On the Buses

[STB]

Just saw a smashed car and an empty 555, inbound side just past Eight Mile Plains!  Police in attendance, and the busway was partially closed with traffic control in place.

Looks like someone tried to enter the busway at the turnoff to Miles Platting Rd and got sideswiped by a departing inbound 555.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Minister Mark Bailey accused of 'sneaky' act over number of kids left on bus services

TRANSPORT Minister Mark Bailey has been accused of being "tricky and sneaky" for failing to clearly state that nearly 900 children had been left behind on services in the past year.

Mr Bailey's answer to an LNP Question on Notice obscured the total, stating that children had taken 47 million trips on buses in 2017-18 with 0.0019 per cent involving "substantiated reported incidents" of children being left behind.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said it was a "tricky and sneaky" answer designed to hide an apparent spike in incidents over the past three years.

"Like every other parent in Queensland, I am angered and appalled that figures show vulnerable kids are being left behind at an alarming rate," Ms Frecklington said.

"In 2014-15 there were 351 reported complaints, but under Annastacia Palaszczuk the number of 'substantiated reported incidents' is now around 890.

"Mark Bailey is ultimately responsible for this scandal and should resign."

Mr Bailey has been asked for comment.

The Queensland Government instituted the 'no child left behind' policy for public transport in 2003 after Daniel Morcombe was abducted and murdered after a Sunshine Coast bus left him stranded by the side of a road.

[verbatim9]

Council would like passenger views on how to improve Adelaide Street Bus stops

Real time info via E paper or Led panels?
New maps and Wayfinders?

Better located street furniture especially at stop 23 near David Jones?

Have your say here and chance to win $100 credit on a Go card

https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4587126/AdelStBS?utm_source=ehq_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ehq-Your-City-Your-Say-December-2018-Bulletin&utm_campaign=website&utm_source=ehq&utm_medium=email

[Cazza]

Just an observation from today.

9:25am Inbound Route 100 running about 15 mins late to start at Forest Lake (due to late running on the 8:20am outbound 110 due at Inala at 9:15 I believe). 
A few scatters of passengers on and off up until Joseph Banks Ave, then almost 20 people got on at Woodland Ave @ Laricina Cct (https://jp.translink.com.au/plan-your-journey/stops/010974). As we left Inala Plaza, it was standing room only and by the time we hit the Ipswich Mwy, it was full. Disappointing that only 2 people got off at Moorooka Station (assuming they were transferring onto a train) and we then had to reject 4 people at Clifton Hill, 2 at Chardons Corner, 5 at Annerley Junction and 7 at PAH.

Also for Techblitz, I was not surprised that there were at least 5 people buying tickets and 2 people waved through.

[SurfRail]

Council would like passenger views on how to improve Adelaide Street Bus stops

Real time info via E paper or Led panels?
New maps and Wayfinders?

Better located street furniture especially at stop 23 near David Jones?

Have your say here and chance to win $100 credit on a Go card

https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4587126/AdelStBS?utm_source=ehq_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ehq-Your-City-Your-Say-December-2018-Bulletin&utm_campaign=website&utm_source=ehq&utm_medium=email

How about grouping services logically for a start

[verbatim9]

Council would like passenger views on how to improve Adelaide Street Bus stops

Real time info via E paper or Led panels?
New maps and Wayfinders?

Better located street furniture especially at stop 23 near David Jones?

Have your say here and chance to win $100 credit on a Go card

https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4587126/AdelStBS?utm_source=ehq_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ehq-Your-City-Your-Say-December-2018-Bulletin&utm_campaign=website&utm_source=ehq&utm_medium=email

How about grouping services logically for a start

Thats also a good idea

[AnonymouslyBad]

How about grouping services logically for a start

Everything's up for discussion, except actually fixing the stops.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/TransLinkSEQ/status/1072752920209317888

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/TransLinkSEQ/status/1072745486103339009

[JustSomeTrainGuy]

There is a Brisbane Bus Driver AMA on the /r/Brisbane reddit page - it's well worth the read

https://www.reddit.com/r/brisbane/comments/a4u7gf/brisbane_bus_driver_ama_i_am_based_from_virginia/

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Team_Quirk/status/1074537383515836416

[Cazza]

Anyone know the fleet number so I can maybe go hunt it down this week?

[Otto]

Anyone know the fleet number so I can maybe go hunt it down this week?

W1516 i think it is.

[Cazza]

Cheers

[SurfRail]

2018 is floating around with a Christmas wreath on the front.  They have also added "XMAS" on the right front bumper to match "S2018" on the left.

