STA Observations - January to June 2018

[tonyp]

STA must think it's going to be around for a while if the seat fabric is imprinted all over with "STA". Some future private operator is going to have to do a lot of blanking out with a texta!

N series would be nice, to get rid of that darn high-floor at the back. The headroom as you get anywhere nearer the back is not conducive to standing, which limits the capacity.

[Tonymercury]

Was that first photo with the two wheelchairs some sort of demonstration?

Apart from the chairs facing the wrong way, the setup is pretty dangerous for the occupants!

[tonyp]

Was that first photo with the two wheelchairs some sort of demonstration?

Apart from the chairs facing the wrong way, the setup is pretty dangerous for the occupants!

it was a publicity display for a new delivery for a rural service. You don't expect a bus manufacturer to actually research any details about the practical and safe conveyance of wheelchairs do you?

[Nugget]

Noticed a cunning ploy where the bus changes to set down only, no passengers. The route number disappears!!! So if you're waiting for that bus you have no idea that the bus just skipped you. It was the 343 at Central Station at 21.02 last night. It was running 6 minutes late and was full but thought it was interesting that you could not tell the route that had just gone set down only.

[Ray]

That is a pet hate of mine too - how are you supposed to know what you've just missed if no route number is displayed.

Also I think the "not in service" desto should be revert to 000 Not in Service, for the benefit of people who can't read English.

(Cue remarks that "people don't read desto signs anyway..." - yes, yes, get it out of your system)

[jpp42]

If the bus is set down only, how is that relevant to you if you're waiting at the stop? You can't board it, it wouldn't be on the timetable, it might as well not be there. Not showing the route number seems appropriate to me.

[Ray]

The original post was more about the situation where the driver is operating an all stops service which is loaded to capacity. Some drivers opt to change the display to "SET DOWN ONLY" while they zoom past intending passengers.

On some occasions, this may have been authorised by radio room but I suspect a lot of the time they do it off their own bat.

In my view, a full bus is self-explanatory and doesn't require a change of desto sign. The only thing that is achieved is that those left behind are unsure whether they have actually missed their bus and therefore can't make alternative arrangements if the service is infrequent.

[Jurassic_Joke]

For anyone curious, here's what lies beneath the grey plates covering up where the old green Prodata machines used to be, as I saw a bit earlier

IMG_1559.jpg (111.79 KiB) Viewed 3881 times

[Stu]

The original post was more about the situation where the driver is operating an all stops service which is loaded to capacity. Some drivers opt to change the display to "SET DOWN ONLY" while they zoom past intending passengers.

On some occasions, this may have been authorised by radio room but I suspect a lot of the time they do it off their own bat.

In my view, a full bus is self-explanatory and doesn't require a change of desto sign. The only thing that is achieved is that those left behind are unsure whether they have actually missed their bus and therefore can't make alternative arrangements if the service is infrequent.

^ 'Self explanatory' is not very evident in Sydney, it wouldn't matter what the the bus is displaying or if the bus was obviously packed full from front to back, many people seem to think that they have a divine right to board the bus because they have been waiting a long time for this particular service. Others either cannot read or can read and don't observe the situation in front of them.

I've witnessed on numerous occasions when the bus is full yet people continue to board and all eventually come to a stand still, people in the front door area stretch their necks around to see that the bus is full and that is why no one is moving and yet these very people in the front door area just stay still until the driver has to advise them that their is no more room and they have to leave the bus. Meanwhile people on the footpath are queuing behind to board the bus (with no room) all whilst other buses pull up and depart behind the bus that is too full and not moving. Another type of behaviour or passenger theory is that when a group of buses arrive at a large & busy bus stop, the one in front will always depart first. Broadway is a good example. Even when the bus in front is more than 1/2 full, large numbers of people will flock to the front instead of dispersing themselves towards the buses at the back which are travelling to the same destination. Once again, the bus at the front becomes too full and the other buses behind all depart with plenty of empty seats.

