Wow a bus inspector just confiscated by annual dublin bus ticket

micks_address

Hi folks,

On my merry way to work today, with my annual work issued dublin bus ticket. Been getting tickets for about 5 years now, before that i used to get a dublin bus/irish rail combined ticket. I have my last issued combined ticket in my wallet along with my current dublin bus annual travel pass. The ticket has been inspected countless times - they just look at it and give it back to me. Today though the inspector insisted I show him my dublin bus issued photo id.. which obviously I dont have as I was never issued one. I told him this, and how the ticket had been inspected before. I also showed him my Irish Rail/Bus combined ticket and he looked at it and says cause its an Irish Rail ticket 'they are a different company' so nothing to do with dublin bus. Even through the Irish Rail ticket which has my photo on it, has the same ticket number as my current dublin bus annual ticket. Wow great.. so at 7.30 i have no bus ticket. He tells me I have to go into Dublin Bus O Connel street to claim it back and get my picture taken. Lucky I got that hair cut yesterday

I took his name as I am kinda a little annoyed by it.. who wouldnt I guess being attacked so early in the morning. I insisted at least he give me a rambler ticket so i could get in to get the my own back but its just the hassle of it now! Plus I just realised I dont have any photo id with me.. will they want a drivers liscense or something to prove where i live?

And to think I almost stayed in bed!

Cheers,
Mick

The Big Red Button

Your gripe should be with your employer - not with the inspector. Your employer should have given you a photo ID card along with your ticket. It's up to your to fill it in and attach a photo.

The bus inspector did nothing wrong, and in fact, it seems he went out of his way to accommodate you by giving you a Rambler ticket!

Btw, why would you have a bus ticket as well as a bus/rail combined ticket?

gugleguy

Is ur route on the 37/38/39/70? Was inspector on his own or 3 of them?(impress his mates)

How Strange

You're supposed to get the Dublin Bus id card before being issued an annual ticket. Your employer would usually be asked for your id number when applying for your ticket.

It's a b1tch of a thing to happen but the inspector was just doing his job.

I'd imagine there's a good business in stolen/lost annual tickets so they want to see your id card along with the ticket.

micks_address

im happy he was just doing his job, its just never been an issue before.. i used to get rail/bus combined tickets and they had a photo id on them, so after i switched to bus only i kept my last combined ticket just to have something with a photo on it..

How Strange

Ok I see your point, my combined ticket was the same as yours this year. I'm not sure if the id and photo on the card supersede the original id card. If you get a combined bus/train ticket then Irish rail issue it. Ring Irish rail tax saver dept and ask.

micks_address

To be honest, i cant be bothered - I'll just go in at lunchtime and try and get sorted.. still an inconvience that i could have done without!

How Strange wrote: »

Ok I see your point, my combined ticket was the same as yours this year. I'm not sure if the id and photo on the card supersede the original id card. If you get a combined bus/train ticket then Irish rail issue it. Ring Irish rail tax saver dept and ask.

KD345

Does the ID number on your photo match the ID number on your annual card? If it doesn't then there is nothing connecting you to it.

If there was no ID number on your card then the inspector was right to take it. It's an expensive ticket, valued at €1,120, so you can see why the company would want to ensure its being used correctly.

The Dublin Bus website asks you to have a "CIE ID", it also has a picture of a "CIE ID" card . There is possibly an argument here if the inspector asked you for a specific Dublin Bus ID. It might be good if they clarified the name of the ID card, as many would assume the CIE umbrella of companies are the same.

micks_address

The ID number printed on the combined bus/rail ticket (with my photo) matched exactly the ID number on the dublin bus annual ticket.

KD345 wrote: »

Does the ID number on your photo match the ID number on your annual card? If it doesn't then there is nothing connecting you to it.

If there was no ID number on your card then the inspector was right to take it. It's an expensive ticket, valued at €1,120, so you can see why the company would want to ensure its being used correctly.

