User-agent: Mediapartners-Google* Disallow: Buses World News: August 2005
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Buses World News

In brief: Worldwide montly news & informations about Buses, Busmakers, Passengers' and the Transport Industry

27.8.05

Free - USA - Belmont ID is ticket to ride MTA buses for free


University hopes to ease campus traffic crunch for students, employees

Nashville,TN,USA -The Tennessean, by MICHAEL CASS -08/26/05: -- Adam Smith found a new way to get around town yesterday... Smith, a senior at Belmont University, took advantage of a new program that his school and the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority are offering. Starting this week, Belmont students and employees can ride free on city buses...
"That's very cool," said Smith, a music business major from Chicago. "The parking situation here (on campus) is pretty much less than desirable"... MTA officials said last week was their busiest since 1989, with 149,000 riders — up 22% from the average of 122,000... He gets work done when he rides the bus to the office, he said, and "I get to work in a lot better mood"...

Decline - USA - Chron notices massive decline in bus ridership; fails to identify rail connection

Houston,TX,USA -Lone Star Times,by Owen Courrèges -08/26/2005: -- Despite optimistic pro- jections of increased ridership on its bus system, Metropolitan Transit Authority officials continue to wrestle with a slump in the number of people using mass transit here and resulting declines in fare box revenues. Particularly worrisome, the successful light rail line should be pumping up those statistics with thousands of additional boardings each month, and climbing fuel costs should have made Metro more attractive to commuters...

26.8.05

Options - USA - Transit Forced To Take Buses Off Street

Long Beach,CA,USA -Gazette Newspapers, by Harry Saltzgaver -25 Aug 2005: -- A little-used free downtown shuttle bus is being cut back, some express routes eliminated and other schedules spaced out as Long Beach Transit tries to make up a $3 million shortfall in this year’s budget... The reductions in service were approved Monday by the Long Beach Transit board. General Manager Larry Jackson said the cuts were necessary because of government-mandated driver breaks in force Aug. 1...

Comfort - Ireland - Pledge over bus places for students

Dublin,Ireland -Ireland Online -24/08/2005: -- A vast majority of secondary school students using state transport will be allocated a space this term thanks to moves to eliminate overcrowding, it was claimed today... The Department of Education said the greater number of post-primary school students entitled to school transport would be carried on the network...

Purchases - Pakistan - Karachi to have 8,000 CNG buses

KARACHI,Pakistan -Gulf Times/Doha,Qatar -24 Aug 2005: -- Some 8,000 CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) buses will be brought on city roads during the next five years, Sindh Transport Minister Adil Siddiqi has said... The provincial minister said that government has set up a committee of secretaries of finance and excise and taxation and environment departments, Mass Transit Cell and other concerned agencies to review the implementation of the plan...

Riders - USA - Numbers are up on city buses


Ridership up 27 percent since 2003
Marion,IN,USA -Marion Chronicle Tribune, by KATIE ALBRIGHT -Aug 23, 2005: -- With the price of gasoline reaching new heights, local residents are looking for inexpensive ways to get to work, the grocery store or just around town... But the local bus service - Marion Area Public Transportation System - is not yet the top option on residents' lists, transit employees say... But numbers show substantial growth. According to office reports, there are almost 3,000 more people riding the buses than in 2003, a 27 percent increase...

Uncomfortable - USA - School Buses Without Air Conditioning

Orlando,FL,USA -Local6.com -Aug 23, 2005: -- Recent scorching temperatures in Central Florida have caused concern for students riding school buses without air conditioning in two counties, according to a Local 6 News report... Currently, some of the school buses in Orange and Seminole counties are air-conditioned, Local 6 News reported... Administrators are now asking students on buses without air conditioning to be patient as they work on the situation...

Buying - Canada - OC Transpo's new buses to increases service

Ottawa,Ontario,Canada -580 CFRA Radio, by Josh Pringle -Aug 22, 2005: -- The wheels of 166 new buses will soon be going round-and-round on City of Ottawa streets... O-C Transpo is purchasing 166 new buses this year and next thanks to new money from the Ontario Government for transit... 105 of the new buses will replace older buses, while 61 new buses will increase the fleet to meet service growth...

Saving - USA - Mayor: Dodge High Gas Prices On Bus

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.,USA -The New Mexico Channel.com -Aug 22, 2005: -- Albuquerque officials are encouraging commuters to avoid high gas prices by riding public transportation or carpooling... Mayor Martin Chavez said last week people can save thousands of dollars a year by carpooling or taking the bus... Buying a $28 monthly bus pass and using public transportation five days a week can save motorists about $7,000 a year, according to Peter Behrman, director of the city Transit Department...

Troubles - USA - Schools looking for money to pay for school bus gas

WASHINGTON,DF,USA - KTVO/Kirksville,MO - Aug 22, 2005: -- If you think it's getting more expensive to send your kids to school, the schools won't argue... Rising gas prices are hitting the pumps just as 25 million children are hitting the books again... And school systems are looking for money to pay for the gas that powers the buses that carry the children...

Purchases - USA - Muni orders 56 hybrid buses

San Francisco,CAL,USA - San Francisco Business Times - 22 Aug 2005: -- Muni, the San Francisco Municipal Railway, ordered 56 hybrid diesel electric buses from a unit of DaimlerChrysler... Stuart Sunshine, Muni's general manager, said the new buses, which should arriv e in 2006, use less fuel and pollute less than diesel buses now in use... Muni didn't say how much it paid for the buses, made by Orion Bus Industries, based in Mississauga, Ontario. Orion is a unit of DaimlerChrysler Commercial Buses North America.

