Price Changes on Swords Express
April 8th, 2008
We are making some changes on our fares. The reason for the change is simple - we are not currently covering our costs on our operations. We cannot sustain the quality of the service at the price we are currently charging. We also need to speed up our boarding and that’s the reason for encouraging a move to using the 10-journey ticket and season tickets.
The new fares, for reference, from the 16th of April will be:
35 euros for a ten journey ticket (3.50 per trip). You can buy these tickets on the bus.
4 euros for a single ticket.
There are also various options for saving more money.
The yearly ticket will continue to be available for EUR 960 for the next two months. This ticket will go up in price, however.
The monthly ticket will continue to be available for EUR 96 per month for the next two months, and then will go up in price.
We have not decided what the increase will be as yet. We recommend you take advantage of the opportunity to buy a monthly ticket.
We do not take increasing the price lightly. We have taken a long time to make a decision on the increase, but it has become inevitable as peak time traffic continued to grow, while off-peak remained low. For a service like ours, it is the peak time service that drives all our costs - we need a large number of vehicles and drivers to provide a full service at peak times. Cutting back peak services would not really improve our figures. Because we are an express service, we can only fill each space once, because all the passengers are effectively on board for the full journey. We also want to continue to provide as high a level of comfort as possible on our services.
Non-express services, including express services that drop off mid-way, can often fill some seats twice during the peak times. Dublin Bus express services have increased their prices by 15 percent over the last four months, apparently because of similar issues.
At the same time, we are dealing with increases in costs. Diesel has gone up in price, and the cost will certainly hit us in the coming months. At the same time, the Department of Transport is planning to increase the net price we pay for fuel because of a direction from the EU, and this change could come into effect at any time.
One thing we are considering is a less expensive off-peak and weekend ticket. We’d be interested in getting your feedback on whether that would bring an increase in patronage (say from 9.30 until 3.30, and from 7pm onwards).
April 8th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Can you please explain to me why your fare is increasing by 33% upto €4 per fare.
CPI (Inflation) currently stands at 4.8% so the cost of living surely isnt the cause.
The price of Oil is at an alltime high as of Feburary but as we all know the effects of the price of oil NEVER hits the consumer for at least 6 months after as oil is bought in bulk and stored for at least 6 months and therefore any increase in price will hit consumer 6-9 months later
Your bus currently has I would guess 60 seats per bus, your increase means you will pocket an extra €40 euro per journey. Are you seriously telling us that the costs to your company have increased by 40 euro per 25 minute journey? Are you planning on serving meals on the journey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
33% is simply greed and unacceptable.
Can you please explain why??
April 8th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Sorry meant to say 60 euro per journey
April 8th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
You’ve posted your comment a couple of times in different places. We’ve explained as best I can. As it is now, our price simply doesn’t cover the cost of running the service. The current price of the service just doesn’t cover our costs, in spite of the fact that our buses are often full. Our cost base is already pretty tight for the quality of service we are offering.
We also face upwards price pressure on diesel and the threatened increase in Diesel duty that we face.
There are plenty of good deals on yearly and monthly tickets too. For most daily commuters, the price increase is much smaller than you say. We are encouraging customers to switch to monthly and yearly tickets.
April 8th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
€4 a trip is quite expensive (€40 a week). This may put some people off using the bus. I welcome the introduction of the 10 journey tickets. Where can you buy them?
April 8th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
With regard to the increase in fares, Has the child fare increased and if so has it gone to €3 or is the €4 a flat fare?
Thanks
Richard
April 8th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Children’s (under 16) fare stays the same at 2 euros.
You will be able to buy 10-journey-tickets on the bus. (Text above updated with this information).
April 9th, 2008 at 8:33 am
How long is Ten Journey ticket valid for? Does it have to be used within a seven day period ?
ANY news on extending service to Applewood/Swords Manor?
