State of Buses in Galway

Right, here's a rant (yes another rant) about buses. The state of the buses in Galway are diabolical. And I mean everything, from the buses themselves to the bus routes, to the times they try and follow.

First off, what the hell is with the bus "timetable" (if you could call it that). Last night I had been waiting for 20 minutes for a bus to bring me into town from the bus stop outside GMIT. I would normally walk in this situation, but was far too tired after a long weekend. The wait wouldn't be too bad, if it wasn't for the fact that about 5 Bus Eireann buses passed in this time. Two of which were Park 'n Ride buses that were totally and completely empty! Galway council is probably paying a fortune for these Park 'n Ride buses to run, so would it not make sense for them to pick people up at bus stops when they are empty, so to make some sort of money back?

The other buses were city-link buses but one of them was an Oranmore bus, which I thought really odd as they usually stop to pick us up, but this one did not. The main gripe I had with this is the fact that even though the Park 'n Ride buses were totally empty, they did not stop to pick us up (there were at least 10 if not more people at this 1 bus stop).

Also, why the hell is there no proper layout for bus routes? Probably every country has one, so why doesn't Galway? Admitted, some knacker would probably try and tear them out, but they could just make it harder for them to do so. The one place these should be used is in Eyre Square.

leninbenjamin

totally agree with everything you've said. the lack of punctuality and the traffic is making getting buses a real gruelling affair... I'd be with you in that most of the time I'd either walk or cycle...

Deleted User wrote: »

Also, why the hell is there no proper layout for bus routes? Probably every country has one, so why doesn't Galway? Admitted, some knacker would probably try and tear them out, but they could just make it harder for them to do so. The one place these should be used is in Eyre Square.

i think there are some maps in the square by the stops. I've tried to get boardsies to compile some maps together (using google or yahoo maps) together before but there wasn't really the interest.

Zzippy

Not disagreeing with the OP, sounds like a ****ty evening, but since they brought in the new timetable here we've had great service (no. 9 from Parkmore, I get on at Doughiska). Every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes after 7.30 I think, and its always been on time for me... its a lot better than it used to be anyway!

MattKid

Oranmore bus only drops off at GMIT

ethernet

[rant]
It's awful. I usually get the Limerick bus. When it's lashing and you pass by people on the way into town, often at GMIT and the stop across from what was the Corrib Great Southern, you feel pretty crappy. It's so stupid -- almost all the buses are going to Eyre Square or the station anyway, so why not pick people up instead of having them wait even longer, especially when the bus isn't all that full?
[/rant]

LadyMayBelle

Parkmore now has a fantastic service I must admit(seven pulled up in twenty minutes this eve as I stood waiting for a Mervue one this eve..not good for me however)..but see, in order for them to have such a fabulous service, the Ballybrit/Castlepark route was reduced significantly(this also serves Ballybane and Monivea Road AND Riverside might I add) which was very frustrating.

As for the Park and Ride buses....I counted eleven today that passed my window that were empty. Completely. Also, I was working up in the racecourse with the shoebox charity tonight, and saw several empty buses drive in (they do a loop up there) no cars. Perhaps on a Saturday some people will request it, bt surely they shouldnt have started so early? Such a waste of buses. A joke.

I hate the service right now, it's quicker to walk..when it isnt raining..

tonyhiggins

Galwayguy99 wrote: »

Not disagreeing with the OP, sounds like a ****ty evening, but since they brought in the new timetable here we've had great service (no. 9 from Parkmore, I get on at Doughiska). Every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes after 7.30 I think, and its always been on time for me... its a lot better than it used to be anyway!

You must not being using it any time between 8am and 9.30am from town then. Total disaster. The new route through Doughiska is a disaster for trying to get to work in Parkmore, it regularly takes 45mins-1hr to get across town, some days (and without exaggeration) up to 30mins of that just being on the road from the Merlin Park turnoff to Briarhill shopping centre.

tonyhiggins

LadyPennyworth wrote: »

Parkmore now has a fantastic service I must admit(seven pulled up in twenty minutes this eve as I stood waiting for a Mervue one this eve..

A very possible reason for this is that all the ones meant to be running earlier were dead late!! It regularly happens at peak hours.

LadyMayBelle

Trye, but I was fuming once I saw seven number 9's pull up..............

SimpleSam06

Galwayguy99 wrote: »

Not disagreeing with the OP, sounds like a ****ty evening, but since they brought in the new timetable here we've had great service (no. 9 from Parkmore, I get on at Doughiska). Every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes after 7.30 I think, and its always been on time for me... its a lot better than it used to be anyway!

