Dublin Fucking Bus! (2 Viewers)

[Wayne]

Originally posted by Keeror
Have you thought of moving house?

I refuse to move house to suit work . Especially with the way people are being laid off at the moment.

And Sandyford and its surrounding areas are neither sociable or affordable

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Originally posted by silo
and it'll only get worse when they privatise it.

No, it won't. Believe it or not, deregulation is *excactly* what Dublin Bus needs - ie removal of most public funding and competitive market forces added. Will make them run the thing properly or go out of business. Meantime other operators will fill in the gaps that they leave (niche marketing) as they have already being doing using the old legal expression of a "Travel Club" rather than a commercial transport entity.

By the way, I was one of the Drivers a few years back who were used as a test case (I'm a gerbil really) to get the Govt to allow non Dublin bus operators to use the Bus lanes as long as there were passengers on board. My boss (no names...) was taken to Court by them but the Judge basically said to Dublin Bus "What's your problem? You're not supposed to be a commercial organisation so why oppose competition? Besides, they remove many cars from the road and you're supposed to do that to." He also pointed out that Dublin Bus was on it's last legs anyway (4 years ago) and would have to prepare for a competitive marketplace as it was EU Law.

 

[billygannon]

Originally posted by Wayne
I work in Sandyford Industrial Estate one of the worst places on earth. I have to get 2 buses home to Crumlin every day . The bus comes into the estate and does a circle of it. When the traffic gets clogged up in the evenings the bus can take an hour to do this circle of the estate ( a five min walk). So you are just left standing waiting on. You can't walk to a bus stop out side the esate as any bus you get has to go into it anyways.
My journey home can take from as little as an hour on a good day to just over 3 hours on a bad day.
The worst part is I have seen loads of buses who on their way in to the estate, just turn around and go back out because they couldnt be bothered going into it. And with the Luas construction going on in there recently , things have only got worse.

I work in the AIB place in Sandyford. It's a pain in fucking hole to get to and out of. Cycling there is the only to get to and from there (only five more weeks to go!)

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Re: Re: Dublin Fucking Bus!

Originally posted by herv
i only just saw this now.... scapping of certain unprofitable bus routes?

http://www.rte.ie/news/2002/1107/bus.html

It's likely the Govt will follow the London example as it was a great success. In that deregulation about 10 years back, private operators were given route licenses as long as they took on another route specified in the tendering process by the Govt. Basically, get a good one and take a bad one too. Lot's of private opersators openbed new routes (I helped design three of them) that had never existed. New housing estates and so on led to need for new route but (old) London Transport, just like (old, beurocratic and slow) CIE, took decades to decide what to do about it. In Dublin, Mortons Coaches opened a Travel Club route from Cellbridge, through Leixlip and Lucan to City Centre and then Ballsbridge. Regular customers (but not pre-booked) got on and paid return fares, making it a travel club (not exactly the same as a bus service, legally, and no need for a route license). Naturally, CIE, who had always said Cellbridge didn't need a Dublin Bus route, then gave it two....

CIE will only change when it has to. London Buses was the same. They are eally only interested in protecting their own jobs. Even the Unions, because lot's of smaller private operators will not allow for them to have the collective power over the Govt that they have now. There is a Bus and Coach Drivers Union/Association specialising in the area, and they know that many dirvers will become it's members

Anyway, I (as a Coach Driver for the past ten years, previopusly a Bus Driver, and even a Conductor) think it's about bloody time they deregulated the transport industry here.

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Originally posted by silo
when "competition" comes i'm buying a bike. if you think it's bad now...

In all seriousness Silo, competition will definitely lead to an increase in the quality of service, albeit it at the expense of the number and frequency of services. Basically, it'll be about 10% less buses (in order to raise the per-journey seat useage) but more reliable so buses will leave when they are supposed to, not the next day. Another thing that will (should) happen is that buses will not be allowed to leave early. In London Transport it was a sackable offence to leave early on a regular basis - the reason being that if you leave late people can still catch the bus whereas if you leave early they cannot.

Last week at Eden Quay I was waiting from 15.33 for a bus due to leave at 15.40 and at 15.41 I asked the Inspector where it was. He said it had left about five minutes previously. When I pointed out that this wasn't good business he basically said "Well, you'll get another bus won't you".

Naturally, I couldn't resist it, and after pointing out that I was a Bus Driver who has more than the basic understanding of the industry (having been an Inspector and even a Transport Manager) I told him that I couldn't wait till deregualtion as that attitude would become "Shit, they'll get another bus, and it probably won't be one of ours"....

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Originally posted by spiritualtramp
oh god!the amc coach I got up to devils glen got hopelessly lost.we ended up driving up a country lane in wicklow and couldn't turn the bus around for five miles. bloody idiots!

