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New Carlow town bus service

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    #62
    cgcsb
    Registered Users Posts: 9,297 ✭✭✭cgcsb


    I think they need to be more ambitious with town buses. I'm seeing towns all over Ireland explode with apartment building which shows we're finally adapting to urban living, the support for that needs to be there. Athlone, Carlow and all similar size towns should have buses running 6am to 12am and the town centres should have a high degree of bus priority or bus only streets. Athlone for example could easily have the bridge bus and bike only. It'd really make the towns more pleasant places to live work and walk around.



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    #63
    mikeybhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭mikeybhoy


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120613542#Comment_120613542

    Would resources not be better used towards connecting larger towns like Athlone and Carlow with the surrounding rural area as opposed to buses just within those towns. For example an hourly Carlow to Kilkenny bus serving Leiglinbridge, Bagnalstown and Paulstown may be useful as would a regular Athlone to Mullingar bus serving Moate.

    One difference I notice between public transport in Ireland and the UK not that the UK is a shining light is that there seems to be a lot of bus routes operated by Arriva, Stagecoach, First etc. running to connect smaller towns as opposed to just within the one town or city.



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    #64
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120613788#Comment_120613788

    That would work fantastic except for one thing, namely, the Irish planning system which allowed one-off houses to be built all over the gaff. See the red dots below and thats only the ones that have been mapped on OSM, there are a lot more still to be added

    image.png

    If we had been stricter and required building only in cities, towns and villages, rural life would look a lot different from a services & amenities POV



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    #65
    LXFlyer
    Registered Users Posts: 17,584 ✭✭✭✭LXFlyer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120613542#Comment_120613542

    There are more town services apparently being planned by the NTA - but like everything else they need buses and drivers!

    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120613788#Comment_120613788

    That’s pretty much what the Connecting Ireland plan is all about I would suggest.



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    #66
    mikeybhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭mikeybhoy


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120613901#Comment_120613901

    Yeah that's true. But a lot of is local link buses now that's fine but in my opinion lot of the local link operations are very ad hoc with small independent operators running buses with limited resources.

    The Local Link services are not really proper professional public transport operations in many instances. The vehicles are of a questionable standard, a lot of cases there isn't recognised bus stops the bus will just pickup where ever it is "safe" to do so, a lack of proper ticketing equipment and drivers not properly trained or presented. It doesn't give a good image of a reliable, professional service that is attractive for users.



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    #67
    BlueSkyDreams
    Registered Users Posts: 3,323 ✭✭✭BlueSkyDreams


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120614772#Comment_120614772

    Your last sentence sums up Dublin Bus users experience also.



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    #68
    cgcsb
    Registered Users Posts: 9,297 ✭✭✭cgcsb


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120613788#Comment_120613788

    No, resources should be focused on making towns more liveable than scattering funding to the four sheets of the wind in an effort to prop up a failed, anywhere will do, housing policy.



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    #69
    LXFlyer
    Registered Users Posts: 17,584 ✭✭✭✭LXFlyer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120614772#Comment_120614772

    Sorry but that simply isn’t true in the case of the regular services.

    Most of them are operated by the likes of Bernard Kavanagh, JJ Kavanagh, Wexford Bus, Wharton’s and other long established bus companies.

    They all either have or are getting modern ticket machines that are capable of taking LEAP and will be capable of taking contactless payments in due course.

    Anyhow this thread is specifically about the Carlow bus service - I would suggest that discussing the merits of other towns and inter-town services might be better in its own thread, rather than derailing this one.

    Post edited by LXFlyer on


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    #70
    feargantae
    Registered Users Posts: 547 ✭✭✭feargantae


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120613788#Comment_120613788

    Honestly I disagree completely. It's all and good to have Carlow town/Graiguecullen connected with Co Carlow towns like Muine Bheag or Leighlinbridge but Carlow town/Graigue needs its own local bus service to encourage growth, especially now considering we've the University. A regular, reliable and cheap town bus service will help convince people to leave their cars at home too.


    I think it's interesting that they're saying they'll review routes once the service is up and running considering other towns like Athlone have only ever had 2 routes, the A1 and A1



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    #71
    Charles Babbage
    Registered Users Posts: 5,539 ✭✭✭Charles Babbage


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120613887#Comment_120613887

    Good idea. Force the people into a configuration to suit the service rather than have the services serve the people.

    For 95% of Ireland there are no more houses than ever there were. People do not chose to live in villages because there is no effort to provide houses there and there is probably no service there either.



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    #72
    LXFlyer
    Registered Users Posts: 17,584 ✭✭✭✭LXFlyer


    Regardless of the wide disbursement of housing in rural Ireland, there is an under-provision of public transport between towns across the country and within towns too.

    The Connecting Ireland programme will address a lot of these - it won't suit everyone, but if it can deliver services that allow a reasonable number of people to live in one village/town and work in another, that's a positive.



