Poor customer service from Dublin bus and its drivers

M

MrEBear

Registered User
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Hi all, just been left waiting over two hours for a 38 on OConnell St in sub zero temperatures, when I asked the driver about the delays he simply smiled at me and pulled up his window.

I want to make a complaint but I don't have the drivers name. Also is it even worth complaining, after all it's his word vs mine?

Anyone with any experience complaining to DB?

Thanks in advance. Bear
 
I have complained to Dublin Bus several times about the 38 since the new route and timetable was introduced last month. I have received no reply to any of the complaints. I have a yearly bus ticket and now find it a bit of a waste of money as the bus service is so bad. I haven't had a problem with the drivers before. Any time I asked them about the delays they were always very nice and stated that they were just as frustrated about it.
 
I have been getting the bus a lot more recently as it's too dangerous to cycle.

I got a bus out to Blackrock early yesterday morning and the driver was great. I had to run to the bus stop and he waited for me. He was friendly saying that there was no need to run, he would have waited. He called out the various stops along the way and was cheerful and obviously enjoying his job.

On the way back, it was a different story. There was a cyclist cycling really fast ahead of the bus in the bus and cycle lane. As a cyclist, I thought it was too dangerous to cycle; it certainly was too dangerous to cycle so quickly. The bus travelled at the same speed and not too far behind the bicycle. I went up to the driver and asked what would happen if the cyclist hit black ice and fell off his bike. His response was "What's your problem?". I told him that he would not be able to stop in time and that he was travelling way too fast. I took the bus number, but I didn't get around to reporting it.

Today at around 1pm, the guy getting on ahead of me asked the bus driver if the busses would be running after 9 pm. He replied politely that he would have to check online. He smiled at me as if to say "What a stupid question!" I smiled back at him and as I left some time later, I asked what time the busses were going to finish that night. He laughed.

I think that they have a tough job. They get abuse when they show up, but it's the drivers who don't show up who should get the abuse.
 
I agree they have a tough job but I asked politely and got brushed off like he was too good to answer the question. The 38 route is an absolute nightmare since the changed it but up until tonight all the drivers have been friendly and helpful. It may be a case that this perticular driver was having a bad day but I don't see why I should be the victim of his bad mood.

I'm going to send in a complaint email in the morning with the bus number, I don't like getting people in trouble but like all services, you can't treat customers like that.

Wish me luck. Bear
 
as someone who deals directly with the public on a daily basis it can sometimes get a bit much especially if you have had a lot of rude people or someone abused you for something that is out of your control. It could be the hours - as in the shift work sometimes makes you really tired.
What I try to do is stay happy and friendly and then the response from the public is generally good. I also try to think that sometimes people have crap going on in their life that puts them in the wrong humour.

During the two hours you were there was there a bus due to depart? I just checked that timetable not knowing the route and there is few hours between some departures.
 
There were ment to be buses every half hour from 5pm but nothing came. What did pass was about a dozen out if service buses of which if even one or two of them were on as a 38 would have made a great difference.

As for my tone, it was genuinely polite as I deal with the public myself and understand the stresses.
 
Just a quick update, I emailed in a complaint to DB, but after thinking about it for a bit I decided not to give details of the drivers attitude and to just complain about the long wait instead. I'll put the driver down to stress and leave it at that as at times I know how he feels.

Bear
 
MrEBear said:
Just a quick update, I emailed in a complaint to DB, but after thinking about it for a bit I decided not to give details of the drivers attitude and to just complain about the long wait instead. I'll put the driver down to stress and leave it at that as at times I know how he feels.

Bear
Click to expand...

Fair play. I have to say that in really treacherous conditions the vast majority of Dublin Bus drivers have been superb. I got a Nitelink home Saturday week ago when the snow was really tipping it down and the driver did a brilliant job of getting us all home safely - i think the Nitelinks were cancelled immediately afterwards.

It's important for people to remember that a lot of these bus drivers will have been up around 5/530 to start a shift and even getting to work at that time must be really difficult.
 
I have to say that at the weekend we were going for the bus, were about a 100 yards from the bus stop when it pulled away, but the bus driving towards us. Put my hand out and he stopped no question and we got on, back when the weather was good I have been in a similar position and they don't stop which is technically what they are supposed to do for health and safety afaik. I really don't envy them having to drive so much in the terrible conditions recently.

All in all my experiennce of dublin bus drivres some of the drivers are friendly and helpful, others are not simply not "so great" ....so the same as every other profession really
 
Frankly I think if half the companies in the country did as good a job as Dublin Bus have done over the last 10 days we'd be laughing.

They deserve all due credit for keeping going as well as they did.

As does whoever was updating the rte live update every day!
 
The 38/A service has been a nightmare in the past week. I gave up taking the bus a few years ago but had no other option for the past two weeks (until today when I practically kissed the car as it eased out of it's icy prison!

I can get either and at peak there is supposed to be one every 10 mins. Min wait has been 25 mins, max has been 45. I met people on the day the OP posted who had been waiting over an hour for the 38 as the OP mentioned. I generally wait til I've been at the stop 15 mins then phone the depot (Phibsborough) or the main DB phone number. Some of the people have been very helpful, others less so. One insisted there was a bus just pulling up at the stop, if there was it was invisible and very slow cos it was another 15 mins before one appeared.

Or how about yesterday morning when the 38 is once every 20 mins (there's a 38A in between) and two 38s arrived at the stop within 2 minutes - there was no miraculous clearing of traffic in that time, just DB totally ignoring the timetable.

Did send an email after 2 days, complained to many people on the phone....now just happy I don't have to depend on the service which despite bus lanes is at least 20% slower than driving!
 
