Can we just get a round of applause for Dublin Bus drivers?

Crock Rock

They are Kings and Queens among men, Lords and Ladies amongst us mere mortals.

• They operate a shift pattern that would shatter the most rigid of souls.
• The put up with shit from the general public.
• They deal with the stress of city and urban driving so that we don't have to.
• They are knowledgable of their routes.
• They are very helpful for lost tourists.
• They drive with elegance and grace.
• They get us home when we are pissed drunk doing the nightshift of the Nitelink buses.
• They are underpaid for what is a skillful job. I'd like to see you drive a D-vehicle though an urban environment or 8 hours a day. You need eyes on the back of your head and not to let your attention fade for even a second.
• They take abuse if their bus is late through no fault of their own, because of selfish fucks parking in the bus lane and sometimes in the bus stop, misuse of the bus lane and queueing in it and general shennanigans and anti-social behaviour on the bus.

Let's hear it for our heros ... the bus drivers! The kings and queens among us! Well done lads and ladies!

endacl

No poll? Don’t all your threads have polls?

spurious

Anyone dealing directly with the public deserves our good wishes, but I agree, bus drivers put up with more than others. I don't know how they do their job.

Teyla Emmagan

Most of them are very decent and drive safely.

Yeah, well done for going to work and getting paid to do the job.

humberklog

A round of applause on line isn't gonna butter much parsnips. Hand the fair into their hand, wink hard and say "Go Ahead" and stroll off down the aisle like a boss.


In fairness as a regular bus user I've noticed a marked pick up in attitude and general helpfulness in the last 4 years.

humberklog

humberklog wrote: »

A round of applause on line isn't gonna butter much parsnips. Hand the fair into their hand, wink hard and say "Go Ahead" and stroll off down the aisle like a boss.


In fairness as a regular bus user I've noticed a marked pick up in attitude and general helpfulness in the last 4 years.

There’ll be a bus strike along any time now.

Thelonious Monk

W*nkers have nearly killed me countless times. If you're a cyclist in Dublin chances are you'll have had similar experiences. They often skim right past me to get to a bus stop just ahead.

handlemaster

They get well paid for driving a bus no need for anything else. Come strike day you could give them somthing

Wesser

they have to deal with all the cyclists, weaving in and out around them can appear from anywhere at any time...ode to the bus drivers!

rgodard80a

Nope.

They only require primary school education and a drivers licence.
For some, it's all they can do to keep a stable job under the protection of the unions.

Won't be that long before both bus drivers and taxi drivers are replaced by self driving vehicles.
We can tip our hats to a dying occupation, but they'll fight modernisation and try and grab as much of the taxpayers cash as they can on their death spiral down to redundancy.

gk5000

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

W*nkers have nearly killed me countless times. If you're a cyclist in Dublin chances are you'll have had similar experiences. They often skim right past me to get to a bus stop just ahead.

Funny, I'm a cyclist in Dublin and would largely trust Dublin Buses above most other traffic. They are fairly professional and predictable in my book, and you need to apprecite that they need to move on through many traffic obstackles and cannot afford too much courtesy.

Do you really expect them to slow down for you, and every other cyclist going variable speeds? They pass you if it is safe, pull in and then you pass them if it is safe. It's not their fault for the bad bus/cycle lane design.

Much prefer a dublin bus than a taxi or car.

end of the road

100% .
how they put up with the crap they have to deal with i do not know. vast majority of my experiences have been good. 1 or 2 rude drivers over the years but that's on them.

Thelonious Monk

gk5000 wrote: »

Do you really expect them to slow down for you, and every other cyclist going variable speeds? They pass you if it is safe, pull in and then you pass them if it is safe. It's not their fault for the bad bus/cycle lane design.

Much prefer a dublin bus than a taxi or car.

I would expect them to slow down yeah, if the bus stop is 50 meters up the road, which is what I'm talking about. I know they're not all bad but I've had so many close calls with them.

Stephen15

rgodard80a wrote: »

Nope.

They only require primary school education and a drivers licence.
For some, it's all they can do to keep a stable job under the protection of the unions.

Won't be that long before both bus drivers and taxi drivers are replaced by self driving vehicles.
We can tip our hats to a dying occupation, but they'll fight modernisation and try and grab as much of the taxpayers cash as they can on their death spiral down to redundancy.

