Citylink or GoBus

cocoman

I am travelling to dublin next weekend (from Galway) and will probably take the bus. Is there any difference (comfort, travel time, etc) between either of the two above?

Mrs OBumble

One goes at quarter to the hour, one at quarter past.

CL are a smide (50c) dearer if you don't book on line. And CL have some buses that go direct to the airport without stopping in Dublin City centre.

b.gud

I always feel that there is very little between the two and I view them as interchangeable. So which one I pick is usually dependent on which time suits me best on the day.

snubbleste

BÉ have a €12 promo if you travel between 1000-1500

Foxx92

snubbleste wrote: »

BÉ have a €12 promo if you travel between 1000-1500

Is that the bus that goes through every town on the way? Took me nearly 4 hours to get from Galway to Dublin on it over the Summer!

snubbleste

Foxx92 wrote: »

Is that the bus that goes through every town on the way? Took me nearly 4 hours to get from Galway to Dublin on it over the Summer!

Yes. It's scenic.

antoobrien

gobus has a loyalty scheme if you make 10 one-way journeys you get the 11th free. Handy if you travel reasonably frequently.

Unrealistic

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

One goes at quarter to the hour, one at quarter past.

CL are a smide (50c) dearer if you don't book on line. And CL have some buses that go direct to the airport without stopping in Dublin City centre.

Last time I checked Citylink was €1/€2 dearer on the return trip whether you booked online or not. GoBus also has a number of buses each day which go directly to the airport without stopping in the Dublin city centre. My preference is generally for GoBus because I have had much better experiences with them when it comes to being able to reschedule a journey. Citylink are much more strict on that count.

Mars Bar

antoobrien wrote: »

gobus has a loyalty scheme if you make 10 one-way journeys you get the 11th free. Handy if you travel reasonably frequently.

It really is. I managed four free journeys when I was living in Dublin. I'm a big fan of Go Bus. They have sockets on most of their buses now too!

I used to use City Link when I was in Limerick. They were great but not many of their buses had toilets. I don't know if that has changed now.

wp_rathead

Prefere CityLink myself, alot of their buses has sockets aswell which is very handy

PYRAS13

Gobus has nicer fleet. All Volvo 9700 12 or 13 and few 141 Neoplans

gugleguy

go bus coaches feel more claustrphobic than city link. i use city link. bus eireannn if i have to.

pleasant Co.

I prefer gobus personally

emptybladder

GoBus for comfort, and they're Galway-owned, as opposed to an Asian conglomerate.

Laviski

Jayzus lads give it a rest.

CL slightly dearer
One goes at 45 the other on 15.

Its a bus nothing fancy about it.
Nuff said?

Mr Keek

If going to Airport, it's GoBus, they are pure sound if your flight back to Dublin is late; you can just hop onto the next bus without any issues if you've made a booking in advance. Citylink might be the same facility(never tried) but I'm not going to chance it when I know GoBus will look after me.

For town, I used Citylink a few times lately as the girlfriend booked it, they have better located bus stops.

RE Comfort, some of the GoBuses don't have great legroom, some have plenty.
With Citylink, I've never had any issues with leg room, so it's luck of the draw with GoBus!

I'd prefer to spend my money on GoBus, simply because it's a Galway company though.

Best seat in the house is the GoBus double decker, upstairs in the front seat!

TheHappyChappy

yep upstairs front is pretty good

inisboffin

I prefer Gobus for all the positives listed.
I had to get Citylink for timing 4 or 5 times in the last two months, and only once did I have enough wifi to check my emails properly. And yes - I let them know. If you travel enough, the little things like consistency and 'frequent flyer miles' do make a difference. If you are travelling infrequently though here's much of a muchness I suppose. The front of the double deckers is nice.

