Do all Dublin Bus drivers hate their jobs or just life in general?

vard

I once had a bus driver stop the bus on the side of the road - without a word of warning, ran into a pub and went took a 10 minute dump.

we all found it quite comical really.

foggy_lad

vard wrote: »

I once had a bus driver stop the bus on the side of the road - without a word of warning, ran into a pub and went took a 10 minute dump.

we all found it quite comical really.

we could not really deny anyone this! but was it a dump or a cure he went into the pub for?

Monkey face

rednik wrote: »

When I get on a bus I expect to go from A to B safely and on time to the best of the driver's ability. The fact that any driver holds a bus up is unprofessional and shows nothing but contempt for the passengers. He is paid to do drive and this is why I expect him to do so. Our society is full of people who don't care about their profession they just want to collect their pay. There are enough threads about DB drivers, maybe if they changed their attitude and showed some professionalism these would disappear.

Good post. I do think this is the big issue. Although I would replace the word contempt with disregard. I don't think the bus driver did it out of spite of me and the rest of the passengers just selfish disregard.

I think the fact that there is no/lack of moderation of buses is a the biggest worry, how can they solve a problem when they really don't know what it is (and it is a problem) and when there are people out there who will defend this type of unprofessional behavior.

I've heard it so many times "it's just a paper" but people are failing to recognise the main issue that you cannot choose personal liberties over professional duty. People are counting on these guys to get to work. This is the attitude that has us lagging behind other countries in nearly every field. Go to Germany or Japan or most other well developed countries and see if this happens....or save your self a plane ticket and let me tell you....it doesn't.

We live in a backwards country where people except this sh*tty attitude and the ones that have the b*alls to come forward and protest are laughed at because they never followed the "ah sure it's grand" culture as they were probably too busy working hard and taking Ireland out of the sh*thole that it has become again and making a go of things. These people will be found out, I guarantee it....These are the same people who work so hard trying to hold on to the past as opposed to working for the future.

foggy_lad

I've heard it so many times "it's just a paper"

then an unscheduled toilet break then a coffee then popping into the tax office to tax the car etc etc

Run_to_da_hills

This bus driver obviously hated his job.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/10519991.stm

devnull

Unfortunately some areas of Dublin Bus and routes are excellent with the highest level of professionalism and customer service you would wish to see, but others are severely lacking where drivers feel they can get away with things as there will be no comeback.

jack presley

I reckon most drivers love their job. Do you ever notice the smiles on their faces when they pull off when someone's running to get on?

devnull

jack presley wrote: »

I reckon most drivers love their job. Do you ever notice the smiles on their faces when they pull off when someone's running to get on?

I don't know about that, it doesn't happen on my route.

prinz

Monkey face wrote: »

Any have any similar situations?

Yeah, getting on the bus in Dublin, after waiting for the guts of an hour at a stop where I could have taken any number of routes to get where I was going. Put the correct change into the box in rather brusquely, which was completely my fault, which made a bit of a loud clatter unintentionally - but I wasn't trying to do damage or anything like that, told him the ticket I wanted and asked the driver why I'd been there 40+ feckin minutes, got the usual 'I'm on time blah blah'.

Fair enough, dirty look, and he prints the tickets, I take the ticket. Off I go on to the bus. Bus moves off, about 10 stops later he stops the bus and kicks me off.

Hilarious thing is that my OH was on the same route the next day and there was a gang of little scumbags screaming and shouting, verbally abusing other passengers, and throwing bottles of sprite etc around the bus and not a word was said.

Message is you can basically do whatever you want, act however you want etc, as long as you don't question the drivers ability to do their job. First time I've ever had a go. Last time too, it's a joke.

foggy_lad

prinz wrote: »

Yeah, getting on the bus in Dublin, after waiting for the guts of an hour at a stop where I could have taken any number of routes to get where I was going. Put the correct change into the box in rather brusquely, which was completely my fault, which made a bit of a loud clatter unintentionally - but I wasn't trying to do damage or anything like that, told him the ticket I wanted and asked the driver why I'd been there 40+ feckin minutes, got the usual 'I'm on time blah blah'.