They seem to have decreased every other service in favour of Doughiska for some reason, however. It must be an easier drive.

herbieflowers

The timetables seem completley arbitrary too. The timetables on the bus stops themselves (the ones that are left anyway) seem out of date as the buses never seem to arrive in correspondence with the time on the timetable. I've even checked the buseireann site and, despite following it, I've still been kept waiting or, worse, the bus never came at all. Most of the time I just hedge my bets and go to the Dublin Rd. bus stop so at least there's a better chance of me catching one that goes into town...

Wouldn't it just be easier if they standardised the system a la Doughiska? A bus every 15mins or half an hour depending on the need or something? Instead of having buses bumble along randomly at 18 minutes past...and another thing, often times I've gotten a bus from Renmore which - on the rare occasions it actually arrives on time - only brings me into town, despite it saying on the timetable that it's going to Knocknacarra (ie where I want to go!) And what's with waiting for a bus for over 40mins and then two come along at the same time! Or waiting at the bus stop in Eyre Square and noticing a higher proportion of buses going to Mervue or Ballybane in the time you've been waiting for one single bus! Argh!

LadyMayBelle

Any one know if the early morning Eyre Square Ballybrit bus (07.30) would get me to Castlepark area (the gmit side) by five to eight?? Ive changed job location and start at eight and cant seem to find out if it hangs around Ballybrit for twenty minutes or goes straight back into town..........still spotting empty Park and Rides from my window....

Frankieboy

LadyPennyworth wrote: »

Any one know if the early morning Eyre Square Ballybrit bus (07.30) would get me to Castlepark area (the gmit side) by five to eight?? Ive changed job location and start at eight and cant seem to find out if it hangs around Ballybrit for twenty minutes or goes straight back into town..........still spotting empty Park and Rides from my window....

There is a bus from town that used to bypass going to ballybrit and just turn into Castlepark. I think there's two buses that leave town at around 7.30, one that goes to ballybrit, one that does not.The one that goes to ballybrit doesn't leave the Clayton until 8 I think.

Lockstep

Citydirect buses are atrocious.
Always late and fairly expensive.



*sigh* the threads just jhavnt been the same since we stopped mentioning KD and the characters

King John V

There's probably a very good reason for dropping the whole KD thing. What starts off as usually very funny banter often turns into a complete free for all slagfest on the little guy.

LadyMayBelle

he's back on youtube again i see.

Mrs OBumble

Deleted User wrote: »

Also, why the hell is there no proper layout for bus routes? Probably every country has one, so why doesn't Galway? Admitted, some knacker would probably try and tear them out, but they could just make it harder for them to do so. The one place these should be used is in Eyre Square.

Indeed, we've been here before: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055167777

There are a few maps in that thread ... hopefully someone might get inspired to make a few more???? Between us, it might even turn into a sticky.

The other thing I've discovered is the factory runs: these aren't shown on any time table, but mine leaves the back of the railway station at 8:05am (right on time virtually every day), and gets to Ballybrit estate (Boston Scientific, HP, etc) by 8:20 - a really amazing level of service consider it's BE who are doing it. And it's just a regular public bus, anyone can catch it ...

JustMary

JustMary wrote: »

Indeed, we've been here before: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055167777

There are a few maps in that thread ... hopefully someone might get inspired to make a few more???? Between us, it might even turn into a sticky.

The other thing I've discovered is the factory runs: these aren't shown on any time table, but mine leaves the back of the railway station at 8:05am (right on time virtually every day), and gets to Ballybrit estate (Boston Scientific, HP, etc) by 8:20 - a really amazing level of service consider it's BE who are doing it. And it's just a regular public bus, anyone can catch it ...

But what good is having maps on boards.ie for the average commuter who has no clue this forum even exists?(if there's such a person) They need to be where people can view them.

And yet again tonight 2 empty park 'n ride buses passed by about 20 people waiting for a bus outside GMIT. And in the end we all had to pile on to an already-packed Parkmore bus

Tzetze

There was a piece in the Monday First (probably another piece in today's Advertiser - not read one yet) about changes coming "in the New Year". They're going to ban traffic in the out-of-town direction on College Rd and Monivea Rd between 7(-30?) AM and 7(-30?) PM.

This will be some improvement on the way home for Ballybane, Ballybrit, Castlepark, Renmore and Doughiska, but there's a long way to go before we have anything resembling a decent transport system.

po0k

Promote carpooling, organised through local communities, small postal campaign, remove the insurance-related obstacle regarding driving for profit.

There are far too many people driving cars with only one occupant. This is supposed to be the information age.

muppetkiller

herbieflowers wrote: »

The timetables seem completley arbitrary too. The timetables on the bus stops themselves (the ones that are left anyway) seem out of date as the buses never seem to arrive in correspondence with the time on the timetable.