GekkePrutser

I prefer Citylink, I always use their 'EirEagle' service that doesn't stop in Dublin at all.. I always hate that wasted hour snaking through the city (and it means the bus is usually packed too). I even change my flight times to match the buses as there's only a few services during the day

Direct with no Dublin City center stop is the only way I'd even consider the bus. I hadn't taken it for years because there was no such service, I just used the train or drove. I think it's a big plus. It's a bit more expensive (16,50 online, 18 in the bus) but usually not too packed and you get free water and a newspaper.

I don't care about the wifi as I just use my own 3G, not sure if it's any good. The last time I was on it the driver said it was upgraded but I didn't use it anyway.

Edit: Ah as someone said earlier, I see Gobus now has direct services too (unfortunately around the same times as citylink/eireagle), I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the heads-up! I might check them out next time if the time suits.

inisboffin

Yeah, I mostly use it to the City, not airport, and I use the time to work on my laptop, so I guess reason for travel is a big factor as to what you want.
Clean loos also influence my decision!

Mrs OBumble

The only other differentiator between them in my eyes is the Dublin City pickup point.

I find the GoBus one quite dodgy at night, and found I was being followed going down there one night. Nothing happened, because I noticed your man and did a hide-in-the-crowd-and-turn around outside Tara St station. But I'm sure he had intent (tested several times by stopping and playing with my phone etc), so CL got my return fare that night - and since then I tend to buy a single each way if I take GoBus up to the city, so I can come back with CL.

gugleguy

inisboffin wrote: »

Clean loos also influence my decision!

And fully functioning airconditioning on all my CL journeys compared to GB.

inisboffin

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

The only other differentiator between them in my eyes is the Dublin City pickup point.

I find the GoBus one quite dodgy at night, and found I was being followed going down there one night. Nothing happened, because I noticed your man and did a hide-in-the-crowd-and-turn around outside Tara St station. But I'm sure he had intent (tested several times by stopping and playing with my phone etc), so CL got my return fare that night - and since then I tend to buy a single each way if I take GoBus up to the city, so I can come back with CL.

Yeah it can be quiet down there at night. The last bus usually has a lot of people, the second last one is quiet. Although at weekends I find the Citylink stop much rowdier with more drunks and people trying to rob bags. I avoid it then.
I tend to buy singles too to be honest, but book online if I know an hour before when I am going.

inisboffin

gugleguy wrote: »

And fully functioning airconditioning on all my CL journeys compared to GB.

Really? Have you found that? I've found all gobus acs grand bar one. It is a newer but more old fashioned looking bus, with no personal controls. It gives me a headache. On the Citylink I got stuck twice in the 'gaping hole' air conditioner. Although I would rather be chilly than stuffy given the choice.

BTW I don't work for gobus but do travel a lot.

GeorgeAndPop

I don't find any difference between the two so I always just buy a single with whoever is leaving next. That means I'm not tied to either for my return journey and can do the same coming back.

Although if it's true that GoBus have plugs I might try and get them in future.

I did get the Eireagle service from Dub Airport before, I believe that's done by Citylink? The bus was brand new and pretty sweet.

Patrickheg

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

The only other differentiator between them in my eyes is the Dublin City pickup point.

I find the GoBus one quite dodgy at night, and found I was being followed going down there one night. Nothing happened, because I noticed your man and did a hide-in-the-crowd-and-turn around outside Tara St station. But I'm sure he had intent (tested several times by stopping and playing with my phone etc), so CL got my return fare that night - and since then I tend to buy a single each way if I take GoBus up to the city, so I can come back with CL.

Gobus is owned by a local galway man who has always been innovative (1st to take on bus eireann about 20yrs ago, 1st to go non stop to via motorway, 1st to offer free wifi, 1st to offer on board toilets, 1st to offer a loyalty club, very simple to use website, very friendly staff(good luck trying to change your tickets time with citylink!) etc etc).

Citylink as has been mentioned is owned by a lazy Singapore company who before gobus were set up didn't seem to give a damn about their customers and were very expensive and their buses were sub standard as they had a monopoly and when threatened by gobus they were set up tried to run them out of business by operating an illegal service and false prices(seats for 99c).

