Dublin bus fare increases

the groutch

all gone up from today, with zero notice given

caff

New Cash Fares Thursday 1st January 2009

Dublin Bus wishes to advise customers that with effect from Thursday 1st January 2008, most cash fares will increase by 5 cents for children and 10 cents for adults.

Adult Fares
Stages 1-3 €1.15
Stages 4-7 €1.60
Stages 8-13 €1.80
Over 14 Stages €2.20
Outer Suburban 1 €2.20
Outer Suburban 2 €3.50
Outer Suburban 3 €4.50
Schoolchild Fare (Under 16)
All Stages €0.65
Children's Fare (Under 16)
Stages 1-7 €0.80
Over 7 Stages €1.00
Shopper's Fare
City Centre Fare €0.80

Flat Fare Routes Adult Child Schoolchild
Routes 201, 202, 236, 237, 238 €1.15 €0.80 €0.65
Xpresso Fares
Adult Fares
Travel within 1 zone €2.50
Travel between any 2 zones €3.50
Children's Fares
Travel within 1 zone €1.70
Travel between any 2 zones €2.00

the groutch

ty m8

the increase from €2 to €2.20 is totally unjustified, especially as the price of oil is so low now

jahalpin

While the increases in the cash fares aren't too bad, the increases in the prepaid tickets are completely excessive and impossible to justify. For example, the 7 day rambler is going up from 23.00 to 26.50. This is a blatant misuse of Dublin Bus' monopoly position and hopefully the competition authority will step in and force them to reduce the prices.

Nody

jahalpin wrote: »

While the increases in the cash fares aren't too bad, the increases in the prepaid tickets are completely excessive and impossible to justify. For example, the 7 day rambler is going up from 23.00 to 26.50. This is a blatant misuse of Dublin Bus' monopoly position and hopefully the competition authority will step in and force them to reduce the prices.

Well I got this lovely red bridge for you to buy...

mikemac

the groutch wrote: »

ty m8

Not sure what that means

the groutch wrote: »

the increase from €2 to €2.20 is totally unjustified, especially as the price of oil is so low now

Dublin bus hedge their costs for fixed rates.
When the price of oil was over $150 they struck a deal for $100. The Minister of Transport was discussing this with Matt Cooper on TodayFM.
So they thought they got an ok deal and maybe they did at the time. The fact that oil prices collapsed won't make a difference now, the deal is done

podgeandrodge

Government policy as well - in the South of France the bus fare for a trip from Nice to Monaco (20 miles odd) used to be €1.30. To encourage people to use public transport they have reduced the fare to €1 across all the region. Price down passengers up. Here they do it the other way round. :mad:

Time Magazine

jahalpin wrote: »

This is a blatant misuse of Dublin Bus' monopoly position and hopefully the competition authority will step in and force them to reduce the prices.

Unfortunately the Competition Authority have no power to force anyone to reduce their prices. None whatsoever.

Also, abuse of a dominant position is illegal as per section 4 the Competition Act. But it's only as strong as any other law. The real problem here is the Transport Act 1927 which basically removed all transport competition. Dublin Bus's prices are approved by the Minister for Transport under the Transport Act which is, as I say, as much a law as the Competition Act.

The problem here is political.

Fortunately there has been some improvement in the legislative framework with the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 having passed. But, typically for Ireland, it's a bit crap.

The recession must be over :rolleyes:

the groutch

mikemac wrote: »

Not sure what that means


Dublin bus hedge their costs for fixed rates.
When the price of oil was over $150 they struck a deal for $100. The Minister of Transport was discussing this with Matt Cooper on TodayFM.
So they thought they got an ok deal and maybe they did at the time. The fact that oil prices collapsed won't make a difference now, the deal is done

oil hasnt been near $100 a barrel for months, how long can they be hedged for?
and even if they are hedge for the next few months, are they going to reduce the fares when they unhedged? I think not

the groutch

the groutch wrote: »

oil hasnt been near $100 a barrel for months, how long can they be hedged for?
and even if they are hedge for the next few months, are they going to reduce the fares when they unhedged? I think not

Nothing works the way you think it should in this country, oil goes up, price at the pump does straight away, oil comes down and has been for months now and dam all has come down.
The way the euro/sterling rate is going and UK prices it will be cheaper to get fuel up the north before long, and if that happens i bet you it will drop here straight away :rolleyes:

Galvasean

the groutch wrote: »

the increase from €2 to €2.20 is totally unjustified,

Now the train (for me) is cheaper than the bus. Faster, more comfortable...

Fajitas!

Another rightly awkward fare increase tbh... Especially when public transport should be advertised more and more. Fantastic.

af_thefragile

I've gotta pay €2.20 now!!
Thats nuts!! They just upped the fare from €1.80 to €2 a few months ago and now they add another 20c to it. I think i'm gonna take the train into town tomorrow as it has become cheaper now!
I really need to get me a car or a motorbike!!

Brimmy

The price is absolultely ludicrous now. Out here (Swords) there is an express service by a private company with a set rate of e4 or e2 if you're a student. So now it costs me less to get a much more comfortable bus that can cut a journey of an hour in rush traffic into 20 minutes...I know which I'll be getting in from now.