Examining - China - DaimlerChrysler supplies fuel-cell powered buses to Beijing

Ontario, Canada -Brampton Guardian, by ROBINSON/BEINTEMA -Aug 19th, 2005: -- Last month, three fuel-cell-powered Mercedes-Benz Citaro urban buses were handed over to a delegation from China at the DaimlerChrysler AG bus and coach plant in Mannheim... The initial aim of this fuel cell project, which will run until October 2007, is to examine the day-to-day practicality of fuel cell technology on the roads of China and gauge the acceptance level for the new technology by the inhabitants of Beijing. Other objectives are to gain experience with fuel-cell drive technology and in producing and handling hydrogen in the transport sector... These buses have already covered a total of more than 800,000 km and carried more than three mil-lion passengers. Three further fuel-cell Citaro buses have also been in regular service in Perth, Australia, since the end of 2004...

Changing - Fiji Islands - Old buses off to new life


Fiji -New Zealand Herald, by Mathew Dearnaley -22.08.05: -- Children on an impoverished Fiji island will soon be driven to school in style - on Mercedes-Benz buses, once the pride of Auckland's public transport system. Two of the last of the 300 buses which began appearing on Auckland roads in the 1970s were shipped to Fiji last week...

Begin - Sri Lanka - Buses, spares to boost flagging SLCTB

Columbo,Sri Lanka -Sunday Observer, by Ananda Kannangara -21 Aug 2005: -- The first phase of strengthening the eleven cluster bus companies will be initiated by the Sri Lanka Central Transport Board (SLCTB) with 2,000 new buses, scheduled to be imported from India before the end of the year... Two leading Indian bus manufacturers, Tata and the Ashok Leyland have already signed an agreement with the SLCTB in this regard and the first consignment of 600 will arrive at Colombo Port by the middle of next month...

Safety - Australia - Call for guards on buses

New South Wales, Australia -NEWS.com.au -Aug 21, 2005: -- SCHOOLS across New South Wales have united to call for the introduction of security guards on student buses following a series of attempted kidnappings in recent months... The Federation of Parents and Citizens' Associations, the Association of Independent Schools and the Catholic Schools' Association, will meet on Tuesday to call for security guards or teachers to supervise students at interchanges between buses and trains... FPC state president Sharryn Brownlee said student safety on public transport needed to be improved... "We should be looking at having security guards or teachers on buses," she said...

Safety - USA - Boarding the School Bus

What Kids Need to Know

USA -The Lincoln Tribune -2005/8/19: -- With approximately 10 billion student trips per year, school buses are the largest mass-transit program in the United States. And those familiar yellow buses have a safety record unequaled in the transportation industry...
-- Wait at the designated area until the bus comes to a complete stop. Nohorsing around, shoving or playing at the bus stop.
-- The driver is your friend. Learn her name and be courteous.
-- Take your seat without delay.
-- Once seated, keep your belongings with you and stay in your seat untilthe bus arrives at your stop.
-- It's best not to eat or drink on a bus...

Unreliability - USA - Sound Transit faults 1999 bus engines

$1 million approved for replacements, transmissions
Seattle, USA -Seattle Post Intelligencer, by JANE HADLEY -Aug 19, 2005: -- Engines on 37 New Flyer buses bought by Sound Transit in 1999 have been so unreliable they will have to be replaced far earlier than expected... The typical bus diesel engine provides 800,000 to 1 million miles of service, said Fred Chun, operations project manager for Sound Transit's regional express bus program. But these lasted only about 300,000 to 450,000 miles...

Beware - USA - School Buses Have Danger Zones

Austin,TX,USA -KXAN-TV -08/19/05: -- A front-mounted crossing arm is just one way Central Texas school districts are protecting students from bus blind spots... In fact, officials remind us all that buses have a danger zone... It's 10 feet around the entire bus with the most dangerous blind spots at the front and rear-right... So, parents should tell kids to take 10 giant steps when getting on or off the bus, and on foot or a bike, stay to the curb...

Technology - USA - Have a chicken in your tank


Chicken Fat Fuels School Buses

NE Atlanta,GA,USA -WXIA-TV, by Jon Shirek -8/17/2005: -- With the rising price of gasoline, many motorists are starting to consider alternative means of travel. In North Georgia, one school system is taking a different approach with a new fuel for its school buses... Twenty-three Floyd County school buses have been running on a special diesel fuel mixture made from the fat of North Georgia chickens. The chicken fat is first turned into a fuel called biodiesel. The biodiesel is then mixed with normal diesel and pumped into the school buses.It is not only cheaper, but safer for the environment...
Yes: You Too!!

Request - Zimbabwe - ZUPCO asks Chinese to tailor buses to Zimbabwe conditions

Harare,Zimbabwe -Financial Gazette, by Chris Muronzi -8/18/2005: -- THE Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) has given China's First Automobile Works (FAW) conditions and specifications to meet before more bus deliveries can be taken... ZUPCO's move follows concerns that the Chinese-made vehicles did not quite match much of Zimbabwe's terrain and deteriorating road system... made strong recommendations to FAW on the suitability and sustainability of its vehicles under Zimbabwe's road conditions...

