Post your Dublin Bus Horror Stories here !

lucozader

I was told to get the F*** off the bus about 2 miles from my house. Even though the bus route went right past my house.

The bus driver said he was hungry and pulled up outside the chipper, so everyone had to walk home in the rain.

I love how the dublin bus drivers put their customers first

aphex™

What route was that on?

lucozader wrote:

I love how the dublin bus drivers put their customers first

I remember last summer some day at 6pm they got rid of all the 15/a/b/c buses and put them directly across the other side of the Liffey bringing people up to Marlay park at €10 return. There was mayhem as all the people who rely on the 15 services to south dublin had to find alternative arrangments. I got home at 9pm from work that day.

Thanks dublin bus, rot in hell.

Kimbot

lucozader wrote:

I was told to get the F*** off the bus about 2 miles from my house. Even though the bus route went right past my house.

The bus driver said he was hungry and pulled up outside the chipper, so everyone had to walk home in the rain.

I love how the dublin bus drivers put their customers first

Used to happen me years ago heading back to tallaght on the last bus, it would go past spawell and staight up the bypass instead of its normal route and i would normally be the last person on the bus. But after a while the driver got to know me and used to drop me to my door every night when he was heading back into town and we got free food aswell most nights.

Collie D

lucozader wrote:

I was told to get the F*** off the bus about 2 miles from my house. Even though the bus route went right past my house.

The bus driver said he was hungry and pulled up outside the chipper, so everyone had to walk home in the rain.

I love how the dublin bus drivers put their customers first

Name and shame. What route was that? Get straight onto Head Offie on Monday morning. That is well out of order. Some drivers are extremely ill-mannered ass-holes who don't undrstand the concept of customer service. Did everyone leave without a fuss?

spurious

Report that driver. If you don't, then put up and shut up next time it happens.

I have always found Dublin Bus very quick to act on complaints.

Dub13

lucozader wrote:

I was told to get the F*** off the bus about 2 miles from my house. Even though the bus route went right past my house.

The bus driver said he was hungry and pulled up outside the chipper, so everyone had to walk home in the rain.

I love how the dublin bus drivers put their customers first

Does anybody believe this....?because I for one don't.

Wishbone Ash

Dub13 wrote:

Does anybody believe this....?because I for one don't.

Nor me!

spurious

If it happened, I don't believe someone would not have immediately complained to Dublin Bus.

Whinging on boards.ie is unlikely to have an effect, if anything did indeed happen.

Collie D

Dub13 wrote:

Does anybody believe this....?because I for one don't.

Silly me

Pretty far-fetched. I must have been still pissed off at the Ireland game and ranting

mikemac

I'm going to be positive about Dublin Bus.
They are without a doubt the best drivers I see in Dublin.
They actually indicate when pulling in and pulling out of stops

Compare that to taxi drivers who stop anywhere and throw on the hazards.

As a moped driver I often filter and you can always see the Dublin Bus drivers watching their wing mirrors. I doubt most drivers use their wings mirrors, especially their left ones.

And if you ever check that overheard in Dublin site, you'll see stories of drivers with razor sharp wit.

Oh, and I don't believe the OP either

_blank_

One sunny Friday evening not so long ago I got on a 16 in Dame Street, to go to Drumcondra.

As the bus got to Parnell Square it pulled in, and just stopped.

For about twenty minutes the driver just sat there, so I went down to ask what the craic was. It was hot, the bus was full and people were getting pissed off.

Anyway, I asked the driver, real polite, if he knew what was going on.

He said he was waiting for another driver to arrive, to continue the journey?

I asked was it another bus he was waiting on, that this had broken down, he said no, another driver. I asked him why he hadn't told the passengers there was going to be a twenty minute delay, and he said "I don't have to tell you, just wait on the radio". I was shocked. Just then a 16A went past, and I said to him that if he had have told us then some of us could have gotten on the 16A. Me anyway, I was only going as far as fagan's in Drumcondra. he just looked at me.

I got off the bus, and about ten minutes later another 16 came along. The next timetabled one. I got on and asked the driver if he's wait for a few passangers from the stopped bus could get on. There was standing room, and three or four people had just come from upstairs to get on the bus.

He said no, then started ranting at me "Do you think it's my fault the other bus stopped or something" :eek: I said no, I didn't think it was his fault at all. I hadn't long to go so I remained standing. He kept staring at me in the mirror as he was driving then said "Don't start again with your lip, or I'll throw you off this bus" :eek: WTF?

Anyway, we got to Drumcondra, and as I was getting off I called him a prick, the doors closed and he was pulling off, next thing he stopped again, opened the doors and said "I'll remember your face pal, I'll see you next time".