April 9th, 2008 at 9:39 am
The Express has been a great boon for Swords and is definitely convenient,efficient, comfortable and on time. The increase of 33% is rather large and will put some customers off. Maybe a solution might be double decker buses. Doubling the capacity and meaning you may need to run less buses or run different routes. Also, if you are not covering costs at the moment does this mean that Swords Express is in danger of going out of business if prices did not rise? I wish the vnture all the best and will continue to use it but €4 per journey will mean I am more reluctant to do so.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:45 am
I think it was pretty inevitable. I was going for the 8:05AM bus yesterday morning. I noticed as I came out of Boroimhe that the 7:55AM bus didn’t stop at Texaco. I was at Pinnock hill for the 8:05AM which was full before my stop and then the 8:15AM was full before my stop. I gave up and got a 33 at 8:40AM which got me in for 9:40AM.
They need to put on more capacity but the cost of capacity (bus and driver) is spread throughout the day and we can all see the empty buses going out from the city at peak times in the morning or empty from Swords in the afternoon.
If you put the fare up to €4 during the mornings how about putting the non peak fares down to €2 or €2.50 to try and encourage users to use off peak.
I don’t know why you don’t get more customers during the day. I’ve gotten the buses a few times in the afternoon. They’re reliable, quicker and way more comfortable than Dublin Bus.
There have been notes in the papers about Dublin Bus applying for the tunnel route again. That may affect your bottom line if their service gets the go ahead at €2 a trip. If it was a difference of €1 I’d always use Swords Express. If it’s €2 I might be tempted to the competition (if they ever get approval). I presume you’ll cross that bridge when you come to it.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
For the 10 journey will you take notes in payment. I don’t fancy bringing €35 in change.
April 9th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
By the way. I’m a different Michael (last two posts) from the first poster
April 9th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Yes, we will accept notes.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I’ve noticed the last couple of mornings that there are cars parked at Airside. Are people leaving their cars there during the day and getting the Swords Express? I’m just wondering if this is allowed by the Airside?
April 9th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Regarding the increase in the fares: while I agree Swords Express offer a very good service, an increase of 33% is way too high. Other ways of cutting costs should be explored. I agree with reducing the fares outside peak time to a flat rate of €2 and encouraging more users. A “Shoppers Special”. I think that in peak times all should pay the full rate, whether it is €3 or €4 - and this would include students and children. The service is mostly used by working adults and it is annoying to see children on the bus in the morning when it gets to Airside and not be able to get on. To end: its a great service but at €4 a hop - it will only be a final resort for me now.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Another idea: why not advertise a Shoppers Special more, i.e leaflets and flyers in peoples homes - a lot of non working people still do not know about the service.
Another idea: on the way back to Swords during the day when capacity seems to be at its lowest, what about going into the airport - that might increase your numbers on the journey from the city to Swords
Evening service: I would definitely use it in the evenings instead of Dublin Bus
April 9th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
This is a bit disappointing, hiking up the price by a euro seems a bit steep. I travel out to Swords just two days a week, but to be honest if I’m not in a hurry coming back into town I think I’ll be tempted to hop on a Dublin Bus instead. The 10 journey ticket is some consolation at least, but I agree with previous posts on offering shopper/off-peak fares to boost the use of the service. Having said all that the service itself is great in terms of speed and efficiency, just keep in mind the varying circumstances and needs of your customers!
April 9th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Hi all, these are good comments and we will certainly consider doing a ’shopper’s fare’. You make a fair point about child fares at the peak time.
April 9th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
This morning on the 8.51am to Swords, I was the only one on the bus! Thus, I think I can safely say we all appreciate the fact that you’re faced with huge variations in demand for the service. It’s just good to see you’re open to valid suggestions. Maybe some extra shoppers will protect my ‘9-5′ pocket against future sharp price increases!
April 9th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Very dissappointed in the 33% increase. Are you honestly saying that your initial projection figures were out by 33%??? That’s a massive margin to be wrong by. Me thinks you had this price increase in mind from the start but used the 3 euro fare to generate custom.
