Buses World News

BUS ACCESORIES MAKERS * WORLDWIDE

2012-01-28T13:51:00.002-03:00

* Germany - Voith Turbo, reliable all over the world

Crailsheim,Germany -Busworld (Belgium) -27 Jan 2012: -- The DIWA automatic is not only a transmission specifically developed for citybuses. It is also a gearbox that has proven itself worldwide in demanding applications, such as BRT systems, and also under tough climatic conditions. This is why transport operators in Central and South America, in Africa, Australia and the Far East rely on Voith. Alongside the transmission's high reliability, a key reason for this trust is the professional local service with designated teams. Over the last few months alone, Voith received orders for 650 transmissions for Perth, 600 each for Singapore and Panama, 400 for Morocco, 200 for Macau and 700 for Sao Paulo and Curitiba in Brazil...

* Turkey - Allison Boxes in new Burulas Buses

(Photo: An Otokar Doruk bus)

Bursa,Turkey -Busworld (Belgium) -19 Jan 2012: -- Allison Transmission has further grown its presence in the Turkish public transport market, with the BURULAS (Bursa Ulasim Toplu Tasima Isletmeciligi) operation in Bursa, Turkey, ordering 18 new Otokar Doruk 215LE buses... The vehicles feature Allison’s T280R fully automatic gearboxes, bringing the number of vehicles installed with Allison transmissions in that fleet to 63. Allison’s T280R from its Torqmatic Series is claimed to be an ideal solution for buses and coaches up to 24,000kg and engines up to some 260hp of power. Models from this range have six forward speeds and one reverse gear, as well as an optional integral hydraulic retarder. According to Allison, the advanced closed loop adaptive electronic controls ensure superior shift quality and strategy for optimum passenger comfort and fuel economy...

* UK - Firstbus signs 21ST Century for mobile CCTV Systems

London,EN,UK -Busworld -27 Jan 2012: -- 21st Century, the UK’s leading supplier of public transport CCTV and vehicle monitoring systems, has been awarded Preferred Supplier status to supply and maintain on-vehicle CCTV systems for FirstGroup plc's bus operating companies in the UK... With a fleet of 8,000 buses, FirstGroup is the UK's largest bus operator running more than one in five of all local bus services. FirstGroup is also the UK's largest rail operator. In North America it operates the iconic Greyhound coach services and is the largest provider of student transportation with some 57,000 yellow school buses...

BUSMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

2012-01-24T07:22:00.001-03:00

* Turkey - Mercedes-Benz Turk A.S. history

(Photo: Aerial View Mercedes-Benz Türk A.Ş. bus and coach plant in Hoşdere)

Hosdere,Turkey -Busworld -27 Jan 2012: -- Mercedes-Benz Turk which was founded in Istanbul with “Otomarsan” title in 1967 with 36% joint partnership of Daimler-Benz AG started 0 302 model bus production in 1968... Only 2 years after starting production, in 1970 the company began exporting and became Mercedes-Benz “Turkey General Dealer” in 1984... In 1986, in parallel with Turkey’s growth potential, Aksaray factory which is in central Anatolia began producing trucks... The company changed its trade name as “Mercedes-Benz Turk A.S.” in November 1990. Today, Mercedes-Benz Turk A.S. is one of the biggest foreign capital investments of Turkey with an investment volume over 670 Million Euros and 4700 employees. Furthermore, Mercedes-Benz Turk A.S. has 2500 employees in dealers and after sales services network country-wide... The share of Daimler AG in Mercedes-Benz Turk capital is 67%... Currently, intercity and municipal bus models are being produced in Hoşdere Factory in Istanbul and medium and heavy types of trucks are being produced in Aksaray Factory. These facilities are a significant part of development and production network of Daimler AG. The company imports and sells all the products including the ones that are being produced in Turkey.

* UK - Optare enters small bus market with the Bonito

(Photo: Optare enters small bus market with the Bonito Optare)

London,EN,UK -The Commercial Vehicle Show 2012 -17 January 2012: -- Optare announces today that it will be entering the small and accessible bus market this year with an all new Optare-badged model – the Bonito. The vehicle, produced in the Netherlands by Plastisol to Optare’s specification... The Bonito will go on sale to British operators from June... It uses a fully integrated composite body structure with accommodation for up to 16 passengers and no separate chassis... It is based on the highly successful Fiat Ducato Maxi light commercial vehicle which features a gross vehicle weight of 4 tonnes, a 2999cc 157bhp diesel engine, and a choice of six speed manual or semi-automatic transmission...

* China - School bus makers split on safety draft

Beijing,China -Busworld -27 Jan 2012: -- Opinions were divided among school bus manufacturers at a national conference over proposed standards for the buses, with some complaining that a newly released draft of standards sets the bar too high... The conference, held by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, is aimed at seeking feedback from major bus producers on the draft of safety standards for school buses, including technical specifications and car seat standards. The solicitation of public opinion ended on Sunday... School bus safety has been a high priority for the central government following a string of deadly road accidents involving pupils and preschoolers in the last two months of 2011. China has seen a groundswell of voices calling for safer school buses and more school bus access nationwide...

Cell Phone Use * USA

2012-01-12T16:18:00.001-03:00

* Alabama - Restricting drivers’, a tough pill to swallow?

Tuscaloosa,ALA,USA -CCJ Digital, by Aaron Huff -December 29, 2011: -- From January 3, 2012, commercial truck or bus drivers will face civil penalties of up to $2,750, per violation, for using handheld cell phones while operating a vehicle. The new rule, announced in November by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, will include a maximum penalty of $11,000 for companies that permit this behavior... The real danger of using cell phones is not the risk of being caught. The accident risk is equal to driving while legally intoxicated, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine... To help mitigate this risk, fleets can use applications that automatically lock down mobile devices when they detect motion. The real challenge, however, may be restricting drivers from using personal phones while operating company vehicles...

BUS MARKETS * WORLDWIDE

2012-01-09T17:15:00.000-03:00

* Brazil - Retains its place as a top 5 global auto market

Sao Paulo,SP,Brazil -CARCON Automotive, by Julian Semple -January 5, 2012: -- Full year results are likely to show Brazil as the 5th largest automotive market; it could even hold on to 4th place for a second year, depending on Germany's full year results. Unlike Germany and other big automotive exporters such as South Korea, however, Brazil relies mostly on its internal market for growth... After decades of high inflation, high interest rates and even default on international loans, Brazil's economy began to improve in the mid-1990s with the creation of the new Real currency. Getting inflation to one digit was key to increasing consumer confidence and buying power... According to Fenabrave, the national dealership association, vehicle sales in 2011 totalled 3.633 million, a 3.3% increase over 2010. This includes 3.425 million units of cars and light commercial vehicles, and 207,400 trucks and buses. Fenabrave forecasts light vehicle sales to rise 4.5% in 2012, with a 9.6% rise in HCV sales...

BUSMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

2012-01-09T16:35:00.003-03:00

* India - Volvo launches new range of buses

(Photo by Sandeep Saxena - akan Karlsson, President, Volvo Bus Corporation, and Akash Passey, Managing Director and CEO, Volvo Buses in South Asia, at the launch of new range of city bus and coaches in New Delhi on Thursday)

New Delhi,India -The Hindu -29 Dec 2011: -- Volvo on Thursday launched its new range of buses, comprising city bus and coaches, aimed at inter-State routes and cities. The expanded range of Volvo buses in India now includes three new models that are the first-of-its kind in the country and takes the company's bus range to ten different products... Developments follow just three months after Volvo announced its ambition to be a $1-billion company in the coming years...

* India - Not missing the bus this time. Manufacturers are betting big on the Indian commercial vehicle segment

(Photo by S. Subramanium - Ashok Leyland low floor Jan Bus unveiled at the Auto Expo 2012 at Paragti Maidan in New Delhi)

New Delhi,India -The Hindu, by Sandeep Joshi -9 Jan 2012: -- The ongoing Auto Expo 2012 are showcasing their new offerings and future buses and trucks aimed at tapping the Indian market where the economy is still in good health and road infrastructure is improving fast... Be it Ashok Leyland, Tata Motors, Man Force, AMW or Paccar, all are betting big on the Indian commercial vehicle segment. The expo has seen Man Force Trucks making its entry into the bus segment by launching its first 45-seat luxury bus, Man Airobus, priced at Rs.60 lakh... Similarly, the Hinduja Group flagship Ashok Leyland unveiled the‘Jan Bus' — world's first single-step, front engine, fully-flat floor bus for urban transportation...

