[news] Bus service hopes are firmly dashed - joint ticketing ruled out

antoinolachtnai

http://www.fingal-independent.ie/news/bus-service-hopes-are-firmly-dashed-1758672.html

By Robin KIELY

Wednesday June 03 2009

HOPES of improved bus services in the Fingal capital have been dashed after a plan to allow Swords Express to accept Dublin Bus tickets was rejected. The private operator had proposed a jointticketing arrangement earlier this year. However, Dublin Bus and the Department of Transport turned the scheme down. 'We contacted Dublin Bus to see if we could find some way to work with them to improve bus services in the Swords area,' Swords Express managing director, Antoin O'Lachtnain said. ' What we suggested was that we would be willing to accept Dublin Bus pre-paid tickets - for example, the prepaid travel-90 ticket, which costs € 1.80 per trip - on Swords Express services.

' We believed this would be in the interests of all parties, especially commuters in Swords. It would mean Swords commuters would have access to a comfortable express service to the city at all times of day, in both directions, at a low price. 'Swords Express has considerably lower costs than Dublin Bus, and so Dublin Bus would actually save money through this arrangement. We hoped this would also be a means to bring an end to expensive and timeconsuming litigation for all parties.'

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Cookie_Monster

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

Fingal capital

Eh?

Davidth88

Eh?

Swords is where the Fingal Co Co sit, therefore they refer to it as their capital


This is unsurprising , but disappointing news . Dublin Bus hardly welcome compitition , look what happened to Mortons.

It's going to take a polititian with b**ls to actually take on the intrenched views of DB and the unions and knock their heads together so they join the real world

godtabh

Davidth88 wrote: »

Swords is where the Fingal Co Co sit, therefore they refer to it as their capital

Whats out in Blanch then?

munchkin_utd

a shopping centre

But seriously.
Will the integrated ticketing due to come online soon help in this situation? Or will a journey involving 2 operators simply be cashless (using the cash purse on the smartcard) but be every bit as expensive as before?

Bluetonic

kearnsr wrote: »

Whats out in Blanch then?

Blanchardstown information.

The office in Swords is the 'County Hall' and Swords is the administration capital of Fingal.

KC61

munchkin_utd wrote: »

a shopping centre

But seriously.
Will the integrated ticketing due to come online soon help in this situation? Or will a journey involving 2 operators simply be cashless (using the cash purse on the smartcard) but be every bit as expensive as before?

The full article reads as follows:

http://www.fingal-independent.ie/news/bus-service-hopes-are-firmly-dashed-1758672.html

HOPES of improved bus services in the Fingal capital have been dashed after a plan to allow Swords Express to accept Dublin Bus tickets was rejected. The private operator had proposed a jointticketing arrangement earlier this year. However, Dublin Bus and the Department of Transport turned the scheme down. 'We contacted Dublin Bus to see if we could find some way to work with them to improve bus services in the Swords area,' Swords Express managing director, Antoin O'Lachtnain said. ' What we suggested was that we would be willing to accept Dublin Bus pre-paid tickets - for example, the prepaid travel-90 ticket, which costs € 1.80 per trip - on Swords Express services.

' We believed this would be in the interests of all parties, especially commuters in Swords. It would mean Swords commuters would have access to a comfortable express service to the city at all times of day, in both directions, at a low price. 'Swords Express has considerably lower costs than Dublin Bus, and so Dublin Bus would actually save money through this arrangement. We hoped this would also be a means to bring an end to expensive and timeconsuming litigation for all parties.'

It's understood Dublin Bus were initially open to the suggestion and discussed the concept with the department. However, there have been no further negotiations with Swords Express.

'Dublin Bus told us the integrated ticketing system and the Dublin Transport Authority might provide a solution to the problems we had outlined, but this could take years,' Mr O'Lachtnain said.

'It will be at least 18 months, and probably longer, before integrated ticketing is in place. It could be years before there is any conclusion that is in any way helpful to the people of Swords. We are very disappointed at what has happened.

'In the meantime, Dublin Bus are cutting back services in the Swords area and Swords Express are facing ongoing delays in getting permission to extend the service to that area.' A Dublin Bus spokesperson said the company had consider the suggestion 'in detail' and had given a 'practical proposal' to Swords Express.

'Dublin Bus informed Swords Express that the most constructive approach to their suggestion was to consider joining the Integrated Ticketing System,' they said.

