Sydney - bus

[ozbob]

Industrial action will affect inner west buses on Thurs. Make alternative plans - catch @trainsinfo or light rail. https://t.co/bhmyYYiu0f

— Buses Inner West (@BusesInnerWest) May 17, 2017

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Sydney bus drivers to strike for 24 hours over privatisation 'betrayal'

A planned strike that would see 1200 bus drivers walk off the job all day on Thursday may not go ahead, after the NSW government applied for an emergency hearing in the Industrial Relations Commission on Wednesday night.

The NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) announced the strike on Wednesday evening as a protest against the government's plan to privatise bus services in the city's south and inner west.

It was due to begin at midnight and last for for 24 hours.

However, Transport for NSW applied for an urgent hearing at the Industrial Relations Commission, which was heard at 8pm on Wednesday. A government spokeswoman said the IRC reviewed the evidence and found the strike to be illegal, ordering the drivers to work as normal.

The union did not immediately respond to questions on whether the strike would still go ahead.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance said he welcomed the order from the Industrial Relations Commission and expects the union to comply.

"I hope drivers ignore the union bosses' reckless behaviour," Mr Constance said. "Anyone who takes part in an illegal strike will not be paid.

"I implore all STA drivers to come to work tomorrow, because their customers need to get to school and to work on time."

Mr Constance said contingency measures will still be put in place for Thursday "to ensure our city is not inconvenienced".

When the industrial action was announced, the RTBU said it was a reaction to Mr Constance's "betrayal" of commuters and transport workers in privatising bus routes.

A total of 1200 public bus drivers were due to stop work, affecting four depots which would be privatised under Mr Constance's plan.

The strike would affect bus services that run from the Leichhardt, Burwood, Kingsgrove and Tempe depots, including all school buses in southern Sydney and the inner west.

Transport for NSW said students would be able to travel for free on other forms of public transport when they displayed their Student Opal Card. Parents and students were advised to go to transportnsw.info to see if their route was affected.

A map provided by the union showed the strike would impact a huge chunk of the city, from Sans Souci to Silverwater and from Glebe to Strathfield, encompassing important arterial roads and the Anzac Bridge.

The Transport Management Centre said routes impacted were the 401, 406, 407, 408, 412, 413, 415, 418, 422, 423, 425, 426, 428, 430, 431, 433, 436, 437, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 444, 445, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464, 466, 470, 473, 476, 477, 478, 479, 480, 483, 487, 490, 491, 492, 493, 495, 502, 504, 508, 526, L23, L28, L37, L38, L39, M20, M30, M41, X04 and X25.

Routes 438 and 461 would operate a "limited and modified service" along Parramatta Road from 6am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm, in the direction of the peak only.

Those using route 400 from Bondi Junction to Burwood, which is used to travel to Sydney Airport, were advised to catch the train instead.

A Transport Management Centre spokesman said people should catch trains or the light rail, or "make arrangements with employers to work flexibly" to deal with the "significant" disruption.

"Road users and public transport customers across the network are advised to allow plenty of additional travel time during peak periods as traffic is expected to be heavier than usual and patronage on other modes of transport will be increased," the spokesman said.

Chris Preston, the secretary of the RTBU's bus division, said the privatisation announcement which spurred the strike was made despite workers being assured in writing in December that their bus routes would remain in public hands.

He said drivers are "deeply apologetic" about inconveniencing commuters, but they felt compelled to respond to the "outrageous attack" on public transport.

"There is one person to blame for this stoppage and that is Minister Constance," Mr Preston said. "With no warning, no consultation and against explicit undertakings, he has placed the future of 1,200 bus drivers and depot staff in limbo.

"This action is our members' initial response to this outrageous action."

Mr Preston said members of the public should make alternative arrangements to get to work and school, and urged Premier Gladys Berejiklian to intervene in the situation immediately.

"Minister Constance needs to understand that you cannot treat the community and public transport workers with such contempt," he said. "We call on the Premier to intervene as a matter of urgency and put a stop to this attack on our public transport network."

[ozbob]

Sydney bus drivers 'not at work' despite strike being ruled illegal https://t.co/RfRfKbOALG

— smh.com.au (@smh) May 17, 2017

[ozbob]

Sydney Buses Region 6, current time #busstrike pic.twitter.com/elvkRsN1OI

— endless trash (@kypros1992) May 18, 2017

^

source Anytrip by @jxeeno

— endless trash (@kypros1992) May 18, 2017

[ozbob]

Limiting bus privatisation to the inner west is not about politics, says Premier https://t.co/the3tP4OT3 | @JakeSaulwick

— smh.com.au (@smh) May 21, 2017

[ozbob]

http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/newsroom/media-releases/new-bus-network-boost-northern-beaches

New bus network a boost for Northern Beaches

The Northern Beaches B-Line will be extended to Newport, and the existing local bus network is set for extra peak hour services.

