Dublin Bus ‘phantom’ services due to driver shortage and software glitches

Ever been waiting at the bus stop only for your bus to completely disappear off the schedule? You're in good company.

Well it turns out there's a logical reason for those phantom or ghost buses. It appears to be a mixture of driver shortages as well as their Real-Time Passenger Information malfunctioning, showing buses that have been cancelled on schedules. According to The Journal,

"DUBLIN BUS WILL apologise for a deterioration in their their Real-Time Passenger Information (RTPI) systems, leading to cancelled buses appearing on apps and street signs in recent months."

This, coupled with their recruitment issues, has made for the increase of "phantom" or "ghost" buses, perhaps becoming more apparent in recent months as students return to school and college. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said this of the issue at the COP27 climate conference:

"Generally bus services, in terms of timeliness, have improved. We have a target to have all buses, energy efficient and electric. I’d like to see that happening sooner than the anticipated target date of 2035. I think we need to bring that forward. And those are practical things we can do."

Hopefully this means there'll be less of those pesky phantom buses - truly there isn't heartbreak like it. Header image via Shutterstock READ ON: Vegan haven YumGrub to launch at D2 Street Food Yard