Dublin Airport Bus Service Changes & Discussion

belfast stephen

anyone know what is wrong with the Aircoach Galway service on Thursday 7th March they are asking for passenger's with a booking to check the e-mails and it not showing on the booking system

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858527#Comment_121858527

Services are not operating tomorrow. Unfortunately they are not willing to say more than that to passengers whom have not pre-booked services it seems. It shows a complete lack of regard for potential walk up passengers of their service and is completely unacceptable for any public transport operator not to be transparent about the fact they are not operating services.

If you couple this with the fact that they have removed their own tracking function from their website and have stopped reporting any kind of cancellations of services when they happen in general and have resorted to replying to complaints on their reviews with AI rather than replying to them properly, it creates a very clear picture of how much Aircoach value their patrons these days, a far cry from the old days indeed.

What's interesting is that despite the fact they have no tracking on their website, according to driving staff at the company, they are now able to nanny drivers and see when they make 'unscheduled stops' and each time they accept or sell a ticket on their own in-house tracking software and even what type of ticket it was. It's rather ironic they have that level of eyes on their drivers, whilst at the same time they can't even tell potential customers that certain services are not running or provide on-site tracking information.

stephenjmcd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858206#Comment_121858206

Dublin bus have the 747 dublin airport to Heuston & 757 which just says Dublin Airport - Dublin Airport.

Licenced until 2026

Are these new or have the licences never been given up by DB since they previously ran them ?

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858605#Comment_121858605

See further upthread, these are new licenses, the old ones expired and were given up.

belfast stephen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121857952#Comment_121857952

would there be much passenger demand for a serivce from Terneure i assume there much be for Dublin express to be providing there serivce

belfast stephen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858602#Comment_121858602

yea seems very strange

p_haugh

Wonder what the route will be, I assume it'll be through the city centre via Rathmines etc.

p_haugh

It's been officially announced just fyi (still no exact routing, mind you)

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121859186#Comment_121859186

That’s the question! :-)

john boye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121859186#Comment_121859186

Would surely use the M50. Going through town would make it no better than the 16

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121859699#Comment_121859699

Limited stop services and more direct routing would outperform the 16 handily even going through the city - Santry bypass and bus lanes has the 700 get to Drumcondra Station in 13-15 minutes in evening traffic (even if it is scheduled for 10 on some peak services!) whereas the 16 is scheduled for 36 at the same time of day.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121859699#Comment_121859699

Firstly it’s much needed additional capacity which is the key factor right now at the airport.

I doubt it’ll be via the M50 - potential loadings wouldn’t be great. Airport services need decent traffic generators en route, and the lack of same is why Aircoach dropped their Ballinteer route.

At a guess, I would expect it’ll be via Rathgar and Rathmines looping via Terenure Road East and Rathfarnham Road outbound, and Bushy Park Road and Zion Road inbound before joining the 784 routing at Kelly’s Corner.

bk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121859956#Comment_121859956

I'd assume it will use the port tunnel too. It would all add up to being a lot faster then the 16.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121859981#Comment_121859981

I'm kind of surprised it's terminating at Terenure surely it would make more sense to continue it to serve some of the Rathfarnham or Tallaght area.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860330#Comment_121860330

PVR and drivers may be a reality. Terenure at least allows connectivity with several major bus routes across south Dublin.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121858060#Comment_121858060

Hilarious stuff. At least devnull won’t have to go through the journalistic motions of protecting their “very reliable” source

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860409#Comment_121860409

Many people have informal sources and I wouldn’t knock that.

It allows for a greater understanding of how things work (or don’t), and of future developments, even when some posters knock it back as “they know better”.

devnull

The present Aircoach 706/706X service to Galway from Dublin will be withdrawn, with the last day of service of the current route being on 7th April. Effected Staff were informed in a meeting today.

bk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121861933#Comment_121861933

That sucks for the staff and for customers / healthy competition.

It is also not particularly surprising, it seemed like a strange route to start given the competition on the corridor. A reflection of some pretty poor decisions being made over the last few years.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862072#Comment_121862072

Not one bit surprising though. Hopefully the competition authority will do something about the Citylink monopoly.

Derry will be next to go probably. Wonder are Aircoach changing up their strategy now Dervla is gone.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862072#Comment_121862072

Any Dublin based staff will presumably be needed to keep the Dublin routes going; not much use if you lived in Galway.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862109#Comment_121862109

Hopefully maybe the Galway route being gone will mean they can add extra services elsewhere to the likes of the Belfast route or the Greystones route. Their gonna need to start being more competitive with Dublin Express and sharpish.