I like others welcome the 10 journey ticket. It suits me as I only avail of the evening service from town.
Why not look at reducing the weekend and off peak costs to generate more passengers?
Again just to say I’m terribly dissappointed with the fare increase.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
I use the bus quite a bit as it is very convenient especially coming out of town in the evening after work as it is very quick. I have an annual Dublin Bus ticket so using your bus is an extra expense but I didn’t mind paying it. At €4 though that will make me think twice.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Well, it is €3.50 with the 10-journey ticket and the ten-journey ticket can be used any time for a month. Thanks for the kind words about the service though.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:33 am
Needless to say, I’m not a fan of the price increase. The student’s among us (exception applies to IBAT) are prettymuch getting shafted.
4 euros per journey is completely unreasonable for students to pay. It’s DOUBLE the cost of Dublin Bus.
As much as I’d love to continue using the Express, it’s simply not feasible for me to do so when this price change comes in.
April 10th, 2008 at 11:09 am
Like most others, i was a huge fan of Swords Express when it came along first. So much so that, in a very cynical way, i was actually pleased that the 41x couldn’t use the tunnel because i had spent years plaguing Dublin Bus for a better service but was always ignored. But now the swords express honeymoon is over…for me at least.
Capacity issues, timetable problems, left waiting for over an hour in the evenings, some rude drivers (who profess not to be able to speak English and who park up outside Tara street in the evenings as the hoards gather outside the Laghter Lounge!) double standards with regard to standing or not standing and to top it all off a price hike for a deteriorating service.
I wonder did Dublin Bus once start off with the same good intentions as Swords Express did??
I refuse to buy an annual or a monthly ticket because there is no guarantee Swords Express will have room for me and i’ll end up forking out for another way home. Who in their right mind would do this? Not me.
It’s time for Swords Express to take a long hard look.
In the meantime i’m off to phone my local politicians to get an update on the 41X situation and lend my support to that……
April 10th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Vinny, I have to agree with you. When its good its very, very good, but when its bad its horrid. Some of the drivers are great, i.e. Robbie, but I hear he is leaving. I agree with parking at Tara Street, why cant people get on at Tara Street? It is now a very expensive service. Why Dublin Bus a public service company cannot use a tunnel paid for out of tax payers money is mad.
What happens if a yearly ticket is purchased and Swords Express go out of business?
Higher prices will mean lower capacity - yes or no?
April 10th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
When it’s good it’s very very good but when it’s bad it’s like Dublin Bus
How many times have you stood at a Dublin Bus stop with the bus parked there and the driver looking out at you? At least with Swords Express they park the bus a lot of the time at the bus stop and let you on.
As to the guy above complaining about the inconsistancy with some drivers allowing people stand. Well, I’m pretty sure that nobody is allowed stand so I don’t want it consistant. If it gets full at least there’s a chance that some drivers will let you stand.
Anne how can higher prices = lower capacity?
I know a lot of people complain about capacity at peak times. I’ve found a little secret to get around this. Walk to an earlier stop. The stops are about 200m apart. I was working in the IFSC a couple of weeks ago. I could either queue at that stop and have a 70% chance of getting a peak hour bus or could walk all the way up to Murphys Laughter lounge (a 10 min slow walk) and be guaranteed I’d get on. My times for getting the buses are around 7:45AM and around 5:45PM each day (give or take 10 mins) so I think it’s pretty much peak.
I saw the same complaints when the service started. How €3 was too expensive and people wouldn’t use it. That worked out well didn’t it. All they need to do is increase the fares at peak times so that people who are willing to spend an extra half hour for the sake of €2 can take Dublin Bus. That way I’m even more sure of getting a seat on the peak times.
April 10th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I am extremely disappointed to read the artical on your website regarding fare hikes. We all have to make a living in this economy where inflation and just gone over 5% but I think a 33% fare hike on a single fare is outragious. There are other ways of reducing your spending than slap a 33% fare hike on customers that have been with you since the beginning. You are forcing your customers against a wall as you know at the moment you have the monoply and there is no other service available to them, although this is soon to change. How you can justify a fare hike like this after only 6 months of service is beyond me. As the saying goes you are ‘biting the hand that feeds you’.
