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DUBLIN BUS ARE set to apologise today for service issues in recent months, with the company citing “network expansion” placing pressure on existing services.
New Chief Executive of Dublin Bus, Billy Hann, is set to tell the Joint Oireachtas Transport Committee that “our services have on occasions fallen below our own high standards”.
Hann, who became Chief Executive 13 days ago, is expected to tell TDs and Senators that due to Dublin Bus expanding the bus network quickly, there has been additional pressure placed on the company.
“The recent pace of network expansion has placed significant pressure on the company as we seek to deliver additional services and also provide our network of contracted services,” Hann will say.
The company plans to address this pressure through additional overtime where possible, as well as some adjustments to service provision that would have the least adverse impact on passengers.
“I am confident that improvements seen in recent weeks can be maintained as we build towards 2023. We must also recognise that there are challenges beyond our control which we must navigate in an economy operating at practically full employment.”
It comes just over a month after the company last appeared at the Committee, with former Acting Chief Executive Andrea Keane telling TDs and Senators that the reliability of the Real-Time Passenger Information (RTPI) systems had “deteriorated in recent months”.
However, Hann is set to tell the Committee that Dublin Bus Operations and Technical Development teams have been “closely monitoring the performance of all RTPI systems”, adding that some technical errors had been resolved on 1 December.
He will say that the system is operating at “98% accuracy” and that many technical issues with the system have been resolved.
In addition, Hann is set to detail the ongoing recruitment challenges faced by Dublin Bus.
Since January, the company has recruited 319 new drivers, with 39 of those being recruited since Dublin Bus last appeared at the Oireachtas Transport Committee a month ago.
“Recruitment remains one of the biggest challenges facing the organisation and we anticipate it will be Q2 before we hit the required driver numbers.”
“We very much regret the impact this is having on customers. All our employees are working hard to minimise the effect of driver recruitment challenges.”
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Good stuff. Hopefully they have decent data plans. I can’t get broadband where I live so I always end up going over my usage limit and being charged a bomb by meteor.
Unlimited 4G with 3? If it’s available in your area has been brilliant.
Are you working for Three? As per a previous post, I refute outright your assessment of Three’s 3G & 4G services. I have found it absolutely pathetic and works only in certain Dublin City Centre locations… In the last post, Others indicated they have a similar experience to mine.
The 3G service was just about working until they opened up 4G and since then, I have not had 3G in my own home….Advice given by the Customer disservice (based in a land far, far away)… Turn on Data Roaming… effect- zilch…
Unlimited you say.. LOL so how much data is that then?
3 also dont offer an unlimited package on mobile broadband. Then they’ll charge you 35quid for going 700mbs over the 60Gb limit. We’ve fought with them for months over this and only end up going round in circles getting vague unclear answers.
‘Unlimited’ has a ‘fair allowence’ limit of 7.5gb for 30 days and if you go over this you’re charged loads. I avoided looking at YouTube videos last month to save my data and I still went over.
Similar situation myself. Have you tried wimax? 19 euro a month and I was surprised how good it is. Streaming and downloading is no problem.
Similar situation. Have you tried wimax? 19 l
unlimited – not limited or restricted in terms of number, quantity, or extent. They really should not be allowed to advertise like this. How the advertising standard let them away with this is just a joke.
Had 3 up till last week data plan is good but coverage for 3G and 4g is not great sometimes even edge is bad. Changed to meteor plans not as good more expensive but coverage seems better.
Can anyone recommend any decent plans? Moving to a rural place in two weeks and don’t have a clue what we’re going to do. I know that three do unlimited data with their phone plans. Anyone know if it’s good a enough to run the hotspot off for the laptop?!
Feeling the withdrawals already!!
Cool. Thanks Bryan, I’ll look into that.
Unlimited has a fair usage policy of 2000GB, not 7.5GB.
With meteor PAYG its 7.5gb.
http://www.meteor.ie/pay-as-you-go/simply-unlimited/
That’s Meteor for you, I was talking about 3.
And I suppose you know that 3 throttle their bandwidth so you’ll get no where near to using that .
There is no unlimited 3g or 4g option they all have fair usage caps
Wow – no I don’t work them – must just be a better service in Waterford. 20Mb/s upload and apx 10Mb/s upload. 20e per month PAYG and I have always had Unlimited. Never once had a fair usage policy issue. And I might do 20GB per month.
I’m with 3 too, on the unlimited policy, great service. On 14 GB so far this month and I’ve never experienced any throttling.
I’ve been using three for few years now on different phones… Works great even in rural Mayo!
If enough people complain they may take notice and do something. Let’s do it. It really is annoying and wouldn’t be tolerated in any other advertising.
Sorry to say three network is useless. No coverage most places i went outside dublin and some parts of dublin bad too.
If you’ve an android, check out KillBiller. It compares all the plans based on your calls. (disclaimer: I helped make it!)
Will their customer service centre be based in Ireland? If so, I’ll consider changing. But if it’s based in India….not a chance!
It’s still based out there… Three are not one bit cheap anymore and their service is frustrating to say the least.
Three have said that they are shifting their call centre back to Ireland – I guess it will be when they have finished merging the o2 network with their own. Probably the o2 call centre in Limerick
Article makes no mention of UPC’s MVNO launching next year on the Three network too!
I bet they come out with a slogan like “Ireland’s fastest growing network “
Can it be as cheap as Tescomobile
Probably, but hopefully it can be better
That Killbiller app will tell you the answer to that. I’m curious myself!
Thats very good but any of the new networks cannot match the long established networks I have one in mind I will skip name
I assume people are aware they won’t be building their own network?
There is a three network, O2, Vodafone and Meteor. Everyone else leases capacity and some of the networks have shared sites.
Still competition is good.
Get a sim free phone in the UK and then use a prepaid three simcard.
Carphone Warehouse? So they piggyback on someone else’s network and provide you with their own appalling customer service.
A family member had a broken phone bought from Carphone Warehouse. Back to them twice, sent away for repair, still didn’t work. They insisted they would still need to send it away a third time to be repaired. I pointed out the Sale of Goods & Supply of Services Act meant they had to replace the item as it was faulty. Manager in shop refused, put me on to a (UK based!) “customer services manager” who said it didn’t matter about the Act, they had their own policy…
Will never buy anything from these chancers, especially if there’s a contract involved, meaning I’m stuck with them!
UTV Ireland mobile?
I was involved in some of the market research for this, obviously I’m sworn to secrecy but what they are proposing is very different to what other mobile networks offer, particularly with respect to tariff flexibility. I’ll probably defect from Three.
All so next year upc have joined with 3 Ireland to bring mobile to Ireland
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