Bus Eireann complaint

seanie69r

I have made two formal complaints to bus eireann regarding an issue mid november and i brought up another issue i had with them late october. and funny thing is, both these journeys were the only journeys i had to take all year and they ended up putting me off the company. cut a long story short, travelling from sligo to castlebar. changeover bus at charlstown. bus dropped me at charlstown at 2.56pm with the bus picking me up to arrive at 2.58. no bus, no shelter, pissing rain, bag soaked, me soaked, noone else there, just me. rang bus eireann, asked where the bus was, "oh hes actually half way between castlebar and westport". bus left charlstown early so i had to wait 2 hours in the rain for the final bus to castlebar. made a complaint, got a response that they will "investigate" the matter...that was last week. surely to **** it doesnt take a week to track down the bus driver. I want to take this all the way as the longer it goes on the more pissed off im getting. Il give them one more week but if i havent heard back by then where will i pursue both complaints???:mad:

vicwatson

In my experience BE don't give a flying fiddlers about complaints, or their customers, "sure we'll just get another hand out from the Gov next year, we don't to push to make profit" - well lads and lassies in BE things whill be changing as the Gov has no more money to hand you down so.... time to start working !

seanie69r

Im stuck between The Ombudsman or writing to Ben Dunne and hopefully he will print it in The Sun so that all of Ireland can see that BE are negligent towards customers...

tony1kenobi

Bus <SNIP>

dudara

Moved to Commuting & Transport

dudara

schemingbohemia

seanie69r wrote: »

Im stuck between The Ombudsman or writing to Ben Dunne and hopefully he will print it in The Sun so that all of Ireland can see that BE are negligent towards customers...

Fairly sure the Ombudsman has no role in this and very few people read the Sun.

Send your complaint to the National Transport Authority if you don't get a reply by the end of the week.

info@nationaltransport.ie

AlekSmart

vicwatson wrote: »

In my experience BE don't give a flying fiddlers about complaints, or their customers, "sure we'll just get another hand out from the Gov next year, we don't to push to make profit" - well lads and lassies in BE things whill be changing as the Gov has no more money to hand you down so.... time to start working !

Bus Eireann's customer service dept may not be to this lad's liking but the NTA appear comfortable enough with the company's Financials....ie: the dreadful word profit appears...:eek:

http://www.nationaltransport.ie/downloads/Cie-operators-fares-increases-Dec-2011.pdf

In Budget 2010, Bus Éireann’s subvention was reduced by €4.4m. This was followed by a further
cut of €1.9m in 2011. During those years, Bus Éireann did not seek a fares increase but pursued
increased efficiencies to bridge revenue shortfalls.

Bus Éireann made :eek: profits :eek: in 2010 and 2011 of approximately €3m per year whilst Irish Rail and
Dublin Bus made significant losses. For 2012 the Authority will re-distribute CIÉ’s block
subvention resulting in an additional cut in Bus Éireann’s subvention of €2.8m in 2012. This
redistribution plus the 8% Budget 2012 reduction amounts to an overall subsidy cut in 2012 of
€6.2m for Bus Éireann.

foggy_lad

AlekSmart wrote: »

Bus Eireann's customer service dept may not be to this lad's liking but the NTA appear comfortable enough with the company's Financials....ie: the dreadful word profit appears...:eek:

http://www.nationaltransport.ie/downloads/Cie-operators-fares-increases-Dec-2011.pdf

They are saving money by seriously cutting routes and not serving places like monasterevin castledermot and many other busy villages which are now left without bus or rail connections to Dublin or their nearest large town.

schemingbohemia

foggy_lad wrote: »

They are saving money by seriously cutting routes and not serving places like monasterevin castledermot and many other busy villages which are now left without bus or rail connections to Dublin or their nearest large town.

any chance of a couple of examples there foggylad? Monasterevan still has a rail service last time I checked.

LXFlyer

Dublin Coach serve Monasterevin and JJ Kavanagh serve Castledermot. They are hardly "cut off"!

Why do they also need Bus Eireann?

Lapin

Bus Éireann don't give a flying fúck about customers.

