One item worthy of special attention is that the minister is talking about reducing, or even removing, service provision on bus routes that are “under performing”.

We don’t expect things to remain as they are, and efficiencies that improve things for commuters are a great thing, but the focus of the government does not seem to be on the right things. They are asking “How can we save money?” when they should be asking “How can we make public transport better?”.

As we have been saying from day one, public transport is not there to make money. One of it’s functions is to get people moving so that they can generate money for the economy by getting to their destination on time, for instance to work or the shops. Is anyone actually quantifying the effect of Dublin Bus’ service beyond the fare box?

Cormac Murphy of the Herald reports:

DOZENS of Dublin Bus routes should be scrapped in favour of new services to expanding suburbs, a new report has advised.

The report being submitted to the Department of Transport claims the company’s route network should be revamped to meet commuters’ needs.

The document, by management consultants Deloitte, recommends some services should be closed down or merged, with the spare capacity redirected to other areas.

Carrying 500,000 passengers a day, Dublin Bus is the capital’s largest public transport operator.

Transport Minister Noel Dempsey has already opened talks with the company and its sister firms, Irish Rail and Bus Eireann, about cost reductions.

Mr Dempsey met transport executives in November and December over cost-cutting measures.

A provision of €313m has been made this year for the annual State subvention for the three companies.

Mr Dempsey also approved a 10pc increase in fares from January 1. However, he called for reduced services on under-performing routes.

CIE — Dublin Bus’s parent company — is seeking to implement massive cuts, which could include hundreds of jobs, as the company faces losses of €131m.

The public transport operator is considering redundancies at Bus Eireann and the withdrawal of some services as well as garage closures and a pay freeze.

The company, which is made up of Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann and Iarnrod Eireann, is reviewing costs. CIE said recently it was looking at all aspects of the customer base to see where savings can be made.

The company’s projected loss of €131m in 2009 compares to losses of €1.5m in 2007.

The problems within CIE have been exacerbated by a fall-off in bus passenger numbers by 4pc last year, while rail passengers were down by 1pc.

Costs are projected to rise by €73m, or 10pc, across the group this year.

Dublin Bus conducted a network review in 2005 and promised to increase annual passenger numbers by 15 million (10pc) between 2006 and 2008.

But CIE chairman John Lynch revealed last month that passenger numbers had fallen by up to 6pc in a year.

Mr Lynch said the recession had reduced the number of immigrants, who are heavy users of public transport.

Andrew Phelan of the Herald reports:

Dublin Bus has been forced to pull out of trouble spots in the city following savage assaults on its drivers.

Following intensive talks with gardai, routes in Clondalkin and Blanchardstown have been diverted until further notice.

And now the company is looking for members of the public in Clondalkin to help them track the prime suspects in the attacks, or else the community risks losing its bus service.

Two bus routes serving the area have diverted away from their scheduled routes over a series of incidents that reached crisis point when a driver was viciously beaten. According to sources, the young victim was headbutted and punched on the ground by two men after he came to the assistance of a colleague who was being assaulted by passengers.

The two drivers had been operating a route that was diverted to avoid missile-throwing thugs who were targeting the buses on a nightly basis for a month.

Windows had been smashed with stones and bottles, while other passengers have been terrorised by anti-social behaviour on board.

The attacks were launched against buses on the 78A route between the city centre and Liffey Valley and 76 between Blanchardstown and Fettercairn.

The diversions after 7.30pm have been in place since July 5, with buses not serving the Neilstown Road, Ronanstown or Fonthill Road in either direction.

A Dublin Bus spokeswoman said: “After two meetings on July 15 with members of the Gardaí and the residents association, it was decided that diversions will continue. Dublin Bus is hopeful that the services will be restored as soon as possible”.

One driver said the decision to divert was taken as a last resort when the number of attacks went “off the scale”.

He said it was regrettable that the actions of a minority had disrupted a vital service and put the safety of drivers and other passengers at risk.

The assaults happened earlier this month when two passengers verbally abused a foreign driver when the bus diverted.

They refused to leave and started throwing coins at him, hitting him in the eye.

The other driver got out to help and was headbutted.

The pair set upon him and violently kicked him as he lay helpless on the ground.

