Article: Buses go off the road often

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From the Wynnum Herald click here!

Buses go off the road often

Buses go off the road often

20 Jan 09

DEFECTS, flat tyres, and breakdowns are stopping almost 600 Brisbane City Council buses in their tracks each month, according to new council figures.

The figures, obtained under Freedom of Information, show bus services were disrupted 586 times a month by breakdowns in the year to last October.

Reasons for replacement buses needing to be called in ranged from soiled interiors to mechanical faults.
However, Rail, Tram, and Bus Union assistant secretary David Matters said incidents had fallen in the past decade since an agreement with council on when buses should not be driven.

He cited examples such as malfunctioning doors, indicators, and warning devices.

"I think it is quite correct of them to do so (call for a replacement)," Mr Matters said.
But he added that some drivers had logged cases where the same bus had been the subject of repeated requests for in-service swaps due to less serious defects not being fixed.

A spokesman for Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said most calls for replacement buses were the result of mechanical failure, but unroadworthy vehicles were not sent back into service.

"We have 973 buses on the road that travel 57 million kilometres a year, so it?s not surprising they need occasional maintenance," Public and Active transport chairwoman Jane Prentice said.

Just one bus breakdown in the CBD can bring traffic to a standstill, as was seen in Eagle St in November when traffic banked up to the Riverside Expressway.