Bus drivers air frustrations over gridlock

Dublin bus drivers are fed up with passengers verbally abusing them for being late, an Oireachtas Committee heard tonight.

Some employees have even threatened to quit their jobs over the problems created by congestion, it was claimed.

The Oireachtas Transport Committee was hearing about the frustrations of Dublin Bus drivers working in the capital’s gridlocked streets.

Driver Gerry Charles, who has been behind the wheel for 30 years, said: “Drivers have to face their customers every time they run late. As front-line staff, we are the ones who take the blame. In some cases it can lead to confrontation between the passenger and the driver.

“Even drivers contemplate leaving the job because they can’t take the pressure. When congestion happens, we take the full blame.

“It’s the negative feedback that drivers get very annoyed about. Why are we being picked on? It’s not our fault.”

Mr Charles said a route he began driving on nearly 30 years ago took 40 minutes but now took one hour and 20 minutes at peak time.

“It is gone beyond a joke,” he added.

Another experienced Dublin Bus driver Tony Fallon said: “It is a very stressful job.” He called for lower bus fares and for enforcement of bus lanes.

Mr Charles added: “When we’re caught in traffic and arrive at a stop 20 minutes late, passengers don’t recognise what we’ve just gone through.

“They just wanted to be at the hospital for their appointment, to a school or home to get their children their dinners.

“At the end of the day they don’t want to hear the excuses. They want to know why they didn’t get a bus at 2pm instead of 4pm.”

The drivers called for designated parking bays to take their breaks rather than stopping on busy streets and interrupting traffic flow.

Mr Fallon said prostitutes working along the Grand Canal had objected to idling buses because it was ’interfering with their business’.

A coach driver for a private firm also called for the speed limit on dual carriageways to be increased from 80-100km per hour.

Committee chairman Frank Fahey said the mindsets of commuters needed to be changed to encourage greater use of public transport.

“I am a convert. I used to be wedded to my car. Now I use the bus a lot more,” he said.

Mr Fallon said more people will use buses if the frequency of services was increased.

He said he was in favour of having a ’no fares’ day to encourage public transport.

Earlier, the Dublin Transportation Office told the committee that if every motorist didn’t take their car for only one day a week, it would lead to 200,000 less cars in the capital per day.