The only advantage Dublin Bus had was the student ticket, and I suppose that's gone up quite high as well?

professore

Where the hell are the Green party ??? Surely they should be blocking this?

The guy

Brimmy wrote: »

The price is absolultely ludicrous now. Out here (Swords) there is an express service by a private company with a set rate of e4 or e2 if you're a student. So now it costs me less to get a much more comfortable bus that can cut a journey of an hour in rush traffic into 20 minutes...I know which I'll be getting in from now.

The only advantage Dublin Bus had was the student ticket, and I suppose that's gone up quite high as well?

Just checked now, the 7day student ticket went up to €20 from €18.

thebman

Yeah its ridiciulous but on the plus side, if you do use the bus, it will be a little emptier now.

I'm just so glad I get the trains (although they go up all the time too, hurray for government).

the groutch

professore wrote: »

Where the hell are the Green party ??? Surely they should be blocking this?

they're the new PDs, get one or two of their own laws passed, and then go along with all of the governement's other stupid decision, even eif they totally disagree with them

projectmayhem

30 day rambler smartcard went up to €100 (10% increase in cost). Absolutely ridiculous. It's nearly cheaper to own a car at this stage...

LiamD

I'm not sure that student tickets are good value anymore. 7 day bus ticket is 20e but a lot of students don't need the bus on the weekend so the average student using the bus 5 days per week is paying 4e per day.

Same with the 30 day bus/luas (no 30 day bus only for students) - it's gone up to 82e. Take out 8 days (weekends, students gone home) and it's 3.72 per day.

IMO the 30 day adult rambler is better value than those student tickets as it's only 3.33e per day and does not have to be used on consecutive days. I won't be renewing my travel card (which cost 15e) unless the student tickets are transferred to smart cards which don't have to be used on consecutive days.

af_thefragile

^good point about getting the 30 day rambler. It is actually cheaper than buying the student ticket. I don't think i'm gonna bother renewing my student travel card either.

I calculated it'ld only cost me €2 more to travel in by paying the bus fare than me buying the €20 student card. If someone lives closer to the city and is paying €1.80 for their bus fare, considering they wouldn't be traveling on weekends, it'ld only cost them €18 to travel by paying the bus fare instead of buying the student card for €20.

And again, my sis fills up her car with about €50 worth of petrol every 2-3 weeks and now it'ld cost her even less as the fuel prices have gone down. So its not much cheaper to travel by car than it is to use public transport!! Why bother?!

steo87

The thing that annoys me is the fact that no improvements are being made to the service. Are they going to use the extra revenue to employ inspectors to prevent the anto's and the deco's (and i suppose someone will mention the steo's when they see my username!) smoking there drugs down the back of the buses? - Not a hope!

I've tried calling Dublin Bus on a number of occasions to find out why they still do absolutely nothing about the fact that scumbags are smoking hash and, at times poxy heroin off tin foil, on their buses....but for some reason their complaints line is always busy, ringing out continuosly...and never goes to voicemail.

As mentioned already by previous posters, Dublin Bus are abusing their competition status....the Competition Committe can't do anything (they're just there to provide highly paid jobs; have no real power whatsoever)....so why doesn't the EU/European Court get involved?

If I didn't require this 'service' in order to get to college I wouldn't be using it at all. In saying all this, I'll be sticking with the Student ticket, at 20 quid. Four buses per day at 1.80 each --> 7.2 per day, which works out at 36.00 for 5 days...cheaper in the long run.


....and I'll be redeemin all of my refund tickets!

Time Magazine

steo87 wrote: »

As mentioned already by previous posters, Dublin Bus are abusing their competition status....

No they're not. These price increases were approved by the Minister of Transport.

the Competition Committe can't do anything (they're just there to provide highly paid jobs; have no real power whatsoever)....so why doesn't the EU/European Court get involved?

The Competition Authority has been lobbying for changes in the regulatory structure for the last ten years and continues to do so, and looking at the DTA Act they have been successful in their lobbying. (Incidentally their lack of power is only in areas where the monopoly is endorsed by the State; having any real power in this area would be extremely undemocratic.)

The European Commission has got involved. I am informed by a transport economics lecturer in TCD that Dublin Bus simply don't write back to their requests for information. Unfortunately the EU can really only realistically make changes where there is mis-use of state aid. Their hands are tied to a certain extent.

Of course, as I said again, the government could change the entirely regulatory framework over night if they wanted to take CIÉ on. If CIÉ ran as efficient an operation as the likes of the Aircoach/Citylink, the subsidies would go a lot further i.e. fares would be lower.

JennyAnt

As previous posters have stated, if these increases coincided with an improvement in services, I wouldn't mind paying the extra 10c. But they wont. If anything there will be fewer, dirtier, more cramped buses.

A 'Deco' was smoking hash on the bus today and his thicko girlfrind tried to pass it off as 'smell of vinegar' - then verbally attacked a man who asked them to stop.
And we're paying for this priviledge?!