Greenews - China - Hybrid buses could cut fuel costs

BEIJING, China - China View/Xinhua -Aug. 18 2005: -- Shanghai is developing hybrid-engine buses to put the brakes on rising fuel costs and cut exhaust emissions, industry officials said yesterday... The first two transit vehicles that can switch between a diesel engine and electric motor will start trial operation next year, according to officials at Dazhong Transportation (Group) Co Ltd, one of the city's biggest bus operators... In addition, a domestic standard for hybrid-engine buses is in the pipeline at the Ministry of Construction and will be released by the end of this year, he said...

Safety - USA - School buses should have seat belts

Joplin,MO,USA -Joplin Globe - 8/17/05: -- The recommendation of the task force appointed by Gov. Matt Blunt to study school bus safety is really not surprising. In fact, it is something that parents and safety experts have been suggesting for some time: Install lap-shoulder belts in buses. The panel didn't suggest making seat belts mandatory, but said that Missouri school districts should consider their use...

Take care - Bangladesh - If you go: Inside city buses

Bangladesh -The New Nation -Aug 16, 2005: -- The bus helper (driver appoints him at own cost) was standing on the footboard of the bus, making the passage narrower. As a result, every passenger’s body (females no exception) came in contact with his body while boarding and alighting. Seeing it, a middle aged female commuter asked him to free the passage so that she could make entry easily. The uncivil helper refused and made an indecent remark. The lady protested but received no backing of those standing nearby except one. This incident took place last week in Motijheel Commercial Area...

Production - Malaysia - HANDAL to build 350 buses in next 5 years

Malaysia -Business Times - 16 Aug 2005: -- THE Handal Group of Companies, which makes buses and provides bus services in Johor and Singapore, is investing RM157 million to build another 350buses in the ...

Safety - UK - CCTV on crime-hit buses lead to arrest

Peterborough,England,UK -Peterborough Evening Telegraph -16 Aug 2005: -- AFTER years of problems with hooligans, newly-installed CCTV cameras on city buses have led to an arrest... It follows an operation run by the police, Peterborough City Council and bus operator Stagecoach to slash the number of anti-social incidents on buses... A 16-year-old boy, from Orton Goldhay, was arrested on suspicion of theft, on Saturday, August 6. He was due to appear at Peterborough Youth Court...

Facilities - UK - Park-and-ride gets the green light

Scotland,UK - Scotsman, by ALAN RODEN -15 Aug 2005: -- MOTORISTS looking to avoid congestion on city roads are finally set to benefit from two new park-and-ride schemes delayed by Edinburgh's bus strikes... The new services, which will carry commuters from sites at Ingliston and Hermiston to the south-west of the city, are now due to open on September 11... The park-and-ride facilities have cost more than £2 million, and have space for 450 cars at Hermiston and parking for 575 vehicles at Ingliston... When completed next year, it is estimated that the city's park-and-ride network will cut out around 30,000 car journeys every week... As well as the extension of services to the RBS headquarters, a number of extra night buses will be put on... And a Bus Route Development grant will help increase the frequency of some buses, including routes to Midlothian...

Green news - USA - YOLOBUS cuts emissions equal to its weight in buses

Woodland,CA,USA -Daily Democrat -08/12/2005: -- Since YOLOBUS began operating buses fueled by compressed natural gas 12 years ago, emissions from its bus fleet have been reduced by nearly one million pounds. This is equivalent to the weight of the entire fleet of 37 large buses, said Terry Bassett, executive director of the Yolo County Transportation District... The YOLOBUS natural gas fleet has driven more than 11 million miles - enough miles to circle the globe 446 times. YOLOBUS is the public transit operator in Yolo County, serving the cities and rural communities in Yolo County, Sacramento International Airport, and downtown Sacramento...

Safety - USA - Buses remain safest form of school travel

WASHINGTON, USA -CNN/AP -Aug 11, 2005: -- Every time Monroe Elementary students misbehave on a school bus, they get a written warning -- and a verbal one from the head of their school... The message to the kids: Bus safety is so vital that even the principal gets involved... In Masterson's School District of Janesville, as in other school systems nationwide, preventing disruptions on the bus is just part of a broad campaign to keep students safe. Background checks for drivers, expanded safety features on buses, training to help drivers communicate with children -- all of it is being done to lower the risks of accidents...
SCHOOL BUS SAFETY - Numbers:
Number of public school buses: 450,000
Number of miles traveled by school buses annually: 4.3 billion
Number of children who ride school buses annually: 25 million
Number of school-age children killed annually in motor vehicle crashes during school travel hours: 800
Percentage of those school-age deaths involving school buses: 2 percent
Number of children killed annually in crashes involving school buses: 20
Number of children injured annually during school travel hours: 152,000
Percentage of those injuries that involve school bus accidents: 4 percent
Percentage of the nation's 40,000 annual motor vehicle deaths that are school-age children during school travel hours: 2 percent
Sources: Transportation Research Board; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Changes - USA - Culpeper OKs trading buses for trolleys

Fredericksburg,VA,USA -The Free Lance-Star, by DONNIE JOHNSTON -8/10/2005: -- They're bigger, they're quainter, and they'll soon be cruising the streets of Culpeper... The Culpeper Town Council last night voted to put its two Connecter buses out to pasture and buy two new trolleys... Godfrey said that about 64,000 passengers are expected to ride the Culpeper Connector buses this year. He projected that ridership would increase dramatically when the trolleys (actually, they're not trolleys but buses made to look like trolleys) go into operation...

