Buses World News
In brief: Worldwide montly news & informations about Buses, Busmakers, Passengers' and the Transport Industry
GreenNews - USA - City Of Tulsa Launches New Hybrid Bus
Tulsa,OK,USA- KOTV -30 Mar 2006: -- Tulsa Transit wants local residents to breathe a little easier, so they unveiled a new, environmentally friendly bus... It's the first of its kind in their fleet. That's because its powered by a General Motors diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system... It will produce less emissions than the other busses, but city officials hope the big green bus will do more than that...
Safety ? - UK - The wheels on the bus fall off and off
Scotland,United Kingdom -Scotsman, by ALAN RODEN -30 Mar 2006: -- First Bus has been warned by safety chiefs over the state of its fleet after wheels fell off its buses three times in a year... Scotland's traffic commissioner described the incidents as dangerous and warned it was lucky no-one had been injured... In the worst case, back wheels had fallen off a bus travelling to the company's Livingston depot because mechanics had not tightened the wheel nuts properly... (Picture: Julie Bull - Traffic commissioner Joan Aitken -don't smail- was 'disturbed' by the incidents)
New study - Australia - To look at better use of buses
Capital Territory, Australia -Canberra City News, by Neil Savery -30 Mar 2006: -- Work has started on developing proposals designed to make public transport more accessible around the Canberra City area and encourage more people to use it... Initiatives to identify and improve the efficiency, accessibility and convenience of public transport over the short and long term are integral to achieving an important objective of the "Sustainable Transport Plan for the ACT"... The plan, which examines Canberra’s short and long-term transport needs, has a key objective of encouraging more people to use public transport, cycling or walking in preference to private vehicles... The Planning Minister, Simon Corbell, recently announced the commencement of a detailed preliminary assessment into the environmental, social, economic, heritage and operational issues associated with two preferred routes for a Belconnen to City transitway...
Bad roads - Fiji - Force buses to stop
Suva,Fiji -Fiji Times -Mar 30, 2006: -- People in the provinces of Macuata and Bua in Vanua Levu seem to be plagued by bad roads and no bus service for most of their life... Despite the Labasa-Nabouwalu road being a daily thoroughfare for buses, cars, carriers and cargo trucks travelling to catch the ferry to Natovi or Ellington, it is the most neglected road in the country... Bad roads have been the norm in Vanua Levu since previous governments... In the latest saga, a bus company is adamant it will not resume its service to a settlement in Seaqaqa in Macuata until the road is repaired...
Opinion - USA - Diesel buses also cause problems for drivers
Augusta,ME,USA -Central Maine Morning Sentinel, by Sylvia Heckman -March 29, 2006: -- I am a driver for Kennebec Valley Community Action Program (KVCAP). I have learned that things are not always black and white, or have a simple answer... I am sure bus drivers don't enjoy the smell of diesel any more than Catherine Lavallee (letter, March 15). They have to work with these buses eight hours or more a day. There are reasons why we have to keep these buses running...
Desperate - USA - Hard-up New Orleans puts flood buses on Ebay
New York,NY,USA -Telegraph.co.uk (UK), by Harry Mount -30 Mar 2006: -- The school board of New Orleans is so desperate for money that it is selling its flooded, unsalvageable buses on Ebay... The school board plans to put one bus up for sale this week and, if it achieves a good price, it will offer the other 258 ruined buses for sale. Only 23 of the city's 117 schools have reopened since the hurricane and the board faces a £63 million shortfall, a quarter of its annual operating budget... (Picture: http://www.lawatchdog.com/NewOrleansSchoolBusses.jpg)
Public demand - UK - Changes on the buses
Great Yarmouth,England,UK -Anglia Advertiser -27 March 2006: -- Public demand has fuelled a shake-up of bus services in Norfolk, according to the county's biggest operator... First introduces the changes - ranging from minor timetable changes to the introduction of a service linking Norwich with Cambridge - from Sunday... (Picture: Ford Model 'T' belonging to Donald and Neil Finlayson, 18 Skigersta, Ness, Lewis. They bought their first bus in 1921/22, and for the next 28 years operated a regular daily service to Stornoway)
PURCHASES - USA
* State might procure new school busesBeaufort,SC,USA -The Beaufort Gazette, by JONATHAN CRIBBS -Mar 28, 2006: -- Some Beaufort County students could find themselves in newer, safer school buses next school year if lawmakers approve two bills moving through the legislature... If both bills are signed by Gov. Mark Sanford, Beaufort and Jasper counties could receive about 20 new buses next year -- more than a twelfth of its fleet -- because the state wants to get a jump-start on replacing out-of-date vehicles, said Marshall Casey, director of maintenance at the office of transportation... If the legislature passed only the $26 million, he said, Beaufort and Jasper counties would get about 15 new buses next year...* Herkimer school board weighs proposals on purchasing new busesHerkimer,PA,USA -Allentown Morning Call,PA, by JENNIFER JONES -30 Mar 2006: -- New school buses are needed at for the Herkimer Central School District, district officials said during a regular school board meeting last week... Purchasing the four buses would cost $320,000, estimated at $80,000 each, over five years at an estimated 5 percent interest. The district would try to purchase the buses in July or August... The 2008-09 school year would be the third year of payment on the purchase of the four buses and the district would purchase two more buses... By the school year 2013-2014, the district would pay $184,000 to keep replacing buses on the 10-year cycle...* District buys buses, but more needed, official saysAllentown,PA,USA -Allentown Morning Call, by Kevin Pentón -Mar 29, 2006: -- Saucon Valley School Board agreed Tuesday to buy two 10-passenger vans and a 24-passenger bus in part for increased trips to Bushkill Township when the Colonial Academy opens next school year... Wally Zimpfer, Saucon Valley's supervisor of campus operations, also requested seven 84-passenger buses to replace buses he considers ''money pits,'' but the school directors requested that district officials analyze whether it makes more sense to buy a $52,600 vehicle or regularly repair buses...
