Phone jammers on Bus Eireann

reggaeman

As a driver with Bus Eireann I get right pissed off with people using mobile phones. Its no problem if they just make a short call and hang up. The problem is the ones that go on for ever. They shout down the phone like the other person is on another planet. Bus Eireann have a agreement with the unions that passengers can only use the phone 4 seats back from the driver' and they must keep the call short.
But passengers still have to be told to put away the phone. We even have passengers coming up to us complaining about others using phones.

Well now we have phone Jammers. They do the job well. If a passenger starts talking for to long we just turn on the jammer and in about 1min the phone packs in.

job done

blubloblu

I thought they were illegal in Ireland?

Joe10000

Sounds like a wind up

robo

Do Bus Eireann let their paying customers know about the phone jammers? I can imagine that it is annoying listening to someone belt out several times "I am on the bus...yeh on the bus". But don't agree with phone jamming if everyone doesn't know about it!

mikemac

Reads like an April Fools post
Have Bus Éireann ever told anyone about this four seat rule? Sounds made up

I agree with the rest of your post though and how annoying it is

amacachi

I wish Matthews would use phone jammers.

Troll, troll, troll your boat, gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

hardCopy

I believe they're easily available on dealextreme

Jambo221

I can imagine it gets pretty annoying, but what about the passengers with good phone etiquette? Why paint them with the same brush? What if someone is quietly taking an urgent call and someone else starts shouting down the phone at someone,cutting off both calls would be the only way to go, and which of them do you think is going to start a fuss about being cut off?

I think a method of preventing idiots from blaring music out of phone loudspeakers is more urgently needed.

reggaeman

feelingstressed wrote: »

Reads like an April Fools post
Have Bus Éireann ever told anyone about this four seat rule? Sounds made up

I agree with the rest of your post though and how annoying it is

It no April Fool joke. But I will admit Bus Eireann dont know about it. And Passengers have no idea why the phone keeps cutting off. They think its a problem with the phone . it is illegal to have them. But how can they find it?

mikemac

Well you're here nearly a year and your other threads were as a driver so you don't seem to be a troll.

You do face disciplinary procedures when you're caught though

AlekSmart

Feelingstressed: Reads like an April Fools post
Have Bus Éireann ever told anyone about this four seat rule? Sounds made up

I agree with the rest of your post though and how annoying it is

I think Foggy_Lad may well be along in a minute,unless he`s already here and doin a bit of Ska man !!! :eek:

feelingstressed

feelingstressed wrote: »

Well you're here nearly a year and your other threads were as a driver so you don't seem to be a troll.

You do face disciplinary procedures when you're caught though

Really?

reggaeman wrote: »

Bus Eireann have a agreement with the unions

reggaeman wrote: »

Bus Eireann dont know about it

He's not even consistent in the one thread!

reggaeman

feelingstressed wrote: »

Well you're here nearly a year and your other threads were as a driver so you don't seem to be a troll.

You do face disciplinary procedures when you're caught though

Well so many drivers have them now we think it worth the risk. And as the jammer fits in the pocket I cant see how they can detect it. And to be honest I only use it when I have a bad one up front. As you know we drive for more than 3 hours each way and people talking into phones for more than half a hour (sometimes hours) can be very annoying and interfer with the driving of the bus.

reggaeman

Deleted User wrote: »

Really?







He's not even consistent in the one thread!

I did say the unions have a agreement with managment about 4 seats back and its true. But I did at first make it seem like managment know about the jammers.

Keith186

Illegal or not I can see why you'd have one of them jammers.

Can be hard enough to listen to other people talking really loud let alone drive at the same time. Would do my head on after a few minutes!

foggy_lad

While I agree that some people need to be gagged on busses I don't believe illegal actions are the answer and it will only lead to trouble for bus Eireann and particularly the drivers concerned in the long run!

It also bolsters the image in many people's minds of the bus drivers being a law unto themselves thus making sure even the best of drivers are seen as lawless scamming chancers by the traveling public.

