Dublin Bus Network Review

dfx- · 23-12-2011 3:03am

shels4ever wrote: »

anyone know whats going on with the Number 13, over 40 min wait for bus form 1:20 today, with 2 no show busses. The service on this route is becoming a joke.

There were plenty westward, but nothing from 1340 to 1410 northbound and again until 1500. The 69 rescued as many as it could again. Pretty appalling.

Also the RTPI causing confusion and bemusement on Dame St southbound at 1500. 9s and 122s appearing and disappearing and reappearing and recalculating and counting down and appearing from nowhere and all the while, not a single actual bus in sight. A 68A appeared from nowhere (not on RTPI) to help out. Appalling really.

BenShermin · 23-12-2011 6:23pm

Parents this evening were forced to wait 40 mins on o'Connell Street for a southbound 40 all the while "As Serbhis" buses passing them with "Happy Christmas" on the displays! The bus they're on now has gone from Lord Edward Street to James's Street not letting any passengers on and instead leaving them to wait for the next bus. Absolutely fecking disgraceful!!!

I've already stopped using Dublin Bus to and from work over the Notwork Destruct farce in Ballyfermot. I'm thinking in 2012 I might give the company the two fingers completely and walk/cycle to and from town for my leisure trips. Back to a 1980s bus service for 2012 fares.

LXFlyer · 23-12-2011 6:47pm

Most of those out of service buses are going from Phibsboro Depot to start peak hour journeys on the 25/66/67 at Merrion Square and the Blanchardstown routes at Baggot Street lest you think otherwise.

It doesn't excuse a 40 minute wait, but frankly the traffic at Liffey Valley has been mental all day so that is not helping.

The_Wrecker · 23-12-2011 10:37pm

Karsini wrote: »

I think some drivers use route 1 as an Out Of Service substitute - I've seen quite a few.

So use it to shorten a cross city route to CC only.

CIE · 23-12-2011 11:14pm

Karsini wrote: »

I think some drivers use route 1 as an Out Of Service substitute - I've seen quite a few.

Dublin has to be one of the few cities where "Route 1" is not a major bus route.

Cookie_Monster · 24-12-2011 3:00am

CIE wrote: »

Dublin has to be one of the few cities where "Route 1" is not a major bus route.

I presume this will be fixed when ND is done and the renumbering is taken care of...

Bazzer2 · 24-12-2011 9:59am

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I presume this will be fixed when ND is done and the renumbering is taken care of...

Is this re-numbering plan actually true? I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere officially.

As Network InDirect was being rolled out, some routes numbers were changed, but others were left as they were.

46a could easily have been changed along the way to a simple 46; 46e to 6, 56a to 56.......... you get the idea.

patrickbrophy18 · 24-12-2011 4:20pm

Bazzer2 wrote: »

46a could easily have been changed along the way to a simple 46; 46e to 6, 56a to 56.......... you get the idea.

Agreed. The numbering system is confusing and quite misleading at times. Classic case is the 17 and 17A which couldn't be more different if they tried with the 17 operating entirely on the south side and the 17A operating entirely on the north side. Unless, they were supposed to be merged at some point in the past. However, this would be madness due to the resultant enormous journey length. As such, these numbers should be completely changed.

Also, the 7D has little or absolutely nothing to do with the number 7. The number 8 and 7 have a lot more in common with each other. Frequency and loadings aside, the 7D and 8 should be merged into one route (the new 8) which, from CBC Monkstown onwards, covers Monkstown Avenue, the Monkstown Ring Road, Stillorgan and then the entire N11. The point of this being the removal of a large chunk of duplication with the 46A. The 7B also needs to be renamed to the 7A as the alphabetical gap is no longer necessary.

CIE · 24-12-2011 7:30pm

patrickbrophy18 wrote: »

Agreed. The numbering system is confusing and quite misleading at times. Classic case is the 17 and 17A which couldn't be more different if they tried with the 17 operating entirely on the south side and the 17A operating entirely on the north side. Unless, they were supposed to be merged at some point in the past. However, this would be madness due to the resultant enormous journey length. As such, these numbers should be completely changed.

Also, the 7D has little or absolutely nothing to do with the number 7. The number 8 and 7 have a lot more in common with each other. Frequency and loadings aside, the 7D and 8 should be merged into one route (the new 8) which, from CBC Monkstown onwards, covers Monkstown Avenue, the Monkstown Ring Road, Stillorgan and then the entire N11. The point of this being the removal of a large chunk of duplication with the 46A. The 7B also needs to be renamed to the 7A as the alphabetical gap is no longer necessary.