Safety - Canada - Seat Belts for School Buses? No, Says Canada Safety Council

Toronto,Canada -Auto Service World -8/9/2005 -- "Statistically, the school bus is the safest way for children to get to school," says Council president Emile Therien... He explains why the Canada Safety Council doesn't think seat-belts would make school buses safer. Fundamentally, he says, school buses are not built like cars. Buses are much larger, higher and heavier, so they have a body-on-frame design. The bus body would have to be completely re-engineered with seat-belts integrated at the design stage... Research has shown that lap belts could increase the risk of head injuries in a head-on collision. The child's head could hit the seat in front, resulting in serious head and neck injuries. Combination lap and shoulder belts would require stiffer seats, which could increase injury to unbelted students. Moreover, the shoulder belts can lead to abdominal injuries because of "submarining"when children slip down, risking injuries to organs covered by the lap belts...

Justice - UK - Lothian to offer passengers £500,000 bus strikes payout

Edinburgh, Scotland,UK - The Scotsman, by ALAN RODEN -9 Aug 2005: -- BUS chiefs are set to pay out more than £500,000 in compensation following a series of crippling strikes in the city... The 60,000 passengers who own a Lothian Buses Ridacard will be offered a £10 discount to compensate for three one-day strikes and last week's wildcat strike... Direct debit customers will receive the discount in their September payment, while passengers who own advance purchase cards will be able to choose between the discount or one week's free travel...

EXCULPATION - Publisher: To all our readers

PLEASE EXCUSE US
Owed to causes outside our willing, we hav'nt been able to update this page from August 3rd. Today on you'll see some important news, to our criterion, happened in the meantime. And we hope from now on our relationship it'll be normal one.
Many Thanks and exculpate us again. Santiago - Publisher

25.8.05

Plans - UK - Free buses to help bring in trade

Leicester,UK -BBC News -25 Aug 2005 -- Traders at Loughborough's market are planning to offer free bus travel to potential customers from Leicester to help drum up more business... The town's branch of the National Market Traders Federation hopes the unusual move will revive business... It has said that one in 10 of the market stalls are empty and that some traders are thinking of re-locating... The federation has asked a local newspaper to print the tickets for people to cut out and use on the bus...

Final - UK - End for rural buses phone scheme


'Wonderful service'
UK -BBC News -25 Aug 2005: -- A pioneering buses-on-demand scheme for rural areas has reached the end of the road after running out of funding... The red buses have been running in parts of Northumberland under the Phone and Go scheme for the last three years... The system aimed to offer a fresh solution to the ongoing problem of rural transport...

17.8.05

Financing - China - VOLVO Group to Provide Financial Services in

GOTEBORG, Sweden -PRIMEZONE/Web Report Volvo -Aug. 17, 2005 : -- The Volvo Group has applied to establish a wholly owned finance company in China to offer financing solutions for its commercial transport customers and dealers. The new company, to be named "Volvo Group Automotive Finance (China) Ltd.'', will be based in Beijing and expects to start operations in 2006...

Investigation - Germany - Inside Tradig on DaimlerChrysler??

Germany Investigates Suspected Trading in Shares

DUESSELDORF, Germany -Yahoo News (press release)/USA/AP -Aug 17 2005: -- Regulators said Wednesday they had opened a formal investigation into possible insider trading in shares of DaimlerChrysler AG after finding "grounds" to suspect illegal dealing in the automaker's stock... Germany's financial-services watchdog, BaFin, ran a routine check after DaimlerChrysler's stock jumped just before last month's announcement that Chief Executive Juergen Schrempp would resign...

Buy !! - USA - BorgWarner Shares Hit New 52-Week High

NEW YORK,NY, USA -MSN Money/AP -Aug 16, 2005: -- BorgWarner Inc., a maker of power train products for the automotive industry, on Tuesday saw its shares advance to a new 52-week high after a Banc of America Securities analyst rated the stock a "Buy"... The analyst said he expects about 60 percent of the revenue growth to come from Europe and Asia, where industry trends toward diesel, chain systems and automatic transmissions favor BorgWarner's products. Also, the company's opportunities are growing in North America, where foreign automakers such as Toyota and Honda are expanding the production capacity and sourcing... "Europe is a very important market for engine technology, both for diesel and new generation gasoline engines," said... "The Asia market is very important because they're adapting European emissions standards, and all of our engine products play into fuel efficiency and emission reductions."

12.8.05

NEW - Mexico - City rolls out new kind of mass transit Commuters

Crowding onto jumbo buses that operate like an above-ground subway
Mexico City, MEX - San Francisco Chronicle -SF,CAL,USA-by Monica Campbell -August 7 2005: -- On a recent evening, rush-hour commuters jammed into a jumbo, modern bus -- Mexico City's new mass-transit experiment... Costing some $30 million, the Metrobus is the gridlocked capital's ambitious plan to streamline traffic, rid streets of smoke-belching buses and entice drivers to ride modern, comfortable buses that ply express lanes... The pilot line, which rolled out in mid-June, makes 36 stops along the congested Avenida Insurgentes, the city's main north-south thoroughfare, which stretches 121/2 miles in each direction. Each of the 80 double-length Volvo buses has a capacity of 160 passengers...

9.8.05

Suicide - China - high among China's youth

Pekin,China -BBC News/UK/China Daily -25 July, 2005: -- Suicide is the primary cause of death among young Chinese, according to figures published in the state media... The Beijing Suicide Reseach and Prevention Centre has reportedly found that the number of suicide cases has soared in recent years... An estimated 250,000 Chinese now take their own lives every year, according to the figures published in the newspaper... Increased competition and pressure are said to lead to depression...

