Dublin Bus.. HoHoHo we want more dough

steviem

Been kept fairly quiet but all Dublin Bus fares rise by 5c on January 4th.

More here.
http://www.dublinbus.ie/news_centre/timetable_and_route_news.asp?action=view&news_id=271

Hobbes

This is just cash fares? Not ticket fares?

Sleipnir

They haven't really been keeping it quiet. I've heard it a few times on the radio and the TV.
I'd imagine it's in the national press also.
And it's only 5c. I usually throw those coins in a large tin-can.

ixoy

Only 5c? Bah - two journeys a day makes that 10c. Say 250 journeys a year makes that €25! BAH! Do I get a better service for that? No! Damned civil servants and their damned benchmarking!

steviem

And it's only 5c.

And if everyone has that attitude, next time it will be "only 10c" then "only" 20c. And for what, a company that can't even run a decent bus service in one of Europes busiest capital cities. And as for Sunday Services, times have changed, people now work on a Sunday in case they didn't know and the majority of buses on a Sunday don't even start till about 9:30 in the morning. Taxis are making a killing because people have to make a living which includes working at the weekend.

Rant over, for now!!!

Victor

Originally posted by steviem
And as for Sunday Services, times have changed, people now work on a Sunday in case they didn't know and the majority of buses on a Sunday don't even start till about 9:30 in the morning. Taxis are making a killing because people have to make a living which includes working at the weekend.

Early morning services are being provided on Sundays for the Christmas period.

steviem

Early morning services are being provided on Sundays for the Christmas period.

Great for shoppers, but what about those who work the other 52 weeks of the year. I spend a fortune on taxis just to get home on a Sunday morning each week.

Lenny

Ok, so looking at this.
I do be on dublin bus a total of 23 times per week.
and holy **** I am actualy after working this out, I never relised how much I spend on busses a year jasus christ.
I use 12 fares at 1.60
and 11 fares at 1.20
per week
So according to the new figures, here is how much more per year I am paying..
960(old)
990(new)
1,950 per anum
660(old)
687(new)
1,347 per anum

differance = 603e
someone please correct me, this can't be right??
hmm, I must be ****ing up somewere along something
also taking it at 50 weeks per year

Victor

Originally posted by Lenny

960(old)
990(new)
1,950 per anum
660(old)
687(new)
1,347 per anum

differance = 603e

€960 (old)
€660 (old)
€1,620 per annum (old)

€990(new)
€687(new)
€1,677 per annum (new)

Difference = €57 = 23 x 50 x €0.05

Go buy an annual ticket!

Lenny

Ahh good man victor i knew there was something wrong going on there... those annual tickets, they're only done at the start of each year arre they do you know off by hand?
last time I checked they were 650 euro, thats an lot to fork out at once yea know...
thanks for correcting me wrong!

Victor

Originally posted by Lenny
last time I checked they were 650 euro, thats an lot to fork out at once yea know...

http://www.dublinbus.ie/fares_and_tickets/annual.asp

Unlimited travel for 12 consecutive months starting from any month on all Dublin Bus Services including Nitelink and Airlink services (except Ferry Services & Tours).

Alternatively go for monthly tickets http://www.dublinbus.ie/fares_and_tickets/monthly.asp for €68 (adult).

Both tickets are tax / PRSI / BIK free if provided by your employer (ask for it in lieu of a pay rise). http://www.dublinbus.ie/fares_and_tickets/taxsaver_commuter_tickets.asp

Originally posted by Lenny
thanks for correcting me wrong!

No problem ... ya muppet

aphex™

Originally posted by Lenny
Ahh good man victor i knew there was something wrong going on there... those annual tickets, they're only done at the start of each year arre they do you know off by hand?
last time I checked they were 650 euro, thats an lot to fork out at once yea know...
thanks for correcting me wrong!

Imagine if u lost it!

D'oh!

Lenny

I see you mention **** about prsi and tax etc.
i am on contract work with aib, do they have to give me tax allowance for my travels or is it up to them? likely they don't don't have to give it because im on a re-newing contact with them every 1/2 year?
or do I go to the tax man directly?