Education - Hong Kong/China - Buses to screen national education program
Hong Kong,China -Xinhua/chinaview.cn 29 Mar 2006: -- A national education program titled "Q & A about China" will be shown on screens of all buses and part of mini-buses throughout Hong Kong beginning from this week, Hong Kong RoadShow... Cooperated with Xinhua News Agency, the program will broadcast all kinds of knowledge covering China's economy, science and technology, society and culture in the form of "questions and answers"...
Education - Philippines - S&T buses go on nationwide high-tech agri roadtrip
Manila,Philippines -INQ7.net, by Alexander Villafania - Mar 29, 2006: -- The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) is lending five Mobile IT Classroom buses for the Pinoy Farmers IT Roadshow, a project by the Department of Agriculture and the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture (OPAPA)... The roadshow aims to promote the use of computers and the Internet to local government officials, agricultural extension workers and farmers... It hopes to create awareness on the wealth of agricultural information available on the Internet and demonstrate how agricultural workers and farmers can use the Internet to get updated agricultural information, consult with experts online and trade products and services...
Checklist - South Africa - Schools given to ensure bus safety
Cape Town,South Africa -Independent Online, by Candes Keating -Mar 28 2006 : -- School principals will soon have to assess the roadworthiness of buses hired to transport pupils... A checklist for the task has been developed by the Western Cape department of education... The checklist includes the monitoring of arrival times, licence discs, unauthorised passengers, driver's licence and public driver's permit as well as the condition of lights, brakes, windows, doors, bodywork, floor, seats and tyres... (Photos: Details buses -Left: Partitioned driver compartment - Ridht: Anti-vandalism seat backs)
Concern - Barbados - Fine-tune bus system
Bridgetown,St. Michael,Barbados -The Nation Newspaper, by DONNA SEALY -28 Mar 2006: -- Principal of Coleridge and Parry School, Alwin Adams, has again expressed concern about school transportation... Parents should not be satisfied with children having to travel on ZRs and minibuses driven and conducted "by those whose avowed aim is to corrupt them. Our children deserve better"... He added that once a child was caught in a "web of iniquity", he or she recruited others and this led to deviant cells of networks or gangs... The principal said he believed there should be a bus pilot scheme...
Built 1930 - USA - Yellowstone buses to be restored
Yellowstone National Park,Wyo,USA - KTVQ-TV (Billings,MT) -27 Mar 2006: -- Tour buses built in the 1930's and now in storage, will be refurbished with the intent of putting them back on the roads of Yellowstone National Park... The yellow buses were manufactured by White Motor Company of Ohio. They have room for 13 passengers, and they feature roll-back tops for sightseeing...
Unregistered Buses - Philippines - Agencies vow to crack down on
Manila,Philippines -Manila Standard Today, by Roy Pelovello -27 Mar 2006: -- Officials of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and Land Transportation Office (LTO) yesterday vowed to crack down on unregistered buses plying Edsa... At a Senate hearing on the proposed 2006 budget of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DoTC), LTFRB chairperson Elena Bautista also made a commitment to cut the number of buses traveling Edsa from the current level of 5,000 to 1,000...
Disruption - UK - Moves to ease strike congestion
Public transport is to be disrupted by the strike
Northern Ireland ,UK -BBC News -27 Mar 2006: -- Bus lanes will open to all traffic on Tuesday to try to reduce congestion in Northern Ireland when public service employees go on strike... Bus drivers are among about 50,000 workers expected to take part in the action over pensions... Translink has confirmed it asked the unions for dispensation for school bus drivers to be able to work as normal...
Wages Action - Netherlands - Public goes free on district buses in
AMSTERDAM,Netherlands -Expatica -27 Mar 2006: -- Travelling on district buses will be free of charge in the Netherlands on Wednesday... The unions, FNV Bondgenoten and Abvakabo FNV, have called the day of action to pressure Transport Minister Karla Peijs to guarantee the wages of staff who have to switch to another transport company. This can happen if their employer loses the contract to operate bus services in a region to a competitor...
TechnoNews - UK - Buses get green light to catch up when running late
Edinburgh,Scotland,UK - Scotsman, by ALAN RODEN -27 Mar 2006: -- Edinburgh's traffic signals are to be controlled by satellite to ensure late-running buses always get a green light... The new technology is being installed as part of a £800,000 revamp of the city's traffic light system... Satellites will be used to pin-point the exact location of a bus and check if it is running to schedule. If an approaching bus is late, traffic lights will either be held on green until the vehicle reaches the junction, or changed to green as quickly as possible... The upgraded technology also means computers will monitor congestion in real-time across the city, and alter traffic lights to tackle tailbacks...
CNG buses - Pakistan - Daewoo President Show's keenness to run
Islamabad,Pakistan -Pakistan Press International March/TMCnet (USA) -March 27, 2006: -- The President of Daewoo Corporation of South Korea: Lee Jae Bying, called on the Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Amanullah Khan Jadoon on Wednesday and showed company's keenness to run the CNG buses in the country... The Minister said that government was providing a level playing field for the investors in the oil & gas and CNG sector in an investor-friendly and competitive environment...