* India - After UK's Optare, Ashok Leyland close to two more acquisitions

(Photo)

Guindy,Chennai,India -The Economic Times -20 Jan, 2012: -- Ashok Leyland is closing in on two acquisitions in buses and foundry businesses as the truck maker stays on the prowl after buying 75% stake in UK bus maker Optare Buses, a top official said... The Hinduja Group will invest close to Rs 2,000 crore in the next couple of years in the firm to grow its automotive business in India and elsewhere, Ashok Leyland Chairman, Dheeraj Hinduja, said. India's second largest commercial vehicle company will step on the gas in emerging markets to become a global player... "Organically, we have made most of the investments we needed to make. Now the focus is on acquisitions. After Optare, there are two more acquisition opportunities we are closing in on for buses and foundry. We are actively eyeing areas of foundries, buses and engineering and design services companies (for aerospace and defence)"...
* UK - Optare retires original Solo as Solo SR gains ground

(Photo: An Optare's urban bus)

Leeds,EN,UK -Transport Engineer, by Brian Tinham -12 Jan 2012: -- Optare has announced the end of production of its original Solo bus after some 14 years. The original model is being retired in favour of the new look Solo SR... Since its introduction in 1997, more than 4,000 Solo buses have entered service in the UK, with additional exports to the US, Western Europe and beyond...

BUS SALES * WORLDWIDE

2012-01-06T13:44:00.003-03:00

* UK - Plymouth Citybus orders ten new Volvo buses

(Photo: A Volvo Euro 5 B7RLE bus)
Plymouth,Devon,EN,UK -ABR -16 January 2012: -- Plymouth Citybus, a part of UK-based bus operator Go Ahead, has invested GBP1.6m to buy ten modern Volvo Euro 5 B7RLE low emission buses with Wrightbus Eclipse 2 bodywork... The new B7RLE low entry city bus is powered by a rear mounted D7E 7.1 litre in-line, common rail, fuel injection diesel engine, connected to the 6-speed ZF Ecolife gearbox... The new Volvo vehicles will be manufactured at the Wrightbus factory in Northern Ireland and will be delivered to Plymouth Citybus by late 2012...

* India - Ashok Leyland gets big order from Tanzania

(Photo: Ashok Leyland Comet bus)

Chennai,India -BUSWORLD -Dec 2011: -- Ashok Leyland has bagged an order worth around USD 36.56 million for 723 trucks, buses and special application vehicles from the Government of Tanzania. These vehicles will be used for logistical purposes by the government and the Company will complete deliveries by end of the current fiscal... Ashok Leyland has been aggressively expanding its network in the African market with network offices in Nigeria and Ghana in the West; Malawi and Mozambique in the South; Kenya and Tanzania in the East, apart from their offices in South Africa and Egypt. In 2010-2011, the Company's export numbers grew by 72% to touch 10,306 units...

* Canada - Ballard to Supply Hydrogen Fuel Cell Modules to Sao Paulo in Brazil

(Photo: Fcvelocity-HD6 Hydrogen Fuel Cell)

Burnaby,BC,Canada -Azom, by Cameron Chai -December 29, 2011: -- Ballard Power Systems has expressed a letter of intent (LOI) to supply 25 hydrogen fuel cell modules called FCvelocity-HD6 to be used as a power source for 25 buses in the City of Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil... FCvelocity-HD6, the company’s sixth-generation fuel cell module, can be used as a ready-to-use product for any type of hybrid fuel cell or fuel cell bus platform, thanks to its control unit that interacts with a system controller. The module also improves fuel efficiency, power density and durability when compared to previous generation products...

ALTERNATIVE FUELS * WORLDWIDE

2012-01-06T13:28:00.002-03:00

*Sweden - NOBINA places major biomethane bus order

(Photo: Scania biogasbus 2011)

Gothemburg,Sweden -BUSWORLD -Dec 2011: -- Nobina AB, supplier of passenger transport to local communities throughout the Nordic Region, has invested over half a billion SEK (USD 74 million) in new biogas fueled regional buses. The buses will be put into service in Skåne and Uppland as of summer 2012. The order from Nobina is Scania AB’s biggest order for gas engines to date and represents a breakthrough for the new generation of gas engines introduced by Scania in the autumn of 2010. Of the 121 buses for Nobina, 109 will be run on biomethane and the rest on biodiesel... Scania says the order now means it is the largest make in the Swedish marketplace. The company says biomethane holds tremendous potential, for instance if produced from sewage and waste dumps, and is gradually gaining ground as a fuel of choice...

* Oregon/USA - New hidrogen storage method could replace petroleum

(Image: Fuelcell construction)

ORE,USA -BUSWORLD -Dec 2011: -- Hydrogen really could be the energy of the future. It is renewable, abundant, and 100% environmentally friendly. The obstacles restricting its global use are the difficulties of collecting it (pure hydrogen doesn’t occur naturally) and storing it in the quantities necessary for producing significant energy levels. Scientists at the University of Oregon have recently developed a way of storing hydrogen in a liquid form that is stable in both air and moisture, and workable at room temperature... It could minimise the current obstacles to storage and transportation, enabling an eventual transition to a hydrogen based energy infrastructure. Pure hydrogen burns and reacts with the oxygen readily available in the air to produce heat and water, with no other chemical by products. Due to the clean nature of the fuel and the energy it produces it is already being researched for powering vehicles, however, as I mentioned earlier the current storage options available are limited...

REGULATIONS * Europe

2012-01-06T13:21:00.000-03:00

* A Coach is not a truck

(Photo: Scania coach)

Brussels,Belgium -Busworld -Dec 2011: -- The world of coach travel has been shaken up by the new Driving and Resting Time Regulations, issued as Regulation EG 561/2006 on 15 March 2006 by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers... This regulation abolished the exceptions that were common for coaches, placing the coach travel industry on a parwith the road haulage industry in terms of permitted driving hours. Whilst there are essential differences that distinguish the transport of people and the transport of goods. The new regulations have made it almost impossible to indulge in relaxed and smooth-paced sightseeing tourism in which passengers alight at frequent intervals, have lunch in a restaurant around midday and enjoy their hotel in the evening... During the latest Busworld Show 2011 in Kortrijk this campaign has been relaunched.

We want to realize a so-called “black book” with testimonials of ( bad) experiences drivers/coachoperators had due to this regulation.

BUSMAKERS' NEWS * WORLDWIDE

2012-01-06T12:54:00.003-03:00

* India - TATA'S says CNG-electric hybrid buses in great demand

(Photo: A Tata CNG Hybrid 2011)

Kolkata,India -BUSWORLD -Dec 2011: -- Tata Motors recently has received an order for 10 CNG-electric hybrid buses from Spain... These buses have got good response from the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC)... During the Commonwealth Games 2010, the auto manufacturer had presented four CNG-electric hybrid buses to the DTC. The company has also presented two CNG-electric hybrid low-floor Starbuses to BEST on trial basis here. Tata Hybrid Starbus provides significant improvement in the fuel economy as against a conventional bus. The bus has lower emissions and also environment friendly...

* China - Kinglong to launch bonneted shoolbus

(Photo: Kinglong schoolbus)

Changping,Beijing,China -Busworld -Dec 2011: -- Kinglong has confirmed that they are now developing a bonneted school bus that will be in compliance with American federal safety standards for this type of bus. The buses will be unveiled next year... The new school buses will range from a dozen seats to fifty or more seats and cover both bonneted school buses and forward control versions...

* USA - NABI to unveil 'fresh' LFW platform

(Photo: A NABI LFW 2011 bus)

Washington,DC,USA -BUSWORLD -Dec 2011: -- North American Bus Industry’s (NABI's) proven LFW platform has recently received a fresh, new front mask that incorporates modern and functional design cues, including a more raked windshield, in single-piece or two-piece configurations, the latest headlight technology and an absorbing front bumper with integrated styling... The roof top equipment enclosure also benefits from fresh, new styling with more streamline front and rear end-fairings. As with earlier LFW's, this rooftop enclosure is used to conceal CNG tanks or hybrid energy storage equipment...