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    #73
    cgcsb
    Registered Users Posts: 9,297 ✭✭✭cgcsb


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120645991#Comment_120645991

    'Force the people into a configuration' this is called urban planning and it is the only way that public utilities can be provided, there would be no running water, sewers, electricity telecoms or public transport without 'forcing the people into a configuration'



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    #74
    Charles Babbage
    Registered Users Posts: 5,539 ✭✭✭Charles Babbage


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120646267#Comment_120646267

    As I said, proactively make villages attractive and people will want to live there. This is quite different to Ceaușescu type solcial engineering on behalf of the bus company.



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    #75
    Peregrine
    Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 26,399 Mod ✭✭✭✭Peregrine


    Announcement next week. Mid July launch.



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    #76
    cgcsb
    Registered Users Posts: 9,297 ✭✭✭cgcsb


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120646649#Comment_120646649

    But in 2023 not many villages have industries attracting people to live and work there



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    #77
    Citrus_8
    Registered Users Posts: 1,161 ✭✭✭Citrus_8


    Cheaper and more efficient economically and ecologically is to promote people living in the cities and towns or at least large villages, but not small villages or even once off houses in the middle of nowhere as they need to travel longer and will require services which can't be offered close enough. The problem is that some people move from the cities to the villages and expect equally or similarly available services which is difficult to deliver and expensive to maintain.



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    #78
    Nokia6230i
    Registered Users Posts: 1,861 ✭✭✭Nokia6230i


    Sunday the 16th of July is the launch date as per KCLR 96 FMs 11am News this morning via Mayor Cllr. Fintan Phelan FF; Cllrs., Bus Eireann, NTA etc. boarded a trial bus this morning covering the two routes.

    6am-12 Nidnight 7 days a week

    55 Cents for U-24s & €1.10 Adults

    https://kclr96fm.com/new-carlow-town-bus-service-to-be-trialed-later-today/



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    #79
    feargantae
    Registered Users Posts: 547 ✭✭✭feargantae


    Looking forward to this being up and running! I hope it's a massive success for TFI/NTA



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    #80
    crushproof
    Registered Users Posts: 2,748 ✭✭✭crushproof


    Brilliant news, what a transformation and hopefully an excellent blueprint for other towns around the country. Funny to think Carlow will have a later service than most Dublin bus routes.



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    #81
    feargantae
    Registered Users Posts: 547 ✭✭✭feargantae


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120695236#Comment_120695236

    Strange isn't it? Even Athlone only runs from about 7am to 8pm and earlier again on weekends! And we're taking their old busses too.



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    #82
    p_haugh
    Registered Users Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭p_haugh


    Some photos from the trial today

    https://twitter.com/noonan_malcolm/status/1667195208620965888?s=20




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    #83
    mikeybhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭mikeybhoy


    Where did that streetlite come from? Never seen a 201 plate one before with white LEDs and TFI interior. Only streetlite with white LEDs that I'm aware of the ones that GAI use on the 197 but these are 16 plate and have high back seats. Could this be an hybrid/electric bus?



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    #84
    p_haugh
    Registered Users Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭p_haugh


    According to the Tapatalk forums, it (along with WM436&437) are stock built with the NTA interior, and have been around since at least February 2021. They must have been sitting up a while if they are only spotted now...



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    #85
    dublinman1990
    Registered Users Posts: 8,351 ✭✭✭dublinman1990


    Wow. That daily timetable of 6am to Midnight is fantastic news for bus users in Carlow town. I hope it becomes a huge success for them in the near future.



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    #86
    mikeybhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭mikeybhoy


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120696892#Comment_120696892

    That's a strange one wonder why their only entering service now. That would they've been sitting around for at least 2 years.



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    #87
    d51984
    Registered Users Posts: 927 ✭✭✭d51984


    https://twitter.com/noonan_malcolm/status/1667195213725540352?s=20


    Below : WM 436 in Broadstone February 2021

    Untitled Image

    WM 436/37/38 are all stock built and have NTA interiors WM 436s reg is 202-C-5671

    Its a disgrace Joe!



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    #88
    mikeybhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭mikeybhoy


    202 reg suggests they've been sitting up for the best part of three years wonder why they weren't used sooner. GAI also got a batch of SGs around that time is it possible that these were originally intended for GAI then got diverted to BE.



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    #89
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 11,593 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    That's an awful long time to allow buses to just be parked up with no use, of course we know there is a lot of local politics involved with delays of introducing new routes but still that is quite staggering.



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    #90
    john boye
    Registered Users Posts: 1,504 ✭✭✭john boye


    I could be wrong but I think these were just stock lying around when Wrights went to the wall and were going for a song. That's why there was no real plan for them at the time



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    #91
    mikeybhoy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,085 ✭✭✭mikeybhoy


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120698183#Comment_120698183

    That would make sense alright



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