Dublin Bus - Google Maps

Thargor

Hi, has anyone ever seen all the DB routes all on the one map or something like that I could use to get an idea of what buses go where? Annoyingly just as I need this feature for SCD/Wicklow a lot of the "View on Map" links on the timetables pages have started loading a blank page instead of the usual map with t a marker for each stop along the route.

God knows how long it will take them to fix this so are there any other options in the meantime?

Paulj

Have a look at the core route map:
http://www.visitdublin.com/pdf/Core_Dublin_Bus_Routes_12_02_2012.pdf

It doesn't have all the routes, but gives you an idea of the main ones.

devnull

If you want to plan a journey use journeyplanner.transportforireland.ie

Paulj

Or http://hittheroad.ie/
It looks a bit easier to use than the offical transportforireland one.

Thargor

Thanks both, I think the problem might be just that the whole Sally Gap/Wicklow Way area seems to have been totally forgotten about transport wise, maybe there will be private options in Summer.

Alun

Trying to do any kind of serious walking in the Wicklow Mountains using public transport is a lost cause, regardless of the season. There are many threads over in the Outdoor Pursuits forum discussing the (very) limited options available.

Victor

http://www.wicklowmountainsnationalpark.ie/publictransport.html
http://www.dublinmountains.ie/transport/transport/

There may be some other services

Put your exact locations and relevant dates and times into www.a-b.ie and tweak the settings.

Thargor wrote: »

Thanks both, I think the problem might be just that the whole Sally Gap/Wicklow Way area seems to have been totally forgotten about transport wise, maybe there will be private options in Summer.

Quite simply, almost nobody lives there and people in Blessington have little in common with people in Bray, other than being in the same (somewhat contrived) county. In a distance of 20km on the Military Road from the Dublin Border to nearly Laragh, there are no houses or other buildings on the road. https://maps.google.ie/maps?saddr=Old+Military+Road%2FR115&daddr=Old+Military+Road%2FR115&hl=en&ll=53.151712,-6.303406&spn=0.341775,0.977783&sll=53.236532,-6.321065&sspn=0.002665,0.007639&geocode=FUtULAMdsIef_w%3BFe2aKQMda2Of_w&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=17&t=m&z=10

Alun

The Dublin Mountaineer hasn't run for 2 years now due to lack of interest / use.

Basically your only options are :-

The Enniskerry DB bus that goes to Shop River.

St Kevin's Bus to Glendalough, although the timings for this aren't suitable for anything other than a short stroll.

The Wicklow Way bus (http://www.wicklowwaybus.com/)

On the Western side, neither of the bus options really get close enough to the hillwalking areas to be practicable. It's about a 1.5 hour walk from Donard to Fenton's pub for a walk up Lug for example.

Filibuster

It's painful trying to look at the Dublin Bus routes on google maps on your phone. Very hard to move the map about, zoom etc. They have the map embedded on their website with no link available so you can open on your google map app. Bugs me no end.

bk

Yes, access to Wicklow mountains is atrocious.

I think it is something the badly needs to be resolved, it is a fantastic resource that we have in the Wicklow Mountains that is very attractive to tourists and foreign visitors.

What I don't get about it is that there is definitely big demand for such a service here. I was on the
St Kevin's Bus to Glendalough a few times over the summer and it was completely jammed every time. As in they have two buses from the city center, a third from Bray and yet they had people standing the entire length of the center isle for half the journey!

And that is on a service that runs too late for most hikers and costs €20 return!

A few months ago I went to Zakopane in Poland for hiking and I was blown away by their public transport system. They had what seemed liked hundreds of mini buses running all day between the town center and all the entrances to the various hiking trails. It cost just €1 for the trip!

They operated in a really interesting way, they didn't really operate to a schedule, how it worked is the bus would wait until is was filled and only leave then. The wait didn't take long, rarely more then 10 minutes. There was also always about three or 4 buses waiting to be filled in an orderly manner.

Nothing fancy, pretty basic mini buses and no RTPI etc. but boy did it work well.

I admit that Wicklow Mountains are further then the trails are from Zakopane, but I don't see any reason why a similar service couldn't work here too.

BenShermin

+1 BK, I've used the mini buses in Zakopane aswell, the set up is excellent. I remember the driver looking at me as if I'd ten heads on me when I tried to pay at the start of the trip. Nobody paid until the end, whoops!

While I doubt you'd be able to have such a mini-bus service from Dublin city centre to Dublin Mountains there's no reason why you can't have a hub at the likes of Bray Dart or Dundrum Luas.

LXFlyer

Well to both of the last posters, the Dublin Mountaineer service operated every weekend in a few years back on a loop from Sandyford Luas, servicing the Enniskerry Road, Ballyedmonduff, Glencullen, the Wicklow Way, Tibradden, Cruagh/Killakee, Hell Fire and Marlay Park. It operated up to five times a day.

It ended up being cancelled because not enough people used it, despite it being heavily advertised.

Hence I'm not so convinced that such services work.

