Transdev Melbourne News 2017

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JRBUS123
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by JRBUS123 »

krustyklo wrote:
Been a lot of replacement buses yet again particularly towards the end of the week.
As well as Dysons and Ventura buses, there have also been some from Kastoria.
Yes forgot to mention about that although not much compared to Ventura and Dysons (at least from what I have seen over the week). In fact I only saw one this week on a morning peak 305 on Tuesday although I think there might have been more out and about that day
MAN 16.242 wrote:
The new buses due are meant to be replacements and extras to cover normal shortages. As such they may do little to help any time a fleet crisis happens with buses off the road.
At least that will help, for now. At the moment they would pretty much be used daily (considering the number of buses on loan to Transdev) until all their fleet is back to road safety standards (which might take a while to do so). Once all their fleet is finally roadworthy then wouldn't need them (and they could probably use to assist with the rail replacements).

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how many buses have been bought for Transdev?
Last edited by JRBUS123 on Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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MAN 16.242
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by MAN 16.242 »

JRBUS123 wrote:
At least that will help, for now. At the moment they would pretty much be used daily (considering the number of buses on loan to Transdev) until all their fleet is back to road safety standards (which might take a while to do so). Once all their fleet is "finally" roadworthy then wouldn't need them (and they could probably use to assist with the rail replacements).

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how many buses have been bought for Transdev?
Well it depends. If buses which are mostly replacements just replace older buses straight away, then will still need hire buses for various buses off road. And as for any extras if they are used to cover normal shortages, again you would still need hire buses for ones off road cause extras would be covering normal shortages which should of been dealt with long ago.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by philm »

Spotted three Dysons buses running three consecutive outbound 207 services today between 1600 and 1700. Got two numbers down: #716 and #729.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by krustyklo »

Spotted three Dysons buses running three consecutive outbound 207 services today between 1600 and 1700. Got two numbers down: #716 and #729.
Pretty sure it was 729 forming the 5pm outbound 295 from Shoppingtown this afternoon. I think it was 734 was operating a route 293 to Box Hill seen in Fitzsimmons Lane around 5.15pm. Saw a couple of other Dysons buses this morning including the 8.30am from Shoppingtown to The Pines and the 8.07am 293 from Greensborough.

Dysons seem to have done OK out of the Transdev woes. It is also interesting it is mainly 7xx series buses being loaned - accident or the vandal resistant seats a factor? :)
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

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Does anybody know if any of the Kastoria buses currently on loan to Transdev are being driven by Dysons drivers wearing Transdev uniforms?

Because I put in a complaint about appallingly unprofessional behavior by a Transdev driver, who was driving a Kastoria vehicle, and received a response stating:
Unfortunately we can confirm that on 01/12/20017 we experienced Operational issues at our depot and as a result a Dysons bus/ driver ran the 270 service. Your feedback has been forwarded to Dyson Bus lines Management team who will follow up with the driver.
I'm glad that they're passing the buck to another (far more professional) operator who had nothing at all to do with my complaint! :twisted:
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by burrumbus »

Don'y you just love the term "operational issues"which seems to cover a multitude of issues-which in Transdev's case are of their own making.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by Richard1207 »

burrumbus wrote:Don'y you just love the term "operational issues"which seems to cover a multitude of issues-which in Transdev's case are of their own making.
The term "operator issues" would be a more accurate description from Transdev.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by krustyklo »

Does anybody know if any of the Kastoria buses currently on loan to Transdev are being driven by Dysons drivers wearing Transdev uniforms?
All of the Kastoria vehicles I have seen lately have been driven by a single driver in a Transdev uniform.
The Dysons vehicles I have been on have a Transdev navigator in the front seat with a driver in a Dysons uniform in the driver seat.

Draw your own conclusions, but if I were Dysons I would want to clarify as a matter of urgency such a statement and, if untrue, to demand an equally public apology or threatened withdrawal of their services to avoid being blamed for Transdev problems...