Alex I wasn't sure if I should post seeing how I'm now barred from bus Eireann services:D

L1011

An imported US jammer isn't likely to be in any way reliable here due to completely different bands...

-Chris-

reggaeman wrote: »

Bus Eireann have a agreement with the unions that passengers can only use the phone 4 seats back from the driver' and they must keep the call short.

Do either of you have an agreement with passengers regarding this rule - does anyone know they're not allowed to use the phone in the first 4 rows or that there's a duration limit?

Is there any detail in the agreement that you're allowed to use a jammer to enforce this rule, or is that your own decision? there isn't, so why do you think your decision to jam a phone signal has any relation to this agreement?
Why not just man up and ask people to stop talking on the phone rather than be underhanded and jam their signal?


To be honest it sounds like a prank from a 16 year old rather than the actions of a responsible adult acting in the capacity of their job.

My €0.02

listermint

Reggae man,


I hope you like jammin too....

AlekSmart

-Chris- wrote: »

Why not just man up and ask people to stop talking on the phone rather than be underhanded and jam their signal?

Interestingly Chris,Whilst I am somewhat bemused by Reggaeman`s revelations I`m not totally without sympathy,particularly as he has to spend a long journey listening to highly interesting and relevant conversation (shyte).

In my experience the Mobile Telephone has turned many people into schizophrenics who`s dual personalities are controlled utterly by the little red/green call buttons.

The most incredible and thoroughly apoplectic torrents of abuse I`ve recieved in recent times have been from mobile phone using young ladies,who stand roaring inanities into their device whilst rooting for change,usually apologising profusely to the other participant whilst sighing and bemoaning the awfulness of having to do other stuff in opposition to babbling inanely.

Usually,this will occur at a busy stop with the non-mobile using customers standing (in the rain) behind the harpie,in typically Irish patient mode.

I usually,and veryquietly ask the person to place their call on hold.
I deliberately keep my tone low to force the caller into focusing on what I say,which usually causes even more frothy spittle to run from the corners of their mouth.

On some of my journeys I carry a regular customer who,I suspect,suffers from Tourettes Syndrome and I`m always glad for his intervention from further down the Bus.....

"WILL U FOR GOD`S SAKE PUT THAT FCUXXKING PHONE AWAY U SILLY BITCXXH WE DONT WANT TO LISTEN TO YER OUL SHYTT TALK".

.........and other more colourful interventions which I`v always found work very effectively,without the grumpy ol Busdriver even having to open his.her mouth !

With most Financial Institutions,Petrol Stations and other one-to-one customer focused institutions now having a "Swith-Off Mobile Phones" policy it`s high time a similar policy was enforced on Public Transport.

Mind you,the entire issue is already comprehensively covered by the Bus Atha Cliath-Dublin Bus Bye-Laws,1996

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/About-Us/Dublin-Bus-Bye-Laws/Passenger-Behaviour/

Specifically here.....

No person while on the vehicle shall sing, perform on any musical or other instruments or use any audible radio, television, record player, tape recorder or portable apparatus.

No person shall molest or interfere with the comfort or convenience of any passenger or person in or about the vehicle.

I await the first court proceedings under the relevant sections.....:)

Trampas

Does the driver turn on the jammer after his is talking to long while driving also?

Cookie_Monster

That's completely ridiculous, what gives you any right whatsoever to cut off someone phone call?

It's also appalling from a customer service point of view to do something like that to a paying customer who has every right to use their phone on the bus.

n97 mini

Bus drivers don't like having to listen to passengers talk when they're on the bus.

What next.

ArmaniJeanss

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

It's also appalling from a customer service point of view to do something like that to a paying customer who has every right to use their phone on the bus.

I have been on a 46A where the driver pulled in on Suffolk Street and said he wasn't willing to continue driving (as he felt he couldn't do so safely) unless the two people talking (it was borderline yelling) into their mobile phones near the stairwell ended their calls.
I didn't feel he was contravening their 'rights' in any way.

foggy_lad

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

I have been on a 46A where the driver pulled in on Suffolk Street and said he wasn't willing to continue driving (as he felt he couldn't do so safely) unless the two people talking (it was borderline yelling) into their mobile phones near the stairwell ended their calls.
I didn't feel he was contravening their 'rights' in any way.