[Otto]

2018 is floating around with a Christmas wreath on the front.  They have also added "XMAS" on the right front bumper to match "S2018" on the left.

Sherwood depot do that every year as their fleet number range will always have a bus with the current year.

[techblitz]

currently sitting on a 605 with no working aircon.....not pleasant at all...everyone is red including a pregnant lady who is definitely struggling....

Couple of suggestions I can think of:

They need to have stored bottled water at the caloundra bus station to reduce risk of passenger dehydration during the trip..
Passngers should not have to pay for this sort of trip......driver should get permission to turn off the fare machine and allow all passengers a free trip...


and last but not least can we please get these sunbus mech issues fixed??.

[achiruel]

I suppose there is no way to open windows either, there isn't on most new buses. Maybe they should have keyed window locks on a couple of windows for when this kind of thing happens.

Still, I guess it is better than no bus running at all, particularly on the 605 which is so infrequent. Doesn't even meet every train on the weekend which is rather pathetic IMO.

[verbatim9]

Was speaking to a bus driver on the 460 route over Christmas. She mentioned without me prompting that they expect all BCC buses to be cashless by mid 2019, as result from new smart card ticket readers in place by that time. Instead of cash people will be able to use Debit and Credit cards as this is proven the most convenient and popular way to pay for goods and services.

I was not surprised in what she said. It will bring us inline with NSW and minimise fare evasion, speed up travel times, as well as allow tourists and casual users to pay for fares without the need of cash. Overall it will be safer for drivers without the need to carry a cash float onboard.

Also bus operations could become a bit cheaper due to not having the need for Cash in Transit services and managing cash at the depots.

[SurfRail]

^ That is not going to happen.

[verbatim9]

^ That is not going to happen.

Well that's the plan to eventually go cashless. Maybe they have been briefed about it who knows?

Surfside and Sunbus may continue using cash but I am referring to BCC operations?

I could see them retrofitting all the BCC buses quickly. Wiring already there. It just requires readers to be replaced and the driver panel. A team of people could refit a whole depot in a week or 2. So the job of doing it within 6 months is quite achievable with a specialised team of casuals specifically for the project roll out.

[Otto]

  I have not been told we are going cashless, and as for the rumor mill, never believe it unless it happens. 
Past info from TfB suggests we will still be taking fares when the new ticketing system is introduced.

[James]

I could see them retrofitting all the BCC buses quickly. Wiring already there. It just requires readers to be replaced and the driver panel. A team of people could refit a whole depot in a week or 2. So the job of doing it within 6 months is quite achievable with a specialised team of casuals specifically for the project roll out.

Sure, we can do it, but most of the world still prefers cash for many transactions. For tourist accessibility alone, we will need to maintain cash as a payment option. We may see certain CBD stops become cashless in peak, but I can't see cash disappearing so fast.

Also, mid-2019 for the new ticketing system? I was under the impression it was much further away than that.

[verbatim9]

I could see them retrofitting all the BCC buses quickly. Wiring already there. It just requires readers to be replaced and the driver panel. A team of people could refit a whole depot in a week or 2. So the job of doing it within 6 months is quite achievable with a specialised team of casuals specifically for the project roll out.

Sure, we can do it, but most of the world still prefers cash for many transactions. For tourist accessibility alone, we will need to maintain cash as a payment option. We may see certain CBD stops become cashless in peak, but I can't see cash disappearing so fast.

Also, mid-2019 for the new ticketing system? I was under the impression it was much further away than that.

It's pretty much cashless in Sydney

[achiruel]

Busway stops already could and should be cashless IMO.

[Arnz]

^ That is not going to happen.

Well that's the plan to eventually go cashless. Maybe they have been briefed about it who knows?

Surfside and Sunbus may continue using cash but I am referring to BCC operations?

There'll be no way TransLink will let BCC do it alone without TL/TMR approval.  Both don't get along as it is. 

In addition the timeline is 4 years across the whole state.

It'll be either the whole SEQ network on at once, or slowly phased in as a pilot (similar to the Go Card when it started just over a decade again).  Only chance for BCC to experience this ahead of other operators is if one of their regions is selected for a 'pilot stage' like how Hornibrook was selected for the 'go card' pilot over a decade ago.

[verbatim9]

^ That is not going to happen.

Well that's the plan to eventually go cashless. Maybe they have been briefed about it who knows?

Surfside and Sunbus may continue using cash but I am referring to BCC operations?

There'll be no way TransLink will let BCC do it alone without TL/TMR approval.  Both don't get along as it is. 

