304A Bus

JaroslavHasek

I've been living in Limerick for a couple of years and, as a non-driver living around Monaleen, the new 304A bus route has been a great addition.

However, forgive my possible paranoia here, but something odd seems to be going on with it, which I suspect to be related to industrial relations issues. Hardly surprising, given what's going on with Bus Eireann at present. And the fact that the bus network in Limerick has been extended, without additional drivers being hired (to the best of my limited knowledge).

In any event, I've noticed a possible pattern of (1) incorrectly displayed bus numbers, (2) drivers taking the wrong routes, and (3) drivers discouraging passengers from using the service.

Today, for example, I went in and out of town. (1) On the way in, the bus displayed the number 304 on the front for at least part of the journey. On the way out, the bus displayed no number on the front for at least part of the journey. (I have seen both the wrong and no number displayed on previous trips, as well as buses bypassing 304A stops.) (2) On the way in, the driver failed to turn left at Pennywell, heading straight on (by mistake?). (On a another recent trip, the driver turned left at Childers Road (by mistake?).) (3) On the way in, the driver discouraged a passenger from taking the bus from Newcastle to the Crescent Shopping Centre, advising her to take the 304 instead. On the way out, the driver discouraged a passenger from taking the bus from the University to the fire station, advising him to take the 304 instead. (On a number of journeys, drivers have discouraged passengers from using the bus for the city centre as a whole.)

Has anyone else had similar experiences with this or other new services? Or am I reading too much into it all?

Jofspring

It's a long time since I used the buses in Limerick but I remember it used to happen pretty regularly on the Coonagh route. Bus going half way out the Ennis road, turning into ashbrook and instead of going out to Coonagh it would head back into town.

My mother was also heading into town one day and crossed over the Ennis road to get on as the bus was heading out towards Coonagh as it was lashing rain and she didn't want to wait for it to go out and back in to get her. She got a bollocking off the bus driver and was told she should not be getting on the bus on that side of the road if she was heading into town. She reported the driver immediately but don't know what came of it.

With carry on like that though was it any surprise that that service failed? It's almost like they wanted it to fail.

Birdie086

I live on Childers road and used to use that bus route when it was the 308, 308a. 308 - Childers route, 308a Dublin road route.
Aside from the fact you could be waiting anything up to an hour and a half for a bus to town, getting a bus from town was a lottery as well. Routes displayed rarely taken, I got in the habit of asking the drivers which route they were taking.
Pointless getting a bus to the Dublin road when you need to get to Childers road. I had hoped they had improved the service.

JaroslavHasek

Just to add to my paranoia, today's scheduled 9.30 bus from the University never made it to Monaleen...

liquoriceall

I drove up Church Rd tonight just after 6 and passed a 304 with Salthill as the destination!! Wonder what the route is.....

JaroslavHasek

On my way home this evening, the driver tried to convince me to take the 304 instead - until I absolutely insisted that I wanted the Monaleen bus.

While disembarking, I asked the driver if he and his colleagues were trying to sabotage the route. He just smiled.

Like I say, I'm paranoid.

sleepyman

Jofspring wrote: »

It's a long time since I used the buses in Limerick but I remember it used to happen pretty regularly on the Coonagh route. Bus going half way out the Ennis road, turning into ashbrook and instead of going out to Coonagh it would head back into town.

My mother was also heading into town one day and crossed over the Ennis road to get on as the bus was heading out towards Coonagh as it was lashing rain and she didn't want to wait for it to go out and back in to get her. She got a bollocking off the bus driver and was told she should not be getting on the bus on that side of the road if she was heading into town. She reported the driver immediately but don't know what came of it.

With carry on like that though was it any surprise that that service failed? It's almost like they wanted it to fail.

