Dublin Bus Driver Allows Bicycle on Bus

L'Enfer du Nord

This afternoon got on to a Bus and went upstairs. Just after the Bus pulled off it stopped again, I saw a guy I seen earlier wheeling a bike (apparent out of order) get on the bus. Didn't hear the full exchange but did hear driver say "where exactly do you want to go...". Bus drives off, bike and owner get off about 3 km later across the road from bikeshop.

Fair play to driver, nothing against bus drivers but do find many of them a bit inflexible about only paying with coins, stopping only a stops, not usually stopping a second time if you just miss one. I'd probably be inflexible myself since you are usually potentially putting yourself in bother by bending the rules for others.

Wishbone Ash

L'Enfer du Nord wrote: »

.... but do find many of them a bit inflexible about only paying with coins, stopping only a stops, not usually stopping a second time if you just miss one...

I used to drive a bus (not for DB) and one of the first things I was instructed was to only let passengers on/off at official stops. If a passenger missed a stop, they must remain until the next stop.

Paying with coins only is company policy - nothing to do with the drivers.

neris

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I used to drive a bus (not for DB) and one of the first things I was instructed was to only let passengers on/off at official stops. If a passenger missed a stop, they must remain until the next stop.

Paying with coins only is company policy - nothing to do with the drivers.

Plus stopping a bus aint that easy or quick and pulling back out into traffic isnt the easiest either.

sleepyg

Really thought this was a WWN title, kinda disappointed.

Jawgap

Fair play to the driver, and I think stopping between stops or opening the doors at red lights to let people on or off is forbidden by Dublin Bus, the driver has no discretion.

In fact, iirc, it's a disciplinary offence.

Paying with coins or a leap card is only fair, if drivers had to take notes it would increase the incentive to rob them.

Mr. Grieves

I was fiddling with a broken spoke on the side of the road at the Scalp one day when a 44 pulled over and the driver asked if I needed a lift. The bus was virtually empty. I was pretty grateful.

magicbastarder

i always assumed that the embarking/disembarking only at stops was an insurance or licence issue?

L'Enfer du Nord

Indeed I understand the 'inflexibility' for the issues I mentioned. I'd actually expect similar inflexibility with bikes, which is why I remarked on it. On a related note I've seen bike racks on city buses in the US could it work here?

L'Enfer du Nord

Had to double check that this is in fact the bike forum:)

L'Enfer du Nord

sleepyg wrote: »

Really thought this was a WWN title, kinda disappointed.

Sorry can't match my banal headline with a suitably witty story. Banal as it is I'd say it's a very rare occurrence, while at the same time there's loads of times it would have been really handy for me to put a bike on a Dublin bus.

Wishbone Ash

magicbastarder wrote: »

i always assumed that the embarking/disembarking only at stops was an insurance or licence issue?

Stops is an insurance issue.

Route is a licence matter - the bus can only operate on the route it is licenced for (hence the pointless calls to Livelive etc. asking why bus xyz didn't use abc route as it's quicker etc.)

donegan246

L'Enfer du Nord wrote: »

This afternoon got on to a Bus and went upstairs. Just after the Bus pulled off it stopped again, I saw a guy I seen earlier wheeling a bike (apparent out of order) get on the bus. Didn't hear the full exchange but did hear driver say "where exactly do you want to go...". Bus drives off, bike and owner get off about 3 km later across the road from bikeshop.

Fair play to driver, nothing against bus drivers but do find many of them a bit inflexible about only paying with coins, stopping only a stops, not usually stopping a second time if you just miss one. I'd probably be inflexible myself since you are usually potentially putting yourself in bother by bending the rules for others.

do you think a bus driver has lots of change to give to people that only has notes and not coins,,reason is they be subject to being robbed,they cant give out change to every body that gets on the bus,,

donegan246

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I used to drive a bus (not for DB) and one of the first things I was instructed was to only let passengers on/off at official stops. If a passenger missed a stop, they must remain until the next stop.