Fair enough, dirty look, and he prints the tickets, I take the ticket. Off I go on to the bus. Bus moves off, about 10 stops later he stops the bus and kicks me off.

Hilarious thing is that my OH was on the same route the next day and there was a gang of little scumbags screaming and shouting, verbally abusing other passengers, and throwing bottles of sprite etc around the bus and not a word was said.

Message is you can basically do whatever you want, act however you want etc, as long as you don't question the drivers ability to do their job. First time I've ever had a go. Last time too, it's a joke.

he has not got any right to ask you to leave the bus as you have paid your fare and simply commented on the amount of time you were left waiting on a bus! drivers like this need to be "retrained" until they start to respect passengers instead of seeing them as an inconvenience!

spareman

prinz wrote: »

Yeah, getting on the bus in Dublin, after waiting for the guts of an hour at a stop where I could have taken any number of routes to get where I was going. Put the correct change into the box in rather brusquely, which was completely my fault, which made a bit of a loud clatter unintentionally - but I wasn't trying to do damage or anything like that, told him the ticket I wanted and asked the driver why I'd been there 40+ feckin minutes, got the usual 'I'm on time blah blah'.

Fair enough, dirty look, and he prints the tickets, I take the ticket. Off I go on to the bus. Bus moves off, about 10 stops later he stops the bus and kicks me off.

Hilarious thing is that my OH was on the same route the next day and there was a gang of little scumbags screaming and shouting, verbally abusing other passengers, and throwing bottles of sprite etc around the bus and not a word was said.

Message is you can basically do whatever you want, act however you want etc, as long as you don't question the drivers ability to do their job. First time I've ever had a go. Last time too, it's a joke.

There all coming out of the woodwork now, here we have a guy apparently trown off the bus for asking the driver why he had to wait 40 mins, ffs do people actually believe the ****e people post here???
Tell us what really happened, people dont get trown off buses for asking the driver why the bus is late.

Cookie_Monster

i read that as throwing him off as he went as far as his fare allowed...

prinz

spareman wrote: »

There all coming out of the woodwork now, here we have a guy apparently trown off the bus for asking the driver why he had to wait 40 mins, ffs do people actually believe the ****e people post here???Tell us what really happened, people dont get trown off buses for asking the driver why the bus is late.

Well since I was actually there, then yeah that's what happened. He first took offence to the way I put money in the cash thing, so I countered that I wouldn't be pissed off if I hadn't been waiting for the best part of an hour, to which he got pissed off because he wasn't late and I had no right to blame him yadda yadda yadda. Up to this point I'll admit 50:50. We both had a say and he prints the tickets and away I go and sit down. He drives on, lets people off, takes people on, stops bus, walks down and says he wants me off. So I get off. That's petty. If he had said he wasn't taking me as soon as I got on that's one thing, this prat did it intentionally IMO to make a big deal out of it and try to embarrass me in front of everyone on the bus. I've been using DB for nigh on 4 years and it's the first bad experience I've had with a driver, then again I've had terrible experiences with other passengers, smoking, hitting/kicking windows/trying to start fights with other passengers/racially abusing other passengers/and the drivers won't say boo.

It seems I'm not the only one that feels complaining about the delay is a chuckable offence..

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=66775884&postcount=91

I guess we're all just posting s***e? What possible reason?

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

i read that as throwing him off as he went as far as his fare allowed...

If that's aimed at me, then no. He threw me off after a number of stops roughly half way to where my fare would take me.

spareman

prinz wrote: »

Well since I was actually there, then yeah that's what happened. He first took offence to the way I put money in the cash thing, so I countered that I wouldn't be pissed off if I hadn't been waiting for the best part of an hour, to which he got pissed off because he wasn't late and I had no right to blame him yadda yadda yadda. Up to this point I'll admit 50:50. We both had a say and he prints the tickets and away I go and sit down. He drives on, lets people off, takes people on, stops bus, walks down and says he wants me off. So I get off. That's petty. If he had said he wasn't taking me as soon as I got on that's one thing, this prat did it intentionally IMO to make a big deal out of it and try to embarrass me in front of everyone on the bus. I've been using DB for nigh on 4 years and it's the first bad experience I've had with a driver, then again I've had terrible experiences with other passengers, smoking, hitting/kicking windows/trying to start fights with other passengers/racially abusing other passengers/and the drivers won't say boo.

