STA Observations - December 2017

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STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Fleet Lists »

Burwood based 4924 doing loops through the Bankstown Shopping centre earlier this afternoon on Driver Training.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Mercedes3035 »

The driver instructior used to be my school bus driver. On another note, I never knew Burwood did driver training in Bankstown.

3481 still has Ryde's run plate, I'm not sure if the accreditation has been changed yet.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Richard290 »

Interesting location for training - since Bankstown currently only has one STA route entering it, route 487 from Canterbury. All the other routes are run by Punchbowl Bus Co. and Transdev NSW.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Jurassic_Joke »

1689 operating on 394 tonight, which I had the luck to catch, saw another on 394 going the opposite direction and also another on 393 towards Railway Square.
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I think they work well on the 394. As a lot of it is long straightways, like the former beaches routes they operated, means the bus can run pretty fast, notably on Anzac Parade. Bus wasn't that late either, boarding and alighting okay, but fact is, this route and everything else that goes by UNSW needs the capacity because by Hyde Park its full of (international) students wanting to go back to UNSW, whatever time of the day.

16 of these buses at Port Botany sounds like a nice healthy number to mean that they'll be uncommon, not too rare. :) They feel quite fresh in Southeastern Sydney if you ask me, nice second life they were given.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by boronia »

After being spoiled by a fleet of 3-door artics at P for the last few years, it is annoying to ride in these and discover there is no centre door to exit from.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Frosty »

Port Botany only seems to be send it’s bendy buses on Anzac Parade, Metrobus and X73/373 during peak hour. Though I hope they don’t use these on the m20 to regularly considering it’s most traffic is between Central & Zetland.

It won’t be a bad idea to send these buses on a few outbound Sat morning 309 trips these are quite busy or inbound afternoon peak hour services.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Michael Bamborough »

Frosty wrote:Port Botany only seems to be send it’s bendy buses on Anzac Parade, Metrobus and X73/373 during peak hour. Though I hope they don’t use these on the m20 to regularly considering it’s most traffic is between Central & Zetland.

It won’t be a bad idea to send these buses on a few outbound Sat morning 309 trips these are quite busy or inbound afternoon peak hour services.
Oh they use bendy buses on metrobus routes m10 & m20 like all the time. But i think they're not good choices for fulltime bendy bus usage as like you said m20's patronage is usually between zetland the city.(should be handled by a different service.) And the m10 is the worst choice for anzac parade & Parramatta rd bus services since they don't travel as far as the other routes they travel along with. And they don't cover the main of the city anymore. The bendy buses there should be operated b y routes 393/5, L94, 396, 438/9, etc. Not M10 that bus route doesn't need them anymore. Save the bendy's for the bus routes that need them more.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by BanksfielderIdiot823 »

Richard290 wrote:Interesting location for training - since Bankstown currently only has one STA route entering it, route 487 from Canterbury. All the other routes are run by Punchbowl Bus Co. and Transdev NSW.
What makes it even more wacked out is given the bus is from Burwood and I'm pretty sure the 487's fleet is 100% Kingsgrove.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by boronia »

It is not uncommon for driver training to take place outside of a home depot area, to give drivers experience in different driving scenarios.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Stu »

Rumours are flourishing once again about potential changes to routes 415, 490 & 492. The alleged changes were meant to happen this year although obviously haven't and apparently will happen Feb 2018 - this may tie in with Region 6 franchising. There are a number of the services that have not had any major or even minor timetable updates (400, 407, 408, 410, 487, 490 & 492)

The route 487 is one example and in the Bankstown to Sydenham Urban Renewal Corridor there is a brief mention of extending the operating hours of this service.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Stonesourscotty »

3416 on dulwich hill light rail replacement and 1692 on the 891 these are unusual right?
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by boronia »

Michael Bamborough wrote:
Oh they use bendy buses on metrobus routes m10 & m20 like all the time. But i think they're not good choices for fulltime bendy bus usage as like you said m20's patronage is usually between zetland the city.(should be handled by a different service.) And the m10 is the worst choice for anzac parade & Parramatta rd bus services since they don't travel as far as the other routes they travel along with. And they don't cover the main of the city anymore. The bendy buses there should be operated b y routes 393/5, L94, 396, 438/9, etc. Not M10 that bus route doesn't need them anymore. Save the bendy's for the bus routes that need them more.
But it is the inner sections of routes like m10 that need bendies, because the longer distance buses are filling up by the time they get into their catchment areas. If anything, the m10 should have stayed with Kingsford as its terminus. There is enough patronage from UNSW inwards to fill them up. Cutting out the CBD from the m10 has reduced its effectiveness (maybe it should go Elizabeth-Park-Castlereagh to get closer to Town Hall), although picking up now in Eddy Ave helps supplement 391/393/395's capacity. It is a slightly longer trip, but at least you have more chance of getting a seat. The same logic could be applied to the m20, only run it where the loadings are heaviest.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Ray »

AnyTrip is showing a lot of Scanias operating 144s in the evening peak - is Willoughby back operating these services again?

