Hand written notices on buses

ballooba

What's with the hand written notices on Dublin Buses? I'm hoping these are the work of vandals rather than (passive?) aggressive staff. Typical examples would be "DON"T SWIPE" and "HOLD HERE" on the smartcard readers in child like scrawl of thick black marker. Also, "READ THIS" on the fare notice with a big square drawn around concession fares. It may have been only one bus and I have seen it a few times, but I did notice it this week. It's highly unprofessional, unwelcoming and aggressive.

Run_to_da_hills

They make up for it all with their new predictive digital GPS bus stop displays.

Green Diesel

Calling those examples aggressive is a bit much to be fair.

ballooba

Green Diesel wrote: »

Calling those examples aggressive is a bit much to be fair.

I find multitudes of notices like these passive aggressive in any place of business. I wouldn't frequent a pub or cafe that put up notices like this. If you need to put up notices like this then you have failed.

Green Diesel

ballooba wrote: »

If you need to put up notices like this then you have failed.

Or just the printer.

I don't see the issue, it's clear and unambiguous.

The_Wrecker

Ive seen this on a Donnybrook VT, the company just need to add a sign saying 'Hold here'. Too many passengers treat their expensive ticket like sandpaper against the reader, others holding against the light display.

To be honest over the years ive seen far worse messages. No spelling mistakes and in English!

Run_to_da_hills

More importantly I resent the fact that these hand written signs are not bilingual as Gaeilge.

ballooba

The_Wrecker wrote: »

Ive seen this on a Donnybrook VT, the company just need to add a sign saying 'Hold here'. Too many passengers treat their expensive ticket like sandpaper against the reader, others holding against the light display.

The dismal attempt at Leap is an issue for another thread. You'd think Dublin Bus could at least have a decent PR/Marketing department though.

AlekSmart

ballooba wrote: »

What's with the hand written notices on Dublin Buses? I'm hoping these are the work of vandals rather than (passive?) aggressive staff. Typical examples would be "DON"T SWIPE" and "HOLD HERE" on the smartcard readers in child like scrawl of thick black marker. Also, "READ THIS" on the fare notice with a big square drawn around concession fares. It may have been only one bus and I have seen it a few times, but I did notice it this week. It's highly unprofessional, unwelcoming and aggressive.

What it's telling me,balooba,is that the company's perception is one of Leapcard functioning 100% as planned with no problems whatsoever.

The reality,as experienced by myself and other Busdrivers every day,is that may Contactless Card holders (Leap and other products) do actually think they are "Swipe" cards and not surprisingly wave them in front of the reader.

This leads to bad reads and error messages and passengers being recalled,as well as corrupted data,which the Company will then base it's planning on.

I would agree that the handwritten addenda looks unprofessional,but,in the absence of effective signage, I would say well done to the writers,as it's displaying a somewhat more focused attitude to the various issues than the many and varied PR people can manage.

Interestingly enough,it appears to have succeeded in getting your attention too,which suggests it's a quite effective method of communication....in moderation ?

As for notices being "Passive Aggressive"....the examples you provide are to my mind models of Clarity and Brevity....Keep It Simple......a necessity on any form of Public Transport......Land,Sea or Air.

Ascribing some form of emotional tag to these notices seems a bit Buzz Wordy TBH...?

Judgement Day

As most of us know CIE is a byword for ineptitude when it comes to customer service/marketing/information etc. and my pic of what passed for a timetable at Cobh Station in the 1980s needs no comment. The toilets were also locked but there was a convenient wall at the Cork end of the station which served as a "gents" - probably still does! :rolleyes:

dfx-

Who writes all the stuff on the cardboard/adboard behind the driver on RVs...

Some of Ringsend RVs are covered in various ways of saying "Ring the bell" written in pen and 'visit antisocialbehaviour.eu' messages

ballooba

AlekSmart wrote: »

I would agree that the handwritten addenda looks unprofessional,but,in the absence of effective signage, I would say well done to the writers,as it's displaying a somewhat more focused attitude to the various issues than the many and varied PR people can manage.