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said the NSW Government is committed to giving the Northern Beaches a better public transport system.

"We want to see more people leaving their car at home and that is why the new bus network plan will provide better coverage of the region, and make it easier for customers to connect with different services," Mr Constance said.

"The new B-Line is a major part of these changes and when it arrives later this year customers will be able to connect seamlessly between the B-Line and their local services."

Member for Pittwater Rob Stokes said the extension of the B-Line from Mona Vale to Newport would make it easier than ever to travel to the Sydney CBD.

"B-Line buses will operate between Newport and the CBD every 10 minutes across the day and every five minutes between Mona Vale and the CBD during peak times in the peak direction," Mr Stokes said.

New routes have been created across the network, including Wheeler Heights to Manly, Mona Vale to Milsons Point, and Palm Beach to Manly.

Member for Manly James Griffin welcomed the extra services.

"These changes will provide transfer opportunities to the B-Line, improved local connections and additional services across the Northern Beaches," Mr Griffin said.

    A new route 199 will operate between Palm Beach, Avalon and Manly
        Buses will run every 15 minutes, seven days a week, until late at night between Avalon and Manly.
        Buses will run every 30 minutes to and from Palm Beach on weekdays, and every 15 minutes on weekends.
        Customers can connect with B-Line services at stops between Newport and Brookvale.
    A new route E54 will provide more frequent services during weekday peak periods for customers travelling from the Northern Beaches to North Sydney.

Changes to the Northern Beaches Bus Network come into effect later this year to coincide with the launch of the B-Line and can be viewed online at www.b-line.transport.nsw.gov.au. New timetables will be available closer to changeover.

[ozbob]

Sydney bus passengers travel for free as drivers declare 'Fare Free Day' https://t.co/D5YNkVEO93 | @JakeSaulwick

— smh.com.au (@smh) May 31, 2017

[#Metro]

"Private operators will put profits before people," said RTBU bus division president David Woollams. "As a result, the community will get higher fares, fewer services and the removal of local bus stops."

Hmm, but Sydney already uses private buses, and they charge the same fares. Sounds a lot like the same arguments trotted out that shot
down the 2013 bus review.


A for-profit bus operation might have a profit margin (for argument sake) of 5% - 10%.

Repeated rounds of competitive tendering would drive that profit margin down. Because competition.

In contrast, the labour cost component of a bus operation would be one of the largest costs, perhaps 40-50%.

In other words, the amount of money being sent to shareholders is ~ 10x less in magnitude than that is being sent home to workers.

So if one wants to make an argument that profit is a "cost" you would not be looking at the profit side of things - you would be looking at the

labour cost side of things.


Now contrary to popular belief, that doesn't necessarily mean a pay cut, longer working hours, or firing people.


What we have seen with the Brisbane (bus) Metro is that you can make your workforce far more efficient and productive by getting larger buses,

by spacing out the bus stops at distances similar to light rail and doing everything possible to get congestion out of the way so that you have

speed in the system. You can also redesign the network to feed rail and simplify it. That is probably the reason why Perth, of all cities, has 30%

cost recovery, far above those for Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney while at the same time providing an excellent PT system that does not cut

corners or cut quality.

[SurfRail]

Perth also has much better remunerated drivers than the east coast operations (public and private), so the union's arguments are rolled gold crap.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Old becomes new again: Double-decker buses to replace bendies on Sydney streets

Sydney's bendy buses will eventually become a thing of the past, the NSW government said on Tuesday, signalling its determination to go high and not long.

"We are replacing those bendy buses with the double-deckers," said Transport Minister Andrew Constance.
Bendy buses to be phased out

The NSW government has announced a plan to phase out congestion-causing bendy buses and replace them with double deckers. Vision courtesy Seven News.

"This is the way to go, we will just continue to phase them out over time," he said.

The management of Sydney's bus network has begun to stoke fierce passions under Mr Constance. This latest announcement, following the recent move to "franchise" the operation of buses in Sydney's inner west, may prove no exception.

"I think it's ridiculous," said Chris Preston, secretary of the Rail, Tram & Bus Union's bus division.