I seriously think the bus drivers must have sabotaged that coonaugh roundabout 305 route.Many a time I waited in town outside Dunnes and it never showed.The bus service was better circa 1998 for people living in the clareview/NCR/Ashbrook.Don't know why they got rid of the bus stop outside Jim's shop

brighterdays

Rant alert: I really dislike this addition of the service. It's like whoever creates these routes have never gotten an actual bus in Limerick. Public transport is meant to be convenient. This route is the antithesis of that. It's great Monaleen is now being serviced. That's not my problem with it. My problem is that it's tacked onto an existing route that the majority don't want, or need. People getting the 304 are either going from Ctroy to town or vice versa.

Whenever I get this bus, it's usually one stop (near the Castletroy Shopping Centre) where someone gets on or off and the rest is just a long detour of nothing but driving through rural roads. Seriously. I've gotten it now about 15 times since it started? And I think twice there was a stop further than that for one person each. It makes no sense - at least after 6PM. And then there's the mass exodus at the top of town for 90% of the bus not continuing to Raheen. Again, how is this convenient?

I get if you live in Monaleen it's good, but there has to be a better way to include it into a service.

The 304 should go from outside Arthur's Quay park and go up Clare St/Dublin Rd to the University, direct. It's crazy to me there is no direct bus to one of the most populated and busiest routes in Limerick. This is the way Dublin Coach (or whatever it's called) go back and it's so much faster. Again why Bus Eireann is in the gutter.

304A should go from William St and service Childers Rd/Monaleen. I don't understand why the current 304A takes a left at the Horse & Hound and goes that way. It's legitimately like they said, 'We can't have the A going the same route as the 304, so let's have it go left here to differentiate it!'. Then at the Groody Rd it could just go straight instead of left to UL, to service Monaleen.

On the way back, instead of looping back into town (like the current 304 does) through the Ballysimon Road - it could pass the Tipp Roundabout and go to Raheen that way - straight up the Childers Road. Or maybe that could be another route all it's own.

Triponin69

how great would it be if they ran according to provided timetable

Harambe

I got this bus once from UL to Monaleen and I nearly missed it because the text on the front of the bus said Tipperary.
I decided to get a closer look and noticed a small sticker on the windscreen with '304A' handwritten with a pen.
I wouldn't have got on if I hadn't spotted that.

Would be great if an independent bus company came in and sorted bus eireann's mess out.

styer

I have emailed bus eireann a number of time with reference to Limerick local buses and the use of GPS tracking systems.. The point being that you can tell where a bus actually is ( and not where its suppose to be) on the go. this would give an idea of when the bus would actually be at a stop and allow you to schedule your time better.. like you could wait in your house for a while longer if it is very cold out etc... Knowing this would actually make me use the buses more often...

Dublin Bus have this and it is impressive

A GPS tracking system would also ensure drivers completed their routes and not try and sabotage them...

but alas I only ever got an email back with a received confirmation number...

iguana

styer wrote: »

I have emailed bus eireann a number of time with reference to Limerick local buses and the use of GPS tracking systems.. The point being that you can tell where a bus actually is ( and not where its suppose to be) on the go. this would give an idea of when the bus would actually be at a stop and allow you to schedule your time better.. like you could wait in your house for a while longer if it is very cold out etc... Knowing this would actually make me use the buses more often...

Dublin Bus have this and it is impressive

A GPS tracking system would also ensure drivers completed their routes and not try and sabotage them...

but alas I only ever got an email back with a received confirmation number...

That service is offered on the Real Time Bus app. But it absolutely doesn't mean that the drivers aren't still chancing their arms. You can see it regularly at certain stops like Kilmurry, where the bus is coming closer and closer then at 3-4 mins gets further and further away. Because the driver obviously came out the second gate at UL and headed back to town instead of around by Kilmurry.

leakyboots

The thing with that is, surely the bus's movements are/could be 'mapped' - how hard would it be for management to sort out the drivers pulling this stroke.

Villa05

leakyboots wrote:

The thing with that is, surely the bus's movements are/could be 'mapped' - how hard would it be for management to sort out the drivers pulling this stroke.

Are drivers instructed to do it by management????

leakyboots

No idea, I seriously doubt it. I never suggested that anyway.