Go-Ahead Dublin City Routes - Updates and Discussion

devnull

Kyleboy wrote: »

Yes they do, many different companies use Dublin Bus facilities.

Such as who?

Kyleboy

devnull wrote: »

Such as who?

Garda, bus eireann, Irish rail, aircoach, how many more do you want?

devnull

Kyleboy wrote: »

Garda, bus eireann, Irish rail, aircoach, how many more do you want?

I'm just surprised that it was the case since I heard that they were for Dublin Bus staff only in the past.

I know there are some shared facilities between Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann though and Bus Eireann and Irish Rail but they are sister companies.

punisher5112

Kyleboy wrote: »

Garda, bus eireann, Irish rail, aircoach, how many more do you want?

Taxis, junkies and just random people.

It's exactly like this in the canteen in the city.

It's shocking what they allow go on in there.

I've had numerous incidents where sitting having a break and to be interrupted by someone staring right through me while tensing up, 2 lads came in one night and started on many drivers these were from what I could tell off their heads on drugs and then helping Porter out with stopping certain individual getting in.

One even goes ah here ya have to let me in I have me bus pass.....
Yes his free travel bus pass given by the social as he is an addict.

They have had numerous incidents where they have had to kick in toilet doors to get users out also.

devnull

punisher5112 wrote: »

Taxis, junkies and just random people.

It's exactly like this in the canteen in the city.

It's shocking what they allow go on in there.

I've had numerous incidents where sitting having a break and to be interrupted by someone staring right through me while tensing up, 2 lads came in one night and started on many drivers these were from what I could tell off their heads on drugs and then helping Porter out with stopping certain individual getting in.

One even goes ah here ya have to let me in I have me bus pass.....
Yes his free travel bus pass given by the social as he is an addict.

They have had numerous incidents where they have had to kick in toilet doors to get users out also.

Where is that Canteen, is that the one near the (old) lost property office?

punisher5112

devnull wrote: »

Where is that Canteen, is that the one near the (old) lost property office?

Just in behind clearys

Yer Da sells Avon

Around 15 years ago, I worked in a shop near that canteen. Customers (who definitely weren't employees of Dublin Bus... or employees full-stop) regularly came into the shop boasting about getting their dinner for £2 in there. It came highly recommended, although I never had the neck to go in there myself.

TheQuietFella

Kyleboy wrote: »

Garda, bus eireann, Irish rail, aircoach, how many more do you want?

Even I've been in for my dinner when I was stuck!

Stephen15

Is the food actually good there always thought it was the typical truckers caff type affair with the usual greasy fried breakfasts and that kind of thing. I suppose it would be a good cheap alternative to the likes of Kylemore Cafe and Graham O'Sullivan type places which are now gone from the CC.

GM228

devnull wrote: »

Where is that Canteen, is that the one near the (old) lost property office?

It is known as the Earl Place canteen, there is another one in Harristown.

Kyleboy

Stephen15 wrote: »

Is the food actually good there always thought it was the typical truckers caff type affair with the usual greasy fried breakfasts and that kind of thing. I suppose it would be a good cheap alternative to the likes of Kylemore Cafe and Graham O'Sullivan type places which are now gone from the CC.

Food is disgusting, you would be better off in mcdonald's in my opinion.

john boye

A mate of mine who worked in a (now gone) pub around the corner used to always go in for his lunch and would gleefully tell me about it. I couldn't believe how lax it sounded.

Tickityboo

Stephen15 wrote: »

Is the food actually good there always thought it was the typical truckers caff type affair with the usual greasy fried breakfasts and that kind of thing. I suppose it would be a good cheap alternative to the likes of Kylemore Cafe and Graham O'Sullivan type places which are now gone from the CC.

No It's ****e!!

AlekSmart

devnull wrote: »

Where did I say that? You said that DB staff don't have toilets and I pointed out that they do in the depots. I never said that GA would go all the way to those depots, but we were talking about sharing of companies facilities I recall.