"The three-door bendies are faster to load and unload," said Mr Preston. "And I can't see double-deckers going around back streets where trees overhang."

To be sure, Mr Constance will not be removing all of Sydney's bendy buses any time soon. On Tuesday he was joined by Premier Gladys Berejiklian to announce the government would spend $101 million on more than 170 new buses in next week's budget. Of these, 134 will replace ageing buses, but will add 42 to the fleet.

The new buses, as well as more intensive use of existing buses, will help add more than 3300 more weekly services across Sydney, the Illawarra, the Central Coast and Hunter.

"There's no doubt some communities are reliant on extra bus services," Ms Berejiklian said.

"We are also finding people aren't just using public transport for work, which is great," she said.

"People are also using public transport to move around, for entertainment, for social reasons, and that's why it's really important for us to provide as much frequency, flexibility and longer hours in the timetable when we can, to accommodate those wishes."

Six of the new buses will be double-decker buses. Over time these double-deckers will replace the bendy or "articulated" buses that currently run across the city.

"It's a far better way in terms of road space to better utilise the roads for bus commuting," Mr Constance said, though he would not give a date for when all bendy buses would be replaced.

A director of the Sydney Bus Museum, David Bennett, said bendy buses were introduced to replace double-deckers in Sydney in the 1980s.

"One big reason they phased out the 'deckers was because the union argued they couldn't have one-man operation with two decks," Mr Bennett said.

It was not until the 2000s that bendy buses spread across the city, after first being limited to the northern beaches.

"They've definitely got more than they ever had now," Mr Bennett said. "So to start regressing on them is an interesting move."

Nevertheless Mr Bennett said it was a good idea to replace the bendy buses.

"We long thought it was a bit bizarre they never adopted the 'deckers over the bendies because they take up less road space."

When transport minister, Ms Berejiklian started to reintroduce double-deckers in 2012.

The RTBU's Mr Preston, however, made multiple arguments against the double-deckers. "The bendies go anywhere where a normal rigid bus goes, where a double-decker won't."

And double-deckers take longer to load, he said. "People have to be seated up the top before the bus can move."

The switch from bendy buses to double-decker buses comes as the government proposes to do the opposite on parts of the train system – removing double-decker trains from the Epping to Chatswood line and on the Bankstown line.

Ms Berejiklian said single-decked services were good for high-frequency routes where people were often getting off and on.

"Double-decker services are great when people aren't getting off and on all the time, so for people who might get on in the north west and go all the way to the city, that's obviously a good reason to have a double-deck service," she said. This describes, however, the area in which the government is introducing single-deck trains.

The services set to change across Sydney:

Sydney Metropolitan

More than 1,600 additional services on the following routes: Routes 195, 196, 197 Mona Vale to Gordon and Macquarie Park via St Ives; Route 251 Lane Cove West to City via Lane Cove; Route 270 Frenchs Forest District to City; Route 280 Chatswood to Warringah Mall via Frenchs Forest; Route 292 Marsfield and Macquarie Park to City via Lane Cove; Routes 324, 325 Watsons Bay to Edgecliff via Rose Bay; Route 352 Marrickville Metro to Bondi Junction via Newtown and Surry Hills; Route 353 Eastgardens to Bondi Junction via Coogee; Route 370 Leichhardt to Coogee via Newtown and Green Square; Routes 374, X74 Coogee to City; Routes 392, X92 Little Bay to City via Eastgardens and Kingsford; Route 418 Burwood to Bondi Junction via Sydenham and Mascot; Route 461 Burwood to City via Parramatta Road; Route 504 Chiswick to City via Drummoyne; Route 506 Macquarie Park and East Ryde to City via Drummoyne; Routes 533, 534 Sydney Olympic Park and Ryde to Chatswood via; Wentworth Point and Mowbray Road;  Route 914 Greenacre to Strathfield; Route M20 Zetland to Wynyard via Central Station; Route M52 Parramatta to City via Victoria Road New, extended or enhanced all-night services on the following routes: Route 400 Burwood to Bondi Junction via Sydney Airport; Route 423 Kingsgrove to City via Earlwood and Newtown; Route N20 Riverwood to City via Rockdale, Sydney Airport and Green Square; Route N81 Parramatta to City via Sydney Olympic Park and Wentworth Point (Thursday-Saturday only);  Route N91 Bondi Junction to Macquarie Park via Kings Cross, City and Chatswood

Western Sydney (including Hills District and South West):

