Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast

[Reo]

Interstate and Intrastate buses have begun arriving on the Gold Coast to help out with the Commonwealth Games. Does anyone know where all these extra buses will be 'housed' during their stay ?

[Langleys]

Interstate and Intrastate buses have begun arriving on the Gold Coast to help out with the Commonwealth Games. Does anyone know where all these extra buses will be 'housed' during their stay ?

. Ours are at the Yatla depot. Theres a few different depots being used

[Fleet Lists]

For northern NSW Surfside information see https://transportnsw.info/news/2018/get ... rthern-nsw

[Tonymercury]

I understand that a storage area is being established alongside the tram depot - 'the visiting buses are stabled in the Council Depot next door and in carpark. Noticed one from Sunbury, and one from Ford's'

[Linto63]

Given that it will be school holidays in Queensland, and Surfside for one having a large school bus fleet, surprised that the required extra buses couldn't be sourced locally. But then perhaps, the minimum standards required are a little higher than Sydney had in 2000, when pretty anything with a valid registration seemed to pass muster.

[burrumbus]

The company which has the contract for organizing the bus services has very high standards of operation.I think the company is looking for high standard air con,low floors, semi coaches and coaches to work the services.Thats why they have gone further to source the buses.

[tonyp]

I understand that Nowra Coaches acquired a fleet of artics for the games - that's in addition to the Volgren ones they bought for Nowra.

[Reo]

A fleet of Double Deckers would probably be ideal for the task, however I guess that it would have required huge amounts of tree pruning all over the Gold Coast to be able to use them.

[tonyp]

A fleet of Double Deckers would probably be ideal for the task, however I guess that it would have required huge amounts of tree pruning all over the Gold Coast to be able to use them.

Not in terms of moving big crowds over relatively short distances with high turnover. Deckers are far too slow in loading and unloading. You don't need the seating capacity on that sort of job, unless the buses are connecting somewhere distant like Brisbane.

[boronia]

If used on point-to-point services, they would have little need to use kerb-side lanes.

[tonyp]

If used on point-to-point services, they would have little need to use kerb-side lanes.

Kerb-side lanes are usually the fastest to drive on in Australia because of Australians' habit of sticking to the right-most lane!

[krustyklo]

Kerb-side lanes are usually the fastest to drive on in Australia because of Australians' habit of sticking to the right-most lane!

As both a bus user and a car driver, I can attest to this! Since noting how experienced bus drivers often move faster in the left than the right lane, I have used this knowledge when driving my car...

[Merc1107]

Kerb-side lanes are usually the fastest to drive on in Australia because of Australians' habit of sticking to the right-most lane!

As both a bus user and a car driver, I can attest to this! Since noting how experienced bus drivers often move faster in the left than the right lane, I have used this knowledge when driving my car...

Except on freeway bus services here in Perth... Use the left-most lane and you'll be stuck at well below 100km/h (or less than 80, even). Its a sad state of affairs when buses limited to 87km/h can race past vehicles in the rightmost lane!

[boronia]

Kerb-side lanes are usually the fastest to drive on in Australia because of Australians' habit of sticking to the right-most lane!

As both a bus user and a car driver, I can attest to this! Since noting how experienced bus drivers often move faster in the left than the right lane, I have used this knowledge when driving my car...

But the point was that there are less likely to be trees fouling the second lane to impact double deck buses.

[Free Lance]

Using KERB side lane is almost always the best you just have to aware of traffic around you, but as a bus driver that is already a part of the job description

[Tonymercury]

Transport from Northern NSW -
https://transportnsw.info/news/2018/get ... w#homepage

[Fleet Lists]

I posted that nearly a week ago.

[Linto63]

I posted that nearly a week ago.

A bit like when when I peruse a certain monthly industry publication, often I find myself thinking haven't I read this before? Would normally let this go through to the keeper, but seeing our learned friend decided to address me as 'lazybones' for asking a question http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 3#p1020781 on the basis that something had been reported (when it hadn't), thought I should return serve. 15 all Tony.

[Tonymercury]

Tut, Tut, still upset?

[tonyp]

As long as, either way, the board upholds a motto of "you heard it first on ATDB"!

[tonyp]

http://www.news.com.au/sport/commonweal ... f4a1b880b5

I thought buses are "flexible" and can go around each other in a blockage? Well this is the argument we always got from the bus advocates in their various anti-tram campaigns!

[1of55]

Buses are MUCH more flexible than trams or trains. When the trams or trains are not running, due to ‘maintenance issues’, guess what, we rely on BUSES to transport people, who would otherwise have to use their cars or stay home. Fortunately we ( in Queensland) have a reliable back up of bus operators and drivers prepared to offer public transport, often at very shot notice.

[krustyklo]

I thought buses are "flexible" and can go around each other in a blockage? Well this is the argument we always got from the bus advocates in their various anti-tram campaigns!

Given the article itself stated that buses were able to be moved from one loading point (Surfers Paradise) to a much busier one (Broadbeach South) "within minutes"of identifying the need, this surely would be a counter point that buses are indeed flexible? If a similar problem occurred in Melbourne where more crowds showed up than expected for one route to the Grand Prix (for example), how trivial would it be to move trams from one route to another, say even just from Spencer St to Swanston St?

[tonyp]

My comment was tongue in cheek! The point of difference between the various modes is capacity. In that regard the Australian articulated bus fleet is never large enough.

[tonyp]

Doesn't sound like they're doing the capacity bit very well, or is it a combination of that and poor organisation?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-05/c ... es/9620934

https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/qld/co ... 8d786ba7ae