Private Observations - January 2018 to June 2018

[Fleet Lists]

m/o 5094 plates appear duplicated

Operator Shire Bus Service - Heathcote
Fleet Number 15
Registration m/o 5094
Chassis Type Mercedes-Benz O405
Chassis No WDB35700561071746
Body Manufacturer Custom Coaches
Body No 94-43
Body Date 6/94
Seating Codes B51D
Notes ex 7728 MO by 3/18; ex Busways North Coast Pty Ltd, Grafton (256) 7728 MO by 2/18; ex m/o 8758 by 1/15; ex Busways Campbelltown by 10/14.

and

Operator Transdev NSW
Depot Kingsgrove
Registration m/o 5094
Chassis Type Mercedes-Benz O500LE
Chassis No WEB63442021000403
Body Manufacturer Bustech "VST"
Body No 11/008
Body Date 6/11
Seating Codes B47DW
Notes ex (349) by 9/14.
Livery Light blue and white chevrons and dark blue bumpers. A full list of vehicles in this livery can be found here.

The plates have been on the Transdev one for some time with photos in the photo gallery and I took a photo of the Shire one at Cronulla this morning.

Received a phone call today advising that they are trying to sort this out and the rego of the Shire bus should be corrected shortly.

[MLVD]

Not sure if the right thread since I don't usually follow bus discussion on here but saw what appears to be an ex-Northern Territory bus being used as a rail replacement bus. MO 6749.
Picture: https://i.imgur.com/jt0qB55.jpg

[gilberations]

It appears that with no announcement or fanfare, Blue montains Trolley Tours are no more. CDC NSW (Blue Mountains transit) are no longer operating trolley tours in Katoomba/Leura.
Additionally a new arm of CDC NSW has begun operation as CDC Tours with the Jenolan Caves tours as their staple, formerly operated as a part of the Trolley Tours.

So if I’m right, that means no more Trolley Style buses operating in Australia?

[LB608]

if you Look in photo section you will see it mentioned there,maybe 2 weeks ago

[LB608]

the x Northern Territory bus you saw belongs to the Big Bus Company

[Fleet Lists]

It appears that with no announcement or fanfare, Blue montains Trolley Tours are no more. CDC NSW (Blue Mountains transit) are no longer operating trolley tours in Katoomba/Leura.
Additionally a new arm of CDC NSW has begun operation as CDC Tours with the Jenolan Caves tours as their staple, formerly operated as a part of the Trolley Tours.

So if I’m right, that means no more Trolley Style buses operating in Australia?

See http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 42&t=85666 3rd April

[Stonesourscotty]

Can anyone tell me what the small partition between the disabled bay and the seats is for on Penrith latest customs? All I can think of is umbrella storage or where the CCTV is kept as frankly it's too small for anything else

[lunchbox]

Pickles was scheduled to auction at least 10 coaches yesterday, Thursday 26.4.18.
Does anybody know what sort of prices were fetched?

[tonyp]

The front door only will be used on school services and all doors on rail services.

Hmmm - I wonder if a better compromise would have been a front door and one in the trailer then. Allow 4 more seats for school services, but still allow "front entrance, rear exit" for rail.

C

Have just found out that Nowra Coaches would have preferred less doors but was required to choose from the TfNSW standard specifications - which is apparently now three double-leaf doors for artics (TfNSW has at least got something right there). Otherwise they are in for the long haul as school buses only, but may be used for rail substitution if the need arises, much as I originally understood. My daughter still in her last years at school tells me that they're extremely comfortable to ride, even standing up, so the loss of seats, considering the relatively short distances involved, is not an issue. They're often packed with large numbers standing anyway.

The biggest "downside" is that they're so darn quiet, you can't hear the bus coming!

[Frosty]

So no more 1.5 door or 2 door bendy buses, anyways good for the kids health standing considering they spend most their day sitting down.

[tonyp]

So no more 1.5 door or 2 door bendy buses, anyways good for the kids health standing considering they spend most their day sitting down.

NSW has come a long way from its first artics in 1983 that had the dubious distinction of being the only citybus artics in the world to have no door in the rear module (not sure if it was a trailer or pusher in those days?). "Leading from behind" as usual, so to speak!

[gld59]

Those 30 O305G artics had the drive axle in the trailer.
Canberra's first artics had a central drive axle.

gld

[lunchbox]

AUCTIONS
Just for the record, and in answer to my own Apr.27 post, above, the Pickles auction yielded $180K for a 2015 BCI, upwards to $230K - $255K for Volvos etc.....

[stajourneyman]

Whose vehicles were being auctioned?

[lunchbox]

^^^^^^^^^^^^Various owners, one presumes.

[m/o 6234]

Whose vehicles were being auctioned?

Sydney transport group’s Marcopolos and BCI’s.

[Buswas]

10 units in total from Sydney Transport Group

[burrumbus]

Wow,10 of a fleet of 17,built up in a very short time.
Either some financial drama or a contract loss,I'd reckon.

[743]

Busabout will introduce some route changes this Sunday and Monday.

- Route 896 now via Narellan Town Centre and Harrington Park, no longer via Smeaton Grange or Gregory Hills
- New Route 897 replaces Route 896 between Smeaton Grange and Campbelltown

https://busabout.com.au/news.html

[Bjwh86]

I don’t know what happened with Busways today but their Blacktown services ontime running just got thrown out the door.

