BusConnects Dublin - Bus Network Changes Discussion

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121402406#Comment_121402406

Yeah let's put more burden and responsibility on the shoulders of bus drivers I'm sure it would do wonders for the current bus driver shortage

Midnight_EG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121402406#Comment_121402406

You always have a simple solution don't you? Do you expect drivers to be Guards too? I'll start spot-checking every passenger that gets on just because you reckon I need to, then I'll point them all to you when the complaints come eh? Or how about we just let people get about their business (that's none of ours to stick our nose into) and everybody except you is happy :)

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121399646#Comment_121399646

Also forgot to mention I wonder will DBs DL break room in the DART station be making comeback for the introduction of the L25. I believe it was being used for toilets for 46a drivers before the DL locals went to GAI.

DUBLINBUSGUY

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121403212#Comment_121403212

Yes it is most if not all L25 duties are breaking in DL.

Citrus_8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121402917#Comment_121402917

Here you go, we came to the conclusion that we need a public transport police and drivers should be very loud about this.

bk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121401787#Comment_121401787

Eh, the southern end of the Swords Road / Drumcondra road already has buses at three minutes frequency or less (obviously multiple routes overlapping) and it works fine. 3 minutes isn't anything special.

Don't get me wrong, it can definitely be improved. I think one of the biggest issues I see with this frequency is dwell times. Often you can have a second bus waiting to get into a stop.

The rear door use has already helped, but I think new ticket machines/validators that were much faster would help a lot, along with getting rid of cash fares and the short fare (or make it tag off).

People really have to stop and wait at the right hand validator. With much faster validators I've seen abroad people don't even have to break their stride. I think you could easily reduce dwell times by 25%, but maybe as much as 50%, which would certainly help with bunching of buses at stops.

I agree completely on camera enforcement. It would be a game changer IMO.

As for some ones earlier comment, I think BusConnects is already considered a success. The 24/7 and orbital buses are already massively popular as is the €2 90 minute fare, young persons fare, etc. Passengers numbers up 10% on 2019 shows it is already a success and there is a big appetite for more and better services.

Of course that isn't to say that it will be enough and that it won't finish up already being jammed and overcapacity like when the Luas opened and needing more work. But at least we will have a real network then.

While there will be more bus enhancements needed post BusConnects, the real focus then will be on Metrolink, Dart+ and possible future Luas lines. I don't think there will be much more we can squeeze out of Buses post BusConnects, sure some BRT and Triaxles, but we would be getting to the limits of our city streets.

p_haugh

Went down to blackrock yesterday on the 17 as a last hurrah, seems all the signage for the S6 is in place around there now.

Interesting to note the 84a deviation correctly shown on the diagram, yet the timetable shown is still the full 84/a timetable. I get they're keeping the same timetables for non-bus connects routes, but the stops for these variations really should only show the times for the variation!

Also there's no diagrams shown if there's a lot of routes serving the same stop, which makes sense as it would be a lot of information to try convey in the one space.

LXFlyer

That’s where they need two panels.

Maps & route diagrams are really important - local street maps should be added as well like in London.

p_haugh

Yes, two panels would be ideal.

BusGuy

Just saw today that stop 2819's timetable has changed, due to the fact that the S4 will be coming, making GAI to be the first to be coming there. Also, seems like the 44 will be the only route that will be coming to Business Park unless anything changes.

EDIT: 44D looks like it to be coming there as well, but the 17 timetable at 3011 and 3012 still is there, yet 2 days away from the launch.

EDIT: 2896 needs at least a small timetable if possible. 2897 has a big shelter, but the NTA needs to consider a new shelter. I know the footpath is a bit small. Also, the stop logo is not even CHANGED at 2896. I sent an e-mail to the NTA about the shelters, and they said they have no plans to replace 2896 as a shelter, even though their plan is to make all stops into shelters (probably).

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121413813#Comment_121413813

The 44 and 44d

dublinman1990

The IADT students in Dún Laoghaire have voiced their concerns about the loss of the 75 outside the campus to the Irish Independent today. I was reading the article on my phone earlier this evening.

One student had told the paper that she will now have to get three buses each way between her home and the college every day from this Sunday.

I'm assuming in the article that it's a combination of the 46a, either the S6/S8 and the 15.

She also said that the changes to the bus service taking place in that part of Dublin from Sunday will allow her to drive a car in the near future.

