New Dublin Bus GT Class

Richard Hillman

Was on one the other day. They look great and i love the front right upstairs seat with the massive leg room. My only gripe is that you can really lean on the window ledge but very comfortable otherwise. Ive seen plenty of 7's as the new bus but wouldnt touch that thing with a barge pole. Hoepfully they get trotted out for the N11 buses. I think they are using them on the 7 route to ease the pain of the new diversions and the nutjobs that inhabit the bus.

GT4 was on display in Donnybrook Garage yesterday for the Open House Dublin show.

popebenny16

relevent because of the cascade, but there was a volvo olympian, think it was 539, deffo was a 99 reg anyway, sitting in Heuston on Monday afternoon having looked like it had done. a short working 91/2 from the city centre. That may be the last Olympian I will see in BAC service, hard to belive I was on the first batch in Ringsend on the 15's back in 1990. 22 years ago, a great bus.

rx8

Seen GT 39 and 42 on O'Connell street today, on route no.4. Wonder how long it will take for them to be wrecked by the scum from the 'mun.

Then later I travelled home on one of them and the nice lady driver used the centre doors at most of the stops.
It was my first time on a GT,and I have to say, they look really nice and I'm really looking forward to driving them in a few weeks when they go on route 1.

Seats seem to be wider,the stairs are narrower, and apparently, the Ringsend ones will have some seats removed so as to have a 'buggy bay' as well as a wheelchair bay.

schemingbohemia

Glad to see some drivers (1) using the centre doors. Haven't seen them used on the 7D I get home apart from my first trip on the new bus.

BabyBirch

I was on a 7 two weeks ago and missed my stop because the driver wouldn't open the centre doors for me. When I asked him they said they're not using them. This is despite the scrolling digital message telling passengers to use the centre doors only. Confusing message there.

ordinary_girl

Was fortunate enough to get on one of these buses today, I sat upstairs and am used to my legs pushing up against the seat on front when I cross them but thankfully there's more leg room on these buses so that's not an issue. I also think it's brilliant that they list the next stop too, we might finally be starting to match other European cities. I remember thinking that it must be really daunting for tourists because usually there's no signs telling you what the next stop is. Also, the middle doors weren't used probably because everyone automatically goes to the front anyway.

Peregrine

ordinary_girl wrote: »

Was fortunate enough to get on one of these buses today, I sat upstairs and am used to my legs pushing up against the seat on front when I cross them but thankfully there's more leg room on these buses so that's not an issue. I also think it's brilliant that they list the next stop too, we might finally be starting to match other European cities. I remember thinking that it must be really daunting for tourists because usually there's no signs telling you what the next stop is. Also, the middle doors weren't used probably because everyone automatically goes to the front anyway.

Yeah the next stop display is great but I'm pretty sure it's actually going to frustrate tourists, let's face it even we don't know the place names in Irish and those displays are like 75% Irish

ordinary_girl

Nimrod 7 wrote: »

Yeah the next stop display is great but I'm pretty sure it's actually going to frustrate tourists, let's face it even we don't know the place names in Irish and those displays are like 75% Irish

True, I have issues with Irish being used on the displays on the buses because it causes confusion but I think most tourists are aware, and the screen does eventually show the next stop in English.

I unintentionally know the Irish names for the streets in the area that I live in and on all of the DB routes I regularly get. I can't say "hello" in Irish, but I can tell you that Citywest is Iarthar na Cathrach!

CIE

BabyBirch wrote: »

I was on a 7 two weeks ago and missed my stop because the driver wouldn't open the centre doors for me. When I asked him they said they're not using them. This is despite the scrolling digital message telling passengers to use the centre doors only. Confusing message there.

Call the garage. They're counting on passengers to be quiet sheep instead of being assertive.

the groutch

the middle-door issue needs to be trackled top-down, ie. DB bosses forcing drivers to always open the middle doors, and more importantly having drivers telling passengers to use the middle doors (even if necessary only opening the middle door where nobody is getting on)

Peregrine

Saw two GT route no.4s together in Phibsborough
Neither of them opened their middle door to let people off :rolleyes:

It's a shame..

james142

Watch this video http://www.flickr.com/photos/48993163@N05/7847777268/
Really? No driver is going to actually set that off, are they?

Can ya imagine that going off in the city centre? :pac:

the groutch

most likely preparing for Halloween

L1011

Love the accent on it - did Wright specifically look for people who sound like they're extras from a northern English soap opera?

honru

Used the new bus on the 7 route for a short hop last Friday. Very nice. The middle door was opened for me when I disembarked, even though all the passengers I saw used the front door as an exit.

thomasj

Surely there must be a way to install an extra set of doors on existing buses in particular the tri axle buses.

