RAIL - Back On Track Forum

Sent to all outlets:

Full extent of bus driver shortage revealed

22nd March 2023

Thanks to Brisbanetimes the full extent of the bus driver shortfall is now out in the open.
Latest information from the Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC) suggests 500 bus drivers are needed.  It is little wonder we are seeing the large numbers of cancelled bus services due to lack of drivers.

Brisbanetimes --> Bus cancellations to continue unless 500 drivers get on board
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/bus-cancellations-to-continue-unless-500-drivers-get-on-board-20230321-p5cu1k.html

Brisbanetimes --> Driver shortage hits home as Brisbane, Gold Coast buses cancelled
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/driver-shortage-hits-home-as-brisbane-gold-coast-buses-cancelled-20230317-p5ct0k.html

We flagged this in earlier Facebook posts ( see ' Bus networks in serious disarray ' https://railbotforum.org/yourls/4v 15th March 2023, and ' Update on reported bus service disruptions by Translink ' https://railbotforum.org/yourls/4d 18th February 2023.
It is disappointing that both the Minister for Transport and Translink seem unwilling to get out there and support our bus operators in recruiting more bus drivers.

" ... Questions to Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey were referred to the state government's public transport agency, Translink, which said it didn't employ drivers.

It said that was the purview of individual bus companies and Brisbane City Council. ... "

Might be time for a new Minister for Transport and a public transport agency that is able to deliver what is required,  not platitudes.

This is an interview I did on ABC Gold Coast Radio 21st March 2023 with specific reference to the problems on the Gold Coast buses > https://backontrack.org/docs/abcgc/abcgc_sc_rd21mar23.mp3  MP3 5.1MB

There are things that can be done to assist in recruitment of more bus drivers.
Additionally some bus network reform is needed, particularly in the Brisbane region to reduce driver demand.

Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Facebook ...

Completed an interview with 7 News earlier today concerning the bus service cancellations.

Quote from: ozbob on March 22, 2023, 15:07:27 PMCompleted an interview with 7 News earlier today concerning the bus service cancellations.

^ Well, nice piece.  Has flushed out the Minister and Cr Murphy ...   

Good job 7 News and Bob, the punters pal 

Sent to all outlets:

Re: Full extent of bus driver shortage revealed

23rd March 2023

Good Morning,

Thanks to 7 News for a report on the serious situation with bus networks in Queensland.

500 drivers needed to boost Queensland's bus system | 7NEWS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv16Wq1JImQ
Pleasing to see Minister Bailey and Cr. Murphy commenting.  Yes, the problems are real and it should not take weeks/months of advocacy by us to point out the obvious.

We will be suggesting in time some quick bus network reform options for Brisbane.  Brisbane bus network is over-serviced, duplicated in places and inefficient.  It is time that Brisbane accepted that to make public transport more efficient and quicker some transfers are necessary.  This will happen in time when the Busway Electric Rapid Transit ( ' Brisbane Metro' ) is introduced anyway, might as well bring it forward because of the driver shortfall.  A more reliable network can then be achieved.

Here are the reported bus service disruptions from the 23rd January 2023 through to 22nd March 2023.  Appalling isn't it?



From:  https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=15050.0

Don't miss the bus now!

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Quote from: ozbob on March 22, 2023, 04:51:47 AMSent to all outlets:

Full extent of bus driver shortage revealed

22nd March 2023

Thanks to Brisbanetimes the full extent of the bus driver shortfall is now out in the open.
Latest information from the Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC) suggests 500 bus drivers are needed.  It is little wonder we are seeing the large numbers of cancelled bus services due to lack of drivers.

Brisbanetimes --> Bus cancellations to continue unless 500 drivers get on board
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/bus-cancellations-to-continue-unless-500-drivers-get-on-board-20230321-p5cu1k.html

Brisbanetimes --> Driver shortage hits home as Brisbane, Gold Coast buses cancelled
https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/driver-shortage-hits-home-as-brisbane-gold-coast-buses-cancelled-20230317-p5ct0k.html

We flagged this in earlier Facebook posts ( see ' Bus networks in serious disarray ' https://railbotforum.org/yourls/4v 15th March 2023, and ' Update on reported bus service disruptions by Translink ' https://railbotforum.org/yourls/4d 18th February 2023.
It is disappointing that both the Minister for Transport and Translink seem unwilling to get out there and support our bus operators in recruiting more bus drivers.

