Dublin Coach Experience Discussion Thread

tabbey · 05-10-2017 10:37am

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

What was the coach and the year of it?

Was it old or modern?

I honestly cannot remember.

joegriffinjnr · 07-10-2017 9:04pm

The bus that went up in flames was an ex quickpark 2009 model Mercedes Ciatro. Just for the record Dublin Coach only have the one King Long.

devnull · 08-10-2017 1:24pm

I saw one of the yellow Tourismos dedicated to tours today and honestly the state of the paintwork wasn't very good.

Chippings and scuff marks in quite a few places, you can start to see bits of green in a good few places where the yellow paint has came away. and it looks pretty poor for a coach that is on a 2016 plate and there's a large dark green line of a scuff mark down the side of it and missing a fuel cap cover.

punisher5112 · 08-10-2017 1:27pm

devnull wrote: »

I saw one of the yellow Tourismos dedicated to tours today and honestly the state of the paintwork wasn't very good.

Chippings and scuff marks in quite a few places, you can start to see bits of green in a good few places where the yellow paint has came away. and it looks pretty poor for a coach that is on a 2016 plate and there's a large dark green line of a scuff mark down the side of it and missing a fuel cap cover.

I was nearly sure they were wrapped but maybe not.

devnull · 08-10-2017 1:31pm

punisher5112 wrote: »

I was nearly sure they were wrapped but maybe not.

Found a pic of one on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishtransportphotos/37179646670/in/photolist-YDrpCS-XXtBc3-XVBM4J-YZSFm6-Z1pxY8-Z1pyyX-Z1pybc-Z1pypZ-YBGazU-Z62GsG-XV5a2z-BNGG1J-YwMyPj-Z58TWc-XNh1Gr-YVbWnd-Zahn9x-Y9oxNc-YznJss-XMcLXg-Z3Jvtu-YVgJFG-Ykn9HN-Z62FQj-YAyU9J-Z4uexM-YmV8P3-XEM8xG-YGG4Cj-XCTnNV-YCf8wx-YY4NLF-XJiG9e-YCf8rT-YLLbGM-YznWgZ-XxaWKk-YyWNCh-YxT1Hu-YFiPo3-YDq2vy-YjXbUQ-YDffnb-YMbkw2-YprJeQ-Y66gyC-Y2Budu-Xi1hQA-YmZafC-Yjf3F8

Probably the same coach. Looks a little better there than it looked when I saw it in the flesh.

If you click it for a bigger size you can see the green undercoat showing.

boardsuser1 · 08-10-2017 1:37pm

devnull wrote: »

Found a pic of one on Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishtransportphotos/37179646670/in/photolist-YDrpCS-XXtBc3-XVBM4J-YZSFm6-Z1pxY8-Z1pyyX-Z1pybc-Z1pypZ-YBGazU-Z62GsG-XV5a2z-BNGG1J-YwMyPj-Z58TWc-XNh1Gr-YVbWnd-Zahn9x-Y9oxNc-YznJss-XMcLXg-Z3Jvtu-YVgJFG-Ykn9HN-Z62FQj-YAyU9J-Z4uexM-YmV8P3-XEM8xG-YGG4Cj-XCTnNV-YCf8wx-YY4NLF-XJiG9e-YCf8rT-YLLbGM-YznWgZ-XxaWKk-YyWNCh-YxT1Hu-YFiPo3-YDq2vy-YjXbUQ-YDffnb-YMbkw2-YprJeQ-Y66gyC-Y2Budu-Xi1hQA-YmZafC-Yjf3F8

Probably the same coach. Looks a little better there than it looked when I saw it in the flesh.

If you click it for a bigger size you can see the green undercoat showing.

