Dublin Coach Experience Discussion Thread

Odyssey 2005 · 07-07-2018 6:57pm

Prisoner 6753 wrote: »

All buses and coaches, except those catering for standing passengers are limited to 100km/h

Not all....I can assure you. That c... blew me off the road.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime · 07-07-2018 7:01pm

Odyssey 2005 wrote: »

Not all....I can assure you. That c... blew me off the road.

I believe you

But it's all hearsay until proved and vehicles tested/checked

I've often drove to/from Belfast, Limerick, cork etc in different various coaches all limited to 100km/h and have being left standing by those green Nazis.

I'm talking me cruising at 100km/h and felt like I was stopped compared to one of those things.

ayux4rj6zql2ph · 07-07-2018 8:11pm

This post has been deleted.

tabbey · 08-07-2018 8:27pm

Odyssey 2005 wrote: »

On the M50 today. The 09 van hook decker,the near side rear tail light flashing like a beacon on a fire truck in a hurry. He was in lane one, 15 seconds later he's in lame 3,stuck up my hole flashing like fook to get me out of his way. I was doing about 110/115....What speed is that pile capable of ??

You should not be in the overtaking lane unless you are actually overtaking.

You fail to understand the difference between your actual speed and that displayed on your speedometer. Speedometers have to over read to some extent. When you thought you were doing 110/115 kph, you may well have been doing 100 or less.

Odyssey 2005 · 08-07-2018 10:25pm

tabbey wrote: »

You should not be in the overtaking lane unless you are actually overtaking.

You fail to understand the difference between your actual speed and that displayed on your speedometer. Speedometers have to over read to some extent. When you thought you were doing 110/115 kph, you may well have been doing 100 or less.

WTF are you on about. If your car (or your green bus) is out by that much you should change it..

Was that you in the 08 setra on the m50 last night in lane 3 for about 10 mins ?

JCX BXC · 17-07-2018 3:37pm

Currently on a 04 Setra stuck in a tailback in Castlemartyr, WiFi doesn't work, a pungent smell from the bathroom, violently vibrating seats, most roof panels missing and frightening noises from the undercarriage.

Think that qualifies as a "Dublin Coach Experience".

punisher5112 · 17-07-2018 6:59pm

JCX BXC wrote: »

Currently on a 04 Setra stuck in a tailback in Castlemartyr, WiFi doesn't work, a pungent smell from the bathrooms, violently vibrating seats, most roof panels missing and frightening noises from the undercarriage.

Think that qualifies as a "Dublin Coach Experience".

Sounds extremely like the bus from speed....
Keanu is on his way to put a screw driver in the tank.

Have you asked the driver how fast he is going???

JCX BXC · 18-07-2018 1:17pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

Sounds extremely like the bus from speed....
Keanu is on his way to put a screw driver in the tank.

Have you asked the driver how fast he is going???

I did not. To be fair the traffic was so that I doubt there was many periods above 80km/h. Once we did start moving the shaking was great fun!

Only about 7 people on the bus, 4 of which got off in Dungarvan.

Drifter50 · 18-07-2018 6:51pm

If I was using a DB service to be somewhere essential like a flight or a hospital appointment, I would be stopping and saying hold, I need to be there. Perhaps the Dub/Belfast route is an exception

When you are looking at a budget trip where time is important but not critically so then maybe

punisher5112 · 18-07-2018 6:52pm

Drifter50 wrote: »

If I was using a DB service to be somewhere essential like a flight or a hospital appointment, I would be stopping and saying hold, I need to be there. Perhaps the Dub/Belfast route is an exception

When you are looking at a budget trip where time is important but not critically so then maybe

DC

mickmmc · 22-07-2018 6:05pm

I saw a Dublin Coach open top 161 Sprinter in Limerick at the weekend. It was in Darby O Gill livery.

I never saw an open top mini-bus before.

devnull · 22-07-2018 6:06pm

mickmmc wrote: »

I saw a Dublin Coach open top 161 Sprinter in Limerick at the weekend. It was in Darby O Gill livery.

I never saw an open top mini-bus before.

