Post your Dublin Bus Horror Stories here !

Degsy

Mrs. MacGyver wrote:

The 27 is a really scary experience a good few scumbags on the upper deck (had to go upstairs a few time as no standing roo down stairs - head was woozy as a result). Glad i've moved from Darndale and now have a very pleasant journty on a 43, 42, or 130.

Must say the drivers on the 130 and the 43 are really pleasant. to prove my point:
Last Christmas i was shopping in town, had about 6 useless paper bags of stuff and it started to p*ss rain. The driver on the 130 was kind enough to wait until i had all my stuff on the bus. Lived a 15 min walk frm Abbey St but there was no way i could walk as the bags has disentegrated in the rain. I won't forget his kindness. There not all bad!

The 130 used to be known as the 30 and was widely acknoweldged to have the friendliest staff of any route.This was backin the day when Dollymount in particular and Clontarf in general was full of genteel old people.

_blank_

raheny red wrote:

GRRRRR I hate that 130 bus - comes every 7 mins or so :mad:

Pisses me off no end that bus.

I hate it that it's so frequnt, and the other busses going to fairview are left to rot.

There must be about six busses that regularly head out to fairview and then turn down the Howth Rd, only three busses go down the Malahide Road and go anywhere near the new apartments at Clare Hall (Northern Cross and Belmayne), the 27 which decides to do a world trip of coolock, and the 42/3 which also serve Malahide, Portmarnock and Swords. It's a joke of a service.

Chinafoot

Only really had one bad experience.

33N from town at 3:30am. Last bus heading to Balbriggan one Friday night, a few years ago. Everything was grand til we got to Skerries. There was myself and one other guy left on the bus, who had been sitting upstairs. So the driver stops close to the train station and Skerries and tells us to get off. We were a bit shocked and told the driver that the last stop is Balbriggan. He kept insisting that we got off and got quite irate. We both refused and he started the bus and drove round to the main street in Skerries and stopped outside the Garda station, got out and went knocking on the door. There was nobody there because they work out of Balbriggan Garda station after a certain hour, I htink.

Anyway, myself and the other guy continue trying to reason with this guy, even pointing out that it says Balbriggan on the front of the bus. We tried to tell him that it makes more sense for him to go back to Dublin via the motorway and it'd be handier for him to go from Balbriggan. We were pretty much ignored and he started up the bus again. This time he started driving back out along the coast road towards Loughshinny.

It was 4:30am at this stage and there was no way I was going back to Dublin to try and get back to Balbriggan again. So I told him to stop and let me off. He ignored me. I told him to let me off or I'd ring the guards. He finally let me off the bus, on the side of the road between Loughshinny and Rush. There were bugger all lights and I was by myself at 4:40am. I had no money on me for a taxi but I thankfully had credit in my phone and was able to ring my dad to come and get me. He went ballistic the next day and rang Dublin Bus.

The manager was all apologies and said the driver was completely in the wrong and had been disciplined. He was also was shítting himself that my dad would "go public" so to speak. He offered us day-trips, vouchers etc. So my dad said to him "Well since it was my daughter that it happened to, I think it should be something just for her. She's in college and has to take the train and the bus every day so she wants an annual bus and rail ticket." The manager was a bit taken aback (these tickets were over €900 at the time) but he said ok. So about a week later a guy from Dublin bus arrived out in the full uniform and the hat and handed me an envelope. He then said "Can I ask you what happened, 'cause I heard the driver did nothing wrong?" Wasn't too happy with that but told him that if it says Balbriggan on the front of the bus you don't try and kick people off at Skerries, particularly at 4 in the morning.

Anyway, haven't had a bad experience since then.

Degsy

DesF wrote:

Pisses me off no end that bus.

I hate it that it's so frequnt, and the other busses going to fairview are left to rot.

There must be about six busses that regularly head out to fairview and then turn down the Howth Rd, only three busses go down the Malahide Road and go anywhere near the new apartments at Clare Hall (Northern Cross and Belmayne), the 27 which decides to do a world trip of coolock, and the 42/3 which also serve Malahide, Portmarnock and Swords. It's a joke of a service.

#
Does the 29a not go up the grange road to sutton cross?Thats near enough to clare hall..

meanmachine3

dont forget the 42a/b that go up to blunden drive which is only 5 mins from clare hall

Schlemm

Chinafoot wrote:

Only really had one bad experience.

