Sir, Last December 27th in Dublin, I had to wait For two hours for a bus at the 42 terminus outside Busaras, in a temperature of minus 5 degrees Celsius. Having lived in Munich For two years, where I experienced a maximum delay of the buses of about 10 minutes, in a heavy snowstorm, this was an unpleasant reminder of the behaviour which is tolerated in my home city.
During my wait, I went to the Connolly DART station and found that the feeder bus 102 was also not running. The reason, I was told with a shrug of the shoulders, was that most of the drivers hadn't turned up for their shifts. Apparently run of the mill what with the festive season.
Here in Graz, a small provincial city, we had a record breaking winter with up to 50 cm of snow a day, and the buses still worked to schedule. I know that the pay of a tram driver in Vienna is about £570 net a month. Living costs there are certainly higher than in Dublin. How does this compare? It seems that bus drivers in other countries take more pride in their work.
Of course, the amount invested in public transport, in Dublin is ridiculous. But I will be far more receptive to the complaints of Owen McCormack and his colleagues when, they fulfil the conditions of their existing contracts.
Yours, etc.,
Karl-Schoenherrgasse 7
A-804,2 Graz,
Austria.