Go-Ahead Dublin City Routes - Updates and Discussion

donvito99

tabbey wrote: »

In contrast the DB driver (who was far from the worst) failed to stop at three stops where prospective passengers put out their hands. He also went through red lights where he had plenty of time to stop.

I was on an 18 recently and it shocked me that a bus could actually be driven smoothly.

What are the feeding the GAI drivers?

Stephen15

CramCycle wrote: »

I'd agree, in fact the perceived set back that alot of other routes would not go out to tender for a few years, may actually be a blessing and help them get everything in order as well as finding a more balanced pay structure and people with experience.

I get the impression that it's not the lack of drivers with expierence that's the issue but rather the lack of expierence from management and the lack of people like inspectors and controllers with expierence but not only expierence also and nearly more importantly local knowledge.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I get the impression they have brought in a lot of management and senior personal from the UK who may have expierence in the bus industry however lack local knowledge with regards to things like local traffic conditions.

Listening to the comments on twitter bar the few people from Bray who seem to forget the errors and issues that were there before GAI, engagement seems to be positive with regards driver behaviour, seems they are putting a heavier weight on being seen not to do anything dangerous or stupid rather than timetable keeping which is a welcome departure from the muppetry you get from certain garages in DB.

They've put a lot of effort into customer service from what I gather. Most of their drivers seem to be very polite and courteous towards passengers. Although I have noticed a general improvement in the standards of customer service from DB drivers in recent years.

LastStop

donvito99 wrote: »

I was on an 18 recently and it shocked me that a bus could actually be driven smoothly.

What are the feeding the GAI drivers?

Did they extend the running time with the new timetable on the 18's? Also there are newer buses on that route now, it was being serviced by rickety AX with DB. Oh, of course i'm sure there were drivers with DB doing their best Lewis Hamilton impression.

donvito99

LastStop wrote: »

Did they extend the running time with the new timetable on the 18's?

It's the same service but you don't have to fall down the stairs anymore.

Also there are newer buses on that route now, it was being serviced by rickety AX with DB.

There's nothing rickety about the AX, fine on all routes.

Oh, of course i'm sure there were drivers with DB doing their best Lewis Hamilton impression.

But Lewis Hamilton is a good driver?

Stephen15

donvito99 wrote: »

What are the feeding the GAI drivers?

A mixture of exact change, ticket roll, FTP passes and Leap Cards. Some drivers with DB used to be fussy about eating FTP passes and would only eat them after 9.30 in the morning however they stopped this a while ago and will eat them now at any time.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

LastStop wrote: »

Did they extend the running time with the new timetable on the 18's? Also there are newer buses on that route now, it was being serviced by rickety AX with DB. Oh, of course i'm sure there were drivers with DB doing their best Lewis Hamilton impression.

Sure even half of the Dublin bus AXs are sold already. So it was going to be new buses on it anyway !

Running time on it was fine back when I drove it even !

I much prefer to be driven by a driver who can drive her on comfortable while relaxed than be driven around by drivers that are slow and nervous on the road. The latter is more inclined to be involved in an accident.

punisher5112

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

Sure even half of the Dublin bus AXs are sold already. So it was going to be new buses on it anyway !

Running time on it was fine back when I drove it even !

I much prefer to be driven by a driver who can drive her on comfortable while relaxed than be driven around by drivers that are slow and nervous on the road. The latter is more inclined to be involved in an accident.

I ain't slow but no Collin McRae either...

I drive as I was taught where corners are slow and straights are phast.....

One thing I'm not looking forward to is having to wait at stops... Sure today was given out to how long is this going to take only changing over... I get out have bag ready other driver in no delay but still not quite quick enough...

john boye

Stephen15 wrote: »

A mixture of exact change, ticket roll, FTP passes and Leap Cards. Some drivers with DB used to be fussy about eating FTP passes and would only eat them after 9.30 in the morning however they stopped this a while ago and will eat them now at any time.

They'll what? That can't be good for their digestive system.

Dravokivich

donvito99 wrote: »

But Lewis Hamilton is a good driver?

Nope, only thing his boss cares about is how fast he is. He's not the best driver on the grid by a stretch if you were to consider him good at it.

LastStop

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

And to cap it all off, my weekly pay is going up by €50 from next week.

So that's a nice little bump, better to get something than get nothing.

So the drivers earn up to 40k, the controllers earn 42k, depot supervisors earn less than control staff. Are management on crap wages or looking after themselves?

