Buses World News

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

28.3.10

Tour + Bus + Hotel * Germany - Rotel, the hotel on wheels

You might want to consider boarding a Rotel (rolling hotel) for your next holiday destination

Tittling,Passau,Bavaria,Germany -AutoMotto -March 25, 2010: -- If you fancy getting amongst nature in some of the world’s wildest and most remote locations, but don’t really want to sleep in a tent, you might want to consider boarding a Rotel for your next holiday destination. The Rotel rolls a coach and hotel into one unit (or for larger groups, a bus and tag-along sleeping quarters)...

By day passengers sit in the front of the coach and take in all the sights, and by night they adjourn to the rear of the vehicle to enjoy their semi-private sleeping quarters...

The 50-year-old German company Rotel Tours operates these coaches in many countries around the world and appeal to budget-conscious travelers who want to see the sights but don’t like “roughing it” too much … a soft bed, solid walls to keep out the beasties, etc. The Rotel holidays are described by the organizers as journeys for active people, regardless of age.

In all, the company’s fleet of vehicles comprises 3,400 beds and caters to groups of 20-40 adults – vehicles can be upsized or downsized depending on the number of intrepid travelers.

These all-in-one tours aren’t physically demanding trips, though they encourage walks and hikes during your holiday.

Typically, the coaches are custom-modified Mercedes 0404's which feature 24 passenger seats and 26 sleeping berths (an extra one for the driver and tour guide).

While the Rotel rooms are only 3ft high, they are wide enough to deliver passengers a comfortable night’s sleep as long as you don't measure much more than the bed's length of 6ft. Though the lack of showers and bathing facilities may test you if you were expecting five-star luxury, the Rotel does include an extensive drop-down "camp kitchen" and a single toilet. The coaches also stop whenever possible at campgrounds with bathing facilities to ensure the passengers don't become too funky.

Rotels operate in Africa, Europe and Asia with the company saying it chooses the best places to stay, usually in campsites and sometimes with an occasional stay-over in hotels or lodges. It admits its drawcards are nights spent in the quiet of the deserts, the wilds of Patagonia or camps in the Serengeti.

The Rotel travel programs are designed to allow plenty of time for sightseeing, relaxing, a little walking and leisure programs...

Labels: adventurers buses, rare buses, travel buses

27.3.10

BUS MARKET ANALYSIS * China - Rural & Urban Areas possibly Become the Main Bus Market

Beijing,China -China Buses, by Andrea -17 March 2010: -- With the development of urban and rural economic integration, village-to-village and transportation of rural and urban areas, the various bus builders currently regard the rural and urban areas as the main sales market... According to Brilliance Jinbei, Jinbei Haise got many big orders for the village-to-village project in the first three months in 2010, which mainly were used as the passenger vehicles between rural and urban areas. It is known that the market demand is increasing for the second and third line cities. More than one thousand Jinbei Haise vehicles were purchased by the cities such as Shanghai, Shanxi, Sichuan, and Heilongjiang and gained approvals in last year. Shanxi Transport System has purchased 184 Jinbei Haise light-duty buses... Shaolin Bus and Zhongtong Bus both pay attention to and will increase marketing in the public transport market of counties and villages. The expert analyzes that due to the related policy, the passenger transport market of 2nd and 3rd line cities will be in full flourish and possibly become an obvious growth point for the commercial vehicles in this year...

Labels: analysis, bus markets

BUSES' SALES * China to WORLDWIDE

* Nigeria - Yutong Buses Poise to Conquer The Country's Market

Lagos,Nigeria -China Buses, by Oladunjoye Phillip -22 March 2010: -- Maneffort Limited, auto sales and manpower training and development firm, has disclosed that it would soon be introducing a range of high capacity buses from Yutong of Zhenghou, China's number one and world's second bus builder, into the Nigerian auto industry... According to the managing director of the company, Mohammed S B Mahmud, said all the buses that would be coming to the Nigerian market would be powered by Cummins engines in line with the dictates of the environment, noting that only high quality engines produced by world famous manufacturers are permitted to be installed in the Yutong buses... (Photo: Yutong Bus ZK6100H)

* Chile - Kinglong Bus Opens Natural Gas Bus Market of

Santiago,Chile -China Buses, by Andrea -16 March 2010: -- In late February, two Kinglong XMQ6891G natural gas buses safely arrived in San Antonio port (Chile) and attracted the strong response of local citizens and media... These buses are sample vehicles made by Kinglong Bus for the southern area of Chile in batch quantity...