Whilst I am sure wet leases are a good earner, the loss of reputation through potentially false blame would need to be weighed against it if such statements are in fact untrue.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by JRBUS123 »

It appears Bayside Coaches have been helping the past 2 weeks in assist with Transdev's crisis. They have been running a few school runs (which does also include the Kew School runs as one coach had a sign saying "159, Kew Schools to Warrandyte Bridge"). Dysons still assisting as usual on various routes this week such as 293, 305 etc and more Desinglines have been put back on the 903 (mainly the smartbuses in the 500 series) as they appear to be more common to find.

Also, today I spotted a number of tweets from the Transdev Melbourne Twitter page again regarding Operational and technical issues (a lot has been posted throughout the day [Friday]). Wonder if there's another issue occurring or probably another maintenance problem as I've not seen so many tweets regarding the maintenance issues for quite a while.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by philm »

Dysons #484, #704 and #733 operating on 207 outbound and inbound today with Dysons drivers and Transdev guides.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by krustyklo »

Dysons #484, #704 and #733 operating on 207 outbound and inbound today with Dysons drivers and Transdev guides.
Also saw Dysons 494 on Friday amongst others not listed above.

Dysons seem to have a lot of spare vehicles between rail contracts such as the Rosanna station one, and the Transdev replacement services. I gather the 301 has finished for the year given the 301 stickered vehicles have been turning up elsewhere including the Rosanna rail replacement today, but still a champion effort from Dysons. Maybe Transdev could talk to the Dysons fleet manager to gain from their experience... :P Or just be given the Transdev contract if their buses are going to be used anyway. :lol:

There's also been bubble buses on other orbitals with 653 spotted on a route 902 in Broadmeadows on Thursday night aroung 7.30pm heading to Airport West.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by Richard1207 »

So far today on the Transdev twitter updates there have been 17 services not running due to operational/technical issues, and who knows what the total will be at the end of the day. This is unacceptable and Transdev should be embarrassed. I hope heavy fines are applied, there is no excuse for this incompetence.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by krustyklo »

So far today on the Transdev twitter updates there have been 17 services not running due to operational/technical issues, and who knows what the total will be at the end of the day. This is unacceptable and Transdev should be embarrassed. I hope heavy fines are applied, there is no excuse for this incompetence.
At the risk of being fair to Transdev, the hot weather has been an issue for their fleet since the days of National Bus. There has been much written on here about the modifications Ventura made to try and improve engine airflow on several of the bus types. Given these issues would have predated even them in the case of vehicle types ordered by the previous managements of the National Bus and since modified under Ventura, I am guessing the main reason it only became an issue in the last 5-10 years is that older buses ordered by the PTC and MTA were well engineered (which you'd hope given their price tag in at least some cases such as the MAN Mk II) and made up a much higher proportion of the fleet meaning the heat affected buses didn't matter as much, something no longer true since the MAN Mk I and II have been retired.

Additionally, whilst not wanting to start a discussion on climate change, the weather has been getting warmer over the last 10-15 years meaning buses that have heat related issues are more likely to exhibit them.

Whilst Transdev's notorious maintenance regime is going to make things worse, ans as the current operator they are responsible for doing something about the sins of the past, I probably feel that it may be slighlty unfair to sheet all the blame home to them.

As a side note, do the same models of bus at Ventura (ie, the Designlines, especially the bubble buses) have the same heat related issues, and if so how do they deal with them? Maybe there is a need for some sharing of best practice here assuming Transdev's maintenance budget can be stretched to allow it?
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

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Transdev have informed me that the off-peak terminus for inbound trips on routes 302, 304, 905, 906 and 907 has currently been relocated to the stop at the corner of William Street and Lonsdale Street near the law courts. In the AM peak these services still extend to the stated terminus at King/Lonsdale.

Until fairly recently these services used to terminate on the eastern side of King Street near the Colonial Hotel, but the terminal stop was relocated to the corner of Lonsdale Street near Watertank Way, which is halfway down the block to Spencer Street and is ideal as it's not a long walk from there to Southern Cross Station.

The reason given by Transdev for this change is that apparently there is one disabled parking bay that is blocking buses from setting down passengers safely while it is in use, so they will not service this stop outside of clearway times.