The bus worker was badly shaken in the incident and was out of work for a week. The incident is being investigated by the gardai.

Councillor Shane O’Connor (SF) condemned the attacks and said he was hopeful the services would be back by this weekend.

“There is clear, unambiguous support from a number of service providers, including the gardai, to establish a forum to deal with this”, he said.

Dublin Bus has said it is hopeful the service can return to normal soon, following a series of meetings with gardai, local politicians and community leaders.

While we may have given the impression (and indeed believed ourselves) that the issue of Dublin Bus being allowed to use the Port Tunnel was over and done with, it appears it is not so simple.

While permission has been given to run buses into town via the magnificent concrete monument to the Celtic Tiger (may it rest in peace) that is the tunnel, no such permission exists to run buses in the other direction.

Yes indeed, after well over a year of delays to the 41X tunnel route, primarily due to some bizarre thinking at the Department of Transport with regard to how to apply what is laughingly described as “the law”, Dublin Bus are still not allowed to run buses to Swords via the tunnel.

While Sinn Fein and Labour public representatives have been pointing the finger (rightly, in our opinion) at the Department for this idiotic situation, Fianna Fail politicians continue to attempt to spin the situation and blame Dublin Bus, with FF TD Michael Kennedy telling the Northside People that he has…

“…called on Dublin Bus to take urgent steps to ensure that the 41X service can use the Dublin Port Tunnel during peak evening journeys.”

It is clear that Kennedy is a very special style of iijit, who along with his colleagues, has continually tried to pin the blame for the 41X situation on Dublin Bus. What he is not saying is that it’s a government department run by another FF TD that is refusing to allow the service to run. The department meanwhile are pulling the usual “competition law” argument out of the hat.

They do not explain how the inbound route is not a problem, but the outbound one is. We’re sure the explanation will run along the lines of blaming some old transport legislation and then trying to distract everyone from this and the issue of there not being any money set aside for public transport improvements while cutting the ribbon on yet another consultation process for some light rail scheme that will never be built.

But that isn’t how things work in this country, is it?

There have been calls from various people and groups for the immediate reinstatement of the Number 8 route, following it’s surprise axing on July 14th. We believe that the cynical timing is quite telling, and may be the key to the whole matter. While the manner in which the route cancellation was announced could do with some scrutiny, we’ll get to that later, what’s important is many elderly people have no longer got an easy way to get to Vincents, Michaels or Our Lady’s Manor.

Dublin Bus claim to have carried out extensive surveys, which, they say, show that the route was being used by a tiny number of people. However they only figures they have released are for the very early morning, which can only suggest passenger numbers over the rest of the day that Dublin Bus would rather not discuss. Of course, what is a real giveaway is the time of year chosen to do this. BUSRAGE believes that this is another classic example of the creative use of figures by Dublin Bus.

How can a look at passenger numbers during June and July bear any relation to passenger numbers during the rest of the year, especially the September to May period? There are many people who are going to find themselves high and dry when they realise in September that there is no bus to take them to school or college. What are students in Dalkey who go to many of the secondary schools along the route supposed to do? Dublin Bus’ answer is, strangely, that they should take the DART! Ah, yes, a nice trip in a sardine tin followed by a 45 minute walk to school, college or work.

As far as the announcement of the decision goes, apparently a leaflet was given to some passengers on Thursday July 12th, telling them the service was to be discontinued on the following Monday (it was, in fact withdrawn less than 48 hours later, on the Saturday night). The leaflet informed passengers of the new “improved” 7D, improved in this case means a bus route which travels into the city once a day. Add to this a lot of messing about with other routes, such as the 5, 7, 7A, 7X and the 59, and you have a cocktail for disaster.

The whole matter was hurried without consulting Dalkey Community Council or other local authorities. In fact, Dalkey has had to put traffic-calming measures on hold, such as the introduction of parking charges, as these cannot now be justified with the elimination of the Number 8. Yet another example of where Dublin Bus’ attitude of zero consultation can lead us.

Sign the petition and then call Dublin Bus up, and demand the reinstatement of the Number 8, before the take another route from us.

