Buses World News: April 2005

PURCHASES - UK - STAGECOACH in second Dennis bus deal

UK -Scotsman,by ALASTAIR REED -26 Apr 2005: -- STAGECOACH yesterday announced its second blockbuster vehicle order in as many month - taking the spend on new buses this year to more than £55 million...
The Perth-based bus and rail operator said it has recently ordered 169 new double-decker, single-decker and midi-buses for its operations in London and across the UK... The latest investment, worth about £20m, comes just a month after it announced an order for 340 new vehicles, worth £35m... http://business.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=442422005

SAVINGS - USA - Biodiesel for Buses

USA -Washington Post -April 21 2005: -- The article (see 4/16/05: CHANGE - USA - METRO considers...) "Metro Committee Recommends Abandoning Natural Gas Buses" lacked any discussion of the use of biodiesel... a blend of 20 percent crop or animal fat-derived oil and 80 percent petroleum diesel, is effective and complication-free, and it reduces gaseous and particulate matter emissions. Further, it requires no engine modifications. Biodiesel is also competitively priced with petroleum diesel, and there are several suppliers in the area... Research Service center in Beltsville, have been using biodiesel for almost six years in about 150 diesel engines, including a bus, trucks ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6186-2005Apr20.html

ECOLOGY - THAILAND - Cooking oil as feedstock for biodiesel

USA -Bangkok,Thailand - Bangkok Post/Green Car Congress/USA -April 20 2005: -- Revo International, a Kyoto-based biodiesel technology provider, has entered into a joint venture in Thailand to develop a one-billion-baht (approximately $25.4 million) biodiesel refinery in Chon Buri... The plant, expected to start operation in July 2006, will use used cooking oil as its feedstock...

ECOLOGY - USA - Action in the House on the Energy Bill Today

USA -Green Car Congress/USA -April 20 2005: -- The House of Representatives began debate today on the Energy Policy Act of 2005... Some of the amendments to the bill proposed on the floor today:... - Amendment #4, to direct the Secretary of Transportation to increase fuel economy standards from today’s average of 25 mpg to 33 mpg over 10 years; to reduce by 10% the gasoline the nation would otherwise consume by 2015, defeated 254–177... - Amendments #5 and #6 to direct the Administrator of the EPA to revise Federal vehicle fuel economy adjustment factors (related post), passed 346–85...

TECHNECOLOGY - USA - Electric Car Goes for Land Speed Record

USA - Green Car Congress/USA -April 21 2005: -- A high-speed electrical car, powered by ABB motors and drives, will attempt to break the land speed record for an electrical vehicle on May 5 in Nevada... The 32-foot (10 meter) long, “e=motion” car will try to beat the current official FIA (Fédération Internationale d’Automobile) electric land speed record of 245 mph (394 kph) and become the first-ever electrically powered vehicle to break the 300 mph (483 kph) barrier...

ECOLOGY - THAILAND - Cabinet Encourages CNG, Ethanol, Biodiesel Use

Thailand -Green Car Congress/USA -April 21 2005: -- Thailand’s Cabinet approved proposals by the Ministry of Energy that encourage the use of natural gas, gasohol (95% gasoline, 5% ethanol) and biodiesel as alternative fuels for vehicles... The plan includes tax incentives for motorists using ...

SALES - UK- 200 new buses ordered for NI

Belfast,Northern Ireland,UK -U.TV -20/04/2005: -- Translink has placed orders for nearly 200 new buses to upgrade the Northern Ireland fleet, it was announced today... They are the first of 350 that will be ordered as part of a £48.4 million Government investment... The buses are due for delivery early next year with the remaining 160 within three years... http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=59280&pt=n

SALES - CANADA - DAIMLERCHRYSLER sell 330 Hybrid Diesel-Electric Buses

Toronto,CANADA -Green Car Congress/USA -April 20 2005: -- The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has ordered 150 series hybrid diesel-electric buses from Orion Bus Industries, a division of DaimlerChrysler. The hybrids are part of a larger 330-bus order... These buses, to be delivered in 2006, will be TTC’s first hybrid models and will give Toronto the largest hybrid electric fleet in Canada...

