Northern Beaches BRT: B-Line to transform Northern Beaches

[Swift]

I actually really appreciated B-line, the buses in their natural beauty, and then this happens. Pathetic. Gladys, you have no word, and as someone that doesn't like being glued to my phone 24/7 (like your new ad-wrap encourages), I'm severely dissapointed you chose to line your pockets instead of maintaining a good customer experience.

It was only a matter of time before mediocrity set in. The extended honeymoon is over and now the missus is beginning to let herself go and cut off her long locks! Welcome to domestic bliss, Sydney style.

[burrumbus]

Pretty typical public transport marketing(lack thereof) in Australia.
Spend a heap of money and time creating a well thought out branding to differentiate quality new services.Trash it within months of starting by allowing all over advertising.Made worse by the operation of double decker buses over a scenic route which has significant tourist as well as the commuter potential.
Then wonder why public transport usage is stagnant and/or declining.
The STA and politicians just do not get the concept of branding services to get public attention to new, different ,quality services,over the short term-ism of taking the advertising dollars.
We can say the same about metrobus and smartbus in Melbourne too.

[tonyp]

B-line, the buses in their natural beauty,

Natural beauty?



That's a hideous eyesore mobile block of flats! What's the saying: "as ugly as the backside of a bus".

This is natural beauty


(John Ward photo)

[tonyp]

Tallies with my observations:

There are long queues to board double-decker B-line buses. The footpaths have been turned into obstacle courses. The suburb is noisy with building works.

Commuters face long queues and building works to catch buses in Dee Why
Photo: James Brickwood

“Transport is a massive issue,” she said. “There are a lot of buses with the new B1 line, but the queue to get one is super-lengthy and currently a bit haphazard as big apartment developments are being built on Pittwater Road where the buses stop.”

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/bla ... 4zhwj.html

There's a big trade-off with double deckers: the dwell time is terrible. This is compounded by drivers not allowing anybody to board before everybody gets off even if people have finished disembarking at any particular door. Never mind all-door loading - even when that big centre door is empty, passengers are still queued slowly through the front door.

I discovered something interesting after surveying the union membership of drivers in all the Australian cities that allow all-door boarding (Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane). They're all TWU except in Brisbane where the Citygliders are all-door boarding. The union there is the RTBU. Hypocrites.

[Stonesourscotty]

The Anti decker brrigade are the same idiots that aren't stood up at the door with there opal cards ready to tap off the vast majority of bus users need retraining not the wrong buses purchased for us to suffer with. heres an example of idiots in the inner west/

i was on a M30 running 27 minutes late Sydenham bound on thursday and someone was sat on the seats closest to the rear doors he pressed the button for Vic on the park and then only stood up and looked for his opal when the bus had stopped and opened the doors this bus obviously then left nearly 28 minutes late because of an incosiderate man that frankly even if he had just had his opal card ready would have not caused further delay.

[swtt]

The Anti decker brrigade are the same idiots that aren't stood up at the door with there opal cards ready to tap off the vast majority of bus users need retraining not the wrong buses purchased for us to suffer with. heres an example of idiots in the inner west/

i was on a M30 running 27 minutes late Sydenham bound on thursday and someone was sat on the seats closest to the rear doors he pressed the button for Vic on the park and then only stood up and looked for his opal when the bus had stopped and opened the doors this bus obviously then left nearly 28 minutes late because of an incosiderate man that frankly even if he had just had his opal card ready would have not caused further delay.

Worse still, people insisting that they alight at the front door and then fumble for an Opal card?

Front door disembarkation should be banned, except for wheelchairs.

[Swift]

Front door disembarkation should be banned, except for wheelchairs.

What if you're sitting near the front, it feels counter intuitive to use the centre doors when they're further.
I still agree with you though.

[swtt]

Front door disembarkation should be banned, except for wheelchairs.

What if you're sitting near the front, it feels counter intuitive to use the centre doors when they're further.
I still agree with you though.

Sitting up the front = move your a$$ down to the centre doors to alight. Not that hard.

[simonl]

Wouldn't work so well when buses reach the city in the AM peak.

[Campbelltown busboy]

The Anti decker brrigade are the same idiots that aren't stood up at the door with there opal cards ready to tap off the vast majority of bus users need retraining not the wrong buses purchased for us to suffer with. heres an example of idiots in the inner west/

i was on a M30 running 27 minutes late Sydenham bound on thursday and someone was sat on the seats closest to the rear doors he pressed the button for Vic on the park and then only stood up and looked for his opal when the bus had stopped and opened the doors this bus obviously then left nearly 28 minutes late because of an incosiderate man that frankly even if he had just had his opal card ready would have not caused further delay.

Worse still, people insisting that they alight at the front door and then fumble for an Opal card?

Front door disembarkation should be banned, except for wheelchairs.

