Dublin Bus route 39a service today Saturday

thomasj · 28-09-2014 1:50am #1

Today during the peak hours the 39a (which usually runs to a 15 minute frequency) was running to a 25-30 minute frequency. Dublin bus was saying this was down to staff shortage on the route.

Today, this coupled with dublin buses failure to run larger capacity VT buses on the route resulted in buses packed to the brim unable to pick up passengers at certain stops resulting in them having to wait upto half an hour on the next bus.

I endured this, the first bus flew by me full, the next bus which came 25 minutes later i was lucky to be able to get on the bus (the driver said so) and that skipped certain stops with the next bus after that due in 24 minutes.

A shambles of a service today! :mad:

Kh1993 · 28-09-2014 6:58pm

Just having a look on their twitter and it looks like they've had a nightmare with staff shortages this week. 27, 63, 46a, 39a, 120 all mentioned as having no driver. Little consolation when you end up having to wait 30+ mins.

thomasj · 28-09-2014 7:11pm

Kh1993 wrote: »

Just having a look on their twitter and it looks like they've had a nightmare with staff shortages this week. 27, 63, 46a, 39a, 120 all mentioned as having no driver. Little consolation when you end up having to wait 30+ mins.

Completely agree but my biggest gripe was there wasnt sufficent capacity on those buses that did run. It was all ireland final yesterday and while the 46a, 145 and lucan routes had the larger capacity buses out the 39as hadnt and people had to endure long waits and buses passing them by full.

It seems to be an ongoing theme especially in evenings and weekends with 39s and 39as coming together followed by 20-30 minute waits on tre next, driver shortages (hearing it a fair bit from db) and packed buses passing by, not the greatest of services.

Hilly Bill · 28-09-2014 7:46pm

Went to go for the 39A from Aston quay yesterday afternoon around half 3 and i gave up on getting on it as it looked like it was going to be full. Waited and extra 4 mins for the 39 and got on that one which had plenty of room .
The 39 nearly didnt stop as someone had to go out onto the road to flag it down because the 39A was still there and the bus stop was blocked up with out of service buses. Got home just as quick.

thomasj · 28-09-2014 8:45pm

Hilly Bill wrote: »

Went to go for the 39A from Aston quay yesterday afternoon around half 3 and i gave up on getting on it as it looked like it was going to be full. Waited and extra 4 mins for the 39 and got on that one which had plenty of room .
The 39 nearly didnt stop as someone had to go out onto the road to flag it down because the 39A was still there and the bus stop was blocked up with out of service buses. Got home just as quick.

Fair enough but in my case the 39 left a few minutes before the 39A so when the 39A passed by full i had little choice but wait nearly half an hour for the next bus.

For reference i went to get the bus at 6pm

LXFlyer · 28-09-2014 8:51pm

This sort of thing has the capacity to infuriate people - and put them off using the bus again.

It really is unforgivable.

dfx- · 30-09-2014 12:31pm

I thought the 39A was the first darling of Network Direct, but it isn't really that frequent a bus, just in theory a quicker route to Blanch SC.

Anytime I've looked at the timetable, I usually end up taking the 39 instead.

thomasj · 30-09-2014 12:51pm

dfx- wrote: »

I thought the 39A was the first darling of Network Direct, but it isn't really that frequent a bus, just in theory a quicker route to Blanch SC.

Anytime I've looked at the timetable, I usually end up taking the 39 instead.

On paper it looks like a grand timetable but in practice the route has been plaged by too many problems recently.

Hilly Bill · 30-09-2014 7:47pm

thomasj wrote: »

On paper it looks like a grand timetable but in practice the route has been plaged by too many problems recently.

What problems?

thomasj · 30-09-2014 8:10pm

Capacity and timetabling issues

Im on a 39a (not a larger capacity bus)now just hitting blackhall place and again it has left people behimd on aston quay and the stops after it. there are people standing at the door of this bus The next bus to hit aston quay is in 21 minutes.

The problem is this is happening too often. The route hasnt got the capacity it needs.

thomasj · 07-10-2014 9:21am

25 minute wait for a 39a this morning and when one does arrive it's a smaller bus packed up to the doors with lots of people left behind at stops in Huntstown and Blakestown.

TheBandicoot · 07-10-2014 10:21am

Think I was on the bus that passed you. I thought maybe the a bus didn't run, there were a lot of people being left all the way on the one I was on until at least Stoneybatter.

foggy_lad · 07-10-2014 4:36pm

People should make their complaints to the NTA first and then to Dublin Bus.

TheBandicoot · 07-10-2014 4:37pm

Hey, I don't have any complaints, got in in decent time because we skipped a bunch of stops

MGWR · 09-10-2014 7:04pm

foggy_lad wrote: »

People should make their complaints to the NTA first and then to Dublin Bus.

That gets results faster?

foggy_lad · 10-10-2014 3:23am

MGWR wrote: »

That gets results faster?

I have no idea but I would hope that the national transport authority would at least be interested in such issues and complaints considering the service is subsidised with public funds.

