Bus Driver with Ear Phones in

whatnext

While I don't think it is illegal to to drive with earphones in yet, I was slightly taken a back to see my bus driver wearing them yesterday evening. When boarding the bus and stating my fair he had to remove one of the earphones to hear what I was saying. When I was getting off the bus he was doing an impression of Stevie Wonder with his head rolling all over the place!

As someone who walks in and out of work most days I am aware how earphone can distract you, or wrap you up in your own little reality and make you completely oblivious to your surroundings. I had a wake up call myself, to the extent that I only wear one earphone while walking now.

Is this something that I should comment on to the driver or am I over reacting?
I would have no problem pulling him up on it if I thought it was illegal, but as it doesn't appear to be I'm in a bit of moral limbo.

Anyone have any thoughts?

rx8

Dublin Bus have banned their drivers from using ear-pieces, headphones and even blue-tooth devices.

Most have now stopped using them and some have bought a radio, if they want to listen to some music. The company can't really do anything about it unless an inspector actually boards the bus and catches the driver using it.

If you think that your safety has been compromised by the fact that the driver isn't fully concentrating on the road, then you should say something to him, and if you then feel that you need to, you can contact Dublin Bus directly.

doubletrouble?

whatnext wrote: »

While I don't think it is illegal to to drive with earphones in yet, I was slightly taken a back to see my bus driver wearing them yesterday evening. When boarding the bus and stating my fair he had to remove one of the earphones to hear what I was saying. When I was getting off the bus he was doing an impression of Stevie Wonder with his head rolling all over the place!

As someone who walks in and out of work most days I am aware how earphone can distract you, or wrap you up in your own little reality and make you completely oblivious to your surroundings. I had a wake up call myself, to the extent that I only wear one earphone while walking now.

Is this something that I should comment on to the driver or am I over reacting?
I would have no problem pulling him up on it if I thought it was illegal, but as it doesn't appear to be I'm in a bit of moral limbo.

Anyone have any thoughts?

just out of curiosity, can you state if it was dublinbus ,bus eireann or another company. as rx stated dublin bus drivers are not supposed to use ear phones but you dont say which company it was.

whatnext

doubletrouble? wrote: »

just out of curiosity, can you state if it was dublinbus ,bus eireann or another company. as rx stated dublin bus drivers are not supposed to use ear phones but you dont say which company it was.

It was Dublin Bus.

If I see it happen again I'll tackle the driver on it, I'm not going to get involved in a complaints process, as I did that with a Garda many years ago and I can honestly say it was the biggest mistake I have made in my life to date. To put that into perspective I bought my flat in 2007 and also bought Anglo shares and regard those as lesser mistakes............

whatnext

Same driver this evening. No earphones

Sunnyisland

He probably a boardsie...

Phoebas

realies wrote: »

He probably a boardsie...

... the system works!

Sad Professor

Pfft! I've seen Dublin Bus drivers cutting their nails while driving at speed.

AlekSmart

Sad Professor wrote: »

Pfft! I've seen Dublin Bus drivers cutting their nails while driving at speed.

Don't be exaggerating...it was only ONE toenail !

Grandeeod

whatnext wrote: »

I'm not going to get involved in a complaints process, as I did that with a Garda many years ago and I can honestly say it was the biggest mistake I have made in my life to date. To put that into perspective I bought my flat in 2007 and also bought Anglo shares and regard those as lesser mistakes............

OT...But woah!

foggy_lad

Op you should report the driver as using any type of phone or music headphones while driving is against the company rules as well as a distraction and dangerous.

Tickityboo

foggy_lad wrote: »

Op you should report the driver as using any type of phone or music headphones while driving is against the company rules as well as a distraction and dangerous.

And don't forget to tell his mammy too!!.

Sierra Oscar

foggy_lad wrote: »

Op you should report the driver as using any type of phone or music headphones while driving is against the company rules as well as a distraction and dangerous.

Why not try having a word with the driver first off?

Tarabuses

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

Why not try having a word with the driver first off?

I generally find that people who are doing what they shouildn't be doing do not take kindly to being told not to do it.

foggy_lad

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

Why not try having a word with the driver first off?

Because those who are using headphones, reading the paper/a book, chatting to work colleagues or on mobile phones while driving usually feel some level of entitlement to flout their company's rules and indeed the rules of the road so they will hardly have time for a lowly passenger telling them off.

bk

Better to note the bus, route and time and report it to DB.

They can check CCTV on the bus to confirm.

I'm sure in this case they would come down very hard on a driver for doing this and rightfully so.

doubletrouble?

firstly o.p. dont approach the driver about using head phones. it's up to a supervisor or manager to deal with that and as pointed out by someone else. he wouldn't take to kindly to a passenger telling him what to do.
what i'm about to say next is not an attack on the o.p. but simply pointing something out to everyone that uses buses.
welcome to our world.
o.p. you found it rude, arrogant and everything else that goes with it.
everyday we have to contend with that likes of what you saw from the driver. only thing is it's reversed. we get dozens of passengers getting on throwing in money using portable devices completely oblivious to whats going on around them including us. yaking on their mobiles as if the driver isn't even there.
foggy
it's a minority of drivers that flout the ear phone rule. but it's the majority of passengers that flout dublin bus by -laws
if we were to enforce the by-laws as they are, you'd need a hell of alot mods on here. fact is we dont.
by laws include using portable devices,consuming food and drink. the list is endless.

