Hallelujah! Our prayers have been answered! Salvation is upon us!

[ButFli]

Praise the Lord-ah. The 4:00PM ex-Fairfield Gardens 196 today was operated by bus W379 - an artic! As far as I am aware this is the first use of an artic on the 19X corridor. Let's hope this is the first of many and the congestion-busting antics continue! Amen.

[#Metro]

Is this bus a brand new bus? Does anyone know?

About time the 19X series was upgraded... roll on the high capacity buses for the 19X corridor.

[ButFli]

God no. W379 is a Volvo B10M mk3 - they were delivered in 1991.

In other news the photo representing the type on btbuses.info is W378 operating a 197 through Cultural Centre. -_- So I take it back. Today was not the first artic 19X.

[#Metro]

Darn... They should do it though.
That 196 bus gets good loads and should be BUZzed. Upgrade of the 199 BUZ to take more capacity and run frequently all day (say, every 10 minutes) is an elephant in the room.

[Golliwog]

They have bought out a whole bunch more of the tri-axle buses. To my knowledge they now stretch from 1708/9 to 1724 or something like that. Those are the nubmers I've seen. They like to hang out at UQ Lakes.

[somebody]

Wouldn't a BUZ 196 be better?

[dwb]

Well I guess this thread has been superceeded more or less by http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=5796.0

However, having lived in Highgate Hill and used the 19x extensively, I'd have to say the current artics aren't a solution... What this service really needs is something akin to a "Glider-fication" and by that I mean
- better stops as they're really highly used! the current hierarchy doesn't distinguish enough on the scale of use
- wider doors on buses including the back (even though CG doesn't have these)
- more doors... at least three
- room for luggage (the West End crowd carries their shopping home more than any other route in Brisbane... the old buses had that bay at the back door where the ol' biddies could lock their trolley in!)
- more standing room... there are lots of students (ie young people who are capable of standing) for a very short route. I'd go as far to say that the low floor component of the bus should have two wheelchair on one side, then only single (forward not inward facing) seating on the other side.

Oh and an operational approach including all-door all-pre-paid boarding!