BusConnects Dublin - Bus Network Changes Discussion

p_haugh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951175#Comment_123951175

GAI have started putting the older buses into service while the schools are off, which allows them to send more of their newer buses for maintenance. Normally, the older buses are exclusively used on the school services that they operate during the school term.

bikeman1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951175#Comment_123951175

Don’t worry, the battery electric buses that were on the 123 are still working services across the city. Just different buses on different routes depending on the allocations and operating companies.

I didn’t have the 73 passengers as too posh to be on a 19 year old bus!

Increasing services while also electrifying the fleet will mean we will see buses lasting in service for longer. That in itself is sustainable. They are showing that they can keep buses in traffic for longer instead of being scrapped.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951175#Comment_123951175

It’s one of the small schools fleet (nine buses) that GAI have - it’s available for general use during this week while the schools are off.

It presumably allows more maintenance to be carried out on the general fleet.

It’s not just GAI who have older buses.

Dublin Bus have 36 19 year old AX Class in service, 90 17-18 year old EV Class , 24 VG class and 14 tri-axle VT Class.

That’s about 170 buses aged 17 years +.

Without them you’d have had no expansion of the bus service and the service would collapse. Plenty of people have them every single day. I’d sooner have an older bus than no bus at all.

There are electric chargers coming on stream in Harristown later this year and early next year, which should eliminate the oldest buses, but delays with necessary ESB Network power upgrades means that the further rollout of significant numbers of the new electric fleet is not happening as quickly as everyone would like.

Work is continuing on the rollout of charging facilities, but it will take a number of years to complete.

LXFlyer

Just to add… there are 119 electric buses in service in Dublin along with 217 hybrids, with over 130 electrics to enter service once the power issues are overcome.

trellheim

On a different note I see the below quite a few times recently the Guinness truck dropping kegs on Marlborough St with some queue of buses behind .. .who cant go around cos of the tram … some amount of honking lol

burgerKev

this LXF guy works for Dublin Bus I take it.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951461#Comment_123951461

Wrong.

I don't have any connection with any public transport provider.

But I do have a deep interest in public transport as a user.

One can learn a lot from watching the likes of Oireachtas Transport Committee meetings, Oireachtas debates, reading NTA board minutes etc., and listening to people in organisations.

A simple look at the vehicle list on bustimes.org for the two bus companies in Dublin would have given the numbers that I quoted above.

Just because I research the facts in detail doesn't mean I work for some organisation.

SimonMaher

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951161#Comment_123951161

Agree with this. It's fair enough that it doesn't use the stop 495 - really is a tricky spot but the "Bus Eireann" stop seems much better and an easy win. It's never a good move IMHO to lose an Interchange Point (to Dart/Rail in this case) because of an infinitely fixable problem.

Simon

OscarMIlde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123949291#Comment_123949291

They definitely pull in for longer than two minutes. The X25 I was on this morning pulled in for over 5 minutes at Liffey valley golf club (where it was overtaken by an X26, X28, and 52 and again at Liffey Valley for over 5 minutes where it was overtaken by an X31 and an X27.

I understand and agree that buses should stick to the schedule at early points along the spine routes, were people have less buses or can only catch certain buses to their destinations but once they hit the middle of the spine towards the city centre with a wide choice of buses the schedule shouldn't matter. I've had buses leave Leixlip stops early were people have less choice only to have them pull in to get to schedule once they hit the motorway.

Busman Paddy Lasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123950596#Comment_123950596

I certainly has and the party responsible still has to amend the App, RTPI and hard copy timetable on the pole!

Moving it to the BE stop must be very easy common sense thing to do.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951175#Comment_123951175

Would you rather the bus didn't run?

dublinman1990

Some bus routes are having a minor diversion around Merrion Square this Wednesday. A military guard parade will be taking in Merrion Square West on Wednesday morning. It will affect the 15a/b, 23, 24, 44 and 82. The diversions will be in place from 11:30am until 12:45pm.

https://www.dublinbus.ie/news/diversion-on-route-15a,-15b,-23,-24-44-and-82

TranslatorPS

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951720#Comment_123951720

And what about cross-city routes where the passengers are relying on somewhat timely arrivals to get to their locations on the other side of the city?

I know you're making this comment with the X routes in mind, but a pick-up stop is a pick-up stop, if it picks up it should be at least on time.

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951461#Comment_123951461

I can assure you that LXFlyer doesn't work for Dublin Bus.

Back on topic please, we shouldn't be making wild and unfounded speculation on the identify of posters or who they may or may not work for

Moderator

bikeman1

I have had it on a few occasions on a 41/C holding at The Viscount pub, meanwhile a 33 or 16 or 1 comes around you. All going the same way. Makes little sense.

I know about headways, but with the crowds of passengers, traffic and the rest from there to town, it is plainly stupid. Just work the road in.

hfjm20

Bit of a random one but I’ve seen the 38/39 a few times at this point with the scroll as “Baggot Street” instead of “Burlington Road.” Does anyone know why this is the case?

d51984

The driver has a 'Press it box' above their heads, when they stop they look at it, if they are ,early it tells them and how many minutes they are early. The driver has a option to play a message to let the skulls know the bus will wait until its back on time.