Victor

Originally posted by aphex™
Imagine if u lost it!

I think you can get a free replacement.

Lenny

I think yea can cause its photo id...

Repli

Time to buy a few hundred rambler handy packs me thinks - I did that last year with the student tickets when the price was increased hehe

Caesar_Bojangle

Public transport is far too expensive. Local journeys should be free or heavily subsidised.

No, public transport is relatively cheap compared to everything else in Ireland.

And local journies should be walked you lazy mofo. Subsidized? LMFAO

Repli

I agrree with utlitity
Compared to a taxi to my house from town costs €35 with the bus that costs €1.60
even the nitelink is only €4

hudson806

Originally posted by Victor
I think you can get a free replacement.

You'd think, but they actually charge €12 per month remaining on the ticket! So if you lose it in the first month you pay €144...

spuddy

did anybody hear dublin bus actually made a profit last year. so where is the justification for the price increase?

Repli

Oh my god! A semi-state company making a profit - whats the world coming to!

Agent Smith

Originally posted by Repli
Oh my god! A semi-state company making a profit - whats the world coming to!

holy christ. how on earth?

Stark

As regards that 5c increase, I'll believe it's only 5c when I see it. Remember the "10%" increase last year? Small bit more than 10% i'd say.

It'll also make digging for change a whole lot more awkward.

Giblet

I get charged 1.40 to go just over a mile where I live, they can go sh*t If they think they're making me look for five cent pieces, and then that will be slyly rounded up.

Third_Echelon

apparently from what ive heard from a few people in the know.. dublin bus is one of the only profitable bus services in europe/major euro cities... this has been the case for quite a few years...

the extra 5c is not justified... the main inconvenience is the pain in the arse of trying to find a bloody 5c coin or getting 5c back on your ticket.... i must cash in all my receipts and buy a monthly ticket.. im sick of looking for change....

on my routes (16, 16a, 19, 19a and 65b for work) the service is always good... never too much disruption... i know that this isnt the case on all the other routes..

what can you do? hey?

LegacyUser

currently 3:20 from very southside to very northside, cheaper with tickets, when compared to a taxi fare which would be at least 40 or with the price of buying/insuring/running a car its very cheap, no complaints here

Lump

I dont use dublin bus on a regular basis, but havent had any problem apart from some over crowding..... I don't think 5 Cent is all that much. If you use the bus regularly surely a monthly pass would be the clever option?!



John

phreak

having the right change is hard enough as it is without having to keep a load of 5c pieces in your pocket :dunno:

Lump

Buy a month ticket...... If you use it that much to have to carry a load of 5 cents around in your pocket well then use a travel card etc etc..... I dont understand the problem.



John

Dont be at yourself

And what of those who use the bus service on a semi-regular basis, ie. enough so that the 5c a ticket is a noticable increase, but not enough as to warrant the purchase of a monthly ticket?

I wouldn't mind so much if they hadn't only increased the fairs a short while ago, or if there was something being done to improve the service. Dublin Bus can't compare with european public transport services and yet they seem to charge much more. And they have the resources to fix many of their problems, yet they just seem to ignore them. I have honestly lost count of how many times I've waited upwards of 40 minutes for a bus, or had to endure some scumbag blowing smoke in my face or the driver not letting passengers off at their stop or...

Run your buses on time, treat your customers with respect, enforce your own rules and regulations and then you can have your 5c.

Lump

Don't take the ****ing bus then..... moan.



John

Originally posted by Giblet
I get charged 1.40 to go just over a mile where I live, they can go sh*t If they think they're making me look for five cent pieces, and then that will be slyly rounded up.

LOL...omg then walk the MILE you bítch. Or buy a bike. On a bike you could easily cover a mile in 10 minutes.

