Dublin Bus January Service Enhancements

bebeman

145 up next, new timetable , maybe slight route changes?

dfx-

Just eight routes? And predominantly morning time and only in term? I think enhancements is pushing it a bit - small changes may be more accurate. Is this going to be level of the promised "increased levels of services"..

thomasj wrote: »

I was on a 39a at 8.30 last night. With a 20 minute gap for the next one it was skipping stops or only letting the first few on. And this was a triaxle bus being used.

It's everyone for themselves after office hours.

The NTA people are safely warm and dry at home by then.

devnull

dfx- wrote: »

Just eight routes? And predominantly morning time and only in term? I think enhancements is pushing it a bit - small changes may be more accurate. Is this going to be level of the promised "increased levels of services"...

These are some of the improvements which are possible by the increase in fleet size at the end of 2017 and follows changes to the 33b, 33d, 44, 44b, 65 and 65b at the end of last year. It's believed there is more to come in the next few weeks and in March a new route from Finglas to Broombridge but bills have to be agreed with unions before these can happen.

The most recently talked about increased levels of service by Dublin Bus relate to the fact that the Dublin Bus fleet size is to remain static even when they lose routes to Go-Ahead, allowing at least 80 vehicles to be redeployed elsewhere to increase frequency, reliability and possibly new services.

Note that some of the recent changes also did more than add extra timetabled buses - some of them had extra vehicles added to the routes with increased running time to aid service reliability and punctuality.

dfx-

One or two departures on key lengthy routes like the 15 or 67 or adjustments to smaller routes like the 65B, 44 or 33B doesn't hack it as an enhancement for me. Do they then operate back out from the opposite terminus or is it one half lap of a route?

AlekSmart wrote: »

Perhaps a pithly worded enquiry to the NTA's public affairs department might spur them clarify their position ?

I'm assuming the NTA's standard PR reply will refer to the Jarrett Walker Busconnects programme,which apears now to be slipping into overdue status,when it is now urgently required in terms of comprehensively addressing the situation.

There is now a worrying element of lack-of-leadership on display,both from the NTA as the oversight body and Bus Atha Cliath,as the major service provider.

If you get anything more from an enquiry than an evasive variant of the stock NTA response of "For details, you should contact the operator", then you should do the lotto tonight, Alek.:)

Stevek101

BusConnects report was never due before Q1 2018. It'll be put out to the public early March.

This may be worth tuning into in early Feb https://www.engineersireland.ie/groups/divisions/energy-environment/events/irish-public-transport-policy-and-the-busconnects.aspx

Also a fairly substantial increase to 140 just announced today. Including Sunday times. http://www.dublinbus.ie/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/140-1/

devnull

dfx- wrote: »

One or two departures on key lengthy routes like the 15 or 67 or adjustments to smaller routes like the 65B, 44 or 33B doesn't hack it as an enhancement for me. Do they then operate back out from the opposite terminus or is it one half lap of a route?

As stated there are more enhancements to come from what I understand and the ones announced so far are not the extent of the late 2017 fleet expansion but they cannot happen all at once as the new bills have to be voted on and approved by the unions which I understand is ongoing for a number of routes at the moment. There then will be another tranche of improvements in Q2/Q3.

I would not expect that these vehicles are only doing one half lap of the route, it has been previously earmarked that some of the fleet expansion would be used to make the services more reliable by using more buses to operate timetables through increased running times to prevent laps being dropped due to late running and buses not completing the full routes leading to gaps in service. This will also help deal with capacity issues.

devnull

Stevek101 wrote: »

Also a fairly substantial increase to 140 just announced today. Including Sunday times. http://www.dublinbus.ie/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/140-1/

Fairly decent increases alright:

Finglas to Palmerstown
Mon-Fri 69 (was 62)
Sat 58 (was 48)
Sun 37 (was 28)

Palmerstown to Finglas
Mon-Fri 65 (was 56)
Sat 55 (was 47)
Sun 34 (was 26)

Seems morning peak stays at 8 minute frequency for longer instead of every 10 minutes and in the evening it stays at 10 minute frequency for longer than it does now instead of 15.

dublinman1990

thomasj wrote: »

I was on a 39a at 8.30 last night. With a 20 minute gap for the next one it was skipping stops or only letting the first few on. And this was a triaxle bus being used.

I was waiting for a 7 outside Argos in Dun Laoghaire to get home sometime between 6:25 & 6:30 yesterday evening.

