translink price hike

screwedagain

I spent 6 years in my last job commuting in and out of Belfast city centre from East Belfast on the metro.

In that time I came across:

1. a spide assaulting the driver,
2. someone who was standing at the front waiting for the next stop on a typically packed 4a being thrown forward into the windscreen, knocked out with their head split open and needing an ambulance called after the bus braked very suddenly
3. a window on the bus being smashed when the driver mistakenly thought he could squeeze down the inside lane of the Albertbridge road beside some sort of HGV with a folded crane/jib on the back, which agonisingly scraped down said window before inevitable shattering it
4. someone fainting for no apparent reason other than the fact they had been standing the whole time whilst the bus had somehow taken 50 minutes to get from Holywood arches to the Queen's Bridge during the morning rush hour
5. a very drunk guy upstairs on the 4a one morning entertaining everyone with his 'singing', whilst the older schoolkids on board egged him on saying he should go on xfactor etc.
6. Someone being thrown off their seat complete with bags of shopping when the driver took the bend round onto the end of Oxford St. far too quickly.
7. Without doubt some of the most horrifically smelly people I've ever seen (or smelt)
8. A woman bus driver giving a teenage lad the bollocking of his life infront of everyone for being cheeky to her as he got on the bus
9. Someone whose head was very close to being obliterated by a 4a wing mirror as they stood at the side of the road at the pedestrian lights on Oxford st. infront of the Courts. The people behind him grabbed him out of the way just in time.

I could go on and on!

I guess I've forgotten what point I was trying to make with all this, but basically am I glad that I don't have to tolerate any of the above any more now that I drive to work in my own car.

Also, I think there needs to be serious restructuring of the metro buses into town from the east, as it can take a horrendously long time to get anywhere. There always seemed to be far too many stops along the upper n'ards road for one. I also think it's incredibly anal of the 4a drivers to stop letting people on at city hall after they pull away from the kerb and proceed to sit at a red traffic light beside the stop for what seems like ages.

Old_Git

I travel to Belfast by train once or twice a week including weekends and always of peak .
The ilink card price is £15 per day ,the return journey (paying cash ) is £6.40 and £6 on Sunday before increase so buying an ilink card will cost me more and thats before the fares increase .

seatzie

the bus lanes in the East of the city are a joke too, that one at Civil Service for what? 100 yards? do you ever see a bus in it when you're heading home? I actually more often see police sitting at the end of it catching those who drive in it than I see a bus in it when I drive past it, waste of time that is!

BigAndy_79

screwedagain wrote: »

I spent 6 years in my last job commuting in and out of Belfast city centre from East Belfast on the metro.

In that time I came across:

1. a spide assaulting the driver,
2. someone who was standing at the front waiting for the next stop on a typically packed 4a being thrown forward into the windscreen, knocked out with their head split open and needing an ambulance called after the bus braked very suddenly
3. a window on the bus being smashed when the driver mistakenly thought he could squeeze down the inside lane of the Albertbridge road beside some sort of HGV with a folded crane/jib on the back, which agonisingly scraped down said window before inevitable shattering it
4. someone fainting for no apparent reason other than the fact they had been standing the whole time whilst the bus had somehow taken 50 minutes to get from Holywood arches to the Queen's Bridge during the morning rush hour
5. a very drunk guy upstairs on the 4a one morning entertaining everyone with his 'singing', whilst the older schoolkids on board egged him on saying he should go on xfactor etc.
6. Someone being thrown off their seat complete with bags of shopping when the driver took the bend round onto the end of Oxford St. far too quickly.
7. Without doubt some of the most horrifically smelly people I've ever seen (or smelt)
8. A woman bus driver giving a teenage lad the bollocking of his life infront of everyone for being cheeky to her as he got on the bus
9. Someone whose head was very close to being obliterated by a 4a wing mirror as they stood at the side of the road at the pedestrian lights on Oxford st. infront of the Courts. The people behind him grabbed him out of the way just in time.

I could go on and on!

I guess I've forgotten what point I was trying to make with all this, but basically am I glad that I don't have to tolerate any of the above any more now that I drive to work in my own car.

Also, I think there needs to be serious restructuring of the metro buses into town from the east, as it can take a horrendously long time to get anywhere. There always seemed to be far too many stops along the upper n'ards road for one. I also think it's incredibly anal of the 4a drivers to stop letting people on at city hall after they pull away from the kerb and proceed to sit at a red traffic light beside the stop for what seems like ages.