That looks like more than stone chips, probably a ditch i'd say, the cliffs of moher's narrow roads are very unforgiving to a coach, i had to reverse 100 yards up there one day as i met 'Helga' in her German registered tri-axle driving in the middle of the road and refusing to move in for fear of scuffing her paint work.

devnull · 08-10-2017 1:41pm

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

That looks like more than stone chips, probably a ditch i'd say, the cliffs of moher's narrow roads are very unforgiving to a coach, i had to reverse 100 yards up there one day as i met 'Helga' in her German registered tri-axle driving in the middle of the road and refusing to move in for fear of scuffing her paint work.

Yeah, come to think of it going up there wouldn't be forgiving, didn't really think of that when I saw the coach today, but you're right, looking at that picture and seeing where the coach has been it certainly wouldn't help even if the paint job doesn't look the greatest,

Weepsie · 08-10-2017 1:45pm

thelad95 wrote: »

Just reading some TripAdvisor reviews and the overriding problem everywhere and the main gripe customers have is the lateness of the coaches. If you look on their site, the times are completely and utterly unrealistic and do nothing to allow for morning/evening traffic which they know is an issue.

If the timetables were actually realistic, people can make proper plans and know what they're dealing with but when they see that a coach is supposedly meant to arrive at say 11:40 but doesn't show up until 12:35 due to a combination of traffic and unrealistic expectations, then this doesn't really bode well when you have a flight to catch or business of some sort to conduct in Dublin.

My problem is that they outright lied when I had an issue and wouldn't give a refund. They claimed a bus left at the advertised time. IT never arrived, either up to 15 minutes before or 25 minutes after.

They didn't acknowledge complaints until I cc'd the NTA and even then it was a token phone call and "we'll look into it". I know where I was, and I provided them with proof I was in the area of the advertised stop for the entire time. They didn't do the same. On principal I'd never travel with them.

boardsuser1 · 08-10-2017 1:55pm

devnull wrote: »

Yeah, come to think of it going up there wouldn't be forgiving, didn't really think of that when I saw the coach today, but you're right, looking at that picture and seeing where the coach has been it certainly wouldn't help even if the paint job doesn't look the greatest,

Looking at the photo again on closer inspection, the drivers side mirror is also marked, that would most likely be from a tight left hand turn and having to almost kiss the ditch to get around it and obviously the driver caught the trees in the process.

There was a rule when i was driving coaches that if you damage them you pay for it.

If you blew off a mirror,they were called P45's,and no wonder they were, €2000 a pair plus painting, you got the P45.

If you can drive the cliffs of Moher and the ring of Kerry you can drive a coach anywhere.

Claude Wilton · 08-10-2017 5:46pm

devnull wrote: »

I saw one of the yellow Tourismos dedicated to tours today and honestly the state of the paintwork wasn't very good.

Chippings and scuff marks in quite a few places, you can start to see bits of green in a good few places where the yellow paint has came away. and it looks pretty poor for a coach that is on a 2016 plate and there's a large dark green line of a scuff mark down the side of it and missing a fuel cap cover.

Seeing as its a bus, I wouldn't be expecting the Hanging Gardens of Babylon myself.

Quackster · 08-10-2017 9:40pm

On a coach to Dublin recently, we got into a tight squeeze on Main St in Abbeyfeale (why parking is allowed on both sides is beyond me).

Driver clipped the mirror of a parked car. He immediately stopped, hopped out, took a few photos and left a note on the windscreen before carrying on.

mickmmc · 09-10-2017 11:44am

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanhughes/37497709746/in/faves-78398044@

A photo of a new model Tourismo in Dublin Coach green at NEC Bus & Coach show 2017 in Birmingham. Is that coach destined for Dublin Coach?

Will the window glass crack if the mirror is broken off on that coach?

Any update on the status of the 30 new Tourismos mentioned above in this thread?

boardsuser1 · 09-10-2017 11:48am

mickmmc wrote: »

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanhughes/37497709746/in/faves-78398044@

A photo of a new model Tourismo in Dublin Coach green at NEC Bus & Coach show 2017 in Birmingham. Is that coach destined for Dublin Coach?