* Italy - BREDAMENARINIBUS to be sold

(Photo: BredaMenarinibus Lander)

Turin,Italy -BUSWORLD -Dec 2011: -- According to press reports, Italian aerospace and defence group, Finmeccanica, is to sell its bus building subsidiary, BredaMenarinibus, next year. The company produces the Vivacity, Avancity, Lander intercity coach, Zeus electric minibus and the M240 EI hybrid. Turkish commercial vehicle builder, Karsan, which is now only building light- and nedium-weight vehicles, has been named as the possible new owner of the business...

INFRASTRUCTURES * USA

2012-01-06T12:45:00.000-03:00

* Report: Huge investment in intelligent transportation predicted

(Photo: Lane Departure Warning)

Boulder, Colorado,USA -Busworld -Dic 2011: -- Four key smart transportation sectors – traffic management systems; public transportation systems; smart charging for plug-in electric vehicles; and vehicle-to-vehicle systems – are set for a huge investment over the next five years... According to a report by Pike Research, there will be a global investment across these four areas of $13.2billion with annual spending to increase from just under $770million in 2011 to almost $3billion in 2017... Demand for these intelligent transportation systems is expected to increase in both developed and developing economies. Pike predicts that developed economies will see them as a way to maximise existing transportation infrastructure; while developing cities will incorporate these systems as they build their own transportation infrastructure...

INFOBUS * USA

2012-01-05T10:15:00.001-03:00

* California - MCI alternative-fueled commuter coacher for Los Angeles

(Photo: A Los Angeles CNG bus model 2011)

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -Busworld -Dec 2011: -- The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) recently celebrated the arrival of the first of 95 new Motor Coach Industries (MCI) Commuter Coaches, powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), with a ceremony outside of the Disney Concert Hall. The new buses will be used on LADOT's "Commuter Express" service and replace 95 older, diesel powered buses. The nearly $67 million purchase also makes LADOT's Commuter Express fleet 100% CNG driven, joining its 200 "DASH" shuttle buses, which are already 100% alternatively propelled...

* California - CARB’s on-road truck and bus rule reporting system is online

Sacramento,CAL,USA -Land Line, by Charlie Morasch -December 29, 2011: -- Many truck fleets will be required to report information into a California Air Resources Board database by the end of January, and that database is now up and running... CARB’s Truck and Bus rule, also known as the “Retrofit Rule,” requires trucking fleets to install diesel particulate filters and upgrade their trucks beginning as early as January 2012 for some fleets... Small fleets with three or fewer diesel vehicles must report truck information on all their trucks now if they have any trucks with 1996 through 1999 model year engines...

OUT OF SERVICE * USA

2012-01-04T17:20:00.000-03:00

* FMCSA slaps Double Happyness Travel buses out of service

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line -27 Dec 2011: -- Holiday vacationers in the midst of travel to see family and loved ones have shuffled onto planes, trains and automobiles this past week... With any luck those travelers weren’t counting on round trips on Double Happyness buses... Double Happyness Travel Inc., of Huntingdon Valley, PA, was ordered to immediately cease all operations by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration... FMCSA said its safety investigators found the company failed to comply with hours-of-service, records of duty and driver qualification requirements. The company provided service between New York City and Albany, NY; Baltimore, MD; and Wilmington, DE...

BUS SALES * WORLDWIDE

2012-01-04T16:52:00.000-03:00

* Europa - Commercial Vehicle Registrations Up 8.4% In November

Brussels Belgium -Trailer Body Builder -Dec 20, 2011: ... * New Buses & Coaches over 3.5t: Buses and coaches were the only segment to face a downturn in November, declining by 11.4%. As Spain (-14.8%), Germany (-16.9%) and France (-23.2%) performed less well than in the same month last year, the UK proved to be an exception with its positive result (+43.8%). Over eleven months, performances were diverse across the EU, leading to a 1.0% drop in new registrations. Spain (+11.5%) and France (+16.6%) posted double-digit growths, while Germany (-5.3%) and the UK (-17.4%) fared less well. In total, 31,045 new buses and coaches were recorded from January to November...
* New Light Commercial Vehicles up to 3.5t – "vans": In November, the segment of vans saw registrations increase by 8.5%, totaling 141,800 units. France (+9.8%), the UK (+18.6%) and Germany (+18.8%) all performed better than in the same month last year. Spain, on the other hand, experienced a double-digit decline. Eleven months into year, 1,450,542 new vans were registered in the EU, or 7.6% more than in the same period of 2010. Growth in the region was mainly sustained by demand in France (+2.8%), the UK (+17.4%) and Germany (+18.4%). The Spanish market contracted by 9.5%...

HYBRID BUSES * Sweden - The Arctic Whisper Goes into Passenger Service Only 11 Months After Project Start

2011-12-05T15:27:00.000-03:00

The World's first fast charged hybrid buses are now in public service in Umea, Sweden

(Photo: The Arctic Whisper's hybrid bus batteries are fast charged by the Opbrid Bůsbaar for 10 minutes at the end of its route to achieve nearly 100% all-electric operation but with the reliability of diesel)

Umeå,Sweden -Green Living Review -November 26, 2011: -- Hybricon AB and Umeå Municipality took the next step in the development of the Arctic Whisper super fast rechargeable hybrid electric buses. A bus has been placed in service running on Umeå's busiest line. The first public installation of the Opbrid Bůsbaar charging station was inaugurated with a ribbon cutting by Umea Municipality representatives. The Arctic Whisper is the first in a fleet of affordable, sustainable, low carbon urban buses for Umea City...

BUS SALES * WORLDWIDE

2011-11-25T17:49:00.000-03:00

* Colombia - SCANIA delivering 295 city buses to Bogotá

(Photo: A Scania Marcopolo BRT)

Bogotá,Colombia -Busworld -17 Nov 2011: -- Scania has received an order for 295 bus chassis from the Colombian cooperative Coobus, one of the operators responsible for the public transport system in Bogotá. The buses will be delivered during 2012 and 2013 and will be put into service on new routes in the capital city’s TransMilenio bus transport system... Bogotá has one of the world’s most highly developed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, with 1,400 articulated buses in service, of which more than 200 have been delivered by Scania to date... Scania’s delivery to Bogotá consists of 277 two-axle city bus chassis with 250 hp engines and 18 three-axle articulated bus chassis with 310 hp engines. The buses will be bodyworked in Colombia by the Brazilian bus manufacturer Marcopolo...

* India - ASHOK LEYLAND to supply 700 CNG buses to Delhi

New Delhi,India -Busworld -19.11.2011: -- Ms Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi, flagged off 50 Ashok Leyland CNG buses (BS4) to ply in identified clusters in the city, at a function held in the Capital recently. These front-engine, semi-low floor buses form the initial lot of a total of 700 such buses to be supplied in the coming months... Ashok Leyland demonstrated the performance and cost benefits of the front engine, semi-low floor arrangement – a pioneering combination introduced by the Company in 2006 in Mumbai...

BUSES NEWS * WORLDWIDE

2011-11-25T17:27:00.003-03:00

* Argentine - BYD to produce pure-electric city buses in

(Photo: BYD K9)
Buenos Aires, Argentine -Busworld -23 Nov 2011: -- Recently, the Argetinian Minister of Industry signed an agreement with BYD Company concerning the production of electric city buses and lithium batteries in that country... Minister, Débora Giorgi, signed the agreement with the chairman of the board of directors and CEO of BYD Company, Wang Chuanfu, which says that the BYD Company will start produce electric buses and accessories in Argentina...