Last time, I got the impression that M only did a couple of morning trips.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Ben_Daui »

Stonesourscotty wrote:3416 on dulwich hill light rail replacement and 1692 on the 891 these are unusual right?
Wow 14.5 on light rail replacement.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Stu »

Ray wrote:AnyTrip is showing a lot of Scanias operating 144s in the evening peak - is Willoughby back operating these services again?

Last time, I got the impression that M only did a couple of morning trips.
Since the new timetables, the weekday 144 services are roughly 50/50 between V & M, the latter has a heavy presence during the early afternoons through to just after the PM peak.
N-Depot no longer assist with operating 143 & 144 services.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by pgt »

Stu wrote:Since the new timetables, the weekday 144 services are roughly 50/50 between V & M, the latter has a heavy presence during the early afternoons through to just after the PM peak.
N-Depot no longer assist with operating 143 & 144 services.
Odd you say that about N depot on 143/144 services, as I've seen one of their buses doing a 143 ex Chatswood at 0659 just about every weekday morning so far, and I'm not sure if it's N or V operating the following 144 departure (0708) as I've seen both depots' buses on that service in the last week.

Though yes I have seen a handful of M buses operating the PM peak services, I must be just (un)lucky to notice more V operated services.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Stu »

^ Come to think of it, you are right about the 143.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Stonesourscotty »

There's a 37** on the m50 second day running.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Ray »

Thanks Stu, appreciate the insight as always.

Do you know what was "bumped" to create this move? I'm guessing N needed capacity for the extended M30...but what did M lose to take on the 144s and where did that work end up?

I checked out the 136s to see if there were any M runs (other than the East Willoughby ones), but no luck!
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by pgt »

Ray wrote:Do you know what was "bumped" to create this move? I'm guessing N needed capacity for the extended M30...but what did M lose to take on the 144s and where did that work end up?
I'll take an educated guess, based on what I saw today - being a Y gas bus (I think it was 1202) operating the 254 outbound this afternoon at Gore Hill.

Surprised me, as I'd never seen a gas bus on the 254 until now.

Would that give a starting point capacity wise for what M may have lost?
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by swtt »

Hasn't M depot also lost 252?

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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Ray »

I think Ryde always did have one 254 trip weekday afternoons - although that's not to say that they haven't been given more.

All 252s to Y, yes - but this was done in the last round of changes.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by ScaniaGrenda »

And this is why we can't have nice things. Because people have to go and ruin it for others (Photo isn't mine, it is sourced from twitter but thought I'd share it)
https://twitter.com/BusesNorth/status/9 ... 0096362497

2862 ST has already had vandals on it who have put graffiti on the seats. Probably Won't be long before they go for scratching the windows next.
Image

It has already been reported according to the Buses North Twitter account but yeah it is still disgusting we have scums like this in society who deface things.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Ben_Daui »

Just observered m/o 3531 on the M2 heading eastbound running special.
Nice to see these buses are back at Y.
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Re: STA Observations - December 2017

Post by Jurassic_Joke »

ScaniaGrenda wrote:And this is why we can't have nice things. Because people have to go and ruin it for others (Photo isn't mine, it is sourced from twitter but thought I'd share it)
https://twitter.com/BusesNorth/status/9 ... 0096362497

2862 ST has already had vandals on it who have put graffiti on the seats. Probably Won't be long before they go for scratching the windows next.
Image

It has already been reported according to the Buses North Twitter account but yeah it is still disgusting we have scums like this in society who deface things.
Gets me really angry to see this. So much money and investment for a high class LNP bogan swamp which shows they probably never deserved this anyway. The USB ports will be next. Ever heard of "don't bite the hand that feeds you?"

See this is why I'm not really happy with these otherwise very nice MAN Deckers not having a front seat near the driver, unlike Bustech CDI, which even then only operates for a select few hours a day. N90 operated by Transdev has really surged in patronage the past year I can really see, yet we will never see Bustech CDI used on the busier nights understandably because the buses wouldn't make it through the night without sustaining perhaps a hundred thousand dollars worth in vandalism.

I'd always sit in that front seat if possible on the B12BLEA CB60 bendy's after hours because you feel safe being sat by yourself far away from all the drunkards, vandals etc. The Northern Beaches has absolutely the worst bogans in quite possibly the entire country, so I'd always feel safe sitting near the driver and out of range of getting vomitted on. On the MAN Deckers, have fun travelling on one after hours and you'll likely be forced to share your seating with one of these grubs that made the news: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/ ... 19c2e30562

I remember when the NSW Libs came to power soon after sometime earlier this decade. They massively increased fines in many areas. Think its time to increase fines for antisocial behaviour on our transport, especially defacing vehicles and not having a ticket. I think its really time to deploy Security Officers authorised to give fines, as supervision on the B Line after hours - don't worry about the penalty rates - you'll get it all back anyway with those fines!
Last edited by Jurassic_Joke on Wed Dec 06, 2017 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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