I've had a look at Glassdoor and there isn't much information on that.

The above details on supervisors and controllers were given to a mate who applied when they opened. He politely declined the offer.

ITV2

I have noticed a general improvement in the standards of customers in recent years. ;-)

dashcamdanny

ITV2 wrote: »

I have noticed a general improvement in the standards of customers in recent years. ;-)

Probably due to new drivers coming in .. Many picked fresh from a customer service background to join the bus driving world. .

Here we go

LastStop wrote: »

So that's a nice little bump, better to get something than get nothing.

So the drivers earn up to 40k, the controllers earn 42k, depot supervisors earn less than control staff. Are management on crap wages or looking after themselves?

I've had a look at Glassdoor and there isn't much information on that.

The above details on supervisors and controllers were given to a mate who applied when they opened. He politely declined the offer.

I'd love to know how they came up with 40k there's guys here breaking the driving hours regularly and still wouldn't be getting that even with subsistence

Stephen15

Here we go wrote: »

I'd love to know how they came up with 40k there's guys here breaking the driving hours regularly and still wouldn't be getting that even with subsistence

Before or after tax as I'd imagine the 40k figure would be before tax?

CramCycle

Stephen15 wrote: »

Before or after tax as I'd imagine the 40k figure would be before tax?

Has to be before tax, after tax would be exceptional pay. IIRC correctly they were at 32k gross when GAI started, with the 4k tax free sustenance and overtime, that would easily be 40k gross.

Here we go

CramCycle wrote: »

Has to be before tax, after tax would be exceptional pay. IIRC correctly they were at 32k gross when GAI started, with the 4k tax free sustenance and overtime, that would easily be 40k gross.

It's not 4k subsistence it's 10€ if you don't have break at depot so some will get none as all there breaks are at depot (splits) and some have some breaks at depot and others away from (175,75) and some all breaks from depot (184) and it's not part of holiday pay so it should be 2400 if you get the max payment and take your entitled holidays

CramCycle

Here we go wrote: »

It's not 4k subsistence it's 10€ if you don't have break at depot so some will get none as all there breaks are at depot (splits) and some have some breaks at depot and others away from (175,75) and some all breaks from depot (184) and it's not part of holiday pay so it should be 2400 if you get the max payment and take your entitled holidays

I was taking the number from a post I seen, I don't know the ins and outs. €10 per day, presumably after tax, at an average working days per year of 262 (and most of us are more), thats €2620, at a pay package in the 30k bracket, it is not going to be far off 4k gross, certainly not the 4k net I posted so apologies, although I still don't know if either of our numbers are even close to being correct. Not sure what you mean about the holiday pay bit. I know the state allowed one is €14 per day which would be €3668 tax free per annum for a typical worker if they ignored the headache of working out who was and wasn't near the depot at each and every break they took.

AlekSmart

CramCycle wrote: »

I was taking the number from a post I seen, I don't know the ins and outs. €10 per day, presumably after tax, at an average working days per year of 262 (and most of us are more), thats €2620, at a pay package in the 30k bracket, it is not going to be far off 4k gross, certainly not the 4k net I posted so apologies, although I still don't know if either of our numbers are even close to being correct. Not sure what you mean about the holiday pay bit. I know the state allowed one is €14 per day which would be €3668 tax free per annum for a typical worker if they ignored the headache of working out who was and wasn't near the depot at each and every break they took.

It should be noted that all such Meal Allowances are at the grace of Revenue in relation to taxation.
In the past,such allowances were regularly used to give a wee boost to wages,with the "Tax-Free" element being the main focus.
Today,there is a far higher monitoring of this concession.

As has already been discussed here,not every duty will qualify for the allowance,so as individual drivers progress around a given rota,there may well be weeks when no such allowance would be paid,whilst other weeks might see several days duties qualifying.

There is considerable danger in an employee coming to regard subsistance alowances as an integral part of basic pay.

In addition,such payments do not count as basic pay,which can be important for calculating Pension contributions,Holiday Pay entitlements and assorted other qualifiers,usually based upon basic pay rates.

LastStop

AlekSmart wrote: »

In addition,such payments do not count as basic pay,which can be important for calculating Pension contributions,Holiday Pay entitlements and assorted other qualifiers,usually based upon basic pay rates.

Yes, good luck applying for a mortgage and then banging your head off a table as you explain that your Basic wage is X but you've got shift allowances of Y and meal Sustenance of Z and overtime of ??? per year and then they tell you you can Borrow 150k. Very frustrating.