It seems I'm not the only one that feels complaining about the delay is a chuckable offence..

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=66775884&postcount=91

I guess we're all just posting s***e? What possible reason?




If that's aimed at me, then no. He threw me off after a number of stops roughly half way to where my fare would take me.

Obviously we all now the reason I am here defending DB as theres a big clue in my signiture and I also posted in the conflict of interest thread.

What we don't know is why you are here posting half a story.

Do you realy expect me to believe that the bus driver threw you off the bus after 10 stops because you complained about the bus being late when you got on, come on seriously that would never happen, tell us the whole story and not just the bits that make us look bad, Theres no point quoting an old thread about someone getting kicked off for complaining about something else, we are talking about people complaining about the bus being late.
Tell us the complete story, Did you verbally abuse the driver maybe?

prinz

spareman wrote: »

Tell us the complete story, Did you verbally abuse the driver maybe?

I have already posted what happened twice there Sherlock, I don't care if you want to defend Dublin Bus, I don't research everyone's posting history nor do I see everyone's sig.

Defending DB =/= accusing others of telling half a story. You weren't there I take it? I was. I have no conflict of interest, no ulterior motive, like I said, I've had nearly 4 years of satisfactory service.

If you took the time to read the post I linked to, you'd find (a) it isn't an old thread and (b) it is another person describing people being chucked off buses for complaining about the punctuality of the bus not complaining about something else.

prinz

spareman wrote: »

not just the bits that make us look bad...

That's just it. I have no intention of 'making you look bad', I couldn't care less tbh. I just posted on an experience I had a number of days ago.

Like I said words were had and I held my hands up for my part in that.

coffee_cake

prinz wrote: »

Yeah, getting on the bus in Dublin, after waiting for the guts of an hour at a stop where I could have taken any number of routes to get where I was going. Put the correct change into the box in rather brusquely, which was completely my fault, which made a bit of a loud clatter unintentionally - but I wasn't trying to do damage or anything like that, told him the ticket I wanted and asked the driver why I'd been there 40+ feckin minutes, got the usual 'I'm on time blah blah'.

One time I was waiting for the 54a, bus randomly didn't show up (at the first stop on the quays). Had to end up waiting 25-30 mins in total. I asked the driver why it hadn't shown up and he said he'd look into it. I sat down expecting not to hear anything else, but glad I'd at least made the point.

When I was getting off the bus he recognised me and said "oh you asked about that bus, the reason is that someone threw up all over it and it had to be taken back to terminus". I didn't have the time to ask why not get another one, but I was glad he at least got back to me on it, it was good of him

Amtmann

Zoney wrote: »

Fair enough about the driver's over-reaction and the OP maybe not needing to make an issue out of it, but nevertheless I think it is pathetic that so many here are defending unprofessional behaviour by the bus driver. No it is not OK to pick up a paper while driving a bus and if it is considered so by many, that needs to change.

Yes it is a minor matter, but yet another symptom of a far deeper malaise in Ireland of just not having any interest in being proper about anything. It's like people are acting like a bunch of kids not wanting to have their parents tell them what they should and shouldn't do.

Ultimately such attitudes are part of why so many things in Ireland are "broken".

You've hit the nail on the head. It's the little things that add up and make the big things. On the local road I'm currently living on between Cashel and Cahir there is a nearby emergency access point to the M8, which is about 350m in front of a string of houses. I know of someone from Cork who sometimes likes to visit a neighbour in one of the houses on the L road. He gets a lift in a truck from Cork, which then stops on the M8's emergency lane while the person in question hops out and jumps the fence of the emergency access lane to the L road. It is a little thing, but it bugs me, and none of my neighbours see anything remotely wrong with it.

prinz

bluewolf wrote: »

I was glad he at least got back to me on it, it was good of him

Fair play to that driver. Would also mention I have had good experiences too, including leaving a bag on a bus and the DB driver calling me back as I hopped off and reminding me.

foggy_lad

i cant help but think of the competance of the driver if it took ten stops for it to register that you had made a complaint.

