STA Observations - January to June 2018

[J_Busworth]

I saw B's 2839 on Abbotsford 438 turning right off Parramatta Road into Great North Road at Five Dock around 9pm on Friday. Looked like about 10 or so people onboard.

If that was the case, I would've thought they'd send the 438/39 through the back of Haberfield and Rodd Point, like the 436. Then into the back of Five Dock via First Ave then Fairlight Street. I'm almost certain this diversion has been done before. Also, I only saw this one service on Parramatta Rd, none going in the opposite direction on 438 or 439.

On weekends, Ramsay street is left in, left out in both directions. The buses use the right turn slip at Waratah street travelling city bound as not to miss any stops, but when travelling outbound they go via Parramatta Road. See the offical PDF below.

https://www.westconnex.com.au/sites/def ... reet_1.pdf

[Stu]

If that was the case, I would've thought they'd send the 438/39 through the back of Haberfield and Rodd Point, like the 436. Then into the back of Five Dock via First Ave then Fairlight Street. I'm almost certain this diversion has been done before. Also, I only saw this one service on Parramatta Rd, none going in the opposite direction on 438 or 439.

That diversion was used earlier last year when Ramsey St was closed for 4 x months to dig out the intersection with Wattle St and construct the new bridge.

[Jurassic_Joke]

Just want to point out an interesting observation.

Theres actually enough difference between the recent Scania and Volvo B8 Volgren Optimus recently delivered, to justify them as two different buses, rather than a completely identical interior with a different engine sound (which is essentially STA's Volvo/Scania CB80's and Bustechs).

IMG_2301.jpg (108.8 KiB) Viewed 8687 times

Besides the front seat being different. If we look at the middle of the bus, the seating and window arrangements are different on the Scania - you have this kind of setup instead, where i'm seated is arguably the best seat on the bus, you get quite an unusually large and pleasant view out the window - but the lower seat in-front, theres no window view whatsoever. And then of course, on all the transverse seats on the 'low' floor section of the bus, the idiots at Transport for NSW of course by coincidence (not) chose to put the ad-wrap there. The Volvo version meanwhile has 3 low floor seats on the right hand side of the bus, then one thats semi-low floor (before moving to the high floor section at the back), the last two of which are free from ad-wrap.

[tonyp]

Besides the front seat being different. If we look at the middle of the bus, the seating and window arrangements are different on the Scania - you have this kind of setup instead, where i'm seated is arguably the best seat on the bus, you get quite an unusually large and pleasant view out the window - but the lower seat in-front, theres no window view whatsoever.

I'd have to see exterior and better interior shots to get a clearer picture, but I've never been on an Optimus on any chassis where this seat is below sill level. In fact, the higher internal window sill on the Optimus starts at the fifth passenger window back on the offside and on the one you rode in it seems to start at the fourth back. Very odd.



Edit: Here you can see more clearly the arrangement of the internal window sills relative to the bonded glazing on the offside. Count your windows!

[Swift]

Why does Victoria mimic the TNSW scheme? Australia has become homogenous. Brisbane mimics STA corporate V2. I miss the days when each city did things completely their own way.

[Jurassic_Joke]

Besides the front seat being different. If we look at the middle of the bus, the seating and window arrangements are different on the Scania - you have this kind of setup instead, where i'm seated is arguably the best seat on the bus, you get quite an unusually large and pleasant view out the window - but the lower seat in-front, theres no window view whatsoever.

I'd have to see exterior and better interior shots to get a clearer picture, but I've never been on an Optimus on any chassis where this seat is below sill level. In fact, the higher internal window sill on the Optimus starts at the fifth passenger window back on the offside and on the one you rode in it seems to start at the fourth back. Very odd.



Edit: Here you can see more clearly the arrangement of the internal window sills relative to the bonded glazing on the offside. Count your windows!

Hey Tony, unfortunately I’m about to leave on a month of holiday, the only other photo I can find in my camera roll for now of the seat below the window-sill is attached below. Unfortunately nothing just yet to compare the window layout of the B8/K310UB versions but rest assured they are remarkably different. It is strange and is only present on Scania’s Volgren Optimus, I sat there once for fun and certainly wouldn’t do it again.

The first (red) and second seats in the photo were pretty good options until ad-wrap took over!

5FD69D3A-7EB2-4892-B944-A72A42B26DD9.jpeg (131.74 KiB) Viewed 8288 times

EDIT - attaching another vague interior photo towards the back, although don’t have an exterior pic of the right side of the bus

BDBAF9D8-FABE-49F3-89BA-C8553C05254F.jpeg (98.37 KiB) Viewed 8279 times

[sunnyyan]

Red bendy today on M10 (22XX) with the rearmost Opal validator stuck in an infinite loop playing the low balance sound several times a second. Screen was displaying someone's balance with the 3 o'clock LED turned on. Normally when I see that LED the reader is still operational (maybe lost internet connection?).

[tonyp]

I guess an external offside photo of the Optimus will answer that conundrum of what's happening with the windows there.

[Daniel]

There is just a black panel beneath the window line to give the continuous straight line appearance.

[tonyp]

There is just a black panel beneath the window line to give the continuous straight line appearance.

Yes I know how they do it but that usually starts one window further back. Perhaps it's some quirk in the specifications for this order.