The Dublin Bus website asks you to have a "CIE ID", it also has a picture of a "CIE ID" card . There is possibly an argument here if the inspector asked you for a specific Dublin Bus ID. It might be good if they clarified the name of the ID card, as many would assume the CIE umbrella of companies are the same.

LXFlyer

Ok, to summarise:

1) You have an Irish Rail smartcard valid for 2013 with your photo and name on it, on which is printed that it is a Short Hop Annual Bus/Rail ticket, with an ID number printed on it.

2) You have a Dublin Bus Annual Bus & Rail Bus smartcard valid for 2013 with the same ID number written on it.

If that is the case then the inspector was completely wrong. The Irish Rail smartcard acts as your ID, provided both smartcards have the same ID number on them.

micks_address

Not quite, the irish rail card is from 2008 but it has my photo on it, and ID number printed on the back. This ID number is also printed on my 2013 Dublin Bus Annual Ticket tying the two together

lxflyer wrote: »

Ok, to summarise:

1) You have an Irish Rail smartcard valid for 2013 with your photo and name on it, on which is printed that it is a Short Hop Annual Bus/Rail ticket, with an ID number printed on it.

2) You have a Dublin Bus Annual Bus & Rail Bus smartcard valid for 2013 with the same ID number written on it.

If that is the case then the inspector was completely wrong. The Irish Rail smartcard acts as your ID, provided both smartcards have the same ID number on them.

LXFlyer

Well then the inspector was quite correct.

If you have an annual bus/rail ticket then you must have both a valid rail smartcard and a valid bus smartcard together on your person to travel. You would have been issued with both when you got your 2013 ticket? Why are you using one from 2008 which is clearly not valid?

micks_address

i dont use the rail any more.. i just kept the last valid rail ticket as i assumed it would be sufficient as ID as it has my photo, and the same printed ID number on it as my current Dublin Bus ticket..

lxflyer wrote: »

Well then the inspector was quite correct.

If you have a bus/rail ticket then you must have two valid smartcards - one for the bus and one for the train.

hfallada

They have taken my student ticket that had 2 days on it and stored it in o connell street. Wasnt arsed collecting it until
I got a generic you have been fined letter. So I had to go to o Connell street to show my id and not pay the fine.

I have been on buses where people looking 25 haven't gotten away with using a child ticket. Other days the bus inspectors will go by the book( i know it's their job but not everyone in cie is great at it)

LXFlyer

micks_address wrote: »

i dont use the rail any more.. i just kept the last valid rail ticket as i assumed it would be sufficient as ID as it has my photo, and the same printed ID number on it as my current Dublin Bus ticket..

It is not just an ID card - it is also one half of the ticket.

Exactly what ticket were you using?

If it was a Dublin Bus Bus Only Travelwide ticket then yes you would have to have a Dublin Bus ID card. An Irish Rail smartcard from 5 years ago is not a valid ID.

micks_address

Just back from Dublin bus.. thankfully i got a lift in... very helpful but i found the whole thing just a little funny..

told them i needed a new ID - they asked me to write down my name/address. They didnt ask for any photo id or proof of address,

They took my photo -

Asked me about my ticket - told them it was annual travel expiring end of year, girl issued me with a new one. Hand wrote the number from the new ID on the new ticket..

So how is this any more proof of ID than what I had this morning?

At least this morning I had an old train ticket with my picture on it, with a printed ID number that matched the Printed ID number on my current bus ticket!

Ah well who am i to question these things..

Cheers,
Mick

corktina

It proves it's your ticket as it's your photo, isn't that what it's for?to prevent you lending it to someone else.

VONSHIRACH

I went into Dublin Bus recently to get new photo ID. I never looked at the ID until I got home. The person at the desk had managed to put somebody elses name on my ID.

