All aboard the 2W to Knocknacarra

dilallio

Her good self was waiting patiently in town on Tues afternoon at 15:30 for the 2W to Knocknacarra. There was one due at 15:35, 16:00, and 16:25.
Finally, at 16:30 one showed up and the large frozen crowd got on, finally able to get on their way.

The driver turns left at the hospital, and right into Shantalla, where he spots one of his buddies outside a house. He pulls the bus over, turns off the lights and heat, and gets out and has a friendly chat for almost 10 mins before getting back on board and resuming the journey, without any word or apology.

Some might think that this is quaint, but it's really taking the piss.

The couple of time we've phoned the Bus Station to complain, they will tell you that an Inspector will call you back. They must have a bin in that office called 'The Inspector' where all the complaints are carefully 'filed'.

If the taxi companies can have tracking systems on their cars, surely it must be possible for buses to have them and have a little electronic display at the bus stops in the square, advising when the next bus is due.

Iwannahurl

God help us.

Reminds me of a bus experience I had a couple of years ago.

Arrived at the bus stop at 16:55 to get the bus at 17:00. Just two of us at the stop.

This particular service is advertised as running every 15 minutes.

No bus at 17:00.

No bus at 17:15, 17:30 or 17:45.

Finally bus arrives just before 18:00. At this stage there are about fifteen people waiting.

I ask the driver whether his particular bus is the five o'clock, the five-fifteen, the five-thirty, the five-forty-five or the six o'clock.

He checks the clock on his dashboard and says "I suppose it's the six o'clock".

Not one other person in the queue makes any remark. They just queue up, pay up and sit down in acquiescent silence.

Wompa1

I was waiting for a bus to get into town for an appointment after work. I waited at the bus stop for 40 minutes. 2 buses should have come in that time...I had to drive into town then and saw one of them on my way still 10 minutes or so from being at the stop.

I know the service is poor but I was really relying on it the last couple of weeks because I did listen when they said do not drive when you can avoid it. Unfortunately it seems there is no reasonable alternative!

Iwannahurl

Cycling was my alternative. Ended up doing 115 km per week in total. Fit as a fiddle, though the traffic and the road conditions were no pleasant.

I also bought a folding bike for occasional bike/bus combo commuting, though Bus Eireann surpassed itself on a few occasions by trying to stop me boarding with the bike folded!

DRakE

Iwannahurl wrote: »

God help us.

Reminds me of a bus experience I had a couple of years ago.

Arrived at the bus stop at 16:55 to get the bus at 17:00. Just two of us at the stop.

This particular service is advertised as running every 15 minutes.

No bus at 17:00.

No bus at 17:15, 17:30 or 17:45.

Finally bus arrives just before 18:00. At this stage there are about fifteen people waiting.

I ask the driver whether his particular bus is the five o'clock, the five-fifteen, the five-thirty, the five-forty-five or the six o'clock.

He checks the clock on his dashboard and says "I suppose it's the six o'clock".

Not one other person in the queue makes any remark. They just queue up, pay up and sit down in acquiescent silence.

complaining to bus drivers is like pissing in the wind

Mrs OBumble

DRakE wrote: »

complaining to bus drivers is like pissing in the wind

Aye (not that I've tried it, mind ) and it justs hold up the service even longer as they argue with you about it.

In fairness, it's often not the fault of the driver who actually turns up that the service(s) before him/her didn't run.

There must be a way to get complaints into BÉ, but I haven't found it yet. If anyone know's the inspector's Mammy, maybe they could have a word with her ...

buzz11

OP: You've got to send them a written complaint on that one, thats just dire.

I heard on the radio that their policy is they only recognise written complaints as 'complaints' ie phone call/verbal does not count.

barryd09

Dont forget City Direct,the most unprofessional service ever.An absolute joke,change routes and times WHENEVER suits.The amount of times buses havent shown up or stopped to say they arent going my way is ridicilous.
I know someone who keeps foreign students and they could NOT believe a bus that was on a timetable WOULDNT show up!!
Its madness!And the actual drivers for City Direct have no sense of other road users,stopping wherever and whenever they want,making dangerous and all sorts.Infuriating./end rant

DRakE

buzz11 wrote: »

OP: You've got to send them a written complaint on that one, thats just dire.

I heard on the radio that their policy is they only recognise written complaints as 'complaints' ie phone call/verbal does not count.

yeah probably if they're having to report complaints up the line to higher ups, anything that isnt written can easily be ignored (i would in that situation :P)

Anima

I think all that bollacks started since the number 9 service started. In fairness they seem to have at least a half full bus most of the time so it makes more sense.

Anytime I get the Knocknacarra bus outside of busy times, say around 9 and 6, it's nearly always empty with maybe at most 5-6 people.

