Petition for Dublin Bus to have their motto changed.

Run_to_da_hills

With the slashing of bus routes and the drastic reduction services we should demand that Dublin Bus have their motto changed. "Dublin Bus - Serving the entire community". It is absolute hypocrisy to have this motto remain on the back of every bus.

bazzer

How about: "Serving Those Parts of the Community where Political Lobbying is Strongest".

Cookie_Monster

Yeah, lets make them spend money they don't have on something that'll make no difference to anything:rolleyes:

On a less serious note you could get rid of that motto and rename them "Dublin-ish bus"

Rawr

Should change it to: 'Dublin Bus - As Serbhis'

peter1892

Their old motto was 'Dublin Bus - Changing with the city'.

One day I got off the bus & noticed that some wag had changed that logo to 'Dublin Bus - hanging with the city'.

Shortly afterwards I saw another bus who's logo now read - 'Dublin Bus - hanging the city'

honru

I was thinking exactly the same thing after the Nitelink weekday service was axed. "Dublin Bus - serving the entire community... but good luck after half eleven!"

grahamo

'Dublin Bus - Changing with the economy'

Run_to_da_hills

f®eak s©enery wrote: »

I was thinking exactly the same thing after the Nitelink weekday service was axed. "Dublin Bus - serving the entire community... but good luck after half eleven!"

Fixed "Sh*telink"

spareman

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Yeah, lets make them spend money they don't have on something that'll make no difference to anything:rolleyes:

On a less serious note you could get rid of that motto and rename them "Dublin-ish bus"

See if your still thinking this way after the cuts, Dont you live along the 111 route somewhere, Thats one of the hardest hit stretches with the 111 axed and 3 buses taken of the 7 route, 3 buses dont sound like alot but it eqates to 40 individual departures on the route, so thats 66 less departures in both directions Loughlinstown to/from Dun loaghaire between the 2 routes. So thats 112 less buses passing your house everyday and your happy enough? You obviously dont use the bus that much.

Cookie_Monster

spareman wrote: »

See if your still thinking this way after the cuts, Dont you live along the 111 route somewhere, Thats one of the hardest hit stretches with the 111 axed and 3 buses taken of the 7 route, 3 buses dont sound like alot but it eqates to 40 individual departures on the route, so thats 66 less departures in both directions Loughlinstown to/from Dun loaghaire between the 2 routes. So thats 112 less buses passing your house everyday and your happy enough? You obviously dont use the bus that much.

I live on the 59 & Dart line. And no if I can avoid using the bus I do. Cycle/walk/dart/bus to work and drive everywhere else.

You clearly missed the sarcastic point of my post, what's the point in them spending money to change a logo when it will make difference to the bus service? Money would be better spent on other things, like keeping busses on the road.

I'm not sure I follow your maths either. The 111 has 74 departures a day by the timetable (total, both ways). How does removing 3 seven's equate to 26 departures less a day? It takes one bus over 3 hours to go to from town to restart it's route on the 7.

The 111 is just pointless duplication of the 7 anyway and it's absence shouldn't make that much difference as long as the 7's turn up when they are supposed to. (but that's a whole other discussion:P)

spareman

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

You clearly missed the sarcastic point of my post, what's the point in them spending money to change a logo when it will make difference to the bus service? Money would be better spent on other things, like keeping busses on the road.

Your clearly right, Apologies Cookie, I think I thought it was a different thread altogether and you were talking about the 111 service, too quick to hit the reply button.

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

I'm not sure I follow your maths either. The 111 has 74 departures a day by the timetable (total, both ways). How does removing 3 seven's equate to 26 departures less a day? It takes one bus over 3 hours to go to from town to restart it's route on the 7.

Your quite correct It takes the 7 over 3 hours to do a lap, Dublin bus management only give us 2 hour 20 mins to do it, which explains why its not very reliable. The union put the figure of 38 departures being lost, nobody really knows until Dublin bus issue new timetables at the 11th hour thus avoiding public backlash, Have Dublin bus even come out and said what routes will be cut yet?

Cookie_Monster

spareman wrote: »

Have Dublin bus even come out and said what routes will be cut yet?

As far as I am aware they haven't, a poster here who is also a driver uploaded a copy of the cuts that was handed out to staff.

spareman

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

As far as I am aware they haven't, a poster here who is also a driver uploaded a copy of the cuts that was handed out to staff.

Drifting a bit of topic here now, my fault, Them handout's the driver's got came from the union after the initional plan was unveiled.
My question is When will Dublin Bus the company actually inform there customers on affected routes that their bus service will be no more.

dub_commuter

spareman wrote: »

My question is When will Dublin Bus the company actually inform there customers on affected routes that their bus service will be no more.

