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Salthill bus service is brutal.

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  • 18-10-2015 8:26pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 12,513 ✭✭✭✭


    This is a Bus Eireann city service that just never seems to be on time or sticking to the schedule. Friday evening at the Eyre Square bus stop was a joke, I was waiting for the 5 pm bus with a packed bus shelter, the 5 pm drives past towards the bus station but never returned like it usually does a few minutes later. Twenty five minutes past five, two more Salthill buses drive into the station, eventually one came our way about nearly half an hour after it should have been. I got no reason for the delay from the bus driver, WTF! was that about.

    If you want to get into it, you got to get out of it. (Hawkwind 1982)



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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 2,140 ✭✭✭ciano1


    Typical.. But eireann is generally brutal!


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,064 ✭✭✭✭ben.schlomo


    Used to use the 409 a lot and the 0945 was more often than not missing in action.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,248 ✭✭✭✭thesandeman


    Jaysus Dude, you could have walked. It's a bodhran you were carrying not a double bass!


    Serious answer is the drivers had probably put in their allowed hours and were obliged to take a break.
    Does the bus from Mervue not continue to Salthill anymore (it's been a while)?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,966 ✭✭✭✭syklops


    Jaysus Dude, you could have walked. It's a bodhran you were carrying not a double bass!

    Sure its only a couple miles, just walk. Make your own arrangements. We could save the country a lot of money if we abolished Bus Eireann tomorrow and people made their own arrangements. Back when the bus drivers striked in 2013(?) the bus timetable became 100% accurate. I knew the bus wasn't coming and made my own arrangements, instead of standing at the bus stop for 20, 30, 40 minutes wondering is it coming soon.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,248 ✭✭✭✭thesandeman


    syklops wrote: »
    Sure its only a couple miles, just walk. Make your own arrangements. We could save the country a lot of money if we abolished Bus Eireann tomorrow and people made their own arrangements. Back when the bus drivers striked in 2013(?) the bus timetable became 100% accurate. I knew the bus wasn't coming and made my own arrangements, instead of standing at the bus stop for 20, 30, 40 minutes wondering is it coming soon.


    I'm afraid to put the *joke goes over head* MEME thing up just in case it breaks Boards again but just imagine that it's here.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,907 ✭✭✭Storm 10


    Have you not taken into account what the real problem here is its Galways diabolical traffic, every day I see buses in bumper to bumper traffic all over the City I don't know how they manage to operate a timetable it's impossible


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,301 ✭✭✭gordongekko


    ^^^^ what he said. Friday evening is peak traffic time. It's not unusual for a bus to be late during this time.


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,847 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    I regularly catch the Salthill bus at 8pm - have never found it to be late. But I wouldn't extrapolate from that to saying that it's perfect.

    Many routes have timetable challenges around 5-6pm, due to traffic. I don't think it's fair to say that the entire service is brutal because it's shyte one day: I'd say about 90% of buses I catch are running either on time or up to 5 minutes late.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,470 ✭✭✭Whereisgalway


    I regularly catch the Salthill bus at 8pm - have never found it to be late. But I wouldn't extrapolate from that to saying that it's perfect.

    Many routes have timetable challenges around 5-6pm, due to traffic. I don't think it's fair to say that the entire service is brutal because it's shyte one day: I'd say about 90% of buses I catch are running either on time or up to 5 minutes late.


    The sooner bus eireann is privatised the sooner the better. I regularly get buses and am never confident that one will actually show up! The transports app they have are unreliable and a joke. Correct me if I'm wrong but bus eireann have refused to relase data concerning the punctuality of their service.
    I'm a imagine and most people who agree that the statistics would be an absolute rout. Would they even break 50%? I do wonder. 5 minutes late is 5 minutes too late. ill leave the absurd pricing for another day


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,912 ✭✭✭✭Eeden


    Jaysus Dude, you could have walked.

    Not everyone can walk. And not everyone who "looks fine" can walk. Some people can only walk a short distance, for one reason or another. If someone wants to take the bus, you should assume that they want to take the bus, and not tell them to just walk.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 10,248 ✭✭✭✭thesandeman


    Eeden wrote: »
    Not everyone can walk. And not everyone who "looks fine" can walk. Some people can only walk a short distance, for one reason or another. If someone wants to take the bus, you should assume that they want to take the bus, and not tell them to just walk.

    Another *joke goes over head* MEME is required.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,064 ✭✭✭✭ben.schlomo


    Another *joke goes over head* MEME is required.

    Twice in 12 posts, can people not read or interpret!?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,944 ✭✭✭what_traffic


    Need more bus lanes in the City Centre.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,326 ✭✭✭cgcsb


    No point blaming Bus Éireann, they don't have the power to paint bus lanes on roads and ban cars from certain streets, so they are basically at the mercy of traffic. Your issue is with Galway City Council and it's opposition to public transport and cycling.