That's not what I said or anything like it. It's just rare that a company would allow staff of it's competitors to use facilities it owns. Now if they're owned by a regulator or a transport authority that is another matter of course.

Of course Dublin Bus have problem retaining recent hires, because the whole seniority system that exists in Dublin Bus, like any seniority system, stacks the odds against them from the day that start, which dents morale and people with low morale quit. That's HR basics at the end of the day.

If you're making a point then you need to be able to back it up. Simply resorting to the line that someone can't prove you wrong, doesn't really back-up your point and is somewhat clutching and straws. Facts are always better than pure speculation and guesswork.

To address two points raised in the thread...

With the NTA continuing to espouse the well tried,tested and accepted "London Model" as it's basic template,I'm sure they will be keen to keep up with the continuing improvements to that model.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/sadiq-khan-to-spend-6m-on-toilets-for-london-bus-drivers-a3765906.html

I,for one,would welcome such a move,but perhaps it's not the same "London" the NTA refer to ?

Suggesting that there is some form of mass exodus of newly recruited Drivers is not correct.

I personally had to sit through a Canteen masterclass,in which a Driver spoke convincingly of a 70% turnover,ie: 7 out of 10 new entrants had left within their first 3 months.

Oddly enough,the slow but steady improvements in duty notifications,along with impending additional opportunities such as 24 hour working,are appreciated by the rather quieter majority,who just get on with the job.

As the economy picks up again,it is the mid term Drivers (10-15 years service), many of whom are qualified in other fields,who are returning to their former occupations,and who are leaving,in the main with little rancour.

The oft quoted "can't get Drivers" line is not quite such a problem for larger operators such as BAC or GAD,all of whom have the capability & willingness,to train from "B" Licence,something the smaller indigenous operators are less prepared to contemplate.

There is no shortage of appplicants,but the fact remains that irrespective of what way it is dressed up,public transport operations,remain an occupation centred upon Staff being available to work when Everybody Else is chillin'....and that reality must be accepted by anybody entering the sector...9 to 5 it ain't....and never will be

dublinman1990

Some new information for you.

SG46 and two Mercedes single deckers were painted in the navy blue livery at Freeney's last week.

SG46 was sold to Go-Ahead Ireland on the 28th of May.

Also the Go Ahead Ireland logo has now appeared on the website.

Stephen15

Judging by the area they are operating in Go-Ahead Leinster or Go-Ahead East would make more sense than Go-Ahead Ireland

end of the road

Stephen15 wrote: »

Judging by the area they are operating in Go-Ahead Leinster or Go-Ahead East would make more sense than Go-Ahead Ireland

i'd disagree as their area of operation may extend long term or change so it's best to simply have a consistent brand now that doesn't require changing depending on their area of operation extending/contracting/changing.

Stephen15

end of the road wrote: »

much easier to simply go with go ahead ireland now and be done with it as their area of operation may extend/change long term.

If they started operating in Limerick or Cork they could call all operations from that depot Go-Ahead Munster in the UK they have Go-Ahead London, Go-Ahead North East etc.

end of the road

Stephen15 wrote: »

If they started operating in Limerick or Cork they could call all operations from that depot Go-Ahead Munster

in the UK they have Go-Ahead London, Go-Ahead North East etc.

they could but i'd imagine they have decided that due to the size of ireland and the likely long term size of their operations here that it's better and cheaper to simply have 1 brand. they do have multiple brands across the uk as you say, but i think that's to make their operations easier to manage due to the size of their operation as a whole there.

devnull

dublinman1990 wrote: »

Some new information for you.

SG46 and two Mercedes single deckers were painted in the navy blue livery at Freeney's last week.

SG46 was sold to Go-Ahead Ireland on the 28th of May.

Also the Go Ahead Ireland logo has now appeared on the website.

No vehicles are being sold as such, just transferring as they are vehicles that are the NTA's to reassign and the Mercedes vehicles are for route and driver training and not for service.