33N from town at 3:30am. Last bus heading to Balbriggan one Friday night, a few years ago. Everything was grand til we got to Skerries. There was myself and one other guy left on the bus, who had been sitting upstairs. So the driver stops close to the train station and Skerries and tells us to get off. We were a bit shocked and told the driver that the last stop is Balbriggan. He kept insisting that we got off and got quite irate. We both refused and he started the bus and drove round to the main street in Skerries and stopped outside the Garda station, got out and went knocking on the door. There was nobody there because they work out of Balbriggan Garda station after a certain hour, I htink.

Anyway, myself and the other guy continue trying to reason with this guy, even pointing out that it says Balbriggan on the front of the bus. We tried to tell him that it makes more sense for him to go back to Dublin via the motorway and it'd be handier for him to go from Balbriggan. We were pretty much ignored and he started up the bus again. This time he started driving back out along the coast road towards Loughshinny.

It was 4:30am at this stage and there was no way I was going back to Dublin to try and get back to Balbriggan again. So I told him to stop and let me off. He ignored me. I told him to let me off or I'd ring the guards. He finally let me off the bus, on the side of the road between Loughshinny and Rush. There were bugger all lights and I was by myself at 4:40am. I had no money on me for a taxi but I thankfully had credit in my phone and was able to ring my dad to come and get me. He went ballistic the next day and rang Dublin Bus.

The manager was all apologies and said the driver was completely in the wrong and had been disciplined. He was also was shítting himself that my dad would "go public" so to speak. He offered us day-trips, vouchers etc. So my dad said to him "Well since it was my daughter that it happened to, I think it should be something just for her. She's in college and has to take the train and the bus every day so she wants an annual bus and rail ticket." The manager was a bit taken aback (these tickets were over €900 at the time) but he said ok. So about a week later a guy from Dublin bus arrived out in the full uniform and the hat and handed me an envelope. He then said "Can I ask you what happened, 'cause I heard the driver did nothing wrong?" Wasn't too happy with that but told him that if it says Balbriggan on the front of the bus you don't try and kick people off at Skerries, particularly at 4 in the morning.

Anyway, haven't had a bad experience since then.

Bloody hell! That's absolutely unbelievable. Personally I would've gone public about it and called the guards, what was yer man the driver thinking?!

Never had a horrifying experience myself on the bus, just general minor disasters, ie, the bus that only comes once every full moon driving past you while the driver stares at you, and that sort of thing.

Hats off to the drivers who don't take any nonsense from the scumbags tho!

spareman

Schlemm wrote:

the bus that only comes once every full moon driving past you while the driver stares at you, and that sort of thing.

Have you tried putting your hand out for the bus?

padsc

Chinafoot wrote:

Only really had one bad experience.

He was also was shítting himself that my dad would "go public" so to speak. He offered us day-trips, vouchers etc. So my dad said to him "Well since it was my daughter that it happened to, I think it should be something just for her. She's in college and has to take the train and the bus every day so she wants an annual bus and rail ticket." The manager was a bit taken aback (these tickets were over €900 at the time) but he said ok. So about a week later a guy from Dublin bus arrived out in the full uniform and the hat and handed me an envelope.

That's a horrible story... looks like you've gone public now anyway!

snickerpuss

DesF wrote: »

There must be about six busses that regularly head out to fairview and then turn down the Howth Rd, only three busses go down the Malahide Road and go anywhere near the new apartments at Clare Hall (Northern Cross and Belmayne), the 27 which decides to do a world trip of coolock, and the 42/3 which also serve Malahide, Portmarnock and Swords. It's a joke of a service.

Hey the 27 has to go on a world tour of Coolock cos it's the only bus we have! And in fairness it's just going around northside shopping centre, hardly a tour, more of a jaunt.

_blank_

Degsy wrote: »

#
Does the 29a not go up the grange road to sutton cross?Thats near enough to clare hall..

meanmachine3 wrote: »

dont forget the 42a/b that go up to blunden drive which is only 5 mins from clare hall

Yeah, I live in the Northern Cross apartments, it's bad enough that the 27 doesn't stop at the last stop before the crossroads, and I have to go into Clare Hall, past the Total Fatness to get off.

Those other busses are further away from my gaf.

snickerpuss wrote: »

Hey the 27 has to go on a world tour of Coolock cos it's the only bus we have! And in fairness it's just going around northside shopping centre, hardly a tour, more of a jaunt.