Explosion - China - Bomb explodes on bus

UK -BBC News/Xinhua -8 August, 2005: -- A man has detonated a home-made bomb on a bus in the Chinese city of Fuzhou, killing himself and injuring at least 31 others, state media has reported... The bomber was a 42-year-old farmer suffering from terminal lung cancer, news agency said....

Separate - UDA - Kindergarten, pre-K to take separate buses

Hilton Head Island,SC,USA -The Hilton Head Island Packet, by DIANE KNICH -August 8th, 2005: -- Hilton Head kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students will ride separate buses to school this year, says Adrienne Sutton, principal of Hilton Head Early Childhood Center. The school decided to separate the young students now instead of waiting until mid-year, when they will attend class in a new building at Indigo Run on Pembroke Road...

Freezing - Hong Kong - Buses "damaging to health and environment"

Hong Kong,China -TODAYonline/Singapore/AFP -August 9, 2005: -- An environmental group and medical experts warned that Hong Kong's air-conditioned buses are so cold they could cause passengers health problems... A survey by Green Sense found that temperatures onboard the tropical city's buses, which are as as low as 17 degrees Celcius, could bring on headaches, cause breathing problems and worsen allergic reactions... The report comes weeks after Hong Kong Friends of the Earth declared Hong Kong "the coldest air-conditioned place in the world" in a survey that found temperatures in shopping centres and trains were as low as 16 degrees centigrade...

Costs - Australia - Why Carr's buses cost more than limos

Sydney,New South Wales,Australia -Daily Telegraph, by HEATH ASTON -August 9, 2005: -- NSW taxpayers are $500,000 out of pocket after Bob Carr's parting gesture as Labor premier – free travel for unionists to Sunday's picnic protest against workplace reform... Mr Carr's farewell act resulted in the absurd situation of some unionists being taken by bus to the Homebush union rally at a staggering cost of $400 a head... This is more than it would have cost to get people there by chauffeur-driven limousines...

Sales - India - UP to buy 100 CNG buses

Agra,India -Business Standard,by Vishal Sharma -August 09, 2005: -- Continuing its efforts to upgrade its existing transport infrastructure in the state, the UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) will purchase 100 CNG buses at Rs 55.80 crore to restart its city bus service in Agra...

Filters - Canada - Diesel particulate filters make the grade in Alberta

EDMONTON,ALB, Canada - Todays' Trucking -Aug. 8, 2005: -- As part of its ongoing interest in exploring ways to reduce vehicle emissions in urban areas, the Clean Air Strategic Alliance has just completed a comprehensive pilot project on the effectiveness of diesel particulate filters in chilly Edmonton... CASA -- a non-profit association composed of government, industry, and environmental groups -- conducted a one-year test of the filter on two diesel buses in Edmonton Transit System's fleet between January 2003 and January 2004... The results showed specifically that there were major reductions in emissions of three main pollutants, but no significant change in the emission rate of nitrogen oxides: Total hydrocarbons reductions of 51-87 percent; Carbon monoxide reductions of 67-89 percent; and total particulate matter reductions of 60-75 percent...

8.8.05

Security - Canada - Put cameras on buses

Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada -Vancouver Sun (subscription), by Brad Badelt -August 6 2005: -- Surveillance cameras should be considered for Lower Mainland buses and SkyTrain cars as part of what could be a sweeping federal plan for security upgrades in the wake of the recent London bombings, two TransLink directors said Friday...

6.8.05

Hydrogen - USA - Buses to roll in Valley

Two-year test of fuel delivery technology
Allentown Morning Call - Allentown,PA,USA By Kurt Blumenau -August 6, 2005: -- Two hydrogen-powered shuttle buses will pull into the Lehigh Valley early next year, staying for a two-year test that should give many Valley residents their first view of a hydrogen-powered vehicle... One bus will be used for campus transportation at the Trexlertown headquarters of Air Products and Chemicals Inc., the world's largest supplier of hydrogen. The other bus will be based at the Da Vinci Discovery Center of Science and Technology in South Whitehall Township, where it will be used for trips to schools and other educational efforts...

Biodiesel - USA - On hold for now in buses


SUMMIT COUNTY, Frisco,CO,USA -Summit Daily News, by Julie Sutor -August 5, 2005: -- Summit Stage isn't fueling up with soy this summer, but an environmentally friendly fuel may be in the pumps next year... High fuel costs forced Summit Stage director John Jones to forego the use of biodiesel in the transit system's bus fleet, which is being powered instead by conventional low-sulfur diesel fuel...

CNG buses - Philippines - Supply to buses priced P15/liter

Manila,Philippines -Manila Bulletin, by Myrna Velasco - 2005-08-06: -- The initial supply of compressed natural gas (CNG) will be made available to the first vehicle to be deployed by HM Transport, Inc. by Philippine National Oil Company nearing the P30 per liter mark... As of date, the Department of Energy has so far accredited seven bus operators that committed to acquire 185 CNG buses until the end of the year... Aside from the 80 units of HM Transport, the other bus firms that committed to CNG use are RRCG Transport System, Inc., 20 units; KL CNG Bus Transport Corp., 40 units; Pascual Liner, Inc., 20 units; Greenstar Express, 10 units; Biñan Bus Line, 5 units; and CNG Vehicles Corp., 10 units...

Sales - Vietnam - To export 1,000 buses to Dominican Republic

Ha Noi, Viet Nam -Viet Nam News Agency/VNA -Aug. 6 2005: -- The Viet Nam Automobile Industry Corporation (Vinamotor) has won a contract to export 1,000 buses to the Dominican Republic, central America...