Gold7

As long as the Dublin to Belfast route is kept. Pity about the Galway service I used it myself just the timetable was all over the place.

belfast stephen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862081#Comment_121862081

Derry here to stay and with new coaches on order for the 705x and the Tourmiso's moving possibly to Dublin for the 700 or even across the water to the uk the lack of luggage on them is a big factor as the Wheelchair lift takes a big chunk of space

bk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862081#Comment_121862081

Given that the competition authority approved Citylinks take over of GoBus, I doubt it. Plus look how they have ignored Dublin Coaches domination of the Limerick corridor for years!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862109#Comment_121862109

True. I'd say plenty of demand for coach drivers in Galway too from other companies, so I hope not too painful for them.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862169#Comment_121862169

Jeez, those Tourismo have been a disaster, terrible leg room, no competition at all on the Cork route to Citylink's much bigger tri-axle Volvo 9900's which have tons of legroom. I thought the lack of legroom might be ok'ish on the likes of the 700, but sounds like they have other issues too!

Any idea what the new coaches might be?

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862081#Comment_121862081

Well the competition authority only allowed the takeover of GoBus by CityLink on the basis that Aircoach would be operating the services that they did. I still think that it was a mistake by the competition authority because anybody with any clue about the commercial realities of the market would know that the sheer number of services those companies were running between them would make it almost impossible for a new entrant to make the route successful, which has proven to be the case.

I know that there were a number of people involved in CityLink/GoBus who were happy as pigs in a certain something that Aircoach were willing to start operating on that route, because there is no way they would have been able to have merged their operations without having to make some serious concessions. It couldn't have worked out better for ComfortDelGro in terms of this corridor since the takeover went through and what is more is that Aircoach literally gave them a helping hand on the way.

What is totally clear now though is that the relevant competition authorities and the NTA must take action on the Galway corridor if they haven't already. There is no way now that a new operator is going to go into that corridor unless CityLink are made to relinquish one of their licenses or the NTA are willing to sanction non stop services on the Galway to Dublin route.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862124#Comment_121862124

Dublin Express have really schooled them commercially, it's quite embarrassing how awful Aircoach have been commercially over the past number of years, it's hard to think of much they have got right.

Whilst Dublin Express have been busy promoting themselves, doing deals with many third parties, building a significant ticket agent network, getting a good presence at Dublin Airport and procuring premium vehicles, The Aircoach commercial team has been focusing on stuff like recording podcasts on buses, Winning awards for creative partnerships in Derry with the Arts and focusing on making Wellbeing stuff available on board. I mean I'm not saying Aircoach shouldn't be doing these things, but the image I'm seeing is one company who is getting on with the nuts and bolts and basics of drumming up demand and custom of their services and another one that is trying to do nice things and be a nice member of the community it serves.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862169#Comment_121862169

Anybody could have told you that the spec they picked for the Tourismo's was poor. The Tourismo is a great vehicle but the spec that they picked was just dire. Considering the amount that they paid for them as well. I never understood the idea of buying a premium marque of vehicle and then specifying it with what is basically a budget interior. It makes no sense whatsoever. When I heard that they were getting Tourismo's I thought it would be a good step forward, but in reality, they're bought a more expensive coach than the Panthers, and then essentially pinched as many pennies as they could on the spec. Cent wise and Euro Foolish basically.

Also nobody required them to use the wheelchair option that they did for the Tourismo, that again was a management choice, if you are going to have that kind of wheelchair lift then of course it is going to take up a fair amount of luggage space. Couple that with cramming in 55 high density seats in the shortest 12m Tourismo in the range isn't going to help either is it. If they went for a longer version, they would end up with an extra locker of valuable luggage space, so again it comes down to poor decision making from whoever signed the spec off.

Another expensive mistake.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862081#Comment_121862081

The amount that they have spent on vehicles for the Derry route (which are unsuitable according to another poster) and acquiring Airporter and everything else that goes with it is staggering. I remain completely sceptical that the Belfast to Derry Leg can ever offer a return on the investment that they have made on it. If they're throwing yet another set of vehicles at it, it beggars belief, especially when they have surrendered frequency on the successful Belfast to Dublin section of the route, which Dublin Express with it's far superior vehicles, have only been too happy to take care of.

