GoBe Cork - Dublin Airport Expansion

Markcheese

Air coaches wonderful you have to book by 5pm the previous day system leaves a lot to be desired, and you're not always sure of getting the "next bus" if your flight is delayed...

bk

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Relationship is very deep. Actual GoBE coaches are used for Cobh all the time - not just filling in etc (and a Railtours yellow bus!). I'd say at least 30% of the Cobh services are run on GoBE branded buses, if not more*. I also recognise some of the drivers on Cobh Connect branded buses as GoBE drivers. CC is a major success - peak services would often have three coaches running for a single departure time.

Great to hear this route is doing so well in such a short time.

I just checked, it seems to be Barrys Coaches who have the Cobh Connect route license.

I believe Barry's is part of the Bernard Kavangh group of companies. Barrys/Eirebus/BK operated most of the GoBE coaches in the early days, though I think GoBE use more of their own now, but their is clearly still a deep relationship as you say.

I'd suspect the GoBE branded coaches you see on the Cobh Connect are actually Barrys/BK owned coaches, it sounds like BK are using them on both routes.

BK has long used their coaches all over the country. It isn't unusual for BK owned coaches in different branding to operate different services. For instance GoBE branded coaches have operated to Galway for GoBus!

And yes, not great for the public, can be very confusing for folks like your neighbours.

devnull

Markcheese wrote: »

Air coaches wonderful you have to book by 5pm the previous day system leaves a lot to be desired, and you're not always sure of getting the "next bus" if your flight is delayed...

Better to have to book before 5pm the day before and be guaranteed that they will be able to take you as they have time to organise extra capacity to meet whatever demand that exists rather than the GoBe system of capping the online bookings at a certain level and then saying, tough, we're full.

I had this experience a week back when I tried to book 5 tickets for GoBe services 4 days ahead and the departures I wanted didn't have enough room so GoBe turned me away as their system whilst allowing flexibility in booking to the last minute, it doesn't give them the opportunity to plan ahead operationally.

This doesn't help GoBe because they're essentially limiting themselves to a coach load of passengers for every departure time, whereas Aircoach could take multiple relief coaches without turning anyone away as long as they are booking by the previous day. With GoBe you'll be left stranded by the roadside because their one and only coach is full.

I think generally both Aircoach and GoBes policy is fair with accepting tickets on the next services, you should see National Expresses policy in the UK. If you miss your bus because your flight was late you pay again. They even sell an add -on which is not really cheap, to allow you to be covered if your flight is late. To me that is fundamentally wrong.

What I'm saying is to plan capacity adequately you either have to limit the number of customers you take (which means turning willing customers away) or take unlimited customers but close the bookings early enough that you can ensure they can all be accommodated and you can provide said capacity. If you have unlimited customers and can book up to minutes before departure you are going to end up with lots of customers stranded on the roadside.

The other thing is that if GoBe are full they are full so you're not going to jaunt down to their stop on the off-chance. With Aircoach you note they never use the word full and passengers know that even if they cannot book before 5pm they will still have some chance of getting on the vehicle, because the bus isn't full.

devnull

bk wrote: »

I'd suspect the GoBE branded coaches you see on the Cobh Connect are actually Barrys/BK owned coaches, it sounds like BK are using them on both routes.

BK has long used their coaches all over the country. It isn't unusual for BK owned coaches in different branding to operate different services. For instance GoBE branded coaches have operated to Galway for GoBus!

Some of the GoBe services are still operated by Barrys, quite a few more of them are now run in house than previously, but they still contract out to Bernard K a little bit, You can tell which coaches are Bernard K - they are normally the ones without route displays in the front windows, as all GoBus's vehicles have these and Bernard K ones rarely do.

Incidentally Bernard Kavanagh has been known to operate the same vehicles on the GoBe 707, the Aircoach 704X and the Bus Eireann X8 in the same week, which is quite something

Yggr of Asgard

This morning we had a 192 bus with brown seats which felt completely new.

The leg room was huge and the recline of the seats was spectacular.

I am not a bus expert so I do not know what type this was but it looks and feels great.

soundman45

192 volvo on the 6am Dub - Cork. Whilst im a big fan of Aircoach and what they do the Go BE fleet are far superior coaches for passengers yet the seem to struggle to attract passengers on the Cork route

Yggr of Asgard

soundman45 wrote: »

192 volvo on the 6am Dub - Cork. Whilst im a big fan of Aircoach and what they do the Go BE fleet are far superior coaches for passengers yet the seem to struggle to attract passengers on the Cork route

You on that one?

Yggr of Asgard

I like this new bus, even the WC is way better.

I still can't understand why not more people are using the service. I had 2 occassions on which I was the only passenger on the 0600 am.

With the waiting room in Cork to hide if it rains and the drivers usually being super friendly it is strange thay people pay more for Aircoach.

devnull

Yggr of Asgard wrote: »

I like this new bus, even the WC is way better.

I still can't understand why not more people are using the service. I had 2 occassions on which I was the only passenger on the 0600 am.

Probably because Aircoach have been running Dublin to Cork services for about 15 years now and when they launched Dublin to Cork non stop in 2012 they had a significent head start on GoBe and also was much cheaper and much more comprehensive in the service that GoBE offered when they launched until last year. When GoBus started on the Cork route the way Aircoach fought them off, resulting in GoBus making service cuts and price rises, was a textbook example of how to deal with a new entrant into a market.

The recent improvements to fares, commercial strategy and service frequency in the last year or so by GoBus just happened to co-incide with the ex Aircoach MD, widely regarded as one of the finest commercial brains in the business, joining Bus Eireann at a C level position. He is a great loss to Aircoach. I think the new Aircoach MD has brought more of a customer focus and some new operational ideas to the table and far better use of technology, but isn't the commercial brain that former MD Allen Parker was.