(Photo: Kinglong natural gas bus ran at the street of Chile)
Chile, located in the southeast of American continent is one of the most developed country in economy in Latin America and well-known for cooper... Kinglong Bus stepped into the bus market of Chile since 2007 and gradually opened the market with high cost performance and complete after-sales service. It is possible that it sells over 80 buses and occupies No.1 of the Chinese buses exporting to Chile in this year...

(Photo: Inside view Kinglong XMQ6891G natural gas bus with EuroⅤ emission)
It is introduced that these group of buses equipped with Cummins natural gas engines, EuroⅤ emission and the obvious features of economy, environment, high efficiency and energy-saving... This order is another big deal for Kinglong after the exporting of 151 natural gas buses to Peru in last December in South America region... Currently, the new energy buses have been sold to Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Xiamen and exported to Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Peru and Chile...

BUSMAKERS NEWS * China's Market

* Jiangxi - Analysis of Bonluck bus export to Australia, U.S.A., markets

Nanchang,Jiangxi,China -China Buses, by Eric -22 March, 2010: -- Bonluck, a little known China bus maker, has decided to sell their buses and coaches in Europe, Middle East as well as South America... Last year, their export got great-leap-forward development, up 60%, as general bus industry were down 45%... And we may find some valuable experience in overseas marketing by analyzing Bonluck bus...

1. Vehicle certification scheme under WTO frame: Many domestic bus makers are not clear about vehicle certification scheme in Europe and American markets, and they prefer imitating manufacturer technology and profile of their buses, but actually a bus cannot meet their test standards without complete technology. Bonluck Bus has passed Australian ADR, American DOT as well EU ECE vehicle certification.

2. Local needs for quality as well as performance of buses: Most China bus makers are lack of survey of local needs, and they usually export domestic mature bus models with some changes, which cannot meet requirements of overseas markets.

3. Strategic partners with local dealers: China bus makers have to ensure their exported buses meet requirements of local markets, and they should provide long term technology supporting service.

4. Brand construction: Bonluck Bus explore European and American markets via kinds of sales channels and flexible mechanism as well as CKD in Middle East and South America. And these efforts changed negative image of China buses in overseas markets and also helps for their brand construction... (Photo: Bonluck JXK6110 low floor bus designed for Australian markets)

* Chongquing - 20 New Products Show the strength of Hengtong bus 2010

District Chongqing, Chongqing, China -China Buses, by Andrea -22 March 2010: -- Hengtong Bus held "New Product Appraisal 2010" on 19 March in Kingworld Hotel Chongqing... Apart from 20 new products, this activity will mainly introduce the brand position of Hengtong Bus as "expert of public transport solution"... The various buses produced by Hentong Bus not only realized the fast, steady growth but also made breakthrough in emerging market... Introducing the new models in 2010... Hengtong Bus takes leading in the respects of energy-saving, environment, safety, applicability and commonality, especially CNG buses. It is regarded as “No. 1 Brand of China CNG Bus". In 2010, Hengtong Bus will focus on new energy buses and the independent development of bus chassis... In 2009, it produced the first gas/electric hybrid power city bus in China with the complete proprietary intellectual property rights in October 2009... (Image: Hengtong Buses. This appraisal mainly improve the brand image of " No.1 Brand of China CNG Bus" to enhance customers' cognition, attractiveness and loyalty to Hengtong through special development, professional products, quality and meeting the customers' requirements)

* Henan - Shaolin Pure Electric City Buses off Production Line

(Photo: Henan Shaolin Bus factory)
Xingyang,Zhengzhou,Henan,China -China Buses, by Eric -22 March 2010: -- Recently Henan Shaolin Bus Co., Ltd. self-developed pure electric city bus 10.5m SLG6105EV rolled off production line, and they would be put into markets soon... It is introduced that the bus is designed according to daily running distance of city buses, and it can run as long as 250km～300km with single charge.