PS: Why do these people smoke their hash on the bus?? Surely they would enjoy it more in the comfort of their own home/squat/whatever?

mikemac

steo87 wrote: »

The thing that annoys me is the fact that no improvements are being made to the service. Are they going to use the extra revenue to employ inspectors to prevent the anto's and the deco's (and i suppose someone will mention the steo's when they see my username!) smoking there drugs down the back of the buses? - Not a hope!

This is my biggest problem with Dublin bus.
Now I know this thread is about fares but even with increase I find it reasonable. I'm sure the Travel 90 has gone up but it's worked out well so far.
And my route is reliable and regular. I've no issue there

But until Dublin Bus explain to me why I have to share a bus with smoking, drinking and fighting vermin they've lost me as a customer. Would it kill them to get it some security company? It's not like security guards earn great money, it may cost a few thousand a week to implement this but they might make it back if people feel more comfortable to use their buses.
Yes, I know there are hundreds of buses but you won't need that many guards if you know the routes and times problems start

Hint: it's not in the morning commute to work

jackbauer

Does anyone know what the travel 90 costs now after the increase? Totally agree with previous posts if the price increase meant better service then no problem but of course not.

mikemac

went from 17 euro to 18 euro, not a massive increase

sprinklesspanky

I wonder if by paying more the buses will arrive on time and the drivers will have even better atitudes.

/sarcasm

Galvasean

I'm so glad I don't have to commute to college/work anymore.

the groutch

didnt know the 30 day rambler was non-consecutive days, ty for the heads-up liam

Niall Keane

20c extra on xpress, I am 32 and my wife and I have always used public transport, not a day did I drive, this hike means an extra 80c a day, €184 a year. In a recession where prices and salaries are falling? From tomorrow on point of principle, I will pay the €200 parking levy and drive.
I travel from Dublin 17 to Dublin 2. I will post again in a month re. the difference in cost / time.
Currently 45mins - 1 Hour each way, €10 a day for us both by express bus 27X. (work colose to each other.)

babyhack

Looking at the 30 day rambler

For me is €1.80 a trip into work thats €3.60 a day
30 days = €108

30 day rambler = €100
a total saving of €8

apart from the fact I will not have to worry about looking for change its not really a big saving

May get on and give it a go, but is it non-consecutive days for sure
ie will i get 6 5 day weeks out of it

BH

Chris-2008

student bus travel tickets have gone from 16 in 2007 to 20 euro in 2009, does that mean its going to cost us 24 euro for a bus ticket in my final year? its beyond a joke at this stage, in 10 years time its going to cost 5 euro each way into town! scary taught... it has to stop somewere.

RiverWilde

Ah well at least ye can qualify for student travel on Dub Bus. I'm an OU Student and as soon as ISIC recognised us as proper students ... I have a valid ISIC card ... Dub Bus etc immediately got rid of their travel save stamp etc etc ... the best I can do is Bus Eireann.

Riv

Steo46

They should reduce all fares to €1 and increase the frequency. This would encourage more people to use the buses. Less cars on the road = faster journey times. Everybody would be happy.

swingking

professore wrote: »

Where the hell are the Green party ???

Probably kissing FF ass

bp1989

I think the simplest solution is to just boycott the buses altogether if you can. I for one will be walking that 20 minute walk into college from now on:pac:

Sleipnir

Steo46 wrote: »

They should reduce all fares to €1 and increase the frequency. This would encourage more people to use the buses. Less cars on the road = faster journey times. Everybody would be happy.

A loss-making company introduces lots more services for far less money and you think that's a good idea? :rolleyes:

Running a public transport infrastucture has far less to do with making people happy than you think.

“Owww look at me Marge, I'm making people Happy! I'm the magical man, from Happy Land, who lives in a gumdrop house on Lolly Pop Lane!!!!...... By the way I was being sarcastic...”

WoollyRedHat

Sure. We should have an alternative then. Why should they expect we pay higher fares, fares which increase every year, when the service is hardly being improved.

We haven't been in a bloodly recession for a decade you know. Changes could have been made years ago. But as you say, business comes first, passengers second.
And at the end of the day, that's the problem.

Corruptedmorals

Ugh, I was hoping the 30day bus/luas student wouldn't rise further than €80. I think I'll still save €50 exactly a month so not too shabby.

LiamD

Looks like Dublin Bus read Boards!

Student 30 Day Rambler €75.00
(Available from Monday 9th March)

Valid for unlimited travel for 30 non consecutive days
Valid on Dublin Bus scheduled services including Xpresso (excluding Airlink, Nitelink, Tours, Special Events and Private Contract services)
Student Travelcard required

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Fares--Tickets/Tickets/Student-Tickets/

Well done Dublin Bus, I'll be switching to this ticket from now on.

Red Sleeping Beauty

€75 :eek:
For a month ?

A monthly bus pass in Glasgow with First will set you back £37/€41
And that's for a standard bus pass for a normal person, not a student!!!

raindog.promo

Sleipnir wrote: »

A loss-making company introduces lots more services for far less money and you think that's a good idea? :rolleyes:

Have you a source or somewhere that provides the figures to support this point?

Not being cheeky, genuinely interested as I often wonder at the price increase / lack of service improvement and can only imagine where the money is going.