Nitelink Changes Announced

robd wrote: »

Seriously I really don't see the problem. There was talk on a thread recently that the nitelink would be entirely scrapped. This revision is a huge improvement on that. Economic realities have to come in to it. I deplore the idea that the taxpayer would subsidize people going on the p$$s.

The reality is if it doesn't suit you get a taxi. There's no shortage of them these days. If you can't afford it curtail going out, taxi share or do the 25 min walk. Seriously the world doesn't owe you an easy night on the beer.

The reality is..that I will just stay at home on Saturdays thus removing my weekly spend in the City. Now multiply that by any number of others who will also spend less/nothing and now you are subsidizing dole payments. As for your assertion that I want an easy night on the beer...i don't drink.

And another point how do you suggest we get people home from the City at night who work there. Other European cities can provide decent transport on a 24 hour basis..this "modern" cosmopolitan City should also have it. Or are we really as backward as a nation as I'm beginning to suspect we are.

51N scrapped?? Jesus,that's always completely packed on the weekends!!

Taxi home is 25 quid!!

SandyfordGuy wrote: »

There are several fundamental problems with nitelink
- The whole way ticketing works for it is totally customer unfriendly.
- The fact that so many stops are set down only and will not pick people up.
- The fact the service operates in one direction only
- The wasting of taxpayers money by driving a bus all the way back to Town.

Personally why do I use taxis rather than the nitelink? Because like other people, I can't be bothered to go all the way to one of the few pick up points, as it takes the mick when I should not have to when the Nitelink goes right past the bus stop which the day version of the route serves.

I don't understand the "Super Xpresso" model which the Nitelink runs on, in any other city it would never happen. I was in London recently and other European cities, and the night network there is much easier to use, mroe
customer focused, and has none of this limited stop crap.

If they ran the service the way you wanted. They would need more buses and drivers and would lose even more money!!

Sandyford Guy:There are several fundamental problems with nitelink
- The whole way ticketing works for it is totally customer unfriendly.
- The fact that so many stops are set down only and will not pick people up.
- The fact the service operates in one direction only
- The wasting of taxpayers money by driving a bus all the way back to Town.

+1 on most of that.

The greatest failing of the Nitelink concept is the reality that it is virtually 2 decades in operation without any real attempt to progress it and allow it to "change with the city"

The time for these changes was ideally a decade ago,when Nitelink routes such as the 7N, 46N,25N,41N should have been replaced by 24 hour running of their "parent" Daytime routes.

Operating the ordinary trunk routes at an hourly frequency in both directions charging a flat €2.30 Cash Fare would have been an easy step to make.

It also needs to be appreciated that,for some years now,Dublin Bus have staffing agreement in place for such operation.

For example there are now drivers specifically employed on Late Duty only contracts which substantially reduced the staffing aspect of Nitelink`s operation.

Nitelink simply became too inflexible and failed to expand with the City`s Nitelife footprint....We really took our eyes off the ball here and as a result allowed the Taxi fraternity to assume a certain "Public Service" position not actually their forté.

What we now have is yet another potential "Nice Little Earner" being surrendered to balance some book or other without even the semblance of an attempt to market or trade out of the situation.

patrickbrophy18 wrote: »

I totally agree with BenShermin. The tax payer doesn't subsidize those "on the p$$s" as you so put it as those "on the p$$s" are paying for their ride home. In case you didn't know, the price for a Nitelink ticket is €5/€6 which is far cheaper than the alternative and yet more expensive, (understandably so) than daytime fares to cover those driving the night shift. You must be one of these people who has a bitter view of the world and sees the method of transportation home from town at night as a punishment as per "the world doesn't owe you an easy night on the beer". In fact, it is just as bad as saying "how dare you have a night out, you can make your own way home and I hope it will be difficult". "Get a taxi"? Taxis are a rip off and the fact that the price for a ride in one direction is higher than the cost of a weekly DART ticket says it all. IMO, taxi drivers completely over estimate the value of their services. It is midnight and daylight robbery and is therefore dishonest. Never mind the fact that some taxi drivers also behave inappropriately. I feel much safer knowing that I am in a state run vehicle and knowing that the cost is FIXED and CHEAP.

Ah jesus. If you want to go out drinking then you're perfectly entitled to do it. God knows I did it for enough years. Again I'll say what I said in my last post, "Commercial Realities". Dublin Bus would not be canceling and reorganizing the services if they were profitable. Hence what people are asking is for the service to be subsidized.

As for taxi's. Yes they are expensive, however I've been to numerous European cities and the fares are comparable if even a bit cheaper. Yes, I was shocked too as I rarely take taxi's due to the cost. Also, taxi's don't set the fares, the regulator does. Also the attitude problems are universal too from Madrid to Sydney to New York.

Also, the nitelink is only cheap if you're on your own. It's the same price for me and the missus to get a taxi to the door.