" ... Questions to Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey were referred to the state government's public transport agency, Translink, which said it didn't employ drivers.

It said that was the purview of individual bus companies and Brisbane City Council. ... "

Might be time for a new Minister for Transport and a public transport agency that is able to deliver what is required,  not platitudes.

This is an interview I did on ABC Gold Coast Radio 21st March 2023 with specific reference to the problems on the Gold Coast buses > https://backontrack.org/docs/abcgc/abcgc_sc_rd21mar23.mp3  MP3 5.1MB

There are things that can be done to assist in recruitment of more bus drivers.
Additionally some bus network reform is needed, particularly in the Brisbane region to reduce driver demand.

Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

The whole network is just a mess of routes and timetables and operating hours/days!!

It actively encourages people to drive

111 bus service cancellations 23 Mar 2023 by BCC Transport for Brisbane.

Nothing too see here,  move right on now ....

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1639014750955917315

Already lots of cancelled services (every single Chermside buz route has had a cancelled service), late running is rife but on the flip side it's Friday which means lots of early running services for the Northside. It's still a mystery to me how we can have later scheduled buses terminating before the previous scheduled service or still have northwest routes like the 351 terminating 28 minutes early in the city.

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1639268127715237896

Sent to all outlets:

Brisbane Bus Network Reform - Reduce Driver Demand

27th March 2023

RAIL Back On Track (http://backontrack.org has called for Brisbane City Council and Transport Minister Mark Bailey to adopt bus reforms to cut down on the driver demand for Brisbane bus region.

Brisbane City Council (BCC) has been unable to deliver the bus timetable. Hundreds of bus services have been cancelled daily. Estimates have it that we are 500 bus drivers short in Queensland, and it is the same figure for NSW. BCC is around 300 bus drivers short.

There is clearly over-servicing and duplication in the BCC bus network. We have bus routes duplicating each other and trains. Continuing this style of bus network when bus drivers are scarce is difficult to justify.

RAIL Back On Track suggests some reforms that could be done in view of the ongoing driver shortage. We have prepared some suggestions; there may be others both the Council and Translink may also want to consider. Translink could also consider adding two additional trains per hour during weekdays to the Springfield line to facilitate bus-train transfer and reduce the 'transfer penalty' that passengers may otherwise experience.

We think these suggestions will genuinely benefit passengers, even if a transfer is involved. BCC already is planning a lot of transferring to the Bus Rapid Transit 'Brisbane Metro', and the Gold Coast Light Rail service relies on feeder buses. Not only will the network be simpler, passengers can be sure that their BCC bus actually turns up.



Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Reference:

Indooroopilly Station Platform Access Map
https://www.queenslandrail.com.au/Customers/Stations%20and%20Maps/Station%20files/Stationmap%20printable%20pdfs/Indooroopilly.pdf

Facebook ...

More extensive bus delays again this afternoon


Taken @ 1630 today--->https://photos.app.goo.gl/51zigT1Ks5FFr2nn6

This is becoming an usual occurrence along the Vic Bridge.

^ thanks v9.  Great photographs!

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1640417996010291201

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1640419124676546560

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1642170077188591617

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1642768853032923136

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1642772082395328513

But we don't need light rail south of Broadbeach. Right Michael Hart?

Well well well ...

ABC News --> Brisbane City Council launches recruitment push for bus drivers after 1,300 services cancelled in three weeks

Quote... Councillor Ryan Murphy – who's chair of Transport at Brisbane City ouncil – said that the council needed 160 new drivers – "and we need them fast".

TransLink cancelled 1,300 services across south-east Queensland over three weeks between March and April due mainly to driver shortage. ...

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1652901047046909953

This is just going to cause bus operators to pinch staff from each other while driving labour costs up.

So in the end you're paying more for the same labour input and same service output.

They need to restructure the bus network to leverage rail now IMHO.