Em no self driving vehicles are well off and if they come buses will probably be the last. If they were coming they'd be already here but they're not. There was a self driving bus on trial down in the IFSC last year it went at walking pace and could only take about 10 passengers.

There haven't been any electric double deckers produced en masse yet let alone self driving double deckers. All the electric buses so far have been single deckers and there have yet to be any full size self driving prototypes. Like it or not bus drivers are here to stay.

rgodard80a

rgodard80a wrote: »

Nope.

They only require primary school education and a drivers licence.

For some, it's all they can do to keep a stable job under the protection of the unions.

Won't be that long before both bus drivers and taxi drivers are replaced by self driving vehicles.
We can tip our hats to a dying occupation, but they'll fight modernisation and try and grab as much of the taxpayers cash as they can on their death spiral down to redundancy.

The current maximum salary for a bus driver is €2,838 per month after tax, inclusive of shift and weekend allowance.

That's not a great salary for someone who is responsible for the safety of dozens of passengers on the road, who may be asked to work any day of the week, puts-up with serious aggression, and who will almost certainly need to live in Dublin.

If it were such a cushy, well-paid job we'd all be after it.

For Forks Sake

Crock Rock wrote: »

They are Kings and Queens among men, Lords and Ladies amongst us mere mortals.

• They operate a shift pattern that would shatter the most rigid of souls.
• The put up with shit from the general public.
• They deal with the stress of city and urban driving so that we don't have to.
• They are knowledgable of their routes.
• They are very helpful for lost tourists.
• They drive with elegance and grace.
• They get us home when we are pissed drunk doing the nightshift of the Nitelink buses.
• They are underpaid for what is a skillful job. I'd like to see you drive a D-vehicle though an urban environment or 8 hours a day. You need eyes on the back of your head and not to let your attention fade for even a second.
• They take abuse if their bus is late through no fault of their own, because of selfish fucks parking in the bus lane and sometimes in the bus stop, misuse of the bus lane and queueing in it and general shennanigans and anti-social behaviour on the bus.

Let's hear it for our heros ... the bus drivers! The kings and queens among us! Well done lads and ladies!

This post has been brought to you by the National Bus & Rail Workers Union, and the number 6.

rgodard80a

end of the road wrote: »

how they put up with the crap they have to deal with i do not know.

They're behind reinforced glass.
They can just call in for help and park the bus there while the guards come.
Don't see that much crap they have to deal with while they're being paid on the clock.

Privatization can't come quick enough.
We need a transport system that has staff that will react to the changing demands of the public/schedules/routes quick enough.

It's a low skilled job, so they should be glad of the work.

amcalester

Over paid for what is low skilled work.

vargoo

rgodard80a wrote: »

Nope.

They only require primary school education and a drivers licence.
For some, it's all they can do to keep a stable job under the protection of the unions.

Won't be that long before both bus drivers and taxi drivers are replaced by self driving vehicles.
We can tip our hats to a dying occupation, but they'll fight modernisation and try and grab as much of the taxpayers cash as they can on their death spiral down to redundancy.

No gonna happen anytime soon.

rgodard80a

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

The current maximum salary for a bus driver is €2,838 per month after tax, inclusive of shift and weekend allowance.

That's not a great salary for someone who is responsible for the safety of dozens of passengers on the road, who may be asked to work any day of the week..

Their skills are limited.
The vast majority of adults in Ireland already know how to drive a car.
Dublin Bus takes them and provides the HGV training.

They're not "personally" responsible for the safety of dozens of passengers, Dublin bus insurance covers it. They would only be held accountable for any criminal negligence on the road as much as any other member of the public.
And I'd be surprised if ANY GoSafe van has even given a speeding ticket to a state owned vehicle ?

They're more than happy to strike for their own selfish needs and complete disrupt hundreds of thousands of people in Dublin with strikes.
The government are playing it right, slowly privatize some routes and pick away at the edges of this unionized monster that isn't
meeting public expectations.

rgodard80a

rgodard80a wrote: »

Their skills are limited.

It's a job that requires constant alertness which is unlike the vast majority of jobs, but their salaries are certainly very limited, relative to the costs of living in Dublin.

There are young college graduates with Micky Mouse degrees earning about, or close to, the maximum salary for DB drivers.

If the salary and conditions sound so appealing to you, maybe you should apply.

rgodard80a

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

It's a job that requires constant alertness which is unlike the vast majority of jobs, but their salaries are certainly very limited, relative to the costs of living in Dublin.

