Dublincoach.ie

jamo2oo9

Okay so I'm heading to Limerick for a seminar for DARE students in UL and I'm okay getting to UL from Dundalk, drops me off at the University but for going home, where would Dublin Coach pick you up for the Dublin route? This would be my first time getting the buses to Limerick now so I'm a bit nervous about it as I've to be back at 9:30pm.

Plan is to get the 8:30 bus from Dundalk 100X to Dublin Airport and change buses to get the X12 to Limerick. For return journey, leave UL at 5:00pm, change at Red Cow LUAS in Dublin to get to Dublin Airport and wait for 40mins to get the 100X bus back to Dundalk.

It's vital that I get the 5pm bus from UL with Dublin Coach. Bus Eireann leave at 5:40 which is too late for me as I'd miss my connection to Dundalk by a minute.

pigtown

All buses stop at the same stop in UL, just behind the Stables bar, you can't miss it.

jamo2oo9

pigtown wrote: »

All buses stop at the same stop in UL, just behind the Stables bar, you can't miss it.

Thanks a million, that's all I needed to know!

jamo2oo9

Just a follow up question, is Dublin Coach a public or private transport service? Would like to know if I can use my Free Travel Pass with them?

highlydebased

jamo2oo9 wrote: »

Just a follow up question, is Dublin Coach a public or private transport service? Would like to know if I can use my Free Travel Pass with them?

Private, so you will have to pay the fare.

schemingbohemia

highlydebased wrote: »

Private, so you will have to pay the fare.

This is not necessarily correct. Plenty of private operators accept the Free Travel Pass, you will have to ring them to ask as they may accept it on some services but not others, due to the Department of Social Protection closing the scheme to new entrants some years ago.

jamo2oo9

highlydebased wrote: »

Private, so you will have to pay the fare.

schemingbohemia wrote: »

This is not necessarily correct. Plenty of private operators accept the Free Travel Pass, you will have to ring them to ask as they may accept it on some services but not others, due to the Department of Social Protection closing the scheme to new entrants some years ago.

I'll email them now to find out! Thanks for the help

macroman

They do not accept free travel passes on the M7 Express (Ennis-Dub) service.

They do accept them on the 726 Portlaoise to Dub Airport service.

jamo2oo9

macroman wrote: »

They do not accept free travel passes on the M7 Express (Ennis-Dub) service.

They do accept them on the 726 Portlaoise to Dub Airport service.

Heading the direction of Ennis but stopping in Limerick, would it be the same? No reply from the email I sent earlier yet

LXFlyer

jamo2oo9 wrote: »

Heading the direction of Ennis but stopping in Limerick, would it be the same? No reply from the email I sent earlier yet

It doesn't matter which direction - it is the route per se.

jamo2oo9

lxflyer wrote: »

It doesn't matter which direction - it is the route per se.

But the route I'm taking is from Limerick to Dublin. Unless that's the same route from Ennis?

Is there a reason as to why they don't accept FTP on this route but accept it on the Portlaoise?

devnull

jamo2oo9 wrote: »

But the route I'm taking is from Limerick to Dublin. Unless that's the same route from Ennis?

It's part of the same route

Is there a reason as to why they don't accept FTP on this route but accept it on the Portlaoise?

The Portlaoise route was started before the scheme was closed to new routes whereas the Limerick/Ennis one was launched afterwards.

LXFlyer

jamo2oo9 wrote: »

But the route I'm taking is from Limerick to Dublin. Unless that's the same route from Ennis?

Is there a reason as to why they don't accept FTP on this route but accept it on the Portlaoise?

The M7 route is Dublin-Limerick-Ennis and that entire route is outside the Free Travel Scheme.


You can only use the free travel pass between Dublin and Limerick on Irish Rail, Bus Eireann and JJ Kavanagh's services.