Change - Italy - Roma's buses go electric

Rome,Italy -AGI on line -Aug. 5 2005: -- Ansaldo Electric Drives is to supply new buses in Rome with electric engines. The Finmeccanica owned company is to install 36 AC inverter engines on 45 passenger minibuses. The buses themselves are to be supplied by company Zev based in Passignano (PG). The engines will be powered by high endurance Zebra batteries which provide buses with a 130 km range, namely average daily mileage. Ansaldo Electric Drives operates in researching electric drives for road vehicles, and relies on Ansaldo Ricerche to develop its technologies...

Market - Europa - Forecast for Buses for period 2005-2009

DUBLIN, Ireland -BUSINESS WIRE -Aug. 5, 2005: -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of

5.8.05

Spanish language - USA - Essential Español

Same difference
Phoenix,AZ,USA -Arizona Republic, Submitted by Trino Sandoval -Aug. 5, 2005: -- The word bus in Mexico is translated as autobús or camión, while in other countries, such as Cuba, the translation is guagua; (added by publisher) or in Argentina your could hear to mention it like: microbús or micros.

Production - USA - The "next generation" buses

Provo,UT,USA -Provo Daily Herald, by Amie Rose -4 Aug 2005: -- Ron Ingraham, a sales representative for the bus' designer -- North American Bus Industries, Inc., said the company is already working on a "next generation" vehicle, and hopes have one to show off by the end of the year... The more modern-looking bus will have five doors, flush windows running along the sides of the vehicle -- instead of traditional individually-framed bus windows, and a one-piece windshield curving up over the top of the vehicle, he said. It will also be available with a diesel-electric hybrid engine...

Green - USA - New Earth-friendly buses may join the UTA system

Provo,UT,USA -Provo Daily Herald, by Amie Rose -August 04, 2005: -- The 60-foot bus sashayed down Geneva Road and gently made the left turn into a bus lot in Orem, its last Utah stop before hitting the road, bound for Los Angeles... The bus wasn't just any bus. It's a bus rapid transit vehicle, one of 200 natural gas-fueled buses hitting L. A. streets this fall when Los Angeles County launches its new light-rail-like bus rapid transit system...


Lobbies - USA - Student lobbies for cleaner buses

8-year-old Anni with an "ecological" Science fair project

RED HOOK,Rhinebeck,NY,USA -Rhinebeck Gazette Advertiser -4 Aug 2005: -- When it came time for the second-grade science fair, 8-year-old Red Hook resident Annie Sullivan knew she wanted her project to be something helpful... Sullivan devised an experiment to test air pollution in six pre-determined areas... The testing device was basic enough: a piece of plain white printer paper or copy paper, cut into a small square, smeared with a circle of Vaseline or other petroleum jelly product and placed in an area out of reach of curious hands and four-legged friends. The particle pollutants in the air actually stick to the jellied circle and can be counted after observation under a microscope... the sample collected from the tree fort had the smallest amount of pollution over the 48-hour collection period... The most pollution was found at the intersection of Main and Market streets - the center of the Village of Red Hook. While there is the logical connection of the intersection being the busiest in the town and village, there is also the concern of it being frequented by the most pedestrians... A close second was the sample collected from the bus lot... Sullivan's collected sample found 60 particles of pollution at the bus yard, compared to 70 at the Four Corners and just six at her tree fort... Sullivan urged the district administrators to continue to pursue action to make the more than 40 buses in the school's fleet "cleaner" by purchasing and installing special catalytic converters designed to "filter" the emissions from the buses... A diesel oxidation catalyst muffler, which can be installed onto most of the buses in Red Hook's fleet, would reduce emissions approximately 30% and cost approximately $1,500 per bus... A diesel emissions filter would result in a more significant reduction, but comes at a cost of around $10,000 per bus... Popp estimates that 20 of the 43 total buses in the fleet would need attention...

ACCIDENTS - WORLDWIDE - Aug 4, 2005

DEADS: 15 - Injureds: 20
Israel: ... three people were killed when border guard opened fire on a bus... -Science Daily/USA
Russia: ... At least 10 people, including five German tourists, have been killed andmore than 20 wounded when their bus collided with a lorry... -BBC News/UK
Harrisburg,PA,USA: ... BUS crashes into SUV, killing 2... -Penn Live/AP

4.8.05

Riders' stories - USA - City buses, passengers overwhelmed by the heat


Annapolis,MD,USA -Annapolis Capital, by PETE HOLLEY and DANIEL VALENTINE -August 03, 2005: --
Since she moved to Annapolis from New York City a few weeks ago, the biggest adjustment Ashima Dhakur has been forced to make doesn't involve living in a smaller city, or meeting new friends... Instead, the 35-year-old's culture shock comes from sweating on city buses, which lack the working air conditioners she enjoyed on the Big Apple's mass transit...

Drivers - USA - Bus Driver Charged in Molestation

NE Atlanta,GA,USA -WXIA-TV, by Alive Staff -8/3/2005: -- A Carroll County school bus driver resigned after her arrest on child molestation charges this week... A 15-year-old male relative told his parents that Jennifer Harbuck had sexual contact with him a number of times since last fall. The parents contacted Villa Rica police...