Opposition - Canada - Wheels off private bus service for now
Toronto,Ont.,Canada -Toronto Star, by MADHAVI ACHARYA & TOM YEW -Mar. 27, 2006: -- A company that plans to run a private bus service along Lake Shore Blvd. did not begin selling tickets this weekend as expected... Promotional material for the Humber Bay Express indicated that passes could be purchased starting Saturday at Westview Realty at 2067 Lake Shore Blvd. W... But a sign posted on the door said otherwise. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, the office for Humber Bay Express will not be opening as scheduled until further notice"... TTC officials told the Star last week the service would be illegal under city bylaws and that they would oppose the plans...
Study - Ireland - Review finds Dublin Bus needs hundreds of new vehicles
Dublin,Ireland -Ireland Online - 27/03/2006: -- An independent review has found that Dublin Bus needs more than 200 extra vehicles to meet customer demand over the next two years... The study says another 250 buses will also be needed on top of this figure to meet demand in the following five years... The review concludes that there is currently a severe lack of capacity on many of the capital's bus routes because of congestion and extended journey times caused by the growing size of the city... It also says the bus network will continue to cater for most public transport users in the coming years...
TechnoNews - New Zealand - Flight experts keep an eye on buses
If there is anything more frustrating than waiting for a bus, it's not knowing how long you will be waiting... Wellington,New Zealand -Stuff.co.nz, by SUE ALLEN -27 Mar 2006: -- It is one of life's little annoyances that Radiola Aerospace is trying to consign to history... Last November, the Porirua-based company installed its bus-tracking pilot system in Hamilton... The system, which uses global positioning systems technology, is now at 120 Hamilton bus stops. It collects information on bus movements and relays it to bus stops, telling people when the next bus is due... Phase two will be making the information available on cellphones and the Internet... (Photo: ROSS GIBLIN/Dominion Post - UP-TO-DATE WAIT: Radiola Aerospace managing director Brent Albiston keeps track of a bus on the company's tracking system)
Retrofit - USA - Okemos to improve 370 school buses in region
Okemos,MI,USA Lansing State Journal (Lansing,MI), by Susan Vela -26 Mar 2006: -- The Okemos school district is using a $388,519 federal grant to improve the air quality in 25 counties, including Ingham, Eaton and Clinton... By 2008, the district must use the money from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to retrofit about 370 older school buses with diesel oxidation catalytic converters... The equipment, which is fitted into exhaust systems, reduces air pollutants such as hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide...
Violence - USA - More on Metro Buses
Police May Start Riding Along
Madison,WI,USA -WMTV, by Zac Schultz -Mar 24, 2006: -- One teenager is under arrest and police are looking for four others after separate beatings leave two people injured on Metro buses... They ran away when other passengers called police. The driver suffered bruises and cuts... Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz says he just met with Police Chief Noble Wray about installing a plan to deal with bus violence. "The plan is likely to involve the use of officers riding on buses on key routes at key times,"... Last Tuesday the Common Council approved the purchase of 15 cameras... Metro Transit Service Manager Ann Gullickson, says the cameras could be installed within two weeks, but it's not clear if a camera would have been on the bus where the driver was attacked. Gullickson says before Thursday night, itwas not a route with ongoing problems...
Useful - Australia - Back to gridlock: What's the lesson, Mr Bracks?
Melbourne,Victoria,Australia -The Age, by William Birnbauer -Mar 26, 2006: -- We've had 11 days of free public transport and thousands of people who normally do not use it have jumped on board, heading for the MCG, Federation Square and the pool... They have not had to queue for tickets, decipher ticket machine instructions or fumble for the right change... Trains, trams and buses have carried 100,000 Games spectators daily, plus the 400,000 people who usually use public transport on weekdays... On Thursday night, after Jana Pittman's gold medal win, public transport carried the equivalent of three AFL grand final crowds... (Photo - Paul Harris: Traffic on Kings Way)
Sales - New Zealand - Tait wins $21m deal for radios in London buses
Christchurch,New Zealand -Stuff.co.nz (Wellington,NZ) -25 Mar 2006: -- Tait Electronics of Christchurch has landed a $21 million export order – the biggest in its 37-year history – to supply radios for 8000 London buses... The firm has won a deal to supply Siemens VDO with equipment as part of an upgrade of London's bus fleet... The upgrade will take three years but Tait managing director Michael Chick said the contract had the capacity to grow as the fleet expanded...
PCO facility - India - Haryana roadways buses to have it
Haryana today introduced mobile PCO facility in its state roadways buses
CHANDIGARH,New Delhi,India -Outlook (subscription)/PTI -Mar 25 2006: -- Flagging off the first such bus from the ISBT here, state Transport Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said the facility had been initiated on an experimental basis which, if successful, would be provided in more buses... He said the PCOs, to be provided by Reliance Infocom Limited, would enable the passengers communicate anywhere, anytime during their travel...
Thoughts - USA - Deep About Buses
New York,NY,USA -Gothamist -24 Mar 2006: -- Felix Salmon is our favorite Englishman in New York. Why? Because he's anything but laconic. He can write a thirty paragraph essay regarding just about anything. For instance, over the last two days, he's written more than 3600 words about buses.
That's right, buses. The heart of his meditation is a simple question: would buses move faster if drivers were paid per passenger, instead of a fixed wage. The question comes out of a University of Arizona paper that considers the Santiago, Chile bus system,
where many drivers are paid per passenger, and do seem to get where they are going a little bit (up to 15%) faster than their fixed-rate colleagues...
GPS - India - Tracking of Indore buses likely soon
Mumbai,India -Business Standard -Mar 24, 2006: -- Indore City Transport Service (ICTSL) will soon introduce the global positioning system (GPS) for an online bus tracking system (OBTS) to offer better facilities to commuters in the city... It would be the first time in India that GPS is being installed to track public transport buses...
