Luas Fares To Increase On Jan 1 2012

[Mark Gleeson]

The cost running after 12:30 exceeds the fare box takings, so no service. I wouldn't personally travel on the red line at 2am, its scary enough at 10pm. Veoila have a contract which does not require service after 12:30 but allows they the option to run later if they wish.

If we lived in a proper country the state would subsidize the service, subsidy in Ireland is among the lowest in Europe so you can't get the world class service unless you are willing to pay. Luas gets ZERO revenue support, Dublin Bus gets the lowest subsidy of any capital city in Europe.

Given the nature of Dublin a bus service is the best option to provide a late night service, its cheap, its flexible and it has sufficient capacity to meet demand

[on the move]

Nitelink flat fares are 5 Euro, Night-Luas flat fares are 4 Euro. Whether the Nitelink fares will increase in line with the day fares is a question for another time.

I travel on the nitelink at weekends and have done since Spring this year. Incidents of any kind have been extremely rare. I have travelled on the Red Line Night Luas before in previous years, and tbh it's as comfortable as any other time. There have been no incidents on any tram I've been on, despite high passenger usage. Zero.

Luas doesn't get subsidies because it is the only public transport network in Dublin to be run by a private company. Dublin City is very very busy on weekend nights, there is a market and demand there if Luas wishes to use it. Dublin Bus however cleans up most of that revenue. The Luas should get involved, as high speed transport networks do in most cities across Europe, even more so at this time of the year. If you make facilities available, people will use them. The Customer is always King, and you run a business to suit the customers needs, not your own.

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by on the move

Dublin Bus however cleans up most of that revenue.

I've been on Nitelinks with 6 passengers, where the driver has said he'd drop me to my door if I was the last one on.

The reality is tens of thousands of taxis has spread the available income too thin.

[on the move]

That may be true, but if people are reliant on one bus available every hour-90 minutes, people will use alternative means to get home. You must also remember that nitelinks are only available in the city centre, with very few pickup points en route.

There is currently no alternative to using the bus, except by taxi. That is fundamentally wrong.

[Eddie]

Originally Posted by on the move

That may be true, but if people are reliant on one bus available every hour-90 minutes, people will use alternative means to get home. You must also remember that nitelinks are only available in the city centre, with very few pickup points en route.

I've never understood why:
- you would not alow pick up / drop off at all stops
- you would not allow a nite-link bus going back into town for round 2 to pick up passengers
- 45 minute (and other strange) frequencies on certain daytime buses

and I have never anywhere seen as many "Sorry - I'm not in service" buses as on the N11. I'd go as far to say as they seem to easily outnumber the in-service buses at certain times of day.