[boronia]

That is a pet hate of mine too - how are you supposed to know what you've just missed if no route number is displayed.

Also I think the "not in service" desto should be revert to 000 Not in Service, for the benefit of people who can't read English.

(Cue remarks that "people don't read desto signs anyway..." - yes, yes, get it out of your system)

Don't some of the M routes have a display that say "BUS FULL" with the route number showing? Pity it isn't/can't be done for all routes.

No visible numbers does make it easier to see from a distance that the bus is not picking up.

[boronia]

Another problem at busy stops is "leap-frogging". Many times I have seen a crowded bus pull up at a crowded stop, with another almost empty bus on the same route right behind. The second driver decides he doesn't need to stop because the first driver can handle it. But inevitably pax at the stop will end up getting rejected, while an empty bus drives past, and they are left to wait for the next service.

At least nowadays with the apps, I can see if another bus is close behind, and choose to wait a couple of extra minutes to get a seat.

[boeing]

That is a pet hate of mine too - how are you supposed to know what you've just missed if no route number is displayed.

Also I think the "not in service" desto should be revert to 000 Not in Service, for the benefit of people who can't read English.

(Cue remarks that "people don't read desto signs anyway..." - yes, yes, get it out of your system)

Well, if you have set down only displayed with the route number, you can bet people will try and board when you stop to set down only!
Then, you have the same problem being stuck at the stop sorting it out. And arguments about how many got off...

[boronia]

Travelling in a P Bustech on a 392 this afternoon, there was some sort of "safety message" about standing, broadcast over the internal PA system. Started off with chimes; sounded more like the driver talking than a pre-recorded announcement. I was listening to music at the time, so didn't get the full drift of it.

[Jurassic_Joke]

2921 Volvo B8RLE Volgren Optimus from Ryde has also entered service

6884579A-78C2-4A5C-ABBC-2E87B76F19EF.jpeg (107.63 KiB) Viewed 3791 times

[Nugget]

Well, if you have set down only displayed with the route number, you can bet people will try and board when you stop to set down only!
Then, you have the same problem being stuck at the stop sorting it out. And arguments about how many got off...

Actually that is sometimes worse as I have seen folks cram on and ask if this is so and so even with set-down only.

My preference would be to have the bus full set down only and also the route number instead of having this dot matrix bus stop that they use.

[AccordV6L]

Travelling in a P Bustech on a 392 this afternoon, there was some sort of "safety message" about standing, broadcast over the internal PA system. Started off with chimes; sounded more like the driver talking than a pre-recorded announcement. I was listening to music at the time, so didn't get the full drift of it.

I haven't read anything on these forums about these messages (surprisingly), and to my knowledge there was no indication that these safety messages being rolled out.


I heard the exact same messages on a R CB80 back about two months ago. It started of with the Cityrail chime, and a male voice. I thought someone was playing a joke and using DVA 5 program. I forgot all about this until I heard it on a L Bustech several weeks later, then again on a L CB60.

One message is something to do with being careful during rainy days, and another one is about alighting the bus.

[Frosty]

^All these idea of safety announcements reminds of when Transport for London decided introduce a new announcement of "Please hold on while the bus is moving".

[Swift]

^All these idea of safety announcements reminds of when Transport for London decided introduce a new announcement of "Please hold on while the bus is moving".

You seem to be implying that is an unnecessary message. Many standees don't think to hold on when they decide to stand up in a moving bus. Passenger stupidity knows no limits.

[swtt]

Was at Epping this evening at around 6 pm. Almost 100 people waiting for a 546/549.

Aside from the fact that one of the 549s that pulled up was 23 min late according to the real time apps, the new TTs to take effect on 6/5 still only has the 549 running at 10/20 min intervals during the highest peak, and 546 at a dismal 30-45 min frequency between 1700-1900.