Patrol Inspection - USA - One dozen school buses fail
Six vehicles pulled from serviceCarlisle,OH,USA -Middletown Journal (Middletown,OH) -24 Mar 2006: -- Six Carlisle school buses were pulled out of service Thursday after a spot inspection by the Ohio Highway Patrol... Lt. Michael Sanders, licensing and commercial services commander at the patrol’s Wilmington district, said 12 buses were checked during Thursday’s spot inspection and 11 of the buses were found to have various violations and safety defects... The inspections were made during the school day after students had been taken to school, according to Carlisle Superintendent Tim McLinden...
Safety? - USA - Seat Belts on Large School Buses
Chattanooga,TN,USA -WTVC, by Sarah Jennings -Mar 24,2006: -- Three bills are on the table in Tennessee... all of them deal with installing seat belts on large school buses... But, two of them would require school systems to foot the bill. If passed, many smaller school systems have some big concerns about the school seat belt bills... In Bradley County, Tennessee, on August 14th, 2002, a school bus ran off the roadway on Highway 64 and overturned with 40 high school students trapped inside... No one was seriously hurt... Gary Austin is over transportation in Bradley County and says he thinks the kids lived because they were NOT wearing seat belts...
Clamour - India - For more buses
Chennai,India -News Today -Mar 23, 2006: -- Even as Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) buses are the most sought after public transport in Chennai, overcrowding and lack of adequate service have put the public at large at K K Nagar in a quandary... The office-goers and school children are affected, especially during morning hours, with buses plying from this area always packed... If buses are too crowded, then public vie for the option of availing autos to reach their destinations, but others are brave enough to travel on footboard, risking lives... (Photo: A STRUGGLE: Commuters waiting in a bus-stop at K K Nagar)
Stop More Buses - UK - Pan (Isle of Wight) residents against bus service
Newport,England,UK -Isle of Wight County Press, by Clare Wall -23 Mar 2006: -- Pan residents against Southern Vectis' plans to route a Newport to Sandown bus service through Pan and Barton have a chance on Saturday to have their protest heard... IW councillor for Pan Geoff Lumley will be collecting signatures for his petition opposing the new bus route, to start on April 3... He said: "I seem to always be fighting off plans to turn Pan into a traffic hell... The people of Pan do not want 50-plus buses running through their streets each day."
Study - USA - "Where the Buses Run on Time"
Dallas,TX,USA -National Center for Policy Analysis -Mar 23, 2006: -- In Chicago, traffic is a major problem, especially for buses -- wreaking havoc on their scheduled services. However, there are many shortcuts available in the city that bus drivers just don't use, and that is the real problem, says Austan Goolsbee, an economic professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business... Many believe that the problem is that drivers are not paid enough to strategize, but Chicago bus drivers are the seventh-highest paid in the nation; full-timers earn more than $23 an hour. So, the problem may have more to do with how they are paid; at least that's the implication of a new study of Chilean bus drivers, says Goolsbee... However, not everything about incentive pay is perfect; when bus drivers start moving from place to place more quickly, they get in more accidents; yet when given the choice, people overwhelmingly choose the bus companies that get them where they're going on time, says Goolsbee... Source: Austan Goolsbee, Slate Magazine, March 16, 2006
Half fare - UK - Buses for Bridgend youngsters
Knighton,Wales,UK -News Wales -23 Mar 2006: -- From April 1 2006, young people in Bridgend will be able to travel on buses in the area for half the normal fare... During a visit to Bridgend today, Andrew Davies, Minister for Economic Development and Transport launched a pilot for a half-fare bus travel scheme for 16 to 18 year olds... This innovative scheme builds on the Welsh Assembly Government highly successful free bus travel for older people and people with disabilities... Since its launch four years ago, more than 530,000 free bus passes have been issued to older people and people with disabilities by local authorities across Wales...
Hordes -New Zealand - Abandon their cars for buses
Rotorua,New Zealand -The Daily Post, by ALISON BROWN -23 Mar 2006: -- Thousands of Rotorua residents are abandoning their vehicles in favour of riding the bus as petrol price hikes take their toll... New Zealand motorists were smacked in the wallet again this week with petrol and diesel increasing 5c a litre... Fuel prices have been steadily rising since January as petrol companies pass on the rising cost of crude oil... Recent hikes have prompted increased bus patronage in Rotorua, particularly on Saturdays... (Picture / Martin Sykes: Police intervention meant the protesters all had to wear underpants or briefs, although several female cyclists were allowed to remain topless)
Blitz on buses - South Africa - KZN prepares for Easter
Cape Town,South Africa -Independent Online -Mar 23 2006: -- KwaZulu-Natal's transport department has launched a blitz on buses to ensure safer roads ahead of the Easter weekend on April 14... It suspended nearly 250 buses from operation this week, fined as many bus drivers for defective vehicles and impounded three buses, the department's transport chief executive Kwazi Mbanjwa said on Thursday... Most bus drivers stopped at checkpoints were not surprised at the department's strong stance...
Safety - USA - Cameras to be installed on Duluth school buses
DULUTH, Griffin,GA,USA -Gwinnett Daily Post, by Andria Simmons -23 Mar 2006: -- Some Duluth parents say it's not uncommon to see cars whiz by their child's school bus at 50 mph, ignoring the lowered stop bar and flashing lights that signal for drivers to halt as children climb aboard... Michelle, a Duluth housewife and mother of three who asked that her last name be withheld for safety reasons, has tried to write down the offending vehicles' license plate number, make and model. But the cars travel so quickly that it's impossible, she said...
