Nitelink price increase

judas101

so the crooks at dublin bus have incresed the minimum nightlink fare from 4 to 5 euro.

i think its a disgraceful hike and i intend to let dublin bus know about it.

hopefully some of you think the same way.

i just dont see how such a mediocre service can merit such a price hike.

i'm taxing it from now on. i'd rather pay an extra fiver to a taximan than money to the lazy surly bastards at dublin bus.

end of rant


any thought? am i being scabby?

AlekSmart

Course ur bein scabby Judas101,but this is a free country and the right to scabbiness is enshrined in the constitution,so scab away I say

The Nitelink has long outlived its usefulness and should have been replaced by a full 24 hr service on Trunk Routes years ago.

€2 flat fare operating normal routes with all stops served in BOTH directions...Simple Innit !! :rolleyes:

eclectichoney

Actually I don't think the Nitelink is bad value - though obviously I'd prefer if it had stayed at €4!

As against normal buses, they are on time, and if I had to get a taxi home is would probably cost me over €30.

ardmacha

to a taximan than money to the lazy surly bastards at dublin bus.

Of course, all taxi drivers are cheerful, welcoming individuals.

Suzywuzy

It is a bit of a jump but I've never had a problem with them all the times I've used them. Anyway, my yearly rail and bus ticket covers it so doesn't affect me ... only that I'm gettin more value from it !!!

Stark

I remember it being €4 about 4 or 5 years ago so the increase is in line with inflation (I love that everything has to "keep up with" inflation ).

If only it was easier to figure out what time the buses leave at these days. Every 20 mins or every 30 mins? The timetable says 30, but sometimes you get a bus at 12:50 and 1:10 rather than 1:00.

ArmaniJeanss

Stark wrote: »

If only it was easier to figure out what time the buses leave at these days. Every 20 mins or every 30 mins? The timetable says 30, but sometimes you get a bus at 12:50 and 1:10 rather than 1:00.

Aye, a bugbear of mine this. It would be handier if you knew a bus was going to leave at 1.30 or 1.50 etc. Instead they just seem to wait until a bus is full or until a certain amount of time has elapsed.

An accurate timetable would be handier for the customer, but the current system is good for the drivers/controllers. And as usual the customer loses.

Trampas

It has made it a flat fare of €5 so people who paid the €6 save a €1 now.

So change the heading OP to nightlink increase/decrease

So all is not bad.

It cost around a €5 just to sit in a taxi before you close the door.

serfboard

Stark wrote: »

I remember it being €4 about 4 or 5 years ago so the increase is in line with inflation (I love that everything has to "keep up with" inflation ).

Except your salary, presumably

Stark

Yeah, you've got that right

Corruptedmorals

There was notices about the normal busses and the X fare hikes, but this was just sprung on everyone. I always have the €4 in a seperate part of my bag, had to make up the €1 out of 5 and 10 cents..:mad:

But AGAIN the fare for Celbridge and Maynooth has gone down..it's now €5 as well, and it used to be €6.

I wouldn't have a problem if their fare was lowered, but since Leixlip's was increased to the same amount it's basically saying that if you travel to Salmon Leap Bridge on the weekday 67N, it will cost you the same as if you'd stayed on the bus all the way through Maynooth and onto the end of Celbridge. That's a good 6km! (ish?)

SW81

In fairness compared to a taxi it's still dirt cheap.

breadmonkey

Fcuk the nitelink. That is all.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Del2005

Slighty OT. I've a €4 night link ticket in my wallet for a while, keep getting taxis too lazy to walk to terminus, can I still use that or how will I get my money back?

Trampas

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

But AGAIN the fare for Celbridge and Maynooth has gone down..it's now €5 as well, and it used to be €6.

I wouldn't have a problem if their fare was lowered, but since Leixlip's was increased to the same amount it's basically saying that if you travel to Salmon Leap Bridge on the weekday 67N, it will cost you the same as if you'd stayed on the bus all the way through Maynooth and onto the end of Celbridge. That's a good 6km! (ish?)

So if someone wants to go to chapelizard how much should they pay?

€3?

As you can travel further if you stay on the bus.

I don't get the 67N before you ask or any nightlink that cost €6

godtabh

I get the 67n some times but usually the 66n. The bus driver usually doesnt give a crap what fare you pay as long as you pay the minimum fare. I dont pay cash as I use an annual bus and rail ticket. Works out much better that way for me.