Well, assuming you knew the way, why didn't you tell him? If you didn't then the person who organised the trip is the idiot as it is the organisers responsibility to ensure they or the driveer knows the destination and the route. In fact, it's supposed to be agreed before hand as then the organiser can't say "I wanted you to go a different route".

 

[krystal]

Re: Re: Re: Dublin Fucking Bus!

Originally posted by IrishUnsigned
CIE, who had always said Cellbridge didn't need a Dublin Bus route, then gave it two....

that's not true - it's been on the DB route since the 70's - one of the reasons my parents moved there. It has a main route and an extended one to maynooth, which is more recent but still been in operation for about 15 years

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Re: dublin cunting bus

Originally posted by madouva
You shouldn't have started me...

DUBLIN BUS: (classic: Ages ago, was walking up to my bus stop and was literally about ten feet away, and the bus pulled off. The driver (legendary grumpy cock, LOVES his job) clearly saw me (he had to swerve to miss me, waving my arms) but went ahead.

Just by way of 'education', not justification, there's an unwritten series of rules in Bus driving (not coach driving, that's *much* more fun).

One of the rules is that if a person is running for the Bus, and stops running, then assume they changed their mind. Alternatively, if they're not running, they're not in a hurry and the rest of your passengers are!. Of course, it's all a bitt different if they are cleary too old or unfit to run!

 

[sparse]

Re: Re: dublin cunting bus

Originally posted by IrishUnsigned
Just by way of 'education', not justification, there's an unwritten series of rules in Bus driving (not coach driving, that's *much* more fun).

One of the rules is that if a person is running for the Bus, and stops running, then assume they changed their mind. Alternatively, if they're not running, they're not in a hurry and the rest of your passengers are!. Of course, it's all a bitt different if they are cleary too old or unfit to run!

Can that "law" be used in court?

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Originally posted by silo
when i was working in carrickmines, there was a group of about forty people who used to have to get the bus from town - and various other points along the way - out to carrickmines. the driver of the 8.10 am no. 63 bus is a legendary cunt who even the other drivers think is a nutbag. (he's stocky, has a greying moustache and greying hair and big glasses. know him, anyone?) they call him "the bear" because he's so agressive and generally nuts. he used to refuse to let people onto the bus if they had a coffee with them, so he used to pull up into fleet street and everyone would put their o'briens styrofoam cups into their pockets and walk onto the bus in a curiously straight-backed fashion so they didn't spill any of the contraband material. the dublin bus guy who stands in fleet street checking that buses leave according to timetable (lovely guy) used to tell us to smuggle coffee on, because he hated this other guy so much. the bear regularly used to skip stops and drive off early or without people. it became an excuse: "why are you late?" "the bear." "oh, okay."

Cool! They are in every bus garage accross the world. It's basically "If my work is shit cos I have to get you to work, then I'll make sure you're in a bad mood, cos I am".

I used to tell them to quit and get a job prodding cattle.

By the way, I usually take these idiots on at their own game (naturally, why would *I* avoid an argument when I know I'm right?). If a Driver's driving is shit, I tell them. when they grumble about "How would you know" I tell them I'm a proper Bus Driver (ie a Coach Driver). That get's them going. It's something to do with having to put up with the same piece of road almost every day for years (and sometimes the same people!). I'm the opposite (and there are thousands who are like me but we rarely get a mention I think that if you have the opportunity to talk to the same people regularly you have th opportunity to pass the time. However, in Ireland, when Driving Buses (not Coaches) they think you're mad if you talk at all....

Most annoying thing about driving a bus? Coming up toa tailback, knowing there is a much shorter, clearer route around it and not being allowed to take it. Well, only occasionally and once the entire passenger body had agreed...

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Originally posted by P. Littbarski
I love their slogan

Dublin Bus - Changing with the City

it should, of course, be

Dublin Bus - Fucking with the City

and another thing I NEVER understood...this defies all know logic.

WHY DO WE HAVE 24 HOUR BUS LANES WHEN WE DON'T HAVE A 24 HOUR BUS SERVICE...

As a bus + Coach driver - I couldn't agree more. I've been saying it for years. There is absolutely *no* need for bus lanes after 7pm anywhere in the country. any part of the city that has traffic jams after 7pm every day, all week, all year has need of more than a bloody bus service. Even driving a coach it is technically illegal to use them unless you have passengers on (that's illegal too, but tolerated).

Thank gos I'm not the only one that this infuriates.

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Originally posted by spiritualtramp

the driver was getting quite pissed off at the smoking and drinking being done on the bus (not by me , I am a model passenger) so as the journey progressed he kept making announcements , warning us to stop "or there will be trouble".
this continued for half an hour until he actually stopped the bus and called the police.
the police boarded the bus , confiscated a few cans off folk and told the driver to continue the journey.