Sound like a fan boi but haven had to endure citylink for years pre gobus have no interest in using them

soundbyte

+1 for GoBus. I travelled Citylink back in the days it was owned by Jim Burke, the Tuam sham (respectfully). He took on Bus Eireann and Nestor's by doing 'straight' runs to Dublin and was a huge success.
He sold the route to a Brit company (now Singapore) which desperately tried to be Oirish (first 'Irish City Link', now 'Eireagle'), then came back as GoBus.
Comfortdelgro (Citylink) tried to put him out of business by operating an express service without a licence therefore no insurance (Google it). That didn't work, so they tried to make themselves more Oirish by leasing from Callinan Coaches in Claregalway for certain services.
Now, they rebrand as 'Eireagle' and have a sponsorship deal with Connacht Rugby.
That crap doesn't sit well with me, I'd rather pay my tenner (and regularly do) to a real Galway company, rather than the world's biggest transport company (Comfortdelgro).
I have no connection to Burke's Buses, I just know Jim is local, has created a fcuk load of jobs, has a fleet of 12 and 13 G coaches and I know where I'd rather, and do, spend my cash.
The Comfortdelgro business plan is to undercut the competition (coaches, taxis etc). That hasn't worked in Galway, and I'm delighted for that.

Mars Bar

As a fellow Tuam sham who used Burkes and GoBus regularly (I drive now), I think Jim Burke should be put forward for a Knighthood.

Mrs OBumble

Patrickheg wrote: »

Sound like a fan boi but haven had to endure citylink for years pre gobus have no interest in using them

How many years, exactly?

I don't know when the two companies started operating. But I'm sure that:

• When I was first here in August 2007 there was only BÉ and Nestors.
• By June 2009 (when I started taking detailed notes about public transport changes in the area), both GoBus and CityLink were operating under those brands.

I can't see that leaves many year's to have been enduring CL.

Now if it was BE that you were enduring, that would be a different thing. (We got them to Athlone over the weekend, cos the times/stops were a better fit, and it brought back all sorts of long and unpleasant bus journey memories.)

JoeA3

I remember when Citylink started out (early to mid 1990's?), there was a great novelty in the "direct non stop route to Dublin", long before the M6/M4, so the bus still had to travel through all those godforsaken towns on the old Dublin road! I think there was some loose affiliation to Supermacs too (Did Pat McD have a share?)... the original pickup point in Galway used to be near the current taxi rank in Eyre Sq (near Supermacs) and the drop-off point in Dublin was outside Supermacs O'Connell street!

siltirocker

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

How many years, exactly?

I don't know when the two companies started operating. But I'm sure that:

• When I was first here in August 2007 there was only BÉ and Nestors.
• By June 2009 (when I started taking detailed notes about public transport changes in the area), both GoBus and CityLink were operating under those brands.

I can't see that leaves many year's to have been enduring CL.

Now if it was BE that you were enduring, that would be a different thing. (We got them to Athlone over the weekend, cos the times/stops were a better fit, and it brought back all sorts of long and unpleasant bus journey memories.)

City Link were on the go since '96. Used to travel up to visit family once a month.

wp_rathead

Citylink out to Clifden is a Godsend (soundest drivers you could hope for aswell)

soundbyte

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

How many years, exactly?

I don't know when the two companies started operating. But I'm sure that:

• When I was first here in August 2007 there was only BÉ and Nestors.
  

Citylink was operating here at that time. It was formed in the early 90s by Jim Burke and then sold in 2002 to its current owners.

Thargor

Anyone seen "Routemaster" or something like that posters up around the city offering €6-8 trips to Dublin?

emt16

Thargor wrote: »

Anyone seen "Routemaster" or something like that posters up around the city offering €6-8 trips to Dublin?

Yeah but it goes into every town on the way


If you are a student, why not use the train for more comfort. €22 return and similar journey time

Notch000

emt16 wrote: »

Yeah but it goes into every town on the way


If you are a student, why not use the train for more comfort. €22 return and similar journey time

go bus or city link are way more comfy than the train, be very surprised if the train is an y faster either. 2 hrs on a bus up the motorways, easy.