Aircoach always used to be the leader in comfort, by far ahead of their competitiors with their 2003/2004 high end Setras with 44 seats at 12.2m and 2008/2009 high spec Jonckheeres with 53 seats at 14m but when they switched to their more basic Panthers with 53 seats (or 49 + toilet) at 12.6m they really downgraded their product to the point where now I don't think they are worthy of the Travel in Luxury slogan like their preccessors.

Chris_5339762

It really would be useful, I think, if Aircoach and/or GoBe extended to Cork Airport.

Cork Airport - Cork - Dublin Airport - Dublin - Cork - Cork Airport

Would improve the diabolical transport from Cork Airport to Cork and would be really useful when I'm doing odd flight connections. Could park at Cork Airport, bus to Dublin for a direct flight to whereever, and then get a slightly more expensive connecting flight home to Cork.

n97 mini

They wouldn't be able to pick up in Cork airport and drop off in Cork city, or pick up in Cork and drop at Cork airport, so it'd be of limited use to Cork people wanting to use their local airport.

Chris_5339762

Thats the thing though, why not? There is no earthly reason (other than some licensing) why they couldn't.

devnull

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Thats the thing though, why not? There is no earthly reason (other than some licensing) why they couldn't.

Wouldn't be given a license for it I'd say, as Cork to Cork Airport is already served by a public service obligation route funded by the taxpayer. Besides the extension to the route that you suggested would not be commercially viable so neither GoBe or Aircoach would be interested in doing it in a million years.

soundman45

Yggr of Asgard wrote: »

You on that one?

Lovely new coach and your man.driving dressed like he was going out for a pint on a Saturday night, strange set up.

Yggr of Asgard

soundman45 wrote: »

Lovely new coach and your man.driving dressed like he was going out for a pint on a Saturday night, strange set up.

That driver is always great and always manages to arrive a little early. Unfortunately he is now doing tours so he is less on the route.

But I agree that coach was nice, hopefully I get that one again.

belfast stephen

What kind of coach is it on a 192 Reg

devnull

belfast stephen wrote: »

What kind of coach is it on a 192 Reg

Vplvo 9900, it's not a GoBus / GoBe coach it's a Bernard Kavanagh coach that normally operates on CIE Tours duties in that livery, so isn't likely to be a regular occurance.

belfast stephen

There has been a Volvo 9900 coach on GoBe service a few times

belfast stephen

I see GoBe Aircoach and Citylink are moving stops in cork

We wish to advise our customers to faciliate ongoing works on St. Patrick's Quay, our normal pick up and set down stop will be temporally relocate to Alfred Street from 06:00hrs on 19th July 2019 until 16th August 2019

devnull

belfast stephen wrote: »

There has been a Volvo 9900 coach on GoBe service a few times

When not required for tours yes, but Bernard Kavanagh's 9900's are primarily for tour use on behalf of CIE.

Old diesel

Only problem with the 9900 is that a customer might feel let down if an "less nice" coach arrives the next time.

The 9900 sets an expectation that the regular coach can't match.

Havent been on a 9900 - but it's the high level offering from a company who as standard norms gets its coach offerings spot on from a passenger viewpoint.

So I expect that it's completely lovely to travel on

n97 mini

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

Thats the thing though, why not? There is no earthly reason (other than some licensing) why they couldn't.

Same reason I can't get off the bus from the airport to Ballina at Lucan, even though it stops there (pick up only): Licensing.

It's ironic that in many cases those living further from an airport have a better service than those who live closer, but here we are.

belfast stephen

devnull wrote: »

When not required for tours yes, but Bernard Kavanagh's 9900's are primarily for tour use on behalf of CIE.

Only 1 of the 9900 coaches is in CIE tours livery the rest are in Bernard Kavanagh livery with TAUCK names which is another tour company Bernard Kavanagh do work for

belfast stephen

The 192 Reg coach is s Volvo B11R MCV project 523

Yggr of Asgard

devnull wrote: »

Vplvo 9900, it's not a GoBus / GoBe coach it's a Bernard Kavanagh coach that normally operates on CIE Tours duties in that livery, so isn't likely to be a regular occurance.

That is what I suspected, looks like the driver/coach is a pairing and as he did not have tours that day he did the dublin-cork run.

Yggr of Asgard

belfast stephen wrote: »

I see GoBe Aircoach and Citylink are moving stops in cork

We wish to advise our customers to faciliate ongoing works on St. Patrick's Quay, our normal pick up and set down stop will be temporally relocate to Alfred Street from 06:00hrs on 19th July 2019 until 16th August 2019

Nothing on the website yet, but twitter has a nice picture

https://twitter.com/GoBeCork/status/1149709899775008773

belfast stephen

http://gobe.ie/temporary-stop-closure/

https://www.aircoach.ie/news/service-704x-temporary-stop-relocation

https://www.citylink.ie/useful-info/service-updates

soundman45

n97 mini wrote: »

Same reason I can't get off the bus from the airport to Ballina at Lucan, even though it stops there (pick up only): Licensing.

It's ironic that in many cases those living further from an airport have a better service than those who live closer, but here we are.

You have a direct service every hour on the Airport Hopper, not good enough?

n97 mini

soundman45 wrote: »

You have a direct service every hour on the Airport Hopper, not good enough?

Not really. Last bus is at 21.50. Last BE bus to Ballina at 23.20 in contrast.

Yggr of Asgard

192 this morning at 0600 from Dublin again.

Still only approx 20 passengers.