33x Bus

billyhead

I am just looking for feedback on other users of the 33x bus to town. I was wondering how reliable is it according to the timetable. Does it usually be full when it gets to Lusk and also how long does it roughly take to get to Custom house Quay? Oh yeh and is the adult fare €3.70 each way?

The Black Oil

I only used it when the train line was out of action (2010), so my feedback will be quite out of date, but I found it quite efficient. It wasn't full by the time it reached Lusk when I was using it, but it would be fairly full once it had picked up people from there. Walking down to the train some of these mornings now I see some people seem to be heading down to the stop outside some houses on the road to Rush - i.e., going further down than the Orylnn Park stop, so maybe demand on the morning buses is higher, although it could be that they happen to live in the newer estates or on the bypass.

LXFlyer

You can use the Travel 90 ticket 10 Journey ticket on the 33x - currently this ticket is priced at €19 which means the fare will only be €1.90. It is going up in price from 19th February to €21.50, but any tickets bought before that date should have a 12-18 month validity period.

Makes far more sense than paying cash.

Cash fare is €4.10 and leap card fare is €3.75.

dcr22B

The 33X is starting to become a bit of a bugbear for me. I get on at the stop opposite Kelly's Garage and I am now lucky if I:

a) get a seat

or

b) sometimes it drives straight past us full.

I have made this point very clear to Dublin Bus and they have provided the larger 3 axle buses but some mornings even they have been too full. I can only guess that people in Lusk are now copping on to the fact that it's quicker and cheaper to get into town on these express buses than having to get to the train station and pay for parking on top of that.

Carawaystick

lxflyer wrote: »

You can use the Travel 90 ticket 10 Journey ticket on the 33x - currently this ticket is priced at €19 which means the fare will only be €1.90. It is going up in price from 19th February to €21.50, but any tickets bought before that date should have a 12-18 month validity period.

Makes far more sense than paying cash.

Cash fare is €4.10 and leap card fare is €3.75.

You can also get another bus in the city if the 33x isn't where you want to go.

I used the 33x in the mornings, used to arrive in about a 5min window each morning and maybe a bit more variable in the evenings. Also a bit of a delay likely to come up with the M1 widening.

Mrs Carawaystick walks up to the bottom shop as there's a bit of shelter if it rains and greater chance of a seat.

shanemasseyman

it depends what bus you get the 6.30 one you get to d'oiler street between 7.19 and 7.27.

i used to have the seat problem but then walked the thd op bus stop.

ant thicket works, i was using a 7 euro child ticket for months. haha

cbreeze

I use the X exclusively now for travelling to work - saves a walk to the station in Skerries. The driver packs as many as he can into the bus and I think beyond the limit. A couple of weeks ago 3 people were left standing at Lusk - when we got to the first stop outside the port tunnel 6 people had to get off the bus to allow four or five to alight. You can get four sitting on the stairs and one or two standing on the bottom step. There's definitely a case for more 33X, and at weekends too.

dcr22B

I think they only need one more 33X in the mornings leaving Skerries at 7.15am or 7.45am as it seems a lot more Lusk/Rush people see it as quicker than the train and have switched over.

It's not much fun been left standing most mornings and in some cases, not getting on the bus at all.

billyhead

How long does it usually take to get into the city center on the 33x

Peckham

dcr22B wrote: »

It's not much fun been left standing most mornings and in some cases, not getting on the bus at all.

In fairness, both of these would be rare with the 33X. I regularly get it to/from Lusk (Murrays) and can only think of one occasion when I have had to stand. I generally get the bus leaving Lusk at 7:30ish, and the final one in the evening (leaving Custom House at 6pm).

I remember the days before the Malahide viaduct incident when there was only one 33x in the morning, and not only were you guaranteed a seat on it, you were pretty much guaranteed have all of a double seat to yourself!


@billyhead - it can vary a lot with traffic, but during school term the one leaving Lusk at 7:30 gets to Tara Street dart station by 8:10. The one leaving town at 6pm gets to Lusk at 6:40pm. Expect this all to change with the M1 roadworks though.

dcr22B

Peckham wrote: »

In fairness, both of these would be rare with the 33X. I regularly get it to/from Lusk (Murrays) and can only think of one occasion when I have had to stand. I generally get the bus leaving Lusk at 7:30ish, and the final one in the evening (leaving Custom House at 6pm).

