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Bus Eireann - seriously poor

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    #182
    smurgen
    Registered Users Posts: 6,933 ✭✭✭smurgen


    namloc1980 wrote: »
    smurgen wrote: »
    No Luas in Cork,Go Ahead is dublin DB is Dublin and IE doesn't apply except for one line to East Cork.So yes it's a monopoly for BE.

    No it isn't. Do you understand what taxsaver actually is? Cobh Connect has taxsaver so can we drop this nonsense about taxsaver monopolies.

    Yes,i use it.why is it not made more transferrable so new bus companies could quickly and easily avail of the imcentive? Why mention bus eireann so promidently on the website? How about tax saving on a generic card,have private operators accept this card and use that as payment instead. Then the customer can choose if they want to use bus eireann or an alternative and aren't locked into a bus eireann monthly ticket.


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    #183
    namloc1980
    Registered Users Posts: 18,185 ✭✭✭✭namloc1980


    smurgen wrote: »
    Yes,i use it.why is it not made more transferrable so new bus companies could quickly and easily avail of the imcentive? Why mention bus eireann so promidently on the website? How about tax saving on a generic card,have private operators accept this card and use that as payment instead. Then the customer can choose if they want to use bus eireann or an alternative and aren't locked into a bus eireann monthly ticket.

    Taxsaver is linked to a specific type of ticket. Have you contacted the various operators, the NTA, the Revenue Commissioners to ask those questions?


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    #184
    smurgen
    Registered Users Posts: 6,933 ✭✭✭smurgen


    namloc1980 wrote: »
    smurgen wrote: »
    Yes,i use it.why is it not made more transferrable so new bus companies could quickly and easily avail of the imcentive? Why mention bus eireann so promidently on the website? How about tax saving on a generic card,have private operators accept this card and use that as payment instead. Then the customer can choose if they want to use bus eireann or an alternative and aren't locked into a bus eireann monthly ticket.

    Taxsaver is linked to a specific type of ticket. Have you contacted the various operators, the NTA, the Revenue Commissioners to ask those questions?

    So you agree that the taxsaver set up suits Bus Eireann over private bus operators in Cork? That it would provide a barrier to entry to new enterants.


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    #185
    namloc1980
    Registered Users Posts: 18,185 ✭✭✭✭namloc1980


    smurgen wrote: »
    So you agree that the taxsaver set up suits Bus Eireann over private bus operators in Cork? That it would provide a barrier to entry to new enterants.

    No. Case in point is Cobh Connects....new operator who have taxsaver.

    You didn't answer my question...have you contacted the various authorities with your concerns?


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    #186
    end of the road
    Registered Users Posts: 29,037 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    smurgen wrote: »
    So you agree that the taxsaver set up suits Bus Eireann over private bus operators in Cork? That it would provide a barrier to entry to new enterants.

    no, i don't, because it doesn't. there is no barrier to entry for private operators in cork or anywhere. they can tender for a contract to operate existing PSO routes when the contract with the existing operator is up, they can provide a new PSO route, and they can operate a commercial route, as long as the new PSO or commercial route adds to the network.

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



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    #187
    smurgen
    Registered Users Posts: 6,933 ✭✭✭smurgen


    namloc1980 wrote: »
    smurgen wrote: »
    So you agree that the taxsaver set up suits Bus Eireann over private bus operators in Cork? That it would provide a barrier to entry to new enterants.

    No. Case in point is Cobh Connects....new operator who have taxsaver.

    You didn't answer my question...have you contacted the various authorities with your concerns?