Alun

I don't know why St Kevins Bus don't operate an earlier departure from Dublin. Their 7.30 departure from Glendalough gets into Dublin at 8.45am, so just turn that straight around and get into Glendalough at 10am'ish. The 16.30 departure from Glendalough could be done a little later too and would suit those who want to grab a drink / bite to eat after their walk.

As it is, there are a number of private operators catering to the tourists who want to do a gentle stroll around Glendalough, or do the "Wicklow experience" by driving over the Sally and/or Wicklow Gaps and get out for 5 mins at the car parks to take a picture or two, but nothing for more serious hikers who are without a car.

Thargor

Anyone ever hitchhike up there? Its easy to get out to Connemara region where transport is also non-existant with your thumb but Ive never done it in Wicklow...

Alun

I've known of people who've successfully hitch-hiked back from that area after getting lost and descending down to the nearest road, but not the other way round.

bk

lxflyer wrote: »

Well to both of the last posters, the Dublin Mountaineer service operated every weekend in a few years back on a loop from Sandyford Luas, servicing the Enniskerry Road, Ballyedmonduff, Glencullen, the Wicklow Way, Tibradden, Cruagh/Killakee, Hell Fire and Marlay Park. It operated up to five times a day.

It ended up being cancelled because not enough people used it, despite it being heavily advertised.

Hence I'm not so convinced that such services work.

I think it would be well worth trying this service again.

With the big influx of Polish, Brazilian, etc. now living in Ireland and who seem to love hiking, but don't have a car, I think there could be much bigger demand for such a service now.

I was regularly bringing groups of 10 to 20 foreigners on the Glendalough Bus to Glendalough over the summer. They all loved it, but complained that €20 was too expensive and too little time.

Given how busy I saw this service over the summer, I find it hard to believe that running a mini-bus on a regular route wouldn't be succesfull. Surely some enterprising mini bus driver could make a few bob doing this in addition to their duties elsewhere (drink buses, business park buses, etc.).

LXFlyer

The Dublin Mountaineer service ran from 2009 to 2011. Are you seriously suggesting that there has been a huge influx of people into the country that would use it since then that are completely different to those that were here then in far greater numbers?

If it did not work then, it is hardly going to be any more successful now.

I am not trying to be unduly negative here, but if a service that was heavily marketed could not work 3 years ago, it is hardly going to suddenly be an overnight success now.

bk

lxflyer wrote: »

I am not trying to be unduly negative here, but if a service that was heavily marketed could not work 3 years ago, it is hardly going to suddenly be an overnight success now.

How was it heavily marketed, I'd never heard of it before!

And that is as both a hiker and public transport enthusiast!!

Part of the problem with this service is that it only basically served Sandyford Luas -> Dublin Mountains -> Marlay Park.

You can actually already do this by public transport anyway. The Dublin Mountains are actually pretty accessible by the 16 (Marlay Park) and 44 Enniskerry Road.

You can actually do Marlay Park up to Jonny Foxes and then down to Kilternan in 16km walk, which might sound a lot, but is actually pretty easy going for most hikers (it isn't particularity difficult trail or steep). So I can see that it wouldn't necessarily be that popular.

What is really needed is a better service to serve the Wicklow mountains and all the trail heads around there. Even if the Glendalough Bus ran more services and started early and finished later it would be a good start.

I don't understand why they were running two coaches at the exact same time, when they could instead run an earlier and later service.

LXFlyer

bk wrote: »

How was it heavily marketed, I'd never heard of it before!

And that is as both a hiker and public transport enthusiast!!

Part of the problem with this service is that it only basically served Sandyford Luas -> Dublin Mountains -> Marlay Park.

You can actually already do this by public transport anyway. The Dublin Mountains are actually pretty accessible by the 16 (Marlay Park) and 44 Enniskerry Road.

You can actually do Marlay Park up to Jonny Foxes and then down to Kilternan in 16km walk, which might sound a lot, but is actually pretty easy going for most hikers (it isn't particularity difficult trail or steep). So I can see that it wouldn't necessarily be that popular.

What is really needed is a better service to serve the Wicklow mountains and all the trail heads around there. Even if the Glendalough Bus ran more services and started early and finished later it would be a good start.

I don't understand why they were running two coaches at the exact same time, when they could instead run an earlier and later service.

The bus was advertised on:

• Interior of Dublin Bus vehicles - full sized posters
• In County Council offices and public libraries
• In Motor Tax offices
• On South Dublin CoCo, DLR CoCo and Dublin City Council websites
• Coillte website
• Dublin Mountains Partnership website - who were the brains behind it
• Visit Dublin website and Dublin Tourism office

It was mentioned here on Boards.ie in the outdoor pursuits forum, on a whole host of outdoor websites, and was featured in the Irish Times and the Irish Independent when it was launched.

If all of that is not enough advertising in the appropriate forums, I'm not really sure what is. You clearly were otherwise occupied!

The bus provided a link from the LUAS to the Wicklow Way at Glencullen and Marlay Park, along with Cruagh and Tibradden forests and the Hell Fire Club.