Run_to_da_hills

No Complaints. Still dirt a dirt cheap alternative to getting home. I lived through the 70ies and 80ies where you were lucky to even get a taxi home sometimes waiting several hours or walking half way back to Dunlaoghaire and paying the equivilant of half a days wages for the service. Fair play to CIE for offering us the Nightlink and keep up the good work.

IanCurtis

€5 is a rip off...what a shower of wnkers

I might start driving a bus meself.....70 odd passengers at €5 a go....€350 into me pocket.....do 5 trips a night and you're raking in €1,750 a night, with fcuk all overheads.

Unbelieveable.

Dublin Bus are a bunch of robbing bastards.

seamus

Still way better than queueing for an hour at a jammed taxi rank only to pay some surly wanker €20 for a 6 mile trip.

It's been €4 for ages. They can't really increase it to like €4.20 because then all you moaning bastards would complain that you'd never be able to count out your change half pissed. €5 makes sense.

Run_to_da_hills

IanCurtis wrote: »

€5 is a rip off...what a shower of wnkers

I might start driving a bus meself.....70 odd passengers at €5 a go....€350 into me pocket.....do 5 trips a night and you're raking in €1,750 a night, with fcuk all overheads.

Unbelieveable.

Dublin Bus are a bunch of robbing bastards.

Dublin Busses dont run on water. You have to pay staff overtime plus extra security and co ordinators. You would be lucky to get 3 trips a weekend night out of one bus on the 7X route plus the fact that the return to city run will be empty. The next day will have to pay a cleaning contracter to clean out all the puke and mess from between the seats and floor. plus the cost of the bus which would be several hundred grand with maintenace and insurance on top of that. Good look to your enterprise proposition

Ham'nd'egger

IanCurtis wrote: »

€5 is a rip off...what a shower of wnkers

I might start driving a bus meself.....70 odd passengers at €5 a go....€350 into me pocket.....do 5 trips a night and you're raking in €1,750 a night, with fcuk all overheads.

Unbelieveable.

Dublin Bus are a bunch of robbing bastards.

It is very relevant to note that Nitelink services are not run with State Subsidies unlike normal timetabled services. Fuel costs, staffing, mechanical work/servicing etc are logged and paid for from the monies taken on from Nitelink fares; State subsidies and grants are not and cannot be used to pay for it; there is even restrictions of EU funded buses running on these services. To pick up a new double decker will set you back the best part of €400,000; that's a lot of €350's, over a thousand of them in fact!

When night buses were introduced in the 1990's, many private companies were allowed to take on some routes. In a matter of weeks, most of them had given up running services; not too many others took on the routes afterwards.

John R

IanCurtis wrote: »

€5 is a rip off...what a shower of wnkers

I might start driving a bus meself.....70 odd passengers at €5 a go....€350 into me pocket.....do 5 trips a night and you're raking in €1,750 a night, with fcuk all overheads.

Unbelieveable.

Dublin Bus are a bunch of robbing bastards.

AFAIK there is only one private operator running a similar night bus service out of Dublin and that is Finnegans who run to Bray and Greystones. Their fare: €5.

If you wish to start a service yourself then go ahead, the DOT would welcome your application. I hope you have at least €350,000 in your pocket to pay for the bus though and a large reserve for maintenance, fuel, cleaning and emergency repairs when the scumbags smash your windows, wreck your seating and spray paint the interior.

What is unbelievable is that anybody can seriously think that running a bus service has "fcuk all overheads".

dazberry

Pity DB can't get the 11.30 closing time thing out of their heads. Last Friday week I got the ghost Luas (i.e. the one after the "last" 12.30am one) - think it was about 12.45.

D.

TommyShannon

Plenty of taxis floating around Dame Street last night, got one without having to queue at 4am this morning. €12 from town to Ballyfermot Village for two people, only a euro dearer then the nitelink, no idiots shouting the Field's of Athenry in my ear, no hash smoke in my face, just a nice comfortable taxi journey home with a friendly driver. Won't ever be getting a Nitelink again when there's taxis available, the new fare is a disgraceful rip off!

The simple truth here is that Dublin Bus have a complete monopoly on pubic transport in Dublin after 12.30am, they therefore can charge and will charge what they like! Think about it, why do you have to pay €5 for a journey after 12.30am that only costs €1.70 in the afternoon.

In London if you buy a day travelcard it is valid on ANY service up until 4.30am the next morning. If you buy a day travelcard in Dublin it's only valid until midnight. This is so Dublin Bus can rip you off after midnight when it's hard to get a taxi.