(Photo: Shaolin SLG6105EV pure electric city bus)
The bus integrates high efficient engine, and controller, lithium iron phosphate battery and its management system, CAN, HCU, high and low voltage control, HPS, etc technology, air compressor etc, and it can also get the running information via GPS. Safety design on whole vehicle, high voltage protection, emergency etc are adopted. The battery box can be changed as required by customers. In addition, battery and running information of the bus can be printed at any time. Infinitely variable speeds and finitely variable speeds are provided according to different driving habits. And real zero emission is achieved in this bus...

* Anhui -The Joint Bus of Ankai and Big Bus for the World Expo Shows in Chengdu

Hefei,Anhui,China -China Buses, by Andrea -22 March 2010: -- On 18 March, the double-deck bus jointly produced by Britain Big Bus and Anhui Ankai Automobile Co., Ltd. showed and attracted the citizen's attention in Chengdu...This cross-country tour of World Expo coaches starts from Chengdu, via Chongqing, Changsha, Nanchang, Fuzhou and finally comes to Shanghai. It aims at the publicity of related activities of British pavilion for World Expo and the celebration of 10-year's anniversary of the British Consulate-General in Chongqing.

* Anhui - Ankai Bus Accounts for almost 30% Shares of Guangzhou Buses

(Photo: 4 Ankai models show on Guangzhou Transport Expo)

Hefei,Anhui,China -chinabuses, by Andrea -16 March 2010: -- 4 Ankai models all city buses. showed on 2010 Guangzhou International Transport Exhibition namely, Guangzhou International City Public Transport Exhibition held on 9 March in Guangzhou... Newly developed HFF6140G06D bus is 13.7 meters long and owns big carrier space with the capacity of up to 130 people compared with the conventional 12-meter city bus... At the beginning of this year, Shenzhen Bus Group purchased 35 units from Ankai Bus. This is another batch quantity of Ankai buses after the order of 86 units in Shenzhen market. There have been more than 3000 Ankai buses operated in Guangzhou with almost 30% market shares...

* Shandong - Zhongtong Bus to Attend Expo with Three Buses in Tianjin

Shandong,China -China Buses, by Andrea -18 March 2010: -- China (Tianjin) International Bus and Parts Expo, namely, the fifth China International Bus Competition will be held in Tianjin on 31 March, which takes "safe, green, energy-saving, emission-reducing and low-carbon transport" as the topic. There will be about 100 companies home and abroad participating it... As the navigator of new energy buses, Zhongtong Bus Holding Co., Ltd., will take three new products there:

Zhongtong 10-meter intercity LCK6105GM, 12-meter energy-saving is equipped with six-speed gear, more adaptable to the demand on both city bus and coach and saves fuel of 2~3L/100 km，compared with five-speed gear model.

Zhongtong 12-meter energy-saving city bus LCK6125HG, is provided with square outline, small round corner, crystal phoenix eyes-style lamp, generosity and gentleness.

New fuel-electric hybrid power city bus Zhongtong 10-meter fuel-electric hybrid power city bus LCK6101GHEV, means several honorable titles: It is the first hybrid power bus that is 10 meters long. It is No.1 hybrid power bus in fuel economy as well as cost performance: With full loading body, light body, big capacity (up to 88 people), deploys matching engine and motor and remains effective working of engine with 10% fuel-saving; this model applies high-end configuration such as non-stage transmission and front/rear air suspension with the price of 80% of a ordinary hybrid power bus...

* Shanghai - Zonda Plans Sales Promotion at Busworld Asia

Shanghai,Shanghai,China -China Buses, by Eric -19 March 2010: -- 2010 Shanghai World Expo is bound to be held soon, and its theme of “Better City, Better Life” inspires both customers and bus makers. And Zonda Bus offers discount for purchasing buses as well as tickets of World Expo...

Sixty Zonda B6 luxurious coaches with 20 per cent discount are available from March 20 to May 18, 2010. The Zonda B6 YCK6126HG4 coach, adopts integral bodywork design and reliable assemble. Huge luggage room and 53+1+1 seats are equipped, and the streamline body provide fashionable traveling experience for both drivers and passengers... The buyers of Zonda YCK6126HG4 can also get the following preferential measures: the first is that customers can pay in two years with down payment of 20 percent, the second is that Zonda Bus can cooperate with passenger transport company by injecting investment or becoming a shareholder, the third is that spare parts or fuel fees valuing ￥20,000 will be presented if more than five vehicles or vehicles valuing more than ￥2m, the fourth is that Zonda Bus will bear expenses is customers want to inspect the plant in the period, and the fifth is that five tickets for the Shanghai World Expo will be given to the customers...