However I was walking past the "banned" set down stop at 12:30pm today and a bus was setting down passengers, though the driver I had of a late night trip on Sunday night kicked me off at William Street, then proceeded to drive further down and lay over in the same place that I wasn't allowed to travel to.

It would be nice if Transdev and PTV could actually communicate these sort of changes to the public. I can see plenty of service updates on the PTV site where one individual suburban bus stop on an hourly route has been temporarily closed, but they don't bother telling people about the closure of the terminus of the main CBD bus corridor, even the timetables still list buses as running the whole way.

I know that it's only an extra 300 metres to walk between the stops, but for anybody connecting from a DART bus to a Skybus or a train they now need to walk three full city blocks (600 metres) to connect. Plus given the crime rate in Melbourne these days, some other passengers wouldn't be as willing as myself to accept being kicked off the bus in a quiet area of the city late at night :twisted:
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by Heihachi_73 »

Spotted a Mercedes/Custom 550 SmartBus running a 271 to Ringwood yesterday. Not bad for a route which used to exclusively run piecarts a decade ago.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by JRBUS123 »

Replacement buses are still going currently however now there seems to be the odd one or two. Today I spotted Dysons #828 (a Volgren Optimus) running a route 281 service in the afternoon. Nice professional simple desto which is fantastic considering Dysons don't normally operate these routes. Maybe Dysons could take over certain routes from Transdev (the best choice would be 293 I reckon!) which will most likely ease the bus crisis which would then be run properly with spare buses if an operational issue occurs with the bus.



As for the new buses fleetlists has confirmed Transdev will be operating more Volgren Optimuses. The numbers will possibly be #164, #165 & #166. Seems like a lot has been ordered but the question is: when will they be put out in service? Does anyone know?

Regards, JRBUS123
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by Heihachi_73 »

I spotted and photoed Dyson's 729 (Scania/CR228L) on the 271 at Ringwood back on 11/12, I forgot all about it since the replacement buses were all over the place.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by krustyklo »

Yesterday's Dysons Transdev sightings:
  • 899 (in route 301 livery) on the 8.07am from Greensborough, later also spotted on a route 281 to Templstowe in Box Hill around 5.40pm
  • 729 on a route 207 to the City waiting to leave Shoppingtown around 4pm.
  • 361 leaving Shoppingtown just before 5.30pm out of service, showing up around 15 minutes later in the 271 bus bay at Box Hill.
Today's:
  • 828 on the 8.07am from Greensborough route 293
  • 494 in Doncaster Rd on a route 295 around 8.50am.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by burrumbus »

Thanks krustyklo.It seems Transdev Crisis 2 is still ongoing.I'd hate to see Transdev's bus hire bill !!!
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by JRBUS123 »

Yesterday's Dysons Transdev sightings:
  • 899 (in route 301 livery) on the 8.07am from Greensborough, later also spotted on a route 281 to Templestowe in Box Hill around 5.40pm
  • 729 on a route 207 to the City waiting to leave Shoppingtown around 4pm.
  • 361 leaving Shoppingtown just before 5.30pm out of service, showing up around 15 minutes later in the 271 bus bay at Box Hill.
Today's:
  • 828 on the 8.07am from Greensborough route 293
  • 494 in Doncaster Rd on a route 295 around 8.50am.
Interesting list there Krustyklo (bit of a mixed fleet here of Volgren). I can add a few more. #732 on a morning 281 (surprisingly with no proper desto) on Thursday and 713 on a 281 in the middle of the afternoon- early evening today. The Smartbuses have been on mixed routes as well. These included:
• Bus 8380 on an evening off-peak 207 to the City
• Bus 643 on a 305 in the evening as well.
And still I see a lot of PTV buses on DART routes instead on other routes

I know I have been talking on this thread a lot about it but this is really interesting seeing the number of unusual buses you see everyday. Makes me wonder when the new buses will arrive as they would really be useful right now.
burrumbus wrote:It seems Transdev Crisis 2 is still ongoing.I'd hate to see Transdev's bus hire bill !!!
That could also mean bigger problems in the future (meaning more buses could be unroadworthy when another crisis happens). I wonder if Transdev HQ in France are ending up paying for some of this. The total bill must be A LOT considering the number of buses and times they had to use as an emergency.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by burrumbus »