Mrs OBumble

soundbyte wrote: »

Citylink was operating here at that time. It was formed in the early 90s by Jim Burke and then sold in 2002 to its current owners.

Cool .. learn something every day.

They must have been shyte at marketing in 2007 though, if tourists didn't know about them.

GekkePrutser

Notch000 wrote: »

go bus or city link are way more comfy than the train, be very surprised if the train is an y faster either. 2 hrs on a bus up the motorways, easy.

How's the train less comfy?

In the train you can walk around to stretch your legs, there's way more seats (so most likely nobody to sit next to) and big tables. Good lighting, stable ride. Power for the laptop. Snack service most of the time. Much more room for bags overhead (even my small soft backpack hardly fits in the bus overhead when my laptop is in it).

I love the train trip. It takes about as long as the bus and the extra fare is worth it to me.

I just wish there was a quick way to get to the airport from Heuston. The bus eireann 'airlink' is a joke, it goes crisscross through the city centre. If there was a quick bus along the N4/M50 from Heuston (around 15 mins) I'd never even consider GoBus/CityLink.

inisboffin

GekkePrutser wrote: »

How's the train less comfy?

In the train you can walk around to stretch your legs, there's way more seats (so most likely nobody to sit next to) and big tables. Good lighting, stable ride. Power for the laptop. Snack service most of the time. Much more room for bags overhead (even my small soft backpack hardly fits in the bus overhead when my laptop is in it).

I love the train trip. It takes about as long as the bus and the extra fare is worth it to me.

I just wish there was a quick way to get to the airport from Heuston. The bus eireann 'airlink' is a joke, it goes crisscross through the city centre. If there was a quick bus along the N4/M50 from Heuston (around 15 mins) I'd never even consider GoBus/CityLink.

There's a load of reasons for me:
Cost: Buy train for a last min trip and the costs are nuts. Plan 3 weeks in advance and they are better. I often need to travel last minute.
Frequency: See above, not enough trains, none back later in evening which I need most.
Catering: no booze now, overpriced sambos, bring one on yourself to the bus!
Comfort: The train is often FREEZING. If there is a match on or something, forget working or sleeping en route. Although that may change now that they have banned booze on Dub/Gal route (announced next week). Also if you want a snooze, announcing the station every 20 mins in (often) broken tannoy is a mind f*ck. Give me the bus any day. Train didn't used to have wifi so I am assuming from your post it does now?
Bus to City Centre is also faster. I used to love the train, so this is coming from a place of sorrow!

bobbyss

Unrealistic wrote: »

Last time I checked Citylink was €1/€2 dearer on the return trip whether you booked online or not. GoBus also has a number of buses each day which go directly to the airport without stopping in the Dublin city centre. My preference is generally for GoBus because I have had much better experiences with them when it comes to being able to reschedule a journey. Citylink are much more strict on that count.

I had an unused complimentary ticket from City Link( due to a previous cancellation) from Dub to Galway. It was valid for 6 months. When I tried to use it on a Galway-Dublin route I was not allowed even though the bus that i take is half empty. So this inflexibility puts me off city link.

Mrs OBumble

Personally I've never had a problem changing CityLink tix: just rock up to the bus I want to get on, show the driver the ticket I have and say "can I travel on this one instead" - they've never said no.

Of course I wouldn't try if the bus was full, or going the opposite direction to my ticket, that's just daft.

inisboffin

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Of course I wouldn't try if the bus was full, or going the opposite direction to my ticket, that's just daft.

I get the 'full' reason, but why is the 'different direction' daft? Isn't it just also requesting a seat on a different bus on their Dublin Galway return route?

bobbyss

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Personally I've never had a problem changing CityLink tix: just rock up to the bus I want to get on, show the driver the ticket I have and say "can I travel on this one instead" - they've never said no.

