STA Observations 2019

[boronia]

I regularly catch inbound buses on Anzac Pde in Kensington. I have multiple choices, but I rarely have problems getting on 391 or 392 services, even in peaks.

[moa999]

At Moore Park - Freshly paved pathway and freshly bitumened loop, plus a bit of greenery.

From the back of the Ladies stand.



Still a bit to do on the stops themselves but looks on track for the mid-year target

[Cazza]

I regularly catch inbound buses on Anzac Pde in Kensington. I have multiple choices, but I rarely have problems getting on 391 or 392 services, even in peaks.

I'm not trying to counter what you are saying as you're a first hand commuter through this area but just a random look around during the Off-Peak on AnyTrip and the 10:24am inbound 392 is standing room only by Southpoint Shops.

I would argue that the frequency of Route 392 is fairly inadequate for the demand (particularly between Matraville and UNSW). Even a boost to both 391 and 392 to 3bph each (combining for 10 min frequencies) would help relieve pressure.

I making the educated assumption that through the Matraville area, there is a high number of students from UNSW living there as more capacity is generally made available from here into the CBD. Yet, it is still common to see services standing room only all the way into Museum.

Now I can't say for sure that the services are filling up completely, but having monitored this route fairly closely over the past 9ish months, I can say that more often than not, the services (both 391/2) are standing room only by Eastgardens and I can only assume this gets worse the closer it gets to the City (even though full services shouldn't be the time when more services are added). This is surely enough evidence that an increase in frequency is warranted.

[Swift]

I guess Matraville isn't rich and snobby enough to be lavished by frequent STA services yet.

At Moore Park - Freshly paved pathway and freshly bitumened loop, plus a bit of greenery.

A drum of agent orange will fix it.

[In Transit]

I've got to admit, these chip on the shoulder observations are really getting tiresome. Give it a rest.

[LB608]

I've got to admit, these chip on the shoulder observations are really getting tiresome. Give it a rest.

They maybe tiesome to you
what he says is very close to the mark

[boronia]

I spotted an Orana in the city this morning, in TfNSW livery, appeared to have a painted panel instead of a rear window and no vents in the engine hatch?

[Swift]

I spotted an Orana in the city this morning, in TfNSW livery, appeared to have a painted panel instead of a rear window and no vents in the engine hatch?

That was obviously a cheap option for a bus who's days are numbered anyway. The newer buses have no rear window, so why does this need one?

[Transport Buff]

Another 3 Scania K310UB Custom CB80 Series 2 buses ordered for STA. The Depot allocated to them are yet unknown.
Here is Bus Australia Fleetlists link:
http://www.busaustralia.com/fleetlists/ ... &ltype=new

[Jurassic_Joke]

Another 3 Scania K310UB Custom CB80 Series 2 buses ordered for STA. The Depot allocated to them are yet unknown.
Here is Bus Australia Fleetlists link:
http://www.busaustralia.com/fleetlists/ ... &ltype=new

Great news. I think it's a quality bus and definitely one of my recent favourites from the STA spec'd buses. Soft dark interior, good climatisation and large windows. And the very meaty engine sound too is nice

[moa999]

Interesting broadcast on a Fri night W service.
Broadcast message seemingly to all drivers reminding them to check their timing points, as there are a number of buses running ahead of schedule and that all buses are monitored.

(As we sat in the usual Fri night traffic)

[boronia]

Seems to be a lot of people having a looong weekend already, Traffic in the east was very light this evening. Lots of outbound Anzac Pde services showing up to 9 mins early at Kensington.

[Richard290]

Seems to be a lot of people having a looong weekend already, Traffic in the east was very light this evening. Lots of Anzac Pde services showing up to 9 mins early.

My City to Epping 288 service (ex Wynyard 15:23) arrived at Epping 7 minutes early, with the bulk of passengers alighting at Lane Cove Interchange and along Epping Road as far as Pittwater Road. A trickle of approx 5 pax along Coxs and Kent Road represented a dip in the service's patronage which persisted until the service picked up a handful (approx 10 pax or so) at Macquarie Centre, with the majority using the 288 service to connect with the Northern Line trains at Epping. There was little student patronage being at Macquarie University, since the university's students are at the end of their second week of mid-semester break.