The 7B has nothing to do with the 7 and shouldn't be an alpha suffix branch of that route. It's basically the old route 46, running via the Monkstown Ring Road instead of Johnstown Road. The 7A never had anything to do with that routing, too, basically following the 7 via Sallynoggin.

BTW, if you routed the 8 via the N11, it'd then be duplicating the 46A between the city centre and Stillorgan. "Duplication" cannot be helped when it comes to certain main roads; after all, doesn't the 145 "duplicate" the 46A between the city centre and Kill Lane as well? Not sure if people along Monkstown Avenue that would be unused to any bus service (i.e. east of Oliver Plunkett Road) would want the service; perhaps they would prefer to have a direct service to the city centre restored, that was taken away with the re-routing of route 46A?

I never understood using "17A" for the north side route. No sense to it whatsoever. There were plenty of disused non-suffixed route numbers to have used; back when the Finglas-Kilbarrack route was first created, route numbers 9, 43, 57, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 82, 87, and 89 and higher were all not being used. Same with creating "56A" when the 56 was extended past Walkinstown Avenue onto Ballymount Road and further west; why did they bother? (I always thought that a bus going from the city centre to/from Clondalkin via Dolphin's Barn, Crumlin and the Long Mile Road to the Naas Road would have worked back in the 70s; pity it took until the 2000s to actually try that out.)

The 46A as a stand-alone suffixed route will have to be changed at some point too.

Also, some of the more "classic" route numbers that got changed from two-digit to three-digit could make a comeback, perhaps. The old route 22 was surreptitiously re-numbered the 122, and when the 50A to Jobstown became the 50, the route now known as the 150 was the 50 before that. Maybe the 130 can once again be the 30? (but it might be confusing if the 123 became the 23 and the 124 became the 24.)

24-12-2011 7:39pm

CIE wrote: »

I never understood using "17A" for the north side route. No sense to it whatsoever. There were plenty of disused non-suffixed route numbers to have used; back when the Finglas-Kilbarrack route was first created, route numbers 9, 43, 57, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 82, 87, and 89 and higher were all not being used. Same with creating "56A" when the 56 was extended past Walkinstown Avenue onto Ballymount Road and further west; why did they bother? (I always thought that a bus going from the city centre to/from Clondalkin via Dolphin's Barn, Crumlin and the Long Mile Road to the Naas Road would have worked back in the 70s; pity it took until the 2000s to actually try that out.)

I believe this is a relic of the old tram system. A routes went to the northside while the non-A was the southside. For example, the 51 went to Clondalkin while the 51A went to Beaumont.

CIE wrote: »

Also, some of the more "classic" route numbers that got changed from two-digit to three-digit could make a comeback, perhaps. The old route 22 was surreptitiously re-numbered the 122, and when the 50A to Jobstown became the 50, the route now known as the 150 was the 50 before that. Maybe the 130 can once again be the 30? (but it might be confusing if the 123 became the 23 and the 124 became the 24.)

This was done at the time of the City Imp introduction, routes which were changed to Imp operation had their route number increased by 100. Makes little sense nowadays.

Conway635 · 24-12-2011 9:06pm

The 17 and 17A were numbered as such because they were two parts of what was eventually supposed to be a three part orbital system - the 17 and 17A are Southside and Northside East-West orbitals, there was eventually going to be a third on the west side linking the two, but in the end it didn't happen.

Number would have been 17B for the third leg.

(the 17B number was used unofficially at times for varients of the main routes - there was a northside 17B which was a summer Sunday extension to Bull Island, while on the southside the number was often displayed for Belfield short-workings in the days of scrolls (last saw this in use in 2008).

When the 17/A were created, they were similar in another way - both were one-man single-deck operated at a time when most of the city routes were two-man double-deck.

(other OMO routes at the time were 27/A, 36/A, 44B, 52, 53A, 59, 70, 80, 85, 88, while 46, 47/B and 63 were two-man single-deck, and 36B was mixed OMO single-deck and crew double-deck). I say "men" in this case correctly, as there were no women drivers at this stage.

C635

BenShermin · 24-12-2011 10:28pm

Well once again Dublin Bus have shown themselves up as the bastard of a company they really are, RTPI this evening showing a 40 from College Green to Liffey Valley at 2110hrs, bus disappeared completely from RTPI and has left me stranded with no choice but to leave me pay for a taxi home!! I'm disgusted!!!!