In fact they would prefer if they didn't have the hassle of carrying passengers at all. As a state owned company they'll get paid regardless.

That way the driver on the last bus from Dublin - Galway could enjoy his 15 minute break in Athlone without being annoyed by the poxy passengers telling him he is running an hour late as it is.

LXFlyer

seanie69r wrote: »

I have made two formal complaints to bus eireann regarding an issue mid november and i brought up another issue i had with them late october. and funny thing is, both these journeys were the only journeys i had to take all year and they ended up putting me off the company. cut a long story short, travelling from sligo to castlebar. changeover bus at charlstown. bus dropped me at charlstown at 2.56pm with the bus picking me up to arrive at 2.58. no bus, no shelter, pissing rain, bag soaked, me soaked, noone else there, just me. rang bus eireann, asked where the bus was, "oh hes actually half way between castlebar and westport". bus left charlstown early so i had to wait 2 hours in the rain for the final bus to castlebar. made a complaint, got a response that they will "investigate" the matter...that was last week. surely to **** it doesnt take a week to track down the bus driver. I want to take this all the way as the longer it goes on the more pissed off im getting. Il give them one more week but if i havent heard back by then where will i pursue both complaints???:mad:

There is no way that should happen - the 1458 bus starts at Knock Airport at 1440 and should wait for the connection.

AlekSmart

Lapin wrote: »

Bus Éireann don't give a flying fúck about customers.

In fact they would prefer if they didn't have the hassle of carrying passengers at all. As a state owned company they'll get paid regardless.

That way the driver on the last bus from Dublin - Galway could enjoy his 15 minute break in Athlone without being annoyed by the poxy passengers telling him he is running an hour late as it is.

Hmmmm,is it the assertion that the individual Bus Eireann driver woke up that morning with a portrait of Lapin occupying the bullseye spot on his dartboard ?

Or is the issue one of the Driver having to take a break at all ?
Any expansion on what the contributory factors may have been which led to the late running..?

I have always found the Dublin-Athlone leg of the Galway road to be tight for time which tended to be compounded by any form of delay in or around the Maynooth dog-leg..

But,I suppose it's always easier and certainly more populist, to do a Foggy on the Driver,rather than make any deeper investigation into the reasons for whatever ailment occurs

n97 mini

AlekSmart wrote: »

Bus Eireann's customer service dept may not be to this lad's liking but the NTA appear comfortable enough with the company's Financials....ie: the dreadful word profit appears...:eek:

http://www.nationaltransport.ie/downloads/Cie-operators-fares-increases-Dec-2011.pdf

Bus Eireann didn't make a €3m "profit" in 2010 as they received €45m subsidy from the tax payer.

That's one of those really annoying things that only CIE do all the time: fail to mention all the free money they get.

foggy_lad

lxflyer wrote: »

Dublin Coach serve Monasterevin and JJ Kavanagh serve Castledermot. They are hardly "cut off"!

Why do they also need Bus Eireann?

Dublin coach don't serve Dublin and kavanaghs are quite a bit more expensive than bus Eireann! They should extend the 130 to serve castledermot and should have a proper Stopping service between Portlaoise and Dublin.

LXFlyer

n97 mini wrote: »

AlekSmart wrote: »

Bus Eireann's customer service dept may not be to this lad's liking but the NTA appear comfortable enough with the company's Financials....ie: the dreadful word profit appears...:eek:

http://www.nationaltransport.ie/downloads/Cie-operators-fares-increases-Dec-2011.pdf

Bus Eireann didn't make a €3m "profit" in 2010 as they received €45m subsidy from the tax payer.

That's one of those really annoying things that only CIE do all the time: fail to mention all the free money they get.

With respect they receive a PSO subsidy to cover the costs of operating uneconomic but socially necessary services as specified in their contract with the NTA. It is not free money.

Of course this money has to be taken into account whether to assess the profitability of the company. That is also what current accounting practice states.

Lapin

AlekSmart wrote: »

Hmmmm,is it the assertion that the individual Bus Eireann driver woke up that morning with a portrait of Lapin occupying the bullseye spot on his dartboard ?

Or is the issue one of the Driver having to take a break at all ?
Any expansion on what the contributory factors may have been which led to the late running..?