Ham'nd'egger

TommyShannon wrote: »

The simple truth here is that Dublin Bus have a complete monopoly on pubic transport in Dublin after 12.30am, they therefore can charge and will charge what they like! Think about it, why do you have to pay €5 for a journey after 12.30am that only costs €1.70 in the afternoon.

In London if you buy a day travelcard it is valid on ANY service up until 4.30am the next morning. If you buy a day travelcard in Dublin it's only valid until midnight. This is so Dublin Bus can rip you off after midnight when it's hard to get a taxi.

Tommy, see my post above and that of John R and Run to da Hills; it should answer your points.

IanCurtis

TommyShannon wrote: »

Plenty of taxis floating around Dame Street last night, got one without having to queue at 4am this morning. €12 from town to Ballyfermot Village for two people, only a euro dearer then the nitelink, no idiots shouting the Field's of Athenry in my ear, no hash smoke in my face, just a nice comfortable taxi journey home with a friendly driver. Won't ever be getting a Nitelink again when there's taxis available, the new fare is a disgraceful rip off!

Correct Tommy.

And they have to pay for "security"?

What security? The nitelink is a bloody free-for-all for scumbags. The service is pathetic.

TommyShannon

I see the point above being made that the bus will run back to town empty! It doesn't have to, could DB not apply to the DoT for a licence to pick up pax on the way back into town, or maybe they have done already??

I've serious issue with the fact that the nightlink doesn't stop in the suburbs aswell. The fare would not have to be €5 if DB could make money on people going home after midnight within the suburbs.

Cookie_Monster

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

plus the cost of the bus which would be several hundred grand with maintenace and insurance on top of that.:)

Hamndegger wrote: »

To pick up a new double decker will set you back the best part of €400,000;

?, €80,000 as quoted by the minister recently.

EDIT: Comment withdrawn due to total lack of evidence to back it up.

I wasn't overly sure about this anyway, thought I had seen it somewhere but obviusly not.

Del2005

TommyShannon wrote: »

Plenty of taxis floating around Dame Street last night, got one without having to queue at 4am this morning. €12 from town to Ballyfermot Village for two people, only a euro dearer then the nitelink, no idiots shouting the Field's of Athenry in my ear, no hash smoke in my face, just a nice comfortable taxi journey home with a friendly driver. Won't ever be getting a Nitelink again when there's taxis available, the new fare is a disgraceful rip off!

The simple truth here is that Dublin Bus have a complete monopoly on pubic transport in Dublin after 12.30am, they therefore can charge and will charge what they like! Think about it, why do you have to pay €5 for a journey after 12.30am that only costs €1.70 in the afternoon.

In London if you buy a day travelcard it is valid on ANY service up until 4.30am the next morning. If you buy a day travelcard in Dublin it's only valid until midnight. This is so Dublin Bus can rip you off after midnight when it's hard to get a taxi.

In your 1st paragraph you say there are plenty of taxis and then in the 2nd you say DB have a monopoly on public transport. What is a taxi?

And then in your last paragraph you say you can't get a taxi, when there where plenty on a Friday night in your 1st paragraph

As others have said the fare into town is subsidised whereas the Nightlink has to pay for itself.

John R

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

?, €80,000 as quoted by the minister recently.

For that you will get a 13 year old ex-Dublin Bus non-accessable double decker with something approaching 1 million miles on the clock like this one.

John R

TommyShannon wrote: »

The simple truth here is that Dublin Bus have a complete monopoly on pubic transport in Dublin after 12.30am, they therefore can charge and will charge what they like! Think about it, why do you have to pay €5 for a journey after 12.30am that only costs €1.70 in the afternoon.

Because as has already been said, bus services in the daytime are subsidised.

this daytime operator isn't subsidised and they charge €4.50 for a single journey Blanchardstown-Swords.

There has been an open invitation for private operators to run bus services for nearly 10 years now, don't you think that if there was a business case for someone to operate against Nitelink and undercut the prices it would have happened already? As I pointed out the only other night bus operator in Dublin also charges €5 and has done for some time.

TommyShannon wrote: »

In London if you buy a day travelcard it is valid on ANY service up until 4.30am the next morning. If you buy a day travelcard in Dublin it's only valid until midnight. This is so Dublin Bus can rip you off after midnight when it's hard to get a taxi.

Bus services in London are heavily subsidised and are all paid for centrally. The night buses are not required to pay their full costs, if they were the fares would be much higher than they are now.

The London government realises the importance of a high quality bus network as a major part of the city's transport infrastructure and has been investing money and resources into it to make that happen.