RobbingBandit · 13-10-2014 6:26pm

****e bus service on this route, 17:45 today two 39a turned up at once on Aston Quay one got crammed full while the other stopped further back to let off passengers and then wouldn't stop to let anyone on, I have had to stand on a packed number 70 bus now late getting home.

thomasj · 16-10-2014 7:23pm

Another day same story.

Just now on the quays VT passed by full. Next one due in 10 minutes.

TheBandicoot · 20-10-2014 12:14pm

Interesting experience this morning.

First of all, the RTPI online and at the pole was saying this:

Now I know that the route is actually every 10 minutes and this was probably because the stop was so close to the terminus, but other potential passengers won't and will make other arrangements etc.

Anyway, the bus, the 1040 from Ongar arrived maybe 5 minutes later than it should(looked like heavy loads early on or something). This then meant we picked up double the load, and by the Halfway House the(almost empty) 1050 had caught up with us. We leapfrogged for the rest of the journey, to Bachelors Walk, where the 1050 passengers transferred to our bus. We then got delayed by another few minutes on Grafton St, where an abandoned van next to the taxi rank combined with an Aircoach didn't leave enough room for a bus to get through. Oh, and for most of the journey until Blackhall place there was a loud skanger making homopobic remarks, shouting out the window at women walking past and generally being a nuisance.

Still, fairly alright service, left the house just before 1040 and arrived at work just before 1150.

punisher5112 · 20-10-2014 10:25pm

TheBandicoot wrote: »

Interesting experience this morning.

First of all, the RTPI online and at the pole was saying this:

Now I know that the route is actually every 10 minutes and this was probably because the stop was so close to the terminus, but other potential passengers won't and will make other arrangements etc.

Anyway, the bus, the 1040 from Ongar arrived maybe 5 minutes later than it should(looked like heavy loads early on or something). This then meant we picked up double the load, and by the Halfway House the(almost empty) 1050 had caught up with us. We leapfrogged for the rest of the journey, to Bachelors Walk, where the 1050 passengers transferred to our bus. We then got delayed by another few minutes on Grafton St, where an abandoned van next to the taxi rank combined with an Aircoach didn't leave enough room for a bus to get through. Oh, and for most of the journey until Blackhall place there was a loud skanger making homopobic remarks, shouting out the window at women walking past and generally being a nuisance.

Still, fairly alright service, left the house just before 1040 and arrived at work just before 1150.

If nobody stands up to those scum bag tools they will never change as I am sick of having to c arry them and feel sorry for anyone that puts up with them as I don't take it and the driver should have been informed or even a quick tweet with bus number, time and direction.

thomasj · 23-11-2014 3:10pm

I Was told by a driver that they are to increase the number of buses allocated to the blanchardstown city routes. They're saying the current system is not working and more buses are needed. Whether it means new timetables or not is another thing.

thomasj · 09-12-2014 7:42pm

Disastrous night.

Went to get a 39a at 6.00 on wood quay, i got on one just 5 minutes ago.

In that 35 minutes I stood there 1 passed by full along with 1 39, 5 37s, 5 70s and about 10 145s

In a reply to a tweet this morning about 25-30 min delay dB said they were aware the route was at capacity. When there are gaps of 25-35 minutes to services how can it not be?

And good luck to anyone getting one after now!

ArmaniJeanss · 09-12-2014 11:57pm

thomasj wrote: »

Disastrous night.

Went to get a 39a at 6.00 on wood quay, i got on one just 5 minutes ago.

In that 35 minutes I stood there 1 passed by full along with 1 39, 5 37s, 5 70s and about 10 145s

In a reply to a tweet this morning about 25-30 min delay dB said they were aware the route was at capacity. When there are gaps of 25-35 minutes to services how can it not be?

And good luck to anyone getting one after now!

Would you not get one of the 70s as far as say the HalfWay House and then wait for a 39A? At least you'd be out of the city centre and its a more comfortable stop with shelter and a seat etc. Also any 39As that come along will have begun to drop people off so you'll get a seat on it.
(Obviously can only do the above if you have a monthly/yearly commuter ticket).

FWIW I got a 39A this evening in Stoneybatter at 6.30 and it was relatively empty, maybe 30% filled. Doesn't seem to tie in with your experience in Wood Quay, and I recall being surprised at how empty it was, (e.g., there were some double seats free downstairs, almost unheard of). I wonder did it do something hookey like display As Seirbhas on the quays or suchlike.

thomasj · 10-12-2014 1:01am

ArmaniJeanss wrote:

FWIW I got a 39A this evening in Stoneybatter at 6.30 and it was relatively empty, maybe 30% filled. Doesn't seem to tie in with your experience in Wood Quay, and I recall being surprised at how empty it was, (e.g., there were some double seats free downstairs, almost unheard of). I wonder did it do something hookey like display As Seirbhas on the quays or suchlike.

strange alright

when I got on the 39a (mine was full to the doors) there was one behind that must have been only half full. our bus only left wood quay at 6.35 and that one was behind us. Both buses were large (vt) buses

before that only one bus came that was smaller and that didn't stop as was full. I was standing there since 6.00 and I got on the bus at 6.35

Dublin Bus route 39a service today Saturday

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