BusConnects Dublin - Bus Network Changes Discussion

dublinman1990

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119867365#Comment_119867365

This notice is just implying that IW have commenced phased work to install a new water main which is currently being done on the Beach Road. This water main works which stretches from Strand Road to Merrion Gates is expected to last until Spring 2023.

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/major-sandymount-road-works-will-continue-until-next-spring-42064506.html

I'll take a guess that the 18 will begin it's route outside Tesco Express in Sandymount for the duration of these works?

thomasj

Oh yeah I heard about it okay , just that's it not too often , if at all , that you see go-ahead announcements on the Dublin bus site or vice versa

StreetLight

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119870019#Comment_119870019

Bizarre, as the notice appears against the information for a stop in Blanchardstown. Furthermore, there is a mistake with the date: Thursday was the 10th, not the 11th.

TranslatorPS

In case anybody was wondering - the 17A under GAI required 26* drivers, the N6 requires 36**.

*) of the 26, one was a split shift that went to Dun Laoghaire on the other half, and one was a duty on the Blanchardstown locals roster that covered only one 17A trip - it then provided the double-decker on the 270.

**) a 37th driver is required for some driver ferrying.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119871594#Comment_119871594

Thought the Airport covered some work on the 17a? Is this the same on the N6. Also do you know where the N6 is breaking? Is it Finglas then ferry car to either Airport or Blanch or is there a break room in Finglas now?

TranslatorPS

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119872956#Comment_119872956

The 17A number includes the four Airport-based duties - there is no Airport-based work on the N6.

There's reference to a break room in Finglas on the duty cards, but I wouldn't know the location itself. Drivers don't go anywhere anyway, breaks take place in Finglas.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119874543#Comment_119874543

Wonder where they're using in Finglas? I guessed correctly there isn't any airport work on the N6 as I pass the Red Car Park every day on my way to work and don't always see SGs in the new livery which would be used on the N6.

Wonder now there's a break facility in Finglas would it not make more sense to have the 220/104 handover there instead of Blanch as it's more central at least as far as the 104 is concerned.

DaBluBoi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119876944#Comment_119876944

Those routes are to dissappear in a year or two with little to no direct replacements. Furthermore, they're lower frequency, though you could make a case for the 220 given its long run time. Still, most likely it won't change

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119877228#Comment_119877228

104 breaks in Blanchardstown which is miles away from it's DCU to Clontarf routing I know most trips on the 104 also do the 220.

TranslatorPS

Previously, any 220 arriving into DCU would form a 104, and vice versa, but a few changes have been made and in the current (admittely, Saturday Plus) schedules, the first route change happens for the 9.50-10.10-ish departures.

It doesn't matter really that the breaks on 104 are miles away from it, because breaks don't really have to happen on every single service if there's interlining involved (see L53) - the problem is that most of the time, a Blanch-Clontarf-Blanch run is very close to the hours limits, tacho or not. The problem with switching the 220+104 runs out to Finglas is that it would actually serve towards more inefficient scheduling: remember that the 220 and 104 are cut together with the 238, 270, L52, and admittedly L51 (but that's usually not as relevant), and all of them are hourly services. Having five of these six routes break in Blanch allows for more flexibility with rotating drivers (and to an extent buses) between services, whereas having the 220 break in Finglas would effectively force those duties into forming their own subset with less options.

Of course you could mix the 220 and N6, but that's an even worse idea here IMHO, what with the amount of crying about having to do more than one route per duty...

L1011

The latest Leixlip implementation moan as the main headline on the Champion is that there are too many buses serving Riverforest.

Qrt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119884514#Comment_119884514

any more context?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119886212#Comment_119886212

It does literally seem to be 'there are too many buses and they're noisy, get rid of some', with a hint that there might be lots of dead movements to get drivers back to Ballymount Phibsboro for breaks - which doesn't sound likely

I imagine there's an undercurrent of "if we can get rid of the L58/L59 they'll move some C3s up here"

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119886639#Comment_119886639

Any link to the article? The L58/L59 are DB operated and afaik they break in Phibsboro so what's the issue with drivers going back to Ballymount for breaks.

Maybe if they used single decker buses they'd have less complaints I've heard some complain that double decker buses are too big but they don't understand that single decker vehicles cost almost the same to operate as double decker buses.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119884514#Comment_119884514

People need to see that as investing in the future. Put the bus service in and people will start to use it as a feeder to the rail service when the DART is delivered.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119886787#Comment_119886787

Exactly once the DART is up and running these services will become attractive lets hope they work out better than the original DART feeders originally implemented in the 80s and 90s.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119886749#Comment_119886749

Newspaper isn't online, the headline and first bit is sometimes on their Facebook, but this week isn't!