LXFlyer

micks_address wrote: »

Just back from Dublin bus.. thankfully i got a lift in... very helpful but i found the whole thing just a little funny..

told them i needed a new ID - they asked me to write down my name/address. They didnt ask for any photo id or proof of address,

They took my photo -

Asked me about my ticket - told them it was annual travel expiring end of year, girl issued me with a new one. Hand wrote the number from the new ID on the new ticket..

So how is this any more proof of ID than what I had this morning?

At least this morning I had an old train ticket with my picture on it, with a printed ID number that matched the Printed ID number on my current bus ticket!

Ah well who am i to question these things..

Cheers,
Mick

The "ID" that you had this morning was an out of date Irish Rail smartcard that is only valid:
1) In the year of issue; and
2) For the ticket it is issued - i.e. Rail only or rail/bus ticket

You now have a valid Dublin Bus ID Card that does not expire.

micks_address

I dont dissagree with you... but a proof of ID doesnt really expire..unless one could change ID if you were going purely on the facts, the OLD ticket i had this morning which had my photo and ID number matching my bus ticket was equally if not a better form of ID than what i have now, which is basically a photo id with a number that someone then wrote on my bus ticket..

lxflyer wrote: »

The "ID" that you had this morning was an out of date Irish Rail smartcard that is only valid:
1) In the year of issue; and
2) For the ticket it is issued - i.e. Rail only or rail/bus ticket

You now have a valid Dublin Bus ID Card that does not expire.

LXFlyer

I think that you'll find that the Irish Rail smart card is actually a ticket with an expiry date on it rather than simply an ID card.

You have to get a new one each year for bus/rail passes.

If you buy a bus only ticket you've got to have the Dublin Bus ID.

Mrs OBumble

Sheesh!

I'm glad that each and every one of my monthly Bus Éireann tickets gets my mug shot on it, so there's no need for extra IDs.

(Funny thing is, I gave them a passport photo, and for that had to have my hair tied back. Normally it's not tied, so I look kinda different IRL.)

JayRoc

A lot of this is such infuriating nonsense.

An IR id card with the same serial number as your DB ticket should be accepted by anyone with the cop-on to tie their own shoelaces, regardless of when it was issued.

If ID was valid two years ago, it's valid now...the idea of acceptable identification "expiring" is mostly ridiculous. Typical of the timewasting red tape bull**** so beloved by this country.

In the words of Dara O'Briain, "Eh....it's still ME"

Losty Dublin

JayRoc wrote: »

A lot of this is such infuriating nonsense.

An IR id card with the same serial number as your DB ticket should be accepted by anyone with the cop-on to tie their own shoelaces, regardless of when it was issued.

If ID was valid two years ago, it's valid now...the idea of acceptable identification "expiring" is mostly ridiculous. Typical of the timewasting red tape bull**** so beloved by this country.

LXFlyer has already established that it wasn't a DB ID card he was using but a train ticket and an out of date one at that.

n97 mini

A photo ID is a photo ID. As long as the photograph identifies the ID holder, the date has no bearing or than for pedants.

Why is a 9 year old passport acceptable as a photo ID and a more recent CIE card isn't. Pedantry.

Losty Dublin

n97 mini wrote: »

A photo ID is a photo ID. As long as the photograph identifies the ID holder, the date has no bearing or than for pedants.

Why is a 9 year old passport acceptable as a photo ID and a more recent CIE card isn't. Pedantry.

Why not indeed?

Or maybe a gym membership. Or a work ID. Or a business card. Or maybe even a print out of a Facebook profile :rolleyes:

RATM

JayRoc wrote: »

A lot of this is such infuriating nonsense.

An IR id card with the same serial number as your DB ticket should be accepted by anyone with the cop-on to tie their own shoelaces, regardless of when it was issued.

If ID was valid two years ago, it's valid now...the idea of acceptable identification "expiring" is mostly ridiculous. Typical of the timewasting red tape bull**** so beloved by this country.

In the words of Dara O'Briain, "Eh....it's still ME"

Too right.

Was just reading this thread and all the rules and regulations spoken about and hoops the end user has to jump through sound like something that would have occured in communist Russia.