More than 1,500 additional services, including 11 new or extended routes: Route 632 Pennant Hills to Rouse Hill Town Centre via Castle Hill and Norwest; Route 746 Riverstone to Rouse Hill Town Centre via Box Hill;  Route 747 Marsden Park to Rouse Hill Town Centre via Riverstone; Route 751 Blacktown to Rouse Hill Town Centre via Colebee and Marsden Park; Route 774 Mt Druitt to Penrith via St Marys and Caddens; Route 840 Campbelltown to Leppington via Gregory Hills and Oran Park; Route 853, 854 Liverpool to Edmondson Park via Carnes Hill; Route 859 Oran Park to Minto via Catherine Field; Route 868 Edmondson Park to Ingleburn via Ingleburn Industrial Area; Route 896 Oran Park to Campbelltown via Harrington Park and Narellan  Enhanced services on the following routes: Route 614X Crestwood to City via M2; Route 711 Parramatta to Children's Hospital at Westmead; Route 817 Cabramatta to Fairfield via Bonnyrigg and Prairiewood; Route 887 Campbelltown to Wollongong via Appin; Route M60 Hornsby to Parramatta via Castle Hill; Route M61 Castle Hill to City via M2; Route T80 Liverpool to Parramatta via Bonnyrigg and Prairiewood New all-night services on the following route:  Route M54 Parramatta to Macquarie Park via Carlingford

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/GuardianAus/status/883818245513502720

[ozbob]

The Guardian --> Why privatisation won't make Sydney's buses run on time

There is a twisted piece of logic at play in the New South Wales government's plans to privatise bus routes across Sydney's inner west.

The excuse for this move was the 12,000 complaints the government said it had received over a four-year period, mainly about buses running late or not leaving their depots on time.

Leaving aside the fact that other regions have higher levels of complaints – an analysis by the Guardian showed the solidly blue-ribbon Liberal seats in the inner north fared the worst for reliability – we should doubt the central proposition that because buses are running late, we should privatise them.

I've been a Sydney bus driver for more than 21 years and I am just as frustrated as everyone else with the traffic and delays across Sydney. But every Sydneysider knows that traffic in the city is gridlocked during peak times and buses are "late" because they are stuck in the very same Sydney traffic that everyone else is. Visitors are advised to add an extra half an hour to the normal travel time if they want to be anywhere near on schedule. Many commuters try to avoid peak hour completely, instead attempting to leave very early or very late.

The state government wants to privatise services in the inner west, partly because of the number of complaints they get. But the data is not so conclusive

If you go to Leichhardt depot in the inner west for the morning shift, you will see buses backed up trying to get out of the depot on to Balmain Road, which is equally jammed with traffic.

What's the Liberal party's solution to this? Blame the drivers and privatise the bus network, as though a private operator will be able to part Sydney traffic like Moses parting the Red Sea.

We love and care about our jobs and we take pride in doing them well. And despite the frustrations of Sydney traffic, it's still a wonderful job.

There are 3,500 drivers in the same situation as me. If we lose our jobs, it would be a devastating blow – financially and psychologically – and the truth is we know it won't solve a thing. By selling off the buses, the government is telling us, "we don't value what you do. We don't care about the sacrifices you make."

Yes, there are challenges. But privatising our buses will not fix them. We've seen public bus systems privatised before and it has led to poorer services and higher fares.

In the UK, the privatisation of bus services has become a source of widespread and justified disgruntlement leading to chronic delays, "virtually no evening travel", old "clapped-out buses", infrequency, poor punctuality and extortionate prices.

No one should be surprised. Private bus operators put profit before people. To make money, they'll close down unprofitable routes, remove stops and put off maintenance. Children, the elderly and poor people without cars will be the ones left stranded.

The impact of this in the UK has been a fall of 50% in bus trips. That is not more people staying at home or walking – that is more people on the road.

Therein lies the bizarre logic of the New South Wales Liberals. Privatisation as a solution to buses being delayed in traffic will actually worsen the traffic buses are stuck in.

The "complaints" argument was merely a ruse. The Liberals believe business should run all our services – from electricity to hospitals to transport.

Rightly, many in the government are trying to find wisdom behind what's happening. Bus drivers and the people of Sydney already know the answer.

• George Salena is the pseudonym of a Sydney bus driver

[#Metro]

This is another one of those "formula" articles, once you have read one of them you have read all of them.

They always go like this:

- The Government is going to privatise the [insert name of good/service here]

- This is effectively equal to shutting down/closing the service/firing everyone

- [Insert worst case scare story scenario here] [Don't include any mechanistic analysis as to how cause is linked to effect]

- Insert claims about cut service/higher fares/sky falling down

- OMG a business is going to make A PROFIT! [yes most businesses generally do, your point was??]

