Dublin Bus fare increases

Repli

Yep.. Charlie McGreedys got his way, the new prices will come into effect on Monday.

The new fares are here:
http://www.dublinbus.ie/news_centre/dublin_bus_news.asp?action=view&news_id=150

What puzzles me is the old €1.30 and €1.45 fares both increasing to €1.60
Still tho, i'm not gonna blame CIE.. it's a bit of shock tho,.. seeing as how they even rounded down the prices with the euro changeover
Any thoughts on this?

[EDIT] feel free to move this to relevant board if necessary [/EDIT]

The Cigarette Smoking Man

Prices on the DART have gone up too:
http://www.irishrail.ie/dart/news_centre/general_news.asp?action=view&news_id=42

Are the prices of the weekly/monthly tickets going up?

Why did they get rid of the 10 journey ticket....

eth0_

Grand canal dock station had a poster saying 'Dart and commuter' tickets are going up....the list didn't show anything about monthly tickets though....I get on at Drogheda and haven't seen any notices about fare increases there, hopefully i'll be safe!

Saruman

Does not bother me.... I drive a car and a bus is still a LOT cheaper... if for some reason i go into town though i will get a bus... €1.60 is nothing taking into consideration the cost of parking and the hour or more it takes just to get in and find parking!

b20uvkft6m5xwg

I noticed the new fare breakdown yesterday.

I guess its an attempt to consolidate the fares a little better.
I've been on a good few bus services in major cities and I dont know any other one that has a fare structure as complex as dublin bus. With most bus services usually theres a full or half journey option. ( but maybe thats becuase our bus routes are actually quite long).

As regards the increase, there has been some stagnation at least for a period and they did refrain from any increases in the Euro changeover period- in fact lowering their fares on the conversion.

What I find inequitable about the system is the lack of "transfers" that you find in most other cities. ie. You get one bus (full fare) and then within 90 mins or 2 hours you can use the ticket again to get another. But then again what do you expect for DB:rolleyes:

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Anyone know will there be an integrated ticket system with DB and the Luas?

Victor

Originally posted by eth0_
....the list didn't show anything about monthly tickets though....

They have either already gone up or will do so in January. Only a limited number of single journey fares need statutory approval to increase (which is happening here), monthly and multi-jouney tickets are "promotional fares" and can be increased at will.

eth0_

Iarnród Éireann has welcomed the decision by Minister for Transport to approve a fares increase for rail services, only the second statutory rail fares increase since 1994.

Fares will be increased by an average of 9% from 2 December 2002, across a range of fare types including:

- Single, return, and 10-journey/seven-day rolling prepaid tickets on DART and Suburban

- Standard single and monthly return tickets on Intercity services

Fare adjustments will be designed to encourage customers to purchase return and multiple journey tickets.

A review of promotional fares on DART and suburban services, such as monthly and annual season tickets, which are heavily discounted and not subject to ministerial approval, will take effect on 1 January 2003.

Iarnród Éireann sought a fares increase from the Minister for Transport, in light of growing costs associated with increased service levels, general and wage inflation and rising fuel costs.

The Cigarette Smoking Man

Anyone know will there be an integrated ticket system with DB and the Luas?

They're working on that at the moment - there's supposed to be one in by 2004 that will cover DART/Bus/Luas based on some sort of smart cards.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/projects/integrated_ticketing_system.asp

hamster

Yup, according to the Irish Times today, Bus Fares will have increased well beyond the average of 9%. More like 15-16% price hikes. Doing their bit to keep inflation up there!

Victor

Originally posted by Repli
Still tho, i'm not gonna blame CIE.. it's a bit of shock tho,.. seeing as how they even rounded down the prices with the euro changeover

They only rounded down because they aren't allowed increase theeir fares without ministerial approval.

Originally posted by hamster
Yup, according to the Irish Times today, Bus Fares will have increased well beyond the average of 9%. More like 15-16% price hikes. Doing their bit to keep inflation up there!

