Bus Eireann - pickups & dropoffs

I've looked through the Bus Eireann website to try and solve a query I have, but no luck, perhaps someone here would know.....

What is the official policy for picking-up and dropping off passengers at non bus stop locations on Bus Eireann routes.

Is it purely at the drivers discretion ?? The other day I was travelling on a 'commuter' route and asked to be let off at a certain point where there is no stop - I have seen the bus stop here on numerous occasions so I presumed it would be ok. The driver, however, got a bit snotty and said that there was no stop there. He did stop nonetheless and let me, and several other people, get out.

OK, you might say, it's obvious that he is not keen on stopping at non-designated stops. But then why does he pull in to pick up people as and where they flag him down at the side of the road ?? Is there one rule allowing pick ups wherever the passengers are and another disallowing drop offs where the passengers request.

If it is driver discretion as to where he can pick-up and drop-off passengers (outside of official stop locations) then is this really the best way to be running a transport service ?

Any thoughts ?

Depends on the driver in my experience but I would always ask them when you are getting on the bus if it is possible to get off at X, just gives the driver notice and they can find an appropiate stopping place.
As you can imagine they dont like it when u ask when you are at the point you want to get off - its not a taxi service.

AFAIK they are not allowed (Dublin Bus anyway) to except at the allocated stops. If anything happens they are held responsible.

Towger

its not a taxi service.

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Why then do they always stop for pick-ups at non-designated stops? In my experience of travelling with them I have never seen a bus pass by a flagging passenger, have you ?

Any route that I would travel has a liberal scattering of people standing at the end of boreens or driveways (nowhere near a bus stop) but safe in the knowledge that the bus will stop for them.

Depends on the driver

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This is the essence of my query. How can the bus transport network depend the notions of the driver? If I am planning to travel from A to B I can never be sure on the mood of the driver and might have to go from A to C instead.

If we are serious about getting people out of their cars then these are issues that need to be addressed! Day to day uncertainty about where the bus will stop is never going to convert the car drivers....

That noise in the background is me climbing down from my high horse...

Maybe picking somebody up at a non designated stop is getting them out of harm's way while dropping them off would be putting them into it?

Why then do they always stop for pick-ups at non-designated stops? In my experience of travelling with them I have never seen a bus pass by a flagging passenger, have you ?

In answer to your question - i dont sit up the front of the bus so I dont see them but there are places along the route that have been stop/pick up points and they dont have signs beside them, reason as to why im not sure but I guess they have been stop / pick up points for years.

There are other buses (not bus eireann) that dont have signs for the pick up points marked out but locals know the stops and if your not a local ask...

Anyway I am just giving my experience to you.

Official policy of both Bus Eireann & Dublin Bus is that there are no pickups/dropoffs at any locations other than designated bus stops. However, the drivers are also prohibited from picking up/collecting at a point that will put the passenger and/or the driver in danger. This means that sometimes you might end up a bit further than your bus stop. They are also obliged by policy to drop off as close to the kerbside as possible - and certain streets in Dublin City Centre are banned.
Unofficially if you have a nice busdriver who understands how horrible it is to walk down a dark road in the middle of winter & knows that your bus stop is a good couple of yards from the bus stop, they might drop you off. It's not company policy though and many won't help you out at all!
It's not a case of a jobsworth but there are "super-checkers" out there who check up on all the drivers periodically and how they adhere to procedure. If they are not sticking to the official line, they are disciplined under the 3 strikes & you're out system.
HTH

Well I for one am very grateful to and thank God for the humanity of the numerous Dublin Bus drivers who for years stopped directly outside my late mother's house whenever they saw the frail elderly woman walking out of the driveway or a good distance from the designated bus-stop.

There is a great deal more opportunity for preparation when a busdriver anticipates and stops for a waiting or hurrying passenger in contrast to someone looms at his elbow in the bus saying "Drop me here, would you!" where the traffic conditions determine stopping suddenly or on that particular stretch of road to be inappropriate.

The driver is the responsible for the vehicle and passengers and where they judge appropriate make an unscheduled stop. Obsessive control and 'rules' for every area of working life is not a recipe for the good society.

