Changes to city bus routes

Poxyshamrock

If they wanted to benefit people going from Castletroy to Raheen and vice versa, they should have just created a direct service via the Childer's Road.

Merging the two busiest routes into one is ridiculous and nonsensical with regards to punctuality.

HorseRadish

These feckin new Limerick city timetables need some major reviewing. Today was the second time in two weeks that I used the supposed bus to Ballycummin from UL only to be told at the Debenhams stop that it was now "the bus to UL". I dont expect a bus to change route halfway through its scheduled journey. The drivers explanations on both occasions were that "they were late for UL runs". If anything the frequency of the buses should be better?? On being told to vacate the bus and wait for another Ballycummin bus,5 mins later another bus flies past us and goes to UL. Thus,two buses going to the same place and leaving us stranded for another x amount of time,when we shouldnt even be there if the bus went on its original scheduled journey!
I can understand there can be teething problems,but not repeated ones.

eclectichoney

That has happened me also - ridiculous having to change buses on a supposedly single route! Not to mention the overcrowding in the mornings, the buses often don't stop the cresent sc as they are too full.

Champ

Mmmm I'm really not surprised at the problems been reported. While the older timetable had overlapping services this at least ment that you mightn't be totally screwed for say an hour or so due to the driver never ever showing up.

The revised 304 is just asking for trouble. Like Poxyshamrock said merging two very busy routes (really need double deckers like Dublin has for that) was an awful idea at best made even worse by reducing the frequency from 10 to 15 minutes.

More people need to start giving feedback to the Bus Eireann Limerick office regarding these "improvements".

Resi12

Wasn't part of these new services a whole set of new 2012 Wi-fi inclusive buses? I went on the 306 yesterday, first off the bloody display didn't even work so I had to ask like a knob what the bus even was to be sure and second it was one of the most dated buses I have been on in a long time. It's a pile of rubbish.

Can I also complain about the terrible and I mean TERRIBLE timetables? They're completely packed with confusing times (11:04 then ever 38 minutes) and bus stops. The information is lacking, they should give more examples of the times. Even as a tentative release.

All in all, I can say though thankfully nothing has changed too much for my own route home if I take the bus but still as of now I don't get the point in the change at all.

redron74

The timetables are not even posted at all the bus stops. Most of the intermediate stops have no timetables on display, so it's very difficult for those who only occasionally use the buses.
Also, there are no timetables displayed at Arthurs Quay, which is one of the major stops for the 301 and the 306. I was in the city centre on sunday and was going out to PC World. I was wondering if the new 306 to Brookfield would facilitate this, but found the timetable holders at Arthurs Quay empty, so I went over to William Street to get the 304 for UL. As it turns out, the new route to Brookfield on the 306 doesn't run on sundays anyway! But I only discovered that by looking up the timetable on the Bus Eireann website afterwards.

Required Field

The new 304 is an absolute nightmare. I used to get the 8.30am into work when I was on mornings and now have to aim for the 8am (which might show up around 8.10am) and I might as well forget the old 2pm bus (never reliable in the old days) ever again being on time for when I'm on evenings.

I'm going to echo what Champ says above:

More people need to start giving feedback to the Bus Eireann Limerick office regarding these "improvements".

Get in touch with the office in town, whether it's a letter or call, and let them know how these "improvements" are anything but.

Red Silurian

Required Field wrote: »

Get in touch with the office in town, whether it's a letter or call, and let them know how these "improvements" are anything but.

Anybody know the phone number/address?

Champ

http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=294

Bus Station, Limerick. (061) 313333

I'd advise calling them. I wouldn't be surprised if they ignored e-mails.:rolleyes:

Again the more people that complain the better as I suspect the "geniuses" who came up with the new network are patting themselves on the back and will be hesitant to admit that it looks great on paper but in reality has fallen far short of been mindful of practical considerations.

eclectichoney

I emailed them but will phone tomorrow - Bus Station, Limerick. (061) 313333

juneg

Anyone know this? does the 304 pick up in mulgrave street to go to raheen and where does it head for after mulgrave street on the way to ballycummin?
thanks much

Presuming Ed

rushian wrote: »

Its a joke. As somebody said earlier in the thread - its madness that every 304 and 301 bus now serves the station when its a 5 minute walk from O'Connell avenue.

Absolutely right - the new system is a farce.

You would think that the City Centre - Regional Hospital - Raheen Business Park route would be on enough people's commute to justify a bus between them. Like the old 304!