The Dublin Airport-Portlaoise N7 route was established before the Department for Social Protection put a block on new routes joining the scheme.

jamo2oo9

Is there a reason to why the DoSP put a block on new routes joining the scheme?

markpb

jamo2oo9 wrote: »

Is there a reason to why the DoSP put a block on new routes joining the scheme?

Budget cuts.

AlekSmart

jamo2oo9 wrote: »

Is there a reason to why the DoSP put a block on new routes joining the scheme?

There is.

Lack of funds.

Also it needs to be borne in mind,that both Bus Eireann and Bus Atha Cliath downsized in the order of 10%,which rather neatly dovetailed into maintaining full access to the system.

This 10% reduction when allied with over 28,000 additional Free Passes issued in the same time frame,explains how the State Companies could continue to offer "Full Free Travel" to the DSP's customers...the reality being they were offering less of it.

With the DSP Free Pass already now restricted to a 50% discount on the M&A Coaches 828 PSO route,the next 12 months will see the first definite examples of the imminent new DSP arrangements.

The 2013 DSP Statistics are not yet to hand,however it can safely be extrapolated that we now have c.775,000 (Legitimate) DSP Free Passes in circulation.

serfboard

OP Are you getting the Dublin Coach service from The Red Cow to Dublin Airport? I wouldn't bank on that one if I were you. I got it from Dublin Airport recently and it was way late. I thought I had missed it. A bus driver from another company told me that because of the work at Newlands Cross, Dublin Coach is having a problem keeping to its timetable these days.

You might be better off going into the city ...

LXFlyer

serfboard wrote: »

OP Are you getting the Dublin Coach service from The Red Cow to Dublin Airport? I wouldn't bank on that one if I were you. I got it from Dublin Airport recently and it was way late. I thought I had missed it. A bus driver from another company told me that because of the work at Newlands Cross, Dublin Coach is having a problem keeping to its timetable these days.

You might be better off going into the city ...

Of course that would depend upon the time of day as well....

foggy_lad

AlekSmart wrote: »

With the DSP Free Pass already now restricted to a 50% discount on the M&A Coaches 828 PSO route,the next 12 months will see the first definite examples of the imminent new DSP arrangements.

That 5 bus a day route has very few passengers and was actually dropped completely by M&A because they could not make any money on it because there were no passengers! It was only when the NTA stepped up and paid them for running the service that they decided to continue as before.

The main problem with it is that for the journeys undertaken by the elderly and infirm and other free travel pass holders most will be taken by family or friends instead of having them pay for a service which was once free but withdrawn.

All the next 12 months will see is the route being wound up due to lack of patronage and passengers carried instead on extra local Ring-A-Link services at a greater cost to the taxpayer.

jamo2oo9

serfboard wrote: »

OP Are you getting the Dublin Coach service from The Red Cow to Dublin Airport? I wouldn't bank on that one if I were you. I got it from Dublin Airport recently and it was way late. I thought I had missed it. A bus driver from another company told me that because of the work at Newlands Cross, Dublin Coach is having a problem keeping to its timetable these days.

You might be better off going into the city ...

Ok, if you recommend me getting off in the City, where should I get off and how do I get to Dublin Airport or even to Busaras?

serfboard

jamo2oo9 wrote: »

Ok, if you recommend me getting off in the City, where should I get off and how do I get to Dublin Airport or even to Busaras?

The DublinCoach 5PM UL service is timetabled to be in Westmoreland St. @ 7:30PM.

The 100X is timetabled to leave Custom House quay every hour on the hour (except 11PM).

You can walk from Westmoreland St to Custom House quay. It should take about 5 minutes.

jamo2oo9

serfboard wrote: »

The DublinCoach 5PM UL service is timetabled to be in Westmoreland St. @ 7:30PM.

The 100X is timetabled to leave Custom House quay every hour on the hour (except 11PM).

You can walk from Westmoreland St to Custom House quay. It should take about 5 minutes.

That's dead on then, thanks for the help!

