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I 've had several ideas put to me with regards to having staff members of Conyngham Road garage profiled
through either a weekly or monthly profile as distinct from the "profiles" page we have on the website. One of our viewers
has come up with the idea of having several staff profiled as a "day in the life of...". Giving details of when the particular
staff members start to when they finish their day's work. So watch this space for "a day in the life of..." some staff
members very soon.
Our first participant is Inspector Bernie Lyons. Scroll page down as required.
Inspector Bernie Lyons. (Pictured left). Bernie is almost 30 years working with Dublin
Bus (2010). She was employed as a conductor, then driver, and finally was promoted to Inspector in December 1990. Bernie holds
the distinction of being the first female Inspector in Dublin Bus. Bernie had worked from 1990 to 1995 in various
roles as an Inspector before returning to Conyngham Road as a bus controller. The controllers work four different shifts from
6.30 a.m. until 12.15 a.m. ( That's a quarter past midnight to you and me. The late shift would start at 2.30 p.m. So what's
a day in the life of Inspector Bernie like?
Well Bernie's job is to regulate the bus services. She has several different bus routes
to regulate and she works in conjunction with the stance Inspector on duty. ( A stance Inspector is an Inspector who, for
instance, you would see at a city terminus). Her job can be demanding most days because due to the gridlocked traffic in Dublin,
Bernie finds that she is constantly in touch with many drivers trying to ensure that she can regulate the service so as the
schedules can be kept to as is humanly possible.
Since March 2003, Bernie has had the use of a computerised radio facility with works in
unison with the RTPI, ( Real-Time-Passenger-Information). This system is unique to Conyngham Road garage at present. It has
been in use in the garage since 2000 and it is one of Bernie's jobs, having received up to date information from the stance
Inspector, to keep the RTPI updated on a regular basis. However, not everything is computerised and Bernie still uses the
bus schedule sheets to keep tabs on the times that the buses are due either in town or at the outer terminii.
Gerry Kinsella (right) is our CCTV operator. Gerry previews all incidents that occur from Conyngham Road
Depot buses. Gerry has up to 8 cameras on each bus to preview and all accidents and incidents are recorded on CD. In some
cases, An Garda Siochana request copies of some incidents in their investigations, so Gerry has to be 'on the ball' at all
times to ensure that all cameras are operating to the highest standard. With around 100 buses operating from Conyngham Road
Depot, he has to be in work early to start his investigations and to ensure each incident is recorded for legal purposes.
Gerry's work is vital to the company and any vandalism that occurs on the buses is thoroughly investigated and recordings
handed over to management to bring to the Gardai's attention.
Gerry is pictured in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA on a recent Dublin Bus trip in March for the St. Patrick's
Day parade in Charlotte. In fact, all the group from Dublin Bus were the 'Grand Marshalls for the parade, as their presence
in Charlotte was held in such high regard. Every year Gerry travels to the United States in March for the St. Patrick's Day
parades and has been part of the New York parade as guests of the New York Police on several occasions.
| "What machine is giving you trouble?" |
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Ken Flanagan (left) is the "Ticket Man" in Conyngham Road Depot. That is, he looks after
all the ticket validation machines and Wayfarer Ticket issueing machines on all buses in the Depot. Ken's day starts
before 6 a.m. and from the time he arrives in the Depot Ken is checking for any problems that the maintenance department may
have had with ticket machines overnight. Ken ensures that all the buses are kept in service regarding the ticketing equipment
and that repairs needed to machines are done promptly. If Ken doesn't fix the machine himself he has a contractor calling
to his office twice a week to ensure the ticketing equipment is not out of service for long. He has several replacement machines
as spare so as to ensure all buses have the necessary equipment on board and in good working order.
Ken is an intrepid traveller and has visited many countries not normally visited by "tourists".
Earlier on this year Ken travelled to Bhotan, Vietnam and Cambodia. We hope to show some photographs of Ken's travels
in the near future.
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