LXFlyer · 24-12-2011 11:21pm

Last bus from city centre was clearly advertised as 21:00.

BenShermin · 24-12-2011 11:28pm

lxflyer wrote: »

Last bus from city centre was clearly advertised as 21:00.

Not on RTPI. Was it wrong for me to think that the bus was slightly delayed by 10 mins coming from Finglas to Town.

During the week the last 40 regularly doesn't get to College Green until 2340.

BenShermin · 24-12-2011 11:34pm

Why couldn't Dublin Bus do the simple thing of twiging the RTPI system to show buses running from Finglas to City Centre ONLY, instead of showing them running from Finglas to Liffey Valley??

Nah, That would be too easy for them!! Better to contradict the "clear" advertising with false advertising on Real Time boards isn't it. Anyway Happy Christmas to all in 59 upper OConnell!

A2000 · 24-12-2011 11:44pm

lxflyer wrote: »

Last bus from city centre was clearly advertised as 21:00.[/Quot

yet the rtpi on db site was showing 13 & 40 as operating to last bus and usual departures up until 22.30

curryman · 24-12-2011 11:53pm

BenShermin wrote: »

Well once again Dublin Bus have shown themselves up as the bastard of a company they really are, RTPI this evening showing a 40 from College Green to Liffey Valley at 2110hrs, bus disappeared completely from RTPI and has left me stranded with no choice but to leave me pay for a taxi home!! I'm disgusted!!!!

Were you using the DB web site for your info or the street displays. As both seemed to be out of sync all day. I was at 46a stop on nassau st tonight. On street display saying no rtpi info. Yet DB web site said next 46a was at 21.15. This was 20.48 about 20sec after checking the web a 46a arrived much to my delight. You do have to remember its not DB that are running the RTPI service but Either Dub City council or NTA or these http://www.transportforireland.ie/

LXFlyer · 25-12-2011 10:50am

BenShermin wrote: »

Not on RTPI. Was it wrong for me to think that the bus was slightly delayed by 10 mins coming from Finglas to Town.

During the week the last 40 regularly doesn't get to College Green until 2340.

On Christmas Eve, frankly yes it was - it doesn't excuse the error but the last bus has always left at 21:00 on Christmas Eve and I certainly would not have taken that risk.

vienne86 · 25-12-2011 10:57am

On Christmas Eve, the street displays were mostly blank, but I found the RTPI to be working OK on the DB web site.

stop · 25-12-2011 1:28pm

vienne86 wrote: »

On Christmas Eve, the street displays were mostly blank, but I found the RTPI to be working OK on the DB web site.

This - all signs were turned off! Why!? Loads of last minute shoppers annoyed over it. Is it that hard for db/nta to make changes to the system to facilitate the early shut down? At the very least the signs should have had info about last buses leaving at 2100 etc

monument · 25-12-2011 5:15pm

lxflyer wrote: »

BenShermin wrote: »

Not on RTPI. Was it wrong for me to think that the bus was slightly delayed by 10 mins coming from Finglas to Town.

During the week the last 40 regularly doesn't get to College Green until 2340.

On Christmas Eve, frankly yes it was - it doesn't excuse the error but the last bus has always left at 21:00 on Christmas Eve and I certainly would not have taken that risk.

Is there a reason you are defending Dublin Bus / the NTA when clearly real time was wrong and that has to be the fault of DB or the NTA or both?

A few buses can often leave after the official cut off time and real time is supposed to correct it self when a bus is running late.

LXFlyer · 25-12-2011 5:44pm

I'm not defending the error - I clearly stated that it does not excuse the error. I'm saying that Ben Shermin took an unnecessary risk, knowing the final departure is scheduled at 21:00.

The last buses are scheduled at 21:00 from the City Centre on Christmas Eve and I would not take the risk (RTPI or no RTPI) that the bus was operating later than that.

Having taken the 21:00 departure on Christmas Eve on my route for the last 5 years I have seen the "charge of the light brigade" of buses down through D'Olier Street that happens and I certainly would never take the risk of being at the stop after 21:00. The risk of it being late on Christmas Eve is miniscule - there is no traffic out there!

We have all read of the problems here with RTPI and this is one of them - short workings not coming up on the RTPI properly due to the AVLC not being correctly reset.