They've had it a while, normally on tours, it's not exactly a common version of a sprinter but there seems to be little that a sprinter can't be adapted into these days.

alane20 · 24-07-2018 12:54pm

Any truth to the rumour DC and cityscape have been bought by goahead? Since goahead won the tender for the Dublin-kildare route from bus eireann and the NTA something would have to give as the would be competing with themselves almost

belfast stephen · 24-07-2018 2:41pm

alane20 wrote: »

Any truth to the rumour DC and cityscape have been bought by goahead? Since goahead won the tender for the Dublin-kildare route from bus eireann and the NTA something would have to give as the would be competing with themselves almost

that romour has been doing the rounds for a while

WishUWereHere · 27-07-2018 7:03pm

What a spot to break down.....traffic snarl ups ensued.

IMG_0248.JPG

Stephen15 · 27-07-2018 9:58pm

I would like to see Flixbus as they seem like a good operator start up here perhaps they could buy out DC.

WishUWereHere · 29-07-2018 6:36pm

Drove up to Dublin today, and approaching Toughers Roundabout around 12h30, saw 2 coaches parked facing Newbridge and passengers changing from one to another, and the back hood open.

One can only assume that front one was broken down.

patrickc · 13-08-2018 11:36pm

I passed 207 a 12 ke Setra today, the left hand side was really lopsided I thought it might be the camber in the road but it wasn't at all. For a bit from behind and in my rear view mirror it looked like the left hand side was not far off the ground at all. Crocked suspension I'd imagine.

ayux4rj6zql2ph · 13-08-2018 11:48pm

patrickc wrote: »

I passed 207 a 12 ke Setra today, the left hand side was really lopsided I thought it might be the camber in the road but it wasn't at all. For a bit from behind and in my rear view mirror it looked like the left hand side was not far off the ground at all. Crocked suspension I'd imagine.

Might also be the air suspension on the kneel setting, unlikely but possible.

I couldn’t drive with it at that angle.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime · 14-08-2018 6:33am

Prisoner 6753 wrote: »

Might also be the air suspension on the kneel setting, unlikely but possible.

I couldn’t drive with it at that angle.

Kneel and ferry suspension settings do not allow for any vehicle to be driven with them active

*Except ferry raise / lower but only up to a max of 25kmh

punisher5112 · 14-08-2018 7:10am

That would be failed air suspension.

Shouldn't be driven.

ayux4rj6zql2ph · 14-08-2018 9:27am

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

Kneel and ferry suspension settings do not allow for any vehicle to be driven with them active

*Except ferry raise / lower but only up to a max of 25kmh

This is Dublin Coach where everything goes wrong though

ayux4rj6zql2ph · 14-08-2018 9:28am

punisher5112 wrote: »

That would be failed air suspension.

Shouldn't be driven.

Drivers are worse to drive them if it is broke

patrickc · 14-08-2018 12:52pm

Prisoner 6753 wrote: »

Drivers are worse to drive them if it is broke

I was thinking the same, If I was a driver I wouldn't take it out of the yard. I'd imagine passengers noticed it inside too.

ayux4rj6zql2ph · 14-08-2018 12:55pm

patrickc wrote: »

I was thinking the same, If I was a driver I wouldn't take it out of the yard. I'd imagine passengers noticed it inside too.

Yeah i'm a driver myself and it wouldn't be happening. let them issue the P45, they'd be up in front of a commission for unfair dismissal.

Even as a passenger you could see if there was an issue surely before boarding.

punisher5112 · 14-08-2018 1:52pm

Extremely dangerous and would land driver in very hot water.

I don't get why anyone takes these types of risks as all it takes is some fool to walk out or brake too hard etc and be involved in a collision or whatever.

It's very serious to be honest and anyone that boarded that took a huge risk.

Suspension is a major part that keeps the bus on the road.

end of the road · 14-08-2018 2:09pm

if people see things like this they should report it. the authorities would have to investigate it surely.

ayux4rj6zql2ph · 14-08-2018 2:25pm

end of the road wrote: »

if people see things like this they should report it. the authorities would have to investigate it surely.

The RSA have prosecuted them, it’s getting nowhere.

Stephen15 · 14-08-2018 4:36pm

I've got a feeling it's going to take DC to be involved in a serious accident before the NTA, AGS and the RSA start to take action against DC. The NTA need to do something about them continuing to renew their licence and then standing idly by is not good enough serious action needs to be taken to get their fleet up to scratch.

WishUWereHere · 14-08-2018 8:25pm

Saw another of their 'coaches' broken down last Thursday ( I think ) evening at J8 southbound on the N7....replacement coach parked behind it, and one of the drivers had to chaperone the cars exiting into the hard shoulder so the passengers could switch 'coaches'.

