Thanks for the comments, I think that the problem in Adelaide is that one configuration of artic is used for all types of routes (inner, outer, express etc.) but, honestly, it should be noted that with the possible exception of the o-bahn, few of the routes fall into the category of high turnover.

Double deckers will probably have a minimal or nil use in Adelaide in the future - I take your point about limited stop express routes and that would apply to North runs to Salisbury and Elizabeth, South to Norlunga etc. and the Adelaide Hills runs to Mount Barker etc. The two existing deckers run to Mt' Barker and they are well received, but it is unlikely that more deckers will be purchased as the cost of preparing other routes for these buses is not cheap. Maybe the forecasted growth of that area will change opinions in the future - who knows!

For the big artic fleet here, I believe the situation will remain pretty much as it is now, where artics are operated on many routes as the boffins believe loadings require them, but I must admit, I doubt the wisdom of having artics operate late night services with small loadings and this seems common here. The high floor from the turntable back does not seem to concern people, as I have said on a number of previous occasions, the high floor combo does keep purchase and operating costs down and that is obviously a strong motivating factor.

I am quite a fan of the BusTech CDI, a wonderful double decker that beat the local silly axle weight restrictions - 96 passenger seats in 12.5 metres is brilliant, but their single deckers are another matter, I am still not comfortable with revised (Adelaide) window line and we are getting heaps of them here!!

Here’s something on the ZDI
https://youtu.be/yOBeZGyIYe0

Campbelltown busboy wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 9:39 pm Here’s something on the ZDI
https://youtu.be/yOBeZGyIYe0

That's quite funny to watch. A manufacturer making a mess of their product design doesn't worry me. It's the customers' ignorance of design and functionality issues, leading them to buy such products, that does. Who on earth has ordered 60 of these things sight unseen? That's even worse than Transit Systems going ahead and buying more BYDs before the full range of alternatives is physically on the market. I think the Sydney Bus Expo in September will be the key event as there should be a couple more significant models being released then.

One detail of low-floor bus history he's overlooked: fully low-floor diesel buses have also been around (predominantly in Europe) for the past 25 years. However, while many operators have continued to buy underfloor diesel chassis, thus prolonging the need for a high floor, there's absolutely no excuse whatsoever for a high floor in an electric bus where the motor fits under the seats (or in the wheel hubs which is a higher-maintenance alternative).

Anyway, I think he's making too many assumptions at the moment based on renders only. We need to see the real product before reaching final conclusions. With Bustech's history of design blunders I'm not optimistic, but where there's life there's hope.

The plug for the Custom Denning Element is good as it's always necessary to keep a reference point of best-practice benchmark exemplars in these discussions.

tonyp wrote: ↑Sun May 16, 2021 8:27 am One detail of low-floor bus history he's overlooked: fully low-floor diesel buses have also been around (predominantly in Europe) for the past 25 years. However, while many operators have continued to buy underfloor diesel chassis, thus prolonging the need for a high floor, there's absolutely no excuse whatsoever for a high floor in an electric bus where the motor fits under the seats (or in the wheel hubs which is a higher-maintenance alternative).

Anyway, I think he's making too many assumptions at the moment based on renders only. We need to see the real product before reaching final conclusions. With Bustech's history of design blunders I'm not optimistic, but where there's life there's hope.

He mentioned about the combo body being Adelaide metros preferred body type when it comes to Adelaide’s articulated buses

I wanted to post a montage of Bustech's range, as I posted for Volgren and Custom, but everything seems to be up in the air at Bustech. They're still producing the XDi/VST rigid bus and, now in Adelaide, an articulated variant of that, plus the CDi double decker bus, none of which are featured on their website any longer. The future direction appears to be a standard body (with artic and double deck variants), shown below from their website, able to take alternative power systems - diesel, hybrid or electric.

Not good news for Bustech which is using Proterra batteries on the Mk 2 ZDi:

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/07/19/ ... -shambles/

First glimpse of the revised Bustech ZDi. It took a long time.

They have effectively made what looks like a slightly doctored Customs CB80...

Merc1107 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 2:36 pm They have effectively made what looks like a slightly doctored Customs CB80...

Custom Denning gave the Bustech staff a ride in the Element demonstrator when it was in Queensland so no doubt there has been a frenzy of redesigning at Bustech HQ going on since then.

It's taken a very very long time. It'll be interesting to see whether there are stairs in the gangway and whether people can see out the windows. Or Bustech have finally got design right?

To be fair, I liked that 3D Mockup front better that was on their Website for a couple of months. All they had to do with that one is give it dual leaf entry doors instead of single leaf and it would've been fine.

Everything seems to either be taking on the futuristic concept vehicles look now days or creating designs similar to other products.

ScaniaGrenda wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 4:03 pm Everything seems to either be taking on the futuristic concept vehicles look now days or creating designs similar to other products.

