brt for dublin?

tom1ie wrote: »

well i'll give them one thing, between metrolink and bus connects, the nta really know how to hype things up and build up people's expectations. If they don't deliver itll be a huge waste of money and another example of a government quango making a bollix of things. I hope it doesn't come to that.

In fairness to them, they have a really good track record so far in delivering on projects. Well them and TII, they work closely together.

Don't get me wrong, all their projects haven't been perfect or always on time, but in general public transport has greatly improved over the last 15 years.

- The licensing of multiple intercity coach operates has mostly been a massive success. The quality of service in all respects offered by the new operators is VASTLY superior to BE and has lead to up to 60% increase in journeys on these routes. I love it and so do most who take them. Dublin Coach is the only fly in that ointment.

- Luas has been a massive success, 98% public approval rating. A great example of modern transport and people love it. Some bumpy patches over the last 6 months with the introduction of Luas Cross City, but even those seem to be getting worked out.

- Lots of other smaller modernisation projects, RTPI, Leap, GT/SG class buses, double deckers in Cork City, new bus stops and shelters in Cork City, journey planner apps, etc. All very good stuff.

Frankly we have seen more positive change in public transport over the last 15 years, then the 40 years before it. Still loads more to do.

riddlinrussell wrote: »

Could you explain why Dublin Coach is a fly in the ointment? I've found their service to be great and the quickest option for Dublin to Belfast...

This stems from conversations over on the C&T forum. I've no personal experience of using them.

Yes, their service to Belfast is excellent, with brand new coaches, but this is because they face lots of competition on this route.

Their services to Limerick and the rest of the country are pretty poor. They are mostly using very old coaches and there are almost daily reports of these coaches breaking down. About a handful of coaches have also caught fire over the last year or so!

Maintenance, cleaning and presentation seems to be very poor on these routes.

On the Limerick route they face no direct competition and that seems to have lead them to operate a poor service overall.

On the Cork and Galway routes, the NTA allows two companies to operate the route, but with 30 minutes between each departure. This seems to work well, enough competition that both companies stay on their toes and have decent quality of coach and service, while not too much competition that leads to nasty bus wars.

On the Limerick route you see what happens when one company ends up with a monopoly and thus poor service.

riddlinrussell wrote: »

Thanks for that, I had heard some stories about their buses catching fire, I'd always be in favour of ensuring the routes always have some well regulated competition to ensure quality. If there are going to be dedicated QBCs for Busconnects then it should be done properly, maybe only NTA/TII approved services can use the lanes, definitely will require bus lane cameras for enforcement etc.

Just to point out Dublin Coach is a fully licensed service with the NTA, as are pretty much all coach and bus services that operate in Ireland. I'm not exactly sure how they ended up with a monopoly on the Limerick route, it seems to have been just an unfortunate turn of events there.