even get the Jolly Hostess selling Crisps and Tea?

devnull

I think there are more selling points than that to be fair, the non stop nature, the very late and early departures, a direct connection to the airport, the Wifi as well as the price point are also attractions for many people.

The train has other advantages also such as better for disabled people, tables, bigger toilets as well as the fact some people prefer to travel by train due to the buffet etc.

The comments in relation to an extra bus, well the fact BE have so many vehicles, drivers and routes mean there is more flexibility as having a staff member or two on standby isn't going to make a huge difference when you have hundreds of drivers if not 1,000 working every day. But paying two people for a full day on the basis they may be required on a staff of around 50-60 is going to eat into margins much more, it's all economies of scale at the end of the day.

Also don't forget the Aircoach depot is in the airport, even if another bus is required, it's going to take 30-40 minutes to get a driver ready and get the bus, if one is free, down to the city center, by which time the new bus is due anyway almost. BE have the luxury of having a staffed bus station at both ends of the routes to assess loads, with a depot close to the route in Cork and five minutes down the road in Broadstone. There is also nowhere near as much slack in the fleet I would suspect judging by the fact that AIrcoach were using hire-in's a few weeks ago to cover shortages.

The situation isn't ideal but there is a huge gulf between the sizes of the companies you are comparing and the infrastructure they have. The best they can do in these situations is to analyse where they may be full and add extra capacity which has happened in the past when there has been GAA matches on for example. The other thing is to take online bookings to get an idea of demand, something that GoBus and Citylink along with others also do because this is the most cost effective way for an operation their size.

bk

Well I'm a big fan of the new Aircoach service, but I have to say this situation with people getting on and off at Urlingford is simply not on.

It may even be in contravention of the NTA license.

The flexibility of not having to book a seat is very handy, but as these services get more exposure they will get busier and sometimes they maybe full. People may need to start to think about getting booking online or accept that they may have to wait one hour for then next bus which isn't really the end of the world.

However Aircoach need to improve their online booking, you can only book up to 5pm on the previous day, which isn't very flexible. Citylink seem to allow you to book up to 15 minutes before, which is much nicer.

It will be less of an issue when/if GoBus launch, as there will be more capacity between the two of them and if one is full, you will only have a 30 minute wait for the next one.

While I'm delighted Aircoach launched, their quality of service seems much more variable then GoBus and Citylink in Limerick. I can't wait for GoBus to launch to Cork, hopefully they will offer a better service.