There's the last minute standee then there's the passengers that try to tap on with no credit on it they tap a few times then proceeds to give the driver $2•60 in a combination of 10 and 20 cent coins witch wastes more time as the passenger fumbles around looking for loose change

[tonyp]

When you have entry at the centre door/s as well as the front door you get more people moving more to the back of the bus and thus less stimulus to exit by the front door. Banning exit by the front door isn't the solution (which in any case you can't do because wheelchair, pram users and other mobility-impaired need to use the ramp), the solution is to stimulate even distribution throughout the bus by allowing entry through all doors. You can see that working in Europe where most people enter by the centre and rear doors and the front acts more as an exit in conjunction with other doors. The crowd needs to be able to exit through the doors nearest to it. These principles have been studied and proven well over a century. The old passenger flow method has been proven inadequate and has been largely abandoned, except in some archaic bus jurisdictions like Australia and the UK. It has long since been abandoned in trams.

The solution to passengers who fumble their exit, provided they're able-bodied, is to shut the door on them and let them prepare themselves for the next stop.

[boronia]

While I am not a fan and think whoever designed it should be banished to room 101, I can see the point when it brings in revenue. But when we have examples like the STA 85th retro liveries, was it really necessary to cover the windows? It's only meant to be indicative, that the window lines are different so what.

There are regular NSW Governmnet ads for the B-line in Facebook feeds.

Members here are encouraged to make some comments about the AOAs.

[lunchbox]

^^^^^^Members have already made comments here, boronia, as I'm sure you're aware. Here's a partial list, for convenience -
burrumbus, Jun 9
Jurassic_Joke, Jun 8, May 2,
Swift, Jun 7
tonyp, May 6
Swift, (May 2), refers to AOA Atlanteans WITHOUT film on the windows! Does anybody have a pic of same that I can send to our election-focused minister?

Meanwhile, here's an architect's view -

See https://twitter.com/HillThalisAUP/statu ... 1547285505

128150

[boronia]

I'm referring to the ads on Facebook. My most recent feed of this ad didn't have any comments

[Swift]

See https://twitter.com/HillThalisAUP/statu ... 1547285505

The trouble is you can't. I described this exact situation with the window film the other day on another thread.
Someone needs to bombard the premier with this picture until she breaks. Another tactic is to launch a social media boycott campaign against any company that advertises using this abhorrent method.
We should compile a list of offending advertisers here and boycott their unwanted products and services.

[Jurassic_Joke]

I mean come on, what’s next? Metro, cover entire vehicle a la Inner West Light Rail?

Submitted some pretty fierce criticism through Feedback2GO about adverts on B-line and asked why did you decide to cover the entire bus as opposed to one or two window panels as typical on other buses (already bad enough but still). Requested a response. Case closed, no response. This just the epitome of rudeness and not to mention, arrogance too.

So typical, no integrity or guts to even send an automated thanks for your feedback bla bla bla. Nothing. See if these clowns are still laughing about it next March though!

[Swift]

Can someone start naming the companies plastering their vile visual pollution on them? We have to find any way to hit these criminals in a big or small way.

[lunchbox]

^^^^^^While we're all angry about being held to ransom by the advertising industry, and a Premier and Minister who don't seem to care, how about a few phone calls to their offices, to reinforce the written complaints about stuff on windows, which will certainly have been lodged?
Minister Andrew Constance's phone no is 8574 5807.
Gladys' number is 8574 5000.
Thanks in anticipation!

[rogf24]

^^It's very annoying but to say that we're being held ransom is overkill.

[tonyp]

Can someone start naming the companies plastering their vile visual pollution on them? We have to find any way to hit these criminals in a big or small way.

I started off down the boycott road but it's become so prolific you'd be living like a caveman because you wouldn't be able to buy anything!

Isn't there a group in Melbourne that actually tears the stuff off the side of the vehicles when they're stationary? That might have been part of what led to the breakthrough with Melbourne trams. The other method might be to buy your own wrap and target the cars of advertising executives, relevant Ministers etc. See how they like it.

[Swift]

I personally don't give a rat's derrier about the views per se, I'm too busy listening to the drive line Philharmonic orchestra, but this commercialism spoils the purity as well as general amenity of this highly anticipated transit concept so soon after introduction.

[Fleet Lists]

I think the b-line can reach avalon.... but minor changes are needed on the bends....

Not likely since even the extension to Newport has been cancelled https://yoursay.b-line.transport.nsw.gov.au/newport

[Swift]

^I only needed to read half way through it to know the nimby brigade got to their local member. These primates don't deserve any bus service.

[Frosty]

Well next time these northern NIMBYs complain about traffic they should just remember what they did. I noticed in the photo Newport community association most of the people in the room were senior citizens.

[boronia]

I guess the people opposing the extension were not the same ones complaining about having to change buses?