There were about 2 dozen people waiting for a 46a to arrive at that stop with only 3 minutes to go on the RTPI. The 46a approaches the stop as normal going down George St. What happened next? The tri-axle bus for the 46a proceeds to sail past the stop at Argos with all of the passengers who wanted to board it behind at Argos to wait for the next one. I was asking myself the question why would a bus like the 46a leave passengers behind at a stop like Argos after only leaving the terminus 2 stops earlier? I just do not understand the logic of why DB would let this happen under any circumstance to intending passengers. There was plenty of empty seats along inside the bus with only a handful of passengers in it already on the bus without any other known issues.

Luckily; the 7 that I wanted stopped outside Argos as intended to let me on it. I only waited 5 minutes to get that bus home.

I want to ask everyone here would this type of operation from DB of skipping bus stops starting to become a trend for daily routes like the 46a?

Would this start to become the norm now when the new 46a timetable begins in late January? Also; Could there have been an instruction from Dublin Bus Central Control at OCS to let bus routes skip bus stops to meet running time if the bus ran late from the terminus?

Tickityboo

dublinman1990 wrote: »

I was waiting for a 7 outside Argos in Dun Laoghaire to get home sometime between 6:25 & 6:30 yesterday evening.

There were about 2 dozen people waiting for a 46a to arrive at that stop with only 3 minutes to go on the RTPI. The 46a approaches the stop as normal going down George St. What happened next? The tri-axle bus for the 46a proceeds to sail past the stop at Argos with all of the passengers who wanted to board it behind at Argos to wait for the next one. I was asking myself the question why would a bus like the 46a leave passengers behind at a stop like Argos after only leaving the terminus 2 stops earlier? I just do not understand the logic of why DB would let this happen under any circumstance to intending passengers. There was plenty of empty seats along inside the bus with only a handful of passengers in it already on the bus without any other known issues.

Luckily; the 7 that I wanted stopped outside Argos as intended to let me on it. I only waited 5 minutes to get that bus home.

I want to ask everyone here would this type of operation from DB of skipping bus stops starting to become a trend for daily routes like the 46a?

Would this start to become the norm now when the new 46a timetable begins in late January? Also; Could there have been an instruction from Dublin Bus Central Control at OCS to let bus routes skip bus stops to meet running time if the bus ran late from the terminus?

The new schedule has already started.
There would be no instructions to skip stops while displaying route number.
Either no one bothered to stick there hand out or the driver was a Dick.

BonnieSituation

devnull wrote: »

Fairly decent increases alright:

Finglas to Palmerstown Palmerston Park (Ratmines)
Mon-Fri 69 (was 62)
Sat 58 (was 48)
Sun 37 (was 28)

Palmerstown Palmerston Park (Ratmines) to Finglas
Mon-Fri 65 (was 56)
Sat 55 (was 47)
Sun 34 (was 26)

Seems morning peak stays at 8 minute frequency for longer instead of every 10 minutes and in the evening it stays at 10 minute frequency for longer than it does now instead of 15.

I was wondering what this bus was. Never knew it went to Palmerstown. Jeebus man...

L1011

The suburb changed to Palmerston spelling a while back, to confuse people further

BonnieSituation

L1011 wrote: »

The suburb changed to Palmerston spelling a while back, to confuse people further

No it didn't. It went the other way.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/palmerstown-wins-back-w-as-council-approves-name-change-1.2064799

bebeman

Something up with the 145, it was at the WRC, came down on side of drivers, DB have to come back with new plan, going back again soon to WRC.
Rumors are flying around, the biggest is that the 145 and 39 will be rolled together to create a new route.

BonnieSituation

bebeman wrote: »

Something up with the 145, it was at the WRC, came down on side of drivers, DB have to come back with new plan, going back again soon to WRC.
Rumors are flying around, the biggest is that the 145 and 39 will be rolled together to create a new route.

That would be bordering on insane.

AlekSmart

BonnieSituation wrote: »

That would be bordering on insane.

Panic ye not :eek: The 39A/145 alignment is mooted for the NIGHT services proposed by the NTA,which allows for a 30/60 min service from 0000-0500,operating 7 days per week between Ongar and Bray.

AlekSmart

Stevek101 wrote: »

BusConnects report was never due before Q1 2018. It'll be put out to the public early March.