In relation to Dervla going, I have to say she was an incredibly likeable person and I think she'll do well in Go-Ahead Ireland. She had time for everyone and was generally someone I know many speak highly of and she did bring a number of good traits and forward-thinking ideas to Aircoach. However there were some questionable decisions commercially under her leadership and the lack of any experienced commercial senior manager in the business with experience in the Irish Bus and Coach industry in her time really showed. But at least she did have experience in the Bus industry all be it in the UK, despite by her own admission, having no previous commercial experience.

The unfortunate thing is the current MD has no bus industry experience at all anywhere before taking her current role and she has now been in the post six months and honestly I'm yet to see any positive changes. What I have seen though is a reduction in transparency. Under the new MDs leadership Aircoach have no coach tracker on their website, no longer post cancellations and today they cancelled an entire day of service on the 706X without any kind of announcement at all which meant anyone who didn't book a ticket ahead or read here, would have never known their services were not running. Essentially potential walk-up customers were abandoned by the roadside today, and that is unacceptable and the NTA need to be issuing a serious fine for things like this. Public transport users deserve better.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121861933#Comment_121861933

It looks like the last day of operation is in fact Sunday 7th April.

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121864237#Comment_121864237

That's what I meant. Awful typo! Thanks for correcting!

TranslatorPS

@devnull your wording of "the current route" is interesting for the linguistically picky ones among us – does it mean that somebody has something in store for a future route, or is it just an ellipsis to not repeat the route numbers?

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121864730#Comment_121864730

Just a result of what happens when you write on your mobile quickly without a lot of time, see also the slip I made on the date. no need for any conspiracy theories.

I did notice however the TFI API data for Aircoach says the current timetable on the 702 to Greystones is only valid until 22nd April, which suggests that could be getting a revision post that.

TranslatorPS

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121866719#Comment_121866719

No worries, it wasn't a conspiracy theory (far be from it for me to make up those!), just a curiosity thanks to the wording. Thanks!

davetherave

TFI Journey Planner and BusTimes have the 783 routing and timing up, starting on the 20th or 21st of March.

Terenure, Rathgar, Rathmines, Ranelagh, Harcourt Street, Kevin Street, Christchurch, then up along the quays and through the Port Tunnel. Journey timetabled as an hour.

https://www.journeyplanner.transportforireland.ie/timetables?serviceId=026%20783&direction=INBOUND

https://bustimes.org/services/783-dublin-airport-terenure

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121869184#Comment_121869184

Not a bad route in terms of generating customer numbers, but I can never understand schedules being drawn up that don’t change the running tImes during the day to reflect the expected traffic conditions.

Having buses taking the same journey time at 04:07 and 08:07 is daft.

The first 16 passes Terenure at 05:44 and is scheduled to arrive at the Airport at 06:44. That’s 7 mins faster than the 783!

The 16 journey times do extend outwards as the rush hour progresses and for most of the day the 783 will have a significant time advantage until later in the evening.

Good to see extended operating hours.

p_haugh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121869184#Comment_121869184

Interestinly bustimes has it listed with BK & Sons for the operator, rather than Dublin Express. I know they're contracted to run Dublin Express services, but the 3 other DE routes still show Dublin Express as the operator.

p_haugh

Seems like a tight turnaround at Terenure, given it has to do this loop to get from the last outbound stop to the first inbound stop. According to Google maps thats a 9 minute drive but the timetable only gives 7 minutes between services (8 minutes if you take Fortfield Road, but can that accomodate coaches?)

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121870121#Comment_121870121

Fortfield Road can easily accommodate coaches.

p_haugh

Was seeing if Google Maps showed the 783 yet for those dates (it doesn't), but I did notice Dublin Express services include the link for tickets when planning a trip. Assume it's pulling this from the National Express system given it shows it in pounds.

alentejo

8 euro compared to 2 euro for the 16? Not so sure about the new route! I think the new route is very "roundabout" from the south side to the north side for a journey which might save you somewhere between 0 to 20 minutes depending on traffic. For a premium bus route, would expect it to be a bit more Direct!

It takes 20-45 minutes to get a taxi in most traffic.

bikeman1

One little “trick” I tell people heading to the airport is to “step back” onto other routes on the Swords road to skip out the Beaumont loop, which at peak times can add 10/12 minutes going around there.

