Bus services

Bredabe

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Certainly aren't any underpaid drivers in BE anyway,overpaid and not doing enough work in my experience.

I dont know the figures for BE, but I do know men who drive for private busses, and it works out as less than minimum wage, meaning they have to drive more hours/tired. That is dangerous and its not what I want to see in Galway.

Bredabe

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Are you familiar with what happened in the Rahoon end of Knocknacarra?

I wasn't here for it, but have been told that BE basically weren't interested in serving all the new developments there - and thats jow CityDirect got a look in.

Yes, I remember and those routes were in dire need of an alternative route, tho CD dont service my route well at all. That in a nutshell is what im saying, private busses may not be the answer ppl think it is.

gordongekko

pure.conya wrote: »

ya what a bunch of pr1ck$ the bus drivers are, they should really have accepted any cuts to their wages and entitlements just to suit the poor retired eldrely people that are left without a bus service temporarily, it's not forever like

cop onto yourself there Gordo

Not sure what the aggressive posting is about. But in case you didn't notice we are in the 21st century. They should be able to sit down like adults and resolve their differences instead of stamping their feet and withdrawing their labour.

gordongekko

Bredabe wrote: »

I hope it works the way you think it will, what i have seen is the private busses either stop in places so far from where the centre of population

Why would they not go to where the population are?

Mrs OBumble

Bredabe wrote: »

Yes, I remember and those routes were in dire need of an alternative route, tho CD dont service my route well at all. That in a nutshell is what im saying, private busses may not be the answer ppl think it is.

They wanted to do every 15 minutes in Knockers but the NTA would only license them for every 30 minutes on each of the two routes.

The whole sparse service for Bearna is a bit odd, I agree. Not sure why its not done as an all day service. But i dont think it's any more the fault of yhe private sector operstor than the state owned one.

Bredabe

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

They wanted to do every 15 minutes in Knockers but the NTA would only license them for every 30 minutes on each of the two routes.

The whole sparse service for Bearna is a bit odd, I agree. Not sure why its not done as an all day service. But i dont think it's any more the fault of yhe private sector operator than the state owned one.

In my area we have the added issue of their stops being further away, which is odd as the area has a mixture of old ppl and young families with kids/buggies.

Im not surprised about NTA here, but my concern is that if the like of CD and other private services can't get it sorted, it may stay that way. Fewer busses and harder/more expensive to use. I think with bearna that it's the lack of numbers using the route and the car culture.

what_traffic

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

It's not BE or no one. If BE go bust, then its likely that Stagecoach or similar would tender to run the service.

But that is NOT what was said.
ben.schlomo said

Got a bike,won't be going back to bus eireann bar very bad weather. Hopefully they go tits up soon.

that is why I questioned that statement.

ben.schlomo

what_traffic wrote: »

But that is NOT what was said.
ben.schlomo said


that is why I questioned that statement.

Tough to figure it out alright!!!!!! Hope you're not too stumped.

Mrs OBumble

Bredabe wrote: »

Im not surprised about NTA here, but my concern is that if the like of CD and other private services can't get it sorted, it may stay that way. Fewer busses and harder/more expensive to use. I think with bearna that it's the lack of numbers using the route and the car culture.

The NTA for the most part are on the right track here.

And the council are not as silly as everyone makes them out to be. They won a fight with BE a few years ago about exclusive bus stops: BE were saying that the stops were theirs, and other companies couldn't use them - the council wouldn't have a bar of it.

I have no doubt there will be some mistakes (especially if giving more work to privates has to be done quicker than desired), but Ireland is definitely moving in the right direction public-transport wise: thing are hugely better than they were when I came here 10 years ago.

what_traffic

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Tough to figure it out alright!!!!!! Hope you're not too stumped.

Not stumped at all. Looks like you are happy to contradict yourself.

pjohnson

The Barna/Lettermullen/Spiddal routes are all PSO and would still be so under any company if the Unions do make BE fold. Cant see why that'll change.

ben.schlomo

what_traffic wrote: »

Not stumped at all. Looks like your happy to contradict yourself.

Hope you're(or is it your, any idea?) happy with the clarification.

what_traffic

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Hope you're(or is it your, any idea?) happy with the clarification.

Ha ha - grammer as a last resort?

ben.schlomo

what_traffic wrote: »

Ha ha - grammer as a last resort?

Yawn. You're dragging this thread off topic, best to leave it.

On topic, the strike seems unlikely to end soon after the talks broke down again.

what_traffic

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Yawn. You're dragging this thread off topic, best to leave it.

Very clear who is not addressing the topic, so here is your quote again.

Got a bike,won't be going back to bus eireann bar very bad weather. Hopefully they go tits up soon.

How can you expect to use Bus Eireann services when the weather is to bad on the bike and then in the next sentence hope that they go bust?

pjohnson

what_traffic wrote: »

Very clear who is not addressing the topic, so here is your quote again.



How can you expect to use Bus Eireann services when the weather is to bad on the bike and then in the next sentence hope that they go bust?

I would assume he meant that even if BE does actually start doing thier jobs he will ignore them in favour of cycling. This isnt rocket science..

biko

what_traffic, drop it now please.

Folks, the topic of the thread is how are you coping without bus services?
For me, I drive and walk anyway so lack of bus services doesn't really impact me.
Herself gets a private bus to work.

gordongekko

Limited services running this evening seen a 402 and a 409

J.pilkington

Bredabe wrote: »

What about the able bodied BE drivers who will be perceived as too old by the private companies, but would have been able to work out the time till their retirement?

I have been on plenty of gobus, citylink, Burke's etc services where drivers are not exactly spring chickens. All they care is that the driver can safety drive the bus and deliver passengers happily and safely to their destination without damaging their expensive assets.

Therefore are you saying that one of the reasons the tax payer should continue to fund bus Éireann is so that we have a semi retirement home for drivers who can no longer drive to the standard of private operators and at the same time pay them almost 2x (after pension, overtime rates etc) of the industry standard? And let them have a €400k asset to play bumper cars with?

Are the drivers you mention the ones who cause so much damage to the bus Éireann coaches? Their coaches always have a much larger amount of damage than normal coaches. If so these drivers should no longer be driving, they are costing the tax payers thousands and thousands in damage. I have been at the bus station plenty of times when bus Éireann drivers rub other coaches / reverse into walls / scrape bodywork of kerbs and they don't even investigate the damage. It's clear that the standard required is not as high as it should be, it's percieved as a job for life (unions) so zero consequences for incompetence.