SkyBus gone up again [Up to $23.90 one way]

[simmomelb]

Currently $18.71 one way on Agoda or $31.33 for a return.
The only place I buy them

https://www.agoda.com/en-au/activities/detail?activityId=1041853&cid=1915008&tag=80db9259-194d-4315-91f9-1580c019e379&msclkid=167b14f6ecd816658f127371c984e325&cityId=10372#activity-nav-tabs-panel-1

If travelling as a party of 2 or more, I just grab Didi which works out similar (2 pax) or cheaper (3 pax) to the CBD, and direct to door.

 

[Sprucegoose]

and to add insult to injury was forced to accept the surge pricing with uber…which was >$100

When you see that, go out and come back in. Do it at least five times. Nine times out of ten, it should come down.

 

[Melburnian1]

At these prices the least they can do is make it a 24 hour service.

Yes, the 0100 to 0400 hours gap is odd when MEL boasts it's a 'curfew free' airport, and if travelling internationally, most of us like to turn up at check-in counters three hours prior. If my international flight is at 0700, I don't want to be forced to arrive at the airport at 0130 hours.

 

[jpp42]

if travelling internationally, most of us like to turn up at check-in counters three hours prior.

Three hours is the earliest you can check-in, I find when I arrive that early I'm just in a huge queue. Arriving 2 hours before departure is more the sweet spot. Melbourne doesn't have long immigration or security queues to worry about most times. The earliest Skybus arrival at ~4:30am should be fine for a 7am departure. I do agree there are some flights in the 5-6am departure timeframe where you are going to have some trouble using Skybus.

The main reason that Skybus wouldn't be popular at those wee hours is that there's no public transport running from Southern Cross for the passengers to connect to/from. While it might suit a few tourists departing from city hotels in walking distance, there's no way they'll be filling those buses. People who unfortunately booked those ungodly early flights, will majority be getting a drop-off or taxi anyway for that reason.

 

[elanshin]

Yes, the 0100 to 0400 hours gap is odd when MEL boasts it's a 'curfew free' airport, and if travelling internationally, most of us like to turn up at check-in counters three hours prior. If my international flight is at 0700, I don't want to be forced to arrive at the airport at 0130 hours.

There are quite a few 24h Int'l airports that have a transport black hole overnight. SIN and HND are just some major ones near us.

This is why i have stayed at airports (including MEL) overnight.

 

[Sprucegoose]

There are quite a few 24h Int'l airports that have a transport black hole overnight. SIN and HND are just some major ones near us.

This is why i have stayed at airports (including MEL) overnight.

The additional costs are absorbed when you factor in the taxi/Uber and the time commuting to city accommodation. I recently stayed at the Crowne Plaza in SIN and thought their set-up was nearly flawless.

 

[aikman]

The main reason that Skybus wouldn't be popular at those wee hours is that there's no public transport running from Southern Cross for the passengers to connect to/from

My flight was due to arrive on Saturday 12.10am. Trains run 24 hours on weekends so I would have been able to connect to my suburban destination. However I just couldn't guarantee that I'd be out of customs by 1am so I wasn't able rely on Skybus.