We seem to be getting back to the 80s with all the funny angles (hello Etch-A-Sketch!) and proliferation of nasty-looking grey and black plastics that are appearing on vehicles again.

Although in a lot of cases I'd prefer the 80s offering... A Toyota Corolla was truly a compact car back then. Nowadays, they too have been hit with obesity and are more the size a Camry USED to be! You wouldn't think there was an impending fuel shortage or climate crisis the way cars keep getting bigger, among other things.

Bustech is building buses that run on sugar cane
https://www.busnews.com.au/industry-new ... queensland

Well I get that there's a lot of raw material available up there but the previous ethanol buses used by Ventura in Melbourne have now been retired due to old age - so this is hardly cutting edge tech.

TA3001 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 12, 2020 2:49 pm This is a body that's being shown on their webpage (see attached image).

But I thought the glass windows would render the vehicle inoperable due to the excessive amount of weight. Hence the current design. If they just did away with windows completely, then they wouldn't have to endure this problem.

IMG.jpg

Often, companies put ads on the windows, which disturbs passengers, but helps to pay for the bus, a controversial decision.
IT department https://www.worktime.com/

It looks like Bustech is still building their ZDi, just spotted a new bus listed on fleet lists: https://www.busaustralia.com/fleetlists ... &ltype=new

MO8562

MotorOmnibus8562 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 12:44 pm It looks like Bustech is still building their ZDi, just spotted a new bus listed on fleet lists: https://www.busaustralia.com/fleetlists ... &ltype=new

MO8562

It's being going on for yonks without anybody actually seeing one, but doubtless there will be one on display at the Bus Expo.

tonyp wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 1:34 pm

MotorOmnibus8562 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 12:44 pm It looks like Bustech is still building their ZDi, just spotted a new bus listed on fleet lists: https://www.busaustralia.com/fleetlists ... &ltype=new

MO8562

It's being going on for yonks without anybody actually seeing one, but doubtless there will be one on display at the Bus Expo.

Well I did take a stroll past Hamilton depot very recently and couldn't see 2900 sitting at least from a public street view so still likely to be delivered tho I'd more than imagine for an E-Bus they'd be taking it on all sorts of test runs before it actually sees revenue service. fingers crossed for the new render design we saw when Bustech updated their website but something tells me they'll be sticking to their current "VST" series front, at least for now.

Having seen videos of the previous Adelaide Metro Prototype, I really hope if their still planning for a full flat floor (or one similar to the BZL?) that they fix the windowline problem, horrific to be sitting from the back on a flat floor but the windows is still high up.

ScaniaGrenda wrote: ↑Wed Sep 21, 2022 10:16 am

tonyp wrote: ↑Tue Sep 20, 2022 1:34 pm
It's being going on for yonks without anybody actually seeing one, but doubtless there will be one on display at the Bus Expo.

Well I did take a stroll past Hamilton depot very recently and couldn't see 2900 sitting at least from a public street view so still likely to be delivered tho I'd more than imagine for an E-Bus they'd be taking it on all sorts of test runs before it actually sees revenue service. fingers crossed for the new render design we saw when Bustech updated their website but something tells me they'll be sticking to their current "VST" series front, at least for now.

Having seen videos of the previous Adelaide Metro Prototype, I really hope if their still planning for a full flat floor (or one similar to the BZL?) that they fix the windowline problem, horrific to be sitting from the back on a flat floor but the windows is still high up.

I dare say someone spotted it at the Bustech factory in Queensland.

The Bustech/BYDs in Tasmania at SkyBus have a normal looking window line. No reason that couldn’t be bought over to a ZDi.

It may well be that the Newcastle unit is being held back for display at the upcoming Bus Show before delivery.

Transit graphics just posted a photo on their Facebook page showing off the the Bustech ZDi for Queensland operator Clarks, looks like this may be the "final" production model (or in other words what is the finilaised version of it)

Not too sure if anyone has noticed but according to fleet lists, The Newcastle ZDi is in service.
https://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/kdn.php?search=KDN

For Training only at the moment.should be in service end of January

Would I be correct in saying that production of the CDI decker is over - I have accounted for 78 examples in total which would include 4 or more longer ones for Skybus Melbourne and a day coach version now operated by Thompsons, Brisbane. Now conventional 3 axle deckers are within the current axle weight allowances, the innovative CDI is probably not needed.

It is worth noting that the standard 12. 5 mtr 2 door CDI has a maximum seating capacity of 96, whereas the MAN A95's and Volvo B8L's, both of which are 12 mtrs in length, seat up to 87 passengers - perhaps permissible axle weights play a part in this lower figure, as in Singapore their 12mtr MAN A95's seat 90, with acceptable seat spacings. All bodies are produced by Gemilang both in Singapore & Australia on the A95's and the 3 x L8L's here.

Proterra, which supplies the batteries for the ZDi, has gone belly-up.

https://electrek.co/2023/08/08/proterra ... rotection/