    The cobh connect is not listed on the taxsaver.ie website. Why is that?
    I will be contacting the authorities about my concerns. To be honest with you i see a number of concerning issues with the the tender process also and the lack of transparancy looks very suspicious to me. The nta submission by bus eireann looks suspicious also and the performance metrics just to not look believeable.
    As an accountant myself i think i could pick apart the numbers pretty easy. I just had a cursory glance last night at some of the financials reports audited by Deloitte and seen several inconsistencies.The customer surveys look like a complete book of fiction.
    I'll be putting together a breakdown of my issues with the cosy relationship between NTA and Bus Eireann, the damage I believe Bus Eireann is doing to Cork city as a provider on a vital public service and make recommendations.
    I'll be forwarding all of this onto Cork T.D's see if i can get any replies.


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    #188
    end of the road
    Registered Users Posts: 29,037 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    smurgen wrote: »
    The cobh connect is not listed on the taxsaver.ie website. Why is that?

    i don't know. perhapse it's a simple mistaken omission. it's certainly not a conspiracy against private operators given luas is mentioned. goahead dublin isn't mentioned from what i can find either but tax saver is availible as far as i understand on their routes along with apparently cobh connect.

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



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    #189
    smurgen
    Registered Users Posts: 6,933 ✭✭✭smurgen


    end of the road wrote: »
    smurgen wrote: »
    The cobh connect is not listed on the taxsaver.ie website. Why is that?

    i don't know. perhapse it's a simple mistaken omission. it's certainly not a conspiracy against private operators given luas is mentioned. goahead dublin isn't mentioned from what i can find either but tax saver is availible as far as i understand on their routes along with apparently cobh connect.

    I'm curious as to what your job is.i can see from you arguing on this thread you never consider the service from the consumers perspective and seem to attribute delays to private cars. Do you work for a union or other semi state body?


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    #190
    end of the road
    Registered Users Posts: 29,037 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    smurgen wrote: »
    I'm curious as to what your job is. Do you work for a union or other semi state body?

    no
    smurgen wrote: »
    i can see from you arguing on this thread you never consider the service from the consumers perspective and seem to attribute delays to private cars.

    i very much consider transport services from the customer's point of view, given i am a customer and frequent user of public transport myself, all be it not in the cork area. the fact is, private cars will be part of the delays to transport, in some cases a huge part. from what i understand of cork, there is far from enough bus priority measures and not enough being done by all stakeholders to sort out what are clearly issues on services down there. there will be aspects of that which are the fault of the company, all be it not as much as it is made out to be, but mostly it's the regulator, who is not holding them to account and who is doing nothing to resolve the issues. i believe in defending and criticising where warrented and have very much been willing to criticise transport operators where i believe they can do better.

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



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    #191
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Registered Users Posts: 3,470 ✭✭✭Curb Your Enthusiasm


    Over a year later (I'm the OP) and nothing has changed.

    First day back to college last week and the driver sees me, and despite me waving and standing at the stop, he drives straight past me, 5-7 mins early.

    Luckily he got stuck in traffic a few hundreds metres up the road so I knocked on the door and he let me in.

    I asked him why he left the stop early and he began to argue with me, telling me that 'because it's a college bus, the timetable doesn't matter' - at that stage I wasn't even going to try and talk to this fella.

    I've sent BE many emails over the past year about poor service and despite false apologies and 'we're continually improving' emails, they're still the same.

    Nothing has changed... and then you wonder why we're so car reliant in Cork City.

    This has to change if we want more people to use public transport FFS. It's just constant despicable service. Someone has to step up and do something about it, whether it be the public, politicians, someone just has to tackle this, because Bus Eireann themselves are clearly not interested in improving.

    See the below response from the NTA too - they don't want to help or investigate either. Jokers.

    Bus Eireann are not held accountable for their poor service and that's part of the problem.

    Sorry for the long post but it's an absolute joke at this stage.


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    #192
    namloc1980
    Registered Users Posts: 18,185 ✭✭✭✭namloc1980


    Anecdotally at least there's lots of issues with Go Ahead services in Dublin since they they took up the old DB routes (have a look at Twitter for examples). Some of the old issues like phantom buses, multiple buses showing up at once are still there plus new issues like incorrect fares being charged / Leap cards not working etc.