All I can suggest is that Ben Shermin contacts DB and tries to claim the taxi fare back - after all they provided dud information.

dublinman1990 · 25-12-2011 7:32pm

vienne86 wrote: »

On Christmas Eve, the street displays were mostly blank, but I found the RTPI to be working OK on the DB web site.

Most of the displays on the street I've seen yesterday said 'There is No Real Time Info Available'.

parsi · 25-12-2011 8:01pm

If the RTPI cant be relied upon then what's the point? It is supposed to provide the most up to date info.

A2000 · 27-12-2011 1:09am

parsi wrote: »

If the RTPI cant be relied upon then what's the point? It is supposed to provide the most up to date info.[/Quo

no rtpi info at all today 26th

AlekSmart · 27-12-2011 2:37am

Just to show how long it is since CIE/ Dublin Bus actually had a functional Automatic Bus Monitoring system........

http://www.dublin.ie/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=89578&stc=1&d=1324720860

http://www.dublin.ie/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=89577&stc=1&d=1324720846

Imagine,senior people from Toronto and Stockholm having to come to DUBLIN to look into the future....no good will come of it sez I.

Yep...those pictures are from 1977....why the company was never able to develop,expand or improve the system remains the stuff of Irish legend....:rolleyes:

thomasj · 27-12-2011 2:32pm

lxflyer wrote: »

BenShermin wrote: »

Not on RTPI. Was it wrong for me to think that the bus was slightly delayed by 10 mins coming from Finglas to Town.

During the week the last 40 regularly doesn't get to College Green until 2340.

On Christmas Eve, frankly yes it was - it doesn't excuse the error but the last bus has always left at 21:00 on Christmas Eve and I certainly would not have taken that risk.

But bear in mind, there are alot of people who this time last year would have known to get their bus at locations such as aston quay, parnell street etc.

Okay, the 21.00 departures would have been as per the normal 23.30 departures but common sense would have seen the christmas eve notice mention that the 21.00hrs departures were to and from the city centre.

The christmas eve notice was a disgrace. Because of the fact that some of the routes with city centre terminuses had become cross city routes with terminuses further afield, there were people out there that made the mistake of thinking the 21.00hrs departure to their destination was from tallaght, finglas, coolock, dundrum etc and not the city centre. I am aware of a few. The driver of the bus i was on wasnt 100% himself and had to think about it!

As someone who works for a very public website used by all walks of life, if i hadve handed in the christmas eve information on the db website to my boss to publish it on the website, i would've had the head torn off me and warned not to hand in such material again! Why? Because a news item is not supposed to leave someone with more questions than answers. Its akin to tesco or dunnes advising that some stores will be open late but not saying the stores or how late. The last thing these supermarkets want is everyone ringing up looking for more information. The news items are meant to be enough information for people.

If there is a new years resolution db need to take into 2012, its to start thinking more like the passenger. They promised it in network direct!

BenShermin · 28-12-2011 11:19pm

I'll get back to my Christmas Eve mess some other time. But once again this evening Route 40 has fulfilled its duty as an amazing improvement to public transport to the west Dublin Communties that it serves!

According to RTPI there is an hour wait between 40 services this evening from Finglas to Liffey Valley. I was under the impression that the timetable stated every 20mins. I'm ****ing sick of this shambles of a route a this stage to be honest!!!

howiya · 28-12-2011 11:36pm

Route 27 is starting to annoy me again. This morning heading to work from Tallaght, we get to Eden Quay and the driver announces that we have to wait here for the next driver who should be here in about 15 minutes because we are ahead of schedule due to the light traffic...

Exact same thing happened last week except the driver wasn't polite enough to inform passengers why there was a delay.

Not going many stops further than Eden Quay so just got off and walked

AlekSmart · 29-12-2011 3:31am

howiya wrote: »

Route 27 is starting to annoy me again. This morning heading to work from Tallaght, we get to Eden Quay and the driver announces that we have to wait here for the next driver who should be here in about 15 minutes because we are ahead of schedule due to the light traffic...

Exact same thing happened last week except the driver wasn't polite enough to inform passengers why there was a delay.

Not going many stops further than Eden Quay so just got off and walked

An excellent decision Howiya,especially bearing in mind that one of the National Transport Authority's stated Objectives is to facilitate "Increased recourse to cycling and walking as means of transport."....and it's using your initiative to overcome a slight annoyance ?