Arsehole.

faceman

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Nor me!

tis bull

Collie D

DesF wrote:

One sunny Friday evening not so long ago I got on a 16 in Dame Street, to go to Drumcondra.

As the bus got to Parnell Square it pulled in, and just stopped.

For about twenty minutes the driver just sat there, so I went down to ask what the craic was. It was hot, the bus was full and people were getting pissed off.

Anyway, I asked the driver, real polite, if he knew what was going on.

He said he was waiting for another driver to arrive, to continue the journey?

I asked was it another bus he was waiting on, that this had broken down, he said no, another driver. I asked him why he hadn't told the passengers there was going to be a twenty minute delay, and he said "I don't have to tell you, just wait on the radio". I was shocked. Just then a 16A went past, and I said to him that if he had have told us then some of us could have gotten on the 16A. Me anyway, I was only going as far as fagan's in Drumcondra. he just looked at me.

I got off the bus, and about ten minutes later another 16 came along. The next timetabled one. I got on and asked the driver if he's wait for a few passangers from the stopped bus could get on. There was standing room, and three or four people had just come from upstairs to get on the bus.

He said no, then started ranting at me "Do you think it's my fault the other bus stopped or something" :eek: I said no, I didn't think it was his fault at all. I hadn't long to go so I remained standing. He kept staring at me in the mirror as he was driving then said "Don't start again with your lip, or I'll throw you off this bus" :eek: WTF?

Anyway, we got to Drumcondra, and as I was getting off I called him a prick, the doors closed and he was pulling off, next thing he stopped again, opened the doors and said "I'll remember your face pal, I'll see you next time".

Arsehole.

Yeah, I've had an arsehole like that. Make a complaint and it's a threat to call the law and throw you off the bus.

Alsatian_Cousin

DesF wrote:

As the bus got to Parnell Square it pulled in, and just stopped.
For about twenty minutes the driver just sat there

That's not unusual, always happens. Why can't they have a depot outside the city at the end of the route where drivers can change shifts?

Wishbone Ash

DesF wrote:

..... as I was getting off I called him a prick.....

......Arsehole.

If this event did occur, why did you drag yourself down to the driver's level by calling him a 'prick'?

What did that achieve apart from reducing your credibility to zero? :rolleyes: All you achieved was to convince the bus driver that he was correct to say that he would have you thrown off the bus.

Would it not have been more appropriate to take note of the details and make an official complaint?

DesF wrote:

I asked the driver, real polite......

Somehow I find it difficult to believe that someone who calls a bus driver a 'prick' and refers to him as an 'arsehole' could be 'real polite'! :rolleyes:

Dyr

Too many f***ing horror stories over the years. The latest one was on one of the bendy buses one morning. Either the driver didnt turn on the suspension on the rear carriage or it was broken. Every bump we went over we were sent flying up in the air. My wallet actually fell out of my coat it was so bad. I didnt realise I'd lost the wallet until i was in work. So I rang the depot and they said the driver had found the wallet and turned it in. So i haul meself out to the depot after work only to be told it was sent into the lost and found in town. :mad:. had to go in there the next morning and convince two heads (who were such caricatures of jobsworths that they belonged on Father ted) that it was actually my wallet and then pay 2 euros to get it back. :mad:

Still a lot of dublin bus drivers are decent skins. Its the f***ing jobsworths and malignant p**ks that know they'll never get sacked that give them a bad reputation.

The driver changeover thing in Parnell square happens on the 19A all the time, 9 times out of 10 the driver wont bother letting the passengers know that they're going to be sitting in their holes for 10 or 15 minutes.

Jay D

I remember years ago some little **** head opened the emergency exit at the back of the bus from outside, I walked over to close it and the bus driver insisted I had done it and told me to get off.

I refused, so he stopped on O Connell St and the police told me to get off.

I was completely humiliated and to make matters more so, the complete power freaks started their bullying with me on the street, in a way only good pigs can.

Oh and of course the camera on the bus wasn't on that day, the day I was travelling from one job to another!!

Nothingcompares

What's the story with the wait? I've been told that on those bus routes that start deep in the north side and finished far off in the southside that last so long the drivers have to swap around half way through because they're not allowed to drive for more than an hour or something.

It's completely unacceptable that the bus driver that's supposed to relieve the previous driver isn't on time (or the bus doesn't arrive when it's supposed to).

One of the general flaws of the timetables is that they give you a guide to when the bus will be in each particular area but they never seem to take into account that at 11.30pm on a sunday the bus is going to be much quicker than the 8am on a monday.