Victor

thomasj wrote: »

Surely there must be a way to install an extra set of doors on existing buses in particular the tri axle buses.

Possibly, however it may mean wholesale rearrangement of the lower deck seating for the wheelchair space.

thomasj

thomasj wrote: »

Surely there must be a way to install an extra set of doors on existing buses in particular the tri axle buses.

It's not a trivial task but is possible, the opposite was done to most of the RH/RA/RV class when withdrawn. The odd one even had the doors reinstated for preservation.

Rock Steady Edy

honru wrote: »

Used the new bus on the 7 route for a short hop last Friday. Very nice. The middle door was opened for me when I disembarked, even though all the passengers I saw used the front door as an exit.

I complained to Dublin Bus via email about some drivers reluctance to use the middle doors 3 weeks ago, and I got the following reply:

"All our drivers on the new GTs are under instruction to use the centre doors at all times unless this is impossible due to unforeseen circumstances. We will be placing notices around the garage here in Donnybrook to remind the 7 drivers of their obligations."

If you want the middle doors to be used, make your intention known by standing by them when wishing to exit. The message is definitely getting through; I haven't had any driver being difficult or showing reluctance to open the doors in the last couple of weeks.

The threat of being transferred to an older one-door operation less luxurious bus is probably enough for any driver to comply.

Dublin Bus could help themselves by putting stickers on the middle doors saying "Way Out" or "Exit" as when I last checked nearby signs merely indicated it was an Emergency Exit.

Tickityboo

Rock Steady Edy wrote: »

I complained to Dublin Bus via email about some drivers reluctance to use the middle doors 3 weeks ago, and I got the following reply:

"All our drivers on the new GTs are under instruction to use the centre doors at all times unless this is impossible due to unforeseen circumstances. We will be placing notices around the garage here in Donnybrook to remind the 7 drivers of their obligations."

If you want the middle doors to be used, make your intention known by standing by them when wishing to exit. The message is definitely getting through; I haven't had any driver being difficult or showing reluctance to open the doors in the last couple of weeks.

The threat of being transferred to an older one-door operation less luxurious bus is probably enough for any driver to comply.

Dublin Bus could help themselves by putting stickers on the middle doors saying "Way Out" or "Exit" as when I last checked nearby signs merely indicated it was an Emergency Exit.

No!!!A threat like that would not make a blind bit of difference (we're not school kids).
I'd say it's more of a case of drivers and passangers have finally started to get used to the new buses and the centre door operation. Personally my favourite bus is the v.t.

Cookie_Monster

got gt16 home last night, no audio thankfully but the display was quite good, and no problems with the lenght of time eng / irish displayed. there's a weird raise in the floor on the left hand side upstairs about halfway down the bus though, I presume it's ac / heater vent or something.

saw a gt53 in the city too, how many have they rolled out?

LXFlyer

They're not being delivered in numerical sequence but they are rolling out rapidly now.

AlekSmart

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

got gt16 home last night, no audio thankfully but the display was quite good, and no problems with the lenght of time eng / irish displayed. there's a weird raise in the floor on the left hand side upstairs about halfway down the bus though, I presume it's ac / heater vent or something.

The weird rise you refer to is simply to allow clearance for the centre door operating gear.

LXFlyer

At least four GTs were rolled out on the 33 today.

Cookie_Monster

Gt4 passed me earlier on the 7b with one of the lower right side windows broken. Not smashed but completly starred the way safety glass fractures. Odd that it would continue in service with damage like that, no?

the groutch

maybe because it's such a niche route it wasnt viable to make everyone get off.
it's not like a 7 or 46a where they can wait 10 minutes for another one.

dfx-

AX460 operated the 15A tonight, so presumably there's the expected transfers happening and sadly Harristown AVs being withdrawn. So the rapid movement is in full swing across the board I'd say.

rx8

I spotted that in the yard last night, and was wondering where it had come from...

GT 55 is apparently in Clontarf garage at the moment, to give the 29A drivers a look at what's coming there.

misslt

I'm on a 33 city bound on a new GT now, (not sure which one). There does seem to be a lot of seats taken out for the centre doors, which have not been used yet so far, perhaps when we get to O'Connell St they will.

The displays are great, but would be better if they were displayed in English first, although I do think the Irish and English are being displayed for the same length of time.