- Usually a reference to Ms Thatcher, Corporate Greed, or put the word "ideological" in there


The simple fact is that Transport for NSW already engages a large number of private bus operators.

They charge the same fares as State Transit does. How does the author explain that? The ferry is also contracted out

The author talks about the spectre of large job losses, but this implies that a privatised bus somehow drives itself. How does that work?

There are 3,500 drivers in the same situation as me. If we lose our jobs, it would be a devastating blow – financially and psychologically – and the truth is we know it won't solve a thing. By selling off the buses, the government is telling us, "we don't value what you do. We don't care about the sacrifices you make."

Private operators have employees too.

The real "threat" in the future is driverless bus automation, not "privatisation".

The claims about the UK are true but not relevant. Those changes have taken place in a different policy environment where the government

has not taken a planning function and thus co-ordination and cross-subsidy does not occur. UK operators are paid for patronage, I would

imagine that NSW operators are paid for services, not patronage. These small policy differences cause large differences in service quality

and mean that the outcome in NSW will be the better one.


The sole exception in the UK is London, where bus routes are contracted out to private operators AND proper regulation retained.

Service quality is very high, the opposite to what the article claims. Indeed, the article has been very careful not to mention London.

A strategic omission?

[#Metro]

London's Bus Contracting and Tendering Process
http://content.tfl.gov.uk/uploads/forms/lbsl-tendering-and-contracting.pdf

4. The History of London Bus Contracts and Tendering

Up to 1985 London Transport operated nearly all bus services in London via
its wholly owned subsidiary London Buses Limited (LBL). Whilst bus services
in the rest of the UK were deregulated in the 1980s, regulation was retained in
London but competition was introduced through tendering for individual routes
as Gross Cost contracts.

At this time, an unsatisfactorily large number of scheduled journeys simply did
not operate - often due to lack of staff or serviceable vehicles. Under the new
contracts operating companies were not paid for cancelled journeys within
their responsibility (as detailed in Section 6.3). New standards for safety and
reliability were also introduced, and contracts could also be terminated for
poor performance.

Three distinct types of contract have been tendered since 1985:
• Gross Cost Contracts, between 1985 and 2000;
• Net Cost Contracts, between 1995 and 1998; and
• Quality Incentive Contracts, from 2000 onwards
which are detailed further below

[Cazza]

https://anytrip.com.au/map
I love looking around on this map and seeing buses that are "17 mins early". How is that possible? What type of timetabling does the program run off?

Edit: Example A...

[Cazza]

And here's the other end of the spectrum

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Rapid bus system for Victoria Road and Malabar trams also considered by TNSW

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/TransdevAustNZ/status/894766109324263426

[verbatim9]

^^Seems to have a broken head light

Still prefer Articulated over Double decker

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/903305155227017216

[Cazza]

442 (Pictured) runs every 3-4 mins in peak hour and is still full most of the services.

It only stops at 13 times before it reaches the city!

https://transportnsw.info/documents/timetables/442-Balmain-East-Wharf-to-City-QVB-20170604.pdf

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/kypros1992/status/904908981172178944

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> New double-decker bus services to Sydney's northern beaches to start within weeks

Residents of Sydney's northern beaches will be able to catch new double-decker buses to and from the central city once the state government opens its $516 million B-Line rapid bus route in the next few weeks.

While the project still faces opposition, Transport Minister Andrew Constance said the B-Line bus services would "be a winner" and came against the backdrop of the government's plans to build a second road tunnel under Sydney Harbour and the Beaches Link between the Warringah Freeway and Balgowlah in the city's north.

"We are looking to get services up and running in the next few weeks. It's a project which is delivering 38 double-decker buses to provide a reliable turn-up-and-go service to the people of the northern beaches," he said.

"The most exciting element of this program is commuters travelling home after seven o'clock are going to have a bus service every 10 minutes."

While the bus services will start in the coming weeks, Mr Constance said a number of commuter car parks near bus stops on the 31-kilometre route still had to be completed.

The double-decker buses will operate every five minutes in the morning peak from 6am to 10am on the route between Newport on the northern beaches and the CBD via 10 stops, and every 10 minutes at other times.

But North Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson said the council was concerned that the double-decker buses would take longer to load and unload than the bendy buses used at present.

"There is a lot of time waste for people having to get up and down the stairs [of the double-deck buses]. It means more delays as people get on and off the buses," she said.