I was listening to a couple explain how the husband had to quit a job he loved where his salary totalled 65k per year when all added up, to take a job he didn't want because the basic was 50k just for the banks.

GM228

AlekSmart wrote: »

(AFAIAA The GAI operation does not currently have any by-laws,but is operating to a set of draft by-laws drawn up by the NTA,which have not yet been implemented.)

GAI (and other PSO operators - with the exception of CIE companies and LUAS who are already covered) finally have applicable bye-laws, the National Transport Authority (Public Passenger Transport Services) Bye-Laws 2019 have come into force today.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/pdf/2019/en.si.2019.0273.pdf

Stephen15

GM228 wrote: »

GAI (and other PSO operators - with the exception of CIE companies and LUAS who are already covered) finally have applicable bye-laws, the National Transport Authority (Public Passenger Transport Services) Bye-Laws 2019 have come into force today.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/pdf/2019/en.si.2019.0273.pdf

Prohibited Items
38. (1) A person shall not take, or cause to be taken, on to any vehicle if
requested not to do so by a responsible person, any bird, animal, article or thing
which by reason of its nature is in the opinion of the responsible person likely
to cause annoyance or damage to any passenger or damage to any property.

But no mention of an exemption for passengers travelling with guide dogs. This part is badly worded "any animal" suggests that could include a guide dog. So if that's the case a responsible person could refuse access to a bus to a person with a guide dog :eek: if deemed an annoyance.

CramCycle

Stephen15 wrote: »

But no mention of an exemption for passengers travelling with guide dogs. This part is badly worded "any animal" suggests that could include a guide dog. So if that's the case a responsible person could refuse access to a bus to a person with a guide dog :eek: if deemed an annoyance.

By reason of its nature should cover that pretty easily. Good luck to anyone who even tries to test it out.

Qrt

GM228 wrote: »

GAI (and other PSO operators - with the exception of CIE companies and LUAS who are already covered) finally have applicable bye-laws, the National Transport Authority (Public Passenger Transport Services) Bye-Laws 2019 have come into force today.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/pdf/2019/en.si.2019.0273.pdf

Had a look through these the other day, fairly sure 70% of them have already been breached on the 17a by now.

dashcamdanny

Each person shall queue at a bus stop in an orderly manner,
shall on arrival at the bus stop take up the position at the rear of the appropriate
queue and shall move forward in an orderly and regular manner


LOL

Stephen15

dashcamdanny wrote: »

Each person shall queue at a bus stop in an orderly manner,
shall on arrival at the bus stop take up the position at the rear of the appropriate
queue and shall move forward in an orderly and regular manner

Fairly much the same thing in the BAC byelaws

DB Byelaws wrote:

10. (1) Each passenger shall queue at a bus stop in an orderly manner.

tabbey

dashcamdanny wrote: »

Each person shall queue at a bus stop in an orderly manner,
shall on arrival at the bus stop take up the position at the rear of the appropriate
queue and shall move forward in an orderly and regular manner


LOL

This was the norm when I grew up in the 1960s, at least in city centre termini, such as College Street or Burgh Quay.

A Bus inspector on duty there would send to the back of the queue, anyone who did not follow the rules.

punisher5112

tabbey wrote: »

This was the norm when I grew up in the 1960s, at least in city centre termini, such as College Street or Burgh Quay.

A Bus inspector on duty there would send to the back of the queue, anyone who did not follow the rules.

When the 123 had single decks Davey use to be on O'Connell st and had everyone lined up....

You are supposed to queue behind the stop looking forwards towards the bus that will be pulling in...

john boye

I remember there used to be a semblance of a proper queue at most stops in town. Now various factors like traffic, private traffic/delivery vehicles blocking stops and even other buses at overcrowded stops mean it's basically just a free for all and probably contributes quite a bit to the long dwell times.

tabbey

john boye wrote: »

I remember there used to be a semblance of a proper queue at most stops in town. Now various factors like traffic, private traffic/delivery vehicles blocking stops and even other buses at overcrowded stops mean it's basically just a free for all and probably contributes quite a bit to the long dwell times.

It is also because so many routes use the same stops that people cannot form one queue.

donvito99

The stop at Stephen's Green east typically has a very orderly queue. By contrast, it is difficult to queue at Dawson St as there is almost no space on the footpath for people to wait/walk.