GM228

dublinman1990 wrote: »

Some new information for you.

SG46 and two Mercedes single deckers were painted in the navy blue livery at Freeney's last week.

SG46 was sold to Go-Ahead Ireland on the 28th of May.

Also the Go Ahead Ireland logo has now appeared on the website.

The single deckers are training vehicles and are not in the same livery as the GA NTA public livery, if SG46 is in that livery then perhaps it is to be a training vehicle - which would be odd for a newish vehicle.

antoinolachtnai

devnull wrote: »

No vehicles are being sold as such, just transferring as they are vehicles that are the NTA's to reassign and the Mercedes vehicles are for route and driver training and not for service.

Where do these vehicles appear on the NTA balance sheet? According to the 2016 accounts, the NTA only owes 38,000 euros worth of motor vehicles.

GM228

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

Where do these vehicles appear on the NTA balance sheet? According to the 2016 accounts, the NTA only owes 38,000 euros worth of motor vehicles.

The vehicles are registered and owned by the operating company the NTA supply them to, but the condition of contract is that ownership can be transferred.

antoinolachtnai

GM228 wrote: »

The vehicles are registered and owned by the operating company the NTA supply them to, but the condition of contract is that ownership can be transferred.

But the recipient has to pay book value for it right? To make the balance sheet of the donor ‘whole’?

GM228

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

But the recipient has to pay book value for it right? To make the balance sheet of the donor ‘whole’?

I'm not sure what way they will do it, but there will be no payment to DB for the buses.

We will have to wait to see the 2018 Annual Reports I suppose.

Here we go

Sorry if this is the wrong tread but could I ask is the cpc test step 1/2 both on the same day and if the app on iTunes with 170 cpc questions any use ?

Stephen15

Here we go wrote: »

Sorry if this is the wrong tread but could I ask is the cpc test step 1/2 both on the same day and if the app on iTunes with 170 cpc questions any use ?

Are you considering applying? All training is provided including CPC and driver training.

Dr Brown

Someone told me that Go-Ahead won't accept free travel passes can anyone confirm if that's true ?

L1011

Dr Brown wrote: »

Someone told me that Go-Ahead won't accept free travel passes can anyone confirm if that's true ?

Absolute bollox

punisher5112

Dr Brown wrote: »

Someone told me that Go-Ahead won't accept free travel passes can anyone confirm if that's true ?

The nta decides this and they are a public service so this means absolutely no change from db including fares.

Here we go

Stephen15 wrote: »

Are you considering applying? All training is provided including CPC and driver training.

I’ve applied and done interview and medical Cpc theory is paid for by go ahead but study is up to your self for theory then I believe there’s a 2/3 in class work 2/3 week in bus training 1week bus + which is all done onsite in ballymount

punisher5112

Here we go wrote: »

I’ve applied and done interview and medical Cpc theory is paid for by go ahead but study is up to your self for theory then I believe there’s a 2/3 in class work 2/3 week in bus training 1week bus + which is all done onsite in ballymount

Well they are out training in dun Laoghaire, Dalkey etc.

PirateShampoo

Here we go wrote: »

I’ve applied and done interview and medical Cpc theory is paid for by go ahead but study is up to your self for theory then I believe there’s a 2/3 in class work 2/3 week in bus training 1week bus + which is all done onsite in ballymount

Have they told you what the starting money is like? Ive a driving test with them in July but my current job pays pretty good so wondering if i should go through the whole rigmarole of it.

punisher5112

PirateShampoo wrote: »

Have they told you what the starting money is like? Ive a driving test with them in July but my current job pays pretty good so wondering if i should go through the whole rigmarole of it.