In fairness, I get on the bus the stop after you and I normally get the 8am bus and since Xmas, I've spent more time standing on it than sitting as well as the bus not stopping four times in that period and having to wait until the 8.30pm bus.

I've never seen a problem with the buses going home unless the previous bus hasn't arrived to go into service.

SuperStarHoney

I can second dcr22B on the 7.30 (8.00 Lusk) bus. I've seen people being left behind towards the end of the route. Usually the drivers allow everyone to board but the overcrowding seems to be getting worse each week.

Same problem with the 5.30 in the evening, it was ridiculous and more importantly dangerous the amount of people standing on it today. I cannot understand why they keep using buses with huge luggage racks rather than seats in the evening time.

charlietheminxx

We definitely need an extra 33x in the mornings - they're too full.

cbreeze

billyhead wrote: »

How long does it usually take to get into the city center on the 33x

The 0630 can take 60 mins and the 0800 1.15 on average.

charlietheminxx

cbreeze wrote: »

The 0630 can take 60 mins and the 0800 1.15 on average.

Takes way less than that

charlietheminxx

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but this bus is getting really bad in the mornings again.

Both the one that gets to Lusk at 7.30 and the one that gets in at about 7.55 are full to the point of overflowing. Does anyone know how we can go about getting Dublin bus to run an extra bus? I know this isn't always possible but really, it's bad at the moment, and with people standing the whole way up the stairs, it's an accident waiting to happen.

KD345

charlietheminxx wrote: »

Sorry to drag up an old thread, but this bus is getting really bad in the mornings again.

Both the one that gets to Lusk at 7.30 and the one that gets in at about 7.55 are full to the point of overflowing. Does anyone know how we can go about getting Dublin bus to run an extra bus? I know this isn't always possible but really, it's bad at the moment, and with people standing the whole way up the stairs, it's an accident waiting to happen.

Send an email to both Dublin Bus and the National Transport Authority. They might increase the use of larger double deck buses on those departures.

charlietheminxx

KD345 wrote: »

Send an email to both Dublin Bus and the National Transport Authority. They might increase the use of larger double deck buses on those departures.

They already are using the new larger ones! It's just a very busy route that seems to be getting overlooked...

dcr22B

Twice this week the 8am arrival to Lusk has gone past the bus stop opposite Kelly's Garage full to the gills.

Have e-mailed Dublin Bus and the NTA, no response as of yet from either.

charlietheminxx

I know, and twice this week is has also left people opposite Gino's, once it passed by altogether. The 7.30 this morning didn't stop at any Lusk stops (I know someone who was getting it).

I emailed Dublin bus too, just got their standard "we endeavour to reply within 15 working days" message :rolleyes:

There's a female bus driver on that route who has asked for the buses in the morning to be upped to a frequency of every 20 mins. She has asked for people to support the case for this by writing in/emailing/calling. Fair play to her, it's nice to see someone using their intiative. I just hope it actually gets us somewhere.

dcr22B

That's just it, all it would take is one extra bus and the problems would be solved e.g. arrivals in Lusk at 7.30, 7.50, 8.10 and 8.30 would solve all the problems.

kingtiger

I have just mailed Dublin Bus also about this problem, since the students went back the bus is ridiculously overcrowded

is there anyone else we can hassle in Dublin bus to get them to look into this as a matter of urgency?

charlietheminxx

I don't think so.... Unless anyone wants to try a local TD? For now, I think the more people call/email etc the better, that way it's obvious what a serious issue it is.

Van.Bosch

charlietheminxx wrote: »

I don't think so.... Unless anyone wants to try a local TD? For now, I think the more people call/email etc the better, that way it's obvious what a serious issue it is.

I got a reply saying they were monitoring the numbers on the route. I got the same reply last year though so I wouldn't hold my breath.

Does anyone know why it doesn't seem
As busy in the evenings?

The Hill Billy

Try asking the guys in the Commuting & Transport forum. They may have some ideas about pressuring CIE on such matters.

dcr22B

Van.Bosch wrote: »

Does anyone know why it doesn't seem
As busy in the evenings?

