Bus Eireann - is this normal?

strandroad

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

What part of it isn't true?

I can certainly confirm that it was a regular occurrence at Donnybrook.

punisher5112

strandroad wrote: »

I can certainly confirm that it was a regular occurrence at Donnybrook.

Only route I know that drivers leave passengers on board is the 84.

In 12 years I have not once seen a bus left alone at Donnybrook.

They may well have stepped off but other driver would be in sight as they would know who is taking up.

strandroad

punisher5112 wrote: »

Only route I know that drivers leave passengers on board is the 84.

In 12 years I have not once seen a bus left alone at Donnybrook.

They may well have stepped off but other driver would be in sight as they would know who is taking up.

That's right, in my experience the first driver would park and wait for the other one, but all their passengers would wait too which is the crux of the issue.

Turnipman

strandroad wrote: »

I can certainly confirm that it was a regular occurrence at Donnybrook.

Yep. Me too. Regular occurrence.

Although that said, I haven't travelled that route for over 30 years so things may have changed.

punisher5112

strandroad wrote: »

That's right, in my experience the first driver would park and wait for the other one, but all their passengers would wait too which is the crux of the issue.

Not drivers fault it is how it is and has been for an age, similar to trams, airport services etc etc.

It means the bus is on the road and it usually isn't any longer then 2 or 3 minutes.

At the moment every day is different and some buses arrive way ahead of time.

Today it could arrive 15 minutes early and the driver has no way of knowing if it's going to be quiet all the way and tomorrow the bus could be just on time or even late handing over.

If you have an issue waiting a few short minutes then what happens when bus is stuck in traffic or you get the ones that sit upstairs at the back and only bother getting up when the doors are already closing but want that stop or those that fumble for change or card then realize they have nothing on them or didn't top it up etc.

Kyleboy

strandroad wrote: »

I can certainly confirm that it was a regular occurrence at Donnybrook.

I've been handing over there 5 days a week for the last 20 years and have never seen or heard of another driver just getting out and leaving a bus load of passengers, yet you say its a regular occurrence.....sorry but your talking rubbish, don't worry about it, there is a lot of other posters on here that make up stories about drivers as well.

r93kaey5p2izun

I think this is a common experience for Dublin Bus too - buses not completing routes. At least once a week I'm turfed off a bus that's supposed to go to Merrion Square on Bachelor's Walk. I can't walk that far due to illness and have to pay a second fare. It is an inspector decision though and not just a driver doing his own thing. Not as big a deal as the OP's case obviously but the same principle. No assistance offered in finding an alternative route. No consideration for the cost implication.

strandroad

Kyleboy wrote: »

I've been handing over there 5 days a week for the last 20 years and have never seen or heard of another driver just getting out and leaving a bus load of passengers, yet you say its a regular occurrence.....sorry but your talking rubbish, don't worry about it, there is a lot of other posters on here that make up stories about drivers as well.

It's a regular occurrence that bus passengers must wait for drivers.

Stephen15

punisher5112 wrote: »

Not drivers fault it is how it is and has been for an age, similar to trams, airport services etc etc.

It means the bus is on the road and it usually isn't any longer then 2 or 3 minutes.

At the moment every day is different and some buses arrive way ahead of time.

Today it could arrive 15 minutes early and the driver has no way of knowing if it's going to be quiet all the way and tomorrow the bus could be just on time or even late handing over.

If you have an issue waiting a few short minutes then what happens when bus is stuck in traffic or you get the ones that sit upstairs at the back and only bother getting up when the doors are already closing but want that stop or those that fumble for change or card then realize they have nothing on them or didn't top it up etc.

I don't know if this still the case but I was scrolling through some old C+T threads recently from about 10 years and a poster who was a driver said there is a gentlemens rule that the drivers would show up to the stop 10 mins before a driver changeover however this it said this isin't official DB policy and just an agreement among drivers. Is this still the case?

Kyleboy

Stephen15 wrote: »

I don't know if this still the case but I was scrolling through some old C+T threads recently from about 10 years and a poster who was a driver said there is a gentlemens rule that the drivers would show up to the stop 10 mins before a driver changeover however this it said this isin't official DB policy and just an agreement among drivers. Is this still the case?

Yes, most drivers still turn up early but there's a couple of drivers that don't do it... Some of the bills we work now have very tight breaks, you can have a 50 minute break on some which isn't enough time for you to have your break and also give the next driver 10 minutes.