Luckily with the road works ongoing, nobody was exiting at speed.

Quackster · 16-08-2018 3:13pm

https://www.kildarenow.com/news/kildare-based-bus-company-vows-review-safety-measures-following-luggage-hold-incident-left-mother-son-upset-shaken/242892

andrewfaulk · 16-08-2018 5:46pm

Quackster wrote: »

https://www.kildarenow.com/news/kildare-based-bus-company-vows-review-safety-measures-following-luggage-hold-incident-left-mother-son-upset-shaken/242892

You think you’ve seen it all, and then something like this happens!

Maybe the name of the thread should be changed to the Dublin Coach saga

TallGlass · 16-08-2018 5:58pm

Bus drives off with child in luggage hold with mother clinging to side of bus, it's reported to the NTA. NTA don't seem to care once the bus arrives on time then, they are keeping to the conditions of licence. NTA should be ashamed of themselves. That could have very easily been fatal, the women or child could have easily slipped under either the front or rear wheels.

NTA I think should hold themselves a little bit more accountable. Even if they can't investagate, there is nothing to stop them reporting it onto AGS/HSA.

punisher5112 · 16-08-2018 7:53pm

Nta doesn't want to know about anything to be honest.

They are just another spin off to the department of transport.

16-08-2018 9:31pm

Bus Eireann have their issues with luggage doors as well

http://www.thejournal.ie/bus-eireann-luggage-hold-incident-investigation-4164985-Aug2018/

Shpud2 · 16-08-2018 9:38pm

salonfire wrote: »

Bus Eireann have their issues with luggage doors as well

http://www.thejournal.ie/bus-eireann-luggage-hold-incident-investigation-4164985-Aug2018/

“I leaned in to pull my luggage and before I knew what was happening the door of the baggage hold was coming down on me, there was no indication to alert me,” she said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9PPOeOYgyI

Old diesel · 17-08-2018 11:37am

Shpud2 wrote: »

salonfire wrote: »

Bus Eireann have their issues with luggage doors as well

http://www.thejournal.ie/bus-eireann-luggage-hold-incident-investigation-4164985-Aug2018/

“I leaned in to pull my luggage and before I knew what was happening the door of the baggage hold was coming down on me, there was no indication to alert me,” she said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9PPOeOYgyI

The warning system not working that day perhaps.

end of the road · 17-08-2018 2:23pm

salonfire wrote: »

Bus Eireann have their issues with luggage doors as well

http://www.thejournal.ie/bus-eireann-luggage-hold-incident-investigation-4164985-Aug2018/

this is deflection. yes the bus eireann incident shouldn't have happened, but it did, and rightly it was dealt with. but it's irrelevant to this operator. incidents at other companies do not get this operator off from dealing with it's issues, and the fallout of incidents when they happen on it's services. bus eireann are not responsible for this operator's issues.

patrickc · 12-09-2018 9:18pm

I saw a 10 Setra broken down on the M9 outside Kilkenny today, passengers transferred onto a different bus. there was some guys in a van looking at it, I came back the opposite way a few hours later and the bus was still there with hazards on, must of been waiting on Corcorans.

Equally on the M9 albeit in a pull in area there was a Bus Eireann scania getting checked by two guys in overalls I'm presuming broken down also.

punisher5112 · 12-09-2018 9:36pm

Feckers never switch their engines off at terminus's

devnull · 12-09-2018 9:54pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

Feckers never switch their engines off at terminus's

That's probably to be expected given the millions of km some of them must have on the clock and the number that seem to break down based on this thread, can't be too confident if you turned them off that you will get them going again!

punisher5112 · 12-09-2018 11:28pm

devnull wrote: »

That's probably to be expected given the millions of km some of them must have on the clock and the number that seem to break down based on this thread, can't be too confident if you turned them off that you will get them going again!

Oh I well believe it as have seen many with great trouble after doing so.

Absolutely shocking what they have on the road.

road_high · 13-09-2018 8:13pm

Dublin Coach really don't get any better do they? Dublin to Killkenny today bus absolutely filthy and stink- litter everywhere and even a bag of sick in the back seat that some ignorant dog left behind. There's a constant stench of dried in sweat, stickiness.
Why oh why can't they update their fleet? Surely as capital expenditure spread over 5 years it wouldn't so hard?