Have other alternatives been reviewed? It is an express service after all but it is really more effective in the mornings and evenings at the rush hour times. Any other times of the day there are a number of other bus services from Swords to Dublin that will get you in in the same time. Therefore why not reduce your services during the day since you are only carrying a few customers. It seems you are penalising your rush hour customers to pay for your off peak service. Why not reduce this off peak service since it makes no money. After all you are a private company and making and saving money is what you are about.
I look forward to your response as I am sure there are other customers that feel my frustration.
David
April 10th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Mark, I should have said higher prices = lower uptake. This may mean a higher risk of the service going out of business. What happens to your yearly ticket then?
Dublin Bus fare from Swords is now €2.10, Swords Express €4. The difference initially was only €1.10 cents, at €4 it will be €1.90 per journey. Is it worth it - maybe not.
April 10th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
to that guy Mark. that was my point about one or two (at least)of the buses parking over at Tara Station in the evenings instead of getting around to the terminus as soon as they get into town!!!
as for the standing/not standing issue. I agree ok lets say NO standing. If that is the case so be it but my point is in the inconsistencies. This morning for example there at least 15 people standing on my bus. How do these 15 people get home in the evening if other drivers decide, no sorry… sitting only? It leaves people stranded!
as for everyone walking to the Laughter Lounge. It’s still the same numbers trying to get the bus!!!! I challenge you to walk from the Point Depot to the Laughter Lounge on a cold, wet, dark evening and you get there only to find everyone else has walked up aswell and you’re still left waiting. Come on Mark think about……
April 10th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Hey, if this backfires on you will you consider changing the prices back? I really think you should have made more effort to increase your revenue from the off peak buses than trying to milk more from the buses that are full. Basically we’re subsidising empty buses.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
April 10th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
It just honestly seems like 33% does not constitute any realistic change in circumstance in the industry.Yes there maybe changes in fuel prices/price structure but a 33% change,
I somehow doubt these price changes will cost you €60 to run one 25 minute journey
April 10th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Please also correct me if Im wrong but recent rises in oil prices shouldnt really effect you in the transport industry as Oil is purchased in dollars, and obviously anyone dealing in Euro currency is benefitting from the weak value of the dollar (i.e Rise is offset by weakness in dollar)
I may be wrong
Also “the Department of Transport is planning to increase the net price we pay for fuel because of a direction from the EU, and this change could come into effect at any time”
So you have implemented a 33% for something that is planning to happen, why not wait and see if they do introduce it, if the cost hasnt hit you yet then it shouldnt hit us.
The more I think about it the more a 33% increase is ridiculous!!!
April 11th, 2008 at 11:46 am
€4 is a bit steep. Would it not make more sense to put on less services during the afternoon and focus on the morning and evenings? Maybe increase to 3.30 single fare and 30.00 for 10 journeys.
Also, there appears to be no provision for providing change on the Swords Express. What’s that all about? Surely it’s not much to provide a receipt whereby you can be refunded your change at some swords express hq or something?
April 11th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I think the increase is going to affect take up on the service. The 41x will get to town before 9am most days so I’ll be switching back to Dublin Bus. Also on 8 April I had to wait for 3 express buses before I could get a seat. This meant I was late for work as there was quite a gap between buses and the 8.30 bus from Swords did not arrive.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
By the way dont get me wrong, I think your service is extremely well run but put simply is not deserving of a 33% increase
April 12th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
That is very kind of you to say. But it is not really a question of it being deserving. We have to increase the fare, or we will just not be able to pay the bills.
April 13th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Would you be kind enough to detail what bills of yours have increased by 33%?
Obviously dont include details with regard to net price of fuel because as we know that hasnt changed YET, it may do but hasnt yet.
