Aircoach Route Changes and General Discussion.

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123269680#Comment_123269680

That avoids needing to clean them doesn't it at the end of the day.

If you really want to see something enlightening, go and look at the various review sites and what the punters think of their services these days and note how at a certain point things started to become much more negative.

If you look back through this thread since it was started, the general poor attitude towards and treatment of customers is one thing that shines through. There has been very little done to improve the customer experience and rather a lot to do the opposite. They really need a customer champion in their business and industry experience at the top of the leadership, but I don't hold my breath.

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123193225#Comment_123193225

Latest twist with this, 3 of the Glasgow MMCs to airport spec which first were coming here, then were not, then were again, have now turned up in Bristol for expansion of the Airport Flyer service there.

Still 7 of them remain in Glasgow so those could still come to Dublin.

devnull

Had to be careful not to post this on April 1st.

A very well informed source has confirmed that First Bus are having an internal restructure. This will result in a number of local staff in operating companies losing their powers in favour of more central control from head office in Aberdeen.

Aircoach will now be transferred away from the consumer division to a new 'B2b' division to be headed up by Andrew Jarvis. As part of the changes, the companies will just be delivery units with no commercial decision making. It's believed that a lot of local commercial staff in First Bus will be being made redundant.

Taisteal Éireann

https://m.independent.ie/regionals/wicklow/bray-news/wexford-bus-gets-nta-go-ahead-to-pick-up-wicklow-passengers-on-dublin-airport-route/a637082428.html

Looks like Wexford Bus are picking up some of the slack left by Aircoach in North Wicklow. Still to be officially confirmed, but the article says "to serve additional stops, most notably Kilmacanogue", suggesting it'll likely be a N11 service rather than a direct replacement for route 702.

devnull

In the latest round of changes affecting First Bus UK, the company has confirmed that it will no longer offer support via Twitter / X for any of it's operating subsidiaries in the UK.

You will recall that Aircoach not so long ago disbanded it's own customer care team on the Island of Ireland in order to relocate it to their First UK Bus contact centre and reduced its phone line opening hours in the week and closed them completely at weekend and also stopped monitoring it's Instagram and Facebook accounts.

It has not been confirmed if the move to cease offering support on Twitter / X will affect Aircoach, but since the same team that handle First Bus UK social media also handle Aircoach, you would have to assume it is quite likely. If so, yet another negative move.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123386435#Comment_123386435

No sign of Matthews integrating into Aircoach or the wider First Group as of yet. Still seems to be business as usual for them. I see they've gotten a new Volvo 9700 double decker but doesn't appear to be of any sort First or Aircoach spec or livery so obviously ordered long before the takeover.

p_haugh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123387010#Comment_123387010

Sidenote, but from what I've read - they have 5 of those double deckers on order, and at least 2 have arrived so far (at least one was spotted at Rosslare Harbor last week)

bk

Well that would make things interesting if Volvo 9700 Double Deckers were to turn up on the Cork and Belfast routes!

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123387728#Comment_123387728

Doubt it. That would be a good idea and First/Aircoach don't do those

devnull

Aircoach have now deleted their Twitter account.

That means there is no way at all to contact them outside Monday to Friday 9am tn 5pm.

belfast stephen

anoyone know what the hold up is with theew new coaches

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123406545#Comment_123406545

The following 7 are due to arrive on the island of Ireland very very shortly and will be allocated to the 705X and operate from the Derry depot. They will feature traditional mirrors and will not be mirrorless.

Still to confirm length and seating, but 13.35m and 55 seats is what is rumoured, but been unable to confirm this. If that is the case that is to be welcomed as it should offer more legroom than the Mercs.

YT25DFO
YT25DFP
YT25DFU
YT25DFX
YT25DFY
YT25DFZ
YT25DGV

They will have their logbooks issued on either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. There are three more but unable to confirm the registrations at the moment.

The ex First Glasgow Airlink vehicles have now been debranded. Still no confirmation if they are coming to Ireland or not but from what I have heard whenever the due deckers do arrive, they will see the introduction of the First brand to Ireland.

