Swords Express running from 19 November
November 15th, 2007
Swords Express will operate from 19 November, with the first service leaving for the city for the Pavillions Shopping Centre at 0634. Check out the timetables page or download the PDF leaflet with all the details in it and a map showing the stops.
We are looking forward to your support on the first day. We expect the services from Swords at 07.37 , 07.53, 08.09 and 08.24 in particular to be popular. The first pick-up point will be at the Dublin Bus bus stop outside Penney’s (Pavillions Shopping Centre) on Dublin Street.
The fare is €3 one-way and you can pay on the bus. We think this is pretty good value for a rapid, fully-seated service. We don’t receive any subsidies from the taxpayer.
November 15th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
Congratulations. The starting point at Penny’s is a little bit disapointing (I hoped for the major) and the leaving times are funny but I hope you can keep the maximum 35 minutes up and also will be able to provide a frequent service.
And given the Dublin Bus Strike right now your starting next week is great.
All the best success for the route.
November 16th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Well done on getting this together, hope ye make your fortune on this :).
November 16th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Hi, congraulations on your new bus service! But I have a question, is it not illegal for you to use Dublin Bus’ bus stops? or are you going to erect your own nearby?
November 16th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Good question. We don’t actually use the Dublin Bus pole. The passengers use them, so they know where to stand. Our stop is adjacent to the Dublin Bus stop. Yes, we are going to erect our own nearby. Dublin City Council in particular are being quite helpful with this.
November 16th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Great timing for starting up with the DB strike on. Are you thinking of any facility like a weekly bus ticket or will it always be cash?
November 16th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Timing is just dumb luck! Would have been nice to start today. Anyway, good question. We will introduce a monthly and yearly ticket, because there is a big tax saving for customers for doing so.
You should ask your employer about the ‘taxsaver’ scheme. Let us know at feedback@swordsexpress.com if this is of interest to you.
November 17th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
You need to start away from the centre of Swords. For those in the surrounding housing estates, it will take 30 minutes just to get to the terminus on foot. What are the restrictions on where you can place bus stops? Can you start in Swords Manor or Applewood? Even alternating starting points to facilitate (alot of demand).
If buses are full, will you allow standing? Starting during a bus strike will be a challenge to ensure you can meet the demand.
The best of luck with the new service and I hope it expands.
November 18th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
well done. Swords needs this badly. where is the pick up point on O’Connell Street ?
November 18th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
well done it will be a kick in the arse for Dublin Bus
November 19th, 2007 at 6:39 am
Hi,
Every good wish for your success. Does the free travel for oap’s work on your site.
Regards,
Garry Owens
November 19th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Got your bus this morning, excellent service. The only drawback is the pick up points. Im out near Applewood and had to get a lift to the bus stop. Would you consider having a pick up point around Applewood?
November 19th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Great news on the new service. Competition is badly needed in the area. However, from my point of view (and hundreds of commuters like me!) starting at the Pavillions is pretty useless as it means i still need to get a Dublin Bus to there- more time and more expense! I am living close to Applewood, North Swords. I think if you had done more market research it would have been abundantly clear that it would make sense to begin and end the service from say Applewood. There are hundreds of commuters there who have long given up on the Dublin Bus “service” many of whom drive into town or drive to Dart stations, who are crying out for a proper service. Even if you were to try the odd departure from Applewood in the mornings and return in the evenings and advertise it in the area properly, you would be astounded by the popularity and usage!! The bus would be full at applewood and you could head straight out onto the Old Belfast Road, avoiding the village altogether, and fly into town.
For the time being i will continue to drive to Malahide Dart Station as the terminus for your new and exciting does not suit me. Hopefully this will change in the near future!
Anyway best of luck with it all!
November 19th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Why was there no 8.09 service this morning? I was at the stop from 7.50 as my children are picked up by a school bus from the same stop at 8am. The 7.53 bus departed on time but no sign of the 8.09 service. I got the 8.24 departure and arrived at O’Connell Bridge at 9.05, not bad considering the traffic was so heavy on the quays. However waiting in the cold rain and wind for a bus that didn’t arrive didn’t create a great first impression. Will the 8.09 service run tomorrow?
November 19th, 2007 at 11:16 am
strange design for a bus website…looks more like a blog…anyway congrats on the iniative in setting up the service…anything to take more cars off the road helps in dublin!