The worst thing about the 27 is when it goes past Martins pub. That little detour it takes round the small roundabout, in that little side road and back again.

Also, when going around the 'traffic calming' on measures on the road leading up to that I get a headache from all the twists and turns.

It's a grand bus for getting me to my parent's though, they live near the Garda Station in Coolock, so a two minute walk from the Aldi.:)

Schlemm

spareman wrote: »

Have you tried putting your hand out for the bus?

What do you think?;)

meanmachine3

aren't you guys lucky you have a service like the 27's that only takes about 45 mins, try sitting on the 39 bus for 2 hours then you'll know what a tour of dublin really is.

cruibin

meanmachine3 wrote: »

aren't you guys lucky you have a service like the 27's that only takes about 45 mins, try sitting on the 39 bus for 2 hours then you'll know what a tour of dublin really is.

38 from Damastown.... a great excursion... 39 is like a cross between the calcutta express (for crowds) and a magical mystery tour!

Wishbone Ash

cruibin wrote: »

38 from Damastown.... a great excursion... 39 is like a cross between the calcutta express (for crowds) and a magical mystery tour!

What about the 33 Dublin to Balbriggan especially the one that goes (or used to go) via Portrane? I think it used to be the guts of 3 hours!!

P_1

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

What about the 33 Dublin to Balbriggan especially the one that goes (or used to go) via Portrane? I think it used to be the guts of 3 hours!!

Especially the 33 ****elink! Thank Christ for the Nightrider!:D

Wishbone Ash

pithater1 wrote: »

Especially the 33 ****elink!

See post 64 above! :eek:

spareman

Schlemm wrote: »

What do you think?;)

I dont know, thats why I asked. Ive often drove past people at stops while looking at them waiting for a signal, only to see them jump up and down in my rear view mirror as I pass by.

Dub13

pithater1 wrote: »

Especially the 33 ****elink! Thank Christ for the Nightrider!:D

How much is the Nightrider and how often does it run...?I presume the first stop is Balbriggan.

Wishbone Ash

spareman wrote: »

I dont know, thats why I asked. Ive often drove past people at stops while looking at them waiting for a signal, only to see them jump up and down in my rear view mirror as I pass by.

There's a stop in Dublin Airport (on the way in) which is served by three or four different bus companies and covers many routes. Most intending passengers waiting there seem to assume that the approaching driver will know which company they intend travelling with! :rolleyes:

P_1

Dub13 wrote: »

How much is the Nightrider and how often does it run...?I presume the first stop is Balbriggan.

€7 up to Balbriggan then €10 anywhere past it. One at 12.30 and one at 3.30. I think it stops wherever you want once you go past the airport. Why it has to stop at the airport is another matter.

Wishbone Ash

pithater1 wrote: »

Why it has to stop at the airport is another matter.

Some 'check-ins' open from 3am.

P_1

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Some 'check-ins' open from 3am.

Fair enough I suppose but I've yet to see anybody getting off at the airport on the nightrider. Most people consider it as 10 minutes extra to struggle to stay awake!

sdanseo

OK, maybe not the most entertaining story but certainly unusual...

31N at 3.30am on a Sat night/Sun morning, some twat lights up with his girlfriend on the top deck. Driver pulls in sharply, turns off the lights, shouts over the intercom and stays put for a minute. Then he pulls out, but they continue so he pulls in again, comes upstairs and screams at the bloke that he's recovering from cancer and that if they didn't stop smoking "I'll fúck you off the bus, this is personal".

Just goes to show you shouldnt smoke, wouldn't have liked to get on the wrong side of this guy.

_Kaiser_

snickerpuss wrote: »

Hey the 27 has to go on a world tour of Coolock cos it's the only bus we have! And in fairness it's just going around northside shopping centre, hardly a tour, more of a jaunt.

I used to live around there and get this bus for years and I remember when the Coolock/Darndale area (until 1996) used to have 4 buses directly serving it - the 27, 27A, 27B, and 42C. Three of these were then amalgamated into the 27 you get today which itself was extended to serve the (then new) Clare Hall estate.

Made no sense to me as the 42 and 43 passed by that way anyway, and (until the 27B was rerouted a year or two later and the 42A started several years after that), it left people in the area with no easy way to Beaumont Hospital, but then you have to consider the area these routes serve - one with (traditionally) high unemployment, antisocial behaviour problems, poorly educated, and (perhaps most importantly) low voter turnouts.. ie: these people (and they're not all scumbags) don't count to the powers that be in CIE/DCC/government.