SALES - IRAN - VOLVO 500 Buses Order

GOTEBORG,Sweden -PRIMEZONE -April 19 2005: -- Volvo Buses has received an order for 500 bus chassis from Iran. The order came from the company's importer in the country, Run Iran. All the chassis will be delivered in 2005... Iran is one of Volvo Buses' biggest single markets. 3,400 Volvo buses have been sold in the country over the past ten years via the importer Run Iran... http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/?d=76498

FLEET - QATAR - Mowasalat to provide 600 buses during Asiad

Qatar -The Peninsula -4/19/2005: -- Abdulkarim Al Meer and Yousef Mohamed Al Othman exchanging documents after signing the agreement yesterday for bus system during the Asian Games to be held in Doha in 2006...

SERVICE - INDIA - AMC invites tenders for CNG bus service in city

Ahmedabad,India -Business Standard April 20 2005: -- At a time when state government is bringing more and more compressed natural gas (CNG) buses on city roads, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has invited tenders from private parties to run these... According to the Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) officials, a private party has to get Rs 2,500 for 16 hours for mini CNG buses and Rs 3,500 for running normal CNG buses on the city roads...

EXHIBITION - KAZAKHSTAN - 3rd International Exhibition AUTOWORLD

3rd International Exhibition AUTOWORLD Astana be held April 27-29, Astana,Kazakhstan - KAZINFORM –April 19 2005: -- ITECA company organizes the scheduled exhibition Auto Parts, Appurtenances, Service Equipment and Technology in Congress Hall of Astana city.
Cars, trucks, autobuses, tire tools, trouble-shooting equipment, tires and circular plates are some of the sections of the show... http://www.inform.kz/showarticle.php?lang=eng&id=119447;

PUBLIC TRANSPORT - INDIA - BMTC demarcates routes for Volvo buses

Bangalore,India -Deccan Herald -19 Apr 2005: -- The idea of introducing Volvo buses is to dissuade people from using private transport by offering them more interesting alternatives... Soon, it’ll be ‘cool’ to travel by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses, literally, with the BMTC launching Volvo buses in Bangalore this year. But will this luxury reach your doorstep?...

MARKETS - RUSSIA - The bus market is one of the largest in the world

Chinese buses may soon be on Russians roads, but Russian buses will go to Romania, Belarus, Ukraine and Cuba
Moscow,Russia -RIA Novosti,by Alexander Yurov -19 Apr 2005: -- The Russian bus market is one of the largest in the world with up to 100,000 buses sold every year. The bulk of the bus fleet currently comprises Russian-made buses, although the situation might change in the near future... Today, minibuses make up about 80% of the fleet of private urban passenger carriers. So far, the only Russian manufacturer - GAZ - continues to dominate this market... http://en.rian.ru/analysis/20050418/39691382.html

FREE - UK - Getting back on the buses

Huddersfield,England,UK -The Huddersfield Daily Examiner -Apr 18 2005: -- FREE bus travel for the elderly could signal the revitalisation of public transport... "I like the new buses First Bus are introducing and they welcome the idea of free travel for over 60s." ...

EXPENSES - IRELAND - Civil servants prefer cars to buses

Dublin,Ireland -Sunday Business Post,by Pat Leahy -17 April 2005: -- More than €30 million was paid out in tax-free travel expenses to civil and public servants in 13 government departments last year...
The amount paid out in mileage for private vehicles dwarfs the amount for public transport, according to... http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqid=4090-qqqx=1.asp

CHANGES - USA - Battle of the Buses?

Washington,DF,USA -Washington Post -April 17 2005: -- THE MORE carefully you examine the Metro board's decision to abandon its plan to enlarge its fleet of low-polluting natural gas buses, the more mystifying it appears... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59555-2005Apr16.html

SALES - NEW ZEALAND - Designline sells buses to Newcastle

New Zealand -Stuff.co.nz,by JOHN KEAST - 18 April 2005: -- Ashburton bus maker Designline is celebrating a deal to supply nine hybrid electric buses to operator Stagecoach in Newcastle, England... http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3251449a13,00.html

ABOLISH - FIJI - For big buses on city

Fiji -Fiji Times -April 16 2005: -- The Suva Retailers Association has called for the abolishment of large buses from the city... said the large buses in the city were old fashioned and cumbersome for the central business district... and it was noticed that large buses had difficulty within the city confines and damaged a lot of the traffic meridian strips... "Ideally, the city, Land Transport Authority and the bus industry must introduce smaller buses that can be manoeuvred better and are certainly more efficient"... http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=19668

PRODUCTS - USA - RHODIA's Eolys Earns More Approvals

DETROIT,Mich,USA -BUSINESS WIRE -April 14 2005: -- Rhodia's Eolys, fuel-borne catalyst has been approved for 2005 by Europe's "VERT project" for effectively eliminating virtually all diesel particulate emissions when used with the ExoClean diesel particulate filter... The filter and other system components were among various technologies listed by VERT...