I have always found the Dublin-Athlone leg of the Galway road to be tight for time which tended to be compounded by any form of delay in or around the Maynooth dog-leg..

But,I suppose it's always easier and certainly more populist, to do a Foggy on the Driver,rather than make any deeper investigation into the reasons for whatever ailment occurs

I don't have an issue with the driver having a break at all. I'd prefer if they took their breaks on their own time. Not when the bus is already running an hour late.

My post has nothing to do with being populist and everything to to with the reality of my own experience from using this service twice a week for the last 2 months.

As for your last paragraph, I have often 'made deeper investigations into the reasons for whatever ailment occurs' but I'm sick of hearing different excuses from bus drivers. There is no reason why any bus route should be tight. If there is a regular delay in Maynooth, this should be reflected in the timetable.

When I once questioned a driver in Athlone (10 minutes into his break) if he ought to be taking so long, as it was close to midnight and the bus was already an hour late, his reply was "I'm entitled to 15 minutes, I was only going to take 10 but you can wait another 5 minutes now," and then suggested I write a letter of complaint to Broadstone if I wanted.

This attitude confirmed for me there and then that Bus Éireann don't give a tinkers curse about their customers.

LXFlyer

foggy_lad wrote: »

Dublin coach don't serve Dublin and kavanaghs are quite a bit more expensive than bus Eireann! They should extend the 130 to serve castledermot and should have a proper Stopping service between Portlaoise and Dublin.

Dublin Coach serve Red Cow LUAS whereby customers can change to the LUAS to Dublin City Centre. They also connect Monasterevin with Portlaoise, Newbridge and Naas.

JJ Kavanagh operate through Castledermot linking it with Carlow, Kilcullen, Naas and Dublin.

How does any of that reconcile with your statement that Monasterevin and Castledermot are "cut off"?

Now in this post you are suggesting that a subsidised stopping service should be introduced in direct competition with unsubidised private operators' services. I suspect that would be in direct contravention of EU competition laws.

Frankly all this smacks of is wanting to have your cake and eat it. If there were that many people using BE services from these places they would have retained services - however given they were not subsidised they are under no obligation to retain them.

AlekSmart

Lapin wrote: »

I don't have an issue with the driver having a break at all. I'd prefer if they took their breaks on their own time. Not when the bus is already running an hour late.

Any idea on why the service was running an hour late?
This "forget about breaks" idea is an interesting concept indeed and one which I would think will be eagerly investigated by Bus Eireann amongst others.

My post has nothing to do with being populist and everything to to with the reality of my own experience from using this service twice a week for the last 2 months.

As for your last paragraph, I have often 'made deeper investigations into the reasons for whatever ailment occurs' but I'm sick of hearing different excuses from bus drivers. There is no reason why any bus route should be tight. If there is a regular delay in Maynooth, this should be reflected in the timetable.

Again,I totally agree with the above assertion regarding Running Time and I hope that your communications with the relevant authorities reflect this opinion ?.

Mind you I'm wondering why you should see any Drivers response to your questioning as "offering an excuse"
No Driver taking his/her statutory break should be seen as having to justify it to their passengers,which is why I fully support your decision to get to the nub of things with Bus Éireann management.


When I once questioned a driver in Athlone (10 minutes into his break) if he ought to be taking so long, as it was close to midnight and the bus was already an hour late, his reply was "I'm entitled to 15 minutes, I was only going to take 10 but you can wait another 5 minutes now," and then suggested I write a letter of complaint to Broadstone if I wanted.

A very good suggestion too,I'd venture,bearing in mind that if the service was running an hour late there is a good chance that driver was very close to exceeding his driving hours and may have been taking a statutory rest break in order to avoid running out of hours altogether and perhaps being forced to pull over and seek an alternative driver to complete the remainder of the journey. Some idea of the scope of the regulations can be found here....

http://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Tachograph_Enf/Drivers_Hours.pdf

This attitude confirmed for me there and then that Bus Éireann don't give a tinkers curse about their customers.

Indeed,nothing quite like an open and shut, cut'n dried case,is there ?

