Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Dublin Bus to cashless?

Options
13»

Comments

  • Options
    #62
    LeinsterDub
    Registered Users Posts: 8,229 ✭✭✭LeinsterDub


    lawred2 wrote: »
    Slightly off topic but the irregularity of Dublin buses is something that should be looked at too. Remember being in Germany and being able to set your clock to the buses. If they arrived at a stop ahead of schedule they would wait at the stop until designated departure time. Dublin bus can be +/- 10 minutes at any particular stage of the route. And they ain't waiting if they are early.
    Due to the sheer volume of stops and dwell time variation this isn't workable here.


  • Options
    #63
    lawred2
    Registered Users Posts: 24,281 ✭✭✭✭lawred2


    LeinsterDub wrote: »
    Due to the sheer volume of stops and dwell time variation this isn't workable here.

    Fair enough so.

    Job done.


  • Options
    #64
    lucernarian
    Registered Users Posts: 9,235 ✭✭✭lucernarian


    bk wrote: »
    Why? care to elaborate?

    Cashless and flat fares will also reduce dwell times and probably even cheaper and easier to implement then tag-on/tag-off.

    Is there anything to support the benefits of cashless though?

    There's no conclusive technical proof or even likelihood that the cash menu on wayfarers is what's behind the slower interaction. I assume for it to be flat, only one fare can be offered. That would speed up things, but it has some disadvantages also.

    A focus on pricing for monthly tickets would be fairer for the regular users that pay for the system to operate. Dublin Bus is far worse than the Luas in this regard, and the blame can be laid at the NTA's door for ensuring that only pensioners, students (kind of) and middle-class or wealthy PAYE workers get discounted seasonal tickets


  • Options
    #65
    yer man!
    Registered Users Posts: 1,647 ✭✭✭yer man!


    bk wrote: »
    But rewarding those travelling long distance, generally something you want to encourage on public transport anyway.

    Sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette. If it is good enough for London, why not here?

    In Ireland we seem to have this unhealthy attitude that you can't make a change if it hurts a small number of people, even if the change helps the majority!

    In other countries where they introduced flat fares, it actually lead to increased passenger numbers. I'd guess due to decreased complexity and the faster journey times making bus use more attractive.

    We have flat fare in Galway, works well. It's simple for leap card holders, no confusion with the driver trying to decipher where you're going and it's faster for cash passengers as they drop in the money collect a ticket and go. Relatively Painless. Also I don't know if any Dublin buses have it but some of the routes here, notably the 409 have screens throughout the bus displaying the next stop and ETA, very handy.


  • Options
    #66
    punisher5112
    Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    Machines are technology pre 2000 so slow and way out dated and have served well till all these smart cards were added.

    Having a machine over beside the doors is terrible and should be right beside driver.

    If it does go cashless which will be great I do hope the smart card reader replaces where one drops their coins as its a stupid place where it is.

    Last thing slightly improved where 1 fare was scrapped which did help a little.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #67
    punisher5112
    Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    yer man! wrote: »
    We have flat fare in Galway, works well. It's simple for leap card holders, no confusion with the driver trying to decipher where you're going and it's faster for cash passengers as they drop in the money collect a ticket and go. Relatively Painless. Also I don't know if any Dublin buses have it but some of the routes here, notably the 409 have screens throughout the bus displaying the next stop and ETA, very handy.

    Yes all buses were retrofitted with led signs to tell next stop.
    Along with call out in English and Irish.


  • Options
    #68
    cbreeze
    Registered Users Posts: 863 ✭✭✭cbreeze


    VG31 wrote: »
    I'm not convinced that tag-on/tag-off would improve dwell times as it would make getting off the bus slower. Although one positive of it would be that drivers/passengers would have to use the centre doors.

    For a real noticeable improvement in loading times buses need to be cashless and have flat fares with zero driver interaction required. Also having validators at the centre doors would make a big difference. Multi-door entry/exit makes a huge difference in dwell times.

    On London buses there are about 3 validators downstairs and at least two upstairs, plus no matter how many stops you go the fare is the same. Word of warning: if you have your Oyster card in your wallet close to your contactless card you can be done twice over for the fare on Tube/Bus/riverboat.


  • Options
    #69
    Commotion Ocean
    Closed Accounts Posts: 552 ✭✭✭Commotion Ocean


    Why can't bus and Luas be a flat fare (even when paying cash) like in normal countries?

    But in the mean time, why can't you just tap your Leap entering the bus and automatically have 2.50 (or whatever) deducted and this is valid for 1 hour (or whatever) of travel? No need to tag off and no need for driver interaction.


  • Options
    #70
    punisher5112
    Registered Users Posts: 24,647 ✭✭✭✭punisher5112


    dfeo wrote: »
    Why can't bus and Luas be a flat fare (even when paying cash) like in normal countries?

    But in the mean time, why can't you just tap your Leap entering the bus and automatically have 2.50 (or whatever) deducted and this is valid for 1 hour (or whatever) of travel? No need to tag off and no need for driver interaction.

    That would be too easy.

    Look before any of the leap cards and that db had ramblers, 2eazy tickets, travel90 and such and these were widely available and many many people wouldn't bother and paid cash and would whine about having to pay. There were quite a few cheaper options and as soon as more realised and started using say the travel90 the nta scrapped it but eventually brought it back but a €1 deduction instead of travel for 90 minutes on as many buses as you wished to.

    I believe they will eventually adopt it though.


  • Options
    #71
    yer man!
    Registered Users Posts: 1,647 ✭✭✭yer man!


    dfeo wrote: »
    Why can't bus and Luas be a flat fare (even when paying cash) like in normal countries?

    I don't get it either, it's in Waterford, Cork, Limerick and Galway. Don't have to look too far to see it works well. For Bus only of course.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #72
    Cookie_Monster
    Registered Users Posts: 24,470 ✭✭✭✭Cookie_Monster


    AlekSmart wrote: »
    One word of warning regarding the use of an Irish issued Contactless Bank Card in London is the potential exposure to a raft of individual Minimum Charges for both the Contactless ransaction itself,and a further minimum Bank Fee for the "Foreign Currency" element of it.

    This could make each £Stg1.50 Busfare quite expensive indeed,something which,as Contactless is rolled out across the UK Public Transport sector,could end up cosing an Irish Person very dearly indeed.

    This is a whole other element in Ireland this is just stupid. NZ has zero fee contactless debit, with only the retailers paying a very marginally higher fee for processing. Typical Irish banks, trying their best to rip you off for any kind of innovative and useful technology just because. There is no justification for charging he end user for such tech.


Advertisement