Cr Gibson said the council was also opposed to the removal or pruning of more than 50 trees along Military Road in Cremorne and Mosman, which Transport for NSW began more than a week ago.

"We have been told [the trees] present a safety hazard to the new double-decker buses. But I am very concerned about the impact this will have on our streetscape," she said.

"The trees provide a welcome relief from the hard-edged urban environment on Military Road."

The first of the double-decker buses assembled in Malaysia arrived in Sydney several months ago and have been undergoing commissioning. The buses to be operated by the government-owned State Transit can seat 85 passengers, about 20 more than the city's bendy buses.

On Tuesday, the government was also spruiking the benefits to NSW commuters over the past year of a $2 discount for Adult Opal cardholders who switch modes of public transport, such as from a bus to a train, in a single journey.

According to figures based on Opal usage, 5.1 million customers have gained the transfer rebate since its introduction in October last year, which the government said equated to $120 million in savings for users across the transport network. The statistics include the $1 transfer rebate for Opal concession cardholders.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said more than half of all Opal users had benefited from the transfer rebate, particularly in areas such as Parramatta and south-west Sydney.

But Labor's transport spokeswoman, Jodi McKay, said the removal last year of the popular incentive of Opal cardholders gaining free travel after eight paid trips in a week had pushed up the cost of travel by an average of 12.5 per cent.

"People are paying more for public transport, not less," she said.

[verbatim9]

Why double decker and not articulated? Articulated buses have fast boarding and disembarking times. More head clarenece for passengers as well as leg room within seating configurations. Can mimick trams with all door boarding. Strange that they are going Double decker? Not the right way forward even though the extra buses have created an opportunity for better frequency.

[#Metro]

Smaller traffic footprint maybe.

[SurfRail]

Why double decker and not articulated? Articulated buses have fast boarding and disembarking times. More head clarenece for passengers as well as leg room within seating configurations. Can mimick trams with all door boarding. Strange that they are going Double decker? Not the right way forward even though the extra buses have created an opportunity for better frequency.

Their reasoning is that a higher proportion of passengers will be seated, which is desirable for the northern beaches corridor given the passenger flows.

The way it has been implemented though means this is little more than window-dressing.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/BusesNorth/status/935007879563706368

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/935192275629383680

[Cazza]

These types of buses (along with the old Custom Coaches CB60's - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2001_Custom_Coaches_CB60_Evo_II_bodied_Mercedes-Benz_O500LE_CNG_bus_(Sydney_Buses)_(2014-04-19).jpg) do get very hot up the back so this doesn't surprise me. The engines do seen to get quite by some of the drivers.

[SurfRail]

This particular model has a fairly chequered past in Australia, especially the versions running in Perth.  Sydney has previously lost one of these to fire, the Perth figures are a fair bit higher than that (although there are fewer in Sydney - 255 v about 480).

One of my favourite ever quotes from a minister was Dean Nalder saying to the press words to the effect that he had been assured "these buses won't explode anymore".

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/BusesNorth/status/936046271172956161

[Cazza]

"Bus stops get real-time info with e-paper technology

Transport for NSW has begun trials of the latest generation of e-paper bus stop displays at Town Hall on Park Street, Stand K and the QVB on York Street, Stand B.

The solar powered e-paper passenger information displays show up-to-the-minute bus arrival times and capacity information, similar to real-time apps, as well as customised information on planned and unplanned disruption to the bus network.

The two units will be trialled over the next month with more units to be rolled out across the network with evaluation continuing.

If you would like to provide any feedback about these new displays, please contact us."



https://transportnsw.info/news/2018/bus-stops-get-real-time-info-with-e-paper-technology#homepage

I'm not sure what's wrong with having a normal PID, but I'm all for real time info at bus stops so a from me!

Also, in the picture, I would like to point out the the "All Door Boarding" sign. There are an abundance of stops allowing this across the Sydney CBD (and I believe at some busy interchanges outside the city too).

[techblitz]

Good to see someone has fronted up the dollars to get the technology going...

a precursor to next gen bus advertising?? 



https://blog.viewneo.com/blog/large-epaper-display-meets-digital-signage-it-seems-like-a-colorful-future/

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Heat grows on state's bus network as 'thermal incidents' rise

A bus caught fire or reported "excessive heat" and smoke every four days, on average, in NSW last year.

There were 21 bus fires and 69 "thermal incidents" in 2017, up 16 per cent compared to 2016, an Office of Transport Safety Investigations report into all buses and coaches in the state found.

