Bus Eireann routes 109/109A Changes

AlekSmart

Be aware from the 12th,of the new traffic flow arrangements around Matt Talbot Bridge and the Custom House Quay area.

Whilst the intent is good,I would be VERY concerned at the collateral damage which increased general traffic flow around Busáras and Beresford Place...It has the capacity to go very wrong,very quickly....Careful now....:eek:

Fiskar

Meanwhile on the train from M3 Parkway life is good, comfortable, on time every time............

Have seen some of Bus Eireann travelling community hit the trains lately. Personally when I pass a 109 in the morning and see how long it takes to load 1 or 2 passengers I cringe. Leap card or no entry onto the system for the trains, thats the way it should be for the Bus, I even got my son a leap card for the train, bus etc.

Yeah reckon the Luas works and redirected traffic will affect both around College green and Busarus.

haro124

This day next week will hopefully be last using the 109 for commuting

Copyerselveson

Fiskar wrote: »

Meanwhile on the train from M3 Parkway life is good, comfortable, on time every time............

Have seen some of Bus Eireann travelling community hit the trains lately. Personally when I pass a 109 in the morning and see how long it takes to load 1 or 2 passengers I cringe. Leap card or no entry onto the system for the trains, thats the way it should be for the Bus, I even got my son a leap card for the train, bus etc.

Yeah reckon the Luas works and redirected traffic will affect both around College green and Busarus.

Has there been any discussion locally in Co. Meath about pushing for the rail extension to Navan?

Commuter109

Not that I've heard, one would think being a large commuter town its something that might raise its head come local election time, but havent seen it mentioned in any of the literature that's been posted in the door.

Commuter109

There was a BE guy on the 6.30 express last Friday, handing out complaints forms, for anyone that wanted them re an incident the previous evening. Not sure of the full details, but I think it involved a bus bombing down the motorway, and shaking to the extent that people were genuinely frightened. Possibly the 5.30 or 6.30 express as some of those guys do travel too fast, as has been documented here before.

First time I've seen BE actively encourgaging complaints all the same, whatever the story was.

Commuter109

Another first today , just seen someone use a leap card on the r109!

AlekSmart

Commuter109 wrote: »

Another first today , just seen someone use a leap card on the r109!

Welcome back 109....hope things have'nt been TOO quiet on the route in recent times....a wee bit of excitement is good for the spirit....the moral fibre if you like ...

tom23

No 7:05 express this morning. A lot of unhappy campers at Market Square and Ard Boyne stops. Don't forget folks to email Bus Eireann's customer service to see what happened.

Commuter109

AlekSmart wrote: »

Welcome back 109....hope things have'nt been TOO quiet on the route in recent times....a wee bit of excitement is good for the spirit....the moral fibre if you like ...

Thanks AS, all is still great in 109 land. To be fair the summer is never too bad with the schools off etc.. I have been taking the car a fair bit of recent as like alluded to re 7.05 above, I have one too many buses not showing up in the last while.

Can't believe its taken something like 9 months to see a single leap card in action! there again the problem still exists of using clapped out private buses for the busiest express routes in the mornings and evening which arent leap enabled which is scandalous so long after roll out. shows the level of committment to the leap project.

Anyway, we'll struggle on, I'm sure these big changes they have been working on for almost two years now will make huge enhancements to the service!

foggy_lad

tom23 wrote: »

No 7:05 express this morning. A lot of unhappy campers at Market Square and Ard Boyne stops. Don't forget folks to email Bus Eireann's customer service to see what happened.

And email the NTA if the response from bus Éireann is non existent or just not good enough. Remember the nta are more or less in charge of the 109 route.

AlekSmart

Commuter109 wrote: »

Thanks AS, all is still great in 109 land. To be fair the summer is never too bad with the schools off etc......
Can't believe its taken something like 9 months to see a single leap card in action! there again the problem still exists of using clapped out private buses for the busiest express routes in the mornings and evening which arent leap enabled which is scandalous so long after roll out. shows the level of committment to the leap project.

Anyway, we'll struggle on, I'm sure these big changes they have been working on for almost two years now will make huge enhancements to the service!

109,It's an ecumenical matter really....and we are assured that Leapcard is a "phased" system...or was that "fazed"...I can't actually remember now.