Interestingly enough,it appears to have succeeded in getting your attention too,which suggests it's a quite effective method of communication....in moderation ?

I guess I can't fault the people who make the notices, because they are filling a vacuum left by PR people and the system designers.

AlekSmart wrote: »

Ascribing some form of emotional tag to these notices seems a bit Buzz Wordy TBH...?

If I walk into an establishment and see multitude of homemade signs and notices that's what I think.

LXFlyer

There really is no excuse for this sort of thing - if the existing notices are not sufficient, then drivers should be making internal representations through the normal channels to get them changed rather than defacing the bus, which is frankly what this is.

The_Wrecker

lxflyer wrote: »

There really is no excuse for this sort of thing - if the existing notices are not sufficient, then drivers should be making internal representations through the normal channels to get them changed rather than defacing the bus, which is frankly what this is.

All the problems have been brought to ADMINs attention by several of the drivers. From swiping static cards to the menus of a 20 second shoppers fare ordeal. Cards vibrating off the driver reader. Still nothing to report.....

AlekSmart

The_Wrecker wrote: »

All the problems have been brought to ADMINs attention by several of the drivers. From swiping static cards to the menus of a 20 second shoppers fare ordeal. Cards vibrating off the driver reader. Still nothing to report.....

I'd second the Wreckers post here.

All of the above have been flagged by Drivers,and repeatedly so,week in-week out.

However,the ethos of significant numbers of senior management appears to revolve around immediately setting a process in motion to disprove whatever grievance the Drivers are reporting.

The Leap City-Centre Fare is one case in point,as it now transpires that CC Fare's cannot be issued from Stage 73 (ie: St Stephens Green) via Leapcard,although issuing a Cash CC Fare from 73 IS possible.

None of the day to day operational issues appear to matter to anybody except the Driver and Passenger....sigh...:o

Ste.phen

dfx- wrote: »

Who writes all the stuff on the cardboard/adboard behind the driver on RVs...

Some of Ringsend RVs are covered in various ways of saying "Ring the bell" written in pen and 'visit antisocialbehaviour.eu' messages

I've seen those, mostly running route 77a

dfx-

dfx- wrote: »

Who writes all the stuff on the cardboard/adboard behind the driver on RVs...

Some of Ringsend RVs are covered in various ways of saying "Ring the bell" written in pen and 'visit antisocialbehaviour.eu' messages

I've seen some RVs with this too, one I remembered was "No bell, no stop." The RV was from Conyngham Road at the time but is probably gone now.

Off the cuff

Have you ever seen passengers staring into the drivers rear view mirror just behind the front windscreen trying to communicate with the driver telepathically that they want to get off the bus. The bus is loaded with bell buttons but passengers think that the driver has nothing more to do than smile into the mirror and with a instant thought say ' yes, I understand, you want to get off the bus'. Heard this clown arguing with the driver because he drove past her stop. When the driver brought to her attention that if she pressed the button he could have stopped at the stop. To this she retorted, ' I thought you seen me'. And this goes on at bus stops as people stand gazing into the air as the bus passes and then have the gall to phone the garage and complain that the bus passed by without stopping. Men and women with massive prams trying to board old RV buses and when they are told the bus cannot accommodate a big pram the same yobs start cursing and swearing at the driver, threatening to make a complaint, seeking the drivers name and number. Bus is loaded to the hilt as the driver tries to accommodate as many people as possible only to find those who stepped onto the bus knowing it was full to capacity start moaning and complaining to the driver. When the driver refuses to allow one more person onto the bus, all hell irrupts as the Gardai are called because a passenger refuses to let go the centre rail as you enter the bus. Bus is held up, passengers get annoyed at the driver not squeezing the complaining passenger into somewhere, anywhere. Passengers board bus with McDonalds burger and chips, alcohol, cigarettes and crisps, mess the whole place up to a point where the bus has to taken out of service and then complain about the dirty on the buses. Passengers using dud social welfare bus passes, asking for lower fares than the desired journey, adults using child passes and people acting like a herd of cattle as the board the bus. For the past 40years I have used the buses to commute to work and have seen many an incident that would make you shudder. Oh yes some drivers have gone overboard in their attitude to passengers but imaging having to endure hundreds of people every day off the week with the same approach to public transport. I admire the drivers, public or private. I would not take their job for all the money in China. I have got to know many drivers on my bus route and have spoken to them in great debt. Just remember if ye want the bus to stop, the ring the bell. If ye want to board a bus, then put your hand out. Simple things that cost nothing, unfortunately people are too busy to think for themselves they want someone else to do it for them.