There must be a better way.

etchyed

lxflyer wrote: »

It is not just an ID card - it is also one half of the ticket.

Exactly what ticket were you using?

The OP explains all of this very clearly in his opening post, which you evidently haven't bothered to read properly.

The OP did not have the valid ID required for use with his ticket, but an old ticket (incorporating a photo) with matching ID number, which made it very clear to the inspector that he was the owner of the ticket. I would generally agree that rules is rules, and that the OP should have had the correct form of ticket.

However, this thread is certainly not an example of the usual nonsense in evidence on this forum when someone gets caught chancing their arm, and the OP does not need to have such knee-jerk scorn poured on his situation. Unfortunately this seems to be the instinctive response of certain posters here.

Dravokivich

JayRoc wrote: »

In the words of Dara O'Briain, "Eh....it's still ME"

The thing he brushes over and makes no mention of though, is that the passport has a period of validity for the usage/authorisation of the holder as a means to travel abroad.

markpb

Dravokivich wrote: »

The thing he brushes over and makes no mention of though, is that the passport has a period of validity for the usage/authorisation of the holder as a means to travel abroad.

He doesn't brush over anything - he (Dara) was flying internally in the UK. Ryanair wanted the passport to verify that it was his name on the ticket and that he wasn't passing it off to someone else. An expired passport does just that - it has a photo and a verified name. His point was (correctly) that just because it expired (as a means to authorise him to leave the country), it still proved that he was who he said he was.

Likewise, the need for photo ID for DB tickets is to ensure that only one person can use the weekly/monthly/annual ticket. A photo ID with matching number goes part of the way to doing that but it's not foolproof because (in theory) I could steal someone's ticket and then find a photo ID belonging to me which has the same number.

In my experience, Luas RPU would have explained to the person that their ID was incorrect and told them to get correct ID before they were ticket checked again. If caught a second time, they'd be fined. CIE RPU seem to take the opposite view and proceed directly to fining but perhaps that's just because DB carry so many more people and have so few RPU staff that the chance of catching and recognising a person a second time is lower.

n97 mini

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Why not indeed?

Or maybe a gym membership. Or a work ID. Or a business card. Or maybe even a print out of a Facebook profile :rolleyes:

Useful contribution.

A four year old photo ID which identifies the holder is no less useful than a 1 year old photo ID which identifies the holder.

corktina

it's about revenue protection..it might not seem to make sense in every case but you can see why there has to be rules, and now this guy knows what the rule is...had he not been pulled up on it, he might have continued for ever not following the rules. The Inspector was following his instructions.

n97 mini

I think it's black and white. An accepted photo ID either identifies the holder or it doesn't. I understand that there are rules, but there is also common sense.

bk

And this is one of the reasons I'd like to see an optional national id card introduced.

Losty Dublin

n97 mini wrote: »

Useful contribution.

A four year old photo ID which identifies the holder is no less useful than a 1 year old photo ID which identifies the holder.

Well that is your take on it and not mine.

lucernarian

JayRoc wrote: »

A lot of this is such infuriating nonsense.

An IR id card with the same serial number as your DB ticket should be accepted by anyone with the cop-on to tie their own shoelaces, regardless of when it was issued.

If ID was valid two years ago, it's valid now...the idea of acceptable identification "expiring" is mostly ridiculous. Typical of the timewasting red tape bull**** so beloved by this country.

In the words of Dara O'Briain, "Eh....it's still ME"

Well said.

Some posters seem to be forgetting that the CIE identity card as issued by Dublin Bus doesn't have an expiry date. I expect there's a reason why that's the case...

I know passports have an expiry date but they serve a very different need and are for very serious reasons, security and the likes. Also, perhaps all the photo IDs could be standardised for use up to e.g. 10 years after they're issued?

But it's clear that common sense went out the window. I don't want to blame a ticket inspector for it though. CIÉ management are the people who need to let common sense dictate what's done here.