They should have removed any passenger that the Driver said was smoking or drinking. As a passenger (every day, twice) on the 49 it never ceases to amaze me how people upstairs ort otherwise can tolerate wankers smoking blow first thing in the morning on the bus (or any time). While I have the occasional toke myself, I wouldn't dream of smoking a fag on the bus, let alone a joint! And passengers ignore it? I have to sit downstairs now cos I got so fed up telling them to stop, telling the driver that I wanted to get the Police called or whatever. Most of the problems of grumpy irate and mentally fucked Drivers (my experience from London Transport Health and Safety Office) is caused by the passengers. Seriously, thats not an excuse but it's logical. If a driver drives an empty bus, with many dedicated bus lanes and a generous timetable, he's unlikely to get too annoyed with the traffic. After all, he's being paid. We used to be delighted with ehavy traffic. Usually meant less mileage to be covered per day.

Throw Joe Punter into the mix and all hell can break loose. Most drivers have the opinion that since passengers couldn't give a shit what other passengers do, then neither should the driver!

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Dublin Fucking Bus!

Originally posted by kirstie
that's not true - it's been on the DB route since the 70's - one of the reasons my parents moved there. It has a main route and an extended one to maynooth, which is more recent but still been in operation for about 15 years

If I remember correctly (five years back now) Dublin bus had pulled the route, changed it to an extended route and said you'd basically get a bus every hour or so. They only changed it, and added another full route (meaning a bus more than once every 35 minutes, I think?) after the private operators started to do it. If I also recall correctly, they also changed the departure times in order to get through the place 5 minutes before the 7.55 and 8.05 Mortons buses. Let's be honest, Dublin Bus had seen Cellbridge as still a village near Dublin whereas the private's saw it as becoming part of Dublin (in all but name!). Morton's made hundreds of thousands of (cash) pounds from that operation and it paid for his expansion to Double Deckers and to about five new route variants. Dublin Bus would *not* have been able to do that. Their plans, I think, stated that they had a plan to review the situation in three years from then.

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Re: Re: Re: dublin cunting bus

Originally posted by sparse
Can that "law" be used in court?

I wish! In fact, by way of proper rules, there is *no* requirement for a driver to wait on a passenger who is not already at the stop when the Bus arrives. At a terminus, there is *no* requirement to wait beyone the alloted time of departure for any reason (discretion is different, but it *isn't* required).

 

[silo]

'fraid i have to disagree with you about the privatisation stuff, ron... but you're in a talkin' mood, and i've got work...

maybe tomorrow...

 

[krystal]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Dublin Fucking Bus!

Originally posted by IrishUnsigned
If I remember correctly (five years back now) Dublin bus had pulled the route, changed it to an extended route and said you'd basically get a bus every hour or so. They only changed it, and added another full route (meaning a bus more than once every 35 minutes, I think?) after the private operators started to do it. If I also recall correctly, they also changed the departure times in order to get through the place 5 minutes before the 7.55 and 8.05 Mortons buses. Let's be honest, Dublin Bus had seen Cellbridge as still a village near Dublin whereas the private's saw it as becoming part of Dublin (in all but name!). Morton's made hundreds of thousands of (cash) pounds from that operation and it paid for his expansion to Double Deckers and to about five new route variants. Dublin Bus would *not* have been able to do that. Their plans, I think, stated that they had a plan to review the situation in three years from then.

Nope.
It was never pulled. In about 88 it was extended to Maynooth but not all buses went the whole way there, now most of them do but there is effectively only one route which serves it, the 67(a). DB would never increase the number of buses significantly, the service is absolutely shite and always has been.

 

[spiritualtramp]

Originally posted by IrishUnsigned
Well, assuming you knew the way, why didn't you tell him? If you didn't then the person who organised the trip is the idiot as it is the organisers responsibility to ensure they or the driveer knows the destination and the route. In fact, it's supposed to be agreed before hand as then the organiser can't say "I wanted you to go a different route".

the people that organised the trip gave them the directions. it was the driver that got lost.

do you work for amc or something?

 

[IrishUnsigned]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Dublin Fucking Bus!

Originally posted by kirstie
Nope.
It was never pulled. In about 88 it was extended to Maynooth but not all buses went the whole way there, now most of them do but there is effectively only one route which serves it, the 67(a). DB would never increase the number of buses significantly, the service is absolutely shite and always has been.

Was it the once-an-hour variety or mpre-than-once-in-35-mins? Only reason I ask is one is called a full route and the other has some other stupid name. Either way, I stand corrected. Can I put the whip away now...

 

[krystal]

oh if you're lucky you get one an hour, if rat face is on that day, one every time he feels like it.

 

[herv]

Originally posted by spiritualtramp
the people that organised the trip gave them the directions. it was the driver that got lost.

do you work for amc or something?

actually on most buses there was one of the creation people giving directions... was there not on yours? one of the main reasons i reckon the guy got lost was because they were trying to dodge the police and all went different routes and doubled back on themselves. a bus journey which should have origionally taken 30 mins took over an hour.