Accommodating passengers with limited mobility

[Myrtone]

Can we do better than what is currently required by the disability discrimination act?

[eddy]

Yes, with the Trailerbus and for half the cost of an imported artic.

Electric scooters, wheelchairs plus those with strollers or bikes.

[boronia]

The standards for DDA are set by experts. They are often updated as new issues are identified.

Do you have any specific issues to address?

[eddy]

The standards for DDA are set by experts. They are often updated as new issues are identified.

Do you have any specific issues to address?

A mobility scooter will not fit on a standard bus so unless they catch a train a person who needs it on the other end is in a jam and that will be many in NSW when doctors take your licence away.

[Myrtone]

While wheelchair access is a community expectation, there seem to be some here who lived through much of a time when it wasn't and even now, new transit vehicles may have portions of the interior (not just the driver's cab) that are still not accessible to those with difficulty climbing stairs.

[eddy]

While wheelchair access is a community expectation, there seem to be some here who lived through much of a time when it wasn't and even now, new transit vehicles may have portions of the interior (not just the driver's cab) that are still not accessible to those with difficulty climbing stairs.

As there will be a big increase in those who have difficulty with stairs I am sure those who call the shots will accommodate them.

[Tim Williams]

I honestly think standard wheel chairs are all that can and should be accommodated on buses - those electric mobility scooters (Gophers) come in various shapes and sizes, some are very large, they would be a nightmare on buses. As unfortunate as it is, people with disabilities must accept the size limitation of their mobility devices on buses.
As noted before, this trailer bus concept is impractical - too large a footprint for city operation - can you imagine hundreds of semi-trailer sized buses plodding up and down city roads - multiple numbers of them around the QVB, for example.

Artics are all bodied locally - yes they are fairly expensive, but so are 12mt rigids in Australia. Our bus production numbers are small, buses are more or less hand built and out labour is expensive.

Singapore's latest MAN A95 double deckers cost a little under SGD $490,000, whereas deckers here cost over AUD $560,000 - this is because Singapore buys large batches of the these buses and the bodies are manufactured by Gemilang in Malaysia, where labour costs are significantly lower.

[eddy]

Tim

For the same price you can buy a complete trailerbus made in Australia plus an imported prime mover.

Not only would you create jobs with off the shelf technology but with many bus stops being removed, to me it makes sense to have a big bus with many wheels that accomadate everything.

As a semi can go around the same corners as a bus surely it is worth building a prototype to test public reaction.

[Off The Rails]

A semi will not go around the same corners as rigids, let alone artics, without taking up twice the road, or probably destroying any street furniture. You try putting a semi on something like a 607X - getting into Sydney would be easy, but trying to turn from York to Druitt/from Druitt to Clarence, and into either entrance of Castle Hill, and you'd be in strife. A semi bus does not work in the modern era of everyone having their own car.

Cheers!

[eddy]

A semi will not go around the same corners as rigids, let alone artics, without taking up twice the road, or probably destroying any street furniture. You try putting a semi on something like a 607X - getting into Sydney would be easy, but trying to turn from York to Druitt/from Druitt to Clarence, and into either entrance of Castle Hill, and you'd be in strife. A semi bus does not work in the modern era of everyone having their own car.

Cheers!

mi

I have driven semis and buses and they both take up almost the same road and it looks like they are removing many bus stops in all the back streets for a faster ride.

I walked along George street before they wasted all that money and you could easily drive a semi down there although a cop asked me what I was looking at ha ha