I'd like to share with you another disservice of DB.
Last Saturday night, I was waiting for the Nitelink 46n in Kildare Street, in Dublin city centre. The screens were displaying a "Nitelink until 4:00 am" sign. I was waiting for the 46n at the bus stop. At about 1:35 am, the bus 46n passed without stopping. It is impossible that the driver didn't see me. I made an evident gesture to ask for a stop. The driver even moved to the right lane to avoid me.
I've just sent an email to them, I hope it helps.
 
itsover said:
I'd like to share with you another disservice of DB.
Last Saturday night, I was waiting for the Nitelink 46n in Kildare Street, in Dublin city centre. The screens were displaying a "Nitelink until 4:00 am" sign. I was waiting for the 46n at the bus stop. At about 1:35 am, the bus 46n passed without stopping. It is impossible that the driver didn't see me. I made an evident gesture to ask for a stop. The driver even moved to the right lane to avoid me.
I've just sent an email to them, I hope it helps.
Click to expand...

The Nitelink doesn't pick up on Kildare Street - that particular bus only picks up at D'olier St (the terminus), Donnybrook Church and the Stillorgan Park Hotel, as clearly stated on their website.

[broken link removed]
 
That's the kind of reply I received from DB as well.
However, let me disagree with you, dereko1969. It is NOT clearly stated on their website. I had visited that same webpage beforehand, and I had not understood that there was a restricted number of pick up points. More specifically:
"Area served": what does it mean?! It's a very generic phrase. Why don't they write clearly that those are drop off only stops??
"Pick-up Points" is written at the very bottom, after the timetable. It should be written at the top, or at least just after the "Area served" line. Personally, I had missed that. Moreover, it only identifies Donnybrook Church and the Stillorgan Park Hotel as pick-up points. Why doesn't it mention D'olier St? Should it be obvious that it picks up at the terminus? It's very confusing.
Not to mention the misleading sign "Nitelink until 4:00 am" displayed in Kildare St! What's the point to say "Nitelink until 4:00 am" if the Nitelink doesn't stop there?! I'd have gladly walked to D'Oiler St if I knew it!
I'm amazed that they can get away with so bad timetables. It'd be such a small effort to write them a bit better! Perhaps they'll do it only after a well paid consultant's advice, who knows.
It remains a mystery why the bus cannot stop in between... Too much hassle?
 
I'm no fan of Dublin Bus, but that seems clear enough to me, bus goes from D'olier St with pick-up points listed as Donnybrook Church and the Stillorgan Park Hotel.
 
I have to disagree with you Itsover

It is clearly stated on website. Only one persons fault they read it wrong and its not Dublin buses…sorry!!
Area served means just that, there are numerous bus stops in them area’s. If you’re not sure just ask driver.

As for pick up points – don’t see your argument at all, it clearly states from D’Oiler St on website.

In my opinion they not bad timetables at all, if you spent a bit longer reading them, you may eventually agree

And as why not stop at every bus stop, cos people want to get home quickly at that time of night and do not want to pick up people at every stop…..it works for me…
 
itsover said:
That's the kind of reply I received from DB as well.
However, let me disagree with you, dereko1969. It is NOT clearly stated on their website - It is - . I had visited that same webpage beforehand, and I had not understood - your fault, not theirs - that there was a restricted number of pick up points. More specifically:
"Area served": what does it mean?!- It means that's the route they'll travel, informing customers where they can expect to be dropped off, it's quite simple - It's a very generic phrase - it might be a generic phrase but is quite specific in listing the specific areas served after that phrase - . Why don't they write clearly that those are drop off only stops - not really needed most people would understand the point they were making ??
"Pick-up Points" is written at the very bottom, after the timetable. It should be written at the top, or at least just after the "Area served" line. Personally, I had missed that - again your fault - . Moreover, it only identifies Donnybrook Church and the Stillorgan Park Hotel as pick-up points. Why doesn't it mention D'olier St? Should it be obvious that it picks up at the terminus? It's very confusing. - only to you
Not to mention the misleading sign "Nitelink until 4:00 am" displayed in Kildare St! What's the point to say "Nitelink until 4:00 am" if the Nitelink doesn't stop there?! I'd have gladly walked to D'Oiler St if I knew it!
I'm amazed that they can get away with so bad timetables. It'd be such a small effort to write them a bit better! Perhaps they'll do it only after a well paid consultant's advice, who knows.
It remains a mystery why the bus cannot stop in between... Too much hassle?
Click to expand...

As stated by others, it's a limited stop service as explained on the website.
You didn't bother reading the timetable correctly/fully so you missed out, did you look at the website/timetable after the first one went past? There are nitelinks every half hour on that route so you could have walked to D'olier Street and got the next one, did the fact that there was no-one else waiting at the bus stop not give you a hint that it might not stop there? Or the fact that the 46N was not listed on top of the bus stop pole or on the timetables at the bus stop?
 
MrsK & I had no problems at all with Dublin Bus the last time we were over.

One driver even stopped away from the bus stop to let us off closer to our destination. (Mind you, he is a first cousin of mine.) :)
 
itsover said:
Not to mention the misleading sign "Nitelink until 4:00 am" displayed in Kildare St! What's the point to say "Nitelink until 4:00 am" if the Nitelink doesn't stop there?! I'd have gladly walked to D'Oiler St if I knew it!
Click to expand...

I think this is the key issue - the signage was a bit misleading, though the website was fairly clear. Perhaps your communication with DB should focus on getting them to change this to avoid confusion for other customers.
 
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