Bus Eireann N3/M3 Corridor Route & Timetable Changes - Phase 3

The 723 from "Ardboyne Bridge" got to the stop at 735, and didn't leave until 745, didn't get to the M3 at garlow until after 8.
Driver found out he was doing this route this morning, wasn't sure where to stop, and as such dropped at 2 seperate places in Phibsboro, and then was ok until Westland Row.

On the way home this evening bus picked up at 540 at Westland Row which was the 530 from Wilton Tce. Went fine until Beresford place where half a dozen passengers waiting for Ashbourne tried to board, and was hailed down going through Glasnevin for Ashbourne bound passengers. Might be worth them changing the NX on the bus sign to Navan Direct, it just says Navan.

Also at the stop this morning there was a superintendent, he should have been at the Ardboyne stop advising passengers of the change, and new stop located 200 yards away. Also from what i could see there was no notification at this stop of the new route.

Also a passenger mentioned his son was a driver this afternoon, and these new routes haven't gone down well, and to expect trouble.

sofireland wrote: »

The 723 from "Ardboyne Bridge" got to the stop at 735, and didn't leave until 745, didn't get to the M3 at garlow until after 8.
Driver found out he was doing this route this morning, wasn't sure where to stop, and as such dropped at 2 seperate places in Phibsboro, and then was ok until Westland Row.

On the way home this evening bus picked up at 540 at Westland Row which was the 530 from Wilton Tce. Went fine until Beresford place where half a dozen passengers waiting for Ashbourne tried to board, and was hailed down going through Glasnevin for Ashbourne bound passengers. Might be worth them changing the NX on the bus sign to Navan Direct, it just says Navan.

Also at the stop this morning there was a superintendent, he should have been at the Ardboyne stop advising passengers of the change, and new stop located 200 yards away. Also from what i could see there was no notification at this stop of the new route.

Also a passenger mentioned his son was a driver this afternoon, and these new routes haven't gone down well, and to expect trouble.

In fairness, the Ashbourne passengers who tried to board the bus should have known, if they had read up on the changes to the services, that the services, to and from Dublin and the Ashbourne area, had not changed from 17th September 2017, and that the services that cover Ashbourne are the 105, 109A and 103.

Why would they think an NX service, would cover Ashbourne as well, considering there were improvements and increases in frequencies to the 103 and 105 services, to and from Ashbourne and Dublin, and Ashbourne and Blanchardstown, as recently as April 2016.

http://buseireann.ie/news_timetable.php?id=2378&month=Sep
http://buseireann.ie/news.php?id=1994&month=Apr
http://buseireann.ie/timetables/1470225086-103.pdf
http://buseireann.ie/timetables/1470226109-105.pdf
http://buseireann.ie/timetables/1473263565-109A.pdf

Three stops in Johnstown, is Overkill imo, One at the supervalu would be more than enough.
The stop at Ma Dwyers, is so far off the road the driver doesn't see it till they're on top of it.
It also shouldn't service the Slip road in Blanch, lost another 5 - 10 minutes this evening to it.
The usual 109 can service that.

Travel times in the city at peak time are totally unrealistic. The 1710 from Westland Row was arrived at just after 20 past this evening.

tom23 wrote: »

For pig iron sake I got the bus on Monday. Driver went up the Ken'stown road and then straight down the Navan road after blanch it didnt go near the M50 but thank god he didn't as it looked like something out of a disaster movie it was that jammed. What ever operational issues BE are having they need to get sorted quickly if they want people to buy in. Unlike horsebuger most folk using it don't have an unconditional love for it and will gravitate to other ways of getting to work.

Well done tom23. You're great fun, so you are.

I do not have an unconditional love for any bus operator.

I was pointing out that there will be people at the Blanchardstown stop, going to Navan, who want to use the new NX service, who don't want to take the general 109 service that goes through Clonee or Dunshaughlin, anymore than anyone else who is going to and from Navan and Dublin.

In this discussion, it is clear that it is very hard for any bus operator, to please everyone, in the services between Dublin and Cavan.