The NTA had gave out statements in the article that the new routes would be more frequent than the older orbital routes. They said the S8 will be every 20 minutes at weekdays and the 46a will be every 8 minutes at weekday.

Is that weekday frequency for the 46a during the peak times or is that all day?

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/ill-have-to-get-three-buses-each-way-now-dublin-college-students-say-bus-connects-changes-will-leave-them-stranded/a1824331975.html

BusGuy

It can't be weekday frequency surely not, peak time services make the most sense to me.

BusGuy

When are the routes 87 and 88 coming in? Phase 7 or 8? I'm starting to figure out it's not going to be it for another while.

Ireland trains

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121413902#Comment_121413902

46a frequency is 8min throughout the day (on paper).

DUBLINBUSGUY

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121413902#Comment_121413902

Might an idea to look at the timetables.

mikeybhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121411696#Comment_121411696

There used to be network maps at most stops pre Network Direct

p_haugh

Well this comes as a surprise, Google Maps has the new routes loaded in before they start!

W4 and W61/62 also now appear. Times still seem to only show as scheduled, however.

Charles Babbage

On the above, this journey takes 3 times as long on the bus as by car. Perhaps it is an improvement, but that is not good ratio still.

dublinman1990

Just using Google Maps on my phone. Some very odd behaviour happening here on the Android app for me.

When I look up the real time info for the L25 route on this app; the 2 bus stops at Annaville Terrace in Newtownpark Avenue don't have the L25 data added into those stops at all. It still just has the info for the 7b & 7d routes only. The new bus stop marking on Benamore Road also doesn't have any data for any bus routes. But most of the other stops have added the new route into them without any problem whatsoever.

Is Dublin Bus going to allow the L25 to stop at Annaville Terrace or is it just going to skip it altogether?

loco_scolo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121415451#Comment_121415451

Still useless without the live times. Can't understand why they can't fix that, and yet they're adding new route maps. Someone in Google who lives in an apartment next door to Google!..

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121415491#Comment_121415491

Presumably the car is using the M50.

Orbital buses will never compete with cars in terms of journey times for every trip - that’s impossible.

Take a trip though from the same stop to Rathfarnham Church at the same time, and the car shows 20 mins and the bus 22 mins.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121413962#Comment_121413962

There is a thread for the likely phasing here:

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058321409/busconnects-dublin-likely-phasing-of-new-routes

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121415451#Comment_121415451

Clearly they are finally updating Google Maps to use the correct API files.

I would imagine that the live data will follow on from this.

bk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121415555#Comment_121415555

I hope they do, but I don’t think this is any indication of them switching to the new API.

It is likely the NTA added the new routes to the data, both to the old and new API and thus the new routes show up on Google maps automatically. When new routes are added, Google etc. don’t do anything manually, it just shows up.

On the other hand switching to the new API would require a developer to do some work to configure it and integrate it into Google Maps. Not hard to do, but I’d assume their teams are handling requests like this from all over the world.

LXFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121415834#Comment_121415834

The API feed from the NTA changed last April.

Google Maps never switched it at the time, so has been showing the routes and timetables as they were last April ever since which has meant that with all the changes ever since it has been woefully incorrect.

None of the numerous changes under Connecting Ireland were featured on Google Maps as a result, nor any of the Dublin City bus timetable changes and new routes.

Before writing that post I went and spot checked running times against BusTimes for routes that I knew had revised running times, and I also spot checked the revised Bus Éireann routes and times, and some of the new Local Link routes.

Based on those checks, I can say that they are now using the new API feed as all of the old data is gone and the new routes and timetables that have come on stream since April are now on Google Maps.

I imagine that there is more work required to bring the live data on stream.

DaBluBoi

Yeah I can finally see the W4 and W61/62 on Google Maps, which is a positive. I do note that when you click on the new routes, it seems to load every stop endlessly, as if they didn’t code in the termini correctly

p_haugh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121415834#Comment_121415834

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121415900#Comment_121415900

As far as I'm aware, the up to date static data API feed (where all the stops, scheduled trips, etc. are pulled from) only works with the new version of the API, so if they are using it, they must have switched off the realtime info on their own end.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121415546#Comment_121415546

My point is that there should be buses on the M50 at some times of the day at least, to remove these big differences in travel time.

BusGuy

Big news: Stop 2896 just got a timetable diagram! Haven't visited it yet, but I HOPE it impresses me! Also, saw on Google Maps that 44D won't be stopping at most of the stops that the 44 stops at?