This may be worth tuning into in early Feb https://www.engineersireland.ie/groups/divisions/energy-environment/events/irish-public-transport-policy-and-the-busconnects.aspx

Also a fairly substantial increase to 140 just announced today. Including Sunday times. http://www.dublinbus.ie/Your-Journey1/Timetables/All-Timetables/140-1/

Jarrett Walker's proposals will certainly turn current Bus Network thinking largely on it's head,and that's no bad thing.
However,I note the caveats which accompany his own account...

http://humantransit.org/dublin-area-bus-network-redesign-background

...namely,

A parallel project is working on this issue.

I fear that the ubiquitous Irish disease of,exactly how "parallel" these projects actually are,may yet prove to be the undoing of jarrett's good work.

With €750,000,000 having been allocated in Budget 2018 for Busconnects,it is to be hoped that we won't fritter it away on pointless revisions,expert group reports and suchlike.

dfx-

devnull wrote: »

I would not expect that these vehicles are only doing one half lap of the route, it has been previously earmarked that some of the fleet expansion would be used to make the services more reliable by using more buses to operate timetables through increased running times to prevent laps being dropped due to late running and buses not completing the full routes leading to gaps in service. This will also help deal with capacity issues.

In that case has anyone identified the additional departures from the new timetable in the other direction?

Really they should advertise all the added departures in both directions.

Stephen15

AlekSmart wrote: »

Panic ye not :eek: The 39A/145 alignment is mooted for the NIGHT services proposed by the NTA,which allows for a 30/60 min service from 0000-0500,operating 7 days per week between Ongar and Bray.

Just looking at that link you shared it also seems to suggest a return of the 10 between Belfield and The Phoenix Park as there is a dark blue line represting a link between the Stillorgan Rd. Corridor and the Blanchardstown Corridor and a thinner light blue representing a link between UCD and The Phoenix Pk. but only as far as UCD and not DL as is the case with the 46a. Interesting times Ahead!

thomasj

noelfirl wrote: »

If I'm reading that one correctly, they're removing the 0825 departure from Palmerstown (cut short to start from the West County Hotel further down the line).

Considering the function of that route is to "mop up" for the other busier outer suburban services using the N4, it seems a bit ridiculous to remove that departure from Palmerstown - at one of the key times when that end of the route merits the extra support.

I see that they've corrected the timetable now.

So there is now the normal 08.25 departure and an 08.25 departure from the west county hotel to bachelors walk during term-time

trellheim

We will start seeing the LUAS effect soon I suppose.

Will DB be doing the same thing as happened with the Green line as a lot of buses reduced in frequency when that happened along the LUAS core if I recall ( or am I wrong )

39 through stoneybatter both directions very busy nearly all the time. Yes its the local route but the 46a is closer and the frequency is just right on that route so I think we need to see a higher freq

BonnieSituation

How do you mean the 46A is closer? As a former resident of Stoneybatter, there was never a hope in hell of me walking up to the NCR for a bus to go through Phib and all around the houses to get down the hell of OCS and on to my destination which incidentally used to be Dún Laoghaire!

39/37 to Bachelors Walk, DART from Tara was how it used to be

trellheim

IF you're at the very top - Prussia St vicinity or thereabouts its 39/39a or 70 or 46a

BonnieSituation

trellheim wrote: »

IF you're at the very top - Prussia St vicinity or thereabouts its 39/39a or 70 or 46a

Oh aye I know. But there's a lot more to the Batter than Prussia St.

Also the gap between the stops at the NCR and Kirwan St is madness. Though street topography is the cause.

ArmaniJeanss

BonnieSituation wrote: »

Oh aye I know. But there's a lot more to the Batter than Prussia St.

Also the gap between the stops at the NCR and Kirwan St is madness. Though street topography is the cause.

I think there used to be another stop each direction, for westbound there was one at the now closed shop at St Josephs Rd, and towards An Lar there was one in the vicinity of Kavanaghs/Manor Chipper just as the road got wider.

thomasj

So, are the additional services running this week?

thomasj

9.45pm at night and a queue of people at the bus stop on wood quay and 39as flying past full (VTs)

Phil.x

thomasj wrote: »

9.45pm at night and a queue of people at the bus stop on wood quay and 39as flying past full (VTs)

Time for a car.

thomasj

Phil.x wrote:

Time for a car.

Im getting more and more tempted to start driving

Phil.x

thomasj wrote: »

Im getting more and more tempted to start driving

As you know, the traffic on the n3, navan road in rush-hour and now the quays are dreadful, beyond dreadful. So unless you can start early and finish early or vice versa you will quickly go grey, cry or want to move house.