The number of buses with such problems has increased each year since 2013, from 28 in that year to 90 in 2017.

The increase "appears to be a result of a combination of increased reporting by operators and a rise in thermal incidents", the report found.

The incidents affected 865 passengers, with a school bus holding 70 passengers the busiest to be stopped due to overheating or fire.

There were no injuries reported in 2017 and fewer buses caught fire (21) than in 2016 when 37 burst into flames.

The five buses that were destroyed by fire in 2017 were built between 1995 and 2004. Two buses suffered major damage, 20 sustained minor damage, 60 were "smoke damaged", and three reported smoke but were not damaged.

Engine bay fire suppression systems (EBFS) were fitted to all NSW public transport buses by September 2017, but only 63 of the 90 buses that caught fire or overheated in 2017 had an EBFS system fitted.

There were "significant disruptions" to the transport network as a result of some fires, investigators found, but in 43 per cent of cases the bus involved was not carrying passengers.

Bus drivers were the first to either see or smell smoke or flames in 73 per cent of the mishaps, while a passing motorist raised the alarm in five per cent of cases, pedestrians informed the driver three per cent of the time and passengers told the driver in two per cent of cases.

Fire suppression systems were effective in several fires, including one that started in the engine bay of a gas-powered bus, with all passengers evacuated safely.

"The fire flashed over into the passenger saloon and the damage was such that the bus was considered unrepairable," the report said.

Another fire that started in the engine bay of a gas-powered bus was put out by the fire suppression system, despite the driver not shutting off the gas supply.

Another fire that was reported started in the engine bay of a bus as it was returning to the depot after having the EBFS system fitted. There were no passengers on-board and the suppression system activated but the fire reignited after the bus arrived at the depot.

A Transport for NSW spokesman said they are continuing work to improve bus safety via a range of measures including a review of Australian design rules, improvements to maintenance processes and regulatory oversight, as well as a review of bus fire safety in rural and regional buses.

[Cazza]

https://transportnsw.info/news/2018/inner-west-bus-changes#homepage

"Changes to some routes and timetables in Sydney's Inner West will be introduced from Sunday 6 May, providing greater travel options.

Use the Trip Planner to plan your trip as your route may have changed.

From Sunday 6 May:

Changes:

422 - Kogarah to City Martin Place
The route will be changed to run via Parramatta Road and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (Missenden Road), and will start and finish at Central, Pitt Street instead of Martin Place.

444 - Balmain East Wharf to Campsie
Additional weekly trips, with service frequency increasing to every 30 minutes on weeknights and Saturday evenings.

462 - Mortlake to Ashfield
Route withdrawn. Services will instead be provided by additional services on routes 464 and 466.

463 - Bayview Park to Burwood
Route withdrawn. Services will instead be provided by altered route 466, which will divert via Bayview Park.

464 - Ashfield to Mortlake
New evening services 7 days a week.

466 - Ashfield to Cabarita Park
New evening services 7 days a week. The route will also be altered to run via Bayview Park, and will no longer travel via Strathfield Station.

L38 - PrePay Only - Abbotsford to City Martin Place (Limited Stops)
5 additional weekly services, providing an additional afternoon peak service.

L39 - PrePay Only - Mortlake to City Martin Place (Limited Stops)
5 additional weekly services, providing an additional afternoon peak service.

504 - Chiswick to City Domain
20 extra trips per week, with earlier and later morning peak hour services and an additional earlier afternoon peak service."


Sydney is constantly doing housekeeping with it's bus network. I believe this is their third network improvement in the past year. The only updates to Brisbane I can recall since Queens Wharf Changes in Dec 2016 is the abolishment of P238 and the introduction of 228.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/998981870187565056

[Cazza]

https://transportnsw.info/news/2018/western-sydney-bus-service-improvements#homepage

More network fixes. Brisbane?

[Cazza]

https://transportnsw.info/news/2018/on-demand-public-transport-services-for-inner-west

On Demand public transport services for the Inner West

Sydney's Inner West will have a greater choice of public transport when a new, permanent On Demand public transport service, operated by Transit Systems, launches on Sunday 1 July 2018.

The new mini-bus service will operate from 6am to 11.30pm during weekdays and from 8am until 8.30pm on weekends. The service will be available across the Inner West area, including Rhodes Waterside Shopping Centre, Concord General Hospital, Mortlake, Breakfast Point, Cabarita, Canada Bay, Burwood and Strathfield.

The route is designed to complement existing public transport by covering gaps between transport hubs, making it easier to get around the local community.