However,any problems with operational matters will have to await the outcome of the NTA's little...erm...expression of concern (?) relating to Bus Éireann's livery as applied to buses on PSO services.

As a regular commuter,I would ask you to be very vigilant in this regard,as there is nothing so serious as being on board a Bus/Coach with an incorrect logo applied...:rolleyes:

P.S. Does Navan/Kells have the equivalent of a Skibereen Eagle which could keep an eye on developments for us ?

Commuter109

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/bus-eireann-computer-glitch-leaves-30000-schoolchildren-with-no-tickets-640177.html

Why doesn't this surprise me? lol

Furp

Well the summer has come to an end and I am back on the 109 so the children can go to school in comfort, I noticed now that with web tickets the bus ticket machine now prints two tickets one for the driver and one for the passenger. must be the workaround for drivers writing the mac numbers down.

Still a slow process, surely a bar code reader could be added to the machine and QR codes sent as bus tickets to email. Anyway going to get a yearly ticket soon on Leap so it will be interesting to see how that goes down compared to my previous experience.

Commuter109

Did you get that leap card Furp? If so I assume it has picture ID?

The whole internet ticket fiasco is a nightmare. The buses are late leaving every monday morning. The 7.05 last week, left Navan (i.e Johnstown stop) at 7.28.

I'm also not sure if a second bus is turning up for the 7.20 express in the mornings, if it is it certainly doesnt appear to be doing so on time.

Furp

Still waiting on my company to process the forms I should have it for the beginning of October, i have seen a few people use them. I was also on one of the 7.05s last week and it made me even later for work with how long it took to get everyone on board.

My employer only lets you get the yearly tickets, but the cost is take out over 6 months, which is still slightly cheaper then buying weekly tickets, although over 12 months it brings the cost down to €25 a week net cost.

There was another I was late and the two 7.20s were in Market square i stupidly gone on the wrong one, as i normally get the 6.20 bus.

tara83

Haven't had to use the 109 in a good while. What's the service like from Dunshaughlin these days. At peak times does it go up into Blanchardstown Shopping Centre?

foggy_lad

tara83 wrote: »

Haven't had to use the 109 in a good while. What's the service like from Dunshaughlin these days. At peak times does it go up into Blanchardstown Shopping Centre?

No, from Dublin it only goes to the stop in the centre between the 8.30am and 4pm buses and also from the 7pm bus to the last bus.

Still madness having every bus going through Cabra and picking up at the Mater hospital. There should only be one bus an hour at the most stopping between Busáras and Dunshaughlin.

tara83

I'd fully agree. Crazy that the Navan express gets to Navan faster then those travelling to Dunshaughlin.

tom23

Very frustrating on the 07:05 Express this morning. Ok Monday mornings, especially wet ones will delay you. I accept that. But watching the 07:20 Express pulling out at 07:24 at the Ardboyne while the 07:05 is determined to pick up every straggler (even the ones running from across the road at the Ardboyne) leaves this commuter feeling exaspareted and wishing that they had got the 07:20 instead. Every minute counts at this time and I feel buses should be pulling out on time, the way they do at Bus Aras. Close door and go!

Also very frustrating is the Internet tickets which has to be the longest winded way of paying a fare / transaction on any public transport model in Western Europe, I accept in some case its driver dependent in that some drivers can zip through them and in some cases can be significantly slower. While 1 or 2 doesn't do much damage, but over 10 cam just delay ya, forget about!

Slippin Jimmy

Can you use a leapcard on the 109 to Navan? I have an annual luas and dublin bus one.

Furp

Yes you can you need to ask for a blue zone return ticket, as you will be paying from your credit.

LXFlyer

tom23 wrote: »

Very frustrating on the 07:05 Express this morning. Ok Monday mornings, especially wet ones will delay you. I accept that. But watching the 07:20 Express pulling out at 07:24 at the Ardboyne while the 07:05 is determined to pick up every straggler (even the ones running from across the road at the Ardboyne) leaves this commuter feeling exaspareted and wishing that they had got the 07:20 instead. Every minute counts at this time and I feel buses should be pulling out on time, the way they do at Bus Aras. Close door and go!