But to use an illegal device to block all mobile phone use on and around the bus is infringing on passengers rights, the two at the stairwell were rightly told to end their calls as just telling them to tone it down would work for about 30 seconds before they were up at full volume again.

Slick50

Keith186 wrote:

Illegal or not I can see why you'd have one of them jammers.

Can be hard enough to listen to other people talking really loud let alone drive at the same time. Would do my head on after a few minutes!

From what I've seen of bus drivers, they seem to have no problem driving while using their own phones. Perhaps the real problem is they can't hear their own conversation, with pesky passengers talking on their phones too loudly or too close to the driver.

Cookie_Monster

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

I have been on a 46A where the driver pulled in on Suffolk Street and said he wasn't willing to continue driving (as he felt he couldn't do so safely) unless the two people talking (it was borderline yelling) into their mobile phones near the stairwell ended their calls.
I didn't feel he was contravening their 'rights' in any way.

so talking on the phone distracted him but dozens of people talking to each others wouldn't (as per most bus journeys)? There's little difference between them but you'd never get away with telling people to stop talking to each other.

Plenty of drives also seems able to drive no problem with headphones in, radios in the cab or on the phone themselves, seems a fairly stupid reason to refuse to do your job.

I doubt the mobile companies would be happy either with someone interfering in their bands.

CIE

What next, phone marmaladers too...? :eek:

On a more serious note, has anyone ever heard of "quiet cars" on the train? Those are specially-designated cars where talking on mobile phones is banned. Perhaps "quiet buses" may need to be introduced as well? (Or maybe such designations need actual personnel on board the bus or train full-time to enforce them. You sure won't get a "quiet car" on a DART, Luas or commuter train unless you have conductors on board, for example...)

The laugh is that people talk on the phone while riding a mass-transportation conveyance like a bus or train, but while driving, they would be texting. Wouldn't that be counter-intuitive? A lot of mobiles have speakerphone feature so it's a bit safer to talk while driving...and instead of talking, texting on the bus or train is not as common as talking...oh never mind :rolleyes:

-Chris-

AlekSmart wrote: »

Interestingly Chris,Whilst I am somewhat bemused by Reggaeman`s revelations I`m not totally without sympathy,particularly as he has to spend a long journey listening to highly interesting and relevant conversation (shyte).

I have absolute sympathy for Reggaeman, and yourself. I get just as annoyed as a passenger listening to them, as you so as a driver.

I object to the surreptitious removal of signal.

If I'm on a bus waiting for a phone call about my (hypothetical) sick child, and I don't receive the call because a driver has jammed everyone's mobile phone signal instead of addressing the person who's causing the issue directly, I'm going to be very annoyed and, depending on my self-restraint and general level of aggression, the driver may well be putting himself at risk of physical injury...*


*of course, I (thankfully) don't have a sick child, and have plentiful self-restraint

n97 mini

MYOB wrote: »

An imported US jammer isn't likely to be in any way reliable here due to completely different bands...

Jammers are made to be universal.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/p13-compact-gsm-cdma-dcs-phs-3g-cell-phone-signal-jammer-24229

They are illegal in the EU.

When bus drivers are operating them from the pockets, as the OP says, I'd imagine they're roasting their testicles too.

amcalester

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

so talking on the phone distracted him but dozens of people talking to each others wouldn't (as per most bus journeys)? There's little difference between them but you'd never get away with telling people to stop talking to each other.

Plenty of drives also seems able to drive no problem with headphones in, radios in the cab or on the phone themselves, seems a fairly stupid reason to refuse to do your job.

I read an article on cracked.com that said listening to half a conversation i.e. a mobile phone conversation is more distracting because the brain will try to piece togther the parts it cant hear.
Im on my phone now so cant search for it.

