Irish rail online fare increase

hoff1

I just noticed that the Dublin to Galway online fare is now 21.99 it was 14.99. Is this a temporary thing just for xmas or what?

What day are you trying to book? You need to book a few days in advance to get the €14.99 fare.

foggy_lad

Karsini wrote: »

What day are you trying to book? You need to book a few days in advance to get the €14.99 fare.

I just checked and the prices are all gone up over the Christmas period, they have got rid of the three day reduction, all Galway-Dublin trains are €21.99+charges

Jamie2k9

Not just Galway route. Normal fares back from 2/1/13.

foggy_lad

So they are ripping customers off for the Christmas, that says it all about Irish rail!

Hilly Bill

Its business Foggy.

BuffyBot

Supply/demand. Nothing transport operators, airlines, ferry companies etc haven't been doing for years. It's how they make money (aren't people continually carping about how much money the CIE group is given in subventions...?)

Ben D Bus

foggy_lad wrote: »

So they are ripping customers off for the Christmas, that says it all about Irish rail!

I don't usually comment on posts like this but surely this is trolling? It can't be a serious comment. The poster can't be THAT ignorant of the principles of pricing based on supply & demand?

foggy_lad

Ben D Bus wrote: »

I don't usually comment on posts like this but surely this is trolling? It can't be a serious comment. The poster can't be THAT ignorant of the principles of pricing based on supply & demand?

The company is haemorrhaging money but instead of encouraging more customers they are driving people into buses and their cars by raising their prices so much and so soon after fare increases.

Cookie_Monster

I'm with Foggy, if it was really about supply and demand they just put up the fare to the standard $80 or whatever but they have no need to do that but are going to gouge the few customers they have over christmas anyway even when they don't need to.

Don't see DB putting up the fares for christmas do you?

mickydoomsux

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I'm with Foggy, if it was really about supply and demand they just put up the fare to the standard $80 or whatever but they have no need to do that but are going to gouge the few customers they have over christmas anyway even when they don't need to.

Don't see DB putting up the fares for christmas do you?

I didn't realize you can buy Dublin Bus tickets online :-)

The reason they don't up their prices seasonally is that they would need the NTMA to give them the go ahead. IE online prices aren't controlled by the NTMA so it makes business sense to rise them slightly during times of increased demand.

bk

Crazy, how many people will this drive onto the new bus services to Cork/Galway/Limerick, who will then find these bus services are just as fast and just as comfortable as the train, but much cheaper and will thus never get them back.

The bus operators will be delighted by this and will make a killing.

I think GoBus were silly eliminating their extra services to Cork just before the Christmas rush home, they could have gained many extra new customers if they just delayed it for two weeks.

HivemindXX

I was under the impression that Irish Rail used the type of system where there are a certain number of seats and the cheap price and when that number was gone the price went up until the full fare was reached.

It's possible, likely even, that the Christmas trains are popular and people are booking well in advance to ensure they are able to get on.

LXFlyer

No that system was changed.

There are now promotional online fares available on all trains which rise in price depending on how close to the day of travel that you book.

IE have exclusion dates to this promotion as per the website from 21 December to 1 January. Go to the terms and conditions.

http://www.irishrail.ie/cat_offers.jsp?i=4577&p=118&n=144&ci=4#Terms%20and%20Conditions

Losty Dublin

Ben D Bus wrote: »

I don't usually comment on posts like this but surely this is trolling? It can't be a serious comment. The poster can't be THAT ignorant of the principles of pricing based on supply & demand?

Wanna bet?

I don't really care that the train is more expensive than buses. In fact I'd expect it, it's a more comfortable mode of travel than a cattle class bus.

bk

Karsini wrote: »

I don't really care that the train is more expensive than buses. In fact I'd expect it, it's a more comfortable mode of travel than a cattle class bus.

Then I'd argue you have never taken one of the new generation of coaches being used. I find the new coaches to be equal to or better then the trains for comfort.

Coaches have in their favour:
- More comfortable seats that are often fully leather and recline.
- Some coaches (e.g. Aircoach Junckheeres) have far more leg room then the train.
- Much quieter then the train
- Much less bumpy ride then the train, smoother
- Lights turned off at night
- No annoying loud announcements

The last four points mean I can easily sleep on a coach at night, when I was never able to sleep on a train.

Trains have in their favour:
- Tables that make it easier to work with a laptop, etc.
- Easier to get up and walk around.

So the reality is they both have their pros and cons in terms of comfort, some will prefer the train, others will prefer the coach. But is is certainly ridiculous to call the bus "cattle class".

n97 mini

mickydoomsux wrote: »

I didn't realize you can buy Dublin Bus tickets online :-)

Loads of them.

Ticketmaster even sell them.

mickydoomsux

n97 mini wrote: »

Loads of them.

Ticketmaster even sell them.

Don't see any option to buy a ticket from point a to point b like a train ticket there. It's more 'passes' than tickets.

Hilly Bill

Is this turning into another Bus versus Train thread?

dowlingm

Hilly Bill wrote: »

Is this turning into another Bus versus Train thread?

Aren't they all... :rolleyes:

If Michael O'Leary was running IE fares would be 200 Euro on all routes at Christmas, All Ireland Final day etc.

There are some people here for whom fares are the sine qua non and rubbish all other considerations. They get butterflies at the thought of a fare price war (preferably one which bankrupts IE and/or BE) without recognising that the history of European and American air deregulation saw a lot of baby thrown out with the admittedly murky bath water.

VIA Rail Canada is obliged to charge a minimum fare, don't know why (i.e. a statutory condition or a Transport Canada regulation) but I would certainly favour a minimum based on distance on all NTA licenced routes using a mechanism used to determine reasonable costs and operators obliged to not sell below that cost. State licenced competition should seek efficiency rather than the attainment of monopoly by exhausting the resources of other operators.

bk

dowlingm wrote: »

VIA Rail Canada is obliged to charge a minimum fare, don't know why (i.e. a statutory condition or a Transport Canada regulation) but I would certainly favour a minimum based on distance on all NTA licenced routes using a mechanism used to determine reasonable costs and operators obliged to not sell below that cost. State licenced competition should seek efficiency rather than the attainment of monopoly by exhausting the resources of other operators.

If you are talking about the bus operators I don't think they are selling below cost. The cheapest ticket to Cork is €18 return. BE have always charged €21 for the same journey, so really not a big difference.

A price war was what you had in Galway when GoBus and CityLink were selling €1 tickets.

No the current prices for bus service to Cork, Galway and Limerick are all fine, what you want sounds like inflated prices to save Irish Rails neck ?

carlfleming

On Monday, I booked a Heuston to Galway trip for the 23rd and the 14.99 fare was available on all services at that time.

Jamie2k9

carlfleming wrote: »

On Monday, I booked a Heuston to Galway trip for the 23rd and the 14.99 fare was available on all services at that time.

Prices didn't change until Tuesdays. People will learn to book early to get cheap tickets.

MOH

Does this mean that their "sale" which invariably made my bookings €10 dearer is finally over?

foggy_lad

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Prices didn't change until Tuesdays. People will learn to book early take the express the bus to get cheap tickets.

People will see how much better off they are on the bus.

Jamie2k9

foggy_lad wrote: »

People will see how much better off they are on the bus.

This price didn't affect a huge amount of people only the ones who leave it last minute to book. The majority of travling public would of had there plans made and seats booked. Traveled to Cork last week and the train had 8 carrages (normally 7). Was on one or two other services and they were packed.