I do wonder if all the current off-peak trips of the 288 between Epping and the City which run at 15 minute frequencies on weekdays be retained post-opening of the Metro, rather than every second service per hour be truncated at Macquarie University Station, Herring Road Stand A ('Macquarie Park - Herring Rd' on destos) as per the Saturday timetable. I would argue that the 4 buses per hour on weekdays on the section of route 288 between Macquarie Centre and Epping, particularly in the afternoon between 14:00 and 16:36, helps provide an alternative service which alleviates overcrowding on the M54 between those two major patronage generators - which will be put to the test after the number M54 will be retired in favour of the new (albeit resurrected) number 550 once workers, shoppers, university and school students will return to their usual routines on Monday 29th April with a new bus route number for their services.

[gascoyne]

What's the beige rectangle? Too bad if you need to put luggage there.

[citaro393]

What's the beige rectangle? Too bad if you need to put luggage there.

Its where the green ticket validation machine for the mybus tickets used to be before opal was introduced.

[Daniel]

Another 3 Scania K310UB Custom CB80 Series 2 buses ordered for STA. The Depot allocated to them are yet unknown.
Here is Bus Australia Fleetlists link:
http://www.busaustralia.com/fleetlists/ ... &ltype=new

Great news. I think it's a quality bus and definitely one of my recent favourites from the STA spec'd buses. Soft dark interior, good climatisation and large windows. And the very meaty engine sound too is nice

Get used to it - there will be a lot added over the next few months.

[tonyp]

Get used to it - there will be a lot added over the next few months.

Last time you said that it was about Bustechs and we're still not used to them.

Custom always used to have a problem with tight seat pitch. It will be interesting to see if that has improved with the new Custom.

[J_Busworth]

Get used to it - there will be a lot added over the next few months.

Last time you said that it was about Bustechs and we're still not used to them.

Custom always used to have a problem with tight seat pitch. It will be interesting to see if that has improved with the new Custom.

The difference with these ones is they are not Bustechs

Do we know if all the L113TRBs will be replaced by CB80s?

[Fleet Lists]

No such known plans at this point in time.

[gld59]

Do we know if all the L113TRBs will be replaced by CB80s?

Probably. There are under 30 TRBs to go (but they are all *required* to be withdrawn over the next 8 months or so), and both depots with them already had CB80-bodied K310s (so little or no staff training required to put them into service).

I do wonder if all the current off-peak trips of the 288 between Epping and the City which run at 15 minute frequencies on weekdays be retained post-opening of the Metro

Do they normally run TRBs on those? Replacement of the TRBs will reduce available capacity, so perhaps the current t/t will still be needed.

[Swift]

Get used to it - there will be a lot added over the next few months.

Who's objecting? Is there word on an influx of "Optimi" we have to deal with?

[Daniel]

All three of the major Australian route bus body models are due for STA this year.

[Frosty]

All three of the major Australian route bus body models are due for STA this year.

Any chance of overseas import buses for STA i.e. Gemilang ?

[J_Busworth]

All three of the major Australian route bus body models are due for STA this year.

If that means more Bustechs I swear. No one likes them, not even the drivers or engineering staff I know like them compared to other buses. I observe that drivers from P were whinging about when their TRB got switched for a VST due to a mechanical failure, the words they used to describe the Bustech were colourful at best.

I’ve noticed that there are a lot less VSTs out late at night from P these days, with Anzac Parade seeing a procession of Optimi across most routes.

[tonyp]

If that means more Bustechs I swear. No one likes them, not even the drivers or engineering staff I know like them compared to other buses. I observe that drivers from P were whinging about when their TRB got switched for a VST due to a mechanical failure, the words they used to describe the Bustech were colourful at best.

I’ve noticed that there are a lot less VSTs out late at night from P these days, with Anzac Parade seeing a procession of Optimi across most routes.

While Volgren and Custom had their origins in the major cities of Melbourne and Sydney and thus were exposed to and well-educated in the realities and fine details of mass transit, Bustech comes from a more bucolic environment where public transport usage is more a recreational activity and doesn't seem attuned to the realities of mass movement of people. How else could you explain thinking in the 21st century that it's OK to have steps in the doorway of a citybus, or windows that seated passengers can't see out of?

However, Bustech can stand or fall on its own merits, that's up to them. What concerns me far more is that the nation's biggest state transport agency and operator in the state with the nation's biggest bus operations can possibly think that it's OK to have these design flaws in a bus. That's one hell of a lack of professionalism. They seem to be smarter in Victoria where they've avoided this brand and South Australia, while they've adopted it in order to create local jobs, AdMet has least beaten the design flaws out of it before accepting it. While we might be rid of State Transit in due course, it seems that we'll be stuck with our blundering TfNSW forever.