Cavan passengers don't want to go through Kells. Kells passengers don't want to go through Navan or Dunshaughlin. Navan passengers don't want to go through Dunshaughlin, Clonee or Blanchardstown. Dunshaughlin passengers don't want to go through Blanchardstown.

The issue is, that on many of the services at particular times of the day, there is enough room, on particular services between Cavan and Dublin, for passengers at all intermediate stops; Virginia, Kells, Navan and Dunshaughlin and Blanchardstown.

I don't think it is possible, for Bus Éireann to run separate express services for each location to and from Dublin.

Another bus company tried running a daily service between Cavan, Virginia and Dublin in October 2013, and it lasted a few weeks.

http://www.donegaldaily.com/2013/10/16/mcgeehans-launch-fantastic-new-coach-service-to-dublin/

http://www.donegaldaily.com/2013/10/19/dd-deal-of-the-day-buy-a-return-ticket-for-the-price-of-a-single-on-mcgeehan-coaches/

I still don't understand why Dublin Bus can't include Dunshaughlin on their routes (and also include Blanch, Clonee, etc.).

LXFlyer wrote: »

Would Dunshaughlin users prefer a standard Dublin Bus route that stops everywhere to pick up and set down (thereby risking not being able to get on at peak times) or one that operates in set down mode only inbound and pick up mode only outbound within the city area?

I suspect they would prefer the latter?

Good point!

tom23 wrote: »

It is possible in my opinion to run express buses. The 07:05 worked for the last four years. The best service in my opinion of commuting in the last twenty years. They just needed to provide more. That's all commuters wanted.

I did not argue against running express services.

Clearly there is enough people in Navan going to and from Dublin at certain times of the day, early morning and evening, to merit not stopping in places like Dunshaughlin or Clonee, but at other times, there wouldn't be enough people at the Market Square bus stop, to justify not stopping at the other intermediate stops on the way to Dublin city centre; in between Navan and Dunshaughlin, and between Dunshaughlin, Clonee and Blanchardstown, Navan Road, Cabra Road, Phibsborough and The Mater Hospital.

I am not sure that there would be enough people going to and from Kells and Dublin, and to and from Virginia and Dublin, at any one scheduled time, to merit operating separate express services to and from Kells, Virginia and Dublin.

It seems to me that it is only at certain times of the day to and from Navan and Dublin, early morning and evening, that you'd have enough people from one location using a particular scheduled service, to merit not stopping to pick up at other bus stops.

At other times of the day, there is enough space to accommodate all passengers waiting at the intermediate stops on the services between Cavan and Dublin, and the services between Kells and Dublin.

I guess that is why Bus Éireann has decided to include the Blanchardstown stop as an intermediate stop on the new NX service. In another post, above, it was suggested that passengers at Blanchardstown, should just use the 109 service between Kells and Dublin, rather than the new NX service.

I think that it is a little unreasonable to suggest that passengers at Blanchardstown, who are going to Navan, should just use the 109 service that covers Clonee and Dunshaughlin, considering that anyone going to Navan, from Dublin City Centre, or from Blanchardstown to Navan, would opt for the service that avoids Clonee and Dunshaughlin, if they have a choice.

As far as I know, Bus Éireann has never operated an express service between Kells and Dublin, a service that started in Kells and had its first stop in Dublin City Centre. I don’t think Bus Éireann has ever operated an express service starting to and from Virginia and Dublin, with no stops in between. If it did, they have not been in operation for many years.

Some of the previous 109 services from Cavan to Dublin, served Virginia and Kells and then avoided Navan and Dunshaughlin, but as far as I know there was never a 109 service, that started and ended in Kells and had Dublin City Centre, as its first and only stop when going to Dublin, or a service that started and ended in Virginia, that, when going to Dublin, had Dublin City Centre as its only stop.

I guess this is because Bus Éireann found, that far more often than not, there wasn't enough people in Kells or Virginia, using particular scheduled services, to fill a bus, or almost fill separate express bus services to Dublin, that would start and end in Virginia, and start and end in Kells, to justify not serving other locations like Navan and Dunshaughlin?