Seriously, if you don't want to carry change everywhere with you then just buy a 10 journy ticket...It's almost as if you people are running out of things to moan about

Giblet

I'd love to see ya carry a 60kg amp a mile, it's nothing to do with lazyness, I walk there all the time, but When I have to bring **** home, they charge ya because it's outside Dublin, and It's not far outside Dublin either.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/2289130?view=Eircomnet

Fares discourage public transport use - Shortall
From:ireland.com
Friday, 2nd January, 2004

Communters are being deterred from using public transport by the latest fare increases, Labour Party transport spokesperson, Ms Roisín Shortall said today.

Fare increases averaging 5 per cent on Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus take effect next Sunday.

Ms Shortall said the Government should increase subvention to public transport companies to encourage the public to leave their cars at home.

"In other countries, the government subvention stands as high as 50 per cent, in Ireland it is currently 25 per cent ... Ireland already has the highest public transport fares in Europe," Ms Shortall said.

New Dublin Bus tariffs take effect from Sunday with 5 cent added to all single fares bar Airlink and Nitelink.

An average increase of 2.75 per cent will apply to Bus Éireann single fares but some increases will be as high 9 per cent.

Iarnród Éireann fares increases will increase by 3.2 per cent on average and also come into effect next Monday.

The assertion that "Ireland already has the highest public transport fares in Europe" is wrong in many cases.

Lump

HMmmmm train fares in Ireland are terrible, thats on thing I will agree on.


John

RasTa

There great in ireland compared to england were the distance from tara to maynooth costed 70 quid sterling for a 5 day ticket

Civilian_Target

Don't bitch until you try belfast. You have no idea what bad public transport is until you try belfast! We're on one of the busiest bus routes in Belfast, if not the busiest, and you're lucky if there's a bus every 10 minutes, to give you the privilage of paying £1.10 (€1.50 ish) for the mile and a bit into town. The trains here are still diesel powered, with fumes rising through the floors, manual swing doors, arriving about once every-half hour at a minimum of 5 minutes late.

Having spent most of my life in Dublin, I can tell you that you have it easy. Hell, you lot even have bus lanes!

Lump

Originally posted by RasTa
There great in ireland compared to england were the distance from tara to maynooth costed 70 quid sterling for a 5 day ticket

Yea but because of de-regulation in england, if you book your ticket early you can get really cheap tickets. Where as in Ireland, its the same price, No matter what.



John

oneweb

As mentioned, the Rambler Handy Packs are a really good idea if your fare is €1.60. At €15 for five one-day tickets, you're saving 20c per day (30c after the hike). Stock up now, before the hike reaches the tickets

The Handy Packs seem to be a lil' known 'best-of'. You can use each ticket for a full day of travel, including AirLink buses, which are €5 a trip otherwise! For a month of weekdays, they cost €60 (better than the monthly) - good idea if you travel a lot, and also if you travel not-so-often.

Anyway, imagine the hassle of ppl trying to get exact change and the delays etc etc :rolleyes: So how many are gonna put the €2 in, get a change ticket, and lumber in to Dublin Bus HQ to cash them all in? I think DB are onto somethin' :mad:

Victor

22/12/03
All adult and child fares will increase by 5 cents from January 4th 2004.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/news_centre/dublin_bus_news.asp?action=view&news_id=271

the fnj

moved, that is all

flogen

ok, according to the 2002 Dublin Bus Annual Report (specifically the passenger figures: http://www.cie.ie/about_us/summary_of_performance.asp#passenger), 146.6 Million journeys were made on Dublin Bus (thats just Dublin Bus) in the last year. this figure is up by over 3 million since 2001, so it could be assumed that it rose in 2003 and will rise again this year, but just for arguments sake, lets say it drops to an even 146 million in 2004 (because 600,000 people refused to pay extra)

by my estimates Dublin Bus stand to earn an extra €7.3 Million in 2004.

as they proudly state how they made a profit of €836.1 Million in 2002 (or am i reading the thing wrong), so why exactly do they need the extra few million? they only invested €375.9 Million in public transport (no precise details), why not double that figure and make bigger improvements in the fleet?