I've been on a bus a few times and breaks been lobbed through the windows shattering them (that's hardly dublin buses fault). I've also been on the nitelink a couple of times where the driver has taken the executive decision to avoid taking the detour to my stop (that's stopped more recently). I got on a bus once with a carry out of beer and the driver wouldn't let me go up the stairs. I was kinda undecided about whether to just sit down and not argue or tell him to go **** himself but he gave me the impression he'd just sit at the stop if I tried to go up stairs.

In fairness the majoirty of the drivers on my bus route are sound.

Wishbone Ash

Bambi wrote:

Either the driver didnt turn on the suspension on the rear carriage or it was broken. Every bump we went over we were sent flying up in the air

The driver doesn't 'turn on' the suspension. It should be on a default setting. He can drop the suspension on one side for ease of entry and it should rise automatically when the doors close or he can raise the front of the bus above the normal level to clear a steep ramp (e.g. to enter a garage). The driver may not have been aware of the problem at the rear as his portion of the articulated unit would be independent of the 'trailer'. Did you inform him?

Bambi wrote:

and convince two heads (who were such caricatures of jobsworths that they belonged on Father ted) that it was actually my wallet and then pay 2 euros to get it back. :mad:

Presumably they had to be sure it was your wallet. If they had given it out to someone else you would probably say that they should be more thorough in their enquries!

PS - it costs €6 in Dublin Airport to retrieve one's own lost property!

Bambi wrote:

9 times out of 10 the driver wont bother letting the passengers know that they're going to be sitting in their holes for 10 or 15 minutes.

I'm not familiar with the internal workings of Dublin Bus but I presume that the driver doesn't know exactly when his relief will arrive. If he continued with the journey he may be forced to go into a cycle which may last a couple of hours for which he may not get paid. I agree totally that it is not a very 'passenger friendly' system but that is a management matter, not a driver's one.

Tha Gopher

Dub13 wrote:

Does anybody believe this....?because I for one don't.

No. Complete and utter arse, internet urban myth type bollix of the highest calibre.

lucozader

I actually shortened the story, so people wouldn't have to sift through too much info

it it TOTALLY TRUE

The 69X (city speed, busiest bus of the day) was 1 hour late, then Dublin bus laid on a single decker to replace it

A single decker was not enough for a fraction of the people queing for 1 hour

I had to stand for about an hour on the bus cos there were no seats

Then about the bus driver decided to pull in for fish and chips and we (say 25 people) had to walk miles home in the rain

In summary

1. Bus was 1 hour late
2. Dublin Bus laid on single decker (way too small)
3. Had to stand for 1 hour on the bus (feet were killing me after standing at the bus stop for 1 hour already)
4 Bus driver decided to get dinner and told us to f*** off (yes he used the f word)
5 Had to walk home 2 miles in the rain

and that was just the journey from town !

I hate it when I hear a Dublin Bus PR guy on the radio saying how great they are. I worked for a summer in Germany and the bus drivers were great, if german bus drivers behaved like Dublin Bus drivers they would be sacked.

spurious

So...did you report it?
If not, why not?

latenia

Half the time the drivers of the 15s and 65s decide that Fleet St is the new terminus instead of Eden Quay as it says on the front of the bus and on the ticket.
I presume this is because they want to head back to Ringsend garage more quickly to go on their break. Never mind the 10 or 15 people who have to walk an extra 7 or 8 minutes to get to their destination.

_blank_

Wishbone Ash wrote:

If this event did occur,

What do you mean 'if'?

Why the bleedin' hell would I come on to Boards and make up a story like that? FFS.

Wishbone Ash wrote:

why did you drag yourself down to the driver's level by calling him a 'prick'?

Because he was one. And I wasn't arsed complaining to anyone, I was on my way to a match, and it just popped into my head. Sorry if I have offended your morals.

Wishbone Ash wrote:

What did that achieve apart from reducing your credibility to zero? :rolleyes:

WTF has 'credibility' got to do with it? Credibility in who's eyes? Yours? I hardly care about if some stranger on the internet finds me credible. Oh, and thanks for the rolleyes. Really cool.

Wishbone Ash wrote:

All you achieved was to convince the bus driver that he was correct to say that he would have you thrown off the bus.

Fúck him.

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Would it not have been more appropriate to take note of the details and make an official complaint? .

Probably yeah, but tbh, I had forgotten about the incident until I saw this thread.

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Somehow I find it difficult to believe that someone who calls a bus driver a 'prick' and refers to him as an 'arsehole' could be 'real polite'! :rolleyes:

Go on and read my post again, and this time read it properly. I was polite to the driver who had stopped in Parnell Square, it was the idiot who started ranting at me on the next bus for no reason that I called a prick.