* USA - Alcoa Develops New All-Aluminum Design for New BYD Electric Bus

(Photo from Business Wire: New BYD aluminium bus)
New York,NY,USA -Business Wires/ALCOA (PR) -November 10, 2011: -- Alcoa today announced it has developed a new all-aluminum space frame and bus design for BYD that has reduced the weight of the new BYD Electric Bus body by 40 percent, or nearly one ton, versus steel options. The first two BYD Electric Bus prototypes were launched this week in Changsha City, Hunan Province, China... In addition to reducing the weight of the bus body, Alcoa solutions including Alcoa forged wheels and Huck Spin® fasteners reduced the overall bus weight by 1.2 tons in total. The combined weight savings are expected to help improve the overall range of the electric bus by at least 10 percent. The new bus has a range of approximately 300 kilometers (188 miles) on a full charge...

* UK - London Starts experiments with Wireless Charging for Buses

(Photo: A Optare Solo bus)

London,UK -Busworld -14 Nov 2011: -- Qualcomm Incorporated announced the first Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) trial for London... The pre-commercial trial is expected to start in early 2012 and will involve as many as 50 electric vehicles (EVs). The trial will use Qualcomm wireless inductive power transfer technology that enables high-efficiency power transfer across a large air gap... It is very easy to use: the driver simply parks the vehicle in the usual way and the system automatically aligns for power transfer, making parking easier and charging hassle free...

* China - COSLIGHT to produce pure electric buses within two years

Hong Kong,China -Busworld -22 Nov 2011: -- The Hong Kong-listed battery manufacturer Coslight Technology International Group Co., Ltd. (Coslight) intends to produce pure electric buses within two years, revealed Coslight chairman Song Dianquan recently. With the production lines in its Harbin base expanded, the annual battery production capacity will increase to 400,000 kWh... The company’s lithium-ion battery life can reach seven years, according to Coslight, and is rechargeable till up to 3,000 times. Vehicles equipped with these batteries can reach a speed up to 120 km/h... According to Song, there are eight auto manufacturers that have applied the lithium-ion batteries it developed for electric vans, and the company has signed agreements with Chongqing Hengtong Bus and GAC to provide 34 lithium-ion battery systems for the two Chinese automakers. The company expects to double sales revenue of the lithium-ion batteries...

* India - Tata brings AC buses for commuters

(Photo by Amran Hossain/Star Business Report: Indian Tata Motors plans to market 300 air-conditioned buses in Bangladesh, targeting commuters in Dhaka city)

Dhaka City,Bangladesh -The Daily Star Business -25 Nov 2011: -- Indian Tata Motors yesterday launched its low-floor air-conditioned bus in Bangladesh to attract city bus service providers... India's largest automobile company said it wants to market 300 AC buses, especially among the bus service providers in Dhaka... Tata Motors Managing Director, PM Telang, said: " Tata wants to bring in manufacturing facility in Bangladesh..."

BUS SALES * China

2011-11-23T04:51:00.000-03:00

* Zhengzhou: Yutong Bus Co., Ltd. Subsidiary Signs Contract

(Photo: Yutong Bus model XHXFL08)

Zhengzhou,Henan,China -Reuters (UK) -8 Nov 2011: -- Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Co., Ltd. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary signed a contract with a Venezuela-based company, FONTUR, to provide 1,216 sets of passenger cars and related facilities, at RMB 1.49 billion...

* Xiamen - Golden Dragon to Deliver 23 Hybrid Buses to Hangzhou Next Month

(Photo: Golden Dragon Bus XML6745J13C)

Xiamen,Fujian,China -China Buses, by Song -23 Nov 2011: -- “We are going to deliver 23 Golden Dragon XML6125JHEV hybrid buses to Hangzhou Xiaoshan Public Transportation Company in December.” Marketing Manager of Sales Company of Xiamen Golden Dragon Bus Company PU, Yanliang said to the reporter on November 18th... XML6125JHEV hybrid bus was the new green bus with super capacitor as energy storing device, fuel-efficiency, low-emission, long service life, simple structure and easy to maintain being its characteristics... PU, Yanliang stressed: “We sell 326 hybrid buses in 2011 (excluding the 23 units in December) and there are over 700 11-12 meters hybrid buses in operation, including 400 units in Hangzhou, 55 units in Kunming, 117 units in Tianjin, 30 units in Nantong, 125 units in Xiamen and 11 units in Wuxi.”...

* USA - Transportation pilot project aimed at cutting congestion

2011-11-16T05:53:00.000-03:00

Officials hope Pace buses on I-55 shoulders will double ridership

(Photo by Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune - On a morning rush hour training run, this Pace bus uses a bus-on-the-shoulder)

Chicago,ILL,USA -The Chicago Tribune, by Richard Wronski -November 8, 2011: -- Pace hopes by spring to have twice as many riders commuting on express buses that use the newly widened shoulders of the Stevenson Expressway to maneuver around traffic jams... Gov. Pat Quinn, transportation officials and legislators hailed the start of the service next Monday on U.S. Interstate Highway 55 as a landmark step toward reducing the Chicago area's congestion, the nation's second-worst...

BUSMAKERS NEWS * USA

2011-11-14T17:27:00.002-03:00

* USA - Nissan Launching 12-Passenger NV3500 HD Van

(Photo: 2012 Nissan NV Passenger Van group)

San Diego,CAL,USA -Motortrend, by Jake Holmes -November 8 2011: ... Nissan will launch a 12-seat version called the NV3500 HD Passenger Van in spring 2012... At 240.6 inches long and 84.0 inches tall, the NV3500 HD is a seriously sized van... The passenger model can be equipped with a 261-hp, 4.0-liter V-6 engine or a 317-hp, 5.6-liter V-8 engine. Both send their power to the rear wheels by way of a five-speed automatic transmission... The enormous cabin features four rows of seats that can accommodate up to 12 people. The passengers receive plenty of 12-volt power outlets and dome lights, as well as between eight and ten cupholders depending on trim level... The NV3500 HD will be offered in S, SV, and SL trim levels; the top-spec models feature creature comforts like parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, navigation, Bluetooth, and more...

* Indiana - Allison Transmission Produces its 5,000th Hybrid System for Buses and Coaches

(Photo: A woman working on Allison transmission production line)

Indianapolis,IND,USA -Allison Transmission/PR Newswire -14 Nov 2011: -- Fuel-saving Allison hybrid systems for end-user evaluation began in 2001. Since that time, the increasing global demand for more durable, fuel-efficient and low-emission transit buses has made Allison Transmission a leader in the design, manufacture and sale of commercial vehicle hybrid products. Allison hybrids capture otherwise wasted energy and stores it for later use in assisting vehicle propulsion - saving fuel and reducing emissions... Allison Transmission reached a major milestone in the manufacture of bus and coach hybrids by producing its 5,000th H 40/50 EP system. Designed for both city-wide transit buses and city-to-city coaches, fleet operators and passengers across North America and Europe are enjoying the benefits of these technologically-advanced systems...

BUS MARKETS

2011-10-22T15:16:00.001-03:00

* Nigeria - "N5b bus import from China is economic sabotage"". Want President, Goodluck Jonathan, to stop order

(Photo:Sun News - Innoson 6125 masstransit bus produced in Nnewi)

Lagos Nigeria -Sun News on Line, by Moses Akaigwe -October 21, 2011: -- The recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Urban Development Bank of Nigeria (UDBN) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), for the importation of no fewer than 150 mass transit buses from China, has drawn the ire of stakeholders in the local automotive industry, some of whom have branded the deal an economic sabotage that should be halted immediately... They argue that such a huge patronage which does not come very often, should have been channeled inwards to the benefit of the groaning vehicle manufacturers and the economy gnrally... The N2.3 billion loan agreement which was signed last week at UDBN’s headquarters in Abuja, was part of a total tranche of about N5 billion approved for both the TUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) by the bank from its Public Mass Transit Revolving Fund which commenced last year...

* UK - HybriDrive said to generate 30% fuel savings

2011-10-20T17:22:00.000-03:00

London,UK -Fleet Owner, by Deborah Whistler -Oct 20, 2011: -- Road tests conducted by BAE Systems reveal that commercial trucks powered by the company’s green HybriDrive parallel hybrid electric propulsion system use 30% less fuel than trucks running on traditional diesel engines, according to a company announcement... The average fuel economy improvement of 30% on trucks powered by the parallel system was experienced across a range of standard driving cycles. However, the system performed best on stop-and-go cycles where average speed is between five and 20 miles per hour, the company said, making it a good choice for refuse collection and delivery trucks... BAE Systems is developing truck systems with Dennis Eagle in the U.K., and Crane Carrier Co. in the United States, to be rolled out in 2012. The HybriDrive parallel system will integrate with “big-bore” and heavy-duty diesel engines. The system is suitable for vehicles from 19,500 to 80,000 lbs. total gross vehicle weight...