Bunch of monkeys driving for them today.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[burrumbus]

Thats normally spot on there,Ben.Perhaps some operational issues ??

[tonyp]

Bypassing most of Wollongong's hotels surely would not help the route's prospects of success::

https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/sto ... rport-bus/
Illawarra jetset not sold on airport bus

Glen HumphriesGlen Humphries
Local News
A government trial of an airport bus - run by Premier Illawarra - has been poorly used by travellers. Picture: Adam McLean

Barely 100 people have used a new bus route to get to and from the Illawarra Regional Airport.

In October last year, Transport for NSW introduced the Route 59 bus, which would be trialled until July this year.

The route – run by Premier Illawarra – was timed to align with the flight schedules for JetGo services arriving and leaving the airport.

While the bus also stopped at other locations, including Warrawong Plaza, Stockland Shellharbour and Oak Flats station, a Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the thrust of the trial was to offer public transport linkage to Illawarra Regional Airport flights.

On that measure, the bus has not been a hit with travellers.

“Around 2300 trips have been taken on route 59 between October 2017 and March 2018,” the Transport for NSW spokeswoman said.

“However less than five per cent of these have been either to, or from, Illawarra Regional Airport.”

That means fewer than 115 of those 2300 trips were taken by people looking to get to or from the airport.

The spokeswoman said Transport for NSW would continue to monitor the patronage of the bus until the trial ended on July 1.

She did not state whether the government would scrap the service but it seems likely unless there is a massive improvement in usage figures over the next three months.

If the route 59 bus is scrapped, the spokeswoman said commuters who had been catching it to the other areas serviced can take the route 51 and 53 buses.

The route 59 bus has just six stops, starting at the Novotel Northbeach and ending at the Illawarra Regional Airport.

According to the timetable, the trip from North Wollongong to the airport takes 50 minutes.

[tonyp]

It looks to me that Illawarra shapes up quite well compared to other metro and out metro areas:

https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/sto ... ars/?cs=12
Illawarra fare dodgers cost taxpayer thousands of dollars

Glen HumphriesGlen Humphries
Latest News
Pay up: When it comes to fare evasion on buses, the Illawarra's southern suburbs are the worst in the region. Picture: Adam McLean

Bus riders in the southern suburbs are the worst in the Illawarra when it comes to fare evasion, costing the state thousands of dollars.

According to fare compliance data released this week from Transport for NSW, buses operating from Kiama to Wollongong has the highest percentage of fare evaders.

The November 2017 survey found 93.6 per cent of passengers on these buses were doing the right thing.

This compared to 94.2 per cent for buses running between Wollongong and Thirroul and 96.5 per cent for those from Wollongong to Stanwell Park and Helensburgh.

The survey estimated fare evasion in the southern suburbs cost taxpayers $148,000 in the six months to December 2017.

Wollongong-Thirroul fare evaders accounted for $31,000 in lost revenue, while those travelling between the city and Helensburgh just $4000.

A factor in the high amount of fare evasion in the southern suburbs compared to the north could be the greater number of bus routes south of Wollongong.

Overall the compliance level across buses in all three regions of the Illawarra were among the best in the outer Sydney metropolitan region.

The survey considers fare evasion as those who do not buy a ticket, those who do not tap on at the start of their journey and those travelling on a concession for which they are not eligible.

The eastern suburbs of Sydney are the worst in NSW for bus fare evasion, racking up more than $6 million in lost revenue.

When it comes to rail commuters on the South Coast line, 94.5 per cent are paying the right fare.

However, fare dodgers have caused a shortfall of more than $1 million dollars in the six months to December last year.

That places the South Coast line in sixth place out of the 11 rail lines in NSW when it comes to fare evaders.

The worst rail line for fare dodgers is the T1 rail line, which runs from Parramatta to the salubrious North Shore

Fare evasion on that line cost the government a whopping $6.6 million in just six months.

[ScaniaGrenda]

I've observed that the 179 from Stockland Greenhills to Hanwood Estate North Rothbury at 10:10 AM is no longer serviced by a high floor bus. This was one of the few remaining Hunter valley buses service routes to be serviced by a high floor but is now being served by a low floor instead, for the past week (and this week) a MAN 12.220 CB30 has been doing the run where as previously it was a Mercedes OH1830L SC222 operating it (And before that a Scania K270IB SB400)

Same goes for the 180 that leaves Stockland Greenhills to go to Singleton Heights of a morning at 9:10 AM. That's been replaced with a Mercedes 0405NH CC550, when asked, drivers tell other passengers the high floor buses only come out if the low floors they normally drive are out of service or are being worked on.

I doubt it's to do with accessibility but more so numbers, if the passengers are low why do they need a big bus when a small bus would do the job and the big bus could be saved for a charter or a busier service?

[Bovways]

Same goes for the 180 that leaves Stockland Greenhills to go to Singleton Heights of a morning at 9:10 AM. That's been replaced with a Mercedes 0405NH CC550, when asked, drivers tell other passengers the high floor buses only come out if the low floors they normally drive are out of service or are being worked on.

I doubt it's to do with accessibility but more so numbers, if the passengers are low why do they need a big bus when a small bus would do the job and the big bus could be saved for a charter or a busier service?

It's probably doing a busy trip during the school peak where the extra capacity is needed, then does the 9.10am trip.