[Richard290]

Was at Epping this evening at around 6 pm. Almost 100 people waiting for a 546/549.

Aside from the fact that one of the 549s that pulled up was 23 min late according to the real time apps, the new TTs to take effect on 6/5 still only has the 549 running at 10/20 min intervals during the highest peak, and 546 at a dismal 30-45 min frequency between 1700-1900.

I'm not surprised by what you saw today. I am a regular rider of either routes 546 and 549 from Epping to my home in Carlingford and have noticed that even in the early afternoon, between 3 and 4 pm, overcrowding with hordes of about 20-30 schoolchildren boarding the bus along with 20 other passengers, causing minor delays to departure times at Epping Station.

It has become common knowledge for residents of Carlingford that catching a train from the City to Epping and taking a M54/546/549 (and the odd 630) home rather than taking the Western Line to Clyde and changing for a pathetically infrequent Carlingford Line service. Some people who live near Murray Farm Public School in the northern part of Carlingford also have the M2 - Oakes Road interchange for routes 607X, 610, 610X, 611, 619, M61 for convenient travel to Macquarie Park and the City.
Even the M54 carries more passengers between Carlingford and Parramatta than the T6 and T2 lines due to its frequency.

[OKO]

Was at Epping this evening at around 6 pm. Almost 100 people waiting for a 546/549.

Aside from the fact that one of the 549s that pulled up was 23 min late according to the real time apps, the new TTs to take effect on 6/5 still only has the 549 running at 10/20 min intervals during the highest peak, and 546 at a dismal 30-45 min frequency between 1700-1900.

We will always try to cover the 546/9, even rerouting an M54 due to the disparity of their relative frequencies. Sadly, if an incident occurs at the last minute, it can take 15 or 20 minutes to whistle up a replacement. Even if you can find a bus leaving the Depot to run a 54 from Macquarie Park, it will be more than 10 late by the time the driver is notified and specials up to Epping.

[swtt]

Was at Epping this evening at around 6 pm. Almost 100 people waiting for a 546/549.

Aside from the fact that one of the 549s that pulled up was 23 min late according to the real time apps, the new TTs to take effect on 6/5 still only has the 549 running at 10/20 min intervals during the highest peak, and 546 at a dismal 30-45 min frequency between 1700-1900.

We will always try to cover the 546/9, even rerouting an M54 due to the disparity of their relative frequencies. Sadly, if an incident occurs at the last minute, it can take 15 or 20 minutes to whistle up a replacement. Even if you can find a bus leaving the Depot to run a 54 from Macquarie Park, it will be more than 10 late by the time the driver is notified and specials up to Epping.

With so much Opal data, why hasn't anything been done to these routes (*cough* TfNSW *cough*), instead of just the pittance of an increase?

Also the timetable is just unfriendly for anyone to use. 10/20 min (549) and also that 30-45 min (546) is so Harris Park like!

All the whilst we will probably have empty M54s overnight from 6/5!

[Fleet Lists]

The route map at the end of the timetable still shows route 422 running via City Road instead of the new diversion via Parramatta Road and Missenden Road.

*EDIT - I've looked at some of the other timetables, e.g. 466 and 545 and neither of them have updated terminii and maps in the PDF timetables. Something the boffins at TfNSW will need to sort out in the next week.

I believe the new maps are available but because of a software problem they can not put them up until 6th May. If they put them up they will also be included in the old timetables which they do not want. A problem they are trying to solve so that they can go in new ones only.

The new maps were launched today in readiness for the weekend but this has caused some problems - no maps are shown in any PDF's including those for the private operators who have adopted the map option and the wheelchair trips are not being identified in any timetable, with the symbol shown as *124.
Hopefully this will be resolved shortly.

[Fleet Lists]

The problems seem to have been resolved. No they seem to have fallen back to the old maps.

[boronia]

The 545/259 changes got a brief mention on Ch 9 news tonight