Students might be finished earlier in the day and get the earlier Xpress buses home?

kingtiger

got a reply today

I refer to your email Wednesday 3rd October 2012 regarding route 33x.

The Area Operations Manager in Summerhill Depot are currently reviewing the service on the route 33 which includes the route 33x and we welcome any suggestions from customers.

Any scheduled changes have to be approved by the National Transport Authority and details of any changes will be advertised well in advance in the newspapers and our website.

I thank you for taking the time to send us your suggestions.

Regards,

______________
Aisling Beegan,

Customer Comment Team

Dublin Bus

charlietheminxx

Yeah I know someone else who got the same reply.

I still haven't heard anything thouhg.

I don't understand how they're "reviewing the service" when there hasn't even been an inspector on to have a look (not that they'd fit most mornings).

dcr22B

Got the same reply myself and I did actually see an inspectors car parked in Leonards Garage a few weeks back but he seemed to be monitoring the buses going to Skerries/Balbriggan as the schools had just started back the previous week.

Peckham

I've just started getting the 33X again having been getting lifts in the morning for the past year or so. I've been getting the one leaving Skerries at 6:30 (I get on at Murrays just before 7am), and am amazed at how busy it is.

I used to get the bus after that one (leaving Skerries at 6:45am), and it's even busier than that one used to be this time last year.

Also, does it really take 25 minutes for the bus to get from Skerries to Lusk. Does it leave Skerries on time?

bmurphy8177

Emailed Dublin Bus on Monday suggesting they should have extra buses for this route in morning.
Got similar response.....this route is currently under review and the operations manager in Summerhill will be dealing....etc"

Always number 1

The ones in the evenings are starting to get busy aswell. If you don't get the 5:30 bus on Customs House Quay you could end up standing on the stairs - if you get on at all! It would be interesting to see what the numbers are like on the normal 33 once it leaves Swords.
Surely it would make more sense to have extra 33X instead?

kingtiger

when does Dublin bus ever make sense? they ignored a profitable route for years until the railway bridge fell into the estuary

cbreeze

bmurphy8177 wrote: »

Emailed Dublin Bus on Monday suggesting they should have extra buses for this route in morning.
Got similar response.....this route is currently under review and the operations manager in Summerhill will be dealing....etc"

got this one too, on 9 October

Dear Mr/Ms, [CORRECT USAGE IS SIR/MADAM]
Dublin Bus is currently in the process of implementing an extensive Network review and as part of this we are now actively examining all our services in the Dublin North area which encompasses the area in question in your letter.
It is always the intention of Dublin Bus to provide the most efficient high quality service with the resources available to us. The 33X currently has five departures in the morning peak between 06:30am and 07:30am from Skerries and the same returning in the evening from the City Centre between 16:15 and 18:00 [I DID TELL THEM THAT!!]
This service is being examined with a view to maximising its efficiency and providing a service that our customers require and this will be dependent on available resources.
Thank you for your enquiry

If the bus has an accident with the severe over-crowding the driver will be to blame, unless he/she has been instructed by Bus Eireann to pack as many people into the bus above the safety limit. The driver contributes to the problem by overloading the bus - so Bus Eireann does not feel the need to add an extra service.

cbreeze

Peckham wrote: »

I've just started getting the 33X again having been getting lifts in the morning for the past year or so. I've been getting the one leaving Skerries at 6:30 (I get on at Murrays just before 7am), and am amazed at how busy it is.

I used to get the bus after that one (leaving Skerries at 6:45am), and it's even busier than that one used to be this time last year.

Also, does it really take 25 minutes for the bus to get from Skerries to Lusk. Does it leave Skerries on time?

Generally does live Skerries on time - which is how I missed the 0730 on Wednesday. It originates at Mourneview Estate Skerries and on a really good day can take just over 3 mins to get to the town centre, average 4 and a half minutes. I'd say there no more than 10-15 passengers aboard when it gets to Loughshinney.

dcr22B

Great to see a Dublin Bus inspector and local TD Brendan Ryan doing the rounds at our bus stop this morning across from Kelly's Garage.

Fingers crossed that we can get some balance to the service to prevent the overcrowding that's now an everyday occurence.

Van.Bosch

dcr22B wrote: »

Great to see a Dublin Bus inspector and local TD Brendan Ryan doing the rounds at our bus stop this morning across from Kelly's Garage.