LXFlyer

OK - you want to go from University of Limerick to Dundalk and you need to be back around 21:30, as I see it your options are:

16:45 Bus Eireann route 304 (city service) from UL to Sexton Street, and walk to Colbert Station

http://goo.gl/maps/dA3Wu

17:45 train from Limerick to Dublin (Change at Limerick Junction) and arrive at Heuston at 20:00

LUAS to Busarus and walk to Connolly

20:50 train from Connolly to Dundalk (arrive at 21:42)
=================================================

17:00 Dublin Coach from UL to Westmoreland Street (arrive at 19:30)
19:50 Bus Eireann route 100X from Westmoreland Street (same stop as Dublin Coach) to Dundalk arrive at 21:35

If you miss the 100X, you can take the train from Connolly at 20:50.
=================================================

The 100X timetable is here:
http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1358427979-100X.pdf

As you can see it does stop in Westmoreland Street as per the list of city centre pick up points at the bottom of the page.

jamo2oo9

lxflyer wrote: »

OK - you want to go from University of Limerick to Dundalk and you need to be back around 21:30, as I see it your options are:

16:45 Bus Eireann route 304 (city service) from UL to Sexton Street, and walk to Colbert Station

http://goo.gl/maps/dA3Wu

17:45 train from Limerick to Dublin (Change at Limerick Junction) and arrive at Heuston at 20:00

LUAS to Busarus and walk to Connolly

20:50 train from Connolly to Dundalk (arrive at 21:42)
=================================================

17:00 Dublin Coach from UL to Westmoreland Street (arrive at 19:30)
19:50 Bus Eireann route 100X from Westmoreland Street (same stop as Dublin Coach) to Dundalk arrive at 21:35

If you miss the 100X, you can take the train from Connolly at 20:50.
=================================================

The 100X timetable is here:
http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1358427979-100X.pdf

As you can see it does stop in Westmoreland Street as per the list of city centre pick up points at the bottom of the page.

I thought about getting the train from Limerick to Dublin but I didn't know how to get to Connolly or Busaras from Hueston but turns out LUAS goes from there every 3-5 mins

If I do get the train to Dublin, I will most likely to take the bus from Busaras to Dundalk rather than the train as I would be home earlier (yes by 15mins).

Thanks for that!

Where would the Limerick City Bus pick me up in UL, guessing it's by the Stables Bar is it?

LXFlyer

If you got the 17:45 train then it does not connect into the 100X that arrives in Dundalk for 21:35 - you'd be taking the next one that arrives at 22:35!!!

If you take that option the train from Connolly is far faster.

jamo2oo9

lxflyer wrote: »

If you got the 17:45 train then it does not connect into the 100X that arrives in Dundalk for 21:35 - you'd be taking the next one that arrives at 22:35!!!

If you take that option the train from Connolly is far faster.

Ok, I see that now. Well it looks like mother can wait an extra 7mins for me. Will most likely get the train from Limerick to Dundalk. Bus from Dundalk to UL is the option I'm taking as it's quicker and leaves later (8:30 from Dundalk Bus Station and 8:00 from Dundalk Train Station).

You have been very helpful with this so thanks!

Just another question that you haven't answered, will the Limerick City Bus pick me up in the same place in UL at the Stables Bar that X12 drops me off?

LXFlyer

I believe it does - all the buses go from the same stop.

AlekSmart

Interesting to see Dublin Coach now utilising ex London Mercedes Citaro Artics on their Portlaoise service.

Not sure yet as to the configuration,but I sure do hope they have eliminated the Standee Capacity ....:eek:

LXFlyer

AlekSmart wrote: »

Interesting to see Dublin Coach now utilising ex London Mercedes Citaro Artics on their Portlaoise service.

Not sure yet as to the configuration,but I sure do hope they have eliminated the Standee Capacity ....:eek:

I wonder how their fireworthyness is Alek?