Low fares - USA - Bus service set to offer to 8 cities
Chicago,USA -The Chicago Tribune, by Kathy Bergen -Mar 23, 2006: -- Chicago's status as a transportation hub will get a boost next month with the launch of an Internet-based, low-cost bus service offering daily non-stop travel between downtown and eight Midwestern cities... Aimed at leisure travelers, frugal students and seniors, Megabus.com will operate on a hub-and-spokes model, with Chicago as the center. Starting April 10, motor coaches will make express runs to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and St. Louis...
Decision - USA - Hornell school officials say newer buses needed
Voters to decide on new vehiclesHornell,NY,USA -Hornell Evening Tribune, by LAWRENCE HOVISH -May 16, 2006: -- For two years in a row the Hornell City School District's voters have turned down the purchase of new vehicles... In fact, one of the district's buses has nearly 150,000 miles on the odometer... Dave Lampila, district director of Computer and Business Services said the district is looking to purchase a 30-passenger bus for $75,162 and an eight-passenger van for $16,500. The prices, he said, are based on state contracts... (Photo: LYNN BRENNAN: The Hornell City School District bus fleet is aging)
"Doesn't work" - Australia - Smart buses a bomb
Melbourne,Australia -Melbourne Herald Sun, by Liam Houlihan -23 Mar 2006: -- Smartbus, a central plank of the Government's transport vision, has bombed, leaving Victorians with a $68 million white elephant that is now being torn down... The futuristic bus system designed to run on five major city arterials was meant to be a cure-all for road gridlock and public transport black holes... The Public Transport Users Association said the SmartBus technology had been touch and go since it was installed. "Melbourne's littered with this sort of ambitious technology that doesn't work," said president Daniel Bowen...
Recommend - Malaysia - Use locally made buses
PM advises public transport operatorsPUTRAJAYA,Persekutuan,Malaysia -New Straits Times, by Hamidah Atan -24 Mar 2006: -- Public transport operators can turn their operations into a more cost-effective and viable venture if they use more locally made buses and other vehicles. Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi urged them to make use of what that had been assembled in the country rather than getting them from abroad. "If possible, buy and use buses or other vehicles, that are made locally. The designs and features are as attractive and elegant as those imported versions," he said when approached after inspecting a double-decker executive coach and a city bus assembled by bus maker, Puchong-based SKS Coachbuilders Sdn Bhd, at the Prime Minister's Department parking area... * Only ‘fit’ buses allowed on roadPENANG, Malaysia -Malaysia Star, by DERRICK VINESH -March 22, 2006: -- All 125 stage buses and 69 minibuses on the island will be tested for roadworthiness before they are allowed to ply the streets when the state’s restructured public bus system starts operation on April 1...
Hybrid - Australia - Eaton to supply buses
Australia -Australasian Bus and Coach -23 Mar 2006: -- Eaton Corporation is to provide hybrid power systems for two prototype buses being built by Beiqi Foton AUV Bus Company... The buses will be field tested in major Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, in 2006... The two Foton buses will employ an Eaton hybrid power system comprising of an Eaton automated transmission system, advanced motor/generator, high-power battery pack and system controller, mated to a Cummins ISBe 5.9L Euro III engine...
Complain - Fiji - Bus firms breach deal
Suva,Fiji -Fiji Times -Mar 22, 2006: -- The Land Transport Authority has threatened to withdraw fuel concessions offered to bus companies if senior citizens continue to complain about bus drivers refusing to accept half the fare from them... Authority chief executive Abraham Simpson said they had received numerous complaints from people regarding the refusal of several bus companies to abide by an agreement to provide the elderly with the half-fare concessions in return for subsidies on fuel... Simpson said if the bus companies did not live up to the agreement struck with the Fiji Bus Operators Association, it would have no choice but to withdraw fuel concessions...
Story - USA - L.A. bus worker calls it quits at 100
Los Angeles,Cal,USA -CBC News (Canada) -22 Mar 2006: -- A bus maintenance worker in will mark his 100th birthday Wednesday by retiring after more than 70 years on the job... "I'm kind of nervous about leaving the job, I've been doing it for so long," Arthur Winston told at a ceremony held in his honour... "I'm going to miss my crew, but I'll find plenty of things to do with my free time"... According to transit officials, Winston had a near-perfect attendance record. The only work day he ever missed was when his wife of 65 years died in 1988... (Photo: Rick Jager - Courtesy: Metropolitan Transportation Authority: Arthur Winston in 2003)
Regular Bus Service - Pakistan/China - To start by June
BEIJING,China -Daily Times (Lahore,Pakistan) -Mar 23, 2006: -- Pakistan and China will start a regular bus service on daily basis from June 1, connecting several cities in both countries... It will be for the first time that Pakistan’s Northern areas will be connected to China’s Western region through a regular bus service... According to a formal protocol signed by the two parties, a bus each will operate from both sides daily between Sust and Tashkorgan... Another bus will run thrice a week between Kashgar, Sust, Khunjrab and Gilgit... Sources said the two countries would also start a goods transportation service via Khunjrab pass from May 1...
Jobs - India - Five women maintain buses in Karnataka
Bangalore,India -Deccan Herald -20 Mar 2066: -- Five women in this district of Karnataka have managed to storm into a male bastion -- the mechanical section of the first stage bus depot of the North Eastern Road Transportation Corporation here... After successfully completing their ITI courses, the women, V R Sharada, T G Ragini, Pushpalatha, Sridevi and Jois Sebastian, have been appointed helpers to mechanics. The enterprising women also independently remove bus tyres, grease parts, besides helping their seniors in repairing and maintaining buses... While three of them were married, Sharada was doing her second year MA in Sociology...