AlekSmart

I was on the bus this morning going to work. We are passing through Donnybrook when the bus driver pulls down his window and calls over the Metro guy to get a paper. All in all this took about 2 mins to complete his transaction at which point we proceeded to hit every red light on the way to town.Before I got off the bus I mentioned to him that this was not cool and he hit the roof asking me was he not entitled to his paper....eh, no your not entitled to your paper when your driving the paying public to work and making them late.

If you don't like driving a bus maybe you should consider doing something that you would enjoy as opposed to making the general public have to put up with your petulant s**t. I know it’s not as simple as walking into your dream job whenever you want but are these guys really that unhappy?

Just to begin on a Hi Note I`ll address the Thread Topic with the answer No.
I cannot speak for any other DB driver but even after 15 years I take great satisfaction and enjoyment out of my job

So if any of the Mods want to amend the Title as a result I certainly won`t object...better still perhaps the OP might address it ?

Initially it appears the OP perceives him/herself as having been personally inconvenienced by the Busdriver "Calling over" the MetroHerald distributor.
I`m assuming that the Busdriver actually stopped his bus specifically to accquire the MH rather than being already stopped in traffic and calling the paperperson.

Then quite rapidly the OP firms up the case for the prosecution by definitively stating that the Busdriver was "making" people late for work.

It would be quite interesting to know if the actual journey was late or whether it had actually arrived in on scheduled time.

Before I got off the bus I mentioned to him that this was not cool and he hit the roof asking me was he not entitled to his paper.

Indeed this encounter sounds most unsavoury with,I presume,the disappointed customer quietly rebuking the busdriver,who it seems roared back at the hapless customer....I am interpreting this correctly thus far I hope ?


then it all gets broader in context....

If you don't like driving a bus maybe you should consider doing something that you would enjoy as opposed to making the general public have to put up with your petulant s**t.

I`m uncertain here whether the OP is directing this observation at Busdrivers in general or at this particular individual Busdriver,but either way we`re back again to the driver "making" people put-up with his behaviour.

I`m afraid there`s far more going on here than a mere Busdriver picking up a Metro Herald.

I`d be inclined to suspect this FreePaper incident was merely the burning fuse reaching the gunpowder.

I wonder were there other passengers equally indignant or prepared to take the time to reprimand the Busdriver ?

Would the OP consider contacting the MetroHerald people and ask that they desist from giving their product to Busdrivers due to the reasons outlined above ?

I have to say,in support of the OP that I thoroughly detest this Free Paper stuff,which I first encountered in Birmingham some years back as I waded through several inches of sodden newsprint strewn around the floors of West Midland Transport`s vehicles.

The only thing I do with Metro Heralds is to collect up mounds of the discarded things from my bus and bin the stuff at each terminus...

So I would,after a fashion congratulate the OP for striking a blow for the anti-Metro Herald brigade and I hope he/she keeps up the good work !!

testarossa40

AlekSmart, Sir, though I tend to empathise with the OP's experience based on personal experiences & observations, though would not presume to attribute generalised attitudes so sweepingly, may I nevertheless commend both your Marvellous, long-awaited riposte on this thread in the considered, eloquent, style that is your trademark, and above all your pithy wit amidst all the cantankerousness that has caused me to have to wipe spat Ovaltine off my PC screen

AlekSmart

AlekSmart, Sir, though I tend to empathise with the OP's experience based on personal experiences & observations, though would not presume to attribute generalised attitudes so sweepingly............etc

I thank you Madam/Sir for your kind thoughts.

I`m sure you recognize that empathy is one of the most powerful,yet least used of the human emotions,as a rule we appear to prefer confrontation,assumption and summary judgement to any form of considered reaction such as you describe.

Perhaps Testarossa`s are a more seminal kind of person.. ?

parsi

foggy_lad wrote: »

i cant help but think of the competance of the driver if it took ten stops for it to register that you had made a complaint.

