Citylink to Galway and bus comfort

bk

Went to Galway over the weekend using Citylink and I have to say wow, they really are the shining example of quality bus transport in Ireland.

Every Citylink coach I saw around Galway seemed to be new 2012 or 2013 Vanhool coaches.

One of the Vanhool coaches was particularly impressive, had to be the most comfortable public transport I've even taken in Ireland.

- The floor was a lovely oak wood style effect !!

Yup a high quality wood type floor like you might find in a nice house. I guess it must be much easier to clean then carpet and probably will look well for much longer then carpet flooring.

- Seats reclined very far back and also didn't automatically come back up when you sat up like some do, instead you have to use the handle to raise them back up.

- The seats were partial leather and had a very nice design and very comfortable.

- Back of seats had a handle to help steady yourself when getting up and a coat hook. Also a mesh back of seat holder and a fold down table with cut out for a coffee mug. Excellent.

- Seats had loads of leg room and a fold down leg rest. Also the seats were all flat, not theatre like on the GoBus/BE coaches, so plenty of headroom throughout.

- Interestingly the toilet was at the back of the bus and at floor level, rather then the mid bus, down the steps style you normally see on other coaches.

The toilet was very clean and modern and there didn't seem to be any issues with smells from it like you sometimes see on the Caetano Levantes which have similar floor level toilets.

- On boarding the lights were a very bright and intense white light, brightest I've ever seen, but when the journey started these lights were turned off and instead very subtle blue leds came on that allowed you to see, without disturbing those sleeping. You could of course turn on an overhead spotlight if you wanted to read.

- The build quality of the coach seemed excellent, with not a single shake or rattle anywhere. It also have a very smooth and quiet ride.

Absolutely fantastic coach, a pleasure to ride on and I consider it almost the perfect spec * for an intercity coach, I hope more companies copy this style.

* Toilet, wood flooring, flat seating, good legroom, back of seat mesh, tray table, hand rail, coat hook and reclining seat, etc.

I've never been so comfortable on public transport in Ireland, I slept like a baby the whole way from Galway to Dublin!!

I hope we get coaches like these on the Cork route some day.

For those interested, the coach was a dual axle and was white, hadn't been painted in the Citylink colours yet.

Citylinks website is pretty good and it is great that you can book tickets online just 15 minutes in advance of departure.

My one complaint is that the late night express buses e.g. the 1.15 am that I took, skip Dublin City and go straight to the airport. Not only is that inconvenient if you aren't going their, but means you have to pay €16 single rather then €10.50 that you would pay if going to the city, like I was. I hope Aircoach from Cork never do that.

Of course the Galway bus station is excellent as always. Again a shinning example of what quality private bus travel can be. Big, very clean and comfortable, with a great central location. Only complaint is lack of parking and lack of shop/coffee shop/restaurant on the premises.

Fantastic work Citylink, keep up the great work. Everyone else, copy them.

devnull

From what I believe Citylink are paying Callinan a sum in a five year agreement that happened some time back. This effectively means that Callinan have some degree of revenue certainty as the risk would be spread over both companies, depending what kind of commercial arrangement has been agreed to the way the revenue is being shared, if Callinan's are getting a set fee or it depends on certain aspects of performance such as passenger numbers for example.

If for example Callinan are getting a fixed fee, that is a great deal for them since they can invest in coaches and not worry about having to market the services, and get enough passenger since they are always assured of x amount of revenue so this will aid them for sure when it comes to making financial decisions in the future. Also Callinan have a range of private hire work so they could always use these coaches there and dispose of other ones after the contract ends if required.

I'd be surprised if the whole thing was on fixed fee though, because that would push most of the risk onto Citylink, who are now in this country little more than a brand since they have virtually no staff, no vehicles and are effectively operating as a franchise that contracts out the service to someone else without offering them directly. I'd say the deal suits both parties as it provides work for Callinan, whilst keeping the risk of signing long leases for expensive coaches off the books of Citylink.

They may well have done that having learnt the lessons that Aircoach have had with the Jonckheere's. which were bought with great ideas and investment in mind, and now may well have become a financial liability. That could still happen with Callinans, but thanks to the way Citylink have played this, it won't become a liability that they end up getting saddled with.

It's true though that Setra followed by Vanhool are the two top coach brands in Europe, they cost a decent amount but there is a reason for that. That is not to say a Scania PB and a Jonckheere can't be good too, but with everything equal spec wise, the Setra and the Vanhool will be at the top.

bk

Yup, and while I'm no expect, the Volvos seem to be pretty average (below all the others you mentioned). In particular with their theatre style seating.