I was the one who put Ballymount in; force of habit when seeing people complain about lack of facilities (as DB drivers often have more options due to Irish Rail locations, longer standing agreements etc)

thomasj

Was out and about around Huntstown earlier and I saw 3 full VTs on the 39A. 2 of them were full up to the door . Thankfully they are back on the route.

With the driver issues , it could do with a few more of them out , especially with coming up to Christmas

some drivers have apparently asked for the VTs to be put on the overnight services to help alleviate the capacity problems on the night time services especially with Christmas season coming up .

Daith

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119887320#Comment_119887320

Excuse my ignorance, what's a VT?

thomasj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119887526#Comment_119887526

My apologies! a VT is one of the tri axle buses. Bigger size than the usual buses . Can carry around 20 more people. You see them on the 39A. They used to be on the 46A and 145

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119887601#Comment_119887601

I'm not sure about them carrying 20 more passengers as from my experience the capacity on buses can very much depend on the individual driver. Some will pack the bus to the gills whereas others will only let about 10 on standing.

The SGs are plated to carry 28 standees but not many drivers will actually let this number on standing.

bikeman1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119887866#Comment_119887866

Try the 41 at night. They pack them up to the gills on every bus I’ve been on. Usually SGs during the night.

lordleitrim

Non-EU bus drivers may be brought in to resolve recruitment problem 

https://www.irishtimes.com/transport/2022/11/15/non-eu-bus-drivers-may-be-brought-in-to-solve-recruitment-crisis/

badly needed if they want the new routes to be rolled out effectively!

cgcsb

That's great but hard to imagine how we can attract bus drivers without a scrap of accommodation in Dublin. Even big tech companies offering huge salaries struggle to get people to locate here because there's nowhere to live. According to daft Dublin city has 418 available rental properties, not even enough to house the shortage of bus drivers and bus drivers salary would only afford about 20 of them and they're all bedsits

hairymaryberry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119889570#Comment_119889570

Wonderful genius thinking.

Now where will they live?

Go to daft.ie , search for rental in Dublin County. Cheapest is €1800 a month for a 1 bedroom.

So Dublin to expensive, So they live in a commuter town. Now factor in the cost of running a car, that will be needed to get in and out of work. Roughly the same as living in County Dublin when all added up.

Its a non runner, but this is the thinking of the idiots running the show.

Going to get much worse in the coming year, you can bank on it

dublinman1990

How many non EU bus drivers are currently working for Dublin Bus and Go Ahead at the moment. Is it a large figure for both operators?

With all of the people that you see emigrating into Ireland in recent times. I think we do need to have a discussion about how many of those people who resided here in recent times are non EU citizens. It would be interesting to observe how many of them are currently unemployed and would be willing to work as a bus driver for either Dublin Bus or GAI in the near future if no other forms of work suit them.

But how far that the impact of this announcement could go from this point?

Could this announcement provide a temporary jump in good fortune for both operators or would it be seen as a good intention for both operators that has seemingly gone to waste?

We do have severe limits of what kind of accommodation is offered in Dublin to take up that kind of job here.

Other operators in various countries in Europe and the UK maybe willing to offer similar conditions for doing th same job to what is offered in Dublin. However the levels of accommodation seen in these countries could be at a more generous level for these new recruits to take up work as a bus driver.

It would be the biggest influence in allowing them to stay on in those cities when compared to places like Dublin.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119890158#Comment_119890158

If Dublin Bus were really forward-looking, they would build accommodation over the Donnybrook bus depot and offer subsidised rent to employees.

cgcsb

It seems like at the root of almost all our social, economic and transport headaches is the housing crisis. If the government ended the housing crisis we'd probably be living in a relative utopia.

Midnight_EG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119890370#Comment_119890370

Subsidised living in Donnybrook, that's a good one

I'm based there, absolutely couldn't live there as you'd feel like you're never away from work

devnull

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119889988#Comment_119889988

We know that the cost of renting in Dublin is expensive, but the figures that you are quoting are way off the mark and have no basis on reality. The cheapest rent is nowhere near €1,800.

https://www.daft.ie/property-for-rent/dublin?showMap=false&sort=priceAsc