Couriermail Quest --> Covid blamed for Logan bus driver shortage as Clarks recruitment drive fails $

QuoteCommuter anger has boiled over three months after a southside bus company axed a morning express bus service into the city with the company claiming a bus driver shortage due to Covid.

A bus driver shortage has forced a local bus company to axe more than 10 peak-hour bus services into Brisbane.

Clarks Logan City Bus Service started cancelling express morning peak services for the P569 route, which runs from the Logan Hyperdome into Brisbane, in February, citing "higher than usual driver absences due to influenza and COVID-19".

Anger boiled over last week, when more than 20 early morning commuters were forced to wait more than 15 minutes for a bus into the city and there was no express service. ...

    

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1661117964106756096

Quote from: ozbob on May 24, 2023, 07:13:23 AM   

https://twitter.com/railbotforum/status/1661117964106756096

Love how they accidentally said the next bus departs at 6:58pm.

We know that a number of bus service cancellations etc. are not reported.

e.g.


https://twitter.com/Translink_QLD/status/1670758743607214081

https://twitter.com/Translink_QLD/status/1670764222022578176

https://twitter.com/Translink_QLD/status/1670764942419525633

Here's a thought: How difficult would it be to train an AI to detect bus delays and cancellations, and the auto-tweet (or perhaps semi-auto tweet after human approval) the delays or cancellations?

On one hand you would feed the AI the scheduled timetable, on the other hand you would feed it detection data if there were a transponder on board, or some sort of live position monitoring.

The AI would then compare through machine learning or perhaps something simpler - the expected position of the bus with the timetable and work out if the difference was significant to trigger a delay or if a cancellation actually happened.

This approach would detect both reported and unreported delays.

Quote from: #Metro on June 20, 2023, 00:53:53 AMHere's a thought: How difficult would it be to train an AI to detect bus delays and cancellations, and the auto-tweet (or perhaps semi-auto tweet after human approval) the delays or cancellations?

On one hand you would feed the AI the scheduled timetable, on the other hand you would feed it detection data if there were a transponder on board, or some sort of live position monitoring.

The AI would then compare through machine learning or perhaps something simpler - the expected position of the bus with the timetable and work out if the difference was significant to trigger a delay or if a cancellation actually happened.

This approach would detect both reported and unreported delays.

This wouldnt need AI. It would be fairly simple to just compare the Real Time Data to the Scheduled Data. Issue is there are times when busses are running but don't update their real time information.

Bus stop relocation and  consolidation is needed in the Valley to improve reliability - https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=11047.msg278664#msg278664

There have been quite a few cancellations in Logan this afternoon/evening due to "staff availability" (i.e. no driver). Not quite sure what's going on there. Maybe a lot of illness?

Quote from: achiruel on April 09, 2024, 20:57:19 PMThere have been quite a few cancellations in Logan this afternoon/evening due to "staff availability" (i.e. no driver). Not quite sure what's going on there. Maybe a lot of illness?

Sunshine Coast has had similar issues of late as well ... 

A few buses cancelled last night ~10 pm due to congestion. What the heck was happening? The rugby was over by about 4:30 (well, maybe about 3:00 if you were a Wallabies fan), so it wasn't that.

https://x.com/Translink_QLD/status/1822247151520370899

https://x.com/Translink_QLD/status/1822245586059329853

https://x.com/Translink_QLD/status/1822245113499627580

And a couple of issues regarding rerouting and late running.

https://x.com/Translink_QLD/status/1822240777688252721

https://x.com/Translink_QLD/status/1822237098562170880

Quite a few more, but I won't go on.

Were these all because of the Ekka?

There were more reported bus service disruptions yesterday (a Saturday) than usual.

> https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?msg=284687

Maybe the EKKA has something to do with it ...

It continues out west ...   

https://x.com/Translink_QLD/status/1823191798098907589

 

https://x.com/ozbob13/status/1823575016220569912

So, 4 hours between buses. That's atrocious!

I wonder if the contract terms create perverse incentives around trip completion / cancellations.

It should be much, much easier to be able to divert resources to fix big gaps like this. 

https://x.com/kaseyklimes/status/1824433252855107932