Private buses - Nepal - Taking undue advantage of Sajha's colour
Lalitpur,Kathmandu,Nepal -Gorkhapatra, by RSS -Mar 19, 2006: -- The Sanjha Bus Transport Service Company has complained that some private bus entrepreneurs is taking undue advantage of its blue colour which they are using their buses for profit motive... The bus entrepreneurs' organization in the private sector resorted to this malpractice in order to compete with bus services of the Sanjha after it expanded its services... The Sanjha has been expanding shuttle bus services in and around Chakrapath, hospital to hospital and Tribhuvan International Airport...
Possibility - Nigeria - FCT procures 150 buses for transportation
Port Harcourt,Niger Delta,Nigeria -The Tide -Mar 20, 2006: -- The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) administration has procured 150 large capacity buses to ensure effective and efficient transportation system in the territory... FCT Minister, Nasir el-Rufai made this known in Abuja at the National Stakeholders’ Forum on Motorcycle Operation organised by the FRSC... He said that the vehicles were procured in collaboration with a private sector operator...
A look USA - At privatizing buses
Framingham,MA,USA -MetroWest Daily News, by Tyler B. Reed -Mar 20, 2006: -- With the school district's bus contract set to expire in June, School Committee candidates are weighing in on a familiar topic: whether the town should privatize its drivers... Framingham is one of the few communities in MetroWest where bus drivers are town employees. Every five years, the district weighs the costs of keeping them and renewing their contract...
Ethanol Buses - Sweden - Scania Take a Lead at London Conference
STOCKHOLM, Sweden -BUSINESS WIRE -Mar 20, 2006: -- Scania is taking a prominent role at a forthcoming conference organised by the BioAlcohol Fuel Foundation at Imperial College in London on Wednesday 22 March... As the world's only supplier of heavy commercial vehicles powered by ethanol, Scania has unrivalled experience and expertise in this field. Since 1990 some 600 ethanol buses have been delivered to Swedish cities, most of them to the capital Stockholm, from where the public transport operator, AB Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, reports remarkable environmental gains during this period...
Fuel Cell Buses - USA - UTC Power, Van Hool to Market in Europe
Long Beach, Cal, USA -RenewableEnergyAccess.com (Peterborough,NH) -20 Mar 2006: -- UTC Power, part of United Technologies Corp. announced it will team up with major Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool to deliver a fuel cell-powered bus to DeLijn, a large bus fleet operator in Belgium... The bus will operate in Belgium for six months before being leased to other transit agencies in Europe. The UTC Power fuel cell system delivers up to 120 kW of power and is easily integrated into other heavy-duty hybrid vehicles...
Night bus - UK - Aimed at tackling crime
The buses operate on four routes across the cityBelfast,UK -BBC News -20 Mar 2006: -- A new bus service aimed at helping revellers in Belfast city centre to get home safely has been launched... Buses leave from Shaftesbury Square on weekend nights, operating on four routes through south, east and west Belfast in the 16-week pilot project... Belfast City Council's Andrew Hassard said the multi-agency scheme was a way to curb anti-social behaviour... Under new government proposals, in the future pubs in Northern Ireland could be allowed to stay open until 2am...
Free bus passes announced for over 60 year-olds
Burnham-On-Sea,Somerset, UK -Burnham-On-Sea -Mar 20, 2006: -- Burnham-On-Sea residents over 60 years old and certain categories of people with disabilities will soon be able to travel free on buses across the county... Sedgemooor District Council announced on Monday that it and Somerset County Council are launching a new Somerset Travelpass Scheme... It entitles pass holders to travel free on public bus services on journeys which start and/or finish within the county boundary, between 9am and 11pm on weekdays, and all day at weekends and on public holidays...
Protect Bus Drivers - Canada - Union calls for tough laws to
EDMONTON,Canada -CTV.ca News -Mar. 20 2006: -- The union representing 25,000 public transit and inter-city bus employees across Canada raised the alarm about increasing attacks on drivers Monday, urging lawmakers to introduce mandatory minimum sentences for such crimes... The appeal from Amalgamated Transit Union Canada comes after reports of increasing violence aboard buses, including the beating death of a passenger on an Edmonton transit bus earlier this month...
Crackdown - UK - On city bus lane cheats
CCTV could be used to record motorists using GreenwaysEdinburgh,UK -BBC News -20 Mar 2006: -- Under plans being drawn up by the city council, motorists would be fined £60 if they were recorded flouting the bus lane rules... The Greenways, which operate between 0730 GMT and 1830 GMT, are currently patrolled by police traffic wardens... (Picture: CCTV cameras in Edinburgh's city centre could be used to catch drivers who illegally use Greenways)
Company - UK - Alexander Dennis bounces back with £7m profit
Scotland, UK -The Sunday Times, by John Penman -19 Mar 2006: -- Alexander Dennis (ADL), the Falkirk-based bus company rescued from near collapse two years ago, made an operating profit of £7m in its first full year under new owners... The company, which was saved by a consortium of investors that included the Stagecoach founders Brian Souter and Ann Gloag, Rangers chairman David Murray and merchant bank Noble Grossart, saw sales hit £150m in the same period... The figure for this financial year is expected to hit £165m with a profit in excess of £10m... The company made 200 of the double decker in the first four months and received help from the Scottish executive and Scottish Enterprise as it revamped its product range... ADL is also working on hybrid engines to help meet environmental targets...