Flogen

Victor

Originally posted by flogen
as they proudly state how they made a profit of €836.1 Million in 2002 (or am i reading the thing wrong),

The group as a whole (Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus + minor companies) had a deficit (loss) of €3.6m after state subvention, much of the state subvention goes on capital expenditure (new buses, trains, etc.). The €836.1 is equal to all their costs (staff, fuel, etc.).

flogen

oh, fair enough, i was under the impression they made a profit....

Flogen

ixoy

What is interesting though is should the State have to continue to subsidise CIE to such an extent? Rather than CIE say making itself more efficient (laying off unnessecary staff, rationalising departments and so forth) they seem to just ask for more money from the government. Now they don't do an absolutely awful job of it but - if this were a private company - would it be run tighter?

Victor

Originally posted by ixoy
What is interesting though is should the State have to continue to subsidise CIE to such an extent? Rather than CIE say making itself more efficient (laying off unnessecary staff, rationalising departments and so forth) they seem to just ask for more money from the government. Now they don't do an absolutely awful job of it but - if this were a private company - would it be run tighter?

The companies are actually some of the least subsidised in the world. Providing public transport makes economies more efficient.

ixoy

Originally posted by Victor
The companies are actually some of the least subsidised in the world. Providing public transport makes economies more efficient.

No, they're not the worst offender and privatising them would probably see certain routes vanish and less frequent buses [because they don't make economic sense]. However, if they strike on me I'll change my tune no doubt...

antoinolachtnai

Are there any statistics for reliability and punctuality of Dublin Bus services?

Victor

Originally posted by antoinolachtnai
Are there any statistics for reliability and punctuality of Dublin Bus services?

Not published that I am aware of, unless it's somewhere in their Annual Report on their webiste. They will of course have the figures themselves.

Victor

http://www.thepost.ie/web/DocumentView/did-755007731-pageUrl--2FThe-Newspaper-2FSundays-Paper-2FNews.asp

Dublin Bus predicts €3m operating surplus for 2003
04/01/04 00:00
By Niamh Connolly

Dublin Bus is forecasting an operating surplus of more than €3 million for last year, based on an 8 per cent increase in revenue from the previous year's €157 million figure.

The surplus is despite increased congestion problems due to the construction of Luas and the Dublin Port tunnel, as well as the development of O'Connell Street.
The cost of congestion to Dublin Bus is predicted to rise from €34.9 million in 2001 to €49.4 million last year, a 42 per cent increase over the two years.

Overall congestion costs include additional labour and fuel costs and take into ac-count potential savings if Dublin bus es ran at similar speeds to buses in comparable international cities.

ABDO Simpson Xavier Consulting report last June highlighted a worsening traffic situation throughout the greater Dublin area, as a result of major infrastructural works and increasing traffic on already overcrowded roads.

The development of the Quality Bus Corridor (QBC) network and consolidation of certain routes, as well as increased monitoring and control of operations, has helped limit congestion costs, according to the report.

The government subvention to Dublin Bus last year was 25 per cent of its operating costs, amounting to €54 million - one of the lowest subsidies in Europe, according to Dublin Bus.

The public service obligation payment is lower than in European cities that have adopted competitive franchising, which is proposed for Dublin over the next year.

Passenger numbers rose by 1.4 per cent lastyear, with more than 149 million passengers travelling by bus - equivalent to one third of the population of greater Dublin using the bus every day. This compares with predicted annual Luas figures of 20 million.

Prepaid ticket sales have increased by 75 per cent since 1999, with revenue up 12 per cent for last year. Prepaid tickets account for 41 per cent of all sales. More than 1,000 companies used theTax Saver ticket scheme last year, giving employees and employers tax savings on monthly and annual bus and rail tickets. Tax Saver ticket sales grew from €9 million in 2002 to €13 million.

From January 5, passengers will have to pay 5 per cent more for their Dublin Bus journeys, due to benchmarking payments.

Dublin Bus also began building a €43 million garage on an 11-acre site at Harristown near Dublin Airport - the first new garage to be built by the company in over 30 years. When completed next October, it will cater for more than 240 buses and 700 staff.