L1011

CIE wrote: »

On a more serious note, has anyone ever heard of "quiet cars" on the train?

Only carriages I'll ever use on Chiltern if going Brum-London, basically the conductors do their level best to get rid of anyone noisy. They still oddly enough provide sockets for chargers though!

ArmaniJeanss

-Chris- wrote: »

If I'm on a bus waiting for a phone call about my (hypothetical) sick child, and I don't receive the call because a driver has jammed everyone's mobile phone signal instead of addressing the person who's causing the issue directly, I'm going to be very annoyed

In fairness if people were using their mobiles just for emergency calls then there wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately there are certain passengers who see their daily commute as 'mobile phone time'. They get on the bus and within 10 seconds the phone is out and the calls start. I have 3 in particular on my journey - the incredibly loud Russian lady who must have been an army drill sergeant, the African gentlemen with the booming voice who would have been appointed town crier 200 years ago, and the Irish girl with the squeakiest voice in the history of the world.

amcalester wrote: »

I read an article on cracked.com that said listening to half a conversation i.e. a mobile phone conversation is more distracting because the brain will try to piece togther the parts it cant hear.
Im on my phone now so cant search for it.

This is true.
Also mobile calls are far more intrusive on a bus than two people talking to each other on the bus. 2 people talking will at times be silent, and some of the conversation will be conducted in nods and gestures. Whereas a mobile conversation needs continuous input from both parties to reassure that the other person is still there and agrees/disagrees or whatever.

-Chris-

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

In fairness if people were using their mobiles just for emergency calls then there wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately there are certain passengers who see their daily commute as 'mobile phone time'. They get on the bus and within 10 seconds the phone is out and the calls start. I have 3 in particular on my journey - the incredibly loud Russian lady who must have been an army drill sergeant, the African gentlemen with the booming voice who would have been appointed town crier 200 years ago, and the Irish girl with the squeakiest voice in the history of the world.

So what? Does the existence of any of these people give a driver the right to block my calls?

Nope.

The problem is addressed by the driver (or the other passengers!!! :eek:) turning around and saying "do you mind?".
I've seen it happen in other countries, and I've seen non-Irish people do it here.

Just because the Irish have the propensity to be too polite/spineless to address an obnoxious person doesn't give anyone the right to block everyone's mobile phone reception.

ArmaniJeanss

-Chris- wrote: »

So what? Does the existence of any of these people give a driver the right to block my calls?

Nope.

The problem is addressed by the driver (or the other passengers!!! :eek:) turning around and saying "do you mind?".
I've seen it happen in other countries, and I've seen non-Irish people do it here.

Just because the Irish have the propensity to be too polite/spineless to address an obnoxious person doesn't give anyone the right to block everyone's mobile phone reception.

I agree, and have occasionally asked people to stop (especially the Russian lady!). Personally I'd like to see an experiment (perhaps on the marquee 46A route) of banning mobile phone calls completely, have people forgotten the art of texting already ).

They have tried this idea in New Jersey though it doesn't seem to be a complete success.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/03/bus-commuters-hold-all-calls-or-else/

dowlingm

I don't think there's a human right to make phone calls on public transport. I just don't. If the ticket or other materials visible before boarding the vehicle indicate that one of the conditions of carriage is that phone calls are not permitted except to 999/112 then that should be the end of it. This condition should also be announced at the terminus and displayed at the bus stop.

As far as technical measures go I disagree with the notion of active jamming in favour of a licensed picocell which would only forward calls to the networks if to 999/112, and would not forward incoming calls at all. The picocell could advertise itself as being from all Irish networks so it would be difficult for a phone to decide to pick one further away. The tricky question is whether such a cell would cause call drops in adjacent vehicles (though that again may not be a bad thing if the driver is calling)

I know there was an Israeli company trialing a sort of paint for cinemas to stop signals but cinemas aren't travelling on a motorway with the possibility of accident.

TheUsual

n97 mini wrote: »

Jammers are made to be universal.

They are illegal in the EU.