November 19th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Great to see something is being done, at last. However, unlikely I’ll be using it as I live near Applewood, walking to Penneys would take 30 minutes, busing from Swords Manor will cost €1 and forget driving as there’s nowhere to park in the town.
Good luck anyway!
November 19th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Hi Elaine, there was an 8.09 service, but it was late, about 10 minutes late I think. I am finding out exactly what the cause of this was. I am sorry about this, but I’m glad you liked the service otherwise.
Best,
Antoin.
November 19th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
It is a shame that the Department of Transport has refused to allow the 41X to use the tunnel, thus forcing hard pressed commuters to use this service instead.
It is a bit strange that this new bus service has gotten so much coverage in all the major newspapers. Yet none of the newspapers mentioned that the 41X was denied the opportunity to use the tunnel.
It is awful stupid that it won’t share Dublin Bus’s poles. We can’t have Main Street littered with poles from every bus company. Why can’t they share the one pole!
I beg that the forum moderator won’t allow this to be posted!
November 19th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
I will still be using the 41X has it goes all the way to Donnybrook where I get off. Cheaper too, at €2.35 instead of the €3 ripoff you’re charging to go only as far as the city centre. The 41C only charges €1.90 to go the same distance!
November 19th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Hi Kevin, the 41C goes a lot slower than the Swords Express. Certainly would be great if you could convince DB to allow pole sharing.
November 19th, 2007 at 5:05 pm
To Admin
I see that a number of people, including myself in an earlier note, have alreay mentioned extending Applewood as a start point. What is your response to this? Can you see the benefit to the communter and the potential business for yourselves?
I would be interested in getting your opinion/response to this suggestion!
Thanks
November 19th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
I live in the Holywell estate bordering the Swords to M1 link road. Like many other posters from other areas in swords I had hoped that this new service would serve my estate as to date Dublin Bus have only 6 buses per day servicing the area now with a population approaching 2000 people. The queues for the 3 DB busses into town in the morning are always very long. I don’t understand why your new service could not turn left into Airside at the Boroimhe junction, and join the M1 via the Drynam interchange, this would add the Holywell residents to your potential customers base without loosing any other large population areas and avoiding the traffic around the airport.
November 19th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
I’d imagine that the reason for the Penneys stop would be due to the fact that they can probably get enough customers to start off the business. I live in Boroimhe. There are 41Xs that start at the Christian Brothers and go through Rivervalley. They’re full well before they get to C&Ts. I’m one user that’ll find it handier to walk out to Texaco and get a bus there rather than walk from Boroimhe down to the CBS and then spend 15 mins driving around Rivervalley & Boroimhe before even getting back to my starting point. I emailed Dublin Bus about the lack of space on the 41Xs months ago to see if they could do anything about putting on extra buses but like any semi state body they don’t really care about making money or providing a service. There was nothing they could do apparantly.
It also looks good for the advertising to say Swords -> Dublin in about 30 mins. If they go to Applewood does that add about 15 mins for a bus?
November 19th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
I got this bus this morning and I was delighted with it. Got into town in a very speedy time and it was comfortable and friendly. Well worth an extra 10e a week! I think the price is reasonable given the amount of time it saves.
The only thing was I had to get a lift to Airside from Rivervalley to get it because it was lashing rain and a 20 minute walk. I can’t do that everyday- not in winter anyway!
When I was driving past the bus stops all through Rivervalley they were jammed.
There was a 7.35 41X that used to go through the tunnel from Rivervalley but it was full to the brim after 3 stops. Most people let other non-tunnel buses go in the hope of catching another tunnel bus later.
A guaranteed shuttle bus would be extremely popular in the mornings because there’s crazy demand for it.
Earlier in the year there was no buses going through Rivervalley because of the Forest Road Closure. There was uproar about it. It meant everyone who lived in Rivervalley had around a 20 minute (maybe more) walk to and from the bus every single day. This went on for weeks. Barely anybody would opt for a freezing, rainy walk over an estate drop after a long day at work.
Rivervalley is just a short detour away from the current route of the Swords express. It would not require a new starting or finishing point. I think even a single stop in the middle of the estate would generate major interest.
That is the only thing I can fault about this idea though. The market is definitley there! I wish you the best of luck.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Great idea. I only hope you can expand to increse your pick up points in Swords. Weekly and student tickets should also be offered.
All the best.
November 19th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
I got the service into town today and I was very impressed by the speed and quality of the service.
