Bus Driver Conficating Tickets

New Haven

I travel a few times a day on the 41 and 41C between Swords and Santry. I use an annual taxsaver ticket. I would recognise a lot of the drivers on the route to say 'hello' to, and indeed they are generally a very nice bunch of lad and lassies.

However, there is one driver who I have seen on this route a lot. He is one who never seems to be happy unless he is getting into conflice with young people ... usually young women. I've seen this driver confiscate tickets from some young passengers on a few occasions now.

One young girl sat beside me on the bus last Saturday and her student ticket had been taken. She told me she didn't have her ID with her and she was worried about how she was going to get home. Seemingly she was going into the city to collect some second-hand college books.

I want to know;

Q1). Has this driver got the right to confiscate tickets?

Q2). Should he be able to leave a young person without the means to get home?

Q3). If a young girl or boy gets assaulted or raped as a consequence of being left stranded with no bus fare, will this driver take responsibility?

Q4). Will Dublin Bus be responsible for and assault or rape of a young person as in Q3?

New Haven

New Haven wrote: »

I want to know;

Q1). Has this driver got the right to confiscate tickets?

Think so

Q2). Should he be able to leave a young person without the means to get home?

Not his problem, she can always use change etc
It's her responsibility to have a valid ticket and ID if required for the ticket, not his

Q3). If a young girl or boy gets assaulted or raped as a consequence of being left stranded with no bus fare, will this driver take responsibility?

Q4). Will Dublin Bus be responsible for and assault or rape of a young person as in Q3?

You MUST be fcuking joking
:eek::eek::eek:
Talk about stupid hyperbole

AlekSmart

New Haven wrote: »

..........

However, there is one driver who I have seen on this route a lot. He is one who never seems to be happy unless he is getting into conflice with young people ... usually young women. I've seen this driver confiscate tickets from some young passengers on a few occasions now.

One young girl sat beside me on the bus last Saturday and her student ticket had been taken. She told me she didn't have her ID with her and she was worried about how she was going to get home. Seemingly she was going into the city to collect some second-hand college books.

I want to know;

Q1). Has this driver got the right to confiscate tickets?

Q2). Should he be able to leave a young person without the means to get home?

Q3). If a young girl or boy gets assaulted or raped as a consequence of being left stranded with no bus fare, will this driver take responsibility?

Q4). Will Dublin Bus be responsible for and assault or rape of a young person as in Q3?

It`s often difficult to respond to posts such as New Haven`s in a dispasionate due to the manner in which the original question is couched.

Of the four questions posed there is only one which is actually a request for factual information relating to the Drivers actions.

No 1. Has the driver the right to confiscate tickets ?

Answer: Yes.

It a general rule of transport undertakings globally that tickets remain the property of the issuer,a feature specifically designed to allow for the taking-up of tickets in such circumstances as described by New Haven.

When one purchases that ticket one agrees to be bound by the Conditions of Travel associated with it...this is all voluntary and is not some form of alchemy or subterfuge.

New Haven`s questions 2,3 and 4 all relate to speculation on hypothetical occurences which,even if they were to occur,would relate directly back to the actions/omissions of the ticket holder rather than the Driver.

The only category where this policy would not apply is in the case of an unaccompanied minor/schoolchild.

New Haven refers to the ticket holder as being a "Young Girl" travelling on a "Student" ticket without the relevant ID (Perhaps a Student Travelcard ?)

This "Student ID" issue is the subject of many threads and posts on Boards over an extended period and shows no sign of diminishing in volume or ire.

However,the very level of posts from Students who have been subject to confiscation/standard faring or other Revenue Protection measures would appear to imply that the Transport undertakings are somewhat efficient in their activities.

Reading New Haven`s post again however,I am aware of a possible predisposition to ascribing the most negative intent to the Drivers actions.

It seems that New Haven has issues with how this particular Busdriver does his job ?

For sure a certain lassiez-faire attitude relating to Public Transport useage has been a feature of our good-time years,something which is now,of necessity,disappearing as companies attempt to safeguard their revenue streams,of which student-tickets are a significant part.

However,if New Haven suspects that there is some greater underlying problems here then he/she really should seek a response from the Company.

If this is the case then the best place to air those issues is Dublin Bus`s customer service department itself. (8734222)

customercomment@dublinbus.ie

It will assist greatly if the Bus Number or specific departure is mentioned.

Victor

New Haven wrote: »

Q2). Should he be able to leave a young person without the means to get home?

If the person lives in Swords, they should have got off the bus, gone home and got more money.

If the person lives in the city centre, they are already on the bus.

muppet01

Q3). If a young girl or boy gets assaulted or raped as a consequence of being left stranded with no bus fare, will this driver take responsibility?