LXFlyer · 29-12-2011 9:58am

BenShermin wrote: »

I'll get back to my Christmas Eve mess some other time. But once again this evening Route 40 has fulfilled its duty as an amazing improvement to public transport to the west Dublin Communties that it serves!

According to RTPI there is an hour wait between 40 services this evening from Finglas to Liffey Valley. I was under the impression that the timetable stated every 20mins. I'm ****ing sick of this shambles of a route a this stage to be honest!!!

I'm afraid you were far from being alone in this.

I noticed buses missing on several routes over the last two days - presumably down to a lack of drivers, perhaps who have called in sick. This has happened every year that I can remember on the week between Christmas and New Year. It is frankly not good enough.

Why a full weekday service is operated is beyond me - it is way in excess of what is needed.

LXFlyer · 29-12-2011 10:01am

howiya wrote: »

Route 27 is starting to annoy me again. This morning heading to work from Tallaght, we get to Eden Quay and the driver announces that we have to wait here for the next driver who should be here in about 15 minutes because we are ahead of schedule due to the light traffic...

Exact same thing happened last week except the driver wasn't polite enough to inform passengers why there was a delay.

Not going many stops further than Eden Quay so just got off and walked

This again poses the question - what form the city bus service should take?

Should it continue with the current model, with running times based on schools traffic, and timed only at departure points or driver change locations, or should it switch to a fully timetabled route, which would mean buses waiting at specific points along the route if they arrive earlier than scheduled.

The latter model would mean that on weeks such as this instead of being in town in record time buses would still take the usual time to do the trip, but people would have the predictability of knowing when the bus is going to arrive at a particular location. As it is this week I could leave almost 30 minutes later to get into town at the same time as normal.

Or should there be a special timetable for this week as there is in Edinburgh? I certainly believe a Saturday service would be far more appropriate this week.

They also specify here exactly what are the last bus services throughout the city on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Something DB could take serious lessons from in terms of communication.

markpb · 29-12-2011 10:23am

lxflyer wrote: »

Why a full weekday service is operated is beyond me - it is way in excess of what is needed.

I think somewhere between the two is needed but I know that's very difficult to achieve for a timetabled service. As a taxpayer, I understand the costs associated with operating a weekday service are high but as a passenger who has to work all week, a bus with a 40 minute frequency is entirely useless to me and I'd probably end up getting a taxi instead of the bus.

Thankfully, I'm in neither position because Luas are advertising a Saturday service (every 10-12 minutes) but seem to be running something between a weekday and Saturday service (6-8 minutes).

LXFlyer · 29-12-2011 10:27am

markpb wrote: »

I think somewhere between the two is needed but I know that's very difficult to achieve. As a taxpayer, I understand the costs associated with operating a weekday service are high but as a passenger who has to work all week, a bus with a 40 minute frequency is entirely useless to me and I'd probably end up getting a taxi instead of the bus.

Thankfully, I'm in neither position because Luas are running scheduled trams every 10-12 minutes (which in reality it seems to be around 6-8 minutes) and they're reasonably busy.

Mark, I can't agree with you on this. The weekday morning service is ludicrous. There have been a maximum of 6 people on my inbound 16 every day this week - a service that would normally be full. Even later in the day most buses are going around half-empty.

A Saturday service would in most cases be more than adequate for the loadings that are out there.

markpb · 29-12-2011 10:34am

lxflyer wrote: »

A Saturday service would in most cases be more than adequate for the loadings that are out there.

I know that and I understand why they're doing what they do (I'm not blaming them) but I assume you understand that, from a passengers perspective (especially one who's working and not just shopping) a weekend service is awful, especially on some of the less frequent routes?

It doesn't matter to each individual passenger what the bus loading is (that's a matter for the operator) - it only matters if they have a 30-40 minute wait, morning and evening.

SandyfordGuy · 29-12-2011 10:37am

I would agree somewhere between the two is needed as well. Saturday frequency itself would no doubt be okay, but an earlier start time more akin to weekdays would be beneficial.

In my workplace many staff start between 8 and 8.30am. A Saturday service would require them to take a taxi in a number of cases because of the late start time.

LXFlyer · 29-12-2011 10:42am

SandyfordGuy wrote: »

I would agree somewhere between the two is needed as well. Saturday frequency itself would no doubt be okay, but an earlier start time more akin to weekdays would be beneficial.