Will ya get off your high horse.

It took x number of stops for the driver to ascertain the reason for the delay...

Dublin Bus has many issues but every comment doesn't have to be prefaced with snideness.

As other folk have mentioned the behaviour in the OP is much the same as normal behaviour writ large :

- we moan if the bus/train doesn't wait for us but we moan if it stops for someone else,

- actually it's a case of we all believe we have rights but only other people have responsibilities (and Furet's post above is a good example..).

Perhaps we should strive towards a central european system where the driver doesn't collect a free paper but he damn well doesn't wait to pick up a tardy passenger or let him out at the lights. Where we have intermediate (& accurate) times on the bus stop but he won't pull up to the terminal stop until his break is finished no matter what the weather.

It all despends on the unwritten social contract that we want.

Cookie_Monster

parsi wrote: »

Will ya get off your high horse.

It took x number of stops for the driver to ascertain the reason for the delay...

you're referring to a different post. Foggy Lad was talking about the guy who got thrown off the bus 10 stops down the road with no explanation. Nothing to do with delays.

parsi

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

you're referring to a different post. Foggy Lad was talking about the guy who got thrown off the bus 10 stops down the road with no explanation. Nothing to do with delays.

Mea culpa.

foggy_lad

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

you're referring to a different post. Foggy Lad was talking about the guy who got thrown off the bus 10 stops down the road with no explanation. Nothing to do with delays.

it just took that bit longer to post about it:) and no i am not a dublin bus driver:D

_Kaiser_

Righty.. my 2 cents on this...

1. As already said, the driver is being paid to drive the bus, adhere to the timetable and get the fare paying public to their destination, as quickly and hassle-free as possible.

Part of this job also involves interacting with said public - it's not too much to expect a civilised answer to a question, and not be abused in full view of other passengers (I'm taking the OP at face value obviously).

Therefore no, the driver was in my opinion NOT entitled to delay the bus by 2 minutes/20 minutes/whatever!! to get himself the morning paper/have a chat with his mates/whatever!! - that's what his breaks are for, in the same way as I couldn't just decide to "nip down to the shop for a bagel" anytime I fancied it when I'm supposed to be working.

This ridiculous "ah sure it'll be grand" approach to EVERYTHING in this bloody country is part of the reason why it's the mess it is. Well it's NOT "grand", and it SHOULDN'T be accepted. The OP was completely correct in this instance, and is right to expect better.
Of course, it might help if the CIE group was gutted/overhauled so completely that "customer service" WAS the driving force behind the services it provides, rather than running it for the benefit of staff and union interests.


2. To the aggrieved DB drivers feeling "victimised" by another complaints thread - maybe instead of burying your heads in the sand and proclaiming that these posters must be wrong/making it up/have a grudge, you should instead ask yourselves WHY there are so many complaints.

The facts are that while there are indeed some very good, friendly and professional drivers in the employ of DB, the standard does vary so widely that at the other end of the scale you have the staff who can barely manage a grunt when asked something and it's these that are the problem - though I have to say, the attitude of certain drivers on this thread does nothing to further their cause.

woysworld

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Righty.. my 2 cents on this...

1. As already said, the driver is being paid to drive the bus, adhere to the timetable and get the fare paying public to their destination, as quickly and hassle-free as possible.

Part of this job also involves interacting with said public - it's not too much to expect a civilised answer to a question, and not be abused in full view of other passengers (I'm taking the OP at face value obviously).

Therefore no, the driver was in my opinion NOT entitled to delay the bus by 2 minutes/20 minutes/whatever!! to get himself the morning paper/have a chat with his mates/whatever!! - that's what his breaks are for, in the same way as I couldn't just decide to "nip down to the shop for a bagel" anytime I fancied it when I'm supposed to be working.

This ridiculous "ah sure it'll be grand" approach to EVERYTHING in this bloody country is part of the reason why it's the mess it is. Well it's NOT "grand", and it SHOULDN'T be accepted. The OP was completely correct in this instance, and is right to expect better.
Of course, it might help if the CIE group was gutted/overhauled so completely that "customer service" WAS the driving force behind the services it provides, rather than running it for the benefit of staff and union interests.