Lapin

Simple solution. Why not switch drivers in Athlone ?

Another thing. City Link run a near identical service on the Dublin - Galway route.

Their drivers take their breaks before and after each leg of a journey.
Not half way through it inconveniencing passengers.

Why do Bus Éireann drivers need to take such 'statutory rest breaks' where City Link drivers don't ?

When was the last time you heard of a train driver pulling up in Limerick Junction for 15 minutes for his statutory rest ?

Where do you think a trans atlantic airline pilot pulls in for a coffee and a cigarette ?

Why are Bus Éireann drivers incapable of working more than 3 hours like anyone else, without taking a little 'statutory rest' for themselves ?

n97 mini

lxflyer wrote: »

With respect they receive a PSO subsidy to cover the costs of operating uneconomic but socially necessary services as specified in their contract with the NTA. It is not free money.

There routes are never put out to tender and therefore in the absence of any competition it's a fair to assume the state is paying over the odds for them. In which case BE is getting an extra margin that it otherwise wouldn't get.

AlekSmart

Lapin wrote: »

Simple solution. Why not switch drivers in Athlone ?

Another thing. City Link run a near identical service on the Dublin - Galway route.

Their drivers take their breaks before and after each leg of a journey.
Not half way through it inconveniencing passengers.

Why do Bus Éireann drivers need to take such 'statutory rest breaks' where City Link drivers don't ?

When was the last time you heard of a train driver pulling up in Limerick Junction for 15 minutes for his statutory rest ?

Where do you think a trans atlantic airline pilot pulls in for a coffee and a cigarette ?

Why are Bus Éireann drivers incapable of working more than 3 hours like anyone else, without taking a little 'statutory rest' for themselves ?

These are all points which I and other posters have debated before with at least one other poster here...;)

There's quite a selection of to'ing and fro'ing over a couple of years on these topics.

But actually you're totally correct,and we generally have been forced to accept that the Private Sector Drivers are SuperMen (and the odd Superwoman) whlst any other Driver belongs to the untermenschen,such is the level of their Cheek,Laziness,insubordination,appearance,proficiency etc etc (Delete/Add as appropriate)...

The Airline Pilot analogy is indeed a valid one,for I have long lobbied for similar arrangements for us Drivers...IE:
Guaranteed ground space and remote passenger handling,

Guaranteed possession of whatever Airspace is required for the journey.

Accurate Weather Data and full radar and service backup in the event of problems there.

A full Cabin Crew to look after the "needs" of the passengers without the Pilot ever having to press any flesh in person,not a chance of the Pilot being asked to swallow his hang sandwich cos the man in seat 32b is in a hurry ?

Even better on long-haul,the Pilot's (Yep they usually have an assistant ) can get their head down in isolation well away from the rigours of the flight deck,and a ready supply of freshly brewed coffee served by admiring steward/ess's

Crikey Lapin,the more you describe it the more I'm likin it

I somewhat doubt that any answer,or combination thereof,would salve the thirst for blood which appears to emanate from this series of posts.....In fact were I to experience the same level of angst as a customer I'd have high-tailed it off to City-Link long ago,where,no doubt,perfection awaits.

Perhaps some CityLink personage can confirm that their Drivers have managed to find some means of circumventing the (often byzantine) Drivers Hours rules and associated other statutory requirements...or perhaps there's a simpler answer which does'nt involve a conspiracy against the plain people ?

Mind you the State has already a fairly substantial and recent document on it's hands which appears to suggest Bus Éireann is managing reasonably enough...although they could well be wrong too...?

http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/final%20report%20bus%20review%20220109.pdf

parsi

Lapin wrote: »

Where do you think a trans atlantic airline pilot pulls in for a coffee and a cigarette ?

S/he doesn't - the flight doesn't leave in the first place if it appears that the crew will be out of hours during the journey.

The OPs first post does raise an interesting point - why aren't shelters provided for passengers of any network ?

My only trip on Citylink involved a wait in Limerick in the pissings of rain with nary a bit of shelter. Same for the aircoach stop in Cork - no shelter.

Is it an adshel issue or a planning issue ?

