BCC Artics

[bagbuffy]

Why aren't the BCC running Artics out to places like Chermside and Carindale these days? They use to once.

[STB]

I think the question is which depots are the Artics currently allocated?  I have seen the Artics on the 111 (in fact I rode on one doing a 111 service the other day), and the bi axle buses on the 200 series routes.  Not sure about the 333 and other Chermside bound routes though.

[James]

Primarily because the depots serving the northside do not operate any artic/TAG buses. All the longer-than-standard buses are based out of Carina, Garden City, Sherwood, Willawong (C, G, S, W). Larger bays are also required for long buses, hence why you aren't going to see long buses on many routes which stop underground (for example, 4xx buses have length issues at KGSBS/QSBS B).

Most 3xx routes are operated by either Virginia, Eagle Farm or Toowong depots, and none of these depots have HCVs. Generally the HCVs find themselves running the trunk southern routes and pre-paid rockets (i.e. all the 1xx BUZes, 200 and 222), you can occasionally find them zipping around elsewhere though (like operating the 445 ). On weekends the HCVs are far less common.

TAGs have similar capacity to artics, so as long as one or the other is operating on a corridor, generally enough capacity is being provided.

[bagbuffy]

Strange, Eagle Farm is a Brand New Depot and  if that's the case than its pretty poor planning from either the City Council or State Government for not allowing bays for Artics or HCVs for future needs?

Still Garden City operates the 77 to Chermside. Why couldn't Carina or Garden City  service a few 333 during peak with HCV's/Artics as well as Sherwood doing some 4xx services.

The ideal situation would be for the Northside to have their own.

[bcasey]

I'm not a bus driver, so I don't really know what they are and aren't capable of, so the following questions maybe a non-issue.

Would they have issues going around the tight corners at the Chermside Shopping Centre interchange? If there are already a few buses waiting there, this could cause a bottleneck.

The bays at the Aspley Hypermarket don't really look big enough for an artic bus, without blocking the path for other buses.

The stop at Stafford City could take one, but its not that large so there could be issues with space if other buses are waiting there.

I'm not as familiar with Brookside or Toombul, but looking at the satellite image, the corners on Toombul's interchange seem larger than Chermside's.

[James]

Strange, Eagle Farm is a Brand New Depot and  if that's the case than its pretty poor planning from either the City Council or State Government for not allowing bays for Artics or HCVs for future needs?

Still Garden City operates the 77 to Chermside. Why couldn't Carina or Garden City  service a few 333 during peak with HCV's/Artics as well as Sherwood doing some 4xx services.

The ideal situation would be for the Northside to have their own.

It doesn't mean that Eagle Farm isn't equipped, it just means there aren't any there. Dead running would make C or G-originating 333s a non-starter.

Sherwood has put HCVs on 4xx routes, just generally we don't need them out here. Aside from the 412 and the odd 428/444 service, it is rare to see people even standing on the bus, even in peak hour (the first two weeks of Uni excepted).