You will be able to book an On Demand public transport service from 'ASAP' to up to 48 hours in advance using the BRIDJ app, available via the App Store or on Google Play. After booking via the app, you will receive a booking confirmation with an estimated pick-up and drop-off time at your chosen locations. An On Demand public transport bus will then pick you up at your chosen location, and take you to where you want to go within the On Demand public transport area.

A one-way trip will cost $3.10 for adults or $1.50 for concession card holders, including pensioners, seniors, students and apprentices. Fares can be paid via the app, using your credit card. Alternatively, you can use OpalPay to pay with your Opal card balance when boarding.



Sounds like a good plan. In this area, there are some cases where the walk to the closest frequent PT stop/station is a km or so.

[#Metro]

These services are unlikely to gain lots of passengers, however that is not their purpose.
With these services the resources spent on coverage routes can be reallocated to patronage routes.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> 'Late every time': Sydney's worst bus revealed

Sydney's least reliable buses have been revealed by real-time bus data showing more than 600 services ran late daily during peak hour over two weeks in the past month.

On the worst routes, over a four-month period, one in five buses was 20 minutes or more late.

During evening peak hour - between 3pm and 7pm - 471 buses or 4.3 per cent of all trips in Sydney were 10 minutes or more late, on average, over 10 weekdays between June 21 and July 4. In the morning peak - between 6am and 10am - an average of 189 buses ran 10 minutes or more late over the same period.

One in five people from the north-west and inner west of Sydney were "partly to very dissatisfied" with bus punctuality, according to the latest Transport for NSW passenger survey conducted in November 2017.

The survey showed that only 2 per cent of lower north shore and northern beaches passengers felt frustrated by bus reliability.

Sydney's tardiest bus is the 370 from Leichhardt through Newtown to Coogee. The bus copped more than 500 complaints in the year to June 2016, according to the latest figures obtained by Fairfax Media. Almost 950 people follow its timeliness on a Facebook page called: The Universe Would Cease to Exist if the 370 Bus Arrived on Time.

So entrenched is the 370's lateness that software engineer Katie Bell collected real-time bus data every minute for four months from late 2017 to early 2018 on 3.7 million trips to see if the 370 is the worst bus in Sydney.

Ms Bell, who created a website using real-time bus data, found 3 per cent of about 5000 buses ran more than 20 minutes late.

The worst buses, measured at least 20 minutes late at some point in their route, were the Castle Cove to Chatswood route 277, which was late about 25 per cent of the time; the 370, late about 23 per cent of the time; and the 281 Davidson to Chatswood bus, late about 22 per cent of the time.

"I catch the 370 bus every day and it's been late every time. Every single time," Mr Cooper, 43, said. "It's terribly annoying. I have to catch an earlier bus just to make sure that I get to work on time. That's half an hour [and] I have been late because of it."

Alison Turner catches the 370 from Newtown station to Prince of Wales Private Hospital where she works as a student nurse.

"I want to catch the bus that comes at 12.45pm but because it's always late I have to catch the one that comes 15 minutes, 20 minutes or sometimes half an hour earlier," Ms Turner said.  "It's also frustrating because there's only one, like, every half an hour.

"If there weren't so many cars on the road, perhaps the buses would be able to run on time."

Sydney buses are held to a lower standard than those in Melbourne. Falling behind schedule by five minutes at any point or leaving early from a bus stop is considered tardy in Melbourne. But in Sydney, bus delays are only measured at the start, middle and end of trips. Sydney buses also have an extra 59 seconds before being classified as late and can leave a bus stop two minutes early.

Transport for NSW said it closely monitors the network in real time and uses "smart technology to plan bus routes that match customer movements and demand".

"We also have a raft of traffic devices – such as diversions, clearways, tidal flow and bus indented bays – that can be rolled out as required to help manage disruption so buses can navigate congested areas," a Transport for NSW spokeswoman said.

The number of people taking bus trips has grown rapidly, with about 1.2 million more trips taken in January, February and May 2018 compared with the corresponding months in 2017.

In April 2018, bus trips increased by 2.3 million compared with the same month last year.

More than 100 trucks equipped with technology that tells traffic lights to stay green for them might be rolled out on buses running late. Athree-month trial over 40 kilometres of freight routes on Pennant Hills, Parramatta and King Georges roads began in June and NSW Minister for Roads Melinda Pavey said the trial could be extended to give priority to late-running buses in Sydney.

The 100 bus routes with the most buses measured 10 minutes or more late in peak hour are below. (see SMH)