Granted, it was a bit expensive at 3 euro but it’s not a terribly big amount when compared to Dublin Bus (1.90). For the extra euro and 10 cent I was in town roughly 40 minutes earlier than I would have been with Dublin Bus.
I’ll be using this service as much as I can, particularly when I’m in a rush and need to get into town quickly.
People seem to be demanding the service go to many different areas in Swords, but realistically… it’ll only increase the time it takes to get into town. The Swords Express’ novelty and niche is it’s speed, sending the bus over the typical 41/c route will only turn the Swords Express into a bus that just goes through the Port Tunnel and adds more time onto the journey.
All in all, I wish you guys the best of luck.
p.s. Some bus stops wouldn’t go amiss!
November 19th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
Hi,
Delighted to hear that you have finally started your new route.
I am absolutely gutted, along with a lot of people in this part of Swords that you are only operating from the Pavillions in the morning and only from Eden Quay in the evenings.
For those of us who live in the newer parts of Swords, such as Glen Ellan, Applewood, Brides Glen, Bunbury Gate, Swords Manor, etc. getting to the Pavillions each morning is a trek in itself.
For those of us working on the southside, such as Baggot St., Stephen’s Green, the walk down to Eden Quay (especially in Winter weather) is not an appealing one.
Even at three Euro, I’m sure you will have a lot of passengers, but to be honest I think it’s a bit pointless to say you’re servicing “Swords” with an express route, when your journey embarks on the outskirts of Swords.
If you really did your research you’ll have noted that all 41X are nearly full to capacity every morning before they even reach Swords Village! Where do you think these people live? Even Urbus had enough sense to service this area when it began, as after all - this ‘is’ the neighbourhoods where people live…….not the Pavillions.
Here’s hoping that some day soon you’ll have a re-think and operate from Swords Manor to College Green. It may increase your journey time by an extra 10-15 minutes, but you’d need a lot more buses to cater for the business you’d get.
As it is, Dublin Bus stop almost outside my door, and practically delivery me to my place of work each day for two Euro and the journey is approx. 65mins. It may be longer than your journey, but I think you’ll find that a lot of the public will put up with an extra few minutes for a more convenient, less costly service!
I wish you all the best, let me know if your service ever expands to actually cater for the people of Swords.
Thanks,
November 20th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Like other posters here, I’m delighted that this new service has been introduced and think it is long overdue.
I’ve read through the other comments and it seems to me that you might be better off to run two buses; one leaving Swords Manor, serving Glen Ellan, Applewood, Brides Glen, Bunbury Gate, etc. and one serving River Valley, Boroimhe and Holywell. From reading the other comments here, a departure point at Penneys does not seem to suit the majority of your would-be customers. Just a thought !
Best of luck with your bus service.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
I’ve used the service twice now - home yesterday and to town this morning - and it’s excellent. It’s a bit of a walk from Swords Manor area to the Pavillons, but I wouldn’t like to see the service extended out to Applewood etc - it wouldn’t really be an express service then.
Swords isn’t that big - you’re no more than a 20 minute walk to the Main Street no matter where you are. If you want a local pick up, then stick to Dublin Bus.
November 20th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Paul,
So you are saying that it is not possible to run an “Applewood Express” whereby initially one or two buses could run from Applewood to town?? As has been previously stated you could fill the bus easily from Applewood and run direct from there - avoiding the village completely!! You would still get into town in the 35/40 minutes they are aiming for. To my mind this would still be an Express.
“a 20 minute walk to Main Street no matter where you are”. I disagree completely and suggest you try and make it from the far side of Bunbury Gate to Pennys in 20 minutes. If you manage it in 20 minutes i’ll be sending you to the next Olympics!
November 20th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Hi,
Well done on new service, used it yesterday evening and intend to use it more if I can arrange the tax saver option for next year.
I suppose it’s hard to please everybody all of the time, Applewood definitely needs more access to express services - just not sure if the solution exists within this forum. These arematters that those residents should be raising with their local representatives on a continuous basis. Vinny - you should set up your own company in competition and call it the Applewood Express - forget about the rest of Swords!
As a resident of Boroimhe, we have access to all the routes, however the 41X services via the Tunnel were usually full by the time they get up to us, so this service is welcome as an additional service that can take frustrated 41X passengers from Boroimhe / Ridgewood area.
Swords Express, best of luck, wish you every success through this teething period.
November 21st, 2007 at 9:53 am
Vinny
I’m not sure where Bunbury Point is and I can assure you I’m no Olympian, but I take your point.