Will the window glass crack if the mirror is broken off on that coach?

Any update on the status of the 30 new Tourismos mentioned above in this thread?

I cringe at the neglect that coach will suffer in the hands of DC.

devnull · 09-10-2017 11:57am

mickmmc wrote: »

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanhughes/37497709746/in/faves-78398044@

A photo of a new model Tourismo in Dublin Coach green at NEC Bus & Coach show 2017 in Birmingham. Is that coach destined for Dublin Coach?

Will the window glass crack if the mirror is broken off on that coach?

Any update on the status of the 30 new Tourismos mentioned above in this thread?

I really think that the Mercedes Tourismo is a nice coach, but I have to say, looking at that picture I think the new model isn't so nice, looks a bit chunky at the front-end and I'd question the mirror set-up as well, but obviously I'd need to see it in person to get a better idea of how that setup is, and the changes inside and out.

I'm not sure it's for Dublin Coach however, there is a picture of a new coach on the Dublin Coach Facebook and it's the current generation Tourismo rather than the new one, can't see the registration of it but it has a white LED display, so it's for sure brand new as all the coaches delivered to date are Orange.

22007348_1495565167192119_4344626870838264587_n.png?oh=7a8b8898f8dcd8b4dfb37295f6148c13&oe=5A7F718E

Alternatively, perhaps they are getting a mixture of old and new?

Copper_pipe · 09-10-2017 12:13pm

I’ve noticed some mornings that they have 2 buses in the mornings to accommodate the 10 journey students to UL.

1 bus goes from Tralee/Killarney to UL and the other goes all the way to Dublin

Quackster · 09-10-2017 1:24pm

Copper_pipe wrote: »

I’ve noticed some mornings that they have 2 buses in the mornings to accommodate the 10 journey students to UL.

1 bus goes from Tralee/Killarney to UL and the other goes all the way to Dublin

Driving from Limerick to Tralee yesterday evening around 7pm, I passed a DC double decker coming against me near Rathkeale and maybe half an hour later, two standard DC coaches one after the other.

belfast stephen · 10-10-2017 2:58pm

the green Mercedes-Benz coach at the NEC is a Mercedes-Benz Demo coach and not for Dublin coach the new Mercedes-Benz Tourismo do have White DMD fitted

Quackster · 10-10-2017 6:19pm

Dublin Coach is a private company and there's plenty of well-earned bashing of it in this thread. :rolleyes:

Tickityboo · 10-10-2017 10:32pm

Quackster wrote: »

Dublin Coach is a private company and there's plenty of well-earned bashing of it in this thread. :rolleyes:

Here's one I was behind on the Curragh about a half hour ago.

boardsuser1 · 10-10-2017 10:38pm

Tickityboo wrote: »

Here's one I was behind on the Curragh about a half hour ago.

Will those pr1cks ever maintain their fcuking fleet :mad:

JCX BXC · 10-10-2017 10:42pm

You have to laugh at their slogan.

"Quality in transport"

Yeah, quality if you're comparing to to horse and cart!

boardsuser1 · 10-10-2017 10:44pm

JCX BXC wrote: »

You have to laugh at their slogan.

"Quality in transport"

Yeah, quality if you're comparing to to horse and cart!

If i decked out my trailer with seats you'd have a more luxurious ride than in some of their fleet,the Setra's especially.

devnull · 10-10-2017 10:52pm

Tickityboo wrote: »

Here's one I was behind on the Curragh about a half hour ago.

Looks to be one of the 'new' 2009 Vanhools that joined the fleet a few weeks ago, I presume to replace some of those 2004 Neoplan deckers which were increasingly unreliable.

boardsuser1 · 10-10-2017 10:55pm

devnull wrote: »

Looks to be one of the 'new' 2009 Vanhools that joined the fleet a few weeks ago, I presume to replace some of those 2004 Neoplan deckers which were increasingly unreliable.

