Unhappily, The Margin was among those Dubliners left stranded by the latest spate of work stoppages by the NBRU.

However, a certain note of satisfaction was gleaned from Aircoach boss John O'Sullivan, who claimed this week that his buses carried an extra 7,000 passengers last weekend.

Though conscious of his "short-term" gain, the ever-circumspect O'Sullivan said it was regrettable that public transport was seen to be unreliable during the strike. The Margin sympathises.