Thank you
April 14th, 2008 at 7:35 am
I can appreciate the factors that have led to the price increase - I have noticed significant investment in buses and drivers since I started using the service back in November.
Having said that, €8 per day is simply too expensive. Shortly, my offices will be moving to the Southside - that’ll mean €4 into Swords, then another €2 out to the Southside. I could run a scooter or small car for €12 a day.
The problem as I see it is the government not making proper use of this €800m tunnel. They should either give Dublin Bus the licence, or subsidise the private operator who has been awarded the licence. It’s a joke that a town the size of Swords has to commute into Dublin on road, so while we wait for the Metro, a bit of help would be nice.
While I don’t relish the prospect, it looks like I’ll be back on the 41x as of Wednesday.
April 14th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Ehm is it just me or do people have a problem with the obvious.
It’s a new company. There is no way they could have predicted demand and so put a price they thought would work. Nobody uses it during the day and it was so busy at peak times that they put on an extra bus and driver (extra expense Michael).
You can get a 10 journey ticket for €35 (this is not a 33% increase), you can get a monthly ticket for €96 (is this before or after the tax saving?) which works out that you need to take 32 trips a month (16 working days) for it to equal €3 per trip.
The buses were full again this morning so I’ll be happy enough if a few people wander over to the 41X.
April 14th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Does an extra bus and driver cost an extra euro per person per serivce? I extremly doubt it…..
In relation to a weekly or monthly ticket, Why would you pre purchase tickets when you are never guaranteed to get a seat??
Are you honestly saying that they got their pricing 33% wrong, this is like a bad scene from the apprentice…
April 14th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Well with all the people above moving to the 41Xs I should be able to get a seat easy.
Regarding the weekly or monthly ticket. I get my bus near Airside. In 3 months I’ve had to get Dublin Bus about 3 times. I travel at peak times. So monthly ticket (€96) + 1-3 Dublin Buses (€6) = €102 per month (before tax refund). I get the bus about 20 working days a month. The extra Euro should only be affecting the infrequent users of the bus. For the frequent users there’s a 10 journey and monthly ticket.
Do the maths Michael. It’s not complicated. Buses full one way from 7AM - 9AM. Pretty much empty then until the evening rush hour. So what if he overestimated demand and has to put up prices. Either leave it at €3 and go broke or put up the prices. I won’t go back to Dublin Bus. I was looking for a new job that would have me closer to home until Swords Express started. I had too many mornings watching the 41Xs go past me. Frequent requests to Dublin Bus got replies saying there was nothing they could do. At least Swords Express tries to rejig the timetable to get the maximum number of people on the bus.
Anyway, vote with your feet. If it’s too much then go to Dublin Bus. There are piles of empty Dublin Buses going past these mornings. I suspect there’ll be a few extra seats on 16th April and then back to normal with packed buses on the days after it.
I won’t type anymore about this because if you’re not getting it you never will.
April 14th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Your fare is increasing but why not extending your service to swords manor and applewood. Am sure lots of people living in these areas will use it. Its not fair that i live in swords manor, have to walk to the main street to get swords express and then pay 4 euros. I wouldn’t mind paying that amount if your service was from swords manor because travelling almost one hour or more on dublin bus is very annoying every morning.. Its also quite difficult to cope with the rudeness of the drivers and not in time service of dublin bus.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:57 am
When are the 10 journey tickets available? It might be advantageous if they were with the drivers tonight. There’s going to be confusion tomorrow so I’d prefer to grab mine when I get on tonight if possible.
April 15th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Mark, do you work for Swords Express?
Everyone knows prices are increasing but with the rate of inflation running at 5% an increase of 33% is just extracting the Michael. If you are happy to be ripped off then Swords Express will always have at least 1 happy customer.
There should be no extra expense at providing an extra bus and driver, they already work for the company on their other routes.
Yours,
Not looking forward to using Swords Express for the last time this evening.