Looks like an over decker itself given the height of it.

Do they paint them luminous to save on fixed bulbs or what?

Sometimes i think to myself, thank god i am gone out of that industry when i see how bad DC are.

devnull · 10-10-2017 10:56pm

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

Looks like an over decker itself given the height of it.

Do they paint them luminous to save on fixed bulbs or what?

Sometimes i think to myself, thank god i am gone out of that industry when i see how bad DC are.

One of these It looks like:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/be216cd1/35957347263/in/photolist-WMqNBa-V36rKs-URPnBt-CpzjCy-ATXbCC-VXoYrc-WeroSA-UfQ6HG-TjJydk-SGsVEh-SpUcvf-RnCpYK-RjnBzE-QbodKL-Rhbb9a-QaVxTE-Q2gnuu-N9hWn3-MFvUWH-Njm3GQ-LaiFYn-DACeHo-rGnJfk-rxeuck-qaVevP-r6sCPF-qgp8R3-zm2RbP-y18vyK-thutnb-uc6FXw-t6Qmr4-qVagAf-qh6sgZ-pBLWmB-p8PZ5W-q3w8HC-pNc2AH-q5Kug9-q5BpwZ-pNc1AM-q3w7ah-pNffJZ-pNe6Qj-pNgXww-pNgXeY-pNfew8-oZHF6X-oQPwt8-oyycML

Tickityboo · 10-10-2017 11:02pm

devnull wrote: »

Looks to be one of the 'new' 2009 Vanhools that joined the fleet a few weeks ago, I presume to replace some of those 2004 Neoplan deckers which were increasingly unreliable.

It was a 2009 reg alright

TallGlass · 10-10-2017 11:04pm

Like there's low cost. Then there is just dodge. Ryanair are low cost and still have a modern fleet. Low cost prices are no excuse for a poor/poorly maintained fleet.

Whatever about customer comfort and what not. But when it's down right poor servicing and maintenance of buses that starts effecting other road users then that's a different more serious story. We shouldn't be seeing professional drivers or HGVs/buses going around without the basics like working lights.

punisher5112 · 10-10-2017 11:18pm

Now I'm one for lights but them vanhools are lit like a Christmas tree and love the led set up.

I would say a fuse or wiring issue as all out on one side.

That could happen at any time but if its going out of the yard at 1st bus check then there are huge problems.

I've seen many with no brake lights and left for long time.

boardsuser1 · 10-10-2017 11:19pm

Tickityboo wrote: »

It was a 2009 reg alright

You’d think as ‘Dublin Coach’ they’d keep the fleet registered the same, most of the fleet is Kildare registered, I assume they are registered to John O’Sullivan’s house rather than the business in Dublin.

road_high · 10-10-2017 11:32pm

TallGlass wrote: »

Like there's low cost. Then there is just dodge. Ryanair are low cost and still have a modern fleet. Low cost prices are no excuse for a poor/poorly maintained fleet.

Whatever about customer comfort and what not. But when it's down right poor servicing and maintenance of buses that starts effecting other road users then that's a different more serious story. We shouldn't be seeing professional drivers or HGVs/buses going around without the basics like working lights.

Not very appealing buses. Do little to entice me out of the car on regular Kilkenny-Dublin hops. Also, the Red Cow Luas stop was very disorganized. Not sure if it's still the same, but I remember being dropped there on a cold winter night (despite paying for city centre ticket) with scant directions given in broken English to the next Limerick bus (basically doubling up to save cash I assume) going to the CC.

brokenarms · 10-10-2017 11:45pm

In all fairness. That bulb could have blown after its daily check.

boardsuser1 · 11-10-2017 7:16am

brokenarms wrote: »

In all fairness. That bulb could have blown after its daily check.

You could be right, however it looks like more than one is gone.

I was a stickler for that kind of stuff.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime · 11-10-2017 8:22am

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

You could be right, however it looks like more than one is gone.