They are illegal for one good reason. People need to be able to call emergency services anytime, anywhere. Imagine the bus has a collision with the jammer active. Nobody on the bus can get help and doesn't know why they have no signal.
Or someone has a heart attack and you try to get an ambulance and can't.

syklops

-Chris- wrote: »

The problem is addressed by the driver (or the other passengers!!! :eek:) turning around and saying "do you mind?".

I'm sorry I need to jump in here. If I am on a bus, I really do not want the driver turning around in his seat to hush a passenger.

I was not aware of the 4 seat agreement made with the unions, but it makes a lot of sense. Why not simply have a display on the 4-8 seats nearest the driver like the emergency exit seats above the wing on an aircraft, requesting that you keep noise to the minimum to avoid distracting the driver. If you will need to use your telephone a lot, please vacate the seat. I am sure many people, myself included would choose those seats first, as it would mean we would have a quieter journey.

Phone jamming equipment is not the answer, particularly for safety reasons. As another poster pointed out, what if there is an accident and the driver is seriously wounded, and can not tell anyone that he has a phone jammer turned on? Everyone is wondering why they cant get signal on their phones, meanwhile, people die.

Also, it does not prevent someone playing loud music off their phone near the driver.

so talking on the phone distracted him but dozens of people talking to each others wouldn't (as per most bus journeys)? There's little difference between them but you'd never get away with telling people to stop talking to each other.

In fariness, I think we have all had experiences where this is just not true. How many bus journeys have you had recently where the people on the bus could be heard as a loud cacophony of voices? I cant remember any. How many bus journeys have you had with a mobile user shouting above everyone else so they can be heard on their phone? For me, dozens.

"HALLO! WHA? Yeah im on the bus! I SAID YEAH! Im on the BUS! WHA? Yeah I know it was class! Did you talk to Mary yet? Yeah? What did she say? Seriously? Ahahahah!"

As you can see I have heard that conversation so many times I can repeat it word for word here on Boards.

-Chris-

syklops wrote: »

I'm sorry I need to jump in here. If I am on a bus, I really do not want the driver turning around in his seat to hush a passenger.

Why not? If the person is causing a disturbance to the driver and making it hard for them to do their job safely, then absolutely they should hush a passenger.

syklops wrote: »

I was not aware of the 4 seat agreement made with the unions, but it makes a lot of sense. Why not simply have a display on the 4-8 seats nearest the driver like the emergency exit seats above the wing on an aircraft, requesting that you keep noise to the minimum to avoid distracting the driver. If you will need to use your telephone a lot, please vacate the seat. I am sure many people, myself included would choose those seats first, as it would mean we would have a quieter journey.

I'd fully support this - why not make it a rule and be done with it.

It's either a rule or it's not, and jamming people's phones is a half-assed and sneaky way of getting around the problem.

Cookie_Monster

syklops wrote: »

"HALLO! WHA? Yeah im on the bus! I SAID YEAH! Im on the BUS! WHA? Yeah I know it was class! Did you talk to Mary yet? Yeah? What did she say? Seriously? Ahahahah!"

As you can see I have heard that conversation so many times I can repeat it word for word here on Boards.

^ That sounds like a scumbag problem rather than a phone problem tbh

-Chris-

I'm amazed nobody has posted this yet :p:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCgYDsuR2xs

n97 mini

Jeez lads, it's a free country. What are we going to ban next just cos a few cranks don't like it? Nose-picking? Umbrellas? Skinny jeans?

LXFlyer

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

^ That sounds like a scumbag problem rather than a phone problem tbh

Far from it - as a daily bus user it is something I dread, and it is certainly not a "scumbag" problem. I often listen to speech radio podcasts on my ipod on my way to/from work (mostly with no problem), but every so often I just have to stop because of the loudness with which people use their mobile phone.

It constantly amazes me how many people are incapable of having a conversation on their phone on a bus without it being at such a level that everyone (even on the other deck!) can hear it.