But no, now we have the 301 (if it turns up) and the 304 going via the train station and dropping Business Park people on the other side of the church so we can get nicely wet in the rain walking the rest of the way.

312 is now 304 which is fine by me bus every 15 mins and the bus passes my house till midnight used to stop at 7pm

Presuming Ed

Well that's cool that Bus-Eireann are swinging by your house every 15 minutes. But my grievance is that a previously good service between three major employment centres in Limerick is now diluted to the point where people I know are going back to driving because of it.

highlydebased

Resi12 wrote: »

Wasn't part of these new services a whole set of new 2012 Wi-fi inclusive buses? I went on the 306 yesterday, first off the bloody display didn't even work so I had to ask like a knob what the bus even was to be sure and second it was one of the most dated buses I have been on in a long time. It's a pile of rubbish.

Can I also complain about the terrible and I mean TERRIBLE timetables? They're completely packed with confusing times (11:04 then ever 38 minutes) and bus stops. The information is lacking, they should give more examples of the times. Even as a tentative release.

All in all, I can say though thankfully nothing has changed too much for my own route home if I take the bus but still as of now I don't get the point in the change at all.

There's 7 wifi equipped city buses plus older buses with no wifi. You got one of the last remaining 00 mercedes buses I'm guessing

Melion

I was in Westbury the other day and a bus drove past me that was heading to the Regional. That seems a ridiculously long route.

I thought the Corbally bus 301 wouldn't be coming through Shannonbanks now but it is.....I think it is a waste of time tbh with the amount of people that get on in both Shannonbanks/Westbury and the Irish Estates and the last three buses in the evening/night are always empty.....shame really but think another re-think is in order Bus Eireann!

Resi12

Dreadful service today, first time went to Raheen since the changes. Was left waiting half an hour for the 304 to appear even though it should be 15 mins then 40 minutes for any to appear on the way back.

I saw 4 buses, two of the 301 and two of the 304 drive out and 25 minutes later one turns up. Ludicrous. Two came right behind one another.

I don't understand what on Earth they were thinking, the Raheen bus was probably the only service in this city that was reliable and now it's a wreck.

redron74

The 8:10 301 was very late this morning.
And the confusion about this bus serving the Regional Hospital goes on. One lady on board this morning got very nervous when people were getting off in the industrial estate. She presumed she had missed her stop, because she knew the industrial estate was further out than the hospital.
I've seen quite a few people seemingly in the same situation since the route changes. These are people who do not usually travel on the 301 or 304, and are only out this side of town because they have medical appointments or are visiting someone at the hospital. They would be better off getting a 304, as it provides a more direct service to the hospital, even though the 301 has Regional Hospital emblazoned in orangey/amber lights on its front!

Leanne2112

I hate being having to complain to anyone but the service has gotten so bad that I've mailed them, will call tomorrow on it too. To get to work for 9.00 I used to get the 8.30 bus from Childers Road to the Kilmurray Roundabout area and I'd usually be grand. This morning I got to the bus stop at 8.02 just to be sure I'd get there in time as the buses last week were very few and far between. A bus came along at 8.17, it was full and didn't stop, the driver just shrugged at us (not his fault in fairness, the bus was dangerously full as it was). Next bus came after 8.30, it got me to Castletroy for 9.10.

I honestly can't believe they thought that merging the two busiest routes in the city was a good idea. Every single bus I've got in the morning (and I get one every weekday) has been late and dangerously full, almost every day a full bus passes people at the stop.

Below is a mail I got in reply to a mail I sent last Friday, I'd been at the bus stop trying to get home for about an hour.
"Hi Leanne,

I acknowledge receipt of your e-mail below regarding your experience while availing of our services last week and I apologise for the inconvenience caused to you.

As part of a Public Transport Review undertaken by the National Transport Authority and Bus Eireann all services in Limeick City were reviewed with the intention of providing customers with an improved level of service, improves access to employment areas, industrial estates, Regional Hospital, Bus/Train Station and residential areas. There is a 15 minute frequency on this route but we are experiencing difficulties with heavy traffic congestion particularly in the morning and evening peak times because of a lack of bus priority measures in the city.

We are keeping this route under review on a daily basis and monitoring all services in an effort to improve the running of the service.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to contact me with your comments and assure you that we are taking on board all feedback from customers as part of an overall review of the new services.