I was a stickler for that kind of stuff.

Led rear lights plus the marker on top left gone too

Not just a bulb blown, electrical issue.... Be long time waiting for a fix....

boardsuser1 · 11-10-2017 9:01am

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

Led rear lights plus the marker on top left gone too

Not just a bulb blown, electrical issue.... Be long time waiting for a fix....

Are you still with DB?

What are they like for maintenance?

PeterParker957 · 12-10-2017 1:37pm

I had the misfortune to have to get the Dublin Coach from Portlaoise to the Airport the other Sunday at 3.30am.

Never ever again!!!!

I'll be getting up a bit earlier and getting the 2.50am JJ Kavanagh's. I don't mind a bit of craic but they could see and hear widespread antisocial behaviour and did nothing!

devnull · 15-10-2017 2:09pm

Setra has caught fire on the M7
https://twitter.com/codology/status/919547213000462336

boardsuser1 · 15-10-2017 2:28pm

devnull wrote: »

Setra has caught fire on the M7
https://twitter.com/codology/status/919547213000462336

This doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.

Hope all passengers are ok.

On the Dublin -Cork journey was it?

Is it me or the fact that this setra and the bus in Limerick a few weeks ago which also had a fire had Mercedes engines is an utter coincidence.

boardsuser1 · 15-10-2017 3:16pm

She's well gutted

https://www.facebook.com/laoisfire/photos/pcb.1642063745825745/1642060592492727/?type=3&theater

devnull · 15-10-2017 3:17pm

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

Is it me or the fact that this setra and the bus in Limerick a few weeks ago which also had a fire had Mercedes engines is an utter coincidence.

Complete co-incidence, Citaros and Setras use different engines for a start, there have also been Neoplans that have caught alight in Dublin Coach.

Setras are regarded as the pinnacle of European coach building and the Citaro is the best selling European Citybus, of course there will be an issue with some vehicles of all manufacturers from time to time, but you don't get the excellent reputation that the marque has if you are prone to going on fire.

boardsuser1 · 15-10-2017 3:20pm

devnull wrote: »

Complete co-incidence, Citaros and Setras use different engines for a start, there have also been Neoplans that have caught alight in Dublin Coach.

Setras are regarded as the pinnacle of European coach building and the Citaro is the best selling European Citybus, of course there will be an issue with some vehicles of all manufacturers from time to time, but you don't get the excellent reputation that the marque has if you are prone to going on fire.

Valid point, i retract my previous statement.

Setra's are no longer built in right hand drive sadly.

The Mercedes Tourismo is the new kid on the block where the Setra once shone.

The citaro is a bus that was always well thought of.

Bus Eireann in Cork took delivery of 16 last year.

devnull · 15-10-2017 3:23pm

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

She's well gutted

https://www.facebook.com/laoisfire/photos/pcb.1642063745825745/1642060592492727/?type=3&theater

Looks like 04D34312 which would make it ex Aircoach C46.

Impossible to make out the last digit for sure though.

Can't see it turning another wheel in service bearing in mind it's age even if it isn't beyond repair.

boardsuser1 · 15-10-2017 3:31pm

devnull wrote: »

Looks like 04D34312 which would make it ex Aircoach C46.

Impossible to make out the last digit for sure though.

Can't see it turning another wheel in service bearing in mind it's age even if it isn't beyond repair.

Yep she’s C46 that was involved in a smash on Burgh Quay a few years ago.

boardsuser1 · 15-10-2017 3:32pm

Also of note, a DC Setra recently lost a wheel while in service (allegedly).

AlekSmart · 15-10-2017 3:57pm

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

This doesn’t surprise me in the slightest.

Hope all passengers are ok.

On the Dublin -Cork journey was it?

Is it me or the fact that this setra and the bus in Limerick a few weeks ago which also had a fire had Mercedes engines is an utter coincidence.