Of course I wouldn't try if the bus was full, or going the opposite direction to my ticket, that's just daft.

I telephoned them prior to my trip to ask if I could change the direction of the journey Gal-Dub instead of Dub-Gal.

And this is daft because... ?

GekkePrutser

inisboffin wrote: »

There's a load of reasons for me:
Cost: Buy train for a last min trip and the costs are nuts. Plan 3 weeks in advance and they are better. I often need to travel last minute.
Frequency: See above, not enough trains, none back later in evening which I need most.
Catering: no booze now, overpriced sambos, bring one on yourself to the bus!
Comfort: The train is often FREEZING. If there is a match on or something, forget working or sleeping en route. Although that may change now that they have banned booze on Dub/Gal route (announced next week). Also if you want a snooze, announcing the station every 20 mins in (often) broken tannoy is a mind f*ck. Give me the bus any day. Train didn't used to have wifi so I am assuming from your post it does now?
Bus to City Centre is also faster. I used to love the train, so this is coming from a place of sorrow!

Yes the price is good only when booked more than a week in advance (14.99 to Dublin). If you travel within a week it's upped to 21.99 and even higher in the last day or two. The only time I ever go up to Dublin is to take a flight so I can book early (as I book the flight early as well). I haven't actually been to Dublin city itself in the last 2 years :P

I agree about the late trains back by the way, this is annoying when I'm on a late flight. I actually like the lower temperature, the bus is often too hot for me. But this is a personal preference (I wear T-shirts all year round ). And I'm happy with the alcohol ban.

The train does indeed have free WiFi now, it also has a nice landing page which shows the location and timetable of the train. Not sure if it works well, I rarely use it. I have my own 3G with a bigger data package than I use, which is safer.

But indeed, there are benefits to each. I mainly like the train for being less cramped. Though I usually just drive these days.

antoobrien

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

They must have been shyte at marketing in 2007 though, if tourists didn't know about them.

I don't think were aiming at the tourist market really at this stage, it was more locals going to & from Dublin. The company blurb has them being set up in 2003.

I have to say though, that I don't notice any major differences between the two services - I really don't get the 'gobus feels more claustrophobic comments' neither one of them is loaded with extra space.

I get whichever one is running at the most suitable time - e.g. on my most recent trip to Dublin, I got the citylink up and the gobus home - though I have a preference for gobus due to their loyalty programme.

civis_liberalis

Anyone know if you book GoBus online, do you have to use the exact service you book? Like if a flight is early or late, can you take another one, assuming there are seats? Asking here because can't wait until tomorrow to hear back from GoBus. Thanks.

wp_rathead

yes 99% sure they will - have two friends who went earlier and was no prob

civis_liberalis

wprathead wrote: »

yes 99% sure they will - have two friends who went earlier and was no prob

As I was about to book, someone was insisting to me that it wasn't the case. To be honest, I would trust an anonymous stranger on the internet far sooner, on this subject anyway! Thanks for clearing it up.

inisboffin

civis_liberalis wrote: »

As I was about to book, someone was insisting to me that it wasn't the case. To be honest, I would trust an anonymous stranger on the internet far sooner, on this subject anyway! Thanks for clearing it up.

Gobus will be very likely to let you on IF the bus isn't full.
Citylink will be *unlikely* to but saying that the odd driver will do. (statistic disclaimer, 2 friends refused, one got on).

This is from personal experience, and that of friends and family, and the ongoing pub chatter regarding the salt and vinegar vs cheese and onion bus services!

Mrs OBumble

Yah, they will.

BTW, Bus Éireann are getting with the programme from April: http://news.galwaytransport.info/2014/03/bus-eireann-galway-dublin-bus-service-improvements.html

civis_liberalis

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Yah, they will.

BTW, Bus Éireann are getting with the programme from April: http://news.galwaytransport.info/2014/03/bus-eireann-galway-dublin-bus-service-improvements.html

Bit of a strange one, agree?