PRODUCTION - SWEDEN - VOLVO plans foray into city buses segment

Bangalore,India -Sify - 15 Apr 2005: -- After making a splash in the luxury coach segment, Swedish automobile major Volvo now plans to foray into city buses segment in India as it sets out to play a bigger role in the country’s transportation sector... http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=13717740

CONTROLS - CHINA - To impose fines on city buses skipping stops

BEIJING,CHINA -Xinhua -2005-04-12: -- As of June 1 this year, owners of public buses in Chinese cities that skip stops on their fixed routes will face a fine up to 5,000 yuan (600 US dollars), according to new regulations enacted by the Ministry of Construction Monday... The ministry has issued the regulations to improve the public transportation service in the cities, said an official with the ministry Tuesday... http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/12/content_2819437.htm

STUDY - USA - CONTROL High growth expected for safety PLCs and safety bus/networks

Itasca,IL,USA -CONTROL Magazine -4/12/2005: -- A new market study by Venture Development Corp. (VDC) projects the most rapid growth for machine automatic safeguarding equipment in Europe and North America will be for programmable safety systems (safety PLCs)... The overall machine automatic safeguarding equipment markets are forecast to grow at compound annual growth rates of 7.4% for Europe and 12.5% for North America through 2007, according to the report...

FUEL PRICES - USA - Smaller Buses Would Save UTA Millions

Salt Lake City,UT,USA -KSL-TV,by Ed Yeates -Apr. 11, 2005: -- If you think gas prices are killing us in our single-family autos, try filling up 600 buses every night. That's why the Utah Transit Authority has decided to downsize to smaller buses... A 60-foot bus offers plenty of room, perfect for longer heavier used routes. But for smaller runs where fewer people are using buses now, half that size will do... http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=5&sid=197946

FUEL PRICES - ALBANIA - UNMIK cuts down buses

ALBANIA -B92 -KOSOVSKA MITROVICA,Yugoslavia -April 11 2005: -- UNMIK has cut three daily buses that take Albanians from the northern part to the southern part of town... Instead of four daily trips, the bus will only provide transportation once a day... UNMIK has stated that they do not have enough money to support bus trips four times a day...

SALES - KASHMIR - ASHOK LEYLAND buses make history

Srinagar,KAHMIR -Grether KASHMIR -Apr 7 2005: -- The bus flagged is the Stag coach manufactured by Ashok Leyland... Each bus is seven meters long, and offers excellent maneuverability on the hilly route... buses are air conditioned (with heating provision) with 19 push back luxury seats... and have the additional benefits of a public address system and TV and multimedia facilities... http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?ItemID=2845&cat=21

CHANGE - USA - Metro Considers Abandoning Natural Gas Buses

Washington DF,USA -Washington Post,by Steven Ginsberg -April 8 2005: -- Metro board members voted yesterday to purchase more than 200 diesel and hybrid buses, scrapping a policy of buying natural gas buses to improve the region's air quality... After an hour of sharp debate, members of the board's Planning and Development Committee voted to buy 117 diesel buses and 100 hybrids over the next three years... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35508-2005Apr7.html

SALES - CHINA - VOLVO, Shanghai orders 87 midi-buses from

USA - i-Newswire, 2005-04-07: -- Volvo makes an important move by launching the first midi-bus in China. Shanghai, one of the fastest growing financial centers in Asia has placed an order for 87 city buses from Volvo Buses. More than half of these will be the first midi-buses in China... The new buses will augment Dazhong group's fleet of 5,200 buses, 290 of which are Volvos... http://i-newswire.com/pr13845.html

