Dublin Bus commuters mutinied last night when they staged a sit-in on a bus to protest about "disgraceful delays" in the service
But, today, Dublin Bus said they would have to depend on the goodwill of drivers to provide a temporary solution to the problem for the next "four to five weeks".
The passengers refused to leave the 21A bus at Fleet street in the city centre last night until they were provided with a No.51 bus to take them home.
One of the passengers, Paul Doran, of Booth Road, today explained how the people boarded the bus after waiting more than an hour for the service.
"I arrived at the at 7:50pm.there were others there even longer.We finally got our bus just after 9:10pm."
Mr. Doran said that they had been waiting for the 51 bus when a 21A bus, serving the north of Clondalkin, pulled in to a bus stop in Fleet Street.
"One woman who had been waiting for the 51 got on the 21A and sais she wouldn't get off until a 51 came because she had been waiting too long. I joined her with several other passengers."
"The driver radioed the depot and they finally sent out a 51 bus and didn't even charge us our fares home," he said.
A spokesman for Dublin Bus said the problem had arisen because of absenteeism among conductors. The 51 route was a two-person route and there was a shortage of conductors last night on the route.
He said the drivers had agreed to help people out allowing a one-person bus on the route to bring people home.
The spokeman also said the company had worked out a plan to combat absenteeism and they were at present recruiting more drivers but the the plan would take another four to five weeks to become operational.
In the meantime, if the high level of absenteeism continued, they would be dependant on the goodwill of the drivers to provide driver only buses on the route.
Courtesy of Evening Press archive 10/03/1989
But, today, Dublin Bus said they would have to depend on the goodwill of drivers to provide a temporary solution to the problem for the next "four to five weeks".
The passengers refused to leave the 21A bus at Fleet street in the city centre last night until they were provided with a No.51 bus to take them home.
One of the passengers, Paul Doran, of Booth Road, today explained how the people boarded the bus after waiting more than an hour for the service.
"I arrived at the at 7:50pm.there were others there even longer.We finally got our bus just after 9:10pm."
Mr. Doran said that they had been waiting for the 51 bus when a 21A bus, serving the north of Clondalkin, pulled in to a bus stop in Fleet Street.
"One woman who had been waiting for the 51 got on the 21A and sais she wouldn't get off until a 51 came because she had been waiting too long. I joined her with several other passengers."
"The driver radioed the depot and they finally sent out a 51 bus and didn't even charge us our fares home," he said.
A spokesman for Dublin Bus said the problem had arisen because of absenteeism among conductors. The 51 route was a two-person route and there was a shortage of conductors last night on the route.
He said the drivers had agreed to help people out allowing a one-person bus on the route to bring people home.
The spokeman also said the company had worked out a plan to combat absenteeism and they were at present recruiting more drivers but the the plan would take another four to five weeks to become operational.
In the meantime, if the high level of absenteeism continued, they would be dependant on the goodwill of the drivers to provide driver only buses on the route.
Courtesy of Evening Press archive 10/03/1989