The 66N: This route still departs from Westmoreland Street but now operates
via St. John’s Road to Palmerstown, Lucan Village and terminates in Leixlip. This route
no longer serves Chapelizod, which is covered by the new 25N.

The 67N: This route also departs from Westmoreland St. and operates via
Palmerstown, Celbridge Road, Celbridge Village to Maynooth. It no longer
serves Lucan, which is also covered by the new 25N.

The 15N: This route now operates as follows: From College Street
via Camden Street, Rathmines, Rathmines Garda Station, Grosvenor Road, Kenilworth
Road North, Harolds Cross Road, Terenure, Rathfarnham, Willbrook, Ballyboden Road,
Scholarstown Road, New Link Road, Woodstown Roundabout, Ballycullen Drive to
Oldbawn Road. It no longer serves Rathgar, which is serviced by the 49N.

These routes will operate from Wellington Quay via the South Quays,
Conyngham Road to normal route. Coming into town these routes will
operate to the North Quays, cross Grattan Bridge (Capel Street Bridge),
Parliament Street, Dame Street, Westmoreland Street and left down South
Quays.

Routes 37, 38, 38A and 70 will terminate and depart from
George’s Quay (near the Matt Talbot Bridge on the South
Quays).

Route 37 inbound will operate along the North Quays, Batchelor’s Walk,
Eden Quay, Custom House Quay and George’s Quay. Outbound, Route 37
will operate from George’s Quay, along the South Quays, Blackhall Place
and then operate as normal.

Route 38 will operate down O’Connell Street, left into Lower Abbey Street,
right into Marlborough Street, left on to Eden Quay, Custom House Quay
and over Matt Talbot Bridge and George’s Quay. Outbound, Route 38 will
operate from George’s Quay, turn right on to O’Connell Bridge and then
continue on its normal route along O’Connell Street.

Route 70 will operate up the North Quays, Batchelor’s Walk, Eden Quay,
Custom House Quay and George’s Quay. Outbound, Route 70 will operate
from George’s Quay, South Quays, Blackhall Place and then operate as
normal.

Routes 39 and 134 will terminate and depart from Burgh Quay (on the
South Quays near the junction with Hawkins Street).

Route 39 will operate along the North Quays, Batchelor’s Walk, Eden Quay,
Custom House Quay, George’s Quay to Burgh Quay. Outbound, Route 39
will operate from Burgh Quay along the South Quays, Blackhall Place and
then follow normal routing.

Route 134 will operate down Church Street, along the North Quays,
Batchelor’s Walk, Eden Quay, Custom House Quay, George’s Quay to
Burgh Quay. Outbound, Route 134 will operate from Burgh Quay, along the
South Quays, Rory O’Moore Bridge, North Quays, Church Street and then
follow route as normal.

Routes 5, 7, 7A, 7X and 8 will terminate and depart from Eden Quay (on
the North Quays between O’Connell Bridge and Liberty Hall).

Outbound these routes on departing from Eden Quay will cross O’Connell
Bridge into D’Olier Street and operate as normal.

Route 39X from Belfield at 1605 and 1625 will operate via the South
Quays. The 1650 and 1720 departures from Belfield will operate via
O’Connell Street.

Route 66X: The hourly service from 1000 to 1800 to Maynooth via Lucan
and the 1735 hours departure to Maynooth (Straffan Road) will in future
depart from Wellington Quay. The 1000 to 1700 hourly departures from
Maynooth (Straffan Road) via Lucan will now terminate at Wellington
Quay.

Route 67X: The 1710 hours departure from St. Stephen’s Green to
Maynooth will in future operate via the South Quays.

Route 70X from Belfield will in future operate via Nassau Street, Suffolk
Street, Westmoreland Street and the South Quays.

Route 172 will no longer operate via Middle Abeey Street and will operate
outbound from Kildare Street via South Quays, Heuston Bridge and continue
along normal route. Nearest stop to Middle Abbey Street is Burgh Quay.

Dublin Bus have announced the introduction of a new route, the 27C, from Clare Hall to Leeson Street Bridge (Monday to Friday only). This service will be in
operation from Monday 28th May 2001.

On and from Sunday 27th May 2001, new timetables will come into operation for Routes 103 and 104.