Labels: busmakers' news worldwide

Old Buses... * USA - ... Don't Die ... DTA ones they go to Peoria

Who wants Duluth's old buses? Peoria, Illinois, sure does

Duluth,ILL,USA -The Peoria Journal Star/The Duluth News Tribune -22 March 2010: -- District Board this month approved spending $105,000 for 10 used Duluth buses, reported... Besides the purchase price, the $105,000 also covers the cost to transport the 35-foot buses from Duluth to Peoria, give them a paint job and to outfit them for use there. That comes out to just under $5,000 for each of the 13-year-old Duluth Transit Authority buses that have an average of 300,000 miles logged on them... So what does Peoria want with our old buses? Turns out, their transit system has an aging fleet. So they look for used buses to replace their defunct buses until they get the money to buy brand new ones. They also buy some old buses for parts... It's a temporary fix until they get 21 new buses, probably next year... Peoria has looked to Duluth before for used buses. It bought six old DTA buses in 2007...(Photo from farm4.static.flickr: Old bus)

Labels: old buses

Load Factor * India - Uneconomical bus services

Operations would be viable at 60 per cent load factor

Bangalore,Karnakata,India -Business Standard -March 22, 2010: -- The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), which had been the first customer for Volvo’s inter-city buses in India, has run into losses by operating low-floor, air-conditioned city buses from Volvo. The corporation’s Volvo bus operations have reported a loss of Rs 24.03 crore between February 2006 and March 2009... According to CAG report, as per the feasibility study, the operations would be viable at 60 per cent load factor. However, it was seen that actual load factor for 2008-09 was 52.3 per cent and the kilometre per litre achieved was only 2.09 against the estimated KMPL of 2.50, which was the cause for loss in Volvo operations, the CAG report stated... The CAG has recommended giving re-look at the Volvo services and paying attention to passenger load factor in order to enhance it... (Photo from hampi.in: A Bangalore bus)

Labels: uneconomical services

BAN BUSES * Philippines - City ban on provincial buses

City buses are not allowed to ply provincial routes; provincial buses should be treated the same way

Manila,Philippines -The Philippine Daily Inquirer, by Neal Cruz -21 March 2010: -- Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, he has banned the entry of provincial buses in Manila because of the traffic and pollution that they bring with them. Now if only all the Metro Manila mayors will follow his example, maybe sanity and health will return to the streets of the metropolis... The Department of Public Works and Highways spent billions of pesos to build these flyovers to make traffic above and below them move more smoothly. So what did the MMDA do?... It blocked through-traffic under the flyovers, made vehicles go around U-turns, then turned the spaces under the flyovers into loading/unloading bays of provincial buses, parking lots, junkyards for MMDA’s steel junk, and air-conditioned offices for MMDA personnel. Instead of the flyovers easing traffic, therefore, they contributed to more traffic congestion aside from creating ugly sights. All those billions of pesos of taxpayers’ money were wasted... The reason the MMDA was set up was to give the cities and municipalities of the megalopolis uniform policies. This ban on provincial buses that Mayor Lim has started can be a beginning with the MMDA as the facilitator. After all, why should provincial buses be allowed to choke the already clogged city streets? City buses are not allowed to ply provincial routes; provincial buses should be treated the same way... (Image from images3.wikia.nocookie: Overloaded Philippines' provincial bus)

Labels: buses ban

Batmobile Buses * The Netherlands - All-Electric Superbus is Dark Knight-Approved

Amsterdam,The Netherlands -Trend Hunter Magazine (USA), by Luisa Amanda Gomes -19 March 2010: -- The all-electric Superbus is the attempt of students at UT Delft of the Netherlands, to make bus riding uber-cool once again (if riding the bus was ever cool, I didn’t hear about it). To make this vehicle attractive to potential riders, the students decked out the bus with a carbon-fiber shell, a low chasis, and 16 gull-wing doors... However, the coolest feature of the all-electric Superbus is that it closely resembles the Batmobile that lost a wheel. Who would like the ride the bus now? ...