Better Transportation * USA / California - How Open Data Could Make San Francisco Public One

2011-10-14T16:21:00.000-03:00

Solution: Using data to help fix the city's busted transportation system

San Francisco,CAL,USA -Fast Company, by Ariel Schwartz -Oct 10, 2011: -- Unlike many cities, San Francisco offers a wealth of open data, with information available about everything from parking meters to public artwork. The trouble is, not everyone realizes quite how valuable this information can be. At last week's GOOD Design event, which pairs city leaders with designers--San Francisco director of innovation Jay Nath challenged Kicker Studio to come up with an innovative approach to educate the public on the value of open data... Kicker had a slew of open data feeds at its disposal, including bus routes, incident reports, the fastest and safest routes, and parking information. After meeting with MUNI (San Francisco's transportation agency), Kicker discovered that NextBus--the system that updates riders on when the next bus is coming--runs off schedule data and only allows for four updates per year. That means in the case of any delays--and there are many--predicted arrival times are way off, and MUNI has no central communications system (drivers just write down incident reports and turn them in at the end of the day). Note: NextBus contacted us with updated information about this...

BUSMAKERS NEWS * China - Automaker to deliver double-decker buses for London Olympics

2011-10-11T20:03:00.003-03:00

Chinese red double-decker buses, to serve the 2012 Summer Olympic Games

(Photo: Big bus tours in Shanghai)

Hefei,China -Xinhua -Oct. 8, 2011: -- A Chinese automaker has clinched a deal with a UK tour operator to provide the latter with red double-decker buses, a national symbol of Britain, to serve the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, which will be held in London... The Anhui Ankai Automobile Co., Ltd. signed a contract with Britain's Big Bus Tours sightseeing company on Sept. 29 to export 34 open-top double-decker buses, which will be used for sightseeing tours during the games, sources with the bus company said Saturday... The deal marks the first time for China-made double-decker buses to enter the UK market, where there are a stricter certifications for automobiles... Ankai, a major Chinese bus manufacturer, has been working to tap overseas markets in recent years. The company received a 3,000-unit order from Saudi Arabia and a 280-unit order from Russia earlier this year...

* Sweden - Volvo Bus to double annual capacity by 2015

(Photo: Volvo buses. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation -MSRTC)

Bangalore,India -Reuters, by Aftab Ahmed and Bhaswati Mukhopadhyay -Oct 13, 2011: -- Volvo Bus Corp, part of Swedish truckmaker Volvo AB, expects to double its annual global manufacturing capacity by 2015 as it ramps up its presence in Asia... The company expects Europe and North America, which are its largest markets, to remain weak and is depending heavily on the Asian market to drive growth... Volvo Bus plans to increase its global manufacturing capacity to 30,000 units a year from 15,000 units -- half of which will be made in Asia... In India, Volvo Bus plans to increase capacity at its existing facility near Bangalore to 2,500 units a year from 1,000 units a year and will set up a new plant to accommodate the rest... Sales of trucks and buses in India, a key pointer to economic activity in the country, rose 18.05 percent to 70,634 in September, according to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers...

* Poland - Solaris builds electric, hybrid buses

(Photo: midibus turbine hybrid)
Warsaw,Poland -Automotive World (UK) -October 17, 2011: -- The Polish bus and coach builder Solaris has built a pure electric bus based on the 8.9m Urbino family midibus. Its powertrain uses a 120kW four-pole asynchronous traction motor supplied by Vossloh Kiepe, powered by two liquid-cooled, 120kWh lithium-ion batteries weighing 700kg each. They have a rated voltage of 600V... The battery capacity gives the Solaris Urbino electric a range of up to 60 miles and a maximum speed of 30mph. The batteries are the source of power not only for the traction system but also for all auxiliary systems, including power steering, heating, ventilation and door control. Batteries are charged with a Walter plug-in connector. A full recharge from the 3x400 V, 63A terminal takes approx. four hours...

* USA - Voith Turbo opens hybrid powertrain centre

(Image: SteamTrac System - Waste Heat Revovery System Using a Steam Cycle)

Poway, San Diego, CAL,USA - Automotive World -October 17, 2011: -- Voith Turbo has opened a hybrid powertrain development centre to further develop hybrid diesel/electric drive systems for buses... The office, warehouse and testing facilities cover more than 5,000 square feet, and the building features a solar panel installation that provides electricity for most day-to-day facility operations... Hit herto much of Voith’s R&D and engineering has been based in Germany... The California-based Maxwell Technologies will supply ultracapacitors for Voith Turbo's hybrid technology... Solaris has built a DIWA hybrid prototype Urbino 18 bus in Poland...

TESTING BUSES * UK - Stagecoach Tests MAN CNG Bus in Liverpool

2011-10-10T11:42:00.000-03:00

(Photo: A Man EcoCity bus)

Liverpool,UK -NGV Global News -October 1, 2011: -- Stagecoach, one of the UK’s biggest bus operators, has launched a six-week trial in Liverpool of a new hi-tech bus powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) – the first trial of the MAN-manufactured vehicle in the UK. The 12-metre single-decker EcoCity bus has an engine that is quieter than traditional diesel-engined vehicles and also has significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than standard buses... The bus can also run on biomethane, a fuel already used by Stagecoach as part of a project in Lincoln, England... The low-floor bus, which is right-hand drive for the UK market, is expected to meet the new Euro 6 engine emissions standards, which come into force on 1 January 2014...

* USA - Daimler recalls 1,825 Thomas Built buses

2011-10-07T07:04:00.000-03:00

Portland,OR,USA -Automotive World (UK) -September 29, 2011: -- Daimler Trucks North America is recalling its Thomas Built buses in the US due to a defective clamp assembly. The recall affects 1,825 of its Saf-T-Liner models... According to DTNA, the affected buses with these engines feature a v-band clamp assembly used to connect the inlet and outlet cone sections to the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC)/diesel particulate filter (DPF). This assembly includes a T-bolt, which can fracture and fail when subjected to stress or load... A fracture or failure of this T-bolt can result in the loosening of the clamp, and consequently may cause the inlet or outlet sections attached to the DOC/DPF housing to disconnect. If these sections do disconnect, hot exhaust gases can vent before exiting the exhaust pipe, which would create the risk of combustion and a fire. Should both clamps fail, it is possible in some applications, that the DOC/DPF housing may detach completely, resulting in a road hazard... The possible fracture or failure of the T-bolt is due to an error in the component supplier's plating process...

* USA - Dana to supply Spicer axles to Blue Bird buses

2011-10-07T06:51:00.001-03:00

Toledo,OH,USA -Automotive World -October 05, 2011: -- Automotive component manufacturer Dana Holding has secured a long-term agreement to supply its Spicer drive axles for Blue Bird buses. These axles will feature in buses that are already equipped with Spicer driveshafts... Dana supplies axles, driveshafts, transmissions, sealing and thermal-management products for light- and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers. The company employs around 24,000 people in 26 countries...

* USA - Truck hybrids herald 'electric ptos'

(Photo: Eaton Powered Auxillary Power Generator)Cleveland,OH,USA Cleveland OH,USA -Automotive World, by Alan Bunting -October 17, 2011: -- Previously unforeseen spin-off benefits from diesel-electric truck and bus hybrid drives are beginning to emerge. Eaton in the US has just announced the development of what it calls auxiliary power generator (APG) options for its hybrid drivelines. The corporation says the technology will "allow customers to use vital equipment without requiring the engine to idle for power generation"... Drives for all-manner of auxiliary equipment on trucks and buses have long relied on mechanical power-take-off (pto) installations, enabling the vehicle's diesel engine to be directly harnessed - often with the vehicle stationary - to power hydraulic tipping gears, refuse collector compaction gear and other on-board systems. Different pto configurations are available to suit diverse applications, via outlets from either the transmission or directly from the front or back of the engine. When fuel was relatively inexpensive, few qualms were expressed about pto drives, though there were always some environmental objections to the noise of engines being revved during on- or off-loading...

