Observations of Passenger Stupidity on Dublin Bus

the groutch · 11-12-2012 11:46pm #1

here's just a few cases of stupid passengers I've witnessed recently.

- I'm standing in front of the middle door on a GT, and another guy barges past me to get off at the front of the bus even though there's already 3 or 4 people waiting at the front and it'd be quicker to get off at the middle door.

- student trying to scan his smartcard with it still in his wallet, and refusing to take it out to scan it until after about 5 failures.

- 46a from town at peak time. bus is full to capacity, stops to let one person off, and one person gets on. despite seeing about a dozen people standing, this one person goes upstairs looking for a seat. this is repeated by about 5 different passengers.

Dravokivich · 11-12-2012 11:52pm

the groutch wrote: »

- I'm standing in front of the middle door on a GT, and another guy barges past me to get off at the front of the bus even though there's already 3 or 4 people waiting at the front and it'd be quicker to get off at the middle door.

Middle doors have only recently come back in and not everyone notices them. Hell, even before they were phased out, drivers didn't use them.

the groutch wrote: »

- 46a from town at peak time. bus is full to capacity, stops to let one person off, and one person gets on. despite seeing about a dozen people standing, this one person goes upstairs looking for a seat. this is repeated by about 5 different passengers.

This is because a lot of people on the bus tend not to like sitting beside other people on seats. If they don't see a bench free, they'll get back down and stand. Fair fecks to the other person going up to check for themselves.

zenno · 12-12-2012 12:02am

Many a time in the past i'd hop on the bus and there would be 6/7 people standing and i'd always check upstairs to see if there is a free spot and there always was and i'd just plonk myself down beside a complete stranger and say hello and that would be it till my stop. Never bothered me sitting beside someone else.

There are snobs though that wouldn't sit beside a stranger though, let them stand for the journey so.

12-12-2012 12:10am

If those are the stupidest things you've seen, bus users must be a lot smarter than DART users. I've a list as long as my arm.

My favourite though is commonly committed by older passengers: Pushing your way onto the dart before letting anyone off - how is that supposed to work??? If you're desperate enough to get a seat that you're willing to be that rude, surely you'd want to get on after people have made some space.

The_Wrecker · 12-12-2012 12:40am

I had one try and stick the leapcard into my ticket machine paper exit point.

The lonely passenger that sits on an aisle seat, not wanting to share with the great unwashed.

haro124 · 12-12-2012 12:46am

convinced that was me you saw with the ticket to be scanned

SO annoying when it doesn't work after several times and yes talking it out of my wallet is a slight inconvenience !

Jamie2k9 · 12-12-2012 12:46am

My favourite though is commonly committed by older passengers: Pushing your way onto the dart before letting anyone off - how is that supposed to work??? If you're desperate enough to get a seat that you're willing to be that rude, surely you'd want to get on after people have made some space.

Same on the bus...

Hilly Bill · 12-12-2012 2:33am

haro124 wrote: »

convinced that was me you saw with the ticket to be scanned
SO annoying when it doesn't work after several times and yes talking it out of my wallet is a slight inconvenience !

Dont have it next to a credit card etc in your wallet as it may damage your card . You get a lot of people blaming the machines for not working when in some cases its their card that is damaged.

Joshycat · 12-12-2012 8:54am

the groutch wrote: »

here's just a few cases of stupid passengers I've witnessed recently.

- I'm standing in front of the middle door on a GT, and another guy barges past me to get off at the front of the bus even though there's already 3 or 4 people waiting at the front and it'd be quicker to get off at the middle door.

- student trying to scan his smartcard with it still in his wallet, and refusing to take it out to scan it until after about 5 failures.

- 46a from town at peak time. bus is full to capacity, stops to let one person off, and one person gets on. despite seeing about a dozen people standing, this one person goes upstairs looking for a seat. this is repeated by about 5 different passengers.