Lapin

Whatever you say about hand written notes, at least they are usually easy to read.

Some of them even have paragraphs.


Welcome to Boards Cuff !

carlmango11

Off the cuff wrote: »

Have you ever seen passengers staring into the drivers rear view mirror just behind the front windscreen trying to communicate with the driver telepathically that they want to get off the bus. The bus is loaded with bell buttons but passengers think that the driver has nothing more to do than smile into the mirror and with a instant thought say ' yes, I understand, you want to get off the bus'. Heard this clown arguing with the driver because he drove past her stop. When the driver brought to her attention that if she pressed the button he could have stopped at the stop. To this she retorted, ' I thought you seen me'. And this goes on at bus stops as people stand gazing into the air as the bus passes and then have the gall to phone the garage and complain that the bus passed by without stopping. Men and women with massive prams trying to board old RV buses and when they are told the bus cannot accommodate a big pram the same yobs start cursing and swearing at the driver, threatening to make a complaint, seeking the drivers name and number. Bus is loaded to the hilt as the driver tries to accommodate as many people as possible only to find those who stepped onto the bus knowing it was full to capacity start moaning and complaining to the driver. When the driver refuses to allow one more person onto the bus, all hell irrupts as the Gardai are called because a passenger refuses to let go the centre rail as you enter the bus. Bus is held up, passengers get annoyed at the driver not squeezing the complaining passenger into somewhere, anywhere. Passengers board bus with McDonalds burger and chips, alcohol, cigarettes and crisps, mess the whole place up to a point where the bus has to taken out of service and then complain about the dirty on the buses. Passengers using dud social welfare bus passes, asking for lower fares than the desired journey, adults using child passes and people acting like a herd of cattle as the board the bus. For the past 40years I have used the buses to commute to work and have seen many an incident that would make you shudder. Oh yes some drivers have gone overboard in their attitude to passengers but imaging having to endure hundreds of people every day off the week with the same approach to public transport. I admire the drivers, public or private. I would not take their job for all the money in China. I have got to know many drivers on my bus route and have spoken to them in great debt. Just remember if ye want the bus to stop, the ring the bell. If ye want to board a bus, then put your hand out. Simple things that cost nothing, unfortunately people are too busy to think for themselves they want someone else to do it for them.

This comes to mind

Mickey H

I thought this was a thread about the literary marvels that can be found down the back of some BÉ buses when I read the title...

Motorist

Judgement Day wrote: »

As most of us know CIE is a byword for ineptitude when it comes to customer service/marketing/information etc. and my pic of what passed for a timetable at Cobh Station in the 1980s needs no comment. The toilets were also locked but there was a convenient wall at the Cork end of the station which served as a "gents" - probably still does! :rolleyes:

Seems very clear to me. You must be easily impressed by graphics of a bus or a dog.

SeanW

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

More importantly I resent the fact that these hand written signs are not bilingual as Gaeilge.

Oh Jaysus don't start - you'll bring the gaelgoir facists in :eek:
:rolleyes: