Regional PSO Fleets - Bus Éireann, GAI, Local Link, etc

Well first of all I’d say the Van Hool Astromega would be a great replacement, great manufacturer and a high end product.

There is also the Volvo B13R Double Decker coaches, Matthew’s just got 5 of them for very similar sort of commuter service, they look great and while I haven’t been on the double decker version yet, the Volvo 9700, is a pretty great coach.

An out there option would be the Neoplan Skyliner.

Great to see Wrights bring another coach option to the Irish market. The hydrogen option sounds particularly interesting. I’m very dubious about Hydrogen, but perhaps this size of vehicle is where it starts to make sense. Will be interesting to see if the NTA or others pick up a few to at least trial them.

I know and that is what I’m getting at.

The NX is absolutely jammed every day and yet BE receives a subsidy to operate that service and yet it is being suggested that they can’t afford good coaches on such a route!

Meanwhile on Matthew’s Drogheda route (roughly same distance as Navan) they receive no subsidy, purely a private operator and yet they can afford excellent coaches!

There is something very wrong with the above picture! perhaps it would be better if the likes of the NX was changed to a non PSO route so and opened up to private operators if they can do a better job?

To be clear I’m not seriously suggesting that, more pointing out the craziness of the situation. Instead I hope BE/NTA keep up the quality of the NX service, with good quality coaches.

As an aside, I’m aware of the likes of the 103 and 105, 103 is half the distance at 25km. At 50km or more on motorways I think you should definitely be looking at coach use only for such busy commuter towns. Yes that means I think the 105 should use coaches too.

Yes the NX is very busy at peak times but would it sustain as a commercial service throughout the entire day and evening aswell as at weekends and holidays?

You mean exactly like Matthews does on their Drogheda service?! Same with JJ Kavanagh, Swords Express and pretty much all the intercity coach services operating almost 24/7!

A reminder that Bus Eireann Expressway service between Dublin and Cork use to end at 6pm, it was private operators who initially brought in late night running services to this country.

No one said they can't sustain good coaches on it was more speculation as to what the NTA will buy now it appears the double decker VDL Futura and VB is no longer an option.

Actually that is what was being suggested further up, that the Volvo/Van Hool/MAN options would be too expensive and they might downgrade to "high quality" buses like on the 105. I'm saying that isn't acceptable for such an important service like the NX and similar.

I honestly have no idea what that is supposed to mean?!

If the NTA can afford it, then there is no reason why they couldn't win a government tender!

Volvo has decades long history with buses in PSO operations in Ireland. In particular, I believe the SG class were actually ordered from Volvo, with Wrights as a sub contractor.

Van Hool did the Glider buses in Belfast and really they are now just VDL, which of course has decades of experience selling coaches to the NTA/BE.

The only issue really is that these products are on the more expensive/premium end of the coach market. But compared to the cost of running a rail line to Navan, a drop in the ocean.

And it isn't that I'm suggesting they should just waste money for the sake of it, it is just a really small niche market with not many options available. But then perhaps in time Wrights might do a double decker version of it's new coach if the NTA was looking for a big enough order. Or perhaps VDL would continue to do the Futura if a big enough order.

PlatformNine, in terms of regular single decker coaches, there are lots of options. Like the Future 3 you mentioned, Wrights new coach, Iriziar and of course the usual Volvo, Mercs, etc. Those Sunsundegui low floor coach will be harder to replace.