What really bugs me is being on a 29a into town on the howth road and when you get to Killester there would normally be a 31 or 32 infront of you and despite the fact it has pulled in at the stop and people are getting on and normally its half empty some idiots come round the back of it and put there hand out for the bus behind

if the other bus is half empty why not get on that?I love when the drivers then refuse to stop and the passengers half to make a mad dash back to the first bus.Last Friday i was delighted when the 29a got to the north strand and a 31B and 32 were infront and a woman came round the back of them both and got on the 29a and driver actually asked her why she didnt get on the bus infront.

helimachoptor · 12-12-2012 9:02am

I get the 46a and like the op, I see the folks go upstairs when the bus is jam packed now yes they may get a seat the off time but the bus is packed til donnybrook church just go upstairs then!

ballooba · 12-12-2012 9:06am

the groutch wrote: »

- 46a from town at peak time. bus is full to capacity, stops to let one person off, and one person gets on. despite seeing about a dozen people standing, this one person goes upstairs looking for a seat. this is repeated by about 5 different passengers.

That's not stupid at all. A lot of the time the people standing downstairs just have a phobia of the upper deck.

the_syco · 12-12-2012 9:44am

ballooba wrote: »

That's not stupid at all. A lot of the time the people standing downstairs just have a phobia of the upper deck.

I used to get travel sickness, and the top of the bus in full sway mode would make me feel quite ill. There'd also be people that don't know their stop from upstairs, or are getting off a few stops away.

But yes, there are a few people who get on, see one other person standing, and assume that upstairs must then be full.

the groutch · 12-12-2012 9:49am

Joshycat wrote: »

What really bugs me is being on a 29a into town on the howth road and when you get to Killester there would normally be a 31 or 32 infront of you and despite the fact it has pulled in at the stop and people are getting on and normally its half empty some idiots come round the back of it and put there hand out for the bus behind if the other bus is half empty why not get on that?I love when the drivers then refuse to stop and the passengers half to make a mad dash back to the first bus.Last Friday i was delighted when the 29a got to the north strand and a 31B and 32 were infront and a woman came round the back of them both and got on the 29a and driver actually asked her why she didnt get on the bus infront.

there used to be alot of that when the 46a and the 145 used to run the exact same route from Foxrock church inwards, or the 746 out of town when it still existed.

pclive · 12-12-2012 10:37am

Even though there are people standing there is nearly always a spare seat on the top deck usually down the back, well worth a propper look

bk · 12-12-2012 10:57am

Hilly Bill wrote: »

Dont have it next to a credit card etc in your wallet as it may damage your card . You get a lot of people blaming the machines for not working when in some cases its their card that is damaged.

The new contact less AIB and Bank Of Ireland Visa Debit ATM cards interfere with the leap card validators if close to the leap card in the wallet.

Separate them out, e.g. leap card on one side, visa debit the other side and they should work.

schemingbohemia · 12-12-2012 11:57am

helimachoptor wrote: »

I get the 46a and like the op, I see the folks go upstairs when the bus is jam packed now yes they may get a seat the off time but the bus is packed til donnybrook church just go upstairs then!

I have never failed to get a seat upstairs on a 46a even when downstairs was jammed. People are blind, they look for a seat within the first 4 rows upstairs, those triple axles go back a long way and there'll always be some muppet sitting on the aisle seat with their bag on the inside - i target those even if there's a spare aisle seat elsewhere!

helimachoptor · 12-12-2012 11:59am

I'd be the same, a lot of people tend to be "in the zone" with their earphones but i just stand there til they move their bags

AlekSmart · 12-12-2012 12:21pm

schemingbohemia wrote: »

I have never failed to get a seat upstairs on a 46a even when downstairs was jammed. People are blind, they look for a seat within the first 4 rows upstairs, those triple axles go back a long way and there'll always be some muppet sitting on the aisle seat with their bag on the inside - i target those even if there's a spare aisle seat elsewhere!

I believe this trait is more about a certain "Catholic" selfishness inherent in the Irish.

Although visible throughout Irish Society,and sometimes deemed "Cute-Hoorism",it is on Public Transport that it really shines through.