The bus has some impressive stats to match its sleek looks: a block of lithium-polymer batteries power electric motors that run at up to 800 HP, and the whole thing can travel 130 miles before recharging — plenty of time for a trip across town...

Labels: Bus of Future, electric buses

ALTERNATIVE FUELS FOR BUSES * WORLDWIDE

* USA - New Generation of Buses Run on Alternatives Fuels

USA -Green Car, by Bill Siuru -Originally published 23 Oct 2007: -- Following fixed routes and refueling at a central location are characteristics of transit bus operation. These characteristics also happen to provide an ideal application for alternative fuels like natural gas and hydrogen that don't yet enjoy a widespread fueling infrastructure... Most of today's interest in hydrogen is directed at its use in fuel cells. However, it can also be used in internal combustion engines (ICEs) that normally run on gasoline or diesel fuel. An example is presented by ISE Corp., which has worked with SunLine Transit to build the first transit bus in the United States to use a hybrid hydrogen internal combustion engine (HHICE) drive. The ISE ThunderVolt TB40-HICE system has been installed in a 40-foot New Flyer low-floor transit bus. Here, the Siemens generator is driven by a Ford Triton 6.8 liter V-10 engine modified to operate on pure hydrogen. It provides up to 150 kW of electric power in this series hybrid to drive a Siemens ELFA drive system. Excess energy, as well as energy recouped by regenerative braking, is stored in Maxwell ultracapacitors...

The HHICE offers most of the benefits of a hydrogen fuel cell powerplant along with very mature internal combustion engine technology. The HHICE can provide most of the emission reduction benefits of a fuel cell system at a fraction of the cost. Engines operating on hydrogen mean minimal impact on the ICE manufacturing and maintenance infrastructure. Engine manufacturers could build hydrogen ICEs on production lines used for gasoline and diesel engines. In contrast, hydrogen fuel cells will likely require large investments in new facilities and equipment. Also, fuel cell buses will require significant retraining of transit agency maintenance technicians and new equipment... Two California transit agencies, AC Transit in Oakland and the SunLine Transit Agency serving Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, are operating new 40-foot, Belgian-built Van Hool A330 transit buses. What makes these buses unique is the use of ISE's ThunderVolt TB-40FCH fuel cell hybrid-electric drive system. AC Transit has three of these advanced alternative fuel buses, while SunLine has one. This drive system uses a 120 kW PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell supplied by UTC Power. Hydrogen fuel is stored at 5000 psi in eight aluminum-lined, carbon fiber-wrapped tanks located on the roof. Electric energy is stored in ZEBRA 650 volt nickel sodium chloride (NaCl) batteries. Energy from the fuel cell and batteries is delivered to dual Siemens 85 kW traction motors via a Siemens ELFA drive system...

Canada's New Flyer Industries in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is building the world's first fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses for BC Transit. The new fleet of 20 buses, slated to be delivered by late 2009, will initially be based in Whistler, B.C., for use during the 2010 Winter Olympics. The 40-foot, low-floor buses will feature fuel cells supplied by Ballard Power Systems and use an ISE hybrid drive system... For hydrogen to be a truly renewable fuel it must ultimately be made in sustainable ways, such as electrolyzing hydrogen from water using solar- or wind-generated electricity. An example of this comes from ISE Corp., which has completed a wind-powered hydrogen generation plant in Palm Springs, Calif., where SunLine Transit can refuel its hydrogen buses. This makes SunLine the first transit agency to use a completely renewable fuel with virtually no pollution created at any stage of its production or use. Each Nordtank wind-powered turbine operated by Palm Springs' Wintec Energy generates sufficient electricity annually to produce enough hydrogen to power a bus for about 30,000 miles...