It is perfectly possible to have a mobile phone conversation without sharing it with the entire bus but there is a large group of people who are totally incapable of doing just that. And they certainly are not scumbags!

It is unfortunately but yet another example of the lack of courtesy that we as a nation in general are showing to one another - others being the constant melee at busy stops/stations where people getting onto a bus/tram/train will not wait until everyone else has got off before trying to get on.

LXFlyer

n97 mini wrote: »

Jeez lads, it's a free country. What are we going to ban next just cos a few cranks don't like it? Nose-picking? Umbrellas? Skinny jeans?

I don't think that it is too much too ask people to use phones with a bit of common sense - it does not cost much to have some courtesy towards fellow passengers and the driver, and have a conversation reasonably quietly that it does not impact on everyone else on a bus/train.

n97 mini

lxflyer wrote: »

I don't think that it is too much too ask people to use phones with a bit of common sense - it does not cost much to have some courtesy towards fellow passengers and the driver, and have a conversation reasonably quietly that it does not impact on everyone else on a bus/train.

Absolutely. People should be allowed do what every they want as long as it's legal and done courteously. Including having conversations on their mobile phones whilst on the bus.

We risk becoming a nanny state run by cranks otherwise.

LXFlyer

n97 mini wrote: »

Absolutely. People should be allowed do what every they want as long as it's legal and done courteously. Including having conversations on their mobile phones whilst on the bus.

We risk becoming a nanny state run by cranks otherwise.

I think that the problem is that many people seem to be incapable of doing that unfortunately.

Jaysoose

lxflyer wrote: »

I think that the problem is that many people seem to be incapable of doing that unfortunately.

A small percentage maybe but then the op's "solution" affects every passenger which is hardly fair.

Dont get me started on the "agreement with the unions" about the first four seats though which could have possible discrimnatory implications if proven to be true.

AlekSmart

n97 mini wrote: »

Jeez lads, it's a free country. What are we going to ban next just cos a few cranks don't like it? Nose-picking? Umbrellas? Skinny jeans?

I fear it`s more than a "few cranks" n97 mini,in reality its no more than asking for some consideration or appreciation of the fact that we do not live in isolation from everybody around us....knee bone-thigh bone hip-bone type of thing.

I encounter many mobile-phone users daily who are prefectly capable of pausing their call,acknowledging the need to do some face to face business with another person,then resuming their call at a normal voice conversation level.

These perfectly ordinary folk are matched however,by a SHED FULL OF MASSIVELY SELF-CENTRED PEOPLE WHO`S NEED TO BE APPRECIATED BY THE GREATER BODY OF HUMANITY EXTENDS TO ROARING THEIR,USUALLY UNINTERESTING,ODDS AT ANOTHER PERSON WHO SHARES THEIR BUILD UP OF EAR WAX AND WHO IS PROBABLY BELLOWING BACK AT THEM IN SOME EQUALLY INAPPROPRIATE LOCATION WHILST EXHIBITING THE SAME LEVEL OF DISDAIN FOR THEIR FELLOW TRAVELLERS.......

The caps`s do grate a bit on the eye,don`t they.....;)

On a serious level though,the number of people who appear to require maximum volume settings on their mobile devices is somewhat worrying and may be an early warning of aural trouble ahead (if they could hear it) .......:mad:

Probably best advise is to choose a good piece of equipment in the first place and use it with consideration for others....?

http://europe.nokia.com/find-products/devices/nokia-n97-mini

The sleek Nokia N97 mini integrates the web into your life and seamlessly connects you to your friends and favourite online services.

We`ve got the "Sleek" and the "Integrates",now all we need is the "Seamlessly" bit and we`re flying !!

LXFlyer

Jaysoose wrote: »

A small percentage maybe but then the op's "solution" affects every passenger which is hardly fair.

Dont get me started on the "agreement with the unions" about the first four seats though which could have possible discrimnatory implications if proven to be true.

I would agree with you - the OP is going too far.

I was making the point that some people in this country are losing the ability to think of others and act in a courteous manner, and the percentage is unfortunately growing in my experience.