ELECTRIC BUS SERVICE * WORLDWIDE

2011-10-01T07:46:00.002-03:00

* Sweden - Hybricon bus wins Elmia Future Transport award

Umea,Sweden -Automotive World -October 07, 2011: -- Hybricon, the Swedish co-developer of the Arctic Whisper fast charged hybrid bus, has won the Future Transport Award in the category of Public Transport at the Elmia Future Transport Fair in Sweden... Two Arctic Whisper buses are currently undergoing testing in Umea, Sweden with initial passenger revenue service beginning "soon"... The Arctic Whisper e-Traction bus is billed as the world's first fast-charged hybrid bus. Its developers say it combines the zero local emissions benefits of an electric bus with the reliability of a diesel... The Bůsbaar charging station provided by Opbrid is located at one end of an Umea bus route and fast charges the bus for a few minutes at the end of each trip, thus extending the all-electric range of the e-Traction hybrid bus to 18 hours. And, since this is a serial hybrid bus with a backup diesel generator, the bus can continue running on diesel or bio-diesel in case of brown-outs, traffic jams, or very cold weather...

* UK - British Airways Introduces New E.V. Bus Technologies at Heathrow

(Photo by Valence Technology: The purely electric Solo EV bus, which transports British Airways employees from Terminal 5 to the company’s head office, is equipped with a lithium-phosphate battery produced in Austin, Tex., by Valence Technology)

New York,NY,USA -New York Times, by Jim Witkin -September 23, 2011: -- Earlier this year BAA, the company that operates London's Heathrow Airport, began a first-of-its-kind electric pod car service to carry passengers between Terminal 5 and outlying parking lots. This month the 25-seat Solo EV, the first full-size, all-electric bus at a British airport, went into operation to move British Airways personnel between Terminal 5 and the company's head office a few miles away. The bus is projected to cover 50 to 60 miles daily and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by about 20 tons annually. Solo EV is powered by a 600-volt lithium-phosphate battery system made by Valence Technology, Austin, TX...

* UK - One-third of Reading’s bus fleet is now electric driven

Reading,Berkshire,UK -The Recruit Group -September 26, 2011: -- Reading Buses now has the highest proportion of electric hybrid double deck buses in its fleet in the UK. Chief Executive Officer, James Freeman, said that when a further four are delivered later in the week Reading Buses will have a total of 31 electric hybrid double deckers... This meant that one-third of the double-decker fleet would be electric hybrid powered which he believed was the highest proportion in the country... Thirteen vivid purple hybrid double deck buses will operate the 17 route from Saturday October 1. This means that Reading Buses now has three routes all with hybrid buses – seven on the Yellow 26, nine on the Claret 20, 20a and 21 into the University of Reading every 7-8 minutes; and two buses in the Company’s silver generic livery as back-up... Mr. Freeman told visitors that the hybrid had a diesel engine, but it was the electric motor that drove the bus. It generated one-third less carbon raising its green credentials and used at least 22.5% less fuel for a greater economic performance...

BUSMAKERS NEWS WORLDWIDE * Brazil - Breakthrough for Scania’s city buses

2011-09-30T17:54:00.002-03:00

Sao Paulo,SP,Brazil -Metal Supplu, by Charlotte Stubben -September 26, 2011: -- Now the first units of 200 Scania city buses will start to operate in the South Zone of the City of Rio de Janeiro... The Scania city buses, which shall be operated by the Breda Rio Group, have been designed in order to improve urban mobility in the municipality. The vehicles brings a concept which is completely new in Rio de Janeiro when it comes to urban passenger transport, which is that of focusing on the maximum of comfort and accessibility... The buses to be incorporated into the fleet are of the Scania K 230 4x2 model, with a length of 12.5 metres and a lowered floor, used to facilitate the entry and exit of the passengers. The vehicle has 35 seats and also space reserved for the transport of wheelchair users, and can also hold up to 47 standing passengers...

* USA - Thomas Built Buses roll out redesigned front-engine product

High Point,N.C.,USA -Fleet Owner -Sep 28, 2011: -- Upgrades that include easier access to electrical components and a new engine cover that allows belts and fluid levels to be checked easily are among the changes to Thomas Built Buses front-engine Type D product... The product, formerly known as the EF, will now be called the Saf-T-Liner EFX to reflect the new product, the company said... The redesigned bus will hold up to 90 passengers and includes additional cockpit storage. It is powered by a Cummins ISB diesel engine with SCR technology...

* India - VE commercial vehicles to invest Rs 1,000 crore in 3 years

Mumbai,India -The Economic Times, by Chanchal Pal Chauhan -3 Oct, 2011: -- Maker of Volvo trucks and buses in India will invest 1,000 crore in three years to expand capacity and reach. VE Commercial Vehicles, an equal joint-venture between Delhi-based Eicher Motors Ltd and Volvo Group of Sweden, will focus on fully built buses and heavy trucks to grow its business, its CEO Vinod Aggarwal said . The company will turn India into a Volvo export hub for Middle East, Africa and South East Asian markets besides South Asia...

LNG versus GTL * USA - The future truck and bus fuel battle

2011-09-19T18:17:00.000-03:00

(Photo, Westport Innovations: Inside Westport's engine assembly plant)

New York,NY,USA -Automotive World (UK), by Alan Bunting -September 19, 2011: -- It was recently announced that Shell had entered into an agreement with Vancouver-based Westport Innovations to promote the wider use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an alternative fuel in North America, mainly for commercial vehicles, by helping to consolidate fuel supply and customer support by way of specialised after-sales services... Natural gas as a vehicle fuel, mainly in compressed form (CNG), is already in widespread use, especially in parts of the world adjacent to gas fields. In such situations, the cost of getting the gas, often by pipeline, to the point of use - typically the depot of a large truck or bus fleet - is relatively modest. There are powerful lobby groups such as the Natural Gas Vehicle Association, with astute publicity machines behind them, which have succeeded in boosting the profile of CNG as an automotive fuel. However, its penetration into a market dominated by diesel power remains limited... Moving from diesel to CNG or LNG fuelling usually brings ongoing fuel cost savings. Those savings come not from combustion efficiency improvements - where the diesel continues to reign supreme - but chiefly from more favourable fuel duty levels imposed by national governments keen to encourage NG use, for emission and/or oil import reduction reasons... The main shortcoming of GTL is one of production scale. For it to be competitive in price, production plants requiring investment comparable with that of large oil refineries are needed... But if, as predicted, future global oil price rises outstrip those for NG, then GTL will become a more viable proposition and, crucially, a more practical one when compared with LNG. In a decade or so, competition between LNG and GTL is likely to become a key issue for the truck and bus fuelling business...

ELECTRIC BUS SALES * China - BYD to Introduce eBUS Electric Buses in Frankfurt

2011-09-15T11:41:00.000-03:00

Frankfurt,Germany -Electric Car News -(originally published) June 15, 2011: -- BYD has signed a Letter of Intent with the city of Frankfurt, Germany to introduce BYD’s all-electric, long-range, eBUS... The City of Frankfurt announced that it was working towards a plan to implement an integrated electric mobility system aligned with public transportation and the utilities companies. BYD will supply three all-electric buses eBUS-12, two DC charging stations and technical support in the first quarter of 2012... These electric buses will be used as shuttles at Frankfurt’s Airport and Public transportation routes to the Gateway Gardens in Frankfurt... BYD eBUS-12 is the longest range eBUS available in the market... The BYD eBUS has been used in Shenzhen and Changsha, China fleets for several months now and is referenced in the recent “BYD Fleet Summary” released April 29th, 2011. 200 units more Ebus-12 will be delivered to the Universiade Shenzhen 2011 by August, 2011...