Corruptedmorals

There should have been a notice...AND student tickets aren't valid on nitelinks. (Are Ramblers?). Yeah obviously it's better than the €35/40 Leixlip taxi fare. I don't think the fares should be staged as they are in the daytime (Chapelizard?:D). €4 for most places, €6 for really far out was fair to me. Having them all the same is a bit stupid really.

Victor

Corruptedmorals wrote: »

There should have been a notice

You insult me!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=55208139&postcount=24
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=55232036&postcount=25

...AND student tickets aren't valid on nitelinks.

This would shove up the price of student tickets. Some people may not be able to afford such an increase.

(Are Ramblers?).

No. I think only the annual ticket is.

Xavi6

IanCurtis wrote: »

Correct Tommy.

And they have to pay for "security"?

What security? The nitelink is a bloody free-for-all for scumbags. The service is pathetic.

Then don't use it! Queue for your overpriced taxi if you want.

Personally I think the nitelink is a great service. A fiver to get home or twenty five in a taxi? Tough call......

Corruptedmorals

Victor wrote: »

You insult me!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=55208139&postcount=24
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=55232036&postcount=25

Ah, but I didn't have internet access on Westmoreland street at 2 in the morning..:)

This would shove up the price of student tickets. Some people may not be able to afford such an increase.

They've already been shoved up 70cent!

Sarn

I have to say I find the Nitelink a great service. The only problem I've had was the occasional lack of ticket buses when I've had no change. :mad:
Thankfully I just got an annual bus ticket, so as mentioned above it's even better value (the ticket that is).

I imagine the old €4 nitelink tickets will work for a while (I've been using €3.20 2-easy tickets (€1.60 fare) up until now).

paulm17781

TommyShannon wrote: »

I see the point above being made that the bus will run back to town empty! It doesn't have to, could DB not apply to the DoT for a licence to pick up pax on the way back into town, or maybe they have done already??

I've serious issue with the fact that the nightlink doesn't stop in the suburbs aswell. The fare would not have to be €5 if DB could make money on people going home after midnight within the suburbs.

This has always bothered me. I live in the city and have an annual ticket, if I could get the nightlink back to town it would save me a fortune in taxi fares.

I'm sure someone will be along with a "valid" reason for this. :rolleyes:

bk

One thing however, isn't the Nitelink partly subsidised?

After all the bus itself (the most expensive part as others have already pointed out) has already been paid for by the tax payer for daytime operations.

Therefore it is just the cost of fuel, driver (including overtime), cleaning and maintenance (which probably use standard DB subsidised staff anyway).

So €5 seems overkill to me.

No wonder only one private operator can compete.

Personally I never get it anymore, just €11 -€12 for a taxi for me, when shared only a €1 more expensive then the awful nitelink.

Run_to_da_hills

bk wrote: »

One thing however, isn't the Nitelink partly subsidised?

After all the bus itself (the most expensive part as others have already pointed out) has already been paid for by the tax payer for daytime operations.

Therefore it is just the cost of fuel, driver (including overtime), cleaning and maintenance (which probably use standard DB subsidised staff anyway).

So €5 seems overkill to me.

No wonder only one private operator can compete.

Personally I never get it anymore, just €11 -€12 for a taxi for me, when shared only a €1 more expensive then the awful nitelink.

Not for someone living out in Shankhill travelling back on his own who could be charged up to 30 for a taxi back. Well and good if there is a group of you.

If you were living in London you pay the minimum fare of 4quid (e5.25) just to go a couple of hundred yards in a tube in Zone 1. Travel cards are due to be phased out in the not so distant future and will be replaced by prepayed registered Oystercard. These smart cards like the ones CIE are introducing infring on your civil liberties because they keep track of all your movements.

http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Travel/Transport/London/Underground.htm#TicketPrices2008

Victor

Sarn wrote: »

I have to say I find the Nitelink a great service. The only problem I've had was the occasional lack of ticket buses when I've had no change. :mad:

As I said already! http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=55208139&postcount=24

bk wrote: »

One thing however, isn't the Nitelink partly subsidised? After all the bus itself (the most expensive part as others have already pointed out) has already been paid for by the tax payer for daytime operations. Therefore it is just the cost of fuel, driver (including overtime), cleaning and maintenance (which probably use standard DB subsidised staff anyway).

Everything gets separated - hours, litres, km, €. The buses used are billed by the km or hour. Dublin bus owns some of its own buses.

So €5 seems overkill to me. No wonder only one private operator can compete.