2. To the aggrieved DB drivers feeling "victimised" by another complaints thread - maybe instead of burying your heads in the sand and proclaiming that these posters must be wrong/making it up/have a grudge, you should instead ask yourselves WHY there are so many complaints.

The facts are that while there are indeed some very good, friendly and professional drivers in the employ of DB, the standard does vary so widely that at the other end of the scale you have the staff who can barely manage a grunt when asked something and it's these that are the problem - though I have to say, the attitude of certain drivers on this thread does nothing to further their cause.

We have all experienced ignorant DB drivers. As kevin Myers said once, "unlike most workers, Dublin bus drivers do not rely on the paying public to keep their job". There is no competition and the tax payer funds part of the "service".

AlekSmart

Probably the most recent and accurate figgers on subvention are from the 2009 Deloitte Report:

http://www.transport.ie/upload/general/11393-0.pdf

In 2007, Dublin Bus received €80.1m operational subvention to cover its PSO. Bus Éireann received
€36.6m operational subvention to cover its services.
Operational subvention is designed to meet the shortfall between the cost of operating PSO services
and the revenue generated from such services. In recent years the subvention PSO payments have
been increasing at a rate of c.5% per annum with further increases applying where new services have
been introduced.
The Dublin Bus PSO payment in 2007 equated to c.29% of total revenue. Grants and subsidies to
other comparable bus operations outside Ireland vary greatly. In Europe, levels of operational
subvention are generally higher (% of revenue):
 68% in Brussels
 57% in Zurich
 62% in Amsterdam
 79% in Lyon
 38.5% in London (regulated, excluding network management costs)

We have all experienced ignorant DB drivers. As kevin Myers said once, "unlike most workers, Dublin bus drivers do not rely on the paying public to keep their job". There is no competition and the tax payer funds part of the "service".

Inceed Woysworld We all have experienced ignorance,I experience it almost hourly,but I don`t let it occupy too much of my conciousness time.

I`m kind of lost as to what Kevin Myers insinuates in that quote as I`m fully aware that I rely totally on the travelling public to keep me in a job and Deloitte`s figures indicate that the "part" of the service Kevin refers to is in fact quite small compared to the more refined parts of Europe.

Kaiser 2000 posts as follows.....

To the aggrieved DB drivers feeling "victimised" by another complaints thread - maybe instead of burying your heads in the sand and proclaiming that these posters must be wrong/making it up/have a grudge, you should instead ask yourselves WHY there are so many complaints.

Well again,speaking totally for myself as 1 DublinBus driver,I most certainly do not feel in the least "victimized" by any complaints.

I would also tend to steer clear of proclaiming anything on foot of a discussion board complaint,but I can and do offer my observations and considered personal responses on whatever accusation is levelled...the Op and others can then do with that opinion what they will.

I know,for example that there is a Disciplinary & Grievieance investigative procedure which is set in motion upon reciept of a written complaint.

That`s not black magic but I believe is standard practice across a wide range of Industries.

Part of this job also involves interacting with said public - it's not too much to expect a civilised answer to a civilized question, and not be abused in full view of other passengers (I'm taking the OP at face value obviously).

..... (Fixed that)

I and (Most of) my colleagues interacted with approx 145 Million passenger journeys in 2009

Thus far,my own interaction has been smooth and trouble free as I tend to refrain from getting too chatty with my customers....generally a simple Yes or No response will satisfy most questioners,particularly those who already know the answer to the question before they ask it...

While the OP`s original assertion was that the Busdriver "Hit the Roof" after being advised of his percieved deficiency in "Coolness" the OP then went on to complete the sentence with

asking me was he not entitled to his paper

Now this may well be construed by some as "abuse" but the sense I`m getting was the Driver was reacting with surprise rather than roaring abuse at the OP,indeed the OP then closes the post with the term "petulance" to describe the Drivers response .....of course perhaps I`m taking a totally incorrect meaning from the OP,but hey....there ye go...I was`nt there so it`s Opinion you`re getting