Swords-Dublin Express Bus Service

mickoneill30

While I agree with you that the government have been messing about Dublin Bus I don't think Dublin Bus are entirely powerless. Antoin is providing 28 express routes into the city each day with 4 buses. The 41X (Rivervalley) timetable didn't change at all this year when the new timetable came out. It's been pretty full since last year. At the least they could have changed a couple of 41Cs in the morning to 41Xs and rejigged the timetable a bit. I'm sure doing that is complicated and requires planning but I'm also sure it's doable.

We really need our government ministers and civil servants to use public transport on a day to day basis. I'm pretty sure we'd see huge improvements pretty quickly if that was the case. I've frequently see Bertie come out of his Drumcondra office, step into his waiting car (that's usually parked on the path) and then get chauffeured up the bus lane. He must think traffic is great.

Sizzler

^^ A lad I work with lives in Boroimhe and he got the 8am 41x service this morning, two 41x's actually turned up and both stopped at the last bus stop in Boroimhe, and both went through the port tunnel, he was in town in 25 mins.

Obviously if you needed to be in work before 830 then this wouldnt have been much use but at least you have the option.

AlekSmart

Micko30,I`d have to disagree with you about the power of Dublin Bus to act in situations such as the 41X.
Up to 2002 Dublin Bus had a somewhat more relaxed relationship with the Dept which allowed for a degree of flexibility in responding to rapidly developing situations.

However in the aftermath of the signing of the "Memorandum of Understanding" between the Company and Dept the situation became a trifle more....emmmm....regularized...:rolleyes:

This essentially means more Civil Service friendly as it now became obvious that we had accquired a second deputy sub principle assistant (grade 6) to oversee the workings of the company.

The 41X situation and latterly the 25X situation in Adamstown saw the company`s customers recieve a swift Departmental kick in the Goolies after the EXTRA buses allocated to it were forcibly removed by Departmental diktat.

Irrespective of arguements on this board and elsewhere about Dublin Bus vs The Private Sector et al,the REAL problem lies in Dublin`s Public Transport being under the control of Proffessional Civil Servants whose appreciation for Public Transport reality is somewhat dulled by their remoteness from its use.

If one reads through some of the stuff coming from the Ministers desk one gets a sense of how situations such as Section 25,sub section 7,paragraphs 3 to 17 as amended by Sections 4 to 9 of the Shannon Waterways Act 1959 is used constantly to explain away Departmental Decisons to order the removal of Buses at 24 Hrs notice from parts of Dublin which in accessibility terms may as well be in Mayo.

The problem is quite simple.....Lack of Interest. :eek:

mickoneill30

Sizzler wrote: »

^^ A lad I work with lives in Boroimhe and he got the 8am 41x service this morning, two 41x's actually turned up and both stopped at the last bus stop in Boroimhe, and both went through the port tunnel, he was in town in 25 mins.

Obviously if you needed to be in work before 830 then this wouldnt have been much use but at least you have the option.

There seem to be a few extra 41Xs on over the last week. I was waiting on the Swords Express bus this morning at Texaco when a 41X came to the stop with 5 people on it. A few weeks ago the buses were jam packed and Dublin Bus couldn't find a spare bus anywhere. Now they've managed to put on extra buses just as a new carrier comes online. If I was a suspicious person I'd say they were putting on extra buses to damage Swords Express.

Wishbone Ash

mickoneill30 wrote: »

If I was a suspicious person I'd say they were putting on extra buses to damage Swords Express.

Just like in Dublin Airport. Anytime a private operator introduces a new route or upgrades an existing service, Dublin Bus or Bus Eireann always manage to revamp their existing service.

Sizzler

mickoneill30 wrote: »

There seem to be a few extra 41Xs on over the last week. I was waiting on the Swords Express bus this morning at Texaco when a 41X came to the stop with 5 people on it. A few weeks ago the buses were jam packed and Dublin Bus couldn't find a spare bus anywhere. Now they've managed to put on extra buses just as a new carrier comes online. If I was a suspicious person I'd say they were putting on extra buses to damage Swords Express.

And which bus did you take

Competition is good as the consumer is obviously benefitting here

Soccerette

Does anyone know whether the 8.40am service from Swords is as busy as the earlier ones when it reaches the Texaco garage? Thinking of leaving it till the later service but if it's as busy as the earlier ones it'll probably just whizz past me like the 8am bus did this morning :mad:

Victor

Soccerette wrote: »

Does anyone know whether the 8.40am service from Swords is as busy as the earlier ones when it reaches the Texaco garage? Thinking of leaving it till the later service but if it's as busy as the earlier ones it'll probably just whizz past me like the 8am bus did this morning :mad:

Drop antoinolachtnai a private message.

Soccerette

Victor wrote: »

Drop antoinolachtnai a private message.

Great - cheers