In my workplace many staff start between 8 and 8.30am. A Saturday service would require them to take a taxi in a number of cases because of the late start time.

That's a fair point and I think you could have some extra early morning services on certain routes where the Saturday service is a bit thin.

But by and large it would be sufficient.

angel01 · 29-12-2011 11:00am

lxflyer wrote: »

That's a fair point and I think you could have some extra early morning services on certain routes where the Saturday service is a bit thin.

But by and large it would be sufficient.

Not everyone lives right beside work, It usually takes me the guts of 1.5 hrs -2 hours to get from home to work and back again. If it was a Saturday service on my route, It only starts around 7, leaving me no way of getting into work on time.

I can't afford taxi's all week :rolleyes:

Also, services on public holidays here is nothing short of shambolic with the majority of services starting after 9am :eek:

LXFlyer · 29-12-2011 11:06am

angel01 wrote: »

Not everyone lives right beside work, It usually takes me the guts of 1.5 hrs -2 hours to get from home to work and back again. If it was a Saturday service on my route, It only starts around 7, leaving me no way of getting into work on time.

I can't afford taxi's all week :rolleyes:

Also, services on public holidays here is nothing short of shambolic with the majority of services starting after 9am :eek:

Well as I said above perhaps then a Saturday service but with some extra early morning services added on routes where necessary.

For the record I don't live right beside work either - I have to take two buses and a 15 minute walk!

However, watching the buses along both corridors and the city centre over the past few days there were only a handful of people on every bus which suggests to me overkill.

angel01 · 29-12-2011 11:13am

lxflyer wrote: »

Well as I said above perhaps then a Saturday service but with some extra early morning services added on routes where necessary.

For the record I don't live right beside work either - I have to take two buses and a 15 minute walk!

However, watching the buses along both corridors and the city centre over the past few days there were only a handful of people on every bus which suggests to me overkill.

You say added on routes where necessary What routes would they be? If you are going to add them on some, they should be added on all.

How are they going to let their customers know of this change? when they can't even let their customers know that there is a fare increase. I have been on a fair few buses all week and saw 1 sign advertising a bus fare hike.

The services should be left as they are (imo)

LXFlyer · 29-12-2011 11:30am

angel01 wrote: »

You say added on routes where necessary What routes would they be? If you are going to add them on some, they should be added on all.

How are they going to let their customers know of this change? when they can't even let their customers know that there is a fare increase. I have been on a fair few buses all week and saw 1 sign advertising a bus fare hike.

The services should be left as they are (imo)

Where necessary is (for example) adding an 0600 and 0630 departure (if they operate such services on weekdays) if the first Saturday service is not until 0700. Many routes already have services on Saturdays before 0700 already albeit at a lower frequency than weekdays.

Do you honestly believe that it is good business practice (given the current economic climate) to be running buses around with 5-6 people on them or less? I've yet to see a bus in the morning peak this week with double figure passenger numbers on it.

Incidentally, there have been advertisements on virtually every bus I've been on in the last week on the first window beside the door listing the new fares.

angel01 · 29-12-2011 11:44am

lxflyer wrote: »

Where necessary is (for example) adding an 0600 and 0630 departure (if they operate such services on weekdays) if the first Saturday service is not until 0700. Many routes already have services on Saturdays before 0700 already albeit at a lower frequency than weekdays.

Do you honestly believe that it is good business practice (given the current economic climate) to be running buses around with 5-6 people on them or less? I've yet to see a bus in the morning peak this week with double figure passenger numbers on it.

Incidentally, there have been advertisements on virtually every bus I've been on in the last week on the first window beside the door listing the new fares.

What about the business practice of those that depend on the bus to get them into work on time? Not everyone will go the whole route into town, the bus I got on this morning had double numbers but quite a few of those got off before the terminus.

On the routes I use near me, the first bus on a Saturday is 7am (way too late for me to get to work) and on Sunday, it is close to 9am (complete madness)

I must not be getting the same buses as you then :eek::D

LXFlyer · 29-12-2011 11:54am

angel01 wrote: »

What about the business practice of those that depend on the bus to get them into work on time? Not everyone will go the whole route into town, the bus I got on this morning had double numbers but quite a few of those got off before the terminus.

On the routes I use near me, the first bus on a Saturday is 7am (way too late for me to get to work) and on Sunday, it is close to 9am (complete madness)

I must not be getting the same buses as you then :eek::D

I've already said - add an extra bus at 0630 (and 0600 if there is one on weekdays) on that route and the others that have a similar problem.