[Linto63]

Why does Victoria mimic the TNSW scheme? Australia has become homogenous. Brisbane mimics STA corporate V2. I miss the days when each city did things completely their own way.

White and greys tend to be the best wearing colours, hence their prominence in liveries. Whilst not the most exciting, just be grateful that it wasn't designed by who ever came up with the very imaginative Busways, Hillsbus or Transdev liveries.

[Swift]

To me it seems they have cheaped out by abandoning elaborate liveries that was important to operators before. The almighty dollar and down time rule the roost above all else.
Yesterday I got on CB80 Scania 2529 to Eastgardens on a 353 still with Willoughby run plate and accreditation. Have M been shedding their CB80 fleet of late? It had a great pronounced third gear whine, something the Bustechs don't have. it sounds like they have a revised Ecolife gearbox without this noise.

[Jurassic_Joke]

To me it seems they have cheaped out by abandoning elaborate liveries that was important to operators before. The almighty dollar and down time rule the roost above all else.
Yesterday I got on CB80 Scania 2529 to Eastgardens on a 353 still with Willoughby run plate and accreditation. Have M been shedding their CB80 fleet of late? It had a great pronounced third gear whine, something the Bustechs don't have. it sounds like they have a revised Ecolife gearbox without this noise.

Yeah I never understood why Randwicks CB80 Scania’s sounds so insipid and watered down (it’s close to a Bustech Scania), whereas the Kingsgrove and Willoughby ones have a very pronounced and satisfying ‘whine’ (as you put it) to them, so they sound very similar to the OC500LE CNG

[moa999]

To me it seems they have cheaped out by abandoning elaborate liveries that was important to operators before. The almighty dollar and down time rule the roost above all else.

Someone else owns the buses these days though.

You must be really impressed with the super elaborate AOAs then.
(Ducks and waits for the bricks to be thrown)

[Swift]

Yeah I never understood why Randwicks CB80 Scania’s sounds so insipid and watered down (it’s close to a Bustech Scania), whereas the Kingsgrove and Willoughby ones have a very pronounced and satisfying ‘whine’ (as you put it) to them, so they sound very similar to the OC500LE CNG

2529's was the most pronounced one I have heard. As well as this noise, the CB80s ride better and the engine is much sweeter and smooth, compared to the VST. VST wins out slightly in body rattles though. I have always surprisingly impressed with the CB80 Scanias from the start. They surpassed my expectations after I had ridden the Volvo B7RLEs.

[PoweredByCNG]

Yesterday I got on CB80 Scania 2529 to Eastgardens on a 353 still with Willoughby run plate and accreditation. Have M been shedding their CB80 fleet of late? It had a great pronounced third gear whine, something the Bustechs don't have. it sounds like they have a revised Ecolife gearbox without this noise.

Only 2552 (IIRC) onwards have ZF EcoLife (model 6 AP 1400 B) gearboxes. All K280s delivered prior to that have ZF Ecomat (model 6 HP 604 C) gearboxes. Scania was one of the last manufacturers to transition to the newer EcoLife product.

The ZF EcoLife gearbox is not just an upgraded Ecomat. It is a different design with a complete set of different gear ratios, helical-cut gears (Ecomat gears were straight-cut and therefore noisier) and a completely new control unit.

[Swift]

We'll that explains alot. I assumed Ecolife was standard from the start. The last Ecomats on these K280s have a great shift quality. That must be down to good settings as well as being a good match to the Scania product. The now vintage L113 series were well mated to the five speed ZF Ecomat. Same could be said for Volvo and Mercedes. It was the unsexy six with the low speed axlef Euro5 B12s and MAN 18.310s that gave my respect for ZF a battering. That makes it's great performance in the K280UB a real revelation, and that straight cut whine in third gear makes a nice melody with the Scania five cylinder.

[Swift]

I got 2530 this arvo on a short trip on 400 today. Had M run plate and presumably accreditation. Didn't look.
Gear whine present.

[Fleet Lists]

Transferred to Randwick last month.

[Frosty]

Randwick depot buses are a bit slow in changing over accreditation 2295 is still carrying Port Botany accreditation & run plate even being transferred in November 2017.

[Richard290]

I’ve noticed in the past weeks since the 6th May changes from my observations, at Parramatta and Terry Road, Eastwood, that some eastbound 545s display the desto ‘MACQUARIE CTR’ instead of the correct ‘MACQUARIE PARK’ desto.
Any reason why this is the case on some buses on route 545?
Can anyone confirm whether it is a software problem of the flipdot/LED display, or is just an error made by some of the drivers?

[boronia]

If anything, it would be a data entry error by the programmer. Nothing to do with the software. Maybe the file has both names in it, and it could be a driver error.

[Xplorer]

Because some buses don’t have the new Macquarie Pk desto for 545

[fm2790.]

Seeing one on a Northern Beaches run would be a source amusement. A 136 for example.

For your information Swift. Route 136 has been getting its fair share oif bendis on this service. Let alone Route E60.

[Xplorer]

136 does get a few bendy runs, especially on weekends
there are also bendy runs on the following routes: 132, 142, 146, 158 (goes onto an E80), 169, plus all the other major corridor routes