It's undeniable that recent Mercedes vehicles and powered variants have a somewhat poor record of flamability.

It is also not at all common for the UK's VOSA to issue recall orders for Bus & Coach types,but in the case of the Citaro Artics they did just that...

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/expand.asp?uniqueID=1425D25E5AAF0AF800256E4D00423018&freeText=Blank&tx=0.3452265

http://heavycherry.com/imgs/a/d/w/a/s/setra__s_417_gt_hd_s_416_fire_damage_2006_7_lgw.jpg

http://i4.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/incoming/article7294689.ece/alternates/s615/Bqfd9P1IUAAtHL0.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4107/4957411679_077a6fb9e6_b.jpg

https://cdn-attachments.timesofmalta.com/5a0e6de7e2b7e4fb445f7b476872a6c6462486999-1377616666-521cc31a-620x348.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ajGZv6KBixo/hqdefault.jpg

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/9517910.Driver_flees_as_bus_bursts_into_fireball/

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/13804758.Fire_rips_through_bus_in_Kidlington_causing_traffic_jams/

Apologies for the number of lnks,but they do point towards a Long Running issue surrounding Mercedes Citaro vehicles (A type I rate very highly) which has not yet been fully addessed.

Fires on board service Buses & Coaches are VERY significant issues and are regarded as such by the Emergency Services,who themselves,also have experience of the combustibility of the MB product....

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/politics/hse-spent-euro22m-on-ambulances-prone-to-fires-104192.html

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/paramedics-tell-reilly-to-get-ambulances-off-the-road-after-series-of-fires-30399728.html

Mercedes Benz's Sprinter's fame had even preceeded it to Australia.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ambo-secret-safety-fears-20131011-2ve27.html

But,then again you may be correct,it could all simply be utter coincidence.

devnull · 15-10-2017 4:12pm

AlekSmart wrote: »

It's undeniable that recent Mercedes vehicles and powered variants have a somewhat poor record of flamability.

It is also not at all common for the UK's VOSA to issue recall orders for Bus & Coach types,but in the case of the Citaro Artics they did just that.

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosa/apps/recalls/searches/expand.asp?uniqueID=1425D25E5AAF0AF800256E4D00423018&freeText=Blank&tx=0.3452265

All of the links that you refer to seem to show the original Citaro version, which did have a small number of vehicles experiencing an issue as you say, however the Dublin Coach version was of the second generation which to my knowledge did not have a recall or any known issues.

Apologies for the number of lnks,but they do point towards a Long Running issue surrounding Mercedes Citaro vehicles (A type I rate very highly) which has not yet been fully addessed.

Considering there have been approx 40,000 Citaros produced, there must be an awful lot of companies out there who are buying bad vehicles if that is the case, because if the problem was so big, why would they be the first choice in most left hand drive markets and pretty much all airports that use shuttle buses in the UK, Ireland and beyond?

Fires on board service Buses & Coaches are VERY significant issues and are regarded as such by the Emergency Services,who themselves,also have experience of the combustibility of the MB product.... Mercedes Benz's Sprinter's fame had even preceeded it to Australia.

But,then again you may be correct,it could all simply be utter coincidence.

You name any marque of vehicles that has sold a similar number of vehicles in the same time-frame and I bet you I can find just as many examples if not more of them catching on fire, it's no shock that a company that has produced tens of thousands of vehicles that a number might catch alight.

TFL themselves said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7024164.stm

Fires on all buses are rare, and bendy buses are no more prone to such incidents than other bus models

AlekSmart · 15-10-2017 4:37pm

devnull wrote: »

All of the links that you refer to seem to show the original Citaro version, which did have a small number of vehicles experiencing an issue as you say, however the Dublin Coach version was of the second generation which to my knowledge did not have a recall or any known issues.

Considering there have been approx 40,000 Citaros produced, there must be an awful lot of companies out there who are buying bad vehicles if that is the case, because if the problem was so big, why would they be the first choice in most left hand drive markets and pretty much all airports that use shuttle buses in the UK, Ireland and beyond?