But you do not need the normal Monday to Friday frequency.

ArmaniJeanss · 29-12-2011 2:51pm

I'd agree that a weekend service (with additional 6.30am, 7am etc buses) is all thats needed this week.

Would there be an issue though that you'd be effectively forcing drivers and other staff to take their annual holidays on Wednesday/Thursday/Friday of this week?

AlekSmart · 29-12-2011 3:03pm

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

I'd agree that a weekend service (with additional 6.30am, 7am etc buses) is all thats needed this week.

Would there be an issue though that you'd be effectively forcing drivers and other staff to take their annual holidays on Wednesday/Thursday/Friday of this week?

If there's an annual leave issue,it tends to be the opposite in most locations.

There are usually quite a lot of applications for Christmas Leave refused due to the exiegencies of service provision.

Also,oddly enough,the last major wage deal incorporasted an agreement to introduce special schedules over the Christmas period,which was to be the subject of intensive negotiations.

AFAIAA the negotiations never began.

Oddly enough,I'm seeing a substantial increase in my seasonal loadings,which is quite surprising.

I still contend that the increased costs of owning,maintaining and operating a "Little Car" are beginning to impact upon people who's disposable income is being savagely reduced.....This,I also contend,is the very time to be EXPANDING Public Bus services rather than shutting up shop and running away !!

thomasj · 29-12-2011 9:03pm

On a 17a a few hours ago and noticed an nbru sign posted stating that it is advising drivers to avoid beaumont hospital after 18.00 due to health and safety grounds.

Anyone know whats going on? Its worrying that a planned interchange as per network direct and theres health and safety issues.

Aard · 29-12-2011 9:37pm

Isn't there some winter bug going around the hospitals atm? Could just be something to do with that.

markpb · 29-12-2011 10:03pm

thomasj wrote: »

On a 17a a few hours ago and noticed an nbru sign posted stating that it is advising drivers to avoid beaumont hospital after 18.00 due to health and safety grounds.

You'd imagine that's the kind of notice that DB would be putting up, not the union. Very odd situation all the same, I wonder what's causing it? Anti-social behaviour in a hospital (that isn't St. James') seems unlikely.

thomasj wrote: »

Anyone know whats going on? Its worrying that a planned interchange as per network direct and theres health and safety issues.

Beaumont is a terrible location for interchange. All the northern approach roads have speed ramps, on-street parking and poor bus stops and the hospital itself has some very narrow roads where buses have to come to a complete stop to pass, very tight bends and little or no parking enforcement on the turning circle / bus stops.

AlekSmart · 30-12-2011 2:58am

markpb wrote: »

You'd imagine that's the kind of notice that DB would be putting up, not the union. Very odd situation all the same, I wonder what's causing it? Anti-social behaviour in a hospital (that isn't St. James') seems unlikely.

Beaumont is a terrible location for interchange. All the northern approach roads have speed ramps, on-street parking and poor bus stops and the hospital itself has some very narrow roads where buses have to come to a complete stop to pass, very tight bends and little or no parking enforcement on the turning circle / bus stops.

For a newly designed (20th Century) green-field site Beaumont (and Tallaght) Hospital(s) are embarrasing in terms of public transport access.....what were the design teams thinking....did they envisage all the po sick folks using SUV's and 4x4's to do their hospitalizing..?

Just take a peep at the configuration of the Bus Stop/Bay outside the front gate of the Hospital on Beaumont Road...It appears to have been designed to provide the A+E with a steady stream of RTA victims...pure unadulterated negligent design and implimentation,with no fear of a comeback...Grrrr :mad:

schemingbohemia · 30-12-2011 2:11pm

markpb wrote: »

You'd imagine that's the kind of notice that DB would be putting up, not the union. Very odd situation all the same, I wonder what's causing it? Anti-social behaviour in a hospital (that isn't St. James') seems unlikely.

Beaumont is a terrible location for interchange. All the northern approach roads have speed ramps, on-street parking and poor bus stops and the hospital itself has some very narrow roads where buses have to come to a complete stop to pass, very tight bends and little or no parking enforcement on the turning circle / bus stops.

It's the winter vomiting bug with associated visitor restrictions. Sign shouldn't be up in the bus and if DB are diverting buses away from their route without notification they would be in breach of their contract. Drivers not working in accordance with their route should be disciplined.

Dublin Bus Network Review

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