The Secret Life Of A Dublin Bus User

at

Dublin Bus New Fleet 1

Friendly to strangers.

Polite.

Frisky.

In a survey of over 4,500 Dublin Bus users.

Questioned last month.

They discovered:

During the early morning commute, over 12% use that time to grab an extra ‘40 winks’. Otherwise 62% of us spend our time on the bus browsing the internet with 67% of sessions lasting between 20 and 60 minutes….

When scanning the faces of other bus passengers, 23% of us have said hello to someone we didn’t know…… and when we did see someone we knew, and didn’t want to talk to them, 21% of us have pretended to be on a phonecall

23% have admitted to having a crush on a fellow bus passenger and even 15% have gotten off at the wrong stop just to chat to somebody who is getting off. Elsewhere 31% of us have missed our stop because we fell asleep!

Nearly 70% (68%) of us remember our bus number from when we were a child and in what seems to be a unique attribute to Dublin, 90% of passengers always say thank you to their driver.

Fight!

Also: Name the new fleet model (top) anyone?

Thanks Nigel Goggin.

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43 thoughts on “The Secret Life Of A Dublin Bus User

  1. ahjayzis

    “… and in what seems to be a unique attribute to Dublin, 90% of passengers always say thank you to their driver.”

    Well you can’t really do that in London as there’s two doors and the exit one is isn’t beside the driver…

    1. Dόn Pídgéόní

      I think its a small city thing – people do it in other small countries as well

          1. classter

            Whatever you like, Dόn. Do we usually disagree?

            I’ve just done a poll with some of my (temporary) London colleagues.
            Most had never even heard of it happening.
            ‘Oh, that happens in Sheffield’, says one.
            ‘I tried that once & everyone looked at me like I had 12 heads’ says an Irish girl.

            All anecdotal, I know. I suppose we’ll just have to wait until social scientists run out of more worthwhile things to measure.

          2. Dόn Pídgéόní

            I was being facetious. Sorry.

            People in London don’t thank the drivers every time they get off, like in Dublin but they will if the driver does something nice, like not take 10 hours to change drivers or actually tell you which bus you should be on rather than simply this isn’t the one you want. I used to thank my driver when I got on but he was the same guy I saw every morning so it seemed polite.

    2. Martin Heavy-Guy

      I’d also add to this by saying that Bus Éireann drivers also always get thanked, up and down the country, so definitely not “a unique attribute to Dublin”. But it’s great all the same.

  2. Mr. T.

    I like how we thank the driver. It’s civilised.

    Scumbag behaviour on buses needs to be stamped out immediately though. Stop the bus and call the cops every single time.

  3. Clampers Outside!

    Thank you to the bus driver is a nationwide thing and not an exclusive, or “unique” thing to Dublin. In fact when I came up here twenty year ago, I remember thinking to myself, ‘oh, they thank the bus driver here too’. I’ve heard it in Cork and Galway as frequently as in Dublin, if not more… just sayin’ like, we all love our bus drivers equally :)

    1. Eliot Rosewater

      It’s not even unique to ireland, either. Any of the places I’ve been to outside ireland where it’s possible to thank the bus driver, it’s done.

    2. jeremy kyle

      Funnily enough I always say thanks and it’s usually the city drivers that don’t acknowledge it. Though admittedly they’d probably go hoarse if they did.

      1. dereviled

        You need to work in a fancy place for a week to see pig ignorance, entitlement and ingratitude.
        The kind of arrogant stupidity you will see in Kildare Village, Powerscourt Townhouse or Café Insane back in the day.
        Chinless pony-fuppers.

  4. Spaghetti Hoop

    There was a missing section on the survey; GET RID OF THE YELLOW, IT’S UGLY!

    1. The Old Boy

      I think it’s better than the previous grey/orange/blue arrangement and the hideous orange in the seventies. A less snot-coloured version of the 80s green would be nice, or go back to navy and custard from the fifties, and bring back open platforms while they’re at it..

      1. Spaghetti Hoop

        Navy & custard gets my vote ;)
        Though it could be seen as pandering to hipsters…..who cycle anyway….so, yeah.

  5. Janet, I ate my avatar

    need a percentage of how many have vomited on the mad corners on the way home.. gestimating 15%

  6. Maria B

    Wish that they would ban girls putting on makeup while on the bus. I shower every morning only to get onto a packed bus there the girl beside me splashes powder all over my fresh clothes. I’ve also had mascara brush and eye shadow fall on me. I’ve now resorted to coughing all over the person who puts their makeup on beside me. Allegries etc :)

    1. Dόn Pídgéόní

      I’m always tempted to wait until they’re finished, look them intently in the face and say “Ah, I wouldn’t have bothered love, hasn’t made a lick of difference”. But I am scared of being beaten to death with those massive hair brushes they carry

      1. The Old Boy

        You would want to ensure there is a clear path to the door and time it immaculately to line up with your stop.

      2. Clampers Outside!

        As you get up to leave, and looking at them, tap your own cheek in a few random spots, as if to say ‘missed a bit’ or ‘blemshed a bit’… then walk off, that’ll sort ’em.

          1. Dόn Pídgéόní

            Oo I’ll start with this!!

            Sometimes, if I am sitting next to a woman putting on makeup, I will deliberately bump her arm at opportune moments. Works best when its a bus and the driver is on his epic last-minute deathwish drive to the depot. It is a fun game.

          2. Dόn Pídgéόní

            You’ve got to be a sneaky f***er to do this right Clampers, imagine you’re an anti-makeup ninja to help you get in the mood! And don’t overdo it, keep it casual

        1. Shanti

          I can’t get my head around that, the bus is an awful place to do your make up..
          Do it before you leave the house and spare us all!

  7. Dee

    In the UK [or at least where I live] it’s common to say “Cheers driver”. I can’t bring myself to changing to this.

  8. Continuity Jay-Z

    I like to say ‘a drink to your health’ and then I take a swig from my bottle of Linden Village be fore exiting the bus.

  9. Debra

    I am Canadian and live in Toronto. Myself and countless others thank the driver every day. I am of Irish decent but don’t attribute this to being Irish. Just being polite.
    Oh, and getting off at the wrong stop just to chat… Fupping Fabulous. That does not happen here. Sad that it doesn’t.

  10. Notions

    It’s pretty common in Manchester, “thank you”, “cheers” and “Ta” all accepted

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