It's not the job that requires alertness... ANYONE on the road requires constant alertness. Sales people driving the length and breadth of the country, people commuting long distances every day, HGV drivers, delivery people, trades people with vans.
That's an absolute minimum requirement for driving on the road.
Not something you can expect credit for.

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

There are young college graduates with Micky Mouse degrees earning about, or close to, the maximum salary for DB drivers.

If the salary and conditions sound so appealing to you, maybe you should apply.

Their salaries are limited because the skillset is limited.
A degree needs a minimum IQ level to get in, then an investment of at least 4 years to continue.

I'm certainly not jealous of bus drivers salary and conditions, I can assure you that I earn many multiples above it.

The one thing I will say is that I will class bus drivers and most HGV drivers as "professional drivers" and they tend to drive properly and safety.
NOT something I will ever say about taxi drivers.

But still, driving is low skilled and the salary should reflect that.

Edgware

rgodard80a wrote: »

It's not the job that requires alertness... ANYONE on the road requires constant alertness. Sales people driving the length and breadth of the country, people commuting long distances every day, HGV drivers, delivery people, trades people with vans.
That's an absolute minimum requirement for driving on the road.
Not something you can expect credit for.



Their salaries are limited because the skillset is limited.
A degree needs a minimum IQ level to get in, then an investment of at least 4 years to continue.

I'm certainly not jealous of bus drivers salary and conditions, I can assure you that I earn many multiples above it.

The one thing I will say is that I will class bus drivers and most HGV drivers as "professional drivers" and they tend to drive properly and safety.
NOT something I will ever say about taxi drivers.

But still, driving is low skilled and the salary should reflect that.

Thanks Eoghan. Now off you go to your Dublin 4 love in

chrissb8

I just want them to be on time. Stop talking to each other for 5 minutes on a change over and getting off on speeding by bus stops with people who are clearly looking to get said bus BUT OH NO THEY DIDN'T STICK A HAND OUT ENOUGH or Were running to the bus stop and because god forbid they aren't actually at the bus stop poll and a mere ten feet away they drive off.

There's a lot good to be said about Dublin bus drivers but I have had many, many experiences of the above. Just not a good enough service for what is a very much finite area.

Yer Da sells Avon

rgodard80a wrote: »

I'm certainly not jealous of bus drivers salary and conditions, I can assure you that I earn many multiples above it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Kum8OUTuk

end of the road

rgodard80a wrote: »

Their skills are limited.
The vast majority of adults in Ireland already know how to drive a car.
Dublin Bus takes them and provides the HGV training.

being able to drive a car does not make one a good bus driver. of course a company is going to train their staff to drive the bus that's normal i would have thought. so their skill set and knowing how to drive a car is irrelevant.

rgodard80a wrote: »

They're not "personally" responsible for the safety of dozens of passengers, Dublin bus insurance covers it. They would only be held accountable for any criminal negligence on the road as much as any other member of the public.

they are still responsible for the safe operation of the bus, and thus the safety of the passengers.

rgodard80a wrote: »

And I'd be surprised if ANY GoSafe van has even given a speeding ticket to a state owned vehicle ?

a vehicle would not be exempt by virtue of being owned by the state i would think. an emergency vehicle operating in emergency mode is probably the only vehicle with any type of exemption from the limits which is quite right but a bus operated by dublin bus? i would very much think not.

rgodard80a wrote: »

They're more than happy to strike for their own selfish needs and complete disrupt hundreds of thousands of people in Dublin with strikes.

strikes can happen for many different reasons. if they didn't need to happen, they wouldn't happen. that is regardless of whether one specifically agrees with or disagrees with a particular strike.
if the people going on strike feel that it is necessary then it is, as they would not go out and lose a day or more pay unless there was good reason in their mind.

rgodard80a wrote: »

The government are playing it right, slowly privatize some routes and pick away at the edges of this unionized monster that isn't
meeting public expectations.

i would be interested in how you come to that conclusion.
before you tell me though, here are a couple of things to take into account.
1. the private operators who would gain routes from dublin bus via tendering, all have unions. generally it will be the big international ones who would be tendering.
2. operators don't decide anything where they operate public service obligation routes subsidized by the state, that is down to the national transport authority, who in relation to these routes, dictate timetables, frequency and where the route serves, etc.

Stephen15

Honestly what sort of thread is this. I agree that most bus drivers do a good job under tough circumstances but I don't it really requires a thread to sing their praises. Should we have thread praise the postmen, milkmen, ESB men, Luas drivers, train drivers, cleaners, binmen etc.