You name any marque of vehicles that has sold a similar number of vehicles in the same time-frame and I bet you I can find just as many examples if not more of them catching on fire, it's no shock that a company that has produced tens of thousands of vehicles that a number might catch alight.

I'm a Citaro admirer myself,and I was disappointed to see that the Citaro K demonstrator did not recieve more attention during it's recent visit to Dublin.

That said,it is definitely an issue which should concern an operator purchasing 2nd hand Mercedes Vehicles for intensively worked routes.
Perhaps the fitment of Fire Suppression systems should now be mandatory for such vehicles ?

No operator can afford to ignore occurences such as a new vehicle combusting on it's delivery run,nor can the reality that several ex London vehicles continue to combust in Malta soon after their relocation.

It would be interesting to know how intensively Dublin Coach actually work their Mercedes powered units,something which I'm sure,will form part of the overall investigation ?

It's a fair bet that if the Operator is'nt overly concerned,it's Insurer/s most certainly will be.

It would be interesting to know how the Ex London/Ex Malta Citaro fleet is now doing in The Sudan ?

https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140218/local/bendy-buses-to-be-shipped-to-sudan.507334

devnull · 15-10-2017 4:46pm

AlekSmart wrote: »

That said,it is definitely an issue which should concern an operator purchasing 2nd hand Mercedes Vehicles for intensively worked routes.

There was definitely an issue in 2003-2004 time when RHD Citaro vehicles were withdrawn from London and Mercedes themselves resolved those issues, no doubt about that and I would expect that any operator worth their salt would have dealt with that since it was a known problem in RHD markets.

It would be interesting to know how intensively Dublin Coach actually work their Mercedes powered units,something which I'm sure,will form part of the overall investigation ?

Well those ex Aircoach Setra's would be probably the most intensively worked coaches in Ireland during their time with the former operator, bearing in mind Aircoach has been a pretty much 24x7x364 operation and all of them worked between 10-12 years of that kind of schedule before going to Dublin Coach.

I would say they were pretty cheap to buy or lease since in 2011 Leon Daniels stated that they all had well over 1,000,000km on the clock so they must have at the very least 2,000,000km on the clock now.

boardsuser1 · 15-10-2017 4:55pm

Copied from facebook, names removed as i didn't seek their permission to mention them here.

4 hrs · Kildare
Just a heads up to anyone travelling west on the M7 a Dublin coach Setra looks to have lost 2 rear wheels, one ended up well up the road but the other wasn't obvious, it's about 10 km west of the M7/M8 junction.
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And a Neoplan expired at the Ballymun exit with a load on at 4am, people rescued by a Citaro artic ..
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Looks like it later caught fire unless it's another one, I assumed it had lost its wheels, it was down at the back and there was a wheel up the road, the plot thickens, it was definitely not on fire when I passed about 11.45!
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tabbey · 16-10-2017 12:06pm

Quackster wrote: »

Dublin Coach is a private company and there's plenty of well-earned bashing of it in this thread. :rolleyes:

And histrionic posts as well.

Driving down the M7 last week I was surprised that so many of the coaches heading for Dublin were Dublin Coach. They must be doing something right.

I also looked at Corcoran's bus repair depot in Portlaoise industrial estate. While the burnt DC vehicle was the most prominent, there were vehicles from many other operators, including Dublin Bus.

john boye · 16-10-2017 12:24pm

tabbey wrote: »

And histrionic posts as well.

Driving down the M7 last week I was surprised that so many of the coaches heading for Dublin were Dublin Coach. They must be doing something right.

I also looked at Corcoran's bus repair depot in Portlaoise industrial estate. While the burnt DC vehicle was the most prominent, there were vehicles from many other operators, including Dublin Bus.

I'm no particular fan of DB but Corcoran's do all kinds of scheduled work for them.