Comments - USA - Don't Preach Transit - Sell It
Hartford,Conn,USA -Hartford Courant, by Patrick H. Hare -Mar 19, 2006: -- Some transit advocates act like door-to-door missionaries, pushing a message about the energy and environmental morality of using trains and buses... With the prospect of major investment in transit in Connecticut, we need to think about getting more people to use it. We've been marketing transit the wrong way... We can measure the annual cost of owning and driving a car. There are ways to measure the drawbacks and the benefits, in money and time, of using transit... We need to know how specific types of households come out ahead, and how much ahead, in time and/or money using transit... Until we do it, we won't sell buses and trains, especially in a driving-oriented place such as Connecticut...
Smartcards - New Zealand - For Wellington buses not far away 20 March 2006
Wellington,New Zealand -Stuff.co.nz, by TOM PULLAR-STRECKER -20 Mar 2006: -- Wellington commuters should be able to pay for bus travel using a smartcard that can be topped up over the internet by the end of the year... However, it is unclear if this will prove a step on the road to the development of an integrated smart ticketing system for the capital, which Wellington Regional Council believes is at least three years away... Stagecoach managing director Bill Rae says the company is finalising a contract - believed to be worth millions of dollars - with listed Australian smart ticketing specialist ERG Group...
Replacement - USA - Polluting school bus fleet to be upgraded
State disburses funds to San Joaquin Valley to replace 31 busses, some of them with more than 40 years on the roadFresno,CA,USA -Contra Costa Times/FRESNO BEE, by Mark Grossi -Mar. 19, 2006: -- California's oldest and most-polluting school bus fleet -- which is in the San Joaquin Valley -- has attracted millions of state dollars to buy modern replacements... The California Air Resources Board will spend $4.3 million for 31 new buses to replace Valley "classics", two of which date back to 1959... Protecting children from toxic contaminants is the main reason to replace old buses, said Seyed Sadredin, air pollution control officer for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District...
Inexpensive - USA - Circulator Bus Service Heading Toward the Mall
Washington,DC,USA -Washington Post, by Lena H. Sun -Mar 19, 2006: -- The D.C. Circulator, a public bus system that has been providing inexpensive, frequent service in downtown Washington since July, will start a new route around the Mall this week, just in time for the spring tourist season... These buses will operate a continuous loop on the streets bordering the Mall, stopping at each of the Smithsonian museums as well as the two National Gallery buildings... (Photo: By Kevin Clark -- The Washington Post : Like the two current Circulator routes -- one runs east-west and the other north-south -- the new loop's buses will run every five to 10 minutes and cost $1 a ride, making the fare the cheapest public transportation available downtown... Driver Eric Blalock of Lanham has been with the D.C. Circulator since it rolled out in July. About 75 percent of bus trips are on the east-west line.)
Trial bus - Pakistan-Afghanistan - Goes to Jalalabad
PESHAWAR,Karachi,Pakistan -Pakistan Dawn -Mar 17, 2006: -- A bus of the Pakistan-Afghanistan friendship service left Peshawar for Jalalabad on trial run... The bus service between the two cities is being resumed after 27 years... Regular bus service between the two countries would start from April 15, said Zikria Khan, chairman of the United Bus Service, which won the contract to run five buses a day from Peshawar to Jalalabad, the capital city of the Afghanistan eastern Nangarhar province...
Purchases - China - Beijing to have more environment-friendly buses
BEIJING,China -Xinhua/Chinaview.cn -2006 March 18: -- Feng Xingfu, deputy general manager of Beijing Public Transport Holdings Ltd, said 3,485 buses will be purchased, including 1,000 powered by natural gas, 200 Euro 4 standard diesel vehicles, 2,185 Euro 3 standard diesel vehicles and 100 double-energy-source electric buses... The aggregate number of buses in Beijing is expected to reach 20,427 by the end of this year, in which 13,252 will be environment-friendly ones, accounting for 64.9 percent of the total, Feng said... (Picture: BPTHLtd. Head Offices)
Investment - UK - Cash boost for transport system
Cambridge,England,UK -Cambridge Evening News -18 Mar 2006: -- Millions of pounds will be spent improving transport in Cambridgeshire over the next 12 months... Cambridgeshire County Council has earmarked £22 million for work including additional bus lanes on Milton Road, Cambridge... There will also be a new bus lane on the Huntingdon ring road; "real time" bus information to give better information about when buses will arrive...
Replacement - Azerbaijan - Minibuses in capital to be replaced with “Bogdan-Isuzu” buses
Azerbaijan -Azeri Press Agency -17 Mar. 2006: -- Multi-seater “Bogdan-Isuzu” buses of Ukrainian production are expected to be put into operation in intraurban routes soon to eliminate traffic congestions on roads of the capital... The Azerauto Company is implementing importation of “Bogdan-Isuzu” buses to Azerbaijan... At the same time, this year the Company intends to expand variety of buses brought to the country. It is also planned to start importing “Hitachi” and “Kamatsa” cars to Azerbaijan soon...
Technology - USA - CTA To Test System Where Police Can Watch Buses
Chicago,USA -WBBM Newsradio 780, by Bob Roberts -Mar 17, 2006: -- The Chicago Transit Authority will test a system that allows nearby police cars to see what's happening aboard some of its buses... The six-month test will be conducted on the 56/Milwaukee and 62/Archer bus routes. Cameras aboard 50 buses will be equipped with wireless transmitting equipment that will allow personnel at several "L" stations, in 16 police squad cars and in four CTA first- responder vehicles to see what's happening...
Troubles - UK - Taxi bays cause headaches for buses
Staines,Surrey,UK -Staines Guardian -17 Mar 2006: -- Four new taxi bays have been unveiled at Staines bus station- with a string of others being built across the borough.... A number of objection were raised by Surrey Police, Surrey County Council and bus operators who spoke of bus drivers having difficulty seeing small vehicles, health and safety issues because of the increased amount of traffic and pedestrian movements that would result and loss of space currently used by buses for waiting, which may have a knock on effect on buses queuing and double parking...
