Dublin Bus - Bad Deal on Weekly/Monthly Tickets

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Lauren

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Does anyone else think that Dublin Bus don't offer value for money on their weekly and monthly tickets?
I pay a fare of 1.55, ten times per week, therefore 15.50 total per week. Would be handy to buy a weekly ticket, would save me having to find change all the time.

Dublin Bus's weekly ticket though is 20? I'm sure this works out ok if you take multiple bus trips a day but for the average user like myself its not worthwhile.

Further the cost of a monthly ticket is 80 Euro, definitely not an option for me....
 
Why don't you just buy some 2-easy tickets? They allow 2 journeys - in your case €3.10 per ticket for 2 x €1.55 journeys. No saving I know but it solves the change problem because you can pick them up in most newsagents.
 
With the 2-easy tickets, the price is the same, but it saves you having to scrabble for exact change each time you catch the bus. I found them more convenient when I was regularly catching the bus. I also found the weekly and monthly tickets a waste of time as they worked out more expensive for me that paying per trip.
 
Lauren said:
No point in buying them if theres no saving...Why pay more?
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Not sure what you mean by "why pay more". 2 x €1.55 = €3.10 so it's exactly the same. I understood from your original post that "having to find change all the time" was also an issue.
 
Lauren said:
Dublin Bus's weekly ticket though is 20? [...]
Further the cost of a monthly ticket is 80 Euro
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It's amazing to think that a 'Carte Orange' entitling you to unlimited transport on all buses, trains, metros and RER in central Paris — a 24/7, highly efficient, properly 'joined up' network — currently costs €15.70/week or €51.50/month.

If you're in paid employment , your employer must cover 50% of this cost, 'up front', each month. And your own half is tax-deductible.

But of course these Frenchies are probably far less charming/cheerful/obliging than your average Dublin Bus driver... ;)
 
Yes, DrMoriarty, the Carte Orange sold by the RAPT in Paris is very good value.

Bear in mind that the subsidies to public transport are much higher in France, also that every employer must pay a small payroll tax to fund public transport.

In contrast, the subsidy to Dublin Bus is small.
 
Indeed Paris is (very) cheap ... just by way of comparison London is expensive .. A monthly Zone 1-2 (centre and inner suburbs) travelcard costs £85.30 ( so around €125) - and I don't think there's any tax deals like Parisian ones either.
 
Yes, the public transport system in Paris receives higher subsidies than in Dublin and thus is used by many more people than in Dublin but what is the (hidden) cost of all those hours spent commuting in Dublin using private cars - a bus or train moves people far more efficiently than a car ! If the system is cheap, reliable and goes where you want it will be used - look at the success of the Luas line from St Stephens Green to Sandyford.
 
Lauren said:
Does anyone else think that Dublin Bus don't offer value for money on their weekly and monthly tickets?
I pay a fare of 1.55, ten times per week, therefore 15.50 total per week. Would be handy to buy a weekly ticket, would save me having to find change all the time.

Dublin Bus's weekly ticket though is 20? I'm sure this works out ok if you take multiple bus trips a day but for the average user like myself its not worthwhile.
Click to expand...
Surely that's the point? Your usage patterns don't justify the purchase of a weekly/monthly ticket. That doesn't necessarily make these tickets bad value for money. As somebody else has said if you deem the convenience of not searching for coins worth €4.50 or more then buy the weekly ticket. Have you checked if your employer offers employees the [broken link removed]?
 
Lauren said:
Does anyone else think that Dublin Bus don't offer value for money on their weekly and monthly tickets?
I pay a fare of 1.55, ten times per week, therefore 15.50 total per week. Would be handy to buy a weekly ticket, would save me having to find change all the time.

Dublin Bus's weekly ticket though is 20? I'm sure this works out ok if you take multiple bus trips a day but for the average user like myself its not worthwhile.

Further the cost of a monthly ticket is 80 Euro, definitely not an option for me....
Click to expand...

Isn't it the point that this is a weekly ticket, rather than a "go to work, and go home again" ticket?

If you go into town for an evening say during the week, you can use it as well. Then maybe to town on Saturday, and on Sunday as well. You've now used €24.80 worth of bus journeys, and it only cost you €20. Which is great value for money, with the same ticket.

So, as with everything else, value for money is relative, and just because you don't find these tickets value for money, doesn't mean that they're a bad deal for everyone.
 
I had a similar experience, and gripe, over DART tickets some time back.

I 'consume' 8 DART journeys a week and the 10-journey ticket was ideal. They then withdrew it and introduced a 5-day ticket. With 8 journeys in the working week, it is cheaper, but inconvenient, for me to buy the individual tickets.

That, I admit, can be an advantage to other people but why, and this is where it is relevant to the thread, did they withdraw the old ticket ? Run the 2 offerings in parallel and, if there's significant migration to the new offering, then withdraw the old, but at least let the punter make the choice.
 
I sent a text to Newstalk106 and Barry Kenny (IE PR & chief apologist) answered it on air.

He blathered on about the appeal & advantages of the new ticket and never picked up on the 'why not keep the old' point.
 
You should write directly to the company if you feel strongly about it - that's the only way to officially register your complaints/questions and get a response.
 
How about the tax free travel deal?
I pay for an annual ticket with Irish rail & Dublin Bus in the dublin area monthly from my salary and get it tax free.
So for an annual ticket with unlimited travel including nitelinks, I pay at the moment approx €60 per month from my salary. Great value compared to a car!
However, I've just checked the www.irishrail.ie website to find out what it will be this year when I renew and I nearly got sick on the spot. It seems that they have dispensed with the lone rail/dart/bus ticket and included the LUAS as well. Which increased the cost of the annual ticket by 40%!!!!!!
Mo is now up on her high horse and composing complaint letters while you read this post *mad*
 
mo3art said:
How about the tax free travel deal?
I pay for an annual ticket with Irish rail & Dublin Bus in the dublin area monthly from my salary and get it tax free.
So for an annual ticket with unlimited travel including nitelinks, I pay at the moment approx €60 per month from my salary. Great value compared to a car!
Click to expand...

Does your employer offer this deal to all employees or did you apply directly to CIE?

My understanding is that the employer has to sign up, and if they don't, employees can't avail of the offer.
 
My employer has to have my permission to deduct it from my salary. They deal directly with CIE and make an annual payment to them on my behalf - I then repay my employer in monthly amounts.
Technically it only seems to be effective with long term employees as there is administration involved if you leave part way through your annual ticket. However I knew how much of a saving I would make if I was signed up to it and insisted on me joining the scheme as part of my contract. When I explained to my employer that they would make a saving on their tax bill too (which it does) they had no difficulty in me joining the scheme.
 
I have signed up for taxsaver scheme every year. What I am wondering is can others whose employers don't offer the scheme beneft? My feeling is that they can't, but someone has said otherwise in this thread and that's why I'm asking.

Employers benefit by saving on PRSI if they sign up to the scheme.
 
Ah I see what you mean.
In that case, the answer is no and I believe that the poster is incorrect. You cannot make tax savings afaik without the deductions being made directly from your salary. I don't believe you can make a retrospective credit claim as part of your tax return.
However there are still significant savings to be made if you purchase a monthly or annual ticket as opposed to paying a daily fare if you normally travel at least 2 standard journeys per day.
I hope that clarifies the situation for you!
 
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