Sadly,the PT operators tend to shy away from encouraging staff to be pro-active about the issue,for fear of being seen to be confrontational or aggressive.

With some 10 Mtrs and Two Decks of seating behind me,I view it as non-negotiable that passengers themselves make full use of this space,without the Driver having to conduct a "Bus Use for Dummies" course.

On Single Door vehicles I would regularly find my bus "full" within a short distance of the terminus...that is if I was to use the lazy time-honoured method of scanning the Lower Deck,where the usuals have clamped themselves onto the Luggage Pen rail...."Gettin off at the next stop"......."Only going down the road" or worse still,blank stare accompanied by ZZzzzzing from headphones.....

WEll I'm afraid it's a non-runner with this Driver ould skin...either move down the back,take a seat upstairs or we remain immobile..... harsh but necessary if I'm to allow the full benefit of Public Transport to be used by EVERBODY entitled to it....

It's akin to the Escalators on the London Underground...stand to the right or get forcibly placed there by somebody in a hurry...;)

I would prefer if BAC themselves were more upfront about this,perhaps replacing the nonsensical €3,000 Smoking Fine Announcement with something useful such as "Hold the Handrails Please,and please make full use of available seating"

I shudder to think how my daily regulars would get by on the Tokyo system.....:eek: :eek: :eek:

schemingbohemia · 12-12-2012 12:39pm

Alek I think I'm in love!

Ben D Bus · 12-12-2012 12:43pm

What I find strange is when an already crowded bus arrives at a stop and RTPI shows the next bus is 2 minutes behind. Most people still try to pack on to the first bus when it's very likely the following bus is comfortably quiet and almost certain to overtake the leading bus and get me home quicker.

Of course it does require faith in the accuracy of RTPI

Dirk Gently · 12-12-2012 12:51pm

Ben D Bus wrote: »

What I find strange is when an already crowded bus arrives at a stop and RTPI shows the next bus is 2 minutes behind. Most people still try to pack on to the first bus when it's very likely the following bus is comfortably quiet and almost certain to overtake the leading bus and get me home quicker.

Of course it does require faith in the accuracy of RTPI

I'd usually do this too but if the first bus is still pulled in by the time the 2nd comes round it will likely drive straight past. It's a gamble, judge the time it will take to load the passangers, make sure the next bus is at least 3 minutes behind and then have blind faith in the RTPI.

As for checking upstairs when the bus is packed, you'd be mad not to. Most people consider the upper deck full when every bench has one person on it. That's called half empty. Pick a skinny person and sit beside them.

Mrs OBumble · 12-12-2012 2:09pm

ballooba wrote: »

That's not stupid at all. A lot of the time the people standing downstairs just have a phobia of the upper deck.

Or find the stairs too difficult to manage.

I was in Edinburgh a few weeks ago, and the stair design in the Lothian buses is light years better: I could go up and down them without difficulty, whereas even I (mid 40s, dodgy knees but determined attitude) find the BE ones "challenging". I think the main differences are the height of the steps, and the fact that the stairs turn a corner at the same time as rising.

dfx- · 12-12-2012 2:34pm

AlekSmart wrote: »

With some 10 Mtrs and Two Decks of seating behind me,I view it as non-negotiable that passengers themselves make full use of this space,without the Driver having to conduct a "Bus Use for Dummies" course.

Do you get to pick where passengers are to be seated? Once they're behind the white line, they can pick and choose, no?:P

I'm usually seated three quarters of the way down the back on the right side upstairs, but will often stand for short journeys, what I deem short may or may not be short to others...

AngryLips · 12-12-2012 4:00pm

AlekSmart wrote: »

I believe this trait is more about a certain "Catholic" selfishness inherent in the Irish.

I don't think this is a uniquely Irish trait, I've seen it on public transport across the world

...what is the point of this thread?

etchyed · 12-12-2012 4:39pm

AlekSmart wrote: »

I believe this trait is more about a certain "Catholic" selfishness inherent in the Irish.