Excellent post ! Thanks very much for taking the time to write that as it was most interesting ! :beer:

cooki2222

drew2k9 wrote: »

it would only help someone "buying journeys in bulk" which i personally wouldn't be doing, as i know i will be using the car about 95% of the time, it just annoys me that they provide an awful excuse for a service and are now charging more for something which is getting progressively worse!

if anyone else has ever tried to get a 5a at peak times they will know what i mean!!

you can buy between 5 - 40 journeys at any time if i recall correctly plus the journeys are valid for up to a year from date of purchase and when you top up the remaining journeys are valid until a year later again.

I save so much money using the mj card! costs me £1.35 a journey instead of £1.90(£2 on monday!!!) usually top it up with 20 journeys a month as i drive 2/3 times a week (£2 parking )

BigAndy_79

avoniel wrote: »

Found this while surfing Translink site.


Seems on Friday you can buy 5 journey smartlink card for only £4 working out at only 80p per journey, half the price of cash fare.

I will try it on Friday.

Sorry wont let me post a link but go to translink and lok for Metrofridays.

Can you only buy this on a Friday, or only this Friday, or what's the story >?

avoniel

sEEMS TO BE EVERY fRIDAY

drew2k9

also discovered today i can get a monthly or quarterly ticket for my carpark saving me another £120 a year if o go for it! so i may well do! that then puts my total spend per day down to around £2.52 for carparking and diesel, which beats the metros card by £46ish a year, so i still would cost myself more to go metro on the awful unreliable useless overpriced "service".

hbloomers

screwedagain wrote: »

I spent 6 years in my last job commuting in and out of Belfast city centre from East Belfast on the metro.

In that time I came across:

1. a spide assaulting the driver,
2. someone who was standing at the front waiting for the next stop on a typically packed 4a being thrown forward into the windscreen, knocked out with their head split open and needing an ambulance called after the bus braked very suddenly
3. a window on the bus being smashed when the driver mistakenly thought he could squeeze down the inside lane of the Albertbridge road beside some sort of HGV with a folded crane/jib on the back, which agonisingly scraped down said window before inevitable shattering it
4. someone fainting for no apparent reason other than the fact they had been standing the whole time whilst the bus had somehow taken 50 minutes to get from Holywood arches to the Queen's Bridge during the morning rush hour
5. a very drunk guy upstairs on the 4a one morning entertaining everyone with his 'singing', whilst the older schoolkids on board egged him on saying he should go on xfactor etc.
6. Someone being thrown off their seat complete with bags of shopping when the driver took the bend round onto the end of Oxford St. far too quickly.
7. Without doubt some of the most horrifically smelly people I've ever seen (or smelt)
8. A woman bus driver giving a teenage lad the bollocking of his life infront of everyone for being cheeky to her as he got on the bus
9. Someone whose head was very close to being obliterated by a 4a wing mirror as they stood at the side of the road at the pedestrian lights on Oxford st. infront of the Courts. The people behind him grabbed him out of the way just in time.

I could go on and on!

I guess I've forgotten what point I was trying to make with all this, but basically am I glad that I don't have to tolerate any of the above any more now that I drive to work in my own car.

Also, I think there needs to be serious restructuring of the metro buses into town from the east, as it can take a horrendously long time to get anywhere. There always seemed to be far too many stops along the upper n'ards road for one. I also think it's incredibly anal of the 4a drivers to stop letting people on at city hall after they pull away from the kerb and proceed to sit at a red traffic light beside the stop for what seems like ages.

That's crazy!

I saw one of the station attendants in Botanic get jumped by a drunk chav on Monday night. Bear spilled all over the place, all the signs knocked over. When I arrived they were grappling on the floor. Couldn't believe it.

I'm not impressed with the price hikes. Travelling from Lurgan to Botanic is already expensive enough (£6.40 return after 9.30am). For example, Moira to Lisburn on the train takes approx. 13 minutes, and costs £3.70ish if bought after 9.30am. A journey I used to take in England (Selly Oak- Birmingham New Street) was around the same journey time and the fare was £1.80 return off-peak. Not impressed Translink.

BigAndy_79

I think the inflation probs coincides with those idiots wrecking their trains and buses every Twelfth fortnight. Anyone remember during Drumcree ? They were hijacking buses and burning them out, and attacking trains, too.