An Applewood Express would suit the people of Applewood and nearby (including myself), but would make the service unusable for people in Boroimhe, for example. While it is running on a relatively limited service, it makes much more sense for the Sword Express to run from the nearest thing we have to an equidistant point - the village. Of course, if the service becomes more frequent then it’d be great to introduce a Applewood / Swords Manor / Boroimhe etc. Express, but I wouldn’t like to see the service compromised by trying to be all things to all people. I was lucky (!) enough to get the 41x a few times when it went through the Port Tunnel, and by the time it had completed its circuitous pick-up and drop-off route, it wasn’t a particularly quick service. And the route that serves Swords most comprehensively, the 41c, can take as long to get through Swords as it takes to get from the city in the first place.
I have a 15 minute walk to and from the village and I can’t say I’ll do it every day, especially when the really bad weather draws in. The days I can’t be bothered to walk I’ll take the 41x, but it’s nice to know that there’s a much quicker alternative available for a bit of effort. It’s like having a DART station in Swords.
November 21st, 2007 at 11:00 am
I’ve got the service a few times now and its absolutley brilliant, i got a bus last night oppisite the texaco garage on the swords bypass at 18:07 and was in town at 18:20 - unreal!
I would never give out about having to pay €3 for this service, its well worth it for the clean, comfortable, fast, quiet journey - compared to Dublin Bus that is. I just don’t get people giving out about an extra €1.10 when most of us will go into a pub and pay €5 for a pint!
I would recommend this servcie to every one, and to all the doubters give it a try and you’ll never want to get Dublin Bus again!
Finally, fair play to the company for encouraging customer feedback - both positive and negative, its not often you get a company doing this and you should be commended for it.
November 21st, 2007 at 12:42 pm
I took swords express bus from Laughter Lounge at 5.20pm yesterday evening and was in Swords (or at least the outskirts of Swords !) at 5.50pm Fantastic service but really needs to extend into Swords and beyond, could some of them run via Applewood/Swords Manor and others through Boroimhe/River Valley. Now that would be useful.
November 21st, 2007 at 3:53 pm
running a service to Applewood/Swords Manor etc, would only work if they collected at these points only and then on to town, otherwise the travel times would increase a lot to the city centre, that is if the service also collected in the village - not a go-er at all. as above perhaps possible in the future. up to the provider i assume.
November 21st, 2007 at 9:50 pm
I got the 17.04 service into the city yesterday and was in the city centre by 17.40. It is a fantastic service and well worth the 3euro fare when you think of the very poor service offered by Dublin Bus in the area . Congratulations and the best of luck.
November 27th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Re:Servicing Applewood.Taking there as a starting point as it is central to 8 or 10 commuter developments.From The Pavillions/Malahide rd roundabout that SWords Ex already uses is just a 5 minute journey to applewood.I know this because I get the 5:45pm 43 bus to Glen Ellen for god knows how long now.2 of the regular drivers don’t go through the village and drop people at the stops just after the seatown roundabout which is a whole 2 minute walk from the Village centre .If its a new driver and he goes through the village ,then you may as well add 15-20 mins to the journey.Theres a Bus lane the whole way (on both sides) and 1 set of traffic lights.Theres also roundabouts for buses turning and laybys for parking.A service from there is a very commercially sensible option
November 27th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Well done on setting up this much needed service. I hope it prospers, and look forward to the annual tax saver ticket for it.
Just on the point about serving the different estates in Swords, I honestly think you could clean up by diverting one bus through north swords developments (applewood, Swords manor etc) and one bus through the southern developments (Rivervalley/Ridgewood/Boroimhe) at peak times. I’d say if you ran one bus through each of these areas at 8am and one going back at 5.40 on top of the existing service you’d get plenty of happy punters.
The commute is so comfortable, it’s impossible to think about going back to Dublin bus again. I’ll happily pay a euro or two extra per day for the time saved and the lack of stress/frustration from using the Swords Express. All of a sudden the long hard wait for ‘Metro north’ to arrive doesn’t seem so long after all.
December 2nd, 2007 at 2:02 pm
First off all well done! Great service.
I just have one query. I was a little confused this week over prices. I’m a student and was told by one driver during the week that it was only 2euro for me to travel into town. However yesterday morning I was told by another driver that it was in fact 3euro.
Could you please clarify????
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:22 pm
I’m afraid it is 3 euros. Some of our drivers are too nice. I hope we will be able to do a student season ticket in the future. What times of day do you travel at?