Hop on a 41C to Omni and then step back to a 16 which you may have overtaken. Just a quick check on the app.

Often a 16 pulls out of the airport and two minutes behind is 33, 41B/C. Hop off and wait a minute and take them straight into town.

If you’re travelling light, it’s a good move. I’ve even managed to catch the 16 12 minutes ahead by OCS!

devnull

Aircoach 706X Cancellation statement

After long and careful commercial consideration, Aircoach intends to exit the Dublin/Galway route corridor.

As a result, our 706/706X route will cease to operate from 00.01 on April 8th 2024. The termination of the 706/706X route will include the terminus point at Galway Coach Station and all intermediary stops between Galway and Dublin Airport.

Aircoach remains deeply committed to providing All-Ireland passenger transport connections and delivering services to and from the West of Ireland remains part of that commitment. We are currently evaluating route options and commercial opportunities.

Meanwhile, we wish to sincerely thank our many loyal customers who travelled with Aircoach on the 706/706X route to and from Galway and its intermediary stops. We also thank our employees who enable the service every single day and all stakeholders involved.

Customers who have already made bookings to travel on April 8th and thereafter, will be individually contacted by Customer services to cancel and get a refund. Alternative travel options provided by competitors are available along this route such as Citylink and GoBus www.citylink.ie.

We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause and we once gain express our gratitude for choosing Aircoach for your coach travel.

coylemj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121880412#Comment_121880412

This will hopefully result in an increase in the frequency of other services. Thinking especially of the Greystones (702) service. Which still only runs eight times per day, the first service departs Greystones at 4:10 a.m. and every two hours thereafter with the last departure from the airport at 20:05.

As expected, there's virtually nothing about the withdrawal of the Galway service on the Aircoach website. Click on Help/Latest Updates and you'll see only one announcement since Dec 6th last which is about diversions caused by the St. Patrick's Day parade.

The only indicator on the Galway (706/706X) timetable page is the small text 'valid until 07/04/2024' above the timetable grid - no banner headline at the top of the page announcing the withdrawal of the service. Which is the least you'd expect.

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121883256#Comment_121883256

They have denied this on social media, but at the same time as stated previously the current timetable has an end date of 22nd April on the TFI feed so there might well be something happening from around that date.

In relation to no news about the service being withdrawn, I'm not sure what you're expecting. They pulled a full day of service of the route without putting any public notice up last week to hold the meeting to inform staff. The fact that walk-up's were left oblivious by the roadside because there was no public notice didn't seem to bother Aircoach one iota.

The new MD has been in post for six months now and I'm sorry to say the only change that I've seen so far is a company that lacks even more transparency than it did before in terms of services that are not running. It is a shame to see what has happened to Aircoach over the last few years.

coylemj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121884798#Comment_121884798

Which 'currrent timetable' are you referring to? The 700 (Leopardstown), Greystones (702) and Killiney (703) timetables on the Aircoach wesbsite say they're valid until 23/12/2024.

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121884918#Comment_121884918

The TFI feed that is used on bustimes.org and other sites states that the Greystones timetable is in effect until 22nd April. Could be an error when the date was uploaded to the TFI system, but could also indicate a timetable change that hasn't been coded into Aircoach.ie

dublinman1990

Are there many passengers currently using the Aircoach to get to Dublin Airport from Greystones particularly on the stretch between Greystones and the Rock Road in Blackrock via the N11?

stephenjmcd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121886678#Comment_121886678

Yup there would be.

Only way to guarantee getting on is to book in advance.

Only last week it left people behind in shankill on a few runs.

Now there are times where it's quiet but in general its a busy service.

Lots of demand locally in Bray anyway for earlier and later buses.

belfast stephen

Aircoach

there is a timetable to Change to the 705x from Sunday the 24th March

p_haugh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121898009#Comment_121898009

Went to check if it's loaded into TFI Live/Bus times yet, and is it just me or does the 705x not appear at all? I can see all other Aircoach routes bar that one.

soundman45

According to a post on Facebook on greystones forum Simon Harris is saying that Aircoach have applied to return the 702 to an hourly frequency which should be in place before "start of summer" but no mention of it reverting back to 24hr service.

p_haugh

The current 702 timetable (on TFI Live at least) is only loaded until the 22nd April, so that may also indicate changes are inbound.

However on the Aircoach website it says the current timetable is valid until the end of the year. We shall see in time, I suppose!