OTHER ALTERNATIVES

If hybrid and hydrogen powerplants are the "glamour" technologies, then buses with engines running on alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) are clearly today's clean-fuel workhorses. Natural gas is used extensively in transit since it's much cleaner compared to diesel and offers a better near-term value proposition. According to NGVAmerica, there are about 10,000 natural gas transit buses operating with 125 transit agencies. This represents some 12 percent of all transit buses in service. This trend is continuing, with 20 to 25 percent of all transit buses on order running on natural gas... The 200 sleek Metro Liners in service with Los Angeles Metro illustrate how today's readily-available powerplant technologies and fuels needn't look old school. These Metro Liners are typical of the futuristic styling that's becoming the norm in new transit buses today, with sleek aerodynamic styling, a huge one-piece windshield, and equally-large side windows. L.A. Metro's 60-foot articulated Rapid Transit buses were built by North America Bus Industries and are powered by 320 horsepower Cummins Westport L Gas Plus engines running on CNG...

The green transit field is evolving even as this is being written. Hybrid-electric transit buses have proven themselves under real-world operating conditions and will be used by a growing number of transit agencies. Widespread use of fuel-cells buses may be 10 to 20 years in the future, mainly because of their high cost and lack of refueling infrastructure. Hydrogen internal combustion-engine buses, which are much less expensive, could help create near-term demand for hydrogen that will lead to an expanding hydrogen fueling infrastructure... Natural gas is a logical choice for agencies that want substantially cleaner and more affordable operation today but aren't interested or willing to invest in the high cost of more advanced or exotic technologies. And what about electric buses? Many industry experts say pure battery-powered buses are not viable for most transit applications ... but we'll have to see how battery development unfolds in the years ahead to weigh in on that one...

Cyclists and Buses * USA - Should Share the Road

Share the Road - Buses and Bicycles from Chicago Bicycle Program on Vimeo.

Ottawa,ONT,Canada -Tree Hugger, by Michael Graham Richard -18 March 2010: -- Surprisingly, despite their very different sizes, bicycles and buses have many things in common. They both stick mostly to the right side of the road (in countries that drive on the right, that is) and move slower than most other vehicles. On top of that, buses are frequently making stops and moving in and out of traffic, making them particularly intimidating from the point of view of cyclists. But from the point of view of bus drivers, the relationship with cyclists can also be confusing. That's why it's important to teach both how to safely share the road, which is exactly what the video above does. It's a must see if you are a cyclist or a bus operator... (Educational Video - All Cyclists and Bus Operators Should Know This)

Labels: cyclists vs. buses

Want to Speed Up NYC Buses? * USA - Get Bus Camera Legislation Through Albany Gridlock

New York,NY,USA -MYD, by Steven -March 20, 2010: -- Albany hasn’t had a great record on public transit issues recently. But state elected officials have a chance to pass legislation that would mean an easier commute for millions of transit riders: Allowing large cities to use bus lane enforcement cameras. Like red light cameras, these would take photos or short video of license plates when a driver illegally holds up busloads of people by parking in a bus lane, and a ticket would arrive in the mail. (They’ve been used successfully in London and other cities around the world)... 2.4 million New Yorkers take the bus every day, according to MTA statistics. But the city’s buses are also some of the slowest in the country. According to the Straphangers Campaign, the M42 crosstown bus is slower than “a five-year-old on a motorized tricycle,” traveling at 3.7 miles per hour... New bus-only lanes, like the city is planning on First and Second Avenues in Manhattan, could give millions of commuters a faster ride and more time to spend with their friends and family. But without real enforcement, the new lanes will probably look just like the ones NYC has now...

Labels: bus' cameras

Service's Failure * USA - CTA gift to runners? Express buses

Chicago,ILL,USA -RedEye's pun'dit, by Tracy Swartz-19 March 2010: -- "Going Public" was at the Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle Expo today at Navy Pier. After leaving the expo, "GP" noticed there were few buses to pick up the dozens of runners trying to leave the expo (photo above)... The CTA is listed as a sponsor on the race bag, and inside the bag there is an advertisement for ctagifts.com. The ad includes a mini CTA map. Problem is: The map includes the express buses that were eliminated last month because of service cuts... Find out after the jump how the Shamrock Shuffle may affect your bus route...

