Buses in Other Cities

carlmango11

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone could clear something up for me. I alway hear people saying that Dublin Bus is terrible compared to buses in other cities. But I'm confused at why. Now I'm not saying I dont agree I'm just saying how do they make a system that relys on traffic congestion on time in other cities. I mean I understand how Dublin Bus's timetables are so wrong, because the traffic varies so much but is this not the case in all cities?? So how do they make it work better in places other than Dublin. I heard they were thinking of fitting buses with GPS things that tell the people at the stop live info of when they'll arrive but I'm sure every bus in say Seattle doesnt have this. What's the difference between buses in Dublin and other cities like London, New York etc. ?? Thanks! Carl

spurious

I was in Christchurch, New Zealand recently and while it is admittedly a smaller and newer city than Dublin, they have a fantastic bus system.

They have a free shuttle (yes, free) that does a loop through the main areas of the city centre every fifteen minutes. It is in a distinctive yellow livery. It is almost always fairly full.

All local buses run from a central station in the city, where passengers wait in a communal area and are informed by screens how long away their bus is. The buses often stop and wait at what are called 'timing stations' so that they arrive at the time specified on the timetable, not earlier if traffic conditions are light.

There is a flat fee fare, but many locals had a card which was along the lines of a Metro Card in New York, which was placed on top of a sensor beside the driver on entry to the bus and a beep indicated it had been read and the fare deducted. It was possible to top up this card by paying the driver on the bus.

No food of any kind was allowed on the bus.

Jesus Wept

You can set your watch to the buses in Geneva.

Exit

In Calgary, Canada, there is a different phone number at each stop, so you can give it a call and will be told how many minutes until the next bus arrives (and for the next few after that) It is very precise. Like a previous poster said about Christchurch, if a bus is running early it will actually stop and wait at certain designated stops so that it will get back on schedule.

It is also a flat rate of $2 but you are given a timestamped receipt which can be used on buses and C-trains (think a more extensive LUAS system) within the next 90 minutes.

Also, the drivers are very friendly (although that's probably just a Canadian thing) and will stop for you if they can if you're not quite at the bus stop.

Calgary is a sprawling city with just over 1 million people and has a better road network than Dublin, but in Dublin's favour, the bus routes are probably more extensive.

I can't see most of those things working in Dublin, but the DART, LUAS and bus service could definitely be more integrated.

tampopo

Exit wrote:

In Calgary, Canada, there is a different phone number at each stop, so you can give it a call and will be told how many minutes until the next bus arrives (and for the next few after that) It is very precise. Like a previous poster said about Christchurch, if a bus is running early it will actually stop and wait at certain designated stops so that it will get back on schedule.

Same in Toronto. Very handy if you're on a schedule, or running late. YOu can skip the one you are in danger of missing and count on getting the next one. Buses won't speed up on open empty road (like a last bus here!!) cos it's to keep on schedule. Same with the transfers. You can use them for about 90 mins.
I don't remember you being let on or off anywhere but at the bus stop.
Bus stops at junctions are at the traffic light, never the other side of junctions. This means that when the light goes green we all move off together.

In San Francisco, there is a transfer system which integrates with the Muni trolley car, similar to the LUAS. In fact all the muni trolley lines integrate, which is infinitely better than our two not connecting Luas lines. Ridiculous.
For many years I thought SF buses wouldn't move without the doors being closed, till one time (in 5 years) I saw a driver either let someone on late/after leaving the stop, or was just a bit slow in closing the door.It works both ways, you can't just hop on like hailing a taxi here, but if you're on the bus, you're not delayed by chancers trying to get on between stops!
Though getting better, SF bus shelters are INFINITELY better than those in Dublin.Full map, all schedules/routes by number, each bus shelter has the route number, none of this guesswork by tourists.sheesh. It's getting better in Dublin with the mini maps, but I cycle more nowadays than take the bus.

For people taking buses here for the FIRST time, it's a bit of a disaster.Same with the route markings and directional signs on the nations roads. See the thread on bad signage in the Commuting and Infrastructure thread.

carlmango11

Thanks everyone, I gather the main and most important difference is the importance of sticking to the timetable in other cities. But I definately agree with the lat rate thing, like €1 for everyone every stop instead of old men saying how much to Beaumont and fidling with 5c coins. Also the need for a smart card reader here (and on the DART), Thanks again! Carl

Exit

tampopo wrote:

I don't remember you being let on or off anywhere but at the bus stop.

Sorry, that's bad wording on my part. What I meant was if you're running towards the stop and the driver has just taken off, if they see you, they're more likely to stop for you. That's something that rarely happens in Dublin. I've seen people arriving just as the door closes, and the driver won't let them on.

Agree with you about the shelters. What with the lack of route information and the lack of any real pricing system, I often wonder how tourists get their way around this city.

_blank_

Sydney has a great Public Transport system. Busses, trains and ferries. All run on time and all interconnect, and all can be accessed with one weekly ticket that works on Zones. All of the inner suburbs, and a few of the beech ones, such as Bondi and Coogee, are included in the cheapest weekly ticket, which is AU$33. That is less than €20. Per Week.

The best thing is that the bus stops have the arrival time of the bus at the stop. NOT the time it leaves the terminus.

Because Sydney is built like a grid they have the 'green wave' thing going on, where the traffic lights go green in a wave in each direction, meaning you hit a green light a high percentage of the time. It keeps traffic moving very smoothly in the city centre. Also, every second street is one way in most instances, apart from the main roads in the centre.

Traffic moves very well in Sydney, so much so that many busses leave every five or seven minutes on most lines, and are always busy.

Also, the busses to the outer suburbs run 24/7.