Regards,"

Also, I'd love to know the rationale behind making these mental changes just as the students are back at UL when the traffic is at its worst for the year.

metamorphosis

Been spending a lot of time in Dublin with work lately ... How is it that they can do a much better job with their bus services and public transport than the new cluster **** that has been implemented here in limerick. Geniuses I say

redron74

Leanne2112 wrote: »

Below is a mail I got in reply to a mail I sent last Friday, I'd been at the bus stop trying to get home for about an hour.
"Hi Leanne,

I acknowledge receipt of your e-mail below regarding your experience while availing of our services last week and I apologise for the inconvenience caused to you.

As part of a Public Transport Review undertaken by the National Transport Authority and Bus Eireann all services in Limeick City were reviewed with the intention of providing customers with an improved level of service, improves access to employment areas, industrial estates, Regional Hospital, Bus/Train Station and residential areas. There is a 15 minute frequency on this route but we are experiencing difficulties with heavy traffic congestion particularly in the morning and evening peak times because of a lack of bus priority measures in the city.

We are keeping this route under review on a daily basis and monitoring all services in an effort to improve the running of the service.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to contact me with your comments and assure you that we are taking on board all feedback from customers as part of an overall review of the new services.


Regards,"

Very similar to the reply I got from the National Transport Authority on friday. People really need to be asking what their "Public Transport Review" consisted of, as it certainly doesn't seem to have included any consultation with service users. Did any of them even travel on the service as it was, in order to find out what it was like?
And "improved access to employment areas, industrial estates" is a joke. The service to Raheen Industrial Estate has all but been axed, and I don't see service to any other industrial estates added to the route network!

redron74

metamorphosis wrote: »

Been spending a lot of time in Dublin with work lately ... How is it that they can do a much better job with their bus services and public transport than the new cluster **** that has been implemented here in limerick. Geniuses I say

The big difference between Dublin and Limerick is bus lanes. Limerick City doesn't have any! And there are only a couple of token examples in the suburbs controlled by Limerick County Council.
While the service isn't fantastic in Dublin, it is reasonably reliable.

thesimpsons

ah to be fair to LCC, there is a great long bus corridor on the condel road ............. just no buses scheduled for it

redron74

thesimpsons wrote: »

ah to be fair to LCC, there is a great long bus corridor on the condel road ............. just no buses scheduled for it

My apologies for inadvertently sullying the reputation of Limerick City Council. I completely forgot about that one!

rushian

redron74 wrote: »

Very similar to the reply I got from the National Transport Authority on friday. People really need to be asking what their "Public Transport Review" consisted of, as it certainly doesn't seem to have included any consultation with service users. Did any of them even travel on the service as it was, in order to find out what it was like?
And "improved access to employment areas, industrial estates" is a joke. The service to Raheen Industrial Estate has all but been axed, and I don't see service to any other industrial estates added to the route network!

+1 on this. looks like they got somebody who has never been on a bus in their life to come up with the new schedules. I leave home earlier in the morning for Raheen and its not the worst but luckily i work just inside the Raheen Industrial Estate.
I feel sorry for the people travelling to Castletroy. It sounds horrendous

rushian

Leanne2112 wrote: »

There is a 15 minute frequency on this route but we are experiencing difficulties with heavy traffic congestion particularly in the morning and evening peak times because of a lack of bus priority measures in the city.

Seriously??? Did they think there would be no traffic?

Champ

Yep they're pretty much blaming the lack of bus lanes for the epic fail that is this "improved" service (while still defending it as an improved service???).

However there's only so much that they can blame on that, the 304 for example what on earth did they expect to happen combining two of the busiest routes into the one single deck bus??? No surprise people are getting left behind. Add the real chance that the bus never even turns up (very problematic in Limerick) and you get a progressively worse knock off effect as follow up buses have to clear the backlog. An utter joke of a bus service made borderline insulting by their continued defence that it's an "improved" service.

I just wish they could run a reliable service at least hourly never mind ever 30 or 15 minutes...

Presuming Ed

Totally agree with all the previous posters.

Do they seriously think that by repeating this "improved" word that people are gonna believe it?! Sounds like politician-speak to me and it stinks to high heaven.

redron74

SarahBeep! wrote: »

Then (the FINAL leg of my journey today :P) managed to get the 21.15 308 outside Centra.

highlydebased wrote: »

I saw the 308 today too....how confusing

Are you sure this was a Bus Eireann bus?
I noticed the other day that the Eurobus uses 308 as its route number. Someone told me it was 308B before the recent changes.

This seems like slightly dodgy practice to me. Surely Bus Eireann have some copyright on their route network scheme. Or have those rights been taken off them and given to the National Transport Authority? No private company would allow rivals to use their intellectual property, so why should a state company! Strange