The last paragraph suggests that Swords Express has not been participating in the integrated ticketing scheme as of yet.

Secondly, I'm not sure what buses have been withdrawn from the Swords area? Other than the 41A services that were redesignated as 41 services, all of the Dublin Bus services serving Swords have retained the existing timetables.

antoinolachtnai

I understand from local representatives that a number of services as well as the 41A have been cut back. The 41X has certainly been cut back.

Swords Express is fully engaged with the integrated ticketing project.

munchkin_utd is right. The integrated ticketing system is purely about having a single cashless platform. It has nothing to do with fares.

KC61

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

I understand from local representatives that a number of services as well as the 41A have been cut back. The 41X has certainly been cut back.

Swords Express is fully engaged with the integrated ticketing project.

munchkin_utd is right. The integrated ticketing system is purely about having a single cashless platform. It has nothing to do with fares.

I'm still not sure what services were cut?

The 41A buses were reclassified as route 41, so there was no reduction in service. Looking at the 41 timetable (pre and post cuts) - aside from the addition of the 41A services it is unchanged.

I'm not sure how you are figure out that the 41X is reduced. The timetable prior to the recent cutbacks showed 6 inbound services and 3 outbound, and that is still the case.

It is good to hear that Swords Express is now fully involved in the project (even if it is taking for ever to conclude).

KC61

munchkin_utd wrote: »

a shopping centre

But seriously.
Will the integrated ticketing due to come online soon help in this situation? Or will a journey involving 2 operators simply be cashless (using the cash purse on the smartcard) but be every bit as expensive as before?

Well unless a Travel 90 smartcard is introduced across the operators as part of the scheme, yes it will remain as expensive as previously.

antoinolachtnai

KC61 wrote: »

I'm still not sure what services were cut?

The 41A buses were reclassified as route 41, so there was no reduction in service. Looking at the 41 timetable (pre and post cuts) - aside from the addition of the 41A services it is unchanged.

I'm not sure how you are figure out that the 41X is reduced. The timetable prior to the recent cutbacks showed 6 inbound services and 3 outbound, and that is still the case.

The 41X was 8 buses in the morning, not 6. That's a 25 percent cut. Not surprising, given that Dublin Bus was having to subsidize every trip by around 4 euros. Carryings on the 41X to the city had dropped by 10 percent between 2007 and 2008, even before the problems in the economy.

The 41A took a less circuitous route than the 41. That may not be a reduction for drivers, but it is a reduction in service for the people who actually have to travel on it.

KC61

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

The 41X was 8 buses in the morning, not 6. That's a 25 percent cut. Not surprising, given that Dublin Bus was having to subsidize every trip by around 4 euros. Carryings on the 41X to the city had dropped by 10 percent between 2007 and 2008, even before the problems in the economy.

The 41A took a less circuitous route than the 41. That may not be a reduction for drivers, but it is a reduction in service for the people who actually have to travel on it.

Interesting as the timetable book issued in January 09 shows only 6 41X inbound services, as does the previous edition, so were there two extra services?

Re the 41A - the buses still actually operate, though now as route 41 but not serving the Airport - there is no reduction in the number of departures.

HydeRoad

Paul Morton some years ago went to the meetings of the Integrated Ticketing. The Dublin Bus representatives physically blanked him at the meetings. They stated there, that they wished to integrate with everybody, DART, LUAS, Bus Eireann, EXCEPT the private sector.

Integrating with the private sector would be a de-facto recognition of the existence of a private sector. Besides which, integrating would give the private sector more of a market opportunity.

When I raised this before, I was told oh, no, that would never happen.

Well it has happened, again, with the Swords Express.

I don't particularly want to see an unregulated private sector take over, as I am only too aware of the destruction that can do to the industry.

But I would give anything to see this Dublin Bus / CIE / unionised attitude broken up and gone. They won't provide the services people want. And they don't want anyone else to have the opportunity to do so, either.

Carawaystick

KC61 wrote: »

Re the 41A - the buses still actually operate, though now as route 41 but not serving the Airport - there is no reduction in the number of departures.

So instead of two clearly different named routes, now some 41 busses go one way and others go a different way, but it's much harder to tell which ones are which? Yep, this will defintely cut costs and improve service for customers alright..... :eek:

SeanW

disappointing, but not surprising.