Bus Observations 2024.

[Glen]

^^ Last day of the Easter Show.

[Linto63]

Charter operators have always supplemented services operated by TfNSW contracted operators irrespective of whether the show was held during school holidays or not. For the past couple of years, Windsor Bus Charters have supplemented Keolis Downer on route 1B, but were absent this year with KD using B-Line double deckers on some services.

[MiCCROwavE_OVEN]

This year, most 5A and 5B services were run out of CDC Charter St Marys Depot, with Cumberland Coachlines also filling on on some 5B shifts - most other years its been Hillsbus Northmead doing the heavy lifting on said routes. The 8 remains Dural operated.

[Bovways]

Charter operators have always supplemented services operated by TfNSW contracted operators irrespective of whether the show was held during school holidays or not. For the past couple of years, Windsor Bus Charters have supplemented Keolis Downer on route 1B, but were absent this year with KD using B-Line double deckers on some services.

Windsor Bus Charters were in past years operating 1B trips for CDC/Forest, not Keolis. CDC used Kinetic this year to assist on 1B. CDC also used some of their blue & white MAN deckers on the 1B this year (I didn't see any Bustechs on it the days I was around)
Keolis Downer operates route 1A, and yes they used yellow MAN B-Line deckers on it this year.

[Linto63]

My bad, got 1A and 1B confused. IIRC CDC, or Forest as it then was, have used deckers in previous years.

[Swift]

Keolis Downer operates route 1A, and yes they used yellow MAN B-Line deckers on it this year.

I suppose they used blue and white 12m rigids on the B-line while doing this?
Those deckers are supposed to be dedicated to B-line duty separate from the other buses. The goverment didn't spend ½ billion on the system only for the deckers to be commandeered for other work.

[Stonesourscotty]

With Strathfield to Lidcombe Railway being off and by default the T7 direct services to Central and there being a game at Accor tomorrow will the 525/6 be strengthened as can envisage crush loadings knowing the area.

Sent from my SM-S916B using Tapatalk

[Linto63]

Those deckers are supposed to be dedicated to B-line duty separate from the other buses. The goverment didn't spend ½ billion on the system only for the deckers to be commandeered for other work.

The deckers are region 8 assets, the Easter Show services are operated as part of Keolis Downer's contract, therefore it is entirely appropriate that they are used on these services, it's not as if they are off moonlighting on non-TfNSW work. Like most routes, the off-peak and weekend frequency on the B1 is at a lower level than the peak, hence there are surplus vehicles available.

[Swift]

Like most routes, the off-peak and weekend frequency on the B1 is at a lower level than the peak, hence there are surplus vehicles available.

In those circumstances, no harm no foul.

[Aurora]

Provided of course they are suitable for such routes (I.e.: height clearances).

[tonyp]

Provided of course they are suitable for such routes (I.e.: height clearances).

I presume that routes have to be engineered and approved for double deckers. They can't just run anywhere like single deckers. If extra capacity is needed at short notice, artics are the answer.

[Glen]

Provided of course they are suitable for such routes (I.e.: height clearances).

I presume that routes have to be engineered and approved for double deckers. They can't just run anywhere like single deckers. If extra capacity is needed at short notice, artics are the answer.

Routes also have to be checked for artics, e.g. length of bus zones etc.

[tonyp]

Routes also have to be checked for artics, e.g. length of bus zones etc.

That would be about all I think. Even that isn't much of an issue in NSW since we don't have all-door boarding and all that buses have to do is pull in at 45 degrees like a taxi to ensure the front door is at the kerb!

[Glen]

But we do have all door alighting.

[tonyp]

But we do have all door alighting.

I've never noticed any particular effort to drop rear door alightees onto the footpath like I see in Europe. Mostly on to the road.

[Linto63]

Even that isn't much of an issue in NSW since we don't have all-door boarding and all that buses have to do is pull in at 45 degrees like a taxi to ensure the front door is at the kerb!

Articulated buses should be able to park flush to the kerb so that their rear doesn't protrude blocking the road for following traffic, hence routes they operate on have longer bus zones. Not that they, nor rigids for that matter, are always driven that way.

[Merc1107]

Articulated buses should be able to park flush to the kerb so that their rear doesn't protrude blocking the road for following traffic, hence routes they operate on have longer bus zones. Not that they, nor rigids for that matter, are always driven that way.

Absolutely - both on stop design and how buses should be driven (it's amazing how many drivers still pull in at an angle when they have 100m of clear road in either direction from the stop). Yet even in that revered capital of the west, this doesn't hold true in many areas; the messaging and policy has even tended towards suggesting this is an unreasonable expectation!

[Swift]

A lot of passengers and other motorists are complete inconsiderate oafs, but that fits many bus drivers also.
One at Umina shops recently layed up in the bus zone at least three metres short of the bus stop sign, necessitating our bus to have it's arse in the roadway.
What was he thinking? More to the point, does he think?

[Linto63]

With Strathfield to Lidcombe Railway being off and by default the T7 direct services to Central and there being a game at Accor tomorrow will the 525/6 be strengthened as can envisage crush loadings knowing the area.

Direct services were scheduled to operate from Central although with the chaos the network is in, doubt they will run.

[MiCCROwavE_OVEN]

A few things for today:

Saw a couple of Transdev John Holland's Volvo B12BLEA Volgren CR228L artics on rail replacement earlier this morning - nothing really special but just thought I'd mention it considering the discussion on artics doing rail replacement.

There was a news story about Transit Systems R3 m/o 8197 (the newest bus in Region 3) involved in an accident while running a T80 to Parramatta two nights ago - can't find the article now but I recall it was on 7 News last night. Lower windscreen was damaged.

And for those who still remember the midibus trials run by State Transit back in the early 2010s, I think I found the Scania N280UB Volgren CR228L demonstrator 5060 for sale:
https://www.roddhoodsbusandcoachsales.c ... ll&new=all
From what I gather the bus that was 5060 was until recently operating the Yulara Resort Shuttle near Uluru - I'm not 100% sure whether this is (was) 5060 or not but an interesting find nonetheless.

[Noel]

ABC Radio is reporting an electric bus in western Sydney has caught fire overnight.

They’ve placed an exclusion zone around it but I cannot find any further details.

[Swift]

They’ve placed an exclusion zone around it but I cannot find any further details.

Sounds about right. They'll probably try to cover it up.
Can't ruin the narrative.

[BAMBAM]

ABC Radio is reporting an electric bus in western Sydney has caught fire overnight.

They’ve placed an exclusion zone around it but I cannot find any further details.

Believed to happen at Custom Denning Bus plant.

[Linto63]

Was a stand alone lithium battery that caught fire at Custom Denning's St Marys factory. Contrary to the ill-informed observation' that the exclusion zone was established as a cover up, it was done so because of the intense heat generated that required 20 tonnes of sand to extinguish and at one stage necessitated fire crews standing down.

[Merc1107]

God forbid a depot full of those things ever goes up... It would be beyond catastrophic.