_blank_

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I'm not familiar with the internal workings of Dublin Bus

Really? Well you're acting like a manager of Dublin Bus in this thread, no one can say a bad word about them ffs.

Anyway.

Wishbone Ash wrote:

but I presume that the driver doesn't know exactly when his relief will arrive.

The relief should be there to meet the bus. A half hour before it's due to arrive, this way, if the bus is delayed, the new driver is there, if the bus gets there quicker than it should have, the new driver is there.

It's too easy for Dublin Bus to implement though. That or the Unions are involved in this. And I hate the unions, nothing but trouble.

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I agree totally that it is not a very 'passenger friendly' system but that is a management matter, not a driver's one.

Well hang on, the drivers are the public face of the company. A company which has no 'visible' customer service process, and a very hard system to navigate if one does happen to contact them. Being sent from billy to jack to reclaim a lost wallet? Spare me the nicey-niceness about Dublin Bus, it's a shambolic bus service at the best of times, and a downright disgrace the rest of the time.

Although, the new busses are nice.

How Strange

On one hand, the bus drivers do a horrible job and where I live have to put up with junkies and general yobs smoking cigarettes and grass/hash, drinking etc. I commend them for it. Alot of the drivers are friendly decent people and very helpful to lost tourists, old people, women with buggies etc. But there is a miniority of the old school who think f*ck them, I can't be sacked no matter what and if my supervisor challenges me after a complaint from the public then I'll call in the Union rep and cause a fuss.

On some routes the drivers just don't bother their arse turning up. We are two stops from a terminus and the bus often times just doesn't arrive. Why? God only knows? I complained to DB and they wrote a lovely letter back. The service has improved but its always a bit of a lottery whether or not the bus will turn up. Personally, I think until DB starts to see that they are providing a service to the public via the tax we pay then we will never get the service that you get on the continent. It would require changing a mindset.

Dyr

lucozader wrote:

I hate it when I hear a Dublin Bus PR guy on the radio saying how great they are. I worked for a summer in Germany and the bus drivers were great, if german bus drivers behaved like Dublin Bus drivers they would be sacked.

Nail on head there as to whats wrong with Dublin bus.

Here wishbone ash, you dont work for dublin bus, yet if anyone criticises them you're jumping into the shining armour with a three castle logo on it to rush to dublin buses defence. i take your assertion that you're not affiliated to dublin bus with the same scepticism that you view dublin bus horror stories with:)

Incidentally, dublin bus have improved a fair bit over the last few years IMO

Love2love

I was on the bus a couple of weeks back and there was already a women with a double buggy on it so I folded up my own and carried my son on. Anyway a few stops later a wheelchair wants to get on so the bus driver threw the woman with the double buggy off..... Now that is not right.

Dub13

Love2love wrote:

I was on the bus a couple of weeks back and there was already a women with a double buggy on it so I folded up my own and carried my son on. Anyway a few stops later a wheelchair wants to get on so the bus driver threw the woman with the double buggy off..... Now that is not right.

Its my understanding that its a wheelchair space and the wheelchair has priority.It would be a pain but at the end of the day the two kids can be taken out of the pram,the person in the wheelchair does not have this option.

They are after all called wheelchair accessible buses not pram accessible buses.

Wishbone Ash

Dub13 wrote:

Its my understanding that its a wheelchair space and the wheelchair has priority

Yes, that used to be the case but I think it has changed recently. See this thread for more information/discussion on that topic.

Love2love wrote:

so the bus driver threw the woman with the double buggy off

Did she refuse to fold the buggy? If so, then the driver had no choice under previous directives AFAIK.

PS - He hardly "threw her off". I presume she was asked to leave and get an alternative bus.

Bambi wrote:

Here wishbone ash, you dont work for dublin bus, yet if anyone criticises them you're jumping into the shining armour with a three castle logo on it to rush to dublin buses defence. i take your assertion that you're not affiliated to dublin bus with the same scepticism that you view dublin bus horror stories with

I drive a bus on a part time basis for a private operator. I have an interest in public transport and transport in general. What's wrong with being 'Devil's Advocate' as none of the regular DB drivers have contributed to the thread yet leaving it a bit one-sided. (They normally post in the Commuting and Transport Forum ). If I worked for DB I would probably be able to provide more comprehensive answers.

Nevyn

Dub13 wrote:

Its my understanding that its a wheelchair space and the wheelchair has priority.It would be a pain but at the end of the day the two kids can be taken out of the pram,the person in the wheelchair does not have this option..

It was stated that it was a double buggy with two children and most of them can not be folded.