Nope. Everyone does it, on public transport all over the world.

delta_bravo · 12-12-2012 7:54pm

One thing that particularly annoys me again generally relates to the older patrons. Bus pulls up right at the stop. Generally a 2 wide queue forms to the right of the bus stop pole for those going to the driver and then to their right people using the ticket validators. However on many occasions particularly when the queue is big, people come from the left of the pole and just stand there looking at you as you are about to board the step and skip the queue. This seems most common with older women. I cannot understand it, the bus isn't going anywhere. I don't understand why they feel they can skip the queue.

AlekSmart · 13-12-2012 12:54am

dfx- wrote: »

Do you get to pick where passengers are to be seated? Once they're behind the white line, they can pick and choose, no?:P

I'm usually seated three quarters of the way down the back on the right side upstairs, but will often stand for short journeys, what I deem short may or may not be short to others...

Nope,I don't pick nuttin Sir....;)

If there are seats available and you still wish to stand,then away down the back of the bus with you,or into the wheelchair space,if clear.

I have no interest in how long your actual journey is,but I do know that everybody else's journey will be lenghtened considerably if everybody entering and leaving is forced to do a Brazilian Two-Step with one or more individuals clamped to the luggage pen.

Thats the weak-point of Public Transport,it's for the masses..big,small,short,tall,grumpy,friendly or whatever....IF it's individualistic personal service that's desired then,I'm afraid,it's Taxi central for you.

Etchyed: Everyone does it, on public transport all over the world.

Doubtless true,however 10 to 13 mtr Single Door Double Decks operating a Fare-Stage system with c.50% of transactions cash-based are somewhat rare in other juristictions.

oppenheimer1 · 13-12-2012 1:15am

The most annoying behaviour I come across on Dublin Bus almost every time I use it is that a good few customers will not have their change ready for the driver when they board... having to dig in the bag for the wallet or purse and then pay the driver.

Is it too much to ask for people to have their coins out before the bus arrives?

antoobrien · 13-12-2012 1:31pm

AlekSmart wrote: »

If there are seats available and you still wish to stand,then away down the back of the bus with you,or into the wheelchair space,if clear.

Depending on how far I'm going I'll stand despite seats if I think it's not worth sitting. However I won't stand in the ailse. On my way to work, I regularly have to push my way down a bus through people that are clogging up the area before the wheelchair bay to get to the rear portion of the bus. About 6/7 stops later I regularly have to push my way back through the same shower, with the same people regularly blocking the aisle.

As for the fare rises, I should look at getting a parking space at work (we have assigned parking) - it'll be cheaper.

devnull · 13-12-2012 1:54pm

Upstairs generally people walk upstairs, look at the front, the first few rows behind the stairs, and not further back, even though there may be many seats in the back few rows, they then walk downstairs and say the bus is full, but they were simply too lazy to check. The same used to happen on bendy buses before they switched to the 4, everyone would bunch around the front part of the bus near the doors despite the fact the back end would be pretty empty.

There was one English driver on the 4 who used to get pretty annoyed with this, as the bus would be half empty but people would gather round the front door. Also annoying is people who sit on the stairs.

Phat Cat · 13-12-2012 3:18pm

The opening of windows on cold evenings when buses are virtually empty does my head in. The thing that irritates me the most is when the people that open windows usually sit directly under them and leave the passengers down the back freezing. It's fine when the bus is packed and people are coughing or sneezing, but there is no need for it on empty buses, it's just plain ignorance.

Another thing is people getting up and walking towards to doors even though they aren't getting off at the next stop. It's so bloody stupid. It happened to me a few weeks ago. I pressed the bell and walked downstairs to get off the bus, a women down stairs walked towards the door then leaned against the baggage rack next to the door. I could hear her telling the driver it was the stop after this one, so he kept going until I pushed past her and told him that it was my stop. He stopped slightly after the bus stop and didn't seem to happy with me, but what the hell was the woman doing at the doors anyway if she had no intention of getting off yet?

Observations of Passenger Stupidity on Dublin Bus

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