Stephen15

Mallory Incalculable Metro wrote: »

I think this is a common experience for Dublin Bus too - buses not completing routes. At least once a week I'm turfed off a bus that's supposed to go to Merrion Square on Bachelor's Walk. I can't walk that far due to illness and have to pay a second fare. It is an inspector decision though and not just a driver doing his own thing. Not as big a deal as the OP's case obviously but the same principle. No assistance offered in finding an alternative route. No consideration for the cost implication.

Buses have to keep to a schedule if the bus continued to Merrion Square it could effect more people as the outbound journey would be delayed. What's a bigger issue is passengers waiting for buses which don't show up. This would be solved by drivers being able to issue a simple transfer voucher if a bus terminates early due to scheduling issues or a breakdown. Although this would be sorted out the bus connects 90 min fare.

r93kaey5p2izun

Stephen15 wrote: »

Buses have to keep to a schedule if the bus continued to Merrion Square it could effect more people as the outbound journey would be delayed. What's a bigger issue is passengers waiting for buses which don't show up. This would be solved by drivers being able to issue a simple transfer voucher if a bus terminates early due to scheduling issues or a breakdown. Although this would be sorted out the bus connects 90 min fare.

Yes I understand why it's done. Not much comfort having to pay 50c extra for a journey I've already paid for though, on a regular basis. They also then skip the whole start of the outbound route from Merrion Square without any notification to waiting passengers. The timetable is a work of fiction that cannot be operated in reality based on normal daily traffic, aggravated significantly by Luas Cross City. Either way passengers inconvenienced and left to pick up the tab.

Stephen15

Mallory Incalculable Metro wrote: »

Yes I understand why it's done. Not much comfort having to pay 50c extra for a journey I've already paid for though, on a regular basis. They also then skip the whole start of the outbound route from Merrion Square without any notification to waiting passengers. The timetable is a work of fiction that cannot be operated in reality based on normal daily traffic, aggravated significantly by Luas Cross City. Either way passengers inconvenienced and left to pick up the tab.

Has that not been an issue since Lucan buses have pushed away from terminating on Lwr. Abbey Street since the opening of the Red Line? The Luas CC issues are beginning to iron out now it seems.

Yer Da sells Avon

punisher5112 wrote: »

Only route I know that drivers leave passengers on board is the 84.

In 12 years I have not once seen a bus left alone at Donnybrook.

They may well have stepped off but other driver would be in sight as they would know who is taking up.

Yeah, the other driver is usually close by. And they might explain the delay to the passengers, or they might not.

At least with the 84, it clearly states on the timetable that the bus isn't due to leave Bray Station until a certain time, so the passengers know they're in for a wait, whether there's a changeover or not.

On an inbound 145/46a, you could easily be sitting at the Ever Ready garage for ten or fifteen minutes, being overtaken by other buses. It would be a lot more convenient for customers if changeovers happened at the terminus. I'm not sure why this isn't the case.

strandroad

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

On an inbound 145/46a, you could easily be sitting at the Ever Ready garage for ten or fifteen minutes, being overtaken by other buses.

Outbound too, you could easily experience it twice a day. It does add up with a regular commute.

It would be a lot more convenient for customers if changeovers happened at the terminus. I'm not sure why this isn't the case.

It's not a passenger oriented service...

Kyleboy

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

Yeah, the other driver is usually close by. And they might explain the delay to the passengers, or they might not.

At least with the 84, it clearly states on the timetable that the bus isn't due to leave Bray Station until a certain time, so the passengers know they're in for a wait, whether there's a changeover or not.

On an inbound 145/46a, you could easily be sitting at the Ever Ready garage for ten or fifteen minutes, being overtaken by other buses. It would be a lot more convenient for customers if changeovers happened at the terminus. I'm not sure why this isn't the case.

The reason changeovers don't happen at terminus is so the company can squeeze more in service driving out of driver's. It would make for a far handier day for a driver if all changes were done at terminus.

Kyleboy

Yer Da sells Avon wrote: »

What part of it isn't true?

All of it.

Stephen15

"Yer wrote:

On an inbound 145/46a, you could easily be sitting at the Ever Ready garage for ten or fifteen minutes, being overtaken by other buses. It would be a lot more convenient for customers if changeovers happened at the terminus. I'm not sure why this isn't the case.

