tonyp wrote:

Cremorne wrote:There is VERY low head room on the top deck - anyone over 5'3 (1.6 m) can easily touch the ceiling and anyone slighter taller has to stoop.

Ahh, so that's how they deal with the centre-of-gravity issue!

gld59 wrote: You'd need to squash the lower deck to do that properly, though.

gld

tonyp wrote: Re the driver checking upstairs, don't the buses have CCTV (the modern equivalent of the Atlantean's periscope!).

tonyp wrote: I always felt that in principle the Atlanteans could have been low floor on the lower deck with that rear engine. I'm sure there wouldn't have been that many mechanical bits underneath to relocate. But I guess back then nobody was yet thinking that way and portal axles perhaps weren't invented.

Swift wrote:The other is the Custom Coaches Mercedes 0405s that many Sydney private operators ordered with narrow entry and higher stairs than needed.

Qantas94Heavy wrote:Are Neutral Bay and Spit Junction outbound now pick up only? Marshals were telling people at Wynyard (PM peak) to use other buses for Neutral Bay and Spit Junction instead of the B1.

I don't recall this being in any of the documents or notices, but they probably realised that wasn't such a good idea.

Artwork on B-Line buses slammed for ‘reinforcing gender stereotypes’
Sarah Swain, Manly Daily
November 29, 2017 12:00am

ARTWORK on the side of new B-Line buses has been criticised for showing a woman pushing a pram while a man is depicted with a briefcase.

Female community leaders have called the blue designs on the new yellow, double-decker vehicles “lazy” and “short-sighted” after a mother ignited a Facebook debate saying they reinforced gender stereotypes.


A Facebook post that sparked the debate.
The mother had initially posted on Northern Beaches Mums page, saying: “Not including all the timetable changes that sound completely nuts, is anyone else seriously disappointed in the pictures on the B-line buses?

“A woman pushing a pram, a man in a suit with a briefcase ... talk about reinforcing gender stereotypes.

“What message does that send to our kids? Women stay home with kids and men go out to earn the cash? What a shame!”


One of the new B-Line buses in action during peak hour on Monday.
There is also an image of a male surfer and a male and a female jogging together, alongside waves and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Some mums agreed.

One wrote: “If people see this and see no problem then they, without malice or intent, are part of the problem of gender stereotypes which hurt us all, not just women, but men, too.

“It’s a typical short-sighted design that really signifies there is a lot to work to do to get equity and equality in our society.”

Others said it was “oversensitive nonsense” and “insignificant” and comments were later turned off.


Northern Beaches Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham Picture: Damian Shaw
The mother, who did not want to be named, said she feared the new buses, which were launched this week from Mona Vale to the city, sent the wrong message to children.

While the mum’s comment was met with a fierce Facebook debate, female community leaders said they were disappointed, too.

Northern Beaches Deputy Mayor Candy Bingham said the design was “out of date”.

Cr Bingham said “sometimes we go too far with this nonsense” and later added: “The images certainly aren’t typical of the northern beaches where both men and women do share all work and play activities.”


Northern Beaches councillor Sue Heins. Picture: Adam Yip

Manly MP James Griffin. Picture: Adam Yip
Cr Sue Heins, who set up business group Inspiring Women, called the artwork “lazy.”

“My thoughts immediately are wow, this is the lazy person’s way out, going for standard stock images, of what appears to be the normal family, normal person which is so not characteristic any more of the diverse cultures we live in,” she said.

“I just think it’s pure laziness.

“It’s an opportunity to connect with the community. The fact it’s even coming up on a Facebook group is yet again they’ve really missed the mark on who actually lives in Sydney.”

Manly state MP James Griffin’s office refused to comment on the debate.


B-Line Bus service
A Transport for NSW spokesman, said: “The livery on the new B-Line buses reflects just a small sample of our customers.

“We know that the northern beaches B-Line will be used by a lot of different people, including workers on their daily commute, visitors seeking to enjoy the local beaches and residents who will catch a B-Line to get around town.”

The buses, which run from Mona Vale to the city, were built in Germany and assembled in Malaysia

Tim Williams wrote:Just replying to some earlier comments from "Cremorne" re. the low top deck interior height.

A couple of years ago (or so it seems) I went to BusNSW Bus Show at Olympic Park and first of all went upstairs in the old London RT - the ceiling height on that bus (which is similar to the RM) is a little over 5ft 8 ins which is approximately 1.737 mtrs. The overall height of the post war RT's was either 14ft 3.5ins or 14ft 4ins, depending on what you read and with the comparatively high chassis height the lower low deck had an near enough 6ft interior height.

The Bustech CDI, MAN A95 and the BCI Decker all seemed taller in both decks and these bus achieve this with a lower overall height, thanks to low floor chassis. The production MAN's for TfNSW were going to be built a little taller than the show prototype, according to MAN personnel and the top deck on the prototype was still certainly better than the RT.

I would have regulations would not allow a ceiling height on such buses much below 1.8mtrs = nearly 5 ft 11 ins - so, whilst I have not seen these production B Line buses, your comments do seem questionable.
I was in Singapore a few weeks ago and their MAN A95/Gemilangs are built to the full 4.4 mtrs = good ceiling heights in both decks. A guess the Sydney buses would be 4.3mtrs (same as CDI's) - but all these modern deckers have very good lower deck ceiling height, thanks to the low floor chassis.

GazzaOak wrote:
I say bring into Newport ASAP...

Qantas94Heavy wrote:Are Neutral Bay and Spit Junction outbound now pick up only? Marshals were telling people at Wynyard (PM peak) to use other buses for Neutral Bay and Spit Junction instead of the B1.

GazzaOak wrote:Yarn.... who cares, they are just noise that should be shut down by force....

the government should just ignore them... if anyone pander to their demands, y open up an can of worms for these guys

Mercedes3035 wrote:So this service has been up and running for the last four days and people are wanting the bus livery changed because it "reinforces gender stereotypes".

pgt wrote: I am curious as to whether there will be a second B-Line bus (B2, anybody?) and if so, where would it run - but that's for a different thread.

Swift wrote:The govvie ones clearly had a lower internal floor and wide entry and exit compared to the privates that came a bit later with "conservative" internal layouts that didn't make the most of this low slung, rear engine chassis.

Mercedes3035 wrote:So this service has been up and running for the last four days and people are wanting the bus livery changed because it "reinforces gender stereotypes".

Linto63 wrote:

Swift wrote:The govvie ones clearly had a lower internal floor and wide entry and exit compared to the privates that came a bit later with "conservative" internal layouts that didn't make the most of this low slung, rear engine chassis.

STA O405s only seated 43 vs 51 for a 2 door Customs bodied Busways example, so there was a trade off.