As Dublin Bus strike talks continue this afternoon, commuters are advised to prepare alternative transportation ahead of another 48-hour bus strike which begins at midnight tonight.
The 400,000 Dublin bus passengers who will be affected by Tuesday and Wednesday’s strike action will be happy to hear that this incessant September rain is scheduled to clear just as buses grind to a halt on Monday evening.
Monday’s heavy rain is forecast to die out by evening, however outbreaks of rain will spread from the west as the night goes on.
Any lingering overnight rain will clear by dawn on Tuesday, just in time for bus users to set off on foot to work.
Temperatures will rise to 18 degrees with dry and sunny intervals throughout the afternoon.
These dry conditions are expected to continue on Wednesday with temperatures reaching 20 degrees, however there will be some rain in northern counties in the afternoon.
Staff at Dublin Bus have staged six days of strikes so far this month as part of a campaign for higher pay. A further 13 days of strikes are scheduled, commencing on Monday evening.
Last week the company warned that if further strikes went ahead as planned the industrial action will have cost Dublin Bus €21 million. Business groups said the stoppages had cost millions.
The latest talks are due to commence at 2pm on Monday, however bus services are also likely to stop by about 9pm in advance of the start of the 48-hour strike at midnight.
Unions are seeking increases of 15 per cent over three years while Dublin Bus has said it can afford no more than the 8.25 per cent recommended by the Labour Court. Unions are also looking for payment of a 6 per cent rise due originally under a national wage deal in 2008.
Meanwhile, Dublin retailers watched as sales plummeted by as much as 60 per cent as the impact of the first Saturday of the Dublin bus strikes hit them hard.
In preparation for this week’s upcoming strikes, we’ve put together a list of alternative options for getting to and from work.
Walk
If you live at distance that can be walked, it might be a good idea to put on your runners and bring an umbrella. Give yourself plenty of time. Met Éireann forecasters predict Tuesday will be mainly dry in the capital with sunny intervals and mild temperatures. Wednesday is also expected to be bright and dry, although it's always a good idea to bring along that umbrella - we do live in Ireland after all. You could also wear an activity tracker to know all the extra steps you have added up for the day.
Cycling
Cycling to work is a popular and quick option. If you are bringing your own bicycle make sure you have somewhere secure to leave it and a strong lock. People can now use their Leap card to avail of the Dublin Bikes rental scheme. New members should go to dublinbikes.ie before they travel. An annual card costs €20 and a three-day ticket €5. The good news is about 235 calories are burned on the average cycle commute, according to latest research by the Cycle to Work Day group.
Driving/carpooling
Remember there will be a lot more people driving and cycling than normal. If you fancy sharing a lift Transport for Ireland has the website www.carsharing.ie you could use. Volumes of traffic are expected to be higher than normal for both days. Gardaí have said motorists will not be allowed to use the bus lanes on days of strike action. During previous strikes, the hashtag #liftfairy on Twitter has been popular.
Taxi
Taxi services have warned they will be very busy around peak travelling times. Hailo has advised its customers to avoid travelling between between 8am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm if possible as the demand will be “sky high”.
Public transport
The Dart, commuter services and Luas will run services as normal, however there will not be extra services on offer. Expect the journeys to be a lot more crowded than usual. A number of Luas stops offer park and ride facilities if you do not want to drive into the city. They normally fill up quite early. www.luas.ie/park-and-ride/
Other buses
Bus Éireann, Aircoach and a number of private bus operators will run services as normal.
A new technology start-up CitySwifter.com is encouraging people to crowdsource their transport. People can enter their journey requests on the website and are matched with fellow passengers to book private buses to get them to and from their place of work.