    The grass isn't always greener on the other side.


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    #193
    Mardyke
    Registered Users Posts: 576 ✭✭✭Mardyke


    The new 220 timetable is fantastic in fairness. It remains to be seen, though, whether they can continue to provide a service that sticks to the timetable. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. They've basically just thrown lots more buses at the route. So now, even if a bus is late, you probably won't be waiting for too long.

    Despite that positivity, though, there are still glaring issues with BE as a service provider. The old brigade of drivers clearly are trouble, we'll see if the newer bunch are thought some manners and customer service.

    Timetables still mean nothing to a driver as far as I can see. They just set off and plough ahead.


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    #194
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Registered Users Posts: 3,470 ✭✭✭Curb Your Enthusiasm


    Had three 220's pass me one after the other last night in town, within a minute of eachother, going out towards Ovens. No traffic so no excuses. They are definitely not sticking to timetables which makes a joke of the new (improved) timetable.


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    #195
    kub
    Registered Users Posts: 6,538 ✭✭✭kub


    Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »
    Had three 220's pass me one after the other last night in town, within a minute of eachother, going out towards Ovens. No traffic so no excuses. They are definitely not sticking to timetables which makes a joke of the new (improved) timetable.


    I am not at all excusing Bus Eireann and their questionable customer service or whatever they call it, but that 220 route is one of, if not the longest suburban service in the country. Traffic may have been light where you were but who is to say what it was like before you saw the buses together, anywhere along that route.


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    #196
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Registered Users Posts: 3,470 ✭✭✭Curb Your Enthusiasm


    kub wrote: »
    I am not at all excusing Bus Eireann and their questionable customer service or whatever they call it, but that 220 route is one of, if not the longest suburban service in the country. Traffic may have been light where you were but who is to say what it was like before you saw the buses together, anywhere along that route.

    Sorry but this was at 11pm last night, so I refuse to believe traffic was the reason for that occurring. Certainly not to delay 3 buses anyway. But fair point either way.


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    #197
    kub
    Registered Users Posts: 6,538 ✭✭✭kub


    Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »
    Sorry but this was at 11pm last night, so I refuse to believe traffic was the reason for that occurring. Certainly not to delay 3 buses anyway. But fair point either way.


    Ah 11pm, well there is no excuse for that, any chance they were coming off service i wonder ?


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    #198
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Registered Users Posts: 3,470 ✭✭✭Curb Your Enthusiasm


    kub wrote: »
    Ah 11pm, well there is no excuse for that, any chance they were coming off service i wonder ?

    All were marked as heading to Ovens and all stopped. So I don't know. Very, very strange though.


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    #199
    questionmark?
    Registered Users Posts: 3,074 ✭✭✭questionmark?


    kub wrote: »
    , but that 220 route is one of, if not the longest suburban service in the country.

    Surely they should consider splitting that route into two rather than one very long route. Could build recovery time in the centre into the schedule before going back the way they came.


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    #200
    Treviso
    Registered Users Posts: 735 ✭✭✭Treviso


    Whatever happened to Bus Eireann's live bus tracker service? See bits about it from 2010. Surely they could now try to start that service again


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    #201
    TheChizler
    Registered Users Posts: 9,447 ✭✭✭TheChizler


    Treviso wrote: »
    Whatever happened to Bus Eireann's live bus tracker service? See bits about it from 2010. Surely they could now try to start that service again
    You can see the current (sometimes ghost) bus position when you look at the schedule on the real time information site.


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    #202
    Treviso
    Registered Users Posts: 735 ✭✭✭Treviso


    I firmly believe that the real time information site is where the bus is supposed to be, determined by the timetable.

    Whereas GPS tracking would (hopefully) not lie about the bus' location!


