A different perspective on the Buggy Issue

AlekSmart

Yet another reason why Lothian Buses remains well above the general level of Public Transport Providers,a damn good ability to state it's case right from the top !

http://lothianbuses.com/news/2-general-news/769-stick-to-our-buggy-rule-and-well-aim-to-be-fair.html

n97 mini

Having recently been in Scotland, DB could learn a lot from Lothian.

-Chris-

Never mind the logic, I wish we got that level of clarity and communication from our service providers here.

Zoney

What I don't understand is why the buses here are different from city to city. The ones in Galway seem more cramped somehow, those in Cork a bit better but the ones in Limerick seem to fit often three buggys no problem; more of the seats in the two wheelchair buggy areas are fold-up.

The main issue I've seen causing problems for getting on/off easily is people refusing to move down the bus, indeed often bunging the front of the bus standing while there are empty seats further back. I've even been on buses where the driver has passed by stops leaving people waiting because his bus is supposedly "full" when in fact the back half is half-empty. Queried a driver on this and he seemed to just accept it as a fact - I pointed out he could at least try regularly asking people to move back. (they could go further than that though, refuse to go on driving till people move back).

AlekSmart

Zoney wrote: »

Queried a driver on this and he seemed to just accept it as a fact - I pointed out he could at least try regularly asking people to move back. (they could go further than that though, refuse to go on driving till people move back).

If only twer that simple Zoney.

As a driver who regularly insists on moving standees either down to the rear of the bus OR into the standee/wheelchair area I can categorically state that you require vast reserves of patience and/or persistence.

You must also bear in mind that modern customer-service methodology insists on the Customer ALWAYS being right...even and especially when they're wrong.

Thus,if a customer complains that I was abrupt/dismissive/aggressive/passive or whatever in my attitude toward them,my Manager will,in 95% of the cases automatically go into Customer Friendly mode and regard my attitude as unwarranted.

I tend to take the view that my Double Deck has a significant capacity which I have a responsibility to ensure is FULLY utilized to the benefit of ALL passengers.

With the standard Single Door design operated in Dublin,any unwarranted loitering in or around the front luggage space and "throat" is akin to a blockage in an artery,with the same symptoms too !

I can guarantee you that people when asked politely to move down along the Bus will in less than 25% of the cases comply with such a request.

The remaining 75% will act out a wide variety of scenarios which would do justice to the most complex of Italian Operas,with a commensurate level of theatricals and sound effects.

Around 25% of those requested will simply blank you....totally ignore and/or make threatening sounds or motions if you persist...this is where a Driver can suddenly find him/herself VERY isolated indeed.

It's hardly surprising therefore,that most busdrivers just ignore whatever goes on and let the Customers sort it out themselves.

There is ,I feel,a huge body of research to be carried out on the behavioural patterns of the Bus Passenger during the waiting,boarding,travelling and alighting phases of their journies.

If Bus designers and company chief-engineers spent a little more time studying and analysing these pattrns they might just manage to avoid some of the more self-defeating elements of modern bus design and operation.

I began holding my breath on this, 20 years ago,which explains my deeply purple skin tone !!

AlekSmart

n97 mini wrote: »

Having recently been in Scotland, DB could learn a lot from Lothian.

n97 Mini,thats the flaw in ur approach,it's not alone Dublin Bus which could learn from the Lothian approach,but rather the entire Civic Apparatus which we operate in.

Most folks don't really get the chance to make the comparisons,but suffice to say a couple of Lothian Buses day-tickets and using them throughout the Edinburgh area will fill a folder with "differences"......we simply are not at the races.

mikemac

AlekSmart wrote: »

Thus,if a customer complains that I was abrupt/dismissive/aggressive/passive or whatever in my attitude toward them,my Manager will,in 95% of the cases automatically go into Customer Friendly mode and regard my attitude as unwarranted.

There are voice recorders you can buy with about eight hours of recording, enough for most of your shift. Cheap enough, under one hundred euro.
You could just leave it in your cab, about the size of a deck of cards

If it's a he said, she said with a customer just produce your voice recorder to the manager.
I used one when I was a hotel night porter, on my own dealing with customers so I could protect myself if they complained about me to the manager

Sorry, offtopic

Victor

Zoney wrote: »

What I don't understand is why the buses here are different from city to city. The ones in Galway seem more cramped somehow, those in Cork a bit better but the ones in Limerick seem to fit often three buggys no problem; more of the seats in the two wheelchair buggy areas are fold-up.

I imagine that is down to different models and different vehicle ages.

The main issue I've seen causing problems for getting on/off easily is people refusing to move down the bus, indeed often bunging the front of the bus standing while there are empty seats further back. I've even been on buses where the driver has passed by stops leaving people waiting because his bus is supposedly "full" when in fact the back half is half-empty. Queried a driver on this and he seemed to just accept it as a fact - I pointed out he could at least try regularly asking people to move back. (they could go further than that though, refuse to go on driving till people move back).

Not even a scalded school marm would work on most, certainly standing on them (on the way in and out) doesn't.

Zoney

Well of course a significant problem in general with public transport here in Ireland is that a significant minority of people are just pig-ignorant, completely unmannered and apt to become aggressive if in the wrong at the drop of a hat.

The kind of people that were on the TV screens recently over in London except that somehow the British manage to keep most things reasonably civil despite these people.

The pig-ignorance and lack of manners extends to other classes too here though.