The buses that overtook you are on time. Dublin bus are fined by the NTA for every stop the bus arrives at over 59 seconds early.

trellheim

Happened to me the other day 4 39a buses bunched inbound at blackhall place, my 39a bus drew the short straw and had to wait with the message playing

bk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951967#Comment_123951967

In fairness, while in understand the reasons behind it, it is like whiplash to go from the 123 operating almost all shiny new electric buses to the 73 operating such old buses and even ones with the old TFI blue and yellow colour scheme, which just looks out of place.

Of course I know the BEV’s are used on other routes now and DB has equally old buses, however I’ve been hearing people around Marino are extremely unhappy with this new route. The combination of it no longer using O’Connell St, lack of stops along the quays and old buses, all leaves a bad taste in the mouth for people in the local area. I’ve been hearing local politicians are getting inundated with complaints.

As an aside, does anyone know are their any plans for Go Aheads depots to get chargers and for them to get some BEV buses? I don’t think they have anything newer than the SG class. No hybrids or BEV’s. They really should be starting to get an allocation of newer buses, specially for the more city center like routes like the 73 and N2. And maybe think about some new single decker BEV’s too.

dublinman1990

I have been wondering about whether the NTA got additional funding to order more new BEV buses from the Government's budget speech in early October? The NTA need to get their skates on quickly if they going to order even more additional batches of them soon because the amount of progress on this job has been really slow in getting them into service at this point. It would be a good idea to ask questions whether the NTA will have the capability to order more single decker BEV's for some of the routes that need them around the Dublin suburbs along with the double decker BEV's for the remainder of them.

OscarMIlde

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123954299#Comment_123954299

I understand the rationale for why they have to pull in, but once a bus to Ringsend/UCD is as far as Liffey Valley there is sufficient spine capacity to keep going. I'm also disputing the claim that they only pull in for two minutes, as that is definitely not true. It also happens that sometimes they pull in to make time and then hit traffic later so you end up being late, which is annoying.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123955205#Comment_123955205

Their only using the AXs on it while the schools are off those are usually only used on GAIs term time only routes as their short on buses and there's only very few of them.

I do agree that the AXs are far too old and unsuitable for front line service and have been on record saying that here.

However the 73 is operated by SGs about 90% of the time which are a perfectly acceptable modern bus with centre doors and a separate wheelchair and buggy space. If don't like the AXs just wait for the next bus and it'll likely be a newer bus.

Midnight_EG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123955705#Comment_123955705

The official agreement is 2 minutes 3 times per journey at Union approved timing points only (such as Eden Quay or Bachelors Walk) but controllers put pressure on newer drivers to sit there for longer with threats of being reported and fined. But as you say, drive up the road and get stuck in traffic then 😚

rx8

Not every route has 3 timing points. Route 16 only has 2 in each direction. (Harolds cross and Swords Rd.)

Route 1 doesn’t have any at all.

The controllers attitude on the radio is having a huge negative effect, particularly on new drivers, who are afraid to say anything to them. Some of them forget that literally a few weeks ago, they were being shouted at behind the wheel.

All we get is threats and reporting to the manager. No wonder they're leaving in their droves.

rx8

I could leave Ballinteer and drive on time all the way to town, bang on time, but as soon as I turn right onto Dame Street the pressit box jumps to +6 minutes and the controller is shouting at me to get back on time. Now clearly, there's a problem with the profile when this happens to every bus, every journey, but after 3 years it's still not fixed. The blame game is going on for too long now, about who's responsible, and we're just sick of it.

Citrus_8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123956262#Comment_123956262

Would you prefer penalising drivers without an initial verbal warning ("threat")?

p_haugh

The M50 Junction 14 link road has begun construction, and as part of the scheme, a northbound bus lane will be included. Going by the report, this was originally planned to allow for a Sandyford orbital type service. Will a new route be implemented in the future, or will one of the BC routes be re-routed to use the new infrastructure?

The 47/L13 is a handy link for Central Park & Leopardstown Business Park, so I would be surprised if that gets rerouted. One possibility would be that 86 could be rerouted to go via Leopardstown road and cross the M50 at Junction 14 instead. It would miss out on the Beacon end of Blackthorn Road however, unless it turned left onto Blackthorn Road and went around Sandyford in a clockwise direction.

https://www.dlrcoco.ie/news/general-news/dlr-commences-construction-m50-junction-14-link-road-scheme

New road in red below:

Midnight_EG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123956422#Comment_123956422

That happens too, I've had it happen whereby I was called up/reported without even having a previous conversation. Aungier Street to Eden Quay alone can net you +12 after being on time the whole way in

rx8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123956422#Comment_123956422

I would rather they fixed the problem...

They can change the profiles for mid-term breaks, Christmas, Summer etc, and they can't fix an ongoing glaring anamoly?? I wouldn't mind, only when you do get into the managers office, it's just torn up and binned because of the problem above anyway!

dfx-

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123956422#Comment_123956422

Why are you looking to penalise the most valuable commodity in the whole process? And then we wonder why we are restricted by staffing problems.

Especially for the sake of a data point on a punctuality graph in a spreadsheet.