Surely if it is overkill, other operators would be in like a flash at €4? They aren't.

paulm17781 wrote: »

This has always bothered me. I live in the city and have an annual ticket, if I could get the nightlink back to town it would save me a fortune in taxi fares.I'm sure someone will be along with a "valid" reason for this. :rolleyes:

Quite simple for two reasons:

1. You'll have all sorts of drunk idiot arguing the normal fare is €1.05.
2. Drunk idiot will start fights when they aren't allowed on. At least with a city centre terminus and pick up points outside garda stations, this can be minimised.

Mucco

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

If you were living in London you pay the minimum fare of 4quid (e5.25) just to go a couple of hundred yards in a tube in Zone 1. These smart cards .... infring on your civil liberties because they keep track of all your movements.

It's only £4 without an oyster, you have to be a bit thick to pay it. Plus I don't buy this civil liberties rubbish, I registered my oysters (I have about 4) with false names. Most people carry a mobile phone in any case.
Night buses are 90p

Demonique

Can you use social welfare travel passes on the Night Link? Do they go through Fairview?

Run_to_da_hills

Mucco wrote: »

It's only £4 without an oyster, you have to be a bit thick to pay it. Plus I don't buy this civil liberties rubbish, I registered my oysters (I have about 4) with false names. Most people carry a mobile phone in any case. Night buses are 90p

They are working on it. In the press recently the Home Office wanted a registered ID card system on all public transport including trains ship and internal flights. The Oyster card is programmible and may in time be made required to have additional information. I had great difficulty applying for my Oystercard a few years ago because I was using a Dublin address which has no post code.

IanCurtis

Xavi6 wrote: »

Then don't use it! Queue for your overpriced taxi if you want.

Personally I think the nitelink is a great service. A fiver to get home or twenty five in a taxi? Tough call......

I don't use it because it's pathetic :rolleyes:

€25 for a taxi? You're living too far out out of the city.

GenericUser

May I say a big congratulations to dublin bus for not advertising their nightlink fare increase. I am delighted to know that Dublin bus have so much confidence in the prosperity of the irish nation, that they think we are all sitting in town with our laptops on a saturday night checking www.dublinbus.ie for the latest information. Once again, Bualadh bos (bus).
I havent got a problem with the price increase. Its still far better value than the 20 odd quid it costs me to get a taxi home.
What I will say is this.
With the exception of the friday and saturday services, the times the buses leave at is pretty poor. 12.30 pm is fine, an hour after pub closing time.
Next bus isnt till 2 am. So if you want to stay out a bit longer, you have to wait 90 mins extra. After that you are fecked, no option but to get taxi. I my opinion we need a weekday service (including sundays) of at least 12.30, 1.30, 2.30, and 3.30.
DublinBus will argue the lack of economic viability, however a decent night bus service should be in the name of public service rather than profit making. Security needs would be minimal (in comparison to weekends).
I would like to add, that it is not just drunks or drinkers who get the nightlink home, people do work in town ya know!
In addition a skeleton night service into town would be quite welcome.
I would like to see it run on a trial service perhaps with 2 person operated buses to account for extra security. Again as a public service!

As a final note, I recently returned home from a week in berlin. WHile i know we dont have the benefits of the remnants of an ex communist state public transport system, it was a great eye opener to see all trams and S bahn trains running 24 hours a day at a frequency of 30 mins at night. The passenger load was minimal, but the service is run as you guessed it, a public service.

KC61

IanCurtis wrote: »

I don't use it because it's pathetic :rolleyes:

€25 for a taxi? You're living too far out out of the city.

It's EUR 18 in a taxi to Dundrum/Ballinteer and that is hardly that far from the city!

Like the earlier poster EUR 5 is still very reasonable for me!

Better still is with my annual pass it's free!

Run_to_da_hills

Do Nightlink give dole concessions?

seamus

IanCurtis wrote: »

I don't use it because it's pathetic :rolleyes:

€25 for a taxi? You're living too far out out of the city.

So you can pay €25 for a taxi or €1500 for a ****ty apartment paying off someone else's mortgage? :rolleyes:

If you don't like the nitelink, don't get it. Simple as. There are plenty of options. If a taxi only costs you €10 or €12 then you can't live much further than the canals. So walk and save yourself the money.

January

IanCurtis wrote: »

€25 for a taxi? You're living too far out out of the city.

Excuse us for not being able to afford an apartment near the city. We apologize.

I think the fare is fair, €5 euro to Blanchardstown or Swords is a lot better than the €25 euro it costs in a taxi.

Diairist

Maybe they were told to make it more expensive to encourage competition? Like the ESB price increase (which didn't work).