April 15th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Mark doesn’t work for Swords Express. The drivers don’t work on other routes whilst working on Swords Express. There are no routes anywhere, for any company, which require extra drivers and vehicles only during the off-peak time.
April 15th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
10 journey tickets are available from tonight.
April 15th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Someone would still have to explain to me the benefit of allowing Dublin Bus to run a single Bus through the tunnel at 8:00 in the morning, how is that competition ???? how will that improve the service ????
Will be interesting to see what prices the 2nd Private Service starts at if they get the license for the tunnel, I’m amazed that people still have time for Dublin Bus - they couldn’t be bothered improving the service for commuters until they noticed the drop in numbers on their own service, it was only a week or two into the operation of Swords Express that Dublin Bus had people counting passenger numbers on the 41 routes. I think the increase is a bit steep, but it has been mentioned before, and if the service works and this helps to improve it I for one will continue to use it, I certainly don’t want to go back to 90 minute journeys because of a little rain.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Totally agree with you Steve. I live in Boroimhe and used to have to walk down to the stop at Rivervalley Church to make sure I got on the bus (that stop wasn’t good enough to guarantee a seat though). I could also leave the house 20 mins before the bus and walk down to Christian Brothers then take another 20 mins to get back to the stop I should have been getting on in Boroimhe.
I rang and emailed Dublin Bus many times with other people over a year ago. There was nothing they could do apparantly.
I think the difference is that Swords Express wants / needs to make money so doesn’t want to leave customers standing at the stops and we can see from the timetable tweaks that at least they’re trying. Dublin Bus doesn’t need to make the money (from what I can see) which is why at least over the last two years the 41X timetable hasn’t changed or had very tiny changes while the customer base has increased massively.
*I don’t work for Swords Express either.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Mark, just for just attention, Swords Express rent theie bus fleet not on a daily basis, as far as I know on a monthly basis, so it costs them no more to run 20 services as it does 1 as they have paid for the bus outright.
Swords Express confirmed this to me themselves so perhaps you may want to do some research before you attempt to do “the maths” Good man
April 15th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Can i ask simply why Dublin Bus increased their service by 10% and you inceased it by 33%
Thats all I want an answer to, I would of presumed their costs are more… (More services,longer running times,larger fleet,)
April 15th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
First, Dublin Bus increased their express fares by 15 percent this year. We introduced a 10-journey ticket at the same time. Also, we didn’t increase the off-peak price. It stays the same. Dublin Bus doesn’t run off-peak services.
Dublin Bus also gets a big subsidy to buy new buses and to operate.
The issue with buses isn’t just the period they happen to be rented for. The problem is that there is no other ongoing market for coaches or drivers that are only available between 9 and 4.
We are going to work on our off-peak pricing to see if we can stir up some demand.
April 16th, 2008 at 9:38 am
The reason people are complaining about the 41x being banned from using the Port Tunnel is because the bus going via Rivervalley serves a completely different route. The only part of the route the bus competed on were the stops from the Texaco garage to Pinnock Hill. The rest of the route there were no stops anyway until it got through the tunnel and then the bus went a different route again through to UCD. The only part of the route which there was competition on is a route which is a route already served by Dublin Bus. I would have no complaints if there was direct competition but there is not. I use the Swords Express frequently because the 41c and 41 is such a terrible service and Dublin Bus could learn a lot from Swords Express in terms of comfort and frequency. I hope that the 41x will be allowed use the Port Tunnel because it leaves a bad taste in the mouth that it is banned. It would not lessen my use of Swords Express anyway.
April 16th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Got the 8:50 from Swords this morning, and was told that the 10 journey ticket was not available. Fortunately I just happened to have the €4 change on me, otherwise I’d have had to get some change and a later bus, leaving me very late for work.
Any reason why this ticket was not on sale this morning?
April 16th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
If you want me to pay €4 then please operate a top class bus service, where were your buses today from 5:40 until 6:10????
June 9th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I hear the prices are due to GO UP AGAIN! Is this true?