FUEL ECONOMY * UK - Flybus to start testing flywheel hybrid bus

2011-09-09T16:53:00.002-03:00

(Photo: The Flybus consortium is testing its prototype flywheel hybrid bus)

London,EN,UK -Gizmag, by Ben Coxworth -September 8, 2011: -- Gas/electric hybrid vehicles tend to be pricier than their conventional counterparts, and many people still worry about the limited range of all-electrics. If you want to move away from purely petrol-powered vehicles, though, is there any alternative? The four-company Flybus consortium would definitely say there is. It recently rigged up a bus with a prototype flywheel-based energy recover system, that stores the energy that would be wasted when the vehicle brakes, then returns that energy to the drivetrain when the bus accelerates. The researchers claim that it could deliver hybrid-like fuel economy, at a fraction of the price... This certainly isn't the first time that flywheels have been used to power buses. The gyroscopic effect of early systems such as those used in the Gyrobus, however, reportedly made the vehicles difficult to handle... Flybus's prototype is currently on display at the Low Carbon Vehicle event in the UK...

BUSMAKERS NEWS * Germany - Daimler Buses defends its leading position in the bus business

2011-09-09T15:37:00.007-03:00

Stuttgart,Germany -Metal Supply, by Charlotte Stubben -September 8, 2011: -- In the first six months of the year, Daimler Buses sold 18,308 Mercedes Benz, Setra, and Orion brand buses and chassis worldwide... During this period, the unit posted revenues of slightly more than €2 billion... In the first half of 2011, the bus markets developed in very different ways. Demand increased appreciably in Latin America, India, and Turkey, leading to substantial market growth. In the key growth market of Brazil, Daimler’s bus division maintained sales at last year’s high level, selling a total of around 8,900 units. That makes Daimler Buses the undisputed market leader in the country, with a market share of over 43 percent... Sales in Mexico even increased by about 27 percent to more than 1,430 units. Daimler Buses posted its highest growth in South America in Argentina, where vehicle sales rose by 24 percent to around 2,000 units. In Turkey, Daimler Buses delivered almost twice as many travel coaches to customers as in the first half of last year, increasing sales to just under 700 units... In full-year 2011, Daimler Buses expects that global demand will primarily come from Latin America, India, and Turkey. At the same time, the bus manufacturer does not yet expect the European market to experience a major rebound...

* Germany - New-generation Citaro handed over to Lücke-Reisen

(Photo: First new Citaro delivered)

Stuttgart,Germany -media Daimler Press Release -21 Sept 2011: ... The best-selling urban bus from Mercedes-Benz has been completely revamped... Lücke-Reisen, based in Nordkirchen, Germany, is the first private bus and coach firm to choose the new-generation Citaro... The designers at Mercedes-Benz have given the urban bus a completely new look, from the headlights to the tail lights... The new Citaro’s redesigned passenger compartment has an even more spacious feel than before. Light colours and an uncluttered ceiling design create an airy and inviting interior... The new Citaro’s safety concept sets the standard. Its protection in the event of head-on collisions is unique among urban buses and is based on the ECE R 29 standard. It has increased passive safety thanks to an even more rigid yet lighter frame structure... Citaro has inherited its predecessor’s tried-and-trusted economical and environmentally-friendly engines with BlueTec diesel technology. Lücke-Reisen’s Citaro is powered by a compact six-cylinder turbo diesel OM 906 hLA with a cubic capacity of 6.37 litres, 210 kW (286 bhp) output and 1120 Nm torque. The engine meets the Euro V emissions standard...

* Germany - MAN Truck & Bus awarded major order from Singapore

(Photo: A MAN low floor bus)
Munich,Germany -Metal Supply, by Charlotte Stubbe -September 6, 2011: -- The bus arm of Singapore transportation operator SMRT has ordered 200 complete buses based on MAN low-floor chassis Type NL 323 F... This bus chassis for a body length of 12 meters is the ideal basis for the south-east Asian island city-state's reliable, high-performing and dynamic local public transport system... Keeping things moving briskly are the six-cylinder diesel engines with an output of 235 kW (320 hp). For particularly effective exhaust-gas management, the engines are equipped with the eco-friendly MAN PM-Kat and thus comply with the Euro V standard... The order is valued in the high double-digit Euro millions. Delivery of the vehicles will be completed by the end of 2012...

* Germany - Two awards for MAN buses in Russia

Munich,Germany -MAN's Press Releases -14 Sept 2011: -- A MAN coach, the Neoplan Cityliner, has been voted "Bus of the Year" at Comtrans 2011, the international commercial-vehicle show in Moscow. With its striking design this vehicle is the best-selling Neoplan model in Russia and has already won the "red dot design award: best of the best". Beside this a jury of specialists and independent experts in Russia singled out the MAN Lion's Regio as the winner in the category "Lowest running costs for buses"... The success is reflected in sales too: in the first eight months of 2011, MAN was once again the leading European importer of commercial vehicles on the Russian market. From January to August 2011 the company delivered a total of 4,282 trucks over 6 tonnes and 152 coaches and intercity buses in the 12 metres and over segment to Russia. The number of units sold in the full year 2011 is set to be about twice as high as in 2010. This makes Russia the second largest market for MAN Truck & Bus after Germany. MAN is currently setting up a truck production plant in St. Petersburg. As early as 2012 a quarter of the trucks sold in Russia are to be produced locally...

* India - JBM Group in talks with foreign firms for bus manufacturing

Chengalpattu,Tamil Nadu,India -Sulekha, by Jayashankar Menon -8 Sept 2011: -- Auto component-maker JBM Group today said it will make a foray into the vehicle manufacturing space through a tie-up with a foreign partner for the launch of buses in India by next fiscal, according to a BS report quoting PTI as saying. The company will join hands with a foreign partner to roll out the product from a new facility to be set up either in North or West India...

* China - Largest bus manufacturer Yutong selects Maxwell ultracaps for diesel-electric hybrid drive system

(Photo: A Yutong Hybrid bus)
Yutong Industry Park,Shibalihe,Zhengzhou,Henan,China -ev-olution.org, by Mike Millikin -12 Sept 2011: -- Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Co., Ltd. (Yutong), China’s largest bus manufacturer, has selected Maxwell ultracapacitors for energy storage and power delivery in diesel-electric hybrid buses that Yutong is producing for public transit agencies worldwide... Yutong’s hybrid drive system incorporates 16 of Maxwell’s 48-volt ultracapacitor modules to support braking energy recuperation and torque assist functions that enable hybrid transit buses to achieve fuel savings and CO2 emission reduction of approximately 25% and reduce particulate emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional diesel buses... Maxwell ultracapacitors are powering some 4,000 hybrid transit buses currently in service worldwide, and are being employed in several other transportation applications, including a stop-start idle elimination system developed by Continental AG for micro hybrid diesel automobiles now being produced by PSA Peugeot Citroen in Europe...

* India - Volvo Buses to invest Rs2bn over next 2 years

(Photo: A air-conditioned Volvo bus, set for roll-out)

Bangalore,India -SACQUIRE MEDIA/Press Trust of India -September 9, 2011: -- Volvo Buses plans to invest more than Rs2bn (US$43.35m) in India over the next two years. This investment will go towards the development of new products, including medium-segment buses... The OEM currently operates only in the high-end bus segment. Its products carry pricetags ranging from Rs7.5m to Rs10m. An entry into India's medium bus segment will pitch Volvo against companies such as Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland... In order to carry out this plan, Volvo Buses intends to expand its manufacturing facility near Bangalore. This facility has sufficient space to facilitate expansion plans, the OEM said... Volvo Buses India expects its sales for the full year to rise to 800 units, up from the 560 buses it managed to sell last year...