Bare in mind the OP is complaining that god forbid he has to walk for 25 mins now. I happily walk 30 min each way to my local. Burns a few beer calories at least.

As for other posters feeling that bars will close and jobs will be lost. Really so what, there's no shortage of them in Dublin anyway. Huge numbers of licenses were transferred to Dublin from country pubs over the last decade. I don't think the taxpayer should be expected to support what is in essence a vice industry.

And besides, people in Donegal manage to get themselves to pubs and nightclubs many many miles away without a nitelink service. Yes there's some idiot drivers who kill themselves but in general private industry minibuses thrive here. Nothing to stop this in Dublin.

SparkyTech wrote: »

Im entitled to a public transport alternative, even after 12am, Dublin should be on a par with other European cities in providing transport after the wee hours for those of us that cant afford a taxi in these economic meltdown times. And not all of us who are out after 12 on the weekend are necessarily getting drunk, for the record

Thank you Dublin Bus for scrapping the 48n. Rathfarnham, Balinteer, Dundrum, Ranelagh, Churchtown and Miltown now have no bus service on weekend mornings

You're entitled to what's laid out in the constitution. Don't believe that even includes public transport let alone after 12am public transport. If it did sure we'd have buses running every borren 24/7.

It's a nice to have not an entitlement.

There really is better things to be spending money on in "these economic meltdown times".

People just don't seem to get the reality of the savage cuts coming down the line in just about every kind of service as a result of the IMF. Health or a Bus Service. You choose where you want the cuts.

MYOB wrote: »

The 67N has, surreally, got a better service out of all of this. And it used to be one of the 'stepchild' routes with higher fares and woeful frequency (well, still has woeful frequency, but improved).

Yeah, gap from 02:00-04:00 was madness.

SparkyTech wrote: »

Amsterdam, London, Madrid...why not Dublin? One bus an hour between 12-6am at a increased fare rate on the main demographic corridors is hardly asking for much.

I don't disagree with it. I've always thought that it should be so. However, not going to happen in the current environment. The well intentioned Network Direct has essentially become a vehicle for savagely cutting services.

I we couldn't do it in 10 years of a boom we're certainly not going to do it in times of struggle.

I suspect public service funding is going to be cut further next year so where that leaves us who knows.

robd wrote: »

I we couldn't do it in 10 years of a boom we're certainly not going to do it in times of struggle.

There was plans to have at least one 24 hour bus route, and it very nearly happened. Route 746 was to be a 24 hour service between Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Airport, but was blocked by the department of transport.

Lets be honest, Ireland is a different place to 10 years ago. In 2001, I queued and paid to get into a nightclub, then struggled to get a taxi at 3am. It was near impossible and usually had to walk halfway home before I could hail one.

Now, clubs have reduced prices and Dublin is awash with taxis at all times of the day. The Nitelink service which was once in demand has been replaced by people sharing a taxi which brings them to their door for the same price.

Nitelink can't compete with the taxi, in fact even taxis can't compete with each other. The best thing Dublin Bus can do, is what the shops/pubs/clubs are doing, and become competitive. I would be confident you could fill a bus operating on a major route on an hourly service. Make it cheaper and attractive. The shortfall in the current €5 would be made up by people paying €2/€3 throughout the route, and by passengers using the bus on it's return journey to the city centre. Rather than have a bus running empty back to the city, keep it in service. Even 10 passengers could generate €30 on an otherwise empty bus. You would be surprised how many passengers there would be. I used to work nights but had to get a taxi home simply because the Nitelink didn't pick up on it's return journey to town.

To be fair to Veoila, the Luas runs till 1230am and from 530am. Moreso then DB!

True, but I would question why the service stops at a time when pubs and clubs empty out? Why not keep it running 24 hour Thursday - Sunday? Why isn't the tram which takes passengers into Stephen's Green and Abbey Street every weekend there to take them home at 2/3am?

Having a Luas service to Tallaght/Citywest & Sandyford/Cherywood would cut the need for a Nitelink in these areas and allow Dublin Bus allocate those buses elsewhere.

I really hope the Dublin/National Transport Authority look at the importance of night time travel in Dublin. Advertise it well, make it simple, one night time ticket/price for whichever service you use.

n97 mini wrote: »

Ask someone who lives in the outer population centres like Maynooth or Bray or Swords about that!

But you could manage just as well with a regular late night 66, 145 or 41. An empty bus traveling in from Bray costs money, if a 145 picked up a handful of people returning to the city at Bray/Stillorgan/Donnybrook it would be more profitable than what is currently in place.

n97 mini wrote: »

Ask someone who lives in the outer population centres like Maynooth or Bray or Swords about that!

Unfortunately he is right. 80% of people do better out of a taxi. Public services are aimed at those 80% not the 20%. For the other 20% it's tough luck. The only area where this is changed is in provision of services for the disabled where we are clearly and rightly catering for a minority.