RasTa

£24k salary for bus drivers over here.

end of the road

rgodard80a wrote: »

They're behind reinforced glass.
They can just call in for help and park the bus there while the guards come.
Don't see that much crap they have to deal with while they're being paid on the clock.

Privatization can't come quick enough.
We need a transport system that has staff that will react to the changing demands of the public/schedules/routes quick enough.

It's a low skilled job, so they should be glad of the work.

being behind glass (for good reason) changes nothing in terms of the fact they have to deal with a lot.
yes they are being paid for the job they do, just like anyone else. nobody works for nothing unless they wish to do voluntary work.
privatization won't change anything in the unlikely event it actually happens. pay won't be going down quite rightly. strikes for whatever reason will still happen. along with all the other issues that effect public transport, some of which are out of the control of an operator operating subsidized routes, such as fare rises.
we already have a transport system that has staff that will react to the changing demands of the public/schedules/routes quick enough, as such staff do not dictate anything on those issues. the national transport authority dictate routes and frequencies and timetables, where the routes are subsidized by the tax payer for the social good. the company decides the staff rotas. so if you feel that services are not reacting to your demands, you will need to take that up with the NTA.
they earned the job, so they should not be glad of the work, as they got it on merrit. if they weren't good enough, they wouldn't be in the job.

rgodard80a wrote: »

It's not the job that requires alertness...
ANYONE on the road requires constant alertness. Sales people driving the length and breadth of the country, people commuting long distances every day, HGV drivers, delivery people, trades people with vans.
That's an absolute minimum requirement for driving on the road.
Not something you can expect credit for.

they do, but a big bus with lots of passengers on board will require a hell of a lot more of it then a car or small van.

rgodard80a wrote: »

Their salaries are limited because the skillset is limited.
A degree needs a minimum IQ level to get in, then an investment of at least 4 years to continue.

so? a degree won't guarantee anything nor does it entitle someone to something. one still has to earn whatever they are looking for with a degree.

rgodard80a wrote: »

I'm certainly not jealous of bus drivers salary and conditions, I can assure you that I earn many multiples above it.

what is your issue then?

rgodard80a wrote: »

The one thing I will say is that I will class bus drivers and most HGV drivers as "professional drivers" and they tend to drive properly and safety.
NOT something I will ever say about taxi drivers.

But still, driving is low skilled and the salary should reflect that.

i'd imagine it does reflect that, along with whatever other factors that are judged as part of the decision of requirement. if the salary didn't require paying, i can't imagine it would be paid.

rgodard80a

end of the road wrote: »

what is your issue then?

Skipping most of your post as about to log off, but my issue is that I won't stand up and applaud a low skilled worker in a stable protected job doing what they are paid to do.

There's no minimum Dublin wage, only a minimum national wage.

Doesn't matter how many people in the bus, you drive the same way and more safe in a large vehicle.

I remember some bus driver trying to compare themselves to an airline pilot in terms of public safety, that was ****en funny, I still smile at that.

end of the road

chrissb8 wrote: »

I just want them to be on time. Stop talking to each other for 5 minutes on a change over and getting off on speeding by bus stops with people who are clearly looking to get said bus BUT OH NO THEY DIDN'T STICK A HAND OUT ENOUGH or Were running to the bus stop and because god forbid they aren't actually at the bus stop poll and a mere ten feet away they drive off.

There's a lot good to be said about Dublin bus drivers but I have had many, many experiences of the above. Just not a good enough service for what is a very much finite area.

while i would agree about the not stopping when someone is at the stop and has put their hand out. it is not reasonable to expect a driver to stop when someone is not at the stop. the fact they maybe running to the stop is not something the driver can know for definite, for all they know someone is just out for a run. yes some drivers may take a chance and stop but other's won't as if they did and the person wasn't looking for a bus, you likely would get people complaining. damned if they do and damned if they don't i guess.
yes it is annoying when you just miss the bus, it has happened to me, but really if someone wants the bus to stop, they need to be at the bus stop.

Potential-Monke

€45k a year to drive a bus. I was a Garda on less than that, but I would have jumped ship in a second, bus driving would be like a walk in the park in comparison. Pity I hate Dublin, wonder if the wages down south are similar...

Billy86

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

rgodard80a wrote: »

Nope.

They only require primary school education and a drivers licence.