Q4). Will Dublin Bus be responsible for and assault or rape of a young person as in Q3?

This is not America! " i couldnt afford a car your honour, thats why i fell over on the way home and want 250000 euro in damages......":D

markpb

New Haven wrote: »

Q3). If a young girl or boy gets assaulted or raped as a consequence of being left stranded with no bus fare, will this driver take responsibility?

How does the student survive on a night out? The horrors that await them as they trudge slowly home from Coppers to DCU, dodging and diving would-be muggers and rapists at every street corner.

Chris_5339762

You dont need to walk from Coppers to DCU, you just fall asleep at a busstop or preferably, in the bed of the dirty slapper you ended up with.

New Haven

Well thank you for the variety of answers. For me it's more of a moral dilemma in my mind. I understand that rules are rules. Whether it's a boy or a girl it shouldn't matter. I think we have a moral obligation to look out for each other.

We were all young once and most of us got into all sort of predicaments. I think we were a kinder nation 25 years ago.

If it was your child who was left stranded by a bus driver, I'm sure you would be angry at your child for being irresponsible, but also annoyed at the bus company for having a don't care attitude.

Mycroft H

its simple - go get a travelcard


all this could have been avoided

Victor

New Haven wrote: »

Well thank you for the variety of answers. For me it's more of a moral dilemma in my mind. I understand that rules are rules. Whether it's a boy or a girl it shouldn't matter. I think we have a moral obligation to look out for each other.

And part of that is by paying our way. If more people paid the fare they are meant to pay, bus drivers wouldn't be losing their jobs and/or fare increase wouldn't be needed.

We were all young once and most of us got into all sort of predicaments.

Indeed. Once upon a time, I lost my wallet 18km from home. If it wasn't for a kind garda mugging the Padre Pio box in the garda station for a bus fare, things would have been rather difficult that night. I repaid that money.

Your fellow passenger (a) was trying to cheat on the required bus fare and/or the requirements of the ticket to have ID (b) had money to buy the replacement cash fare (c) had money for the books. They would appear to have been at no risk.

I think we were a kinder nation 25 years ago.

Do you mean we were soft touches for rip-off merchants?

If it was your child who was left stranded by a bus driver, I'm sure you would be angry at your child for being irresponsible, but also annoyed at the bus company for having a don't care attitude.

You dont say what age this child was, but if they are old enough to go from Swords to the city centre by themselves, then I imagine they also have a mobile phone.

New Haven

Victor wrote: »

If more people paid the fare they are meant to pay, bus drivers wouldn't be losing their jobs and/or fare increase wouldn't be needed.

I agree that more people should pay their way. However, this is not what is causing early retirements at Dublin Bus. Fewer people traveling is the main reason. I travel frequently between 6am and 7.30am on the bus. Up to about 3 years ago it was standing room only at this time of the morning. Now the same buses are more than half empty. UNEMPLOYMENT in the general economy is the key reason for fewer bus drivers being needed.

I should imaging with the top-heavy political way that Dublin Bus is run is causing the company to haemorrage money.

Slow change in work practice doesn't help.

Unworkable timetables don't help.

I sometimes have to use the 145 in the evening to Cabinteely and since Dublin Bus changed it's timetable last September, frequently the advertised service doesn't operate.

The Cost and Efficiency Review of Dublin Bus carried out by Deloitte highlighted some very poor Efficiencies in costs and services.

So to say that fare evasion is costing jobs in Dublin Bus is not correct. Dublin Bus as a poorly managed company and the current economic climate are the real reasons.

Please bear in mind; I have the utmost respect for Dublin Bus drivers in general. They work in a streetscape that is not designed for the traffic volumes that we see each day. They also have to work in a poorly outdated and structured organisation.

robd

Ah Ireland the country of 1000 greys.

Have to say as I've gotten older I've less tolerance of the 1000 shades of grey we have in our approach to the law and the sympathy expected for those who break it.

You have the correct ticket or you do not. If you do not, you are subject to the by-laws of the operator, such as a fine, ticket confiscation or a court date.

Why do we have to have 1000 threads/debates on actions against fare dodgers.

Aard

Why is "rape" a tag on this thread?

Losty Dublin

New Haven wrote: »

So to say that fare evasion is costing jobs in Dublin Bus is not correct. Dublin Bus as a poorly managed company and the current economic climate are the real reasons.

Lots of things are wrong with Dublin Bus. A lack of money in means that they have to cull/cutback/reduce, whatever word or take you wish to put on it. People who don't pay their full and correct fare when they travel costs the bus companies money regardless of how they are run and the only people who lose out when this is clamped down on are those who don't pay their way.