I also read elsewhere that one of the big reasons that Callinans have gotten all of these new coaches is because they are much more fuel efficient then their previous models (which I believe included some Joncks), which could make a big difference on a frequent intercity service like this, in particular if they are on some sort of fixed contract.

LoonyLovegood

I'll be the first to admit that I hate bus transport, but Citylink Galway-Dublin is a pleasure. Train is still my first choice, but if I've to get a Citylink I'd have no problem with it.

Sponge Bob

CTYIgirl wrote: »

I'll be the first to admit that I hate bus transport, but Citylink Galway-Dublin is a pleasure. Train is still my first choice, but if I've to get a Citylink I'd have no problem with it.

Everyone with a brain hates buses. It is ingrained from years back. 5 hours from Dublin to Galway by BE with a long stop in Athlone in the rain and dark, no suspension of note, stuck outside Ballinasloe for ages etc.

However express buses are like Ryanair. It may not be a pleasure but you only have to put up with it for a few hours. Galway Dublin is a 2:30 schedule , on the hour every hour sort of service. I might even have a pint in Dublin before returning to Galway....sure there will be another bus in an hour anyway.

After about 3 hours buses get uncomfortable and cramped but Galway is no more than 3 hours to anywhere we generally want/need to go to ( Dublin Cork and Limerick) and that is why bus penetration in Galway is so high compared to other cities...than and we have had the frequent services and Bus Eireann PLUS 2 private operators and for many many years now.

As Galway goes...so goes the nation.

LoonyLovegood

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Everyone with a brain hates buses. It is ingrained from years back. 5 hours from Dublin to Galway by BE with a long stop in Athlone in the rain and dark, no suspension of note, stuck outside Ballinasloe for ages etc.

However express buses are like Ryanair. It may not be a pleasure but you only have to put up with it for a few hours. Galway Dublin is a 2:30 schedule , on the hour every hour sort of service. I might even have a pint in Dublin before returning to Galway....sure there will be another bus in an hour anyway.

After about 3 hours buses get uncomfortable and cramped but Galway is no more than 3 hours to anywhere we generally want/need to go to ( Dublin Cork and Limerick) and that is why bus penetration in Galway is so high compared to other cities...than and we have had the frequent services and Bus Eireann PLUS 2 private operators and for many many years now.

As Galway goes...so goes the nation.

It's still four hours with Bus Eireann, unfortunately. I've been on one bus that got in on time. Typical!

Citylink has a lot going for them in Galway. The new coach station is a lot easier to get a taxi to than the Bus Eireann station because you can bypass Eyre Square, and the coaches are far more comfortable. Even on a full bus I was on a while ago, it was fine. The bus can be quicker than the train in some aspects as well!

Sponge Bob

BUS E have new double decker coaches with 3 axles on their 20x Express Service and that should not take 4 hours. I fancy a trip on one of them one of the days. Foggy does too, must PM Foggy.

serfboard

CTYIgirl wrote: »

It's still four hours with Bus Eireann, unfortunately. I've been on one bus that got in on time. Typical!

Are you referring to the Dublin-Galway timetable? Because the latest one (Sep 2011) is scheduled for 3:25, with the expresses taking -

3:10 Busarus->Galway
2:50 Dublin Airport->Galway.

foggy_lad

Sponge Bob wrote: »

BUS E have new double decker coaches with 3 axles on their 20x Express Service and that should not take 4 hours. I fancy a trip on one of them one of the days. Foggy does too, must PM Foggy.

I'll be sat beside you on the very nice new double decker just as soon as they fit a draw bar and hitch up a trailer for my luggage:D

I have to say those LE coaches are far nicer and more comfortable than the SE's.

serfboard wrote: »

Are you referring to the Dublin-Galway timetable? Because the latest one (Sep 2011) is scheduled for 3:25, with the expresses taking -

3:10 Busarus->Galway
2:50 Dublin Airport->Galway.

Don't be minding those timings as they were made up along with the X8 timings which state 3.5 hours Dublin-Cork which takes an extra hour!

yer man!

bk wrote: »

Only complaint is lack of parking and lack of shop/coffee shop/restaurant on the premises.

You do know there is pretty big car park underground and two other multi-storey car parks less than a minute away.

With regard to the cafe, there is an area designated for it but it was never finished by the developer, you can see the stairs leading up to it in the main departure area. The bus station isn't fully completed either, you can see there's a massive gap between that building and the one next door.

bk

yer man! wrote: »

You do know there is pretty big car park underground and two other multi-storey car parks less than a minute away.

Sorry I meant drop off/pick up parking.

But yes, it is a fantastic facility.

yer man!

bk wrote: »

Sorry I meant drop off/pick up parking.

But yes, it is a fantastic facility.

Ah yes, that can be annoying, the taxis generally use up any of the space that is there.