As a result they're left to "make do" and noone is accountable for the situation. Thus buses don't show up, are late, or half the route is terminated without notice (because someone in Darndale threw a brick through the window) leaving people standing at bus stops until they either give up, or a passing pedestrian/motorist tells them what's going on.

Fair enough, I'm not saying DB drivers should be asked to work under those conditions, but how hard would it be for DB to send a guy out in a car with a few posters to stick on bus stops to let people know, or make an announcement via local Dublin radio stations etc?

I's also not entirely DB's fault. DCC and Coolock Gardai are equally to blame for this situation, but (and I have personal experience of this) trying to get them to do anything is a wasted effort, and in many cases you'll end up dealing with individuals who are worse than the scumbags themselves.

The irony of course is that it's these areas that NEED good public transport, but it's the same reason Coolock will never see a DART, Metro or LUAS line either. Instead these go to the southside where there's already an abundance of public transport options available, and where car ownership (and usage) is higher anyway.

One of the few decent drivers on the 27 told me one time that Clontarf consider it a "problem route" and that most of the senior drivers in the depot won't do it, so it's left to the junior drivers or those that have been transferred from other routes (no doubt all the DB apologists will be on shortly to shoot this down but this is what I was told by the guy and I don't see why he'd make it up).

The result is rude and ignorant drivers and ringing the depot to complain is pointless because you get told the controller is "out on the road" and unreachable (of course!).

I'm lucky enough to no longer have to live there, but I genuinely sympathise with anyone who's forced to use this particular "service".

grahamo

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

Spoof job!!!:rolleyes:

_blank_

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

27A

:eek:

My jaysis, what a memory stirrer that is.

It used to be an orange bus, always.

_Kaiser_

Actually when I was getting them, they were mostly these:

WoollyRedHat

My experiences:

I was waiting for a bus at Donnybrook, got on it, or more like made an attempt to get on it, as when I reached the platform, the Bus driver closed the doors. I had to hop off it. Now, I wouldn't have minded if he re-opened the doors, but instead this complete twat drives off, it was rather simulataneous, doors close, and off he goes.

And I don't think he didn't see me, I mean is it possible to not see something hop on, close the doors and drive off? In any case he should have been looking

This then happened to me again some other time. Got onto the bus only for the doors to be closed on me. My feet stopped it and it reopened. As I walked up to put my money in, he starts whistling as if nothing had happened!
I just looked at him and mumbled thanks. I mean, seriously...

The service is general is rubbish, when you're looking at reliabilty.
Bus drivers, you'll get some nice ones, you'll get some obnoxious ones, is to be expected really.

cailinoBAC

The best thing about the 33N nitelink as opposed to night rider is you don't have to worry about keeping awake cos Balbriggan is the last stop (unless you end up back in Dublin, like my brother once...). Also, it's free if you have an annual bus and rail. You have one at 2 and you get them right from the centre of the city.

Aaaaaaaanyway, don't know if this is quite a horror story, as I knew it was a risk I was taking,and it was my fault, but last Saturday I decided to take the 4.50am 33 bus for a flight at 7. We seemed to be making reasonably good time and then it suddenly turns left into Donabate and Portrane. I seriously began to panic. It took one hour and twenty minutes, and that wasn't even to the airport itself. Ran up to closing flights and just made it. That'll teach me not to fly at 7am, or not to be so miserly about taking a taxi.

goz83

DesF wrote: »

Yeah, I've heard they are bad alright, never been on one though.

The worst route I've been on is the 27. Full of scum at all hours of the day and night. The drivers don't give a toss.

Oh, the 17A is bad too, if it decides to turn up that is. Sometimes I wait on the Oscar Traynor Rd heading to Ballymun for over an hour for one to come, and they are scheduled every twenty minutes or half hour.

And the 127 is the most unreliable service in the city. One day it came down past Grafton Street, so I ran to get it, but it never stopped at the stop it was meant to stop at. It pulled out into the traffic to pass the other busses at the stop, and there were only about ten or twelve passangers on it. My sister was at the stop at the time, waiting. Idiot driver.

I once waited 2 and a half hours for the 17A at the kilbarrack fire brigade station. I then pulled in a taxi to get to work in Finglas (2 hours late). It was usually only an hour late. The next day I bought a moped and was never late again. The End.