Further information on these and other vehicles to follow.

belfast stephen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123420312#Comment_123420312

well 2 of the new coaches will likely need to be in belfast as there a at least 4 duties that start and or finish in belfast unless they change that but will likely require a timetable change also the new coaches will require a Northern Ireland PSV before being put in service

belfast stephen

Four of the new i6 coaches have arrived in Derry and 1 had the livery put on this afternoon

devnull

From the Aircoach website news section:

https://www.aircoach.ie/news/free-travel-card-survey

Our company is currently undertaking a survey of free travel passengers only who travel on our service/s. The purpose of this survey is to solely establish the volume of free travel passengers using our service/s at present.

The information collected will be shared ONLY with the Department of Social Protection (Free Travel Section). The information gathered is only being used to establish a fair level of compensation to our company for providing this service/s for free travel pass holders.

We therefore kindly ask you for your co-operation during the period of this survey (from 12th May '25 - 22nd May '26) in presenting your free travel passes to our staff. Our staff will only gather information and return the pass to you.

Should you have any questions on this survey you can contact the Department of Social Protection's Free Travel Section on 071-9157100 or 0818 200 400 and the option is 2 for HHB and Free Travel.

I can't believe they do not know how many free travel pass holders are using their services, as that would be ridiculous, so this feels like they are just collecting evidence to try and lobby the Department of Social Protection to pay them more for the patronage of free travel pass holders.

devnull

The Aircoach site has had a new skin added to it, it looks a bit fresher but the content is pretty much the same.

What is noticeable is that the traditional Aircoach blue colour is pretty much nowhere to be seen, it's all dark blue and orange, which just further suggests there is a rebranding potentially on the way away from the current livery.

p_haugh

Irish Rail now offer an Aircoach add-on for connections at Pearse (for Rosslare line services) and Drumcondra (for Sligo line services), on top of their existing Dublin Express add-on for Heuston bound passengers.

devnull

Apparently an Irizar in livery was seen going from Derry to Dublin today, haven't seen it myself though. Don't think it was in service.

Also the 6th and 7th bendy Irizars for the car park shuttles have turned up

251-D-34779
251-D-34859

d51984

Disappointing , they seem to have crammed in 55 seats, unsure if theres a toilet on board. Note the Airporter logo masked over in second photo, no idea what thats all about. ( photos from Irish Transport Forum)

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123459750#Comment_123459750

Still not been able to confirm the seating/toilet arrangement of them, but the length is not 13.35m.

The Mercs are 53 seats with toilets and 55 without for comparison.

belfast stephen

this appeared in Upper queen street this afternoon 

belfast stephen

The 1st i6 entered service today on the 12:55 from Derry and then another is on the 14:55 form Derry

devnull

Another bunch of photos here.

Notice that they took the Irizar badge off the front and replaced with a First Logo which honestly I don't see the point of, because it's not exactly a well known logo round here.

devnull

Some updates

Two of the Enviro 400MMC Deckers from the Glasgow Airport shuttle have been seen out and about and are currently believed to be undergoing type and driver training at the moment.

6x Irizar i6s (25110, 25111, 25113, 25114, 25115, 25116) are now in service on the Dublin to Derry (Via Belfast Route)

1x Irizar i6 (25117) is currently in Dublin, believed for publicity shots and other duties. It will operate on the 705X in due course once this work is complete.

From a photo I have seen The Irizar's seats are fabric in First Group corporate colours (Purple, Pink and Blue) with a small leather blue portion at the top in the middle.

5x 2018 Volvo B11R / Plaxton Panther 3s (F33/20933, F34/20934, F35/20934, F37/20937 F38/20938 previously operating from NI on the 705x are now officially withdrawn and on their way to UK First subsidiary Lakeside Coaches following the introduction of the new Irizars.

Of the remaining 2 2018 Panthers stabled in NI, F39/20939 remains in service, whilst F36/20936 is currently acting as a reserve vehicle if needed. Both of these will join the other 5 at Lakeside coaches once more Irizars enter service.

devnull

So today is the Official Launch day of the new coaches on the 705x route.

The first review from a customer is in from the Irish Transport forum and it is not positive. The reviewer, The Travelling Soldier also has photos of the interior, so please give it a check out if you are interested.

Took a trip to Belfast on one of these new Daf i6 buses a few days ago and to say I was cramped was an understatement. No room whatsoever between the seats and if you try to recline your seat and someone is behind you then forget about it.

They look nice from the outside I will give them that, but inside there is no comfort whatsoever. The charging port for your phone is awkward as its under the seat. The toilet is at the back corner on ground level and not in the steps as reported before and you can see in the photos attached.

