Double Decker Bus to be trialled

[The Inspector]

the excess time is good for an airport service to recover from any delays and keep it a reasonably timed service

[TA3001]

A Southlink driver I know said he left Elizabeth interchange on a Sunday 60 minutes late when the so-called J1 was through linked with the current C1 route.

He got to Glenelg 20 minutes late, and then by the time he got to the Airport, he was on time again. And all without driving like a lunatic like some bus drivers do.

[thedom]

the excess time is good for an airport service to recover from any delays and keep it a reasonably timed service

In most cases -Yes.

Tonight I experienced a poor service that was equally shared by residents returning to adelaide at the airport...

1790 arrived at the airport at 1842hrs and departed by 1847hrs (that's not absorbing the 5 minutes layover in the timetable)... I can imagine heavy city traffic and some loadings would have contributed.

The service boarded extra passengers as a result for what many hoped would be a quicker ride.... (That's the aim after all).

We arrived at west terrace and crossed onto grote street at 1900hrs, and by the time we stopped and loaded when ready to leave W2 we were down only 3 minutes. We pulled into Y1 for a driver changeover and departed at 1912hrs; those returning residents opting to walk because we had moved nowhere in so long... We then slowly proceeded around the city to each stop and upon reaching the turning queue for sir Donald Bradman drive it was 1930hrs...

Whilst it is a quicker trip between west terrace and airport; this service will ultimately fail to impress visitors as it chews the time getting around the city... Especially if wanting to get to the ARS for a transfer. Plus, if you were heading for a plane and waiting for the once an hour service on North terrace - which doesn't show up on transit times for tracking the service you would assume that you need to take a taxi or move to currie street to get to the airport as being 15minutes late to W1 North terrace would have you being possibly concerned....disheartened or confused.


I'm disappointed if this experience is repeated often into the future of the trial; didn't light city buses suffer issues and delays with on the road driver changeovers and no timetabled time to perform them? Or didn't Torrens learn from that experience... I realise no room at Grote Street W2 for a support vehicle and other bus traffic for such changeovers... But some better planning could fix that first week in.

Mind you... The fresher driver may be limiting her time management skills with her driving technique as she laughed off an absolute near miss with a wide parked car that had the adelaide metro support officer out of her seat cringing.

I experience great timed J1X services Monday afternoon on three round trips... Arriving at the airport a few minutes late but ontime or early to grote street...which helped many gunzels with photo opportunities and rides.

Personally, without a second d.decker I'd like to see during the trial a half hour service in opposite directions... Or consider J1 clockwise loop and J2 anticlockwise loop of a similar city circuit....to J1X.

That's my 10cents anyway.

[The Inspector]

The idea of the J1Xunlike the J1 or J2 is to service city hotels at a cheap fare, the other 2 do not do this so it is a differant service altogether.

It has only just started and has 6 months where changes can be made where needed.

The reason Adelaide is slow to try new things is becouse thee are to many negative thinkers, had this been in Sydney it would have recieved a warmer reception.

Give them some time instead of complaining on day 4.

[Tim Williams]

The obvious question is how are the loadings going??

I do acknowledge (as someone has already commented) that it is only 4 days into a 6 months trial, but the timetable does seem rather sparse!

[marc506]

I'm well aware of that-but that being a slow all stops service,I make the point again there is a need and room to expand the J1X service as I have outlined above.(after all the bus which the Government is paying for) is sitting most of the time idle in Mile End Depot.

Given the bus is only in Adelaide as short term demonstrator before going on to it's owner, the limited running is probably deliberate. Reduces the chance of any damange to the bus for starters - also keeps the km's down so the owners would get a near new bus.

[jibb]

Not much use having the bus here if thats is the concern.Its here for a trial and should be used to its maximum,including all day-every day!

[The Inspector]

It is being used as it should on the service the way it is intended to be used, they have not wrapped it up in cotton so its doesnt get damaged or suffer a break down.

If those things are meant to happen then they will.

Try just appreciating that they are trialling something new.

[Lt. Commander Data]

Maybe instead of the J1X laying over at stop D2 on Grote St, it could layover at stop G2 Wakefield St, because considerably less buses use Wakefield St.

[The Inspector]

The Gemaling/ Scania double decker from Malaysia is almost ready, today I saw a sneak peek rear end photo of it while it was receiving its AdMet livery.

[thedom]

Worth a read.... Another new airport bus elsewhere: reliable fuel source?

http://www.news.com.au/technology/innov ... 7130655228

That would get the tourists smiling as a welcome to the city by locals all chipping in the help run the airport bus!!!

[hungho95]

From: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

[Lt. Commander Data]

Much prefer the Bustech Cdi, is that the one coming to the Hills?

[Eagle Eye]

Maybe instead of the J1X laying over at stop D2 on Grote St, it could layover at stop G2 Wakefield St, because considerably less buses use Wakefield St.

It's absolutely ludicrous how the bus is allowed to lay over at one of the busiest city stops with every Grote St bus required to service stop D2. That means that any non-terminating service must wait until the J1X moves before opening its doors and this causes enormous delays to all buses and traffic in general as buses are queuing to reach the stop. A poor timetable.

[Bodø Glimt]

Saw this laying over for the first this evening and have to agree it's a ludicrous place to layover.

[MrNicoster]

Much prefer the Bustech Cdi, is that the one coming to the Hills?

Yes, it will be used on SouthLink hills routes. I keep on thinking it's just gonna snap when going around a corner or going up and down the hills routes!

[The Inspector]

Yes, it will be used on SouthLink hills routes. I keep on thinking it's just gonna snap when going around a corner or going up and down the hills routes!

No idea why you would expect it to snap, it's no different to a rigid single deck bus going up and down the hills or around corners other than it has a 2nd level.

Double decks have been climbing some hills much steeper than those in the Adelaide Hills for years, Hong kong is one of those places.

[TA3001]

Has anyone managed to snap a photo of the decker with a midi behind it/in front of it at all? It'd be interesting to compare the size. The NL232 behind it in one of the photos posted looks like a minibus almost.

[Lt. Commander Data]

Much prefer the Bustech Cdi, is that the one coming to the Hills?

Yes, it will be used on SouthLink hills routes. I keep on thinking it's just gonna snap when going around a corner or going up and down the hills routes!

Happy days, although i bet its mostly used on 840x and inter peak 864f services (none of which i catch)

[OLYMPIAN]

The front looks better on the photoshopped one

[Lt. Commander Data]

Does anyone know what the fleet number of the DD to be trailed in the hills will be? Logically it could be 3240, 3360, 3380, 3400, but it will probably be something completely different if its only a trial bus!

[busrider]

No idea yet, though it's in SA now so we probably won't have to wait too long to find out... Though if it follows the existing format of fleet numbers for buses in the hills, it'd have a 33xx number of some sort, since it has 3 axles.

[TA3001]

I'd assume it would be numbered 3370, 3380 or some other number ending in a 0.