In addition the timeline is 4 years across the whole state.

It'll be either the whole SEQ network on at once, or slowly phased in as a pilot (similar to the Go Card when it started just over a decade again).  Only chance for BCC to experience this ahead of other operators is if one of their regions is selected for a 'pilot stage' like how Hornibrook was selected for the 'go card' pilot over a decade ago.

How come you are so adament of a pilot in those regions? Cubic are already running a successful next Generation Ticketing system in other jurisdictions.  Surely that is "Pilot" enough. The Airport line has been chosen to test debit and credit cards which is logical having a huge number of daily visitors and casual users.

I think BCC buses would be ideal to go cashless as many passengers have Go cards and the city is quite savvy when it comes to Tap and Pay technology.

[techblitz]

this aint the first time ive seen this on a sunday mid afternoon outbound on the HOURLY 124....40+ onboard by the time it pulled into CC with as many hopping on between it and the gabba as hopping off....

They are clearly attracted to this route due to its all stops pattern along Ipswich rd.......and people will prefer an all stops route if the bus stop is closer to home...

I'm thinking along these major corridors the all-stops services should be retained and perhaps upped in frequency..eg: merge 124/125....that means no stuffing around with bus stops or any type of merging....

204 seems to do pretty well also with its non-express stops..

[SurfRail]

It would be much more logical to just have more regularly spaced stops and not run 4 different patterns on top of each other.  There is absolutely no need for stops to be so close together as they are on corridors like OC Rd.

[achiruel]

It would be much more logical to just have more regularly spaced stops and not run 4 different patterns on top of each other.  There is absolutely no need for stops to be so close together as they are on corridors like OC Rd.

I think that might be a bit of an exaggeration. There are really only two stopping patterns on Ipswich Rd - express (100/110/115) and all stops (113/117/124/125). And some of the express stops are quite far apart, e.g. there's no express stops between PA Hospital and Woollongabba Bus Station, 1.7km walk (roughly).

[techblitz]

There should only ever be two stopping patterns on brisbanes major corridors....think (777/700).
Ive taken a quick geez at google maps and sorry but what I'm seeing on OCR I am also seeing on the GC highway....varying degrees of spacing....150m here sometimes as much as 600+m eg: Coorparoo junction to Coorparoo primary....the average is around 300m......not an issue....the priority is to sort out the corridor bus routes...

[Cazza]

According to the Bus Enthusiasts Guide, the latest Volgren Optimus to be built (2819) has been delivered to Toowong depot (http://www.brisbanetransport.info/index.php?GoTo=bus&find=2945&searching=yes).

Are they going to start running them out of Toowong?

[James]

According to the Bus Enthusiasts Guide, the latest Volgren Optimus to be built (2819) has been delivered to Toowong depot (http://www.brisbanetransport.info/index.php?GoTo=bus&find=2945&searching=yes).

Are they going to start running them out of Toowong?

Yes. I saw one running an Adelaide St 4XX service on Monday, to my surprise.

[Arnz]

According to the Bus Enthusiasts Guide, the latest Volgren Optimus to be built (2819) has been delivered to Toowong depot (http://www.brisbanetransport.info/index.php?GoTo=bus&find=2945&searching=yes).

Are they going to start running them out of Toowong?

It is assumed so.  At this stage, I had read that the Volvo Optimus buses are replacing some of the Volgren bodied MAN Gas Buses based out of Toowong which are being transferred to Garden City depot to replace the remaining Volgren bodied Scania Gas Buses (as they are currently progressively being retired from service).

[Otto]

Here is the new CityGlider wrap.

All the current MAN Gliders are being replaced with new Volvo B8's.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Schrinner/status/1083608319997005825

[verbatim9]

https://twitter.com/Schrinner/status/1083608319997005825

Didn't realise but have posted here as well the Facebook link that was published

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=https%3A%2F%2Frailbotforum%2Eorg%2Fmbs%2Findex%2Ephp%3Ftopic%3D10971%2E0&share_tid=10971&share_fid=4639&share_type=t

[achiruel]

Is there a reason they don't use 14.5m buses on the glider?

[Cazza]

Probably to do with there being no TAGs based at Toowong and the length might be an issue for a few corners (maybe Montague Rd @ Orleigh St and Teneriffe Ferry)

[achiruel]

Ok, I didn't realise the Gliders were out of Toowong, never really looked closely tbh, I thought Eagle Farm would've run them.

Also I think they'd be a good idea for the Glider (if they can get around corners) because of the big rear door and that the Glider has rear boarding.