Paying with coins only is company policy - nothing to do with the drivers.

its a good rule.cause it would have drivers carrying around a lot of money,,not safe

Wishbone Ash

donegan246 wrote: »

...,they cant give out change to every body that gets on the bus,,

They can't give change to anyone.

donegan246

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

They can't give change to anyone.

thats the right way,,no change

mada999

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I used to drive a bus (not for DB) and one of the first things I was instructed was to only let passengers on/off at official stops. If a passenger missed a stop, they must remain until the next stop.

Paying with coins only is company policy - nothing to do with the drivers.

yup happened to me... was working in monaghan and got a bus daily for a month to Castleblaney.. a lot of people used to get off at an unofficial cross roads at castleblaney to get a lift somewhere else..

one day a bus driver wouldnt let me off at that place and drove the whole way to carrickmacross... wasn't happy and made a complaint...

donegan246

mada999 wrote: »

yup happened to me... was working in monaghan and got a bus daily for a month to Castleblaney.. a lot of people used to get off at an unofficial cross roads at castleblaney to get a lift somewhere else..

one day a bus driver wouldnt let me off at that place and drove the whole way to carrickmacross... wasn't happy and made a complaint...

the drivers could lose there jobs if the company finds out there stopping at unofficial stops,so some wont stop,,but why risk ur job

KingBrian2

L'Enfer du Nord wrote: »

This afternoon got on to a Bus and went upstairs. Just after the Bus pulled off it stopped again, I saw a guy I seen earlier wheeling a bike (apparent out of order) get on the bus. Didn't hear the full exchange but did hear driver say "where exactly do you want to go...". Bus drives off, bike and owner get off about 3 km later across the road from bikeshop.

Fair play to driver, nothing against bus drivers but do find many of them a bit inflexible about only paying with coins, stopping only a stops, not usually stopping a second time if you just miss one. I'd probably be inflexible myself since you are usually potentially putting yourself in bother by bending the rules for others.

The glass ceiling for cyclists has been broken.:)

mcdonrob

OP:
I've seen this before - 1st hand.
Could it be the driver recognised the cyclist, not as a person but as a regular on the road?

I cycle to/from work every day ~21km each way along regional roads + bus/cycle lanes, and have done for the last 6 years (b2w thank you). About 2 months ago I was repairing a flat on N4 near Lucan on way home beside a bus stop, when a Dublin Bus stops (no one had got off) and the driver offered me+bike a lift. I was grateful and expressed my thanks but was happy to fix my puncture. I've no doubt he recognised me (or rather my hi-viz backpack cover) as a "regular on the road", and maybe someone who does not break reds, pulls over into traffic to let a bus pass when he can, and generally behaves like other road users.

I really don't want to drag this off topic (and I'm sure someone will cite some instance to the contrary) but I have to say my experience over the years is of the readily identifiable categories of vehicles/drivers on the road in the West Dublin area: Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, Private Commuter Coaches, Tour Coaches, White Vans, HGVs, Taxis, Private Cars etc... that Dublin Bus drivers seem to be the most bike aware.

mcdonrob

And fair play to that Dublin Bus driver

Pinch Flat

The bus eireann drivers who open the doors into the cycling lane and let people disembark in heavy traffic on the north quays cause a real hazard. The doors themselves extend a foot or two from the side of the bus and the people themselves have the potential to create a nasty accident.

L'Enfer du Nord

mcdonrob wrote: »

OP:
I really don't want to drag this off topic (and I'm sure someone will cite some instance to the contrary) but I have to say my experience over the years is of the readily identifiable categories of vehicles/drivers on the road in the West Dublin area: Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, Private Commuter Coaches, Tour Coaches, White Vans, HGVs, Taxis, Private Cars etc... that Dublin Bus drivers seem to be the most bike aware.

Definitely agree, if you are cycling sensibly you can really share the lane with a a bus i.e you hang back rather than rush past him if you think he/she about to pull off and he/she for example hangs back behind you are both approaching a stop. The same bus and cyclist will often pass each other several times, mutual awareness goes a long way in these situation.

