The joy of Dublin Bus (reprise)

August 18th - Mongo like trains

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. There are times when living in Dublin city can be a hoot. Like yesterday when I was making my way home across the city and some mong ran his truck (or car they weren't very clear) into a bridge somewhere and my train stopped at Landsdowne Road for twenty minutes before anyone saw fit to tell us that the train wouldn't be moving for another thirty minutes. I walked for fourty minutes to Abbey street and got home about two hours later than normal. That said, I can't hold CIE (who run the trains in Dublin) responsible for the actions of idiots driving into railway bridges.

Mongo don't like driving de bus

On the other hand, I can hold CIE and their subsidiary Dublin Bus responsible for what happened this morning. I take the Dart train across the city and get out at Dun Laoghaire. From there I jump on a 46A and bail out at Baker�s Corner in Deansgrange. I generally get to the office at about 8.55am. And, if I�m honest, the bus service is pretty good out of there � there�s a bus every five to ten minutes and the drivers are usually quite sharpish about making their way through traffic.

This morning, as usual I was standing at the 46A bus stop. There were about four or five other people there. The same faces that I see most mornings. I was listening to some music and keeping an eye out for the bus � you have to be keen-eyed as these guys will pull away into traffic if you don�t get to their door quick enough.

So, to set the scene: there�s a bus parked at the stop where I and the other five commuters are standing. It�s stationary. No number. No driver in it. Door closed. There are about four or five other buses parked behind it � it�s a busy place with buses and trains arriving every few minutes.

Mongo dodges traffic

I look up from my mp3 player to see that there is a 46A standing in traffic beside me. The guy has pulled out into traffic and is sitting waiting for the lights to change. No-one standing at the stop has seen him. I look back at the other passengers to see if they�ve noticed. Two or three have and look seriously annoyed. I decide to walk over to the about-to-move bus and knock on the door. The driver looks out at me like I�ve just dragged my scrotum down the door�s glass. He opens the doors and yells, asking me what I want. I ask is this the 46A. He throws his newspaper down and tells me that I should have been standing at the stop. I tell him I was. And so were the other four people there. He yells that he signalled for us. I tell him I heard nor saw nothing. A guy with red hair and a beard (who has also walked through traffic to the door) says the same thing. He looks as pissed off as I am.

Mongo don't like 'pack of assholes'

This goes on and on and on with him getting increasingly more agitated and abusive. He eventually roars after the two of us as we take our seats that we are a 'pack of assholes'. I'm not entirely sure if he was talking to me and the red-haired guy (who is now laughing) or all passengers in general. Between the roars of the engine and the string of barely-audible obscenities I can't figure out what he's talking about now. I suggest to the driver (as calmly as I can) that maybe he should consider getting a job that he likes. He doesn't seem to like the suggestion and hurls more abuse over his shoulder. The other passenger were left standing at the stop and, I can only assume, were late for work.

I took the bus ID number (it's above the driver's seat in case you want to take note of one) and called Dublin Bus. Got a machine. Left a message. And then, in what must be the most shocking development of all, they rang me back. About 35 minutes later. I told the chap the story and gave him the bus number. He apologised and said that that was no way for the public to be spoken to. Which was nice. They said they would chase the incident up and get back to me today.

Update - 23rd August

Well, smack my skinny ass and call me Nutsy. Dublin Bus rang back to tell me that they had 'dealt with' the incident. Fearing for a moment that they had taken the guy out back and smacked him around with a plank of wood, I asked exactly what that meant. Apparently, he was sat down by his boss and told that his behaviour 'wasn't on'. The guy on the phone actually seemed more concerned by the fact that the driver had left passengers sitting at the stop, rather than the language used. Which is understandable. And fair enough.

Well now. An employee of Dublin Bus who spoke to me in a calm, level-headed and professional manner. Dear God.