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    First Bus Ireland (Aircoach/Matthews) Discussion

    My understanding is that the 700X was originally meant to be re-routed via Dublin Port Tunnel once the new buses went into service - there are images online which show the buses with "3Arena" printed on the side where they now say "Drumcondra Station". The rumour I have heard is that they were...
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    Rail & Sail tickets to Orkney - Impossible to buy?

    The current North Highland line timetable PDF still references the free taxi transfer, but states to book with Ormlie & Violet's Taxis rather than Highland Taxis.
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    Northern Ireland Railways - Ranger/Rover equivalent for the network?

    The limit of travel for Zone 1 on Ulsterbus is generally slightly beyond the last stop also served by Metro buses. I've forgotten most of them but a few I do remember are the Ivanhoe Hotel on the Saintfield Road routes and The Cutts on the 530/532. More might come back to me in time. On the...
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    Northern Ireland Railways - Ranger/Rover equivalent for the network?

    I question the logic of doing this. Surely it would be more customer friendly to just have a policy of allowing a ticket to X to be honoured as part payment for an iLink card at X. A requirement that the redemption happen within an hour of arrival and the card will be activated immediately at...
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    Northern Ireland Railways - Ranger/Rover equivalent for the network?

    5+ years ago it was at least theoretically possible to buy an "iLink single" ticket from a bus driver or train guard if you did not have an iLink card to top up and started your journey other than at a manned station. This was the same price as a regular single ticket, but the value of it could...
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    Trivia - Bus routes which change countries

    The Wayfarer TGX150 machines are capable of handling multiple currencies - they are what Ulsterbus used from the early 2000s until a few years ago. Bus Eireann just chose not to do that in favour of allowing their drivers to cream off the top.
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    Trivia - Bus routes which change countries

    Ulsterbus ticket machines are dual currency with one button press needed to switch currency (incidentally, until recently they used the same model used by Bus Eireann, just programmed differently). If a fare is sold in Euro the Euro fare is printed on the ticket below the Sterling fare. The...
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    Trivia - Bus routes which change countries

    They can pay in Sterling. The general arrangement is that a 1:1 exchange rate is used, and any change is given in Euro. The driver pays the fare in in Euro and pockets the difference. The company is aware and chooses to turn a blind eye. For example, if a passenger tenders a £20 (€23) note for...
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    Trivia - Bus routes which change countries

    Dozens of them between Ireland and Northern Ireland - including Ulsterbus Route 270/271 which crosses the border ten times on its morning return journey from Belfast to Cavan and back.
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    Bangor (NI) to Belfast Train Fares

    You can also use the return leg of an Ulsterbus return ticket on the train (and vice versa), without payment of any difference in fare, after 6:30pm every day.
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    Northern Ireland Railways - Ranger/Rover equivalent for the network?

    The Belfast Visitor Pass is just a Zone 1 iLink card at a slightly higher price that also entitles you to a small discount on some of the main Belfast tourist attractions.
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    Interrail london to Holyhead

    You can also upgrade any ticket or pass (without exception) which is valid in Standard Class to First Class on Irish Rail by booking a First Class "Reservation Only" ticket online. It is very often cheaper to buy a Standard Class ticket and a First Class upgrade than a First Class ticket. For...
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    Interrail london to Holyhead

    Have you checked that Interrail actually makes financial sense for your journey? If you haven't travelled by train in Ireland for some time, you may be surprised to learn that Irish trains are now relatively inexpensive, even if tickets are purchased on the day (as long as you do so online...
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    Trivia: Strangest bus stop names.

    "Dangerous Bend" was the name of a fare stage between Woodenbridge and Arklow on the former twice daily Wicklow-Avoca-Arklow variant of Bus Eireann Route 133. As Route 133 offered online tickets, it was also one of the possible origins and destinations to choose from a very long drop-down list...
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    Should we have a universal ID card?

    Ireland's Public Services Card is only mandatory to claim social welfare benefits, and doubles as a Free Travel Pass for those entitled to Free Travel. Some online Government services, such as applying for a driving licence online, are only available to holders - but there is always an...
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    Dublin Leap Visitor Card

    Do not pre-book Premier Inn breakfast - there is no discount for doing so, and to the best of my knowledge you can't get a refund if you miss it or opt to eat elsewhere.
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    Dublin Leap Visitor Card

    They run a number of Public Service Obligation (socially necessary but commercially unviable, although the latter is a dubious claim in many cases) routes that would traditionally have been ran by State-owned operators Dublin Bus (Dublin City Bus routes) and Bus Eireann (Dublin Commuter Bus...
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    Dublin Leap Visitor Card

    The Short Hop Zone no longer exists, and the card is indeed now valid only in the smaller Zone 1. All Dublin City Bus services (Dublin Bus, and Go-Ahead routes other than Routes 120, 125, 126 and 130), are deemed to be entirely within in Zone 1, even if they actually enter another zone. The...
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    First Bus Ireland (Aircoach/Matthews) Discussion

    Subject to certain restrictions around timings, there can be two operators running near-identical services along a given route. A good example is Dublin-Cork, served by both CityLink and Aircoach, the only difference in route being that the pick-up stops in Dublin City are about 75 yards apart...
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    Dublin Leap Visitor Card

    The only time it would be advantageous would be for a 5+ day trip that spans two calendar (Monday-Sunday) weeks. The weekly Visitor Leap Card is simply valid for 168 hours from first use, whereas the regular Leap Card weekly cap is for travel in each calendar week, Monday-Sunday. The main...

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