  • Registered Users Posts: 500 ✭✭✭Mr_A


    Friday in Galway are a disaster for getting around. The 409 service is generally very good, but on a Friday the buses get stuck in traffic and it's more unreliable.

    Anyone have any idea why Fridays are so especially bad?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,944 ✭✭✭what_traffic


    Will also need less private cars and car parking in the City Centre to make space for buses.


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,489 ✭✭✭✭Fitz*


    The Bus Eireann service in Galway is awful as a whole.

    I have not seen a 405 bus on time since the start of the summer & I get it twice daily. Yesterday I was waiting at an end of line stop for 56 minutes for a bus that is supposedly every 20 minutes. I asked (albeit cheekily/rudely) had the times changed and that I was waiting an hour for the bus, but he looked away and refused to answer.

    A second bus for the same route showed up less than a minute later.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,064 ✭✭✭✭ben.schlomo


    FitzShane wrote: »
    The Bus Eireann service in Galway is awful as a whole.

    I have not seen a 405 bus on time since the start of the summer & I get it twice daily. Yesterday I was waiting at an end of line stop for 56 minutes for a bus that is supposedly every 20 minutes. I asked (albeit cheekily/rudely) had the times changed and that I was waiting an hour for the bus, but he looked away and refused to answer.

    A second bus for the same route showed up less than a minute later.

    It definitely isnt awful, unreliable at certain times yes. When i used the 409 regularly it was just the 0945 from Eyre Sq that would never show up, if i got to the stop and the next bus was due anywhere more than 20 minutes then id walk, was there no real time board telling you of the times when you waited an hour?


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,489 ✭✭✭✭Fitz*


    It definitely isnt awful, unreliable at certain times yes. When i used the 409 regularly it was just the 0945 from Eyre Sq that would never show up, if i got to the stop and the next bus was due anywhere more than 20 minutes then id walk, was there no real time board telling you of the times when you waited an hour?

    Any 405 bus after 5.30 is incredibly unreliable and waiting 40 minutes or more for a bus is not uncommon. The bus stop timetable states that it runs every 20 minutes up until 7pm. For a place where many people work & commute back into the city, you would think that they would have common sense and start a route there in the evening time instead of having it as a finish point.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,069 ✭✭✭✭wp_rathead


    The 405 is an absolute cluster fnck between 4.30 and 6.30


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,944 ✭✭✭what_traffic


    Need more bus lanes in the City Centre or else ban private car traffic from certain roads/bridges if we want reliable bus timetables and bus journey times.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,922 ✭✭✭beardybrewer


    Do those electric signs that state bus times update for delays?


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,489 ✭✭✭✭Fitz*


    Do those electric signs that state bus times update for delays?

    As far as I can see, they don't. I don't see them in many places either.


  • Registered Users Posts: 12,064 ✭✭✭✭ben.schlomo


    Do those electric signs that state bus times update for delays?

    They do. The one at GMIT used to be very reliable. If it was 20 minutes or more then id walk back into town from there and a 409 rarely passed me on the route back in.


  • Registered Users Posts: 81,223 ✭✭✭✭biko


    what_traffic, stop posting the same thing over and over, You wishlist has little bearing on the current situation thanks


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    I use the 405 all the time and find it generally very reliable. Obviously at certain times traffic affects it as it does other routes also but overall, I'm happy with it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,326 ✭✭✭cgcsb


    Do those electric signs that state bus times update for delays?

    They're based on distance multiplied by a traffic factor so say 1km = 4 minutes *1 for off peak times and *1.5 for peek times etc.


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,847 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    I use the 405 all the time and find it generally very reliable. Obviously at certain times traffic affects it as it does other routes also but overall, I'm happy with it.

    This.

    There have been some times this year when I've waited 40 minutes (should only have been 5 minutes). Probably about 3-4 such instances in the last 9 months. Frustrating, yes. But I can deal with that level of service-failure.


  • Registered Users Posts: 10,069 ✭✭✭✭wp_rathead


    I get into Eyre Square consistently at 4.40, waiting for the 405 towards Ballybane. More often I'll be waiting till after 5.30 for a bus
    I just call the electric timetable that is there the random number generator
    It's a pain
    But I know it is because the traffic at 4 kinda screws whole thing up - in the morning the timetable is spot on


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 427 ✭✭45mhrc7evo1d3n


    Do those electric signs that state bus times update for delays?

    In my experience, when there's been a big delay on the 401, the electronic signs say something like "real-time information not available". Very unhelpful.


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