Dublin Bus - reduced services during Summer?

fta93

Do certain DB routes operate to reduced frequencies during summer?

I say this as my 18.55 29A from Baldoyle hasn't turned up 3 times in the past week. (Last Friday, yesterday, and today), leaving a 45 minute gap in service.

Is this just a freak occurrence (eg buses returning late from town/sickness/breakdowns) or are less buses/staff available, resulting in some non-runnings?

LXFlyer

There are no official cuts to the timetable - sounds like traffic issues or potentially a driver shortage possibly.

I know that last year there were serious resource issues during the summer but I didn't think that this would repeat itself given more cuts have been implemented since last summer.

Drop them a line at customercomment@dublinbus.ie

devnull

I used Dublin Bus for the first time in a while today apart from nitelink and the airport services since many many months actually when I quit because of how unreliable the service was, maybe I was just unlucky but today it was more of the same so I won't be changing my mind.

I narrowly missed a bus that appeared to be 2-3 minutes early from a terminus, but maybe I was mistaken, so I'll give that the benefit of the doubt. However the next bus due half an hour later did not turn up. So I waited another half an hour for the next one. No sign of it 15 minutes after the departure time so I just took a taxi, since the excuses they gave me such as related to the weather didn't wash with me.

I did see two services in the other direction drop of passengers, then straight away drive past out of service. One bus not turning up I can accept, but two in a row, isn't acceptable.

fta93

In my own experience, the routes I use (Howth Road ones) are reliable enough, just for this one recurring one. Driver shortage or vehicle issues sound like the most plausible explanations over actual major unreliability.

As for their customer comment email, chances are I'll get a 'these comments have been passed on to the garage manager' in 20 days or so!

dfx-

The routes overall I find as reliable as you could expect across the city.

I was on the 1840 ex-Malahide 32 on Thursday evening, it seemed to pick up a lot of slack off the 29A. It was getting into town about 1930. It also departed late btw..

Victor

They should be operating to timetable. At times of reduced congestion, you need fewer buses to operate the same timetable.

Two weeks ago, I overheard a conversation between Conyngham Road drivers that there was lots of overtime available at the moment, which would seem to mean that there are 'too many' drivers on holidays.

Losty Dublin

Victor wrote: »

They should be operating to timetable. At times of reduced congestion, you need fewer buses to operate the same timetable.

Two weeks ago, I overheard a conversation between Conyngham Road drivers that there was lots of overtime available at the moment, which would seem to mean that there are 'too many' drivers on holidays.

There was rumours abounding some time ago that Dublin Bus were considering introducing "Summer Boards". Effectively these meant less buses out and hence less work for drivers; some people feared that this would mean some redundancy.

Victor

I'm not sure if it needs to be like that. I imagine most bus drivers would take holidays and days off in the summer and at Christmas-New Years, which should mostly match demand.

Some Dublin Bus timetables, but more so Bus Éireann timetables have school day and winter / summer variations.

I saw a Dutch(?) timetable recently and it was marked out as weekday, weekend (including public holidays), summer and I think one other category. It might be useful to have things a bit more explicit here.

Losty Dublin

Victor wrote: »

I'm not sure if it needs to be like that. I imagine most bus drivers would take holidays and days off in the summer and at Christmas-New Years, which should mostly match demand.

It had been done in the past whereby a specific summer timetable was brought in as distinct to dropping the occasional trip here or there or spare/universal boards being dropped during the day as is the case today. Some senior people in the company felt that they were considering different timetables and rosters this summer, which naturally they felt it would lead to similar coming in through the autumn.

Happily it doesn't seem to have happened this year.

lucernarian

I thought there was a new timetable to be introduced on the 46As for this summer which included a reduction of 5 duties on the route. It was posted on boards somewhere, I don't know what thread.

Victor

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

I thought there was a new timetable to be introduced on the 46As for this summer which included a reduction of 5 duties on the route. It was posted on boards somewhere, I don't know what thread.

The number of duties is not directly proportional to the number of departures.

If a trip from A-B takes 1 hour and there is a 10 minute frequency, it will take 12 buses to run the service. However, it during the summer or other quite times, it only takes 50 minutes, you now only need 10 buses to run the same level of service.

lucernarian

Victor wrote: »

The number of duties is not directly proportional to the number of departures.

If a trip from A-B takes 1 hour and there is a 10 minute frequency, it will take 12 buses to run the service. However, it during the summer or other quite times, it only takes 50 minutes, you now only need 10 buses to run the same level of service.

I personally know that, I happen to remember someone else posting this back in March or April and it might be of some relevance to this thread. I'm wondering if anyone familiar with Donnybrook could confirm any such operational change to the route.

LXFlyer

No changes have happened as yet.

There is a comprehensive cost cutting plan under negotiation with the unions and part of this includes revised rosters/schedules at slacker periods, such as summer and the week between Christmas and New Year.

But as yet nothing has been agreed.

Vahevala

Yet again, another bus cancelled for me on the way home. No point emailing DB about it, you just get the copy and paste response

Victor

Victor wrote: »

I saw a Dutch(?) timetable recently and it was marked out as weekday, weekend (including public holidays), summer and I think one other category. It might be useful to have things a bit more explicit here.

Found it.