But spareman, they are never going to do this, and never have been any good at it, partly due to the limitations of their website, partly due to not giving a toss and partly because they have absolutely no idea of how to run a bus company in a way that is customer friendly, and will ever attract new customers.

As posted previously I heard that they will publish the timetables a day or two before they are active. If that is the case, thats a disgrace, and DB should put the operative date back until enough notice is given. However this tactic is obviously being used in order to prevent any backlash prior to the operative date by implementing it at short notice.

Whilst there are various problems with the big operators in the UK, most of them give a good few weeks notice of any changes. First companies even have a separate dedicated "Forthcoming Timetables" section on their website. All too often when Dublin Bus change the timetables they announce it, and then say it will be available on the website a few days before implemented, they should always publish both rather than the waiting.

Whilst I'm not in any way advocating privatization is the way forward, the facts are Dublin Bus could learn a lot form some of the operators in the UK, particularly when it comes to customer communication, marketing, and keeping the customers informed.

I know in London that advance notice of around a month has to be given when changes to timetables are made. Whilst I in no way think Dublin Bus are solely to blame for this mess, they really do not help themselves, and there is much they can do to improve the standard of service they provide. The Department of Transport are obviously to blame a lot as well, but DB are living in a dream world if they believe none of the problems are their doing.

A quick trip to Scotland a few months ago, and sampling the services provided in Edinburgh and Glasgow proves that the services offered there are light years ahead of anything served up in Dublin by CIE.

Cookie_Monster

dub_commuter wrote: »

First companies even have a separate dedicated "Forthcoming Timetables" section on their website. All too often when Dublin Bus change the timetables they announce it, and then say it will be available on the website a few days before implemented, they should always publish both rather than the waiting.

Just sent an email to them asking when details will be available, I'm not holding my breath though:p

========

To whom it may concern,



Can you please tell me when details concerning adjusted timetables will be available on routes that are to have their bus numbers cut as part of the plan to withdraw 160 buses from service?



Regards

spareman

They have already said I think that new timetables will be published a few days before the changes. But I was wondering when they would inform passengers of routes being axed completely that they will no longer have a bus service.
Think dub commuter is right, they dont seem to be to pushed informing anyone of anything other than there spool of routes with 10 mins now going to 12 mins. I feel there is a serious hidden agenda here between the Government who have been extremely quiet on the issue, Dublin bus management and the privateers, maybe an out of court settlement of some description for the private companies taking action against the monopoly that is dublin bus?

dub_commuter

spareman wrote: »

They have already said I think that new timetables will be published a few days before the changes. But I was wondering when they would inform passengers of routes being axed completely that they will no longer have a bus service.

I would say that it would happen the same time. I can't imagine anything else happening to be honest. Thats just the way Dublin Bus work.

Think dub commuter is right, they dont seem to be to pushed informing anyone of anything other than there spool of routes with 10 mins now going to 12 mins. I feel there is a serious hidden agenda here between the Government who have been extremely quiet on the issue, Dublin bus management and the privateers, maybe an out of court settlement of some description for the private companies taking action against the monopoly that is dublin bus?

As said before, I believe much of DB's issues regarding marketing come from the fact that as they have been a monopoly, and a dominant, PSO backed operator there has never been much of an incentive to market. After all people don't use the bus or they do in their eyes, they're not going to use a competitor as nearly everywhere there is none. The only marketing I've seen is on Airlink and City Tour's. The only routes which they have competition on.

Some idea's which could work that I've seen in the UK, some of which are easier than others:
- Customer newsletters
- Meet the manager sessions
- Invitations to have your say on services
- Special fare offers which are advertised on buses
- Special liveries, for instance Lothian use a theme of card based liveries.
- Ability to buy day/week tickets on board a bus
- Advertising of routes and places they call on sides of buses to raise awareness of routes
- On board next stop displays
- Real time information
- A customer friendly website
- Proper service disruption information updated for not just the odd route
- A proper, searchable map of services that is accurate
- Better fare structure
- Proper bus stop information, not just in the city centre
- Removal of useless "Pole Only" bus stops which give zero information.
- Removal of buses terminating early

I could go on and on. All of the above have been tried in the UK and work to varying degrees. Yes some of the buses operated by First, Stagecoach etc look ridiculous fully wrapped (like this one) but at least they are trying, and are making the effort, DB seem to think they can just do nothing. Whilst there are some traits we do not want from the uk in this country, when it comes to marketing of bus services and trying to attract new customers, DB can learn a lot.

It's about making the effort, and whilst the department of transport do not help, Dublin Bus are guilty of not making enough of the boom years, and trying to attract new custom to their routes.

SickCert

Rawr wrote: »

Should change it to: 'Dublin Bus - As Serbhis'

Thats low dont you know HQ tell us to display 'Private hire' now.