Also what is the fetish they all have with Luas Newlands Cross? Virtually no one gets on/off there and I feel it should be a request stop or something. Bus just sat there for about 5 mins for no reason.

devnull · 13-09-2018 8:23pm

road_high wrote: »

Dublin Coach really don't get any better do they? Dublin to Killkenny today bus absolutely filthy and stink- litter everywhere and even a bag of sick in the back seat that some ignorant dog left behind. There's a constant stench of dried in sweat, stickiness. Why oh why can't they update their fleet? Surely as capital expenditure spread over 5 years it wouldn't so hard?

They do update their fleet, but only on certain routes, Belfast got new coaches in 2017 and then they were replaced in 2018 with further new coaches, because on that route they are fighting a deregulated bus war with Aircoach by departing around the same time as they for the same place, something that wouldn't be allowed on routes within the Republic of Ireland. Meanwhile their other routes stick with vehicles that have had punishing lives with their former operators dating back from 2004.

The worry is that the investment on Belfast is only because there is competition, what we have seen with Dublin Coach is when they have saw the competition off, they scale investment in those routes back quite a lot for the next big route. that's why I honestly hope they don't force Aircoach off the route, because whilst Aircoach is not perfect, they tend to invest in all their routes whereas Dublin Coach appear to operate as a two tier operation, the latest route gets the shiny new things whilst the older routes are starved of any kind of investment.

Quackster · 13-09-2018 9:36pm

Playing devil's advocate, they have been willing to open routes that nobody else had shown interest in as well. In Kerry, the BÉ Expressway monopoly was crucifying us with fares completely out of kilter with similar journeys elsewhere on the Expressway network where BÉ had competition.

Now BÉ charges reasonable fares on the Kerry-Limerick Expressway routes whereas fares on Kerry-Cork, on which BÉ still has a monopoly, are the guts of twice the price.

devnull · 13-09-2018 9:42pm

Quackster wrote: »

Playing devil's advocate, they have been willing to open routes that nobody else had shown interest in as well. In Kerry, the BÉ Expressway monopoly was crucifying us with fares completely out of kilter with similar journeys elsewhere on the Expressway network where BÉ had competition.

Now BÉ charges reasonable fares on the Kerry-Limerick Expressway routes whereas fares on Kerry-Cork, on which BÉ still has a monopoly, are the guts of twice the price.

Oh for sure competition on the Intercity Network is a good thing.

The problem with Dublin Coach is that with the exception of the Belfast route, the whole thing feels like it's run as cheaply as possible on as little investment as possible, so not hard to have cheaper fares when you are spending the bare minimum on running the operation day to day.

Someone steps on the Belfast route and sees a brand new coach in good condition, timetables that are friendly and quick journey times and a decent fare and they have a good impression of the company. However the rest of passengers on the other routes have an altogether different experience and their custom almost feels taken for granted.

road_high · 13-09-2018 9:56pm

Have to say I wouldn't fancy heading all the way to Kerry on one of their filthy, smelly coaches. The ventilation system didn't appear to be working so I can only imagine what the hot weather was like on the one I was on today.

Yer Da sells Avon · 13-09-2018 10:01pm

I've never been on one of their buses, thankfully, but I was driving behind one recently on the N7 and had to overtake it (it was doing more than 100km/h, incidentally) because of the filthy black smoke it was producing.

road_high · 15-09-2018 1:39am

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

I've never been on one of their buses, thankfully, but I was driving behind one recently on the N7 and had to overtake it (it was doing more than 100km/h, incidentally) because of the filthy black smoke it was producing.

I can tell you it’s not a whole lot better sitting inside!

sirmanga · 18-09-2018 5:57pm

Using Dublin Coach for the Waterford to Cork route to travel to UCC three days a week.
And the only bus that runs on time has been the first bus at 6.35am that gets to Cork at 8.15am.

The 8.35am service has been at least 40 minutes late every morning. Sometimes an hour. It's supposed to get in to Cork at 10.15am. My classes start at 11 and 12, so this bus would be perfect for me.
But now I'm having to get the 6.35 bus every morning just to make sure I'm there on time. Then hanging around Cork for hours every morning just because Dublin Coach are outrageously late, with no explanation or apology.

Dublin Coach Experience Discussion Thread

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