Yeah, most of the main fares are going up by 14-25%. However:

Nitelink only 2 EURO for a limited period plus NEW NITELINK ROUTES

Catch the Nitelink home from Monday December 2nd to Friday December 13th inclusive for just €2.00 on all routes (including new routes).

http://www.dublinbus.ie/news_centre/dublin_bus_news.asp?action=view&news_id=154

The Cigarette Smoking Man

Monthly Bus + Rail ticket is now €86.

AlekSmart

There IS a Dublin Bus transfer ticket available giving a transfer within 90 mins of first usage,its called transfer 90 and is readily available from agents.
The main grumble appears to be from those folks who for whatever reasons simply will not put ANY amount of Forward planning into a journey.
This "Lost Soulism" is contributing greatly to high-dwell times at bus stops as the driver AND everybody else on board,particularly those who DID make the small effort,have to sit and watch as the Lost Soul performs the Dying Swan from Swan Lake on the platform.......all great fun,but it wears thin when it is repeated at every central stop.
Dublin when compared with Paris or London is not expensive for bus users.
Paris charges €1.30 for a single central area bus journey and the ticket is NOT transferable but is of course valid also for 2 hours on the metro (Note: it is either one mode or the other not a combination)
London is generally £1 single cash fare...(€1.50 ish ?) AND no child fares AFTER 22.00 ! so lets keep some perspective on this.
What IS infuriating is the manner in which the ORIGINAL rebalancing featuring a €1 basic fare for up to 7 stages was suddenly torpedoed...this would have led to a serious speeding up of the boarding process and almost eliminated the silly ChangeTicket pahlavah at one fell swoop.......Why did BAC so rapidly abandon this commonsense and long overdue recognition of reality ????
Now there is a story !!

rachel

On the bus into town this evening and at the bus stop I was amazed at the number of people I heard complaining about the fare increase. Honestly you'd think DB had slapped on 5 euro increase.
Obviously some people will be unhappy that the increase in more than the planned 9% but although the 1.45 has increased 15c, it's still a hell of a lot cheaper to get the bus into town than to get a taxi or fund owning a car. While the bus may not be as comfortable or as reliable, at the moment it's one of the cheapest and *somewhat* quickest way of getting into town.

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Originally posted by AlekSmart
There IS a Dublin Bus transfer ticket available giving a transfer within 90 mins of first usage,its called transfer 90 and is readily available from agents.

Point taken, I was aware of this.

Not as easy as just hopping on another bus or subway with your existing ticket, and its not a free transfer either


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TCSM,

thx for that link- the integrated ticketing system is a good idea

Victor

Originally posted by AlekSmart
There IS a Dublin Bus transfer ticket available giving a transfer within 90 mins of first usage,its called transfer 90 and is readily available from agents.

And what is wrong with producing a 10 journey version of this (to be known as a "10-journey tickets")? 10-journey tickets were withdrawn because the machines were getting "too dirty" (they obviously never heard of preventative maintenance :rolleyes:). All they want is monthly tickets and high cash fares.

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Actually the 10 Journey tickets were withdrawn, becuase of the DB policy of replacing tickets that didnt work. It meant that people would run up 9 journeys then maul the ticket to death and go into DB HQ and get a brand new ticket.

Obviously this meant there was wide scale misuse of the policy.

I heard this from a bus conductor, who's a member of my cricket club

Victor

You are joking? Because the machine prints each jounrey on the ticket, so there should be no fraud like this. :rolleyes: Dublin Bus :rolleyes:

b20uvkft6m5xwg

The problem was that they couldnt give a person (for example) with 9 journeys on their ticket, a new ticket with 9 journeys already expired, so it was eiither no ticket or a new ticket.

They tried also refunding the number of journeys left in cash, but people also abused this becuse they were getting more cash value back in their hand than they actually would have paid for the ticket as there was usually a discount on the price of the journey by virtue of having prepaid.

Thats what led to introduction of the 2Easy ticketing option

jd

I think there are a few things that should be done.
1) Tickets should only be sold in shops or from machines-not on the bus- this works ok in Italy. The tickets are validated on the bus. Inspectors in plain clothes with id-no valid ticket and a free ride to the cop shop.
2) Simplified fare structure-One price , or at most two,for fares
3) Free transfers within a certain timeframe.