Lapin

AlekSmart wrote: »

But actually you're totally correct,and we generally have been forced to accept that the Private Sector Drivers are SuperMen (and the odd Superwoman) whlst any other Driver belongs to the untermenschen,such is the level of their Cheek,Laziness,insubordination,appearance,proficiency etc etc (Delete/Add as appropriate)...

http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/final%20report%20bus%20review%20220109.pdf

Your sarcastic reply to the legitimate points I made typifies the standard response I have come to expect when dealing with Bus Éireann. Much easier to have a laugh and misquote a customer rather than address their concerns.

Furthermore, no amount of consultancy reports comissioned and paid for by Bus Éireann can alter the poor service I have encountered in recent months.

parsi wrote: »

S/he doesn't - the flight doesn't leave in the first place if it appears that the crew will be out of hours during the journey.

Yes, I know this.
My point was, that from the moment a plane takes off, the passengers journey isn't interrupted because the pilot has to take a break. Likewise with train journeys and many other service industries outside of transport.

parsi

Lapin wrote: »

Yes, I know this.
My point was, that from the moment a plane takes off, the passengers journey isn't interrupted because the pilot has to take a break. Likewise with train journeys and many other service industries outside of transport.

Yes. However that means that the entire journey is cancelled and not delayed.

It would be worth noting that on Francis Grand Tour (and now that's a fine example that could enter text books) they ran into a similar issue with their bus and had to wait.

I have seen trains stop and wait for crew changes in Germany & Luxembourg. Bloody working hours even affects healthcare.

Whatever the whys, the fact remains that your issue is with the hows - how it happened, how it was dealt with at the time, how it was communicated to drenched passengers and how it was dealt with during the complaints issues.

These are the issues that BE needs to address - it's no use hiding behind "thems are the rules" - as a professional organisation they have to manage how they deal with these situations which are far from uncommon.

AlekSmart

Lapin wrote: »

Your sarcastic reply to the legitimate points I made typifies the standard response I have come to expect when dealing with Bus Éireann. Much easier to have a laugh and misquote a customer rather than address their concerns.

Furthermore, no amount of consultancy reports comissioned and paid for by Bus Éireann can alter the poor service I have encountered in recent months.

Yes, I know this.
My point was, that from the moment a plane takes off, the passengers journey isn't interrupted because the pilot has to take a break. Likewise with train journeys and many other service industries outside of transport.

Sarcastic...?

I'm not certain your points are "legitimate" in the first instance.

It reads to myself as if you have decided to be Judge,Jury and Executioner with specific Drivers who are misfortunate enough to be rostered to drive your particular service ?

As I have said,your approach of complaining to Bus Eireann is a fully valid one and this should be backed up with as much factual supportive evidence as necessary.

However,it seems that in your opinion the malaise lies with The Drivers,who decide to inconvenience you on a whim ?

Speaking for myself,I never viewed Athlone Bus Station as a place where I wanted to dally a second longer than necessary,but perhaps your BE Drivers know a different Athlone...?

Apologies for any misquotes,but the report referenced was commissioned by the then Minister For Transport Noel Dempsey,on a whim he had that Bus Eireann was being run innefficiently,something which Deloitte conspiciously failed to prove.

However,rostering two drivers so as to meet your criteria of omitting the Athlone break would most certainly meet Mr Dempsey's suspicions relating to effiency ...

SandyfordGuy

Good job you haven't been on a peak-time dart then when they change drivers between stops

ShrubRocketeer

How does one make a formal complaint to Bus Eireann? On Tuesday, the bus I was waiting for pulled into the stop, slowed down, and then took off again without opening the doors or anything, despite the fact that I was walking towards the door and had waved it down!

schemingbohemia

ShrubRocketeer wrote: »

How does one make a formal complaint to Bus Eireann? On Tuesday, the bus I was waiting for pulled into the stop, slowed down, and then took off again without opening the doors or anything, despite the fact that I was walking towards the door and had waved it down!

Were you actually at the bus stop when you waved it down?

http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=294
email details or online query there, might also be worth cc'ing the NTA also
info@nationaltransport.ie

kwoods

Bus eireann 9am 'express' drogheda to dublin lazily began to board this morning at 9.20. Despite the fact the station was miling with drivers and there seemed to be plenty of busses about.