Also very frustrating is the Internet tickets which has to be the longest winded way of paying a fare / transaction on any public transport model in Western Europe, I accept in some case its driver dependent in that some drivers can zip through them and in some cases can be significantly slower. While 1 or 2 doesn't do much damage, but over 10 cam just delay ya, forget about!

Are people switching to LEAP in any numbers have you noticed?


Given the prices, it's a bit surprising they're not.

Single:
Cash - €13.30
Internet - €12.64
LEAP - €11.17

Day Return:
Cash - €17.50
Internet - €16.62
LEAP - €16.80 (24 hour unlimited ticket)

10 Journey - €60
Internet - €57
LEAP - €56.50 (Weekly unlimited ticket)

Slippin Jimmy

Furp wrote: »

Yes you can you need to ask for a blue zone return ticket, as you will be paying from your credit.

Thanks. Do you know if it is possible to buy a return ticket on Friday and then return on a Sunday?

ailbheg

Duffff-Man wrote: »

Thanks. Do you know if it is possible to buy a return ticket on Friday and then return on a Sunday?

The leap rolling pass is a 24hr one, so it depends on what time you're heading on Friday and returning on Saturday.

LXFlyer

Duffff-Man wrote: »

Can you use a leapcard on the 109 to Navan? I have an annual luas and dublin bus one.

Furp wrote: »

Yes you can you need to ask for a blue zone return ticket, as you will be paying from your credit.

Duffff-Man wrote: »

Thanks. Do you know if it is possible to buy a return ticket on Friday and then return on a Sunday?

ailbheg wrote: »

The leap rolling pass is a 24hr one, so it depends on what time you're heading on Friday and returning on Saturday.

Technically speaking what you have is a LEAP card, and you have loaded an annual Dublin Bus/LUAS ticket onto it. The card is still a standard LEAP card.

You need to load money onto the epurse on your LEAP card first at a Payzone agent or at any LUAS/Irish Rail ticket machine.

Then you can get a 24 hour ticket (Blue Zone) from the driver on the bus for €16.80, which will allow you take as many trips as you like within 24 hours ticket of its first validation.

tom23

lxflyer wrote: »

Are people switching to LEAP in any numbers have you noticed?


Given the prices, it's a bit surprising they're not.

Single:
Cash - €13.30
Internet - €12.64
LEAP - €11.17

Day Return:
Cash - €17.50
Internet - €16.62
LEAP - €16.80 (24 hour unlimited ticket)

10 Journey - €60
Internet - €57
LEAP - €56.50 (Weekly unlimited ticket)

No not a large uptake I'm afraid. I have seen maybe about 4 people with Leap Cards (but thats just the bus I use). In fact I seen one driver was trying to tell a customer that his Leap Card was not valid and that he could not travel. This commuter is a long term commuter and was arguing that his ticket worked the day before. He got of the he bus and then another customers card would not work so the Driver had to let him back on the bus. Mental.

I'm afraid that cash is still very much king followed by the Internet ticket.

LXFlyer

tom23 wrote: »

No not a large uptake I'm afraid. I have seen maybe about 4 people with Leap Cards. In fact I seen one driver was trying to tell a customer that his Leap Card was not valid and that he could not travel. This commuter is a long term commuter and was arguing that his ticket worked the day before. He got of the he bus and then another customers card would not work so the Driver has to let him back on the bus. Mental.

I'm afraid that cash is still very much king followed by Internet ticket.

Bizarre - people in this country really are not savvy when it comes to using cheaper options on public transport.

tom23

lxflyer wrote: »

Bizarre - people in this country really are not savvy when it comes to using cheaper options on public transport.

Its just not visible enough. Its the same with the tax saver tickets. The amount of people still paying cash is crazy.

LXFlyer

tom23 wrote: »

Its just not visible enough. Its the same with the tax saver tickets. The amount of people still paying cash is crazy.

I disagree it's not visible - there are still lots of people paying cash on Dublin Bus yet every bus shelter has a notice advising of LEAP discounts.

A large number of Irish people are just not prepared to look at alternatives to paying cash - the only way to succeed is to ultimately make cash fares disproportionately higher than LEAP.

Quite ridiculous when the same people will then moan about the cost of everything.