I'd prefer if they offically removed times rather than what they do now (just showing up whenever). Theres no way you can rely on it with the current variable timetable.

HardyEustace

Anima wrote: »

I think all that bollacks started since the number 9 service started. In fairness they seem to have at least a half full bus most of the time so it makes more sense.

Do you mean that buses are diverted to number 9 service to ensure the number 9 service is well serviced?

McTigs

I usually cycle too but i've taken the bus a few times over the past 2 weeks on account of the ice.

The lateness and irregularity i was prepared for but.....

Last week i was getting the bus home from eyre sq to salthill. I arrived at the bus stop there at the bottom beside the AIB on the corner. There must have been 20 people waiting to get on, old people and children amongst them. It was about 6 o clock and absolutely freezing. Really cold! The bus is sitting there with the door closed but the lights on and the bus driver inside pacing up and down slowly.

I thought he was probably at the end of his shift and waiting for another driver to take the bus and couldn't let people on cos they have different tills or something. Trust me i had a long time to come up with benefit-of-the-doubt-giving reasons why we were all catching hypothermia while he was nice and snug inside.

But after about 15 minutes (and bear in mind i was one of the last to arrive) he hops in the driver seat and lets everyone on and we drive off a second later.

Miserable fcuk didn't want a soul on his bus until he absolutely had to.

Fionn MacCool

I've only got the bus a couple of times in Galway. Once was from Eyre Square to Westside, it was the bus that goes down past Corrib Village. It got onto Thomas Hynes road opposite Hazel Park and just stopped there at the side of the road (might have been by a stop) for a good 10 minutes, doing nothing...

benjamin d

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

I've only got the bus a couple of times in Galway. Once was from Eyre Square to Westside, it was the bus that goes down past Corrib Village. It got onto Thomas Hynes road opposite Hazel Park and just stopped there at the side of the road (might have been by a stop) for a good 10 minutes, doing nothing...

The 5W used to do that at Rahoon as well, I'm pretty sure its because its ahead of schedule and has to wait until the right time to move again or else it will pass stops too early. When I lived in Rahoon I eventually gave up using buses, there's just no point relying on them!

Anima

HardyEustace wrote: »

Do you mean that buses are diverted to number 9 service to ensure the number 9 service is well serviced?

Couldn't say for sure but its something I've noticed when I was getting the bus regularly. Really though, they've always skipped times even before that service but I just think its worse since then.

Fionn MacCool

I suppose it's fair enough, as you'd be raging if you missed a bus due to it being earlier than scheduled.

c_man

BÉ are a joke. I'd hate to have to rely on them.

barryd09 wrote: »

Dont forget City Direct,the most unprofessional service ever.

I've found the complete opposite of the above. Been getting the same time bus to college (over the Summer too) for the past two years, rarely more than a 5 minute variation on times. Driver is dead sound and actually treats you like a human being, something seemingly alien to BÉ lads. Not to sound like a shill, the actual buses themselves are brutal but I'd take them over the other lot any day.

jwcurtin

dilallio wrote: »

Her good self was waiting patiently in town on Tues afternoon at 15:30 for the 2W to Knocknacarra. There was one due at 15:35, 16:00, and 16:25.
Finally, at 16:30 one showed up and the large frozen crowd got on, finally able to get on their way.

The driver turns left at the hospital, and right into Shantalla, where he spots one of his buddies outside a house. He pulls the bus over, turns off the lights and heat, and gets out and has a friendly chat for almost 10 mins before getting back on board and resuming the journey, without any word or apology.

Some might think that this is quaint, but it's really taking the piss.

The couple of time we've phoned the Bus Station to complain, they will tell you that an Inspector will call you back. They must have a bin in that office called 'The Inspector' where all the complaints are carefully 'filed'.

If the taxi companies can have tracking systems on their cars, surely it must be possible for buses to have them and have a little electronic display at the bus stops in the square, advising when the next bus is due.

This is a true story, was on the same bus!!!! Only in Ireland!! "Right lads, Can anyone drive a bus!"
Bus Eireann's timetable is non-existent past 4 O'Clock for the 2!

M.Pool

I use CityDirect to Knocknacarra now and again. They're usually more or less on time to give them their dues. However I'd one experience which really took the p*ss.
I waited for CityDirect on Eyre Square, AIB stop. Bus stop was packed. Bus arrives, loads up, everyone pays, standing room only, bus was jammed to the gills, engine running all the while. The driver closes the door and we sit on Eyre Square and wait. After 10mins he turns off the engine and gets out his mobile. He gets off the bus and paces up and down still talking on his mobile. Next thing he announces that the bus has broken down. Some teenagers ask for their money back, obviously to pay for another bus. The driver says he can't give any money back. I asked him if a replacement bus was coming. He just shrugged his shoulders. I asked for a receipt and he said he didn't have any ( they also don't give out tickets when you pay so I'd no proof to ask company for a refund). It was only 1.80 but the really crappy service was unbelievable. Nobody complained apart from two teenagers who obviously really needed the 1.80 to get home.
Only in Ireland.

moonflower

I actually find the 2 buses to be fairly reliable, I usually only get them in the evenings though. They do tend to run early in the evenings, especially the last bus. It's supposed to leave knocknacarra at 11:20 but it's often gone by 11:10 which is a pain if you're relying on it to get home.