Attracting - USA - Oklahoma City adds bicycle racks to buses
OKLAHOMA CITY,Denison,TX,USA -KTEN -17 Mar 2006: -- City transit officials are hoping to attract new riders to Oklahoma City's buses by adding bicycle racks... City Transit Spokeswoman Amy Ford says Oklahoma City's cycling community provided local funding to equip every city bus with at least two bike racks in time for the summer...
Replacement - Canada - Ancient buses retired
Oak Bay,British Columbia,Canada -Oak Bay News/Esquimalt News, by Don Descoteau -Mar 17,2006: -- Venerable members of the B.C. Transit's fleet will be retired to the BC Transit yard in Langford this month. Nine New Flyer buses from Interior and Okanagan systems will come to Greater Victoria to replace some of Victoria's aging fleet... A shipment of more fuel-efficient Nova brand buses to Kamloops and Kelowna is freeing up the 10-year-old New Flyer models for use on routes in the Capital Region, said BC Transit spokesman Ron Drolet... (Photo: Don Denton/Esquimalt News: A newer model city transit bus, right pulls away past an older model parked at a stop on Douglas Street at View. The old bus will be retired from service.)
New - India - BEST to add 100 buses by April
Mumbai,India -Business Standard -Mar 17, 2006: -- Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) will add around 100 new buses to its fleet by April under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project... This is the first time BEST has made purchases in about 15 years. Case in point: BEST has 3,391 buses at present, which is just 11 more than it had in 1991. The target is to take the fleet strength to 3,521 buses by April...
Accidents - South Africa - KZN transport to confiscate unroadworthy buses
Auckland Park,South Africa -SABC News -Mar 16, 2006: -- The KwaZulu-Natal transport department will embark on an operation next week to confiscate all unroadworthy buses on the province's roads... The summit was called following the department's concern about the high rate of bus accidents in the province... He says his department will inspect and issue certificates for all roadworthy buses in order to prevent accidents and the loss of lives...
New Buses - USA - Kalamazoo Metro gets four ones
Kalamazoo,MI,USA -NEWS 3/WWMT -March 16, 2006: -- Kalamazoo's Metro Transit has four additions to its fleet... The new buses were bought with federal and state funds... The 40-foot Gillig buses will replace the four oldest in the Metro Transit fleet... Each bus cost $288,000... The new buses are part of a five-year deal with a California company to buy up to eight of the 40-foot buses, and nine 35-foot transit coaches...
Ease traffic - Canada - Bus idea hits highway
City transit eyes branching out to bedroom communities to help ease trafficCalgary,Canada -Calgary Sun, by MICHAEL PLATT -16 Mar 2006: -- Calgary Transit buses could be highway-bound in the near future, as the city looks to expand service to a growing number of out-of-town LRT customers... Calgary Transit boss John Hubbell said a Greater Calgary transit system could be up and running "in a half decade or so," as the city looks to reduce the number of out-of-town passengers who are currently driving into the city...
Preferences - UK - London `Bendy' Buses Popular With Riders
UK -Bloomberg -Mar 15, 2006: -- London's controversial 18-meter (56- foot) ``bendy'' buses are popular with riders and the city has no plans to get rid of them, said transportation chief Peter Hendy... "Let's not jump to conclusions,'' Hendy told, "People prefer them to what they had before.''... The bendies, so called because they have two body structures joined by an accordion-like mid-section, are twice as long as London's double-decker and conventional single-decker buses and are known for blocking crosswalks at intersections...
Figures - Vietnam - City buses carry 628,000 passengers a day
Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam -Saigon Times Daily, by Sai Gon Giai Phong. -15 Mar 2006: -- HCMC buses now make an average of 15,363 trips per day, transporting about 628,000 passengers, according to the city's Service of Communication and Public Works...
Purchases - India - KSRTC to be provided 1,080 buses
Karnataka,Bangalore,Chennai,India -Hindu -15 Mar 2006: -- The fleet of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) will be augmented with the induction of 919 buses, including 43 Volvos, Transport Minister N. Cheluvaraya Swamy announced... An additional 1,080 buses will be added to the fleet of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, he said...
Investigation - UK - Banga buses in cash row
Wolverhampton,England,UK -expressandstar.com, by Mark Douglas -Mar 15, 2006: -- A bus firm is being investigated amid allegations it tried to claim cash for passengers that never set foot on its buses... Wolverhampton firm Banga Buses is facing allegations that it falsified the number of passengers using pre-paid travel cards on its buses to get more money from West Midlands public transport body Centro... Centro is also probing allegations that the company made claims for carrying pensioners with passes that no longer exist... The bus firm has had payments from Centro suspended until it can prove the passengers existed...
Rise - UK - Bus passengers hit by 25% cheap fare
Scotland, UK -Scotsman, by ALAN RODEN -14 Mar 2006: -- Lothian Buses is to increase the cost of its cheapest single adult fare to £1. The 25 per cent increase on the existing 80p fare means all regular adult journeys will cost £1, regardless of journey distance... The company blames the price hike on soaring fuel prices and an inflation-busting pay deal for drivers... The rise will make short bus journeys in the Capital among the most expensive in Scotland, although those taking longer trips will... (Picture: David Moir: Bus fare rise will make short journeys an expensive proposition)
Tulsa,OK,USA- KOTV -30 Mar 2006: -- Tulsa Transit wants local residents to breathe a little easier, so they unveiled a new, environmentally friendly bus... It's the first of its kind in their fleet. That's because its powered by a General Motors diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system... It will produce less emissions than the other busses, but city officials hope the big green bus will do more than that...