I'm a big fan of bus drivers for personal reasons.
Anyway, to give you an idea why they ask the drivers to stick to the rules and not stop anywhere other than designated stops:

• Bus stops are generally situated at safe points in the road where other drivers can see the bus has stopped and sometimes even attempt to overtake the bus in a safe manner.
• If the bus were to stop at all and sundry flagging it down, it would significantly slow down the progress of the bus and it wouldn't be able to keep to the strict timetable that they all have to stick to.
• Buses shouldn't stop for runners because a running passenger pays less attention to their own personal safety and more to the bus which is stopping for them. It is not unknown for running passengers to be knocked down, or injure themselves while running for a bus - it's also not unknown for the same passengers to prosecute the bus company for their injuries. For this reason bus drivers aren't allowed to stop for those who are not at the bus stop and flagging down the bus.

My dh is a bus driver!

One of my posts seems to have been deleted ?

I still maintain that Bus Eireann (as opposed to Dublin Bus) drivers seem to have no problem in stopping for pick-up passengers on a route. If you travel the route of any commuter services, as I often do, there are several 'regular' non-designated pick-ups made.

It does indeed hinder the progress of the bus - but I am not greatly bothered by this and I do think the drivers are being very accommodating in doing this.

It's not a case of a jobsworth but there are "super-checkers" out there who check up on all the drivers periodically and how they adhere to procedure. If they are not sticking to the official line, they are disciplined under the 3 strikes & you're out system.

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Really ? So all of these drivers are risking being sacked for a practice that they do several times on a daily basis. They are putting their livelihoods in jeopardy just to accommodate the passengers on their bus. I would find this hard to believe... I wouldn't risk my families security to help out some relative strangers... are the bus drivers really such champions of society ?


To finish, I'd like to stress that I'm not trying to be anti-bus driver. The vast majority of drivers I've encountered are professional and curteous. But my gripe remains with the grey area that exists vis a vis non-designated pick-ups and drop-offs, I really think that leaving this to the drivers discretion is not a acceptable way to run a major transport network.

no need to be this ott about that is it? the driver will stop if u are nice looking woman and he will drive u home if u do a bit of flirting...end of story

Not trying to be OTT... but if I am trying to commute to work on a particular service 5 days a week it's not an ideal situation if I'm thinking "I wonder if he/she will let me out here today or not ?". Commuting a long distance by bus on a daily basis is stressful enough without having to wonder if you will have a 10 min walk or a 30 min walk after disembarking!

I think I'll start pricing helicopters... I wonder if Argos do 'em....

Genuinely yes, I'm aware of a number of drivers who have been disciplined and let go for not sticking to the company rules & regulations.
Why would this surprise you?

Not trying to be OTT... but if I am trying to commute to work on a particular service 5 days a week it's not an ideal situation if I'm thinking "I wonder if he/she will let me out here today or not ?". Commuting a long distance by bus on a daily basis is stressful enough without having to wonder if you will have a 10 min walk or a 30 min walk after disembarking!

For the love of Nora! I think id lock you in the boot...

Genuinely yes, I'm aware of a number of drivers who have been disciplined and let go for not sticking to the company rules & regulations.
Why would this surprise you? Why would this surprise you?

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You obviously have some insider knowledge mo3art - I don't, I accept your info that drivers would be let go for not sticking to company rules & regulations. Nonetheless it would suprise me to hear of drivers being let go for (persistently) stopping at non-designated stops since it is a very common practice... e.g. I took a 60 min journey this morn where the bus stopped at least 8 times at non-designated stops.

For the love of Nora! I think id lock you in the boot...

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That's a great contribution ribbons. Any other insults you'd care to throw about ?

gianni said:

But my gripe remains with the grey area that exists vis a vis non-designated pick-ups and drop-offs, I really think that leaving this to the drivers discretion is not a acceptable way to run a major transport network.

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It isn't left to the driver's discretion and those that do this practice can expect to be reprimanded. It is clearly not considered an acceptable way to run a major transport network by CIE.

As you quite rightly pointed out, it is not a Taxi service so you should not EXPECT to be dropped off or picked up at an undesignated stop.

I was a passenger on a Bus Eireann route one morning, travelling on the M7 motorway to Dublin. The driver braked quite heavily before pulling over to the hard shoulder to pick up a passenger. The passenger was waiting quite near a motorway bridge- I thought it was very dangerous, especially when hitch hiking on motorways is prohibited. I can only assuem the passenger had been dropped at the bridge by car, it was in the middle of nowhere.