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Bus spotters

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  • 01-10-2019 9:05pm
    #1
    dashcamdanny
    Registered Users Posts: 1,920 ✭✭✭


    While driving a DB I have noticed a couple of different fellas take a picture of me on collage green and write the bus number and route. Spending all day doing it.

    And recording every other bus number that passes.

    Im wondering whats the point of this? As inspectors can randomly just assign most buses in the morning.

    Not digging at anyone, just curious.


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    #2
    testarossa40
    Registered Users Posts: 759 ✭✭✭testarossa40


    Welcome to the Bus Enthusiasts (sub)forum!


    Recognise yourself in any of these? :)

    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056982620&page=77


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    #3
    Stark
    Registered Users Posts: 20,915 ✭✭✭✭Stark


    If they make a film about bus spotting in Dublin, who will play the junkies?

    ⛥ ̸̱̼̞͛̀̓̈́͘#C̶̼̭͕̎̿͝R̶̦̮̜̃̓͌O̶̬͙̓͝W̸̜̥͈̐̾͐Ṋ̵̲͔̫̽̎̚͠ͅT̸͓͒͐H̵͔͠È̶̖̳̘͍͓̂W̴̢̋̈͒͛̋I̶͕͑͠T̵̻͈̜͂̇Č̵̤̟̑̾̂̽H̸̰̺̏̓ ̴̜̗̝̱̹͛́̊̒͝⛥



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    #4
    Yer Da sells Avon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,737 ✭✭✭Yer Da sells Avon


    I didn't know bus spotting was a 'thing' until I started driving them last year and a man took a photo of my bus (and, by extension, me). I mentioned it to a colleague later, because I was a bit paranoid, and he directed me towards a Facebook group full of photos of buses going about their business around Dublin. I was delighted to find the photo of me because I had never seen myself driving a bus before. :)

    I've had a few conversations with spotters and most of them know a hell of a lot more about buses than I do. I dunno, it's a bit obscure as hobbies go, but is it really any weirder than being interested in soccer, cars or architecture?


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    #5
    Csalem
    Registered Users Posts: 2,905 ✭✭✭Csalem


    Like everything it is a hobby that people get pleasure from. I don't write down too many bus numbers, but do sort of keep track of the AVs at the moment as they are in their final days. It is a nice record to have of when buses first enter service and then finish up 13 or 14 years later. It also shows how routes change. The triaxles were on the 46A for 13 years until VT 1-20 were withdrawn last Christmas and now they are very rare on the route. This is why it is nice to get the randomly assigned buses too as they are unusual.

    My main thing is to photograph buses. I know some bus drivers don't like being photographed, but speaking for myself I have no interest in who's driving the bus as the subject of my photo is the actual bus. If possible I will try to photograph the bus in a certain way as to ensure the driver's face not visible.

    As for why I derive pleasure from it, I have really no idea why. For example I have no interest in football and don't understand why thousands of people enjoy watching it more than playing it. But it's what makes us human and what makes us interesting.

    One thing i do know is this. In any of the places I have worked I have always been open about my hobby. At first people laugh and think it is odd. But then they all start telling me stories about unusual buses they have seen on their route, or ask me what is the best way to get from A to B by bus. And as I have worked with people from many different countries I started to learn about buses from their cities, and have even received photos of buses when they went home on holidays.


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    #6
    Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime
    Registered Users Posts: 3,964 ✭✭✭Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime


    Drove a VT on a 75 back in the day as a help to the other guy because of a duty that was off (I came off a 46a to give a dig out)

    The other guy was also given a VT to help with the loading

    So there's two of us in the square with VTs

    We're chatting away when two youngfellas came up to talk to us about the VTs, they couldn't believe it and were fallen over themselves with excitement

    One was even on the phone to a friend giving him the news and had to confirm what he said.

    While this was going on I f*cked off to McDonald's for a burger and drink.

    Myself and the other driver remember that day very well to this day and still can't understand the excitement from the lads as myself and I'm sure other drivers say, it's just a poxy bus.

    But anyway, welcome to bus driving. Your life is over :)


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    #7
    Trebor176
    Registered Users Posts: 3,409 ✭✭✭Trebor176


    I'm a discreet spotter in that I never take photos on the street, and I don't note the numbers there and then. I put in what I can remember on to my phone when I get a chance.

    There isn't too much excitement now with unusual allocations. I have been on a couple random buses on the 68 in recent months: SG368 (from Clontarf), and SG245 (Ringsend). Phibsboro's SG295 even made an appearance on the 69X one evening.

    The hybrids are allocated to the 25s, but I was lucky to get WH2 on the 51X back in July, and a VH made it on to the 68 (briefly) a couple of Sunday's ago. No photos by me of the WH, though. Some might have wondered why I was photographing a bus on Baggot Street!


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    #8
    Victor
    Registered Users Posts: 78,281 ✭✭✭✭Victor


    I have very little interest in tracking buses in this regard, but I've mapped lots of bus stops.

    http://overpass-turbo.eu/s/OZe - if nothing shows, click 'Run' may not work with some devices. Map can be relocated an run again, to shows stops in that area.


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    #9
    dfx-
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 15,665 Mod ✭✭✭✭dfx-


    What you need to see is a "run" of the final type of a bus. It can fill a double decker or two - especially the final day of the KD which in fairness it was itself as much a Dublin way of life than rain and wind. The RV and DT was the latest - people coming over from the UK for it. It's a hive of people following them, there's more people out there than you think.

    Personally I think the photographs or stuff needs to age a bit to tell the story of the city at the time. The fully covered colourful ad buses for PMPA, Smarties, CocaCola etc. There's also routes that finish up that were part of someone's youth. It might not be the most entertaining story to some, but then you see when the 10 route finished up in 2009/2010, there were stories in the paper of people fondly remembering getting it to the zoo in the 80s.

    Then there's all the liveries over the years.

    When BusConnects comes through with lettering of routes, what is regular now for an SG on the 15 will look of its time.


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