ALTERNATIVE FUELS * Pakistan - 40 percent minibuses converted to CNG

2011-06-07T07:44:00.001-03:00

Islamabad,Pakistan -Pakistan Financial Daily, by N H ZUBERI -May 25, 2011: -- Around 40 percent of all pubic transport minibuses operating in the city have been converted to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). There are more than 20,810 registered buses and minibuses operating in the city. Recently, some companies have introduced a new technology to convert diesel vehicles to CNG in the city... After the introduction of this technology and frequent increase in diesel prices conversion of public transport buses to CNG have started on massive scale and gaining momentum with the passage of time to save fuel expenses and enjoy additional income from recent increase in buses and minibuses fare... The owners of minibuses and their association are not prepared to pass on some portion of double benefit they get due to difference in CNG and diesel price and recent increase in bus fare by Rs 2 to the commuters... (Picture from vmartgallery.org, by Karen Trist : minibus decoration in Karachi)

* Pakistan: Buses Public Service in

Karachi,Pakistan -Pakistan Financial Daily, by N H ZUBERI -May 25, 2011: ... The minibus owners also mint money by allowing passengers to sit on rooftops. These transporters enjoy huge profit margins at the cost of poor commuters... It is said that old and unfit vehicles are allowed to ply on Karachi roads. Some years ago ticketing system was reintroduced in busses and minibuses but it failed with the connivance of rules implementing agencies like police... The bus never stops for passengers on the stop as the driver only slow down the bus for dropping the passengers. The passengers have to actually jump out of the bus. As soon as their feet are off on the bus the conductor taps the gate and the bus picks up the speed once again... Women are 52 percent of Pakistan's population but only four seats are allocated to them in the public buses including one over the engine. In spite of the less number of seats and space available for females, male passengers sometimes occupy women compartment as well. Moreover, those people who daily depend on public buses for transportation are fortunate enough if they reach home safely without facing any mishap. According to an official of the ministry, there are 12,000 old buses and coaches currently plying on the city roads... (Picture from newsimg.bbc (UK): Karachi commuters)

BUS SALES * Russia - MAN delivers 46 buses to Moscow's public transport company

2011-06-06T21:17:00.000-03:00

Moscow,Russia -Transport Weekly -6 June 2011: -- The Moscow public transport company (Mostransavto) will now be relying on 46 new MAN Lion’s Regio C. The 13.01-metre buses with up to 59 seats each provide a high level of comfort and maximum safety at an attractive price and design. The buses are powered by a six-cylinder diesel engine delivering 228 kW (310 hp) and their exhaust gas is cleaned with the aid of the MAN PM catalytic converter... Mostransavto's local public transport operation serves an area and population comparable with that of Bavaria, running approximately 6,000 buses with lengths of 12 meters and up... MAN Truck & Bus has been the market leader among importers in Russia for the past three years in the segment for buses over 12 meters. Last year, MAN supplied Russia with a total of 152 coaches and intercity buses... (Photo from wikimedia.org/wikipedia: MAN Lion's Regio bus)

Study * Sweden - Prove The Obvious: Commuting Is Bad For You

2011-06-03T15:15:00.000-03:00

Money doesn’t buy happiness, but science has proven that commuting buys misery...

(Photo: A Traffic Jam)

Umea,Sweden -The Car Connection -1 June 2011: -- This just in: the longer your daily commute, the less likely you are to be happy, healthy and even married for any length of time... A new study by researchers at Umea University in Sweden proved that commuters who drive more than 45 minutes each way are 40 percent likelier to divorce than those with shorter commutes. The study failed to identify reasons for this, but those of us who’ve experienced commutes from hell know the reasons all too well: commuting leaves you drained, stressed and robbed of time to do things that matter, like exercise, interact with loved ones and even focus on life at home... Long commutes are often the byproduct of real estate prices. Jobs are usually located in urban centers, and urban real estate is expensive; hence, for the price of a studio apartment downtown, you can often buy a three bedroom house in a distant suburb. For some, it’s about the quality of suburban or rural life versus urban life, where things like cars and motorcycles are liabilities and not assets. Surely there has to be a break-even point between commuting distance and income, right? ... There’s a study on that as well, and its conclusion isn’t good news for those with long commutes. To justify an extra hour of commuting time, your salary would need to rise by 40 percent just to break even. Factor that in the next time you get a job offer that pushes the limit of what you’d consider a reasonable commute...

Bus-tracking technology * USA - Comes to L.A. County

2011-06-03T14:48:00.000-03:00

Metro riders can call or go online to see exactly when their bus will arrive at a particular stop

(Picture by Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times / June 26, 2008: Bus riders wait at Wilshire and Western)

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Los Angeles Times, by Ari Bloomekatz -May 30, 2011: -- If Dora Chavez knew exactly when her bus would arrive she could hustle to make it on time, stroll easily to the stop, or call work to say she would be late... With a new Metro program, Chavez will be able to do just that by using her phone or computer to get real-time information on when a bus will arrive at any of Los Angeles County's more than 15,000 Metro stops... Dubbed NexTrip, the online service uses GPS and other technologies to track buses on their routes... Wondering when a bus will arrive — and waiting impatiently — is a common experience for many bus riders...

BUS SYSTEM * USA - More Central Floridians are taking the bus

2011-05-27T05:08:00.000-03:00

Lynx ridership up more than 10 percent. "People are looking for ways to save money"

(Photo by Gary W. Green/Orlando Sentinel)

Orlando,FL,USA -The Orlando Sentinel, by Dan Tracy -May 23, 2011: -- People are flocking to Central Florida's bus system, driven by a slowly improving economy and gas prices at nearly $4 a gallon... Ridership at Lynx is up more than 10 percent. If the trend continues, Lynx will top its record of 27.2 million passengers, which was set in 2008 — the last time gas spiked to almost $4 a gallon... The allure of buses is simple: With a one-way ticket costing $2, they are considerably cheaper than driving... Orlando's slowly rebounding economy also helps because more people have jobs, many of them in the lower-paying service and tourism sectors. Those people are more likely to take the bus... Lynx's most popular route — drawing 2.3 million people last year — goes from the downtown terminal to the International Drive tourist corridor...

PUBLIC SERVICES * Venezuela - Issues its first suspension to bus driver

2011-05-20T16:13:00.000-03:00

Caracas,Venezuela -Land Line Magazine -19 May 2011: -- In Venezuela, a commercial bus driver’s license was recently suspended for 12 months. It was the first suspension since a law was enacted three years ago to punish unsafe drivers... According to Reuters, police stopped the bus driver, Ramon Parra, 41, for speeding. Police cited him for carrying more passengers than legally permitted and for missing a rear wheel, which was found on the floor inside... The maximum suspension for a driver’s license in Venezuela is five years for killing someone. Fuel costs about 12 cents a U.S. gallon, and prices have not been raised in years... (Image from travelpod: The boom box junk bus to choroni)

BUSMAKERS' NEWS WORLDWIDE * Sweden / UK - Volvo and MCV launch London double deck bus

2011-05-17T09:42:00.001-03:00

Gothenburg,Sweden / London,EN,UK -Road Transport, by John Challen -13 May 2011: -- The new TfL-specified Volvo B9TL double deck bus has been launched, marking the beginning of a new partnership agreement with Egyptian based bodybuilder, MCV Group... Volvo's low floor 10.3m B9TL is specified with a rigid low beam front axle. The bus is powered by a rear mounted Volvo D9B engine, which is rated at 260bhp or 310bhp dependent upon operator requirements... The new vehicle is also the first diesel double deck bus with a passenger weight of 68kg to achieve a 28° tilt during testing...

* Bangladesh - Ashok Leyland secures US$23m bus order

Dhaka,Banglasesh -AutomotiveWorld -May 26, 2011: -- Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland has secured an order from the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) for 290 completely built-up (CBU) double-decker buses. The deal is valued at US$23.3m. This is the company's single largest order for double-decker buses from Bangladesh. The agreement was signed by the chairman of BRTC and Antony Lobo, special director – International Operations, Ashok Leyland... In the recently ended financial year, Ashok Leyland exported 10,306 CVs worldwide, a figure that was up 72% compared with the previous fiscal year. The company has, over the years, exported more than 9,500 vehicles to Bangladesh... (Photo from bargainbusnews: Bus Leyland Atlantean)

Personal Rapid Transit * UK - Debuts At Heathrow

2011-05-14T08:03:00.000-03:00

London,EN,UK -All Transport, by Armin Rosen -May 5, 2011: -- Exciting news for utopian futurist transit wonks, as well as air travelers in London, Heathrow Airport’s personal rapid transit system, which will carry travelers from parking areas to the airport’s terminals, started passenger trials this week. Among transportation systems that are actually being developed and built somewhere in the world, PRT could be the most aesthetically and conceptually radical. A PRT system consists of driverless pods that seat 4-6 passengers and travel on a short, dedicated track. The track incorporates interchanges and cutoffs that allow a pod to bypass stations en route to its riders’