BusConnects Dublin - Bus Network Changes Discussion

Good to see the full timetables being reinstated for other routes. The new format with colour makes it easier to read and it's good that it now includes symbols where routes connect with rail and tram services, but we really need to be creating one format of timetable for bus passengers.

It would seem the frequency on the N6 is being cut to every 12 minutes throughout the day from February 12th.

107 departures M-F reduced to 90 each way, a reduction of 17 departures in each direction. 93 departures on Sat reduced to 83 each way, a reduction of 10 departures in each direction.

I have just looked at the N4 timetable on the TFI website and it too appears to have been reduced in frequency to every 12 minutes but the timetable on the Dublin Bus website is unchanged. I checked the journey planner and it now shows a 12 minute frequency. Was this communicated to passengers? I can't see anything on the Dublin Bus website of the change and I'm assuming their timetable on the website is now wrong, as is possibly the timetables at stops.

I've been told the ranks are growing at a faster rate than that.

I think all of the multi-operator non-BusConnects roundels in Dublin were replaced to yellow-on-green, no doubt thanks to their notably better visibility compared to the blue ones. I doubt it has anything to do with the southern orbitals, as stop flags will be replaced altogether into the current standard anyway.

Now go get a map and have a look at what the 13 and the Gs actually cover beyond Inchicore, please.

I wouldn't be surprised with that given the route in question and its peak time. I wouldve thought westbound would've been workers going to city and then students going to DCU and workers in Ikea etc?

I've been told before that a 39a driver in evening peak hours carried 300+ . That was a VT he was driving and would've had peak loading at UCD , Aston quay and at Blanchardstown SC

Yeah there have been times that you wouldn't expect 39a buses to be full , that they are . Driver told me it's becoming more the norm , even than before to see full buses on the 39a

Inbound before blanchardstown centre at 6pm, and this is at the time that the frequency switches to 15 minutes . It's crazy.

The night route departures outbound are carrying big numbers constantly , it seems to be often that the 12am / 12.30 departures from town tend to be close to full.

There is a severe shortage of drivers atm and day services will always take priority over night services.

Drivers don't want to work nights that is a fact suits some people but not the vast majority. If DB try to force nights on all drivers there will be a mass exodus and that's fact. The only way they can get a night service to run is pay drivers a hefty premium for it.

Just out of curiosity, is it only the Blanch half that suffers from high pax or is the UCD section very busy in nighttime as well?

I have been told by a driver before that students do use the UCD a fair bit , but the busier section no question would be the Blanch half .

Tbf I've been told they have extra drivers doing specials , primarily at weekends on the Aston quay-ongar section and at the busiest times on Friday Saturday nights.

The busiest time on those nights do see buses run every 15-20 minutes on that section of the route. I've occasionally seen 2 buses come together in Hartstown

We're just desperately trying to solve a metro-sized problem with a bus-sized peg. Eden Quay being a great wall of Dublin buses and virtually unnavigable as a pedestrian due to all the people waiting for buses is the type of issue that just wouldn't be tolerated in any other city in Europe.

Eh pretty much every European city that has a metro has buses that are well patronised. That would more to do with issues of footpath width than anything else.

Bendies would be better but they should definitely buy these if they won't. They are electric so surely they tick all the boxes for the NTA so why wont the NTA buy them.