Fingers crossed that we can get some balance to the service to prevent the overcrowding that's now an everyday occurence.

Yeah the driver on the 730 was on the radio to someone constantly feeding load data back.

Just wonder that even if they do agree another run Is needed do they have the money/capacity?

I wonder how they view the route considering a lot of people use annual tickets so it is hard to attribute to specific routes.Me for example, I have an annual bus & rail pass but use 33x 95% of the time but I think regardless of usage it's a 50% revenue split between Dublin bus and Irish rail.

charlietheminxx

Two bus stops passed again in Lusk this morning.... This is truly ridiculous. More needs to be done.

I don't know how the lack of resources excuse could work.... There are still some routes in Dublin with a bus every 10-15 minutes that are half empty.

charlietheminxx

I emailed again yesterday and got this reply:

This service is being examined with a view to maximising its efficiency and providing a service that our customers require and this will be dependent on available resources. At the minute we will not be putting an extra bus on this service as we don't have the resources to do so.

dcr22B

Great to see things back to normal this morning after the mid term break :mad:

Got the 7.05am departure which arrived in Lusk at 7.40 or so and I counted at least 30 people standing downstairs or sitting on the stairwell. Sent a very annoyed tweet to @dublinbusnews but given their previous e-mail response, I'd doubt that they care less.

Always number 1

I think that people need to keep bombarding Dublin Bus with emails/letters and send them to all the local representatives:

Cllrs
Ken Farrell
David O'Connor
Tom O'Leary
Ciaran Byrne
May McKeon

TDs
James Reilly
Alan Farrell
Brendan Ryan
Clare Daly

Public transport serving Skerries/Rush/Lusk is abysmal at best - lets see if any of the above can help us change that

dcr22B

Was on the 8am from Lusk this morning and it was jammers, should have set the alarm earlier this morning.

By the way, is it illegal to have standing passengers on a bus on a motorway?

charlietheminxx

dcr22B wrote: »

Was on the 8am from Lusk this morning and it was jammers, should have set the alarm earlier this morning.

By the way, is it illegal to have standing passengers on a bus on a motorway?

I certainly thought this was the case. Dublin bus didn't seem bothered as I outlined it as one of my concerns in an email to them...

Also, I was on that bus too

dcr22B

I walked down to the bus stop opposite Lusk Motor Group and I still couldn't get a seat, will be back on the 7.30am bus from tomorrow.

dcr22B

Having travelled the 142 myself on a few occasions over the past few months, it's as popular a service as the 33X but to areas much better served by other bus routes and yet despite all our e-mails and requests, they get a 100% improvement in their service:

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/142-Revised-Times/

Will we ever be listened to on the 33X route and given some extra services?

Always number 1

What a joke and they also have the option of the normal 42, the 32x, the 102 (which connects the airport with Sutton so they have the options of buses from either place) as well as the dart or suburban rail.
Evidently money talks :rolleyes:

LXFlyer

No other bus serves the large Holywell estate other than the 142. The single extra bus on the 142 is coming from cuts to the other services.

dcr22B

If I'm being pedantic lxflyer, the Swords Express serves Holywell as well.

Just disappointed at Dublin Bus' refusal to take our concerns into consideration when they're under capacity on other routes.

Always number 1

So when people contact Dublin Bus about increasing the capacity on the 33X route, they get this message back:
"This service is being examined with a view to maximising its efficiency and providing a service that our customers require and this will be dependent on available resources. At the minute we will not be putting an extra bus on this service as we don't have the resources to do so" and yet Dublin Bus have today release details of their revised Nitelink services and in some areas such as Swords, Malahide, Tallaght, Dalkey etc; are getting additional services.
:mad:
I'll be getting back on to my TDs/Cllrs again

LXFlyer

Look again.

The nitelink services have all been cut back.

That's aside from the basic question of how could you possibly look compare Nitelink with services at the peak period?

jelly4

I got this reply from Dublin bus regarding the 8am 33x from Lusk.

Dear Ms XXX

Regarding the 08:00 33x.

We have spent months looking at the 33x issues. We simply can do nothing to improve the service at the minute.

The problem you experienced on the 08:00 33x is no more acceptable to us than it is to you.

:eek: What a joke!