3.8.05

Jobs - UK - Stagecoach needs to find up to 300 drivers by May 2006

Polish answer bus driver shortage
UK -BBC News -2 August 2005: -- Transport group Stagecoach has been recruiting bus drivers from Poland as it expands its operations in the UK... The first group of 20 Polish staff is due to start work on routes in Cheltenham and Manchester this week... It plans to recruit 100 Polish drivers by the end of the year... These are among the 250-300 new drivers it needs to find by May 2006 to help it achieve its UK expansion...

Up to Date - India - KSRTC to operate 25 A/C buses this year:

Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala,India -Kerala On Line -Aug 2 2005: -- Transport Minister N Sakthan today told the State Assembly that the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation will operate 25 air conditioned buses this year...

Rough - Zimbabwe - Chinese buses not made for rough roads

Zimbabwe,Africa -SW Radio Africa, by Tererai Karimakwenda -01 August 2005: -- The transport problem has become more critical in Zimbabwe with the introduction of ZUPCO buses that came from China. Commuters who are struggling and walking to work daily, report that many minibuses are spending days on end in queues for fuel, and this has left mostly government operated ZUPCO buses on the roads. But many of the new ZUPCO buses from China have very low suspension systems. This makes it impossible for them to travel to areas with bad dirt roads and pot-holes...

Security - USA - How to make US subways, buses more secure

USA - Peninsula On-line, by MICHAEL CHERTHOFF /Qatar - 1 Aug 2005: -- IN THE PAST couple of weeks we have seen four major terrorist attacks on soft targets in civilian areas: two attacks on mass transit in London; an attack on a shopping mall in Netanya, Israel; and an attack on hotels and resorts in Egypt... The events are a tragic reminder of the dangers we face, the tactics of our enemies and the need for more preparedness... Every act of terrorism is unforgivable, and any life taken by terrorists is an irreparable loss... This is why we have gone to great lengths as a nation since Sept 11 to provide law enforcement and intelligence personnel with enhanced tools and information to better identify, track and apprehend terrorists before they are able to strike...

Education - USA - Nationwide Bus Tour to Help Latino Families Prepare for College Rolls

Free Paying for College Workshops, Advice on College Preparation
RESTON, Va.,USA -PRNewswire -Aug. 1 2005: -- The following is being issued by The Sallie Mae Fund:
Latinos are now the fastest growing population in the U.S., accounting for almost half of all population growth in 2003-2004: 1 in 7 Americans is currently of Latino origin. Yet, Latinos lag behind Caucasians and African-Americans in higher education enrollment and graduation. Research commissioned by The Sallie Mae Fund
has shown that lack of awareness about financial aid is preventing thousands of Latinos from going to college. The Paying for College Bus Tour is designed to provide the information Latino families desperately need...

ACCIDENTS - Worldwide - Aug 1 2005

DIEDS: 18 - INJUREDS: more than 29
UK: ... A man has been stabbed to death on a London bus... -ITV.com
South Africa: ... 14 killed in bus collision... -Xinhua/China
SDurban,South Africa: ... Three people died when a bus transporting farm workers... -News24
Shreveport,LA,USA: ... Two people were seriously injured and 29 others suffered minor injuries... -KTBS

Free - UK - Clubbers offered free bus home

United Kingdom -The Scotsman -1 Aug 2005: -- A Glasgow nightclub has teamed up with the city's biggest bus operator to give customers a free ride home... Clubbers at The Garage can take advantage of Friday night's free service...

ACCIDENTS - Worldwide - 31 July 2005

DIEDS: 3 - INJUREDS: more than 33
Philippines: ... 36-year-old Malatag and her child died... -INQ7 Interactive, Inc.
Doddridgeat, Ark,USA: ... at least 31 injured in tour bus collision... -Chicago Tribune
Guttenberg, Ia,USA: ... One woman was seriously injured and a man was hurt after... -DesMoinesRegister.com
Life Style Extra, UK: ... A man has been stabbed to death by a hoodie on a bus... -Life Style Extra
Baghdad,Iraq: ... (Up to three Iraqis were injured...) -Kuwait News Agency

JOBS - USA - Bus drivers for Hall routes

Gainesville,GA,USA -The Gainesville Times, by RICK LAVENDER -July 31, 2005 -- Ronnie Wales is a wanted man as a substitute bus driver with Hall County Schools... Because of retirements, more routes and the opening of Chicopee Woods Elementary, the system has seen its substitute ranks for the coming school year shrink from the needed 25 drivers to about 10, said transportation safety coordinator Jeff Wimpy...

Shortage - Ireland - Dublin faces bus shortage

Dublin,Ireland -UTV -31/07/2005: -- Dublin Bus commuters are suffering from a chronic bus shortage because the government is breaking promises... Government funding for new buses in Dublin is being withheld at the moment until a decision is made on the possible privatisation of some of the company`s bus routes... Dublin Bus says it needs 300 new buses...

Technology - Australia - Video to pick signs of trouble

PERTH,Australia -Australian, by Andrea Mayes -August 01, 2005: -- A company is developing a surveillance system it says will identify suspicious behaviour on public transport and recognise the faces of suspected terrorists... Video surveillance company DTI is working with Curtin University to develop the world-first system... DTI said the new-generation technology was aimed at preventing terrorist and criminal activity on buses and trains before it happened...

Fine - Sri Lanka - Police to fine buses and passengers for violating road rules

These measures will help reduce traffic congestion in the Colombo city.
Colombo,Sri Lanka -ColomboPage News -July 30, 2005: -- Sri Lanka Police will fine buses that violate rules of the road from next week. Although it was an offence to take the passengers or allow them alight from the buses at undesignated stops along the road, the law has not been strictly applied so far.