Yes I have wondered if Transdev HQ has made an injection of funds into the business.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by krustyklo »

The Smartbuses have been on mixed routes as well. These included:
• Bus 8380 on an evening off-peak 207 to the City
• Bus 643 on a 305 in the evening as well.
And still I see a lot of PTV buses on DART routes instead on other routes
I haven't even bothered reporting those as they used to be normal and to a point still are. The other thing of note is non-Volvos on the orbitals again. Last week I rode a Scania on the 901 and passed a Designline bubble bus on the 902. Interestingly there has been a few times I've sighted the ex-Melbourne Bus Link buses on the orbitals. Do they have the Smartbus equipment (like they are meant to!)? In the last few weeks I've seen them mainly on the 903, but there was one on the 902 at least once.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by JRBUS123 »

krustyklo wrote:
The Smartbuses have been on mixed routes as well. These included:
• Bus 8380 on an evening off-peak 207 to the City
• Bus 643 on a 305 in the evening as well.
And still I see a lot of PTV buses on DART routes instead on other routes
I haven't even bothered reporting those as they used to be normal and to a point still are
Seeing Smartbuses (the ones commonly used on darts) on non-Smartbus routes are usually common so yes maybe I should've left that out and I agree with you fully (I see at least one or two a day). I will say though seeing an orbital Smartbus on non Smartbus runs can be rare to find nowadays which is why I commented on that (at least to me that is). I have not seen one since crisis 1 which many were placed on these routes during that occasion.
The other thing of note is non-Volvos on the orbitals again. Last week I rode a Scania on the 901 and passed a Designline bubble bus on the 902. Interestingly there has been a few times I've sighted the ex-Melbourne Bus Link buses on the orbitals. Do they have the Smartbus equipment (like they are meant to!)? In the last few weeks I've seen them mainly on the 903, but there was one on the 902 at least once.
Yes I've seen a lot of those non-volvos on orbitals myself (though not really on the 902 or 901). Definitely for 903 as I'm seeing a lot of Designlines commonly on these shifts and even some PTV livery Designlines from the Doncaster and North Fitzroy depots (to count them: #593, #613 and #587 and maybe #583 but I can't remember). Even saw #404 on 903 from the ex-Melbourne Bus Link buses from crisis 2 but that's all I've seen (also no I don't think they have the Smartbus equipment but it would be useful to have them on in case of another crisis).

Cheers, JRBUS123
Last edited by JRBUS123 on Wed Dec 27, 2017 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by Heihachi_73 »

Caught orange SmartBus 122 (Optimus) on the 901 last night, the back is already graffitied floor to ceiling.
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Re: Transdev Melbourne News 2017

Post by BluDART »

Sighted Dysons buses 298 (Volgren CR227L/Scania L94UB) and 898 (Volgren Optimus/Scania K310UB, 301 shuttle livery) assisting on Transdev services today around The Pines.

During the previous Mon-Fri(18-22 Dec) 9 out of 10 trips to and from work on route 318 were supplied from Dysons (Being a mixture of Volgren CR227l, CR228L and Optimus with either Scania L94UB, K230UB, K280UB, K310UB or Volvo B7RLE chassis). Which to say the least was quite nice to get clean and functioning vehicles, also there were at least 10 vehicles from Dysons on a daily basis during Crisis 2.
Although I do feel sorry for the Dysons staff as they have to be at Bundoora depot early and arrive at Doncaster depot around 0700~0730Hr and don't finish at Doncaster until around 1800-1830Hr (as I remember seeing a conga line of 3 Dysons buses departing Doncaster depot and heading north along Victoria St around 6pm.)

To say the least Dysons will be around for a while yet. And who knew that Ventura's loss of the contract would result in just about all metro bus operators(including Ventura) earning some extra business, Transdevs faults is everyones gain.
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