Now wait for this ... I asked a bus driver where the hell the bus was for the last hour as I stood in the rain (while pointing at the timetable) . He Replied "Sorry but those time tables are not the times for which the bus will arrive at that stop but the time it leaves Eyre Square" I laughed and the next day checked the other timetables on the Route and they all have the exact same time on them proving his point
Only in Ireland :rolleyes:

herbieflowers

and another thing: what's with the 5c iuncrease in bus fares every year?! We're paying more and more each year for a service which seems, ironically, to deteriorate from year to year! Only in Ireland indeed...

Lockstep

The buses are laughable.

Congestion in Galway is horrendous and yet still, buses are poorly done.

I wish that there was a luas type system here.

*sigh*


Hell, even carpooling or a park and ride



Buses in Galway,

MattKid

An American friend of mine put it nicely when he came over when he said. I've noticed the bus timetable is more of a suggestion

SyxPak

SyxPak wrote: »

Promote carpooling, organised through local communities, small postal campaign, remove the insurance-related obstacle regarding driving for profit.

There are far too many people driving cars with only one occupant. This is supposed to be the information age.

But there's no real incentive for people to carpool though. I mean what good would it be for someone to carpool and yet be stuck in traffic. Would only really work if they brought in carpool lanes over here.

The buses are laughable.

Congestion in Galway is horrendous and yet still, buses are poorly done.

I wish that there was a luas type system here.

*sigh*


Hell, even carpooling or a park and ride

There is a park and ride. Only problem is that nobody ever seems to use it. Which results in countless of these buses being totally empty and not even bothering to collect people at bus stops.

If a county/city council person ever reads this:
Get those damned park and ride buses to pick people up at bus stops or else its just a waste of money!

Even if they tried bringing in better cycle paths. The ones around the city are death-traps.

padi89

Worked up Parkmore a number of years ago.Used to rely on the bus to get me from and to Knocknacara.Very,very unreliable, in the end i bought a decent bike and cycled.Funny thing is it was still quicker by bike coming home at night with zero traffic.
Mind you i have not got a bus in a long time seems things have not gotten any better.

Robbo

kickoutthejams wrote: »

I wish that there was a luas type system here.

Luas in Galway is the sole preserve of a few lone mentalists who took a crayon to a map of the town, got drunk and then asked a special needs kid to come up with a decent route across town. Look at their proposals whilst also thinking "Where in Jeff are they going to plonk 2 tram lines?".

The answer is no where.

Outer bypass uber alles.

snubbleste

He Replied "Sorry but those time tables are not the times for which the bus will arrive at that stop but the time it leaves Eyre Square" I laughed and the next day checked the other timetables on the Route and they all have the exact same time on them proving his point

This has always been the case. In fact it says on the timetable 'Departs Eyre Square at..'

I think a transport system like a tram/luas would work in galway because of its east-west axis, but the population density isn't sufficient at the moment. There is the demand and the need for it. Where to put is easy: by ripping up a traffic lane
Most people in Knocknacarra would use public transport to town and beyond if it was reliable.

ZorbaTehZ

I remember once waiting for the Barna Bus Eireann Bus at the station for about 5 minutes after the time it was supposed to leave. There was some guy that worked there beside me and I asked him did he know if the bus was coming at all. He looked around and then went in to radio the bus driver where was he. I was told that the bus driver just "assumed" that there was no one waiting for the bus at the station and went straight out to Spanish Arch. I got a fit of laughing and walked off.

Anyone living out the west side of Galway county will know just how bad the service is. Buses coming once every 4/5 hours, if they come at all and sometimes they just don't bother stopping at all for you - most of the time because the bus is jam packed and there is no space for anyone else to sit on the bus.

ZorbaTehZ

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

I remember once waiting for the Barna Bus Eireann Bus at the station for about 5 minutes after the time it was supposed to leave. There was some guy that worked there beside me and I asked him did he know if the bus was coming at all. He looked around and then went in to radio the bus driver where was he. I was told that the bus driver just "assumed" that there was no one waiting for the bus at the station and went straight out to Spanish Arch. I got a fit of laughing and walked off.

Anyone living out the west side of Galway county will know just how bad the service is. Buses coming once every 4/5 hours, if they come at all and sometimes they just don't bother stopping at all for you - most of the time because the bus is jam packed and there is no space for anyone else to sit on the bus.

Now that you mention that, I remember it being the same way. Or else they would take a totally different direction (say avoiding the Spanish Arch totally) and head out to Barna that way.

tristanc

I'm 25 minutes from city centre and it seems faster to walk then take the bus. Can't say I've tried thumbing a ride in the city yet.