Warnings - Australia - Terror warnings on our buses, trains

Brisbane,Queensland,Australia -Queensland Sunday Mail, by DARRELL GILES -31 jul 2005: -- PASSENGERS using Queensland public transport will be warned about the threat of terrorist bombers... A State Government poster campaign will ask people on trains and buses to help detect suspicious packages... The brightly coloured notices will tell passengers not to leave baggage unattended... But law enforcement agencies throughout Australia are taking extreme measures in the wake of the attacks on London transport on July 7 and 21...

Justice III - Canada - Couple who claimed discrimination by bus driver ordered to pay $1,000

VANCOUVER, CP, Canada -Macleans/Toronto,ON -29, 2005: -- West Vancouver couple who complained about discrimination by a local bus driver has instead been ordered to pay $1000 to the transit system for costs, and for their improper conduct.. The order is contained in a B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ruling... In her ruling tribunal member Tonie Beharrel said she had "serious concerns with the credibility of the Jiwanys," and ruled it was the couple who had engaged in improper conduct by filing the complaint based on false allegations...

Justice II - UK - Bus driver banned after hair-raising journey

United Kingdom -The Scotsman, by STUART NICOLSON -29 Jul 2005: -- A BUS driver who took his terrified passengers on a 20-mile "journey from hell" because he was running late has been banned from the roads for six months... Stirling Sheriff Court heard that Stephen Wilkie, 40, raced his bus along the road, swerving in front of a fast-moving lorry and performing hair-raising overtaking manoeuvres... Wilkie, who has previous convictions for speeding and ignoring a red light...

Bus Routes - USA - Small Towns Cut from State Bus Routes

Durham-Raleigh,NC,USA -WTVD/AP -07/29/05: -- Carolina Trailways is eliminating 38 small town stops with low ridership from its routes across North Carolina next month... The move is an attempt to speed service between Charlotte, Raleigh and Wilmington... For customers riding between Raleigh and Charlotte, the changes will shave two hours off a five-hour trip... A Trailways official says people in the smaller communities will still be able to get to intercity bus lines by taking a local or county bus to a larger town...

Justice I - USA - Bus driver suspended for videotaped fight with students

PUNTA GORDA, St. Petersburg,FL,USA -Tampa Bay's 10/AP/Jul 29 2005: -- A school bus driver whose fight with two students was videotaped and broadcast nationwide will be suspended for 20 days and moved to another job... Albert Taylor, 66, fought on his bus with stepbrothers Mark Dickson and Corey Hendershot on May 17th... The bus video shows the bus driver slapping Dickson in the face and grabbing his throat. Dickinson is seen pushing and punching back...

Vigilant - Canada - Bus drivers, passengers asked to be vigilant

Terrorist bombings in London prompt officials to launch public campaign
LOWER MAINLAND, Vancouver,British Columbia,Canada -Vancouver Sun (subscription), by Richard Chu -July 29, 2005: --
A campaign to get bus drivers and riders to be more vigilant about possible terrorist activity and other threats on the Lower Mainland's public transit system is expected to begin this fall as a result of the recent bombings in London...

Security - USA - School Buses To Be Equipped With GPS Devices

Nashville,TN,USA -NewsChannel5.com -7/28/2005: -- There will be something different about the school buses in Metro Nashville this year. All 600 of them will have a Global Positioning System monitoring device onboard... The GPS system will use software that allows all Metro school buses too be tracked from a computer at the school system’s transportation headquarters... The devices onboard the buses will tell dispatchers where the buses are, where they've been, and how fast they're going...

Pupils "Police" - UK - Buses to school

The scheme will now be extended to two other schools
UK -BBC News -28 July 2005: -- A bus company has cut out vandalism on a school-run by giving pupils the chance to "police" the buses... Stagecoach gives free passes to those who help out on the trips to Burnage High School in Manchester... It was losing £4,000 a week and had to divert buses because gangs were refusing to pay fares had smashed windows and even robbed drivers...

Focus - New Zealand - Greens want wind-powered trolley buses

Auckland,New Zealand -Newstalk ZB -29/07/2005: -- Wind-powered trolley buses and light rail are the focus of the Greens' transport policy for Wellington... The party believes two wind turbines would be enough to run the capital's 60-strong fleet of trolley buses... Transport spokeswoman Sue Kedgley says it would cost around $750 million, about the same cost as the proposed coastal route upgrade... She says the Greens want to get rid of the mind-set that building roads is the only way to deal with congestion...

2.8.05

Security - USA - School bus drivers on the watch for possible terrorists

DANBURY, Conn,USA -Newsday/Long Island,NY -August 1, 2005: -- School bus drivers are learning to watch out for a new kind of danger. Beginning this month, the Connecticut School Transportation Association will begin offering free training to teach bus drivers how to evaluate potential terrorist threats... "We will train bus drivers to watch for all types of things that might cause trouble along a bus route," said executive director Bill Moore. "They will coordinate with other safety and security agencies when they see anything out of the normal. If a stranger who has no children is hanging out at a school bus stop where children get on and off the bus, it should be noticed."...

Biodiesel - USA - Ohio School District Switches Buses to B20

Celina,OH,USA -The Daily Standard -29 July 2005: -- St. Marys City Schools in Celina, Ohio, is switching its 39-bus fleet to a B20 biodiesel blend for the next school year... Board of education members approved the plans to purchase the B20 blend from Burke Petroleum in Minster during their July meeting...