FREE - USA - Orlando may expand free buses

Planners want more routes, beyond downtown, for the popular Lymmos.
Orlando,FL,USA -Orlando Sentinel,by Scott Powers -April 7, 2005: --
Downtown executives might someday catch a free bus back to their half-million-dollar homes in Baldwin Park. Visitors might shuttle between downtown bars and the Citrus Bowl for free. And hospital workers might catch free rides to lunch downtown... http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-locvlymmo07040705apr07,1,4516182.story?coll=orl-news-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

SAFETY - USA - Safer buses will protect 'forgotten' students

Fort Myers,FL,USA -ABC7 News/WZVN-TV -April 06, 2005: -- The Lee County School District has had big problems in the past with students left on school busses. Now new buses with the latest safety equipment are being used to solve the problem... Currently, it's standard procedure for bus drivers to walk to the back of the school bus to make sure no children are left behind... The new buses have added technology to make sure that never happens... www.abc-7.com

ALERT - USA - More exhaust inhaled by kids inside school buses than by others in the area

Berkeley,CA,USA -UC Berkeley,by Sarah Yang -04 April 2005: -- Children on school buses collectively inhale as much or more exhaust emitted from those buses as does the rest of the city's population, according to a new analysis by researchers at the University of California... The results highlight the problem of "self-pollution," or exhaust from the vehicle leaking into the cabin, particularly among older buses. This also is the first study to specifically look at how much exhaust is breathed in on school buses...

DISRUPTION - UK - Chaos on the buses feared

UK -Chester Chronicle,by Rob Devey -Apr 1 2005: -- THOUSANDS of bus passengers face disruption following a decision to bring Chester's Northgate Development forward a year... The move, agreed following a request by developer ING, means a new bus station will not be ready to replace the Princess Street depot when it is demolished in spring next year... Bus users have criticised the move, which will see the exchange replaced by five 'super bus stops' spread across the city for a year... There are fears passenger numbers and city trade will slump, while traffic increases and the reliability of services suffers...

ECOLOGY - INDIA - Tata Motors flags off 43 buses being run on bio-diesel

New Delhi,India -Hindustan Times -March 29, 2005: -- In a first initiative of its kind, Tata Motors announced extension of its bio-diesel programme and flagged off a fleet of 43 buses run on the environmentally friendly fuel blend on Tuesday... To support the bio-diesel intiative... http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1299402,0046.htm

TECHNOLOGY - USA - Sun shines on trailer tracker

USA -Fleet Owner (subscription) -Feb 1, 2005: -- The untethered trailer tracking system TrailerMax from GeoLogic Solutions will be offered with a solar power option for recharging its internal batteries while unhooked from a tractor. The new solar panel will not only keep the tracking system charged when tractor power is unavailable, but also cut down on battery replacement, according to the company...

TECNOLOGY - USA - WIRELESS: The New Generation

The problem for trucking is that wireless communications is well established as an essential tool.
USA -Fleet Owner (subscription)BY JIM MELE -Jan 1 2005: -- EV-DO, EDGE, GPRS, 1XRTT, UMTS, 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM, iDEN — it's called wireless communications, but sometimes it seems more like a Tower of Babel than a cell tower. Not only is the wireless world in love with acronyms, but it's also blessed and cursed with rapid and relentless development of new technology. It's an exciting environment for those in that industry, but for the rest of us it's a bewildering mix of potential and promises...

OPINION - USA - DASHBOARDING

Fleet Owner (subscription),BY WENDY LEAVITT - Feb 1 2005: -- Most carriers still in business in 2005 have made substantial investments in information technology and wireless communications along the way. The money has been spent, the systems are in place and data is flowing like a cresting river through the organization. The question plaguing some executives now is: “Is this it? Is this as far as our technology can take us? Or can we do something else to leverage our existing investment, to realize more benefits from we already have?”...

HYBRIDS - USA - Diesel hybrid buses make inroads in New York City

USA -Fleet Owner (subscription),by Terrence Nguyen -Mar 28 2005: --
Diesel-hybrid technology appears to be gaining acceptance among emissions-conscientious New York City Transit officials... A total of 325 diesel-electric buses will be delivered to Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT) by the end of 2005, which will give the city the largest hybrid bus fleet in the world, according to Orion Bus Industries. The hybrid buses would account for 7% of its total fleet of 4512...