When i asked when it was going to depart im told 'relax it'll leave in a while'.

Why do we need bus eireann at all? Cut em loose, save us taxpayers 45m pa. The private companies will fill the gap.

And don't give me this guff about bus eireann bringing missus mop from the @rse end of donegal into town for her shopping. Social service me ****. If you want to go the jacks in Drog station they send you across the road to McDonald's!!

knick_knack

kwoods wrote: »

When i asked when it was going to depart im told 'relax it'll leave in a while'.

This is the sort of joke that makes people prefer to use their cars.
I find on the quays that this sort of things happens all the time.

Now I'm sure Aleksmart is one of the very nice bus drivers of which I have met a few. However, they are vastly outnumbered by the sheer number of miserable ones who seem to take pleasure in messing with other peoples day.

Geog1234

Is this the 08.30 route 100X Dundalk to Dublin (Wilton Terrace) journey scheduled to depart Drogheda at 09.00?

Was the service there around 09.00 or did it arrive in late from Dundalk? Sometimes this could be caused by traffic.

The address for comments and complaints regarding services in Louth is:

Bus Eireann
Area Office
Bus Station
Long Walk
Dundalk
Co. Louth

Hope this info is of help.

WhatNowForUs?

Lapin wrote: »

I don't have an issue with the driver having a break at all. I'd prefer if they took their breaks on their own time. Not when the bus is already running an hour late.

My post has nothing to do with being populist and everything to to with the reality of my own experience from using this service twice a week for the last 2 months.

As for your last paragraph, I have often 'made deeper investigations into the reasons for whatever ailment occurs' but I'm sick of hearing different excuses from bus drivers. There is no reason why any bus route should be tight. If there is a regular delay in Maynooth, this should be reflected in the timetable.

When I once questioned a driver in Athlone (10 minutes into his break) if he ought to be taking so long, as it was close to midnight and the bus was already an hour late, his reply was "I'm entitled to 15 minutes, I was only going to take 10 but you can wait another 5 minutes now," and then suggested I write a letter of complaint to Broadstone if I wanted.

This attitude confirmed for me there and then that Bus Éireann don't give a tinkers curse about their customers.

It could be a safety issue, after a couple of hours of driving a driver needs to take a certain amount of time as break.

Hotblack Desiato

Geog1234 wrote: »

The address for comments and complaints regarding services in Louth is:

Bus Eireann
Area Office
Bus Station
Long Walk
Dundalk
Co. Louth

Hope this info is of help.

how appropriate :pac:

CiaraS27

Did you get anywhere with this seanie69r? I have a complaint to make and so far have gotten nowhere with Bus Éireann. As others are saying, they couldn't care less about customers as far as I can see.

Wudyaquit

CiaraS27 wrote: »

Did you get anywhere with this seanie69r? I have a complaint to make and so far have gotten nowhere with Bus Éireann. As others are saying, they couldn't care less about customers as far as I can see.

Why would they -you'll be chipping in for their next fleet of buses when they need them again anyhow.

Would love to see the Government play hardball with them next time they go on strike.
They do have some absolutely rude, incompetent staff with no sense of customer service due to their complete arrogance borne out of being answerable to absolutely no-one.

Bob Dylan was wrong about everyone having to serve somebody - they seem to only serve themselves.

Victor

CiaraS27 wrote: »

Did you get anywhere with this seanie69r? I have a complaint to make and so far have gotten nowhere with Bus Éireann. As others are saying, they couldn't care less about customers as far as I can see.

Please don't bump old threads unnecessarily - get you own thread.

It may help you if you copy your complaint to the NTA.

Wudyaquit wrote: »

Why would they -you'll be chipping in for their next fleet of buses when they need them again anyhow.

Would love to see the Government play hardball with them next time they go on strike.
They do have some absolutely rude, incompetent staff with no sense of customer service due to their complete arrogance borne out of being answerable to absolutely no-one.

Bob Dylan was wrong about everyone having to serve somebody - they seem to only serve themselves.

On-topic constructive posts only please.

Moderator