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    #203
    Missyelliot2
    Registered Users Posts: 1,472 ✭✭✭Missyelliot2


    Hi all.... due to get the 202 outside St. Luke's at 8am - last few times i have waited there, no bus has turned up. Would i be better walking to the Ferney Grove side?


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    #204
    TheChizler
    Registered Users Posts: 9,447 ✭✭✭TheChizler


    Treviso wrote: »
    I firmly believe that the real time information site is where the bus is supposed to be, determined by the timetable.

    Whereas GPS tracking would (hopefully) not lie about the bus' location!
    Is a mix between timetable and live location, but definitely if you're on a bus watching it it tracks your position perfectly.


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    #205
    zilog_jones
    Registered Users Posts: 6,641 ✭✭✭zilog_jones


    "Perfectly"? LOL, it's a ball of shíte. Countless times I've seen them go down to 0 minutes and a bus never appears.


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    #206
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Registered Users Posts: 3,470 ✭✭✭Curb Your Enthusiasm


    Bus left my stop nearly 10 mins early again today. Had it drive right past as I was walking towards the stop. Next bus isn't for an hour...

    Obviously management aren't acting on my complaints because this is the second time it's happened over the past week, and multiple times over the past year. Drivers obviously don't care.

    The one most important aspect of any transport company is sticking to the timetable. Why bother having a timetable if your drivers just power through the stop at whatever time they feel like?


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    #207
    TheChizler
    Registered Users Posts: 9,447 ✭✭✭TheChizler


    zilog_jones wrote: »
    "Perfectly"? LOL, it's a ball of shíte. Countless times I've seen them go down to 0 minutes and a bus never appears.
    Well that's not the situation I described is it? Very often there's no tracking at all but when there is it's accurate.


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    #208
    kub
    Registered Users Posts: 6,538 ✭✭✭kub


    Curb Your Enthusiasm wrote: »
    Bus left my stop nearly 10 mins early again today. Had it drive right past as I was walking towards the stop. Next bus isn't for an hour...

    Obviously management aren't acting on my complaints because this is the second time it's happened over the past week, and multiple times over the past year. Drivers obviously don't care.

    The one most important aspect of any transport company is sticking to the timetable. Why bother having a timetable if your drivers just power through the stop at whatever time they feel like?


    I have to wonder at this stage would you be better off speaking with the Bus drivers union, because they are the ones running that organisation as far as I can see anyway.


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    #209
    run_Forrest_run
    Registered Users Posts: 6,417 ✭✭✭run_Forrest_run


    kub wrote: »
    I have to wonder at this stage would you be better off speaking with the Bus drivers union, because they are the ones running that organisation as far as I can see anyway.

    you may we well talk to the wall than talk to a bus driver's union.


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    #210
    end of the road
    Registered Users Posts: 29,037 ✭✭✭✭end of the road


    kub wrote: »
    I have to wonder at this stage would you be better off speaking with the Bus drivers union, because they are the ones running that organisation as far as I can see anyway.


    you are incorrect. management run bus eireann.
    run_Forrest_run wrote: »
    you may we well talk to the wall than talk to a bus driver's union.

    correct. they can't do anything more then what the poster is already doing, as it's not in their remit. by all means contact them anyway as it's another organisation for which to bring this issue to attention to.
    ultimately though people need to keep contacting area/regional management and head management + the NTA. ideally their local politicians as well.

    ticking a box on a form does not make you of a religion.



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    #211
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Registered Users Posts: 3,470 ✭✭✭Curb Your Enthusiasm


    end of the road wrote: »
    you are incorrect. management run
    bus eireann.



    correct. they can't do anything more then what the poster is already doing, as it's not in their remit. by all means contact them anyway as it's another organisation for which to bring this issue to attention to.
    ultimately though people need to keep contacting area/regional management and head management + the NTA. ideally their local politicians as well.

    I'm doing all of those things for well over the past year. The NTA don't want to know tbh. It's incredibly frustrating that nobody is taking responsibility for the continued poor service.


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