Pretty sure they are 55 seaters however they might be 53. Either way they're all crammed into a basic double axle rather than a tri axle. They are wheelchair accessible but you need to book 36 hours in advance for them to the remove either 4 or 6 seats to get the wheelchair in. Ulsterbus and DublinExpress don't have this problem as you can simply show up in a wheelchair and you'll be taken onboard without any issues whatsoever.

Slow and awkward.  Never again. Back to using DublinExpress and Ulsterbus Goldline again. DublinExpress have toilets which is great but they also have amazing legroom between the seats and have great reclining seats. Translink do not have reclining seats or a toilet however they are a millions miles ahead of this company, nothing "coachy" about them. Should be called Airbus not Aircoach. Their only grace is the toilet. Never again.

However Aircoach have now issued an official press release and say the coaches are state of the art and luxury and in their social media post launching the new vehicles, stated they had interiors for the 'ultimate journey'

Aircoach has unveiled a state-of-the-art fleet of ten new coaches for passengers travelling to both Belfast International and Dublin airports from Derry/Londonderry and between Belfast, Dublin Airport and Dublin City Centre.

An investment of £3 million in the new fleet comes as the approaching summer season will see thousands of visitors travel between North and South and to Ireland’s two main airports on the company’s 705X service. 

The new luxury coaches will bring a number of improved features and upgrades, including:

Onboard Toilets: A standout feature and ultimate convenience for passengers on long journeys.

Reclining Seats: Providing extra comfort for a restful journey

High Speed Wifi: Ensuing passengers stay connected

Brand-New Coaches: Brand new and state-of-the-art vehicles equipped for best performance and passenger comfort.

The new fleet will provide seamless transportation options for commuters, students, holiday-makers and visitors, offering an efficient and reliable service from the North West region to Belfast International Airport, Dublin Airport and Dublin City Centre, including direct routes from Belfast to Dublin Airport and City Centre (O’Connell Street).

In addition to the new fleet, Aircoach is introducing a new Young Person Fare offering even greater value on this popular route. Families can enjoy a 10% discount, with significant savings also available for group bookings.

All ticket options and best fares are available online at aircoach.ie.

Kim Swan, Managing Director of Aircoach said:

“We are thrilled to launch these new passenger coaches, designed to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

“As the holiday season approaches and people begin to make travel plans, we are excited to introduce this state-of-the-art new fleet where comfort and convenience go hand in hand.

“The investment reflects our commitment to delivering the best travel experience possible for our customers and in particular for those travellers making longer journeys.”

They also ran a promotion of the first 75 passengers to book on the 705X would get a free ticket to celebrate the launch of the new coaches, which is not a bad idea commercially for once!

belfast stephen

there still playing catch up with Dublin express with having a Toilet plus Dublin Express has better leg room i think Aircoach missed a trick when ordering the new i6 coaches they ordered the wrong length

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513932#Comment_123513932

Probably don't want to spend the extra money on tyres for a triaxle

bk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513947#Comment_123513947

You can always put less seats in a dual axle instead!

Given how spacious and comfortable the DX coaches are (and the Volvo's on Citylink to Cork too), it seems foolish given the competition they face.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123513983#Comment_123513983

Sure we all know that. The problem is the management want to run it from the UK and aren't looking at what the local competition is doing.

If they weren't so foolish they wouldn't have brought in the disastrous Galway route, the ridiculous extension to Derry on the Belfast route and the dogs dinner they made of Greystones and Leopardstown routes that have since been reversed well scrapped in the case of the Greystones route. It's madness they are letting the competition runs rings around them and doing nothing to counteract.

devnull

Two more i6s have now entered service on the 705x making eight in total with two more still due. This has allowed the last two NI based Panthers to be withdrawn and they are now at Lakeside coaches where they have joined the other five NI Panthers that were withdrawn by Aircoach last month.

In addition all the four Mercedes Tourismos based in NI without toilets have also been withdrawn and are on their way to join part of First's operations in Scotland. Since this, it's been noticeable that a duty or two each day on the 705x is being worked by the toilet equipped Dublin Mercs, that never operated on the 705x before. I assume due to a desire to ensure there is a toilet on each vehicle. The Mercs will no doubt go back to the 704x once the last two i6s are delivered.