Labels: bus systems fails

26.3.10

SERVICES' FUNDS * Canada - Manitoba to help keep Greyhound buses running

Province to provide passenger service with $3.12-million to prevent routes from closing

Manitoba,Canada -The Globe & Mail -Mar. 19, 2010: -- The Manitoba government says it will provide Greyhound with $3.12-million to keep the passenger bus service from shutting down for at least a year... Transportation Minister, Steve Ashton, says the money will give the government time to develop a long-term solution to keep the carrier on the road... The province plans to consult with communities on options to the inter-city network... Ashton pointed out that many Manitobans in rural and northern communities depend on affordable bus service... The province agreed in October to negotiate financial aid for Greyhound, which had threatened to pull out of Manitoba altogether because of financial losses... But Premier, Greg Selinger, said at the time that he wasn't keen on permanent subsidies...

Labels: transport funds

Dirtier buses ? * USA - CTA to cut bus cleaning time

A cut in cleaning time could mean dirtier buses for CTA passengers

Chicago,ILL,USA -ABC local/WLS -March 18, 2010: ... A spokesperson said the pilot program cuts the recommended time for deep cleaning a bus in half. The transit agency said it is adjusting the cleaning time to make better use of its resources... According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the union that represents bus workers says this will mean dirtier buses. The union has reportedly filed a grievance over the change... The CTA is dealing with a $95.6 million shortfall... (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast: A sign for No. 20 Express bus route on the CTA)

Labels: dirty buses

ADS or NOT * USA - Could School Bus Ads Save School Budgets?

The wheels on the bus go buy, buy, buy: Could school bus ads be the answer to budget woes?

Seattle,WASH,USA -The Associated Press, by DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP -March 19, 2010: -- School districts have imposed all sorts of drastic cuts to save money during the down economy, canceling field trips and making parents pay for everything from tissues to sports transportation... And some have now resorted to placing advertisements on school buses... School districts say it's practically free money, and advertisers love the captive audience that school buses provide... That's the problem, say opponents: Children are being forced to travel to school on moving media kiosks, and the tactic isn't much different than dressing teachers in sponsor-emblazoned uniforms... (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski. Marc Horner, fleet manager for Jeffco Public Schools, walks next near school busses with advertisements on their sides at the school's bus maintenance facility in Lakewood, Colo. About half a dozen states already allow bus advertising _ including Colorado, Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Tennessee and Texas)

Labels: advertising on buses

19.3.10

Fare-beaters * USA - Millions, take MTA for an $8 million bus ride

New York,NY,USA -The NY Daily News, by Pete Donohue -March 18, 2010: -- A staggering 6.7 million bus riders a year roll on without paying the fare - shortchanging transit more than $8 million - but they have little reason to fear being nabbed by the cops... The NYPD issued just 101 tickets and arrested just 67 bus fare-beaters in all of 2008, NYPD data show... In 2009, police summonsed or arrested bus fare-beaters 1,826 times - about five a day... For their safety, bus drivers are instructed not to confront fare-beaters. They keep tabs on evasion by clicking a counter every time someone doesn't pay. Transit managers in 2008 told the Daily News that happened approximately 130,000 times a week, or more than 18,000 times a day... The MTA plans to cut bus and subway service to help close a budget gap that ballooned to about $750 million because of cuts to state funding and declining tax revenues, officials have said... (Maisel/News - On the B46 bus in Brooklyn, passengers often walk in through the rear doors without paying. MTA officials say fare-beating costs the city up to $8 million a year)

Labels: fare beaters

Upgrading bus routees * China - Beijing to upgrade 230 bus routes for new subway lines

See bigger map

Beijing,China -CCTV.com News -17 March 2010: -- Bus routes will be greatly altered and the service time will be further prolonged. A relevant official at the Beijing Municipal Committee of Transport stated March 11 that 5 subway lines will open to passengers and 230 bus routes will be altered in Beijing this year... Public transportation companies will deploy fewer buses on the routes which have fewer passengers but cannot be altered because they involve downtown areas. At the same time, the service time of the public transportation sector will be prolonged so it can match the service time of the subway sector... Five subway lines in Yizhuang, Daxing, Fangshan, Changping and Shunyi will open to passengers at the end of this year and Beijing will analyze changes in the passenger loads of relevant bus routes along the subway lines and then alter these bus routes according to the changes. Top priority will be given to streamlining these bus routes so as to increase the efficiency of relevant highways and buses. At the same time, Beijing will deploy fewer buses on the routes which face a decline in passenger load but cannot be altered because they involve downtown areas, and deploy more buses on the buses routes intersecting subway stations in the suburbs...

Labels: public services