TECHNOLOGY - NEW ZEALAND - Buses like telecoms

New Zealand -Stuff.co.nz,by TOM PULLAR-STRECKER -28 March 2005: -- National coach operator InterCity plans to embrace mobile commerce, text messaging and GPS navigation after appointing a young chief executive who is bullish on technology and who reckons the company can learn a trick or two from the telcos... http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3229135a28,00.html

PRIORITY - UK - Buses have priority say transport watchdog

UK -Waltham Forest Guardian -26 Mar 05: -- BUS priority measures on the 123 route are working, according to the London Transport Users' Committee (LTUC), the transport watchdog organisation... The measures on the route through Wood Green, Walthamstow and Ilford include Transport for London (TfL) giving priority to buses when they pass through roadworks and the construction planned for the North Circular Road when the Bounds Green extension goes ahead...

SECURITY - USA - Foothill to use security officers on its buses

Agency cites security needs on its various routes after shooting
WEST COVINA,Pasadena,CA,USA -Pasadena Star-News,by Karen Rubin -26 Mar 2005: -- Foothill Transit on Friday approved an $825,300 contract that could put deputies on buses to ensure passenger safety. This is the first time in the transit agency's history that security measures involving a law enforcement agency will be put into place, officials said...

SAVING FACE - JAPAN - Ishihara reverses plan to sell city buses

Tokyo,Japan -Asahi Shimbun -03/26/2005: -- Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara has put a stop to plans by his underlings to sell the city's used buses, saying that if they were not good enough to meet the metropolis' strict exhaust emissions standards, they should not be used in other regions... http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200503260150.html

PRODUCTION - ISRAEL - Israeli Firm Plans To Make Armored Buses in N.Y.

Israel -Arutz Sheva/IsraelNN.com -Mar 25'05: -- Merkavim Metal works of Israel is planning to set up a $27 million factory in New York State to manufacture armored buses... also is negotiating to sell the state 453 armored buses... Merkavim plans another investment in the United States to build 300 armored buses a year... http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=79022

SALES - MALAYSIA - Rapid KL to add 200 buses

Rapid KL to add 200 buses to fleet by year end
Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia -Malay Mail -25 Mar 2005: -- Rangkaian Pengangkutan Deras Sdn Bhd (Rapid KL) will increase its fleet by 200 buses by the end of the year. Its chief executive... www.mmail.com.my

SECURITY - UK - CCTV trial for safety on school buses

Leeds,Yorkshire,UK Yorkshire Post Today,by Emma Dunlop
-25 Mar 2005: -- CLOSED-CIRCUIT television cameras are to be installed in buses in Derbyshire as part of a pilot project to make children's journeys to school safer... The digital cameras, which will also record sound, will be installed in seven double-decker buses... http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=1084&ArticleID=979612

SALES - INDIA - SRTC needs 750 buses

Srinigar,India -GreaterKashmir.com -25 Mar 2005: -- SRTC needs 750 buses to ply on uncovered routes: Bhalla... Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) requires additional 750 passenger buses to cover various uncovered routes in the state... http://www.greaterkashmir.com/

PAST - USA - Overhauling an Ancient Transport System

NY,USA -Industrial News Room -12 APR 2005: -- A recent New York City subway fire exposed the extent of the system's disrepair, revealing it's so outdated that it's surprising that it functions at all... In New York City's subways; and in Paris (circa 1900), Boston (1897), Budapest, Hungary (1896) and London (1863); however, the legacy technology is not just out-of-date but ancient, 75 to 100 years old and nearly unrecognizable to many engineers... that make revamping a tricky proposition--and one that would surely interrupt service--... What's more, millions of people rely on it... to modernize the entire system, it would take around 35 years... by that time, the subway would be obsolete yet again...

FUTURE - UK - Pollution-free Trams on the Fast Track

Hop on the transportation system of the future?
NY, USA - Industrial News Room,by Katrina C. Arabe - April 12 2005: -- Warwickshire,UK: "Minitrams" -Transport Design International, Ltd. (TDI), Warwickshire, UK, designed and built this Public Transport System- are ultra-light people movers that can travel autonomously on the road or along dedicated lines... These small, electrically powered vehicles can be bi-directional like conventional trams, but they eliminate the need for costly overhead wires or electrified rails...

Buses World News

26.4.05