City Direct is a joke though, they just randomly decide to change routes all the time, and I've been on far too many of them that have broken down. I usually just walk if there's no BÉ bus due, it's only 40 mins from knocknacarra to town. I once spent 1 hour 50 minutes on a City Direct bus going from town to Clybaun.

magentas

It depends which driver you get really, the older guy with white hair is an absolute gentleman, always greets you, just does his job without any complications and is always pleasant.

Another driver I hate to see on the bus (not that I use it very often TBH but once or twice a week)
this guy is ALWAYS on his mobile and more often than not has a friend of his on the bus with him up the front, they're fairly sleazy and it's intimidating trying to pass the friend to get off the bus.

One evening there was awful bullying going on with some travellers and 3young girls, they were making fun of the girls, intimidating them and even threw drink at them. the driver kept looking in his mirror, fully aware of what was happening, but did nothing.

I know he shouldn't have to deal with that sort of crap but he should have thrown them off bus or threatened to call the cops.

I intended to write a letter of complaint and I should have but that's nearly a fear ago now.

OP send them a letter anyway, if they get a few complaints they'll have to have words with that ignorant driver and get him to cop on

barryd09

c_man wrote: »

BÉ are a joke. I'd hate to have to rely on them.



I've found the complete opposite of the above. Been getting the same time bus to college (over the Summer too) for the past two years, rarely more than a 5 minute variation on times. Driver is dead sound and actually treats you like a human being, something seemingly alien to BÉ lads. Not to sound like a shill, the actual buses themselves are brutal but I'd take them over the other lot any day.

been using the city direct sevice since it started,must be 7 years ago now?
i would have 99% of the time got the bus from its starting point/finishing point - cappagh road and i would say of times i used it in 7 years (which was a LOT with no car) 45% of the time there was an issue with them.

my sitting room window looks out on where the bus starts its route from,woodfield on the cappagh road and i SWEAR TO GOD the amount of times ive seen a bus leave 5-8 mins before its due to leave is ridicilous.i can see people then arrive and wait around for yonks for a bus thats gone 5-8mins early,THEN on the otherhand ive been waiting 45 mins for a bus to come,one will come down the cappagh road heading for the barna road and will say hes not going to town,2 mins later a different bus will come up the cappagh road and make NO SERVICE jestures while theres passagners on board.
i mean from a customers point of view they are actually so frustrating and unreliable.the very reason i learned to drive.i just had to.

biko

Bus CCTV should be compulsory, both looking at driver and passengers.
Also to records similar incidents like this or this.

They've been doing it on Dub buses a while afaik.

Mrs OBumble

BÉ's city buses have cameras installed, and signs saying that CCTV is being used.

Don't know if it actually is, though, or how long the tapes might be held for.

A bus-driver friend made an interesting comment to me last night: If someone acts the maggot in a pub, they can, and do, get barred. However if someone abuses a bus-driver, then because it's a public service there's pretty much nothing they can do. Unless it's serious enough that they go to jail, then the same person has to be picked up as a passenger the next day, no matter how nasty s/he was.

Adds a slightly different perspective.

Mr Keek

barryd09 wrote: »

Dont forget City Direct,the most unprofessional service ever.An absolute joke,change routes and times WHENEVER suits.The amount of times buses havent shown up or stopped to say they arent going my way is ridicilous.

I must thank these shower of muppets, they are what motivated me to get the thumb out and learn how to drive.

They weren't too bad if you were leaving from Eyre Sq to be fair but going into town was just a joke.

I lost count of the amount of fags they owe me, spent many evenings and a lot of time waiting with nothing else to do except smoke!

Xiney

I sent a written complaint once, and four months later (!) I got a letter of apology back. Within it apologized for the delay in getting back to me, which was nice, I guess.


The bus driver I'd complained about never gave me reason to complain again, mind you.

left_behind

My gf gets the no9 everyday and if shes going home between 4 and 6 she has often had to wait an hour for a bus thats supposed to be every 15mins. Theres at least 3 double deckers on this route now and doesnt seem to make a difference.
Bus eireann is a joke

Steyr

OP if I was you, I would have gone into the Bus Terminal itself and asked to speak to a Manager, alternatively there is always a Bus Conductor hovering around Eyre Square, he is usually in a Suit-Jacket and can be seen talking to the Bus Drivers.