Well under 32k

32k is before tax figure

Here we go

punisher5112 wrote: »

Well under 32k

32k is before tax figure

During the interview they said 12€ training period and 14:50€ when you get full d license and working proper with annual 30 cent rise for first 5 years

Here we go

Here we go wrote: »

During the interview they said 12€ training period and 14:50€ when you get full d license and working proper with annual 30 cent rise for first 5 years

Over time is time and a quarter 30 days holiday including bank holidays ect if you work one you get paid and a day off in lieu and they garennte a 39 hour week wage there is also a claw back clause if they train you 15€ a week for two years but it's refunded to you if your still employed by them and haven't left

Here we go

Do you not need to already have a D licence to get a job in DB ?

moonship

Here we go wrote: »

Do you not need to already have a D licence to get a job in DB ?

DB is not hiring, no info on their website

Stephen15

Here we go wrote: »

Do you not need to already have a D licence to get a job in DB ?

My reccomendation would be to use GA to your own benefit let them train you up as a bus driver and then as soon as you as DB start hiring move.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

Dublin bus are hiring at the moment and training up B licence drivers.

They are using their file list of applicants from the previous recruitment drive before they advertise again

Here we go

Just to ask again about my first post would anyone know if this app is of any use for the cpc theory it has 170 questions in total

Here we go

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

Dublin bus are hiring at the moment and training up B licence drivers.

They are using their file list of applicants from the previous recruitment drive before they advertise again

Iv also seen BE advertise at 677€ weekly 200 positions no idea if there training up but and I assume it's working country wide

Stephen15

Here we go wrote: »

Iv also seen BE advertise at 677€ weekly 200 positions no idea if there training up but and I assume it's working country wide

No you have to already have a D licence to apply for BE from what I believe

Yer Da sells Avon

Stephen15 wrote: »

No you have to already have a D licence to apply for BE from what I believe

That's incorrect. They're willing to hire people who have a Class D learner permit.

soundman45

Stephen15 wrote: »

Here we go wrote: »

Iv also seen BE advertise at 677€ weekly 200 positions no idea if there training up but and I assume it's working country wide

No you have to already have a D licence to apply for BE from what I believe

Have a look at the bus eireann website it says they will accept drivers with class b or class c to be trained by them for the d licence

GM228

soundman45 wrote: »

Have a look at the bus eireann website it says they will accept drivers with class b or class c to be trained by them for the d licence

Indeed, but you must first have D licence theory and learner permit.

dashcamdanny

Here we go wrote: »

Over time is time and a quarter 30 days holiday including bank holidays ect if you work one you get paid and a day off in lieu and they garennte a 39 hour week wage there is also a claw back clause if they train you 15€ a week for two years but it's refunded to you if your still employed by them and haven't left

There is around 10 or 11 bank hols a year which should not really count as your yearly holiday allowance.
Every place I have worked so far offered 21 days hols a year provided you work 39 hours a week. You are getting as little as 19 if they count holy days as Bank hols.

Time a one quarter overtime is terrible.

If I were you, I would use that kip for training and hop over to BE or DB. You are being screwed with pay and hols.

thomasj

I saw one of those go ahead learner buses on George's street this morning

devnull

thomasj wrote: »

I saw one of those go ahead learner buses on George's street this morning

Said to be at least three Mercedes Citaros as well as some deckers being used.

dashcamdanny wrote: »

There is around 10 or 11 bank hols a year which should not really count as your yearly holiday allowance.
Every place I have worked so far offered 21 days hols a year provided you work 39 hours a week. You are getting as little as 19 if they count holy days as Bank hols.

Considering 20 days annual leave excluding public holidays is a legal minimum, I doubt that they will be going lower than this.

howiya

dashcamdanny wrote: »

There is around 10 or 11 bank hols a year which should not really count as your yearly holiday allowance.
Every place I have worked so far offered 21 days hols a year provided you work 39 hours a week. You are getting as little as 19 if they count holy days as Bank hols.

Time a one quarter overtime is terrible.

If I were you, I would use that kip for training and hop over to BE or DB. You are being screwed with pay and hols.

There are 9. New Year's Day, St Patrick's Day, Easter Monday, May, June, August, October, Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day.

Some businesses, including my own job, close on Good Friday but its not a public holiday. Banks also close on December 27th