Peppa Pig

doubletrouble? wrote: »

we get dozens of passengers getting on throwing in money using portable devices completely oblivious to whats going on around them including us. yaking on their mobiles as if the driver isn't even there.
it's a minority of drivers that flout the ear phone rule. but it's the majority of passengers that flout dublin bus by -laws

I love to see you back that statement up about the majority of passengers flouting the DB bye laws.

DB bye laws wrote:

No person while on the vehicle shall sing, perform on any musical or other instruments or use any audible radio, television, record player, tape recorder or portable apparatus.

Link
It's not against DB bye laws for a passenger to use earphones, never mind the fact that they are not actually driving the bus.

whatnext

Hi the only reason I mentioned it was because I know the impact earphones have on my concentration.
I was going to say something to the driver at the time, but didn't.
I appreciate also the points made by doubletrouble? but I am not one of those you refer to. And having watched that program on the LUAS the other night I have a lot of sympathy for what drivers must have to endure.

Anyway as I said earlier, I was on the bus yesterday with the same driver and he had no earphones so issue is over as far as I am concerned.

therewillbe

I loved Driving for BAC for 20 odd years.We only had radios back then and it was always illegal to use them in regards to the Broadcasting act.You needed a licence as it was being heard by others so that was a commercial thing.

cbl593h

If it was Aircoach it would be P45 time.

Harsh but fair.

http://www.firstgroup.com/latest_news/?id=000075

devnull

One case here:
http://legal-island.ie/news/item/79/coach-driver-dismissed-for-texting-while-driving/

dfx-

bk wrote: »

Better to note the bus, route and time and report it to DB.

They can check CCTV on the bus to confirm.

I'm sure in this case they would come down very hard on a driver for doing this and rightfully so.

As far as I was aware, the onboard CCTV can't be used against the driver though.

RATM

bk wrote: »

Better to note the bus, route and time and report it to DB.

They can check CCTV on the bus to confirm.

I'm sure in this case they would come down very hard on a driver for doing this and rightfully so.

cbl593h wrote: »

If it was Aircoach it would be P45 time.

Harsh but fair.

http://www.firstgroup.com/latest_news/?id=000075

It begs the question as to what is "coming down very hard" on a driver for flouting the rules. In the private sector you'd be lucky to still have a job but with CIE it'd be a slap on the wrist, provided the unions give the okay to do so.

I really pity the hard working decent Dublin Bus drivers out there as there is a growing minority of drivers who make them look bad and which then ensures some of the public treat all bus drivers with contempt as a result. It is a vicious circle but the behavior of a minority and how they treat the public like they are an inconvenience has given them all a bad label.

Polar101

RATM wrote: »

In the private sector you'd be lucky to still have a job but with CIE it'd be a slap on the wrist, provided the unions give the okay to do so.

I work in the private sector and I wouldn't expect to get sacked for an offense like that. Talked to/warned, yes - but surely a lot of this talk is an overreaction? At least I wouldn't want to live in a society where people get sacked because an unhappy customer reported them (depending on what actually happened, of course). Even if they worked in the public sector.

miller50841

Seriously ear phones and a Thread about it and most saying how bad it is....

Dublin Bus drivers are among the most trained drivers on the road so really find a lot that is been said harsh.

I see people in their cars doing their hair, makeup, shave, read books/maps/files, drink coffee, eat, use phones(text, facebook, talk) etc etc and also people who really aren't aware of what is actually is going on outside their cage too busy in full conversation with the hand movements while chatting away with their passengers in the car.

Yes it's in the bye laws for the company but that in itself is so outdated.

A day for the people that always find a way of having a go at Dublin Bus staff would be better if they actually done their own thing and behaved in the correct manner. A driver like most other workers want to go to work have a good day and go home not be watched and spoken down to and abused as I have seen happen on a few occasions.

Darksaga87

whatnext wrote: »

It was Dublin Bus.

If I see it happen again I'll tackle the driver on it, I'm not going to get involved in a complaints process, as I did that with a Garda many years ago and I can honestly say it was the biggest mistake I have made in my life to date. To put that into perspective I bought my flat in 2007 and also bought Anglo shares and regard those as lesser mistakes............

Story time?

Going Forward

Could argue that tour drivers with microphones on headsets giving the old blarney to the yanks are not giving their full attention to driving either.

The_Wrecker

Going Forward wrote: »

Could argue that tour drivers with microphones on headsets giving the old blarney to the yanks are not giving their full attention to driving either.

Too true.... A 1.2m cable from the drivers neck to the upper bulkhead.

stephen97

If you think that your safety has been compromised by the fact that the driver isn't fully concentrating on the road, then you should say something to him, and if you then feel that you need to, you can contact Dublin Bus directly.[/QUOTE]

dublin bus customer care is worse than 02
i know comparing buses to phones is like apples and oranges but
they will give you the run around

miller50841

stephen97 wrote: »

If you think that your safety has been compromised by the fact that the driver isn't fully concentrating on the road, then you should say something to him, and if you then feel that you need to, you can contact Dublin Bus directly.

dublin bus customer care is worse than 02
i know comparing buses to phones is like apples and oranges but
they will give you the run around[/QUOTE]

This has been said so many times already.

I think now at this stage everyone knows how to complain about Dublin Bus and it's drivers they never seem to stop from what I see.

How is having ear phones in dangerous the only reason it's in the bye laws is so that the driver can hear the passenger.

Other road users including cyclists use them which is illegal for cyclists as they cant hear whats going on around them.

The OP said they said their fare so at this point he wasn't even moving so really don't get what this thread is all about.