Dublin Bus single deckers

Hotblack Desiato

Victor wrote: »

No, all the smart cards to date are season tickets, there is no electronic purse, other than the Luas one.

A simple way of getting some sort of integrated ticketing would be to allow Luas smartcards to act as a Travel 90 - can't be that difficult, can it...?

markpb

Victor wrote: »

While yes, everyone is getting off at a limited number of stops and you will have a surge then, there is no boarding at the same time and it does mean more seating capacity.

I disagree (in a roundabout sort of way). Removing the doors adds between 2 and 4 extra seats per bus but slows down the bus. Some busy routes can stop for *minutes* at city centre stops. Buying buses with 2 or even 3 pairs of doors, reduces the dwell time and increases the number of trips a single bus can do in a day, increasing the number of seats available.

DB have this fascination with giving everyone a seat (I'm being obtuse, I understand the need for wheelchair space and seats for old people). I'd be happy to stand if it meant my bus was faster and more frequent. Oddly enough, I regularly stand on the Luas and it doesn't kill me.

parsi

markpb wrote: »

DB have this fascination with giving everyone a seat (I'm being obtuse, I understand the need for wheelchair space and seats for old people). I'd be happy to stand if it meant my bus was faster and more frequent. Oddly enough, I regularly stand on the Luas and it doesn't kill me.

I can't understand our fascination with getting a seat during peak times. Folk seem to think that the buses or trains are going to magically increase in size so that they can comfortably seat everyone who decides that they have to get the 17:05 on the Friday of a bank holiday.

Victor

markpb wrote: »

I disagree (in a roundabout sort of way). Removing the doors adds between 2 and 4 extra seats per bus but slows down the bus. Some busy routes can stop for *minutes* at city centre stops. Buying buses with 2 or even 3 pairs of doors, reduces the dwell time and increases the number of trips a single bus can do in a day, increasing the number of seats available.

Sorry, that particular comment only referred to Airlinks. If the wheelchair space was moved behind the stairs to allow space for doors, you would be looking at losing a net 6 seats or so. Most people prefer to sit on Airlinks, as they are doing the full length of the route, not 1-2km.

Not having extra doors on Airlinks is also useful to discourage luggage theft.

rubensni

ninja900 wrote: »

A simple way of getting some sort of integrated ticketing would be to allow Luas smartcards to act as a Travel 90 - can't be that difficult, can it...?

What? Simple? Integrated ticketing? Are you saying that you know more than the experts who have had to fly twice around the world, spend tens of millions and still not come up with a solution?

Cool Mo D

parsi wrote: »

I can't understand our fascination with getting a seat during peak times. Folk seem to think that the buses or trains are going to magically increase in size so that they can comfortably seat everyone who decides that they have to get the 17:05 on the Friday of a bank holiday.

I think it's because a public transport journey of any distance on the bus takes so long that people want a seat. To travel 10km on dublin bus at peak time will take an hour - so you can see how people don't wanna stand.

TirEoghain

Victor wrote: »

Not having extra doors on Airlinks is also useful to discourage luggage theft.

Good point.

I never really thought double deck buses were good for airport runs for this purpose. Bound to be a lot of people who wouldn't want to sit upstairs as they wouldn't be able to see their luggage if they put it in a rack downstairs.

Heart

TirEoghain wrote: »

Bound to be a lot of people who wouldn't want to sit upstairs as they wouldn't be able to see their luggage if they put it in a rack downstairs.

The new Airlink buses have a camera on the downstairs luggage racks which shows images of the racks on screens in both decks when the doors are open.

KC61

Shmee wrote: »

Just realised a while ago that DB dont seem to be updating there single deck fleet these days when the double deck fleet is constantly being updated with new modern buses ... so, do they just not need em anymore?

The reality was that during most of the last decade Dublin Bus were precluded from expanding their fleet by buying additional buses. They could only buy replacement buses. They did so by replacing the P and AD classes (the large single decks bought from 1993 to 1995) by larger capacity double decks.

The remaining single decks are the WV class (midi-buses). Some of these were withdrawn last year as part of the service cutbacks. However the remainder are in service and will continue to be so until 2012 I would think.

At the moment there were no new buses in 2009, and I suspect it will be 2012 before any more new buses are added, bearing in mind the large influx of Olympians in 1999. Bear in mind that Dublin Bus has a 12 year fleet replacement policy, and under current financial constraints buying new buses is not the priority.

The only route that has to be operated by a single deck is the 44b to Glencullen due to the nature of the roads. Every other route can be operated by double decks - the 185 is regularly operated by double deck buses.

The articulated buses were a DTO decision. No proper planning went into their operation with Dublin Bus just being told to operate them. Look at the infrastructure in London where they operate - in particular longer bus bays allowing buses to pull in and out safely. None of that was put in place in Dublin with the result that the buses were operating on the 10 and frequently could not access the stops safely.

To suggest that DB were to blame for this is to be honest unfair. The local authorities did nothing to enable the buses be operated safely. A complete hames would be my opinion. The 4/4a is probably the best route for them - reasonably straight and few twists and turns. But do any of the bus stops along the route have the road markings areas extended to allow these buses access the kerb safely????

If anyone wants to look at daft kerbing - walk along D'Olier Street. The entire street is marked as a bus stop, but the kessel kerbing is only at each bus stop itself - what happens when two or three buses arrive - some are at the raised kerb - others leave passengers with a jump down (albeit a smaller one than in the Bombardier days!). Designed obviously by someone with no idea of the practicalities of operating a bus service.

flazio

Zoney wrote: »

Is it me or does that thing look like a road version of a Luas tram?

markpb

flazio wrote: »

Is it me or does that thing look like a road version of a Luas tram?

It's designed to look like a tram because people are more likely to switch from a car to tram/train than to a bus. The thinking is that if it looks like a tram and has the priority of a tram, people will switch but the country will benefit because it doesn't cost as much as a tram.

Carroller16

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

yeah but there are some routes where DD are too big or just unsuitable (headroom and clearance of trees etc). the 59 and 185 come to mind as routes that will never justify the extra space of a DD.

It will when your bringing 30 scouts from enniskerry up to shop river

Cookie_Monster

Carroller16 wrote: »

It will when your bringing 30 scouts from enniskerry up to shop river

:eek: They'll be walking that, they're scouts after all

Carroller16

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

:eek: They'll be walking that, they're scouts after all

Ah that's only half of it the trek begins at shop river. That hill in Enniskerry is a b**ch to hike up.

Carroller16

Carroller16 wrote: »

It will when your bringing 30 scouts from enniskerry up to shop river

I was on a WV operated 123 once when at the second stop on Griffith Avenue a large group (might have been scouts or campers, they had backpacks) tried to get on the bus. The driver refused to take them, instead telling them to wait for the next bus which was an RV.