Ten or fifteen minutes at Donnybrook sounds like an exageration usually its 5 mins max. The drivers are usually there as it's right outside the depot. The changeovers at Donnybrook are definitely quicker now than they were 10 years ago..

The changeovers are done mid route to avoid buses having to run as seirbis from depot to terminus and for drivers legal breaks I would imagine.

dieselbug

Ok, so I took a journey on Bus Eireann recently which involved three buses and according to the website timetable all checked out ok. So i got the first bus and tried to buy a ticket for the full journey but the driver informed me that the website was incorrect and I would not be on time to catch the second bus.

So to make a long story short he made a few phone calls and arranged for the driver of the other bus to make an unscheduled stop to transfer me so that I could successfully complete the journey. So all ended good due to two drivers with a good attitude and a bit of common sense. Restored my faith in Bus Eireann a bit.

magentis

dieselbug wrote: »

Ok, so I took a journey on Bus Eireann recently which involved three buses and according to the website timetable all checked out ok. So i got the first bus and tried to buy a ticket for the full journey but the driver informed me that the website was incorrect and I would not be on time to catch the second bus.

So to make a long story short he made a few phone calls and arranged for the driver of the other bus to make an unscheduled stop to transfer me so that I could successfully complete the journey. So all ended good due to two drivers with a good attitude and a bit of common sense. Restored my faith in Bus Eireann a bit.

Thus inconveniencing and delaying other passengers.

If you were getting connecting flights across the world,would you leave mere minutes between them?

OldMrBrennan83

Getting a bus is in no way like getting a plane.

Stephen15

magentis wrote: »

Nope.Nothing at all.Shur every other passenger on the bus can wait until someone decides they want to travel.

Maybe there wouldn't be an issue if the information posted on the website was correct and factual

magentis

Stephen15 wrote: »

Maybe there wouldn't be an issue if the information posted on the website was correct and factual

I would love that.

When I leave home in my car to know EXACTLY what time I will get where I'm going.

Anyone got a tardis for sale?

magentis

Stephen15 wrote: »

Maybe there wouldn't be an issue if the information posted on the website was correct and factual

Take today for example.

Should bus eireann timetables have a time allowance for "not the sharpest tool in the box" truck drivers who load automated telescopic equipment onto their vehicle without making sure it's switched off?

dieselbug

magentis wrote: »

Thus inconveniencing and delaying other passengers.

If you were getting connecting flights across the world,would you leave mere minutes between them?

The delay was less than a minute I would say, certainly didn't go to two minutes.

As for making the comparison to connecting flights, that's just nonsense.

A nonsense post really.

magentis

dieselbug wrote: »

The delay was less than a minute I would say, certainly didn't go to two minutes.

As for making the comparison to connecting flights, that's just nonsense.

A nonsense post really.

What's nonsense is that the very same people that complain about public transport times are the very same people that expect it to cater to their every Whim.

Stephen15

magentis wrote: »

Take today for example.

Should bus eireann timetables have a time allowance for "not the sharpest tool in the box" truck drivers who load automated telescopic equipment onto their vehicle without making sure it's switched off?

Did you read the post which the other poster made. The driver said that the timetable on the website was incorrect sounds like misinformation on BE or the NTA's part if their timetables are incorrect.

Maybe the other poster who made that post could confirm or not whether traffic conditions are particularly bad on the day which he/she travelled. You made the comparison of air travel so what would happen in a case where a flight was delayed and you missed your connection that's completely out of your control just like bus delays are too.

magentis

Stephen15 wrote: »

Did you read the post which the other poster made. The driver said that the timetable on the website was incorrect sounds like misinformation on BE or the NTA's part if their timetables are incorrect.

Maybe the other poster who made that post could confirm or not whether traffic conditions are particularly bad on the day which he/she travelled. You made the comparison of air travel so what would happen in a case where a flight was delayed and you missed your connection that's completely out of your control just like bus delays are too.

Why yes,tell us about your 3 bus journey OP.

AndrewJRenko

magentis wrote: »

I would love that.

When I leave home in my car to know EXACTLY what time I will get where I'm going.

Anyone got a tardis for sale?

These magical devices give you exactly that kind of predictability, pretty much.

https://touch.adverts.ie/for-sale/sports-fitness/bikes/hybrid-bikes/833/

Wanderer78

AndrewJRenko wrote:

These magical devices give you exactly that kind of predictability, pretty much.

Can't see them taking off to be honest, people do come up with some mad ideas though