For some, it's all they can do to keep a stable job under the protection of the unions.

Won't be that long before both bus drivers and taxi drivers are replaced by self driving vehicles.
We can tip our hats to a dying occupation, but they'll fight modernisation and try and grab as much of the taxpayers cash as they can on their death spiral down to redundancy.

The current maximum salary for a bus driver is €2,838 per month after tax, inclusive of shift and weekend allowance.

That's not a great salary for someone who is responsible for the safety of dozens of passengers on the road, who may be asked to work any day of the week, puts-up with serious aggression, and who will almost certainly need to live in Dublin.

If it were such a cushy, well-paid job we'd all be after it.

That's about 38k a year after tax. After taking a quick stab in an income tax calculator, that would be about €48,000 a year before tax.

I don't know what their set hours are, but going off 37.5 per week that is about €24.60 an hour.

I would have loved to have been making that when I was in Ireland. My sister works in pharmaceuticals and if I am correct, earns slightly less. Her partner does too, and was on just 2k/yr more than that despite holding quite a deal of responsibility, until he left for a better payi g job (after 5-6 years) about a year back.

Billy86

Billy86 wrote: »

That's about 38k a year after tax. After taking a quick stab in an income tax calculator, that would be about €48,000 a year before tax.

I don't know what their set hours are, but going off 37.5 per week that is about €24.60 an hour.

I would have loved to have been making that when I was in Ireland. My sister works in pharmaceuticals and if I am correct, earns slightly less. Her partner does too, and was on just 2k/yr more than that despite holding quite a deal of responsibility, until he left for a better payi g job (after 5-6 years) about a year back.

The salary I'm quoting is the maximum one, after full service. It includes all allowances, like Sunday work.

The starting salary is 27k -- also including shifts and allowances -- and the increments don't look great after that.

It's certainly a salary you could survive on, but you wouldn't raise a family on it.

I don't know what your sister works at in the Pharma industry, but I doubt there is any scientist in the pharma industry with maximum salary expectations as low as that of Dublin Bus drivers.

That's fine -- we shouldn't be pitting different professions against one another. But bus drivers' salaries are often unfairly likened to the starting salaries of medics and scientists, when in fact they soon diverge quite dramatically.

Stephen15

Dublin Bus are recruiting now for drivers if so many people think it's a handy job then why don't you apply. The pay is good but it is a tough job with anti social hours as you'd imagine such as late nights and weekends as buses don't run
9-5 but rather 7 days a week 364 days a year.

Btw they have been recruiting since November it was meant to end in January and but was extended until March and then June which suggests they may have had difficulty getting drivers if it's such a cushy number you'd think there'd be a queue out the door of their training centre in Phibsboro.

https://www.dublinbus.ie/Human-Resources/Professional-Bus-Drivers/

Billy86

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Billy86 wrote: »

That's about 38k a year after tax. After taking a quick stab in an income tax calculator, that would be about €48,000 a year before tax.

I don't know what their set hours are, but going off 37.5 per week that is about €24.60 an hour.

I would have loved to have been making that when I was in Ireland. My sister works in pharmaceuticals and if I am correct, earns slightly less. Her partner does too, and was on just 2k/yr more than that despite holding quite a deal of responsibility, until he left for a better payi g job (after 5-6 years) about a year back.

The salary I'm quoting is the maximum one, after full service. It includes all allowances, like Sunday work.

The starting salary is 27k -- also including shifts and allowances -- and the increments don't look great after that.

It's certainly a salary you could survive on, but you wouldn't raise a family on it.

I don't know what your sister works at in the Pharma industry, but I doubt there is any scientist in the pharma industry with maximum salary expectations as low as that of Dublin Bus drivers.

That's fine -- we shouldn't be pitting different professions against one another. But bus drivers' salaries are often unfairly likened to the starting salaries of medics and scientists, when in fact they soon diverge quite dramatically.

Ah apologies - I missed the 'maximum' part of your post.

end of the road

end of the road wrote: »

<snip>

EOTR,DR

:P

Crock Rock

They truly are the Kings of Kings.

KSU

FYP

Wesser wrote: »

they have to resist using a 12 tonne vehicle to deal with cyclists around the city

DEFTLEFTHAND

Anyone who drives a bus or lorry in the city centre deserves respect.

They need eyes on the back of their heads with muppets, cyclists, bleedin culchies.

Make one mistake and it could be the end of your career.