Transport for conferences and company events
Delegates judge an event's transport on two moments: getting in before the opening session, and getting away without a long queue at the door. Plan from the venue kerb outwards.
Start with the venue door
The Convention Centre Dublin at Spencer Dock has a 2,000-seat auditorium. When a plenary ends, most of that room wants to leave at once. Ask the venue where coaches may set down, and how many can stand at the same time, before the quote is final. The RDS in Ballsbridge and Citywest in south-west Dublin work differently, and the answer decides how many vehicles you need and how they are staggered.
In Dublin, on-street coach spaces are not for loading passengers. Groups board at signed coach stops. A coach waiting between the morning run and the evening return can lay over at the NTA Docklands Coach Park, which has 50 bays and is entered via Park Lane off North Wall Quay.
Hotel loops and the bus gates
Since August 2024, two quays bus gates, Bachelors Walk and Aston Quay, have removed through traffic between 07:00 and 19:00, while College Green's gate never switches off. A loop that looks short on a map may need a longer route round them. Send hotel addresses early, so the operator times the loop on the real route.
What the rules require
- EU drivers' hours apply in Ireland: 9 h driving a day, extendable to 10 h twice a week
- Buses with more than 8 passenger seats must pass an annual roadworthiness test (CVRT) once over a year old
When the day runs from breakfast to the gala dinner
EU drivers' hours apply in Ireland. A driver may drive 9 hours a day, or 10 on two days a week, and must stop for at least 45 minutes once 4.5 hours at the wheel are done. A multi-day programme also meets weekly caps: 56 hours in one week, 90 across two. Give the operator the first pickup and last drop-off for every day, so it can decide whether a second driver takes the evening.
Events outside the capital
SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork offers about 1,500 sq m of event space. Killarney's Gleneagle INEC Arena is about 1 km from the town centre on the Kenmare road, close enough that some delegates walk. Galway Racecourse at Ballybrit uses its grandstand for conferences.
Questions
Can a coach wait outside the venue all day?
Rarely in central Dublin. On-street coach spaces have a two-hour maximum stay, so a coach usually lays over at a coach park and comes back at an agreed time.
Are the coaches roadworthiness tested?
Buses with more than 8 passenger seats must pass an annual CVRT test once they are over a year old. Ask the operator to confirm the test is current.
When should delegate numbers be final?
Give a working figure with the quote request and a firm one when registration closes. Moving from a midi coach to a full-size coach is easier with notice.
Cities
Vehicles
- Full-size coach — 49-81 seats
- Midi coach — 29-35 seats
- Minibus — 16-19 seats
- Executive van (Mercedes V-Class and similar) — 6-7 seats
- Executive car (E-Class saloon class) — 1-3 seats
- Wheelchair-accessible minibus — 10-16 plus wheelchair spaces
Plan delegate transport
Send the venue, hotels, session times and delegate numbers. A licensed, insured partner operator quotes the vehicles with drivers, and you decide.
Request a quote or call 35312659152