BusConnects Dublin - Bus Network Changes Discussion

There is still NO information on any NCR 46a stop (its the only bus for most of the NCR west of Phibsboro not counting the 37 and N2 which only use a single stop ) stating that the service is being changed.

I've a feeling they are deliberately holding back the 11b schedule and then present it as some magic plan to resolve punters complaints ( of which there are many )

I think the fact that going onto the NTA page on the Phase and getting three different visual styles of timetables is probably one of the most damning aspects of how decentralized transport in Dublin still is, despite the NTA's primary purpose being centralizing it to nine hells and back.

It's a shame that Ireland never really grew into the "online stop-by-stop" phase that's common across a number of continental countries.

😮 It just gets better 🤦‍♂️

https://x.com/TFIupdates/status/1880600357832728944?t=9wprOy319X9_FxwRT2-_xw&s=19

That reads awfully like an AI reply

Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask, but does anyone know what this is and if it has to do with BusConnects? Found at Stillorgan Grove L25 stop.

I'm surprised to see they're running the 4 across O'Connell Bridge southbound. There are already major traffic issues there at peak times, no need to run an additional service across the bridge and into D'Oliver.

Could they not just use Rosie Hackett / Townsend Street for the southbound direction?

I think my point is "it could not have a stop on OCB"… since they're already making a major change to the route, it could have been considered.

I can't speak from experience regarding Rosie Hackett traffic lights, but I'd wager a bet it takes even longer to get through D'Oliver Street and College Green!! Buses turning onto OCB also massively slow down buses coming from OCS to OCB.

It's like that on many routes across new BusConnects services. Take the N4, the frequency was cut to every 12 minutes but the timetables online and on street still give it a 10 minute frequency.

The worst example is on the C5 night service. The running times were changed but nothing was updated for passengers online or on street. If you go to Ringsend Road to catch the timetabled 03:35 or 04:35 departure you will have missed the bus by 5 minutes, as the actual departure times are now 03:30 and 04:30.

It appears nobody is checking basic things. For example, the S2 terminus stop 4319 at Heuston Station doesn't contain any timetable or route information - and this is a major stop for a new BusConnects orbital. The RTPI here is also messed up for route S2.

It's a stark difference to Dublin Bus, who update timetable panels online and on street for their services in time and with accuracy, but it seems once a Dublin Bus route gets BusConnected, it falls into the control of TFI with poorly designed layouts and no guarantee of updates.

BusConnects was supposed to bring an improvement to things like this, in 2023 the NTA signed a €40m 10 year contract with Capita to create a central hub to offer an improved customer service experience, but the examples of social media replies as highlighted on this thread shows how bad things now are. You would imagine having correct timetables at stops and online would be a basic thing easy to get right.

The 4 essentially runs the exact same route as the 7/a between OCB & Blackrock.

The 4 also acts as a sweeper when the 120 goes to Simmonscourt Road during the weekday morning peak times.

Although is the southbound stop on OCB meant to be given over to the F Spine Routes this year?

So let me get this straight, they were willing to increase the 19's frequency from every hour to every 20 minutes with addional peak journeys.

However, they also don't even bother with the 11 taking over part of probably the MOST frequent bus in Dublin. "Let's sprinkle in an extra one or two 11's in the morning and call it a day."

And better yet, apparently 11b ceases to exist and if that's the case the NCR will have every 8 - > 30 minute bus. Great job for disconnecting Busconnects.

Can't also wait to see them change 13, 68 and 69 into one hourly route going up Naas road.

Also, I heard that the 11 is going to be staying for a while, so they better get their act together with the O orbital.

One of the core aims of Bus Connects is to eliminate turns on the bridge, so they could start working to that now....

In my experience, buses heading from OCS to College Green are still painfully slow. It has happened a few times that the buses coming from the quays block up the bridge, and the light sequence doesn't let any buses from OCS onto the bridge.

In any case, I realize the 145 is being removed, so diverting the 4 on that route isn't adding additional services to the bridge.

The guy from Finnegans of Bray doesn't seem to be best pleased that he's losing the 143 and 144. In fairness he may have a point can't see why smaller operators can't get contracts even though the same NTA have no problem awarding contracts to small operators for Local Link work in rural areas.

No reason why the L12 and L14 which are basically Bray Town services couldn't be Finnegan's operated that would give DB and GAI more resources to focus on more important routes.

The Finnegan's services were very low frequency, nothing on weekends, and the buses were largely ancient rust buckets. I don't think they're any great loss.

The lack of connection from Bray to the Luas in BC is a fair point that many people have made, but Finnegan's Luas service was barely a service at all.