Linto63 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 26, 2023 2:14 pm
While everybody has their preferences, Bustechs appear to be a better build quality than Custom bodied buses of the same age.
Bustechs also have a very poor windowline and for a long time were completely incapable of getting rid of the step at the back door despite every other bus body manufacturer having low entry at both doors for the best part of 30 years. Ansair managed it. Custom managed it. Volgren managed it. How come Bustech can't?
Build quality might be better than Custom, that's up for debate. The design certainly isn't though, Bustech is certainly the loser in that regard by a long way.
Bustechs also have a very poor windowline and for a long time were completely incapable of getting rid of the step at the back door despite every other bus body manufacturer having low entry at both doors for the best part of 30 years. Ansair managed it. Custom managed it. Volgren managed it. How come Bustech can't?
When they first came out to the STA people here were defending having a step like it no biggie or simply refusing to acknowledge this glaring omission, insistIng it was sliced bread.
One former member here would get irate at any suggestions it was not fit for purpose and I think I know the main reason.
Besides all that, the VST mark 4 is quite ugly on the outside and looks like a kindergartener drew it up and they went with it.
Last edited by Swift on Thu Oct 26, 2023 7:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Campbelltown busboy wrote: ↑Thu Oct 26, 2023 7:00 pm
It basicly cuts the number of buses that cross region lines down to a few
Is that a problem?
No but my system will make it harder for the big multinationals to place bids for the 5 available contracts as this system prioritises small Australian owned operators with incentive. The multinationals will come in to pickup whatever the small Australian operators aren't interested in
What's the difference between amalgamating contracts further versus allowing bidders to bid for adjacent regions? If anything five very large contracts would be more attractive to multinationals than it would be to small operators.
Merc1107 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 26, 2023 9:18 pm
What's the difference between amalgamating contracts further versus allowing bidders to bid for adjacent regions? If anything five very large contracts would be more attractive to multinationals than it would be to small operators.
It was ether 5 large regions 30 small regions or 50 smaller regions
There is no suggestion that the size of regions is even on the taskforce's agenda. Given that all of the regions are now contractually tied down for at least five years, there won't be any changes to the map anytime soon. Speculating on whether regions should be merged or split at this stage is purely speculative and thus should really be discussed in the fantasy section rather than here.
Here's a idea just let the report come out in full then the government except and implement every recommendation that the report tells them to implement
If you want to see better bus services, get on a plane to almost any other overseas city. Nothing will change in a revolutionary way. Old thinking is too ingrained.
Randomness wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 7:36 pm
Reports like these certainly won’t bring about much action when even Royal Commission findings can be ignored.
Labor has to build up the quantity of their reports and studies before the next election so that they can say that they've been doing something about public transport.
Even the report acknowledges that only some of what is proposed is likely to be taken up. Governments (of both colours) only ever cherry pick a few suggestions from these reports, to think all of the recommendations are going to be taken up is naive.
Three door rigids, much less all door boarding though those doors will certainly be rejected.
It should be made compulsory throughout Sydney at any stop that the driver can pull in completely parallel to the gutter.
Swift wrote: ↑Sat Oct 28, 2023 1:26 pm
Three door rigids, much less all door boarding though those doors will certainly be rejected.
It should be made compulsory throughout Sydney at any stop that the driver can pull in completely parallel to the gutter.
Where are they not allowed to do that?
An asset of NSW. All opinions/comments are strictly my own. M 5885.
I don't know why all-door boarding still is a contentious topic for Sydney. It shouldn't be rejected. I use the centre door to get on buses in Melbourne all the time now. Bus drivers in Melbourne like it as well as it cuts down on dwell time especially at busy stops even with the 1.5 door set up common. I had a chat with a bus driver in Melbourne who drove buses in Sydney for 2 decades and doesn't mind all-door boarding now. With the exception of Busways, all the Sydney multinational operators also have some presence in Melbourne now doing it on their services, the trams in case of Keolis Downer.
I was on the 350 and 370 ADFN services the other day, very busy cross-town routes, it was absolutely painful waiting and seeing the centre doors not being used for boarding. Driver had to ask people to move down and wait for people to slowly shuffle down. These services also regularly "bunch" even when road traffic is light as well it seems and it's because of the excessive dwell times from asking people to shuffle down rather than traffic. Easy problem to solve if there was all-door boarding
Reminds me of the time there was a massive throng getting on the 333 at Bondi Beach, on a three door bendy bus when it was obvious opening all three was an instantaneous solution at the driver's fingertips. Instead it took minutes. Tonyp's points came to mind.
It's just stubborn adherence to old ways that's off the charts due to planner's brain synapses being frozen in place.
rogf24 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 28, 2023 5:50 pm
I don't know why all-door boarding still is a contentious topic for Sydney. It shouldn't be rejected. I use the centre door to get on buses in Melbourne all the time now. Bus drivers in Melbourne like it as well as it cuts down on dwell time especially at busy stops even with the 1.5 door set up common. I had a chat with a bus driver in Melbourne who drove buses in Sydney for 2 decades and doesn't mind all-door boarding now. With the exception of Busways, all the Sydney multinational operators also have some presence in Melbourne now doing it on their services, the trams in case of Keolis Downer.
I was on the 350 and 370 ADFN services the other day, very busy cross-town routes, it was absolutely painful waiting and seeing the centre doors not being used for boarding. Driver had to ask people to move down and wait for people to slowly shuffle down. These services also regularly "bunch" even when road traffic is light as well it seems and it's because of the excessive dwell times from asking people to shuffle down rather than traffic. Easy problem to solve if there was all-door boarding
It's the RTBU and TWU in NSW. TfNSW is well aware of the issues by now, but nobody can do anything as long as the unions refuse.
Except they don't. They can make a fuss all they want, but you're hardly likely to see everyone walk off on a "stop for safety", nor will the Unions bite the Labor hand that feeds them (well, not too hard anyway).