Ps. Don't know for sure but I doubt the driver knew the passenger.

Chuchote

Dublin Bus drivers are generally very happy with *careful* cyclists; if you draw aside and motion the buses on when you're entering that passage from Camden Street to Richmond Street and Rathmines, for instance, you'll usually get a grateful wave or indicators-flash.

There was a time a few years ago when the 83 drivers were allowed to drop passengers off outside their home if it was along the route; only lasted a few weeks. And I remember, myself, being on a bus that went around Merrion Square off-route (the driver having told the passengers by loudspeaker that he was taking a brief diversion) to bring a child having cancer treatment home to her door.

The business of no change makes foreigners laugh at us. What other European city is so crime-ridden that bus drivers can't carry change?

Jawgap

Pinch Flat wrote: »

The bus eireann drivers who open the doors into the cycling lane and let people disembark in heavy traffic on the north quays cause a real hazard. The doors themselves extend a foot or two from the side of the bus and the people themselves have the potential to create a nasty accident.

Yeah, in my experience Bus Eireann drivers are tw@ts!!!

A few years ago cycling home I got a puncture about 20km away from the house, repaired it, got another after a few km, repaired it then a third.....and that was the end of my tubes! Wifey was away so I started to walk in my cycling shoes the 12km or so home.....got into the nearest village and saw the BE bus that goes right by my house sitting there waiting to depart....

Great!! I thought. Went to get on with the bike and the driver told me "No bikes".....I explained what happened and he insisted no bikes as there was nowhere to store them.....I said I'd stand in aisleway with it......he said it would cause an obstruction.....I said if anyone else got on (the bus was empty and given it was a late evening service it wasn't likely to be busy) I'd get off so I wouldn't be obstructing anyone.....his answer was still 'no bikes.'

So I walked the rest of the way - my feet were pretty raw afterwards!

Jawgap

mcdonrob wrote: »

.....

I really don't want to drag this off topic (and I'm sure someone will cite some instance to the contrary) but I have to say my experience over the years is of the readily identifiable categories of vehicles/drivers on the road in the West Dublin area: Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann, Private Commuter Coaches, Tour Coaches, White Vans, HGVs, Taxis, Private Cars etc... that Dublin Bus drivers seem to be the most bike aware.

Most DB drivers in my experience are very considerate towards cyclists but on some routes they seem less so. I don't know if individual garages have different 'cultures' but it seems, to me anyway, that in certain areas there is a noticeable contempt for cyclists.

Chuchote

Jawgap wrote: »

Most DB drivers in my experience are very considerate towards cyclists but on some routes they seem less so. I don't know if individual garages have different 'cultures' but it seems, to me anyway, that in certain areas there is a noticeable contempt for cyclists.

That would be my impression too. I'm wary of 15A buses, whereas most drivers are great.

Those giant private coaches are deadly, though; the drivers seem to regard anyone on a bicycle as a kind of two-wheeled vermin. I've had very scary passes from them.

Undercover Elephant

Chuchote wrote: »

The business of no change makes foreigners laugh at us. What other European city is so crime-ridden that bus drivers can't carry change?

Most European cities don't have cash on the buses at all. You buy your ticket before you get on. Even London has gone cashless. It makes them a lot more efficient.

Chuchote

Undercover Elephant wrote: »

Most European cities don't have cash on the buses at all. You buy your ticket before you get on. Even London has gone cashless. It makes them a lot more efficient.

In Paris, you can buy a ticket on the bus, but it's cheaper to buy a carnet (a set of 10 tickets). There's also a Carte Navigo, but it's set up in a lunatic way: you buy a calendar week worth of fares, rather than being able to load it and spend it over any length of time, like other travel cards.

They have more sensible fares, though; all fares throughout central Paris (a wide area) are €2 if you buy the ticket on the bus, €1.80 if you buy it off the bus, or €1.40 if you buy a carnet for €14.

triggermortis

Swiss busses have cash and give change.