DUBLIN BUS DRIVERS are resorting to urinating in bottles due to the lack of access to toilet facilities, particularly on longer routes across the service.

A source within the National Bus and Rail Union told TheJournal.ie that the company has started to “crack the whip” with drivers who request a toilet break.

They said drivers have to ask permission to stop in at a local depot if nature calls, but that their supervisors have now started writing up reports about the disruption to the service if they do this.

“One driver said he was questioned by a manager over a number of these reports.”

All of the depots have toilet facilities, but it becomes an issue for drivers on longer routes from one side of the city to the other, particularly if they terminate at one end in a housing estate or another location without facilities.

“What’s happening in some places is that drivers are urinating in bottles. We’ve had complaints from people in housing estates saying they don’t want their kids looking out the window and seeing the driver urinating at the bus,” the source explained.

“From the female perspective, it’s even worse. If they have the time of the month and they have to drive, for example, from Rathfarnham all the way over to the northside in one go, there’s nothing at either end. That could be over two and a half hours.”

The NBRU is asking the company to provide proper toilet facilities at terminuses and is requesting that drivers be allowed to use toilets at depots without being reported or questioned about it.

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“They should have access to basic facilities,” the union source said.

Dublin Bus said: “It is not possible to provide our own toilet facilities at termini across the city due to our extensive route network. However, drivers are advised to use the toilet facilities of local amenities.”