Repli

I heard you can buy the rambler tickets for the old price up to january =D

Victor

Originally posted by jd
Tickets should only be sold in shops or from machines-not on the bus-

In Germany (Cologne) they have vending machines on the buses and trams.

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Originally posted by jd
I think there are a few things that should be done.
1) Tickets should only be sold in shops or from machines-not on the bus- this works ok in Italy. The tickets are validated on the bus. Inspectors in plain clothes with id-no valid ticket and a free ride to the cop shop.
2) Simplified fare structure-One price , or at most two,for fares
3) Free transfers within a certain timeframe.

My thoughts exactly-

Perhaps this should be the bluprint for the soon to be deregualted Bus service in Dublin.

--
Here's another one...
If the driver doesnt smile...You ride for free

Might put an end to the endless supply of narky Bus Drivers I seem to encounter!

Kali

Bus fare from celbridge into town has gone up from €1.65 to €2, which is absolutely ridiculous... I get a private bus (Mortons) in the mornings, arrive into work 25minutes quicker than the same-time dublin bus, don't have to stand, comfy seats, air-con, all for €1.90...

I don't even want to know what the CitySpeed is now (used to be €1.95).

The Cigarette Smoking Man

Bus fares have been changed again - reduced this time!

http://www.dublinbus.ie/news_centre/dublin_bus_news.asp?action=view&news_id=150

Also on the 14th and 21st all adult fares will be €0.80 because of the confusion.

b20uvkft6m5xwg

Just heard about this.

Some of the fares were above the 9% across the board increase allowed by S. Brennan.

As it stands it looks like it's back to the more complicated fare system(again)

MAIN CASH FARES

ADULT FARES
Stages Travelled New Fare
1 to 3 Stages 0.80
4 to 7 Stages 1.20
8 to 13 Stages 1.40
14 to 23 Stages 1.60
Over 23 Stages 1.70
Outer Suburban 1 2.00
Outer Suburban 2 3.00

AlekSmart

Well Well..events today show just how much our public transport management and oversight mechanism works.
The embarrasing mess which was both needless and avoidable is now to be atoned for by Two "Flat-Fare" Saturdays....the 14th and 21st december...
My own suspicion is that considerable arm twisting and Ministerial ear bending has resulted in yet another fudge.
If any of the babble about public transport was to mean anything then the Government have sanctioned the introduction of a vastly simplified structure.Bustravel ireland.com have a very simple suggestion 1€ inside Cityzone...2€ between zones.2€ Nite/AirLink
And All periodic tickets to consist of books of One-Day tickets as with the Rambler Value Packs.
What we now see is a very worrying sight of a company all at sea and at precisely the time when strong and proactive leadership is required.
I think back to the heyday of Werner Heubeck at the helm of Ulsterbus at a time when that company,its vehicles and staffwas under daily attack yet his strong and politically astute style dragged it through.
Ah well....showing my age.......

AlekSmart

Many of the postings re Ticket machines are solid and good sense...BUT....we as a race have deep and constantly recurring problems with anything resembling street-furniture.
As a grumpy-sod of a BusDriver myself (!!!) I would be exira and delira if ALL of my passengers bought their tickets from a machine....particularly one which would listen and respond to moaning and complaining with maybe a small prize for the most appealing whinge...
Remember Dublin Bus did install Two such machines in the city centre but both were subjected to attacks which the USA went on to use as a model for the ToraBora cave attacks.
Lets face it.....the great unwashed which congregate in our towns and cities are far from being civilized...I watched in bemused sadness early this morning as three humanoid caucasian males toppled Green Bins along the Strand Road in Sandymount then tried their hands at breaking car aerials.....This from three yokels who still probably need their mammy to wipe their fat arses.....Forget about Cologne....Paris....Rome...we are closer to the all pervading stink of Calcutta,or Cario...we are quite simply a race of knackers and we get the service levels which we richly deserve.
Until we learn to stand up and defend the notion of Civilized behaviour then we should just suffer in silence.

Victor

Do we think anyone will be fired over this? /me starts laughing.

The "9%" was calculate by including season tickets (which can be raised at will by Dublin Bus), so they were trying for a 9% rise in revenue, not in individual fares. :rolleyes:

Victor

Bus Eireann faces rival as Scots roll out intercity plan
Helen Bruce

From: The Irish Independent
Monday, 9th December, 2002

A SCOT TISH bus company is to compete head-on with Bus Eireann to provide a national intercity coach service.

In a major move that will open up competition in public transport, Scottish Citylink plans to challenge Bus Eireann on routes valued at €60m.

The company, which claims it will undercut Bus Eireann fares, has invested €650,000 in a 24-hour internet sales and seat-reservation system to win over passengers.

Scottish Citylink was the first big company to throw its hat into the ring after Transport Minister Seamus Brennan's pledge last month to liberalise public transport.

The company said yesterday it had signed a deal with Cummer Commercials, which runs the Dublin to Galway Citylink Express.

Now trading as Citylink, the new company plans to roll out services on other main intercity corridors within a year.

Managing director Allen Parker said the Government's decision to foster competition had encouraged Citylink to take on Bus Eireann.

He said: "There was no doubt that Bus Eireann was dominant, and it was very difficult for the private sector to compete.

"Seamus Brennan's recent statement on liberalisation was very welcome. We are hoping that it will help to create a level playing field, and that it does it soon."

Scottish Citylink provides more than 400 long-distance coach services around Scotland each day. It is part of Metroline Group, a significant provider of bus services in London and a division of the global DelGro Corporation, which provides bus, taxi and car-rental services.

Metroline has already put €2m into operating Aerdart, which links Dublin Airport, the DART service and the suburban rail network.

"We are part of a major international transport group which is serious about expanding in Ireland," said Mr Parker.

"We are here for the long term and have much to offer, with considerable experience in the operation and marketing of both bus and coach services.

Bus Eireann said it was not concerned about the arrival of the new contender.

A spokesman said: "We already have competition from other coach operators, so there is nothing new here.

"We are meeting and beating that competition, with in excess of 50 expressway routes that carry seven million passengers a year.

"We are confident we can provide a quality service that will continue to bring in passengers."

The Cigarette Smoking Man

The monthly tickets have gone up again. An adult monthly bus/rail cost me €98 euro this morning. I was the first person to buy one at the DART station this morning and the guy selling them started laughing when he saw the price come up on the screen.

They used to cost €86, so that's an increase of 13.95% - that's greater than their allocated increase (9%) and inflation (4.6%) combined.

The student bus/rail is now €69.

http://www.irishrail.ie/dart/your_ticket/prepaid_fares.asp

You can email your complaints to:

info@transport.ie
info@dublinbus.ie

http://www.irishrail.ie/about_us/contact_customer_services.asp

http://www.transport.ie/transport/index.asp?lang=ENG&loc=469

Also the 10 journey ticket for the DART is gone now too. It's been replaced by 3 day and 7 day tickets.

nahdoic

Originally posted by The Cigarette Smoking Man
They used to cost €86, so that's an increase of 13.95% - that's greater than their allocated increase (9%) and inflation (4.6%) combined.

but as Victor said earlier ...

monthly and multi-jouney tickets are "promotional fares" and can be increased at will

It is a shocking big increase though. I wonder how these prices compare with other European cities. It doesn't seem like much of an incentive to use public transport now, does it.

beglee

The Cigarette Smoking Man wrote: »

Leland Wide Popcorn wrote: »

Anyone know will there be an integrated ticket system with DB and the Luas?They're working on that at the moment - there's supposed to be one in by 2004 that will cover DART/Bus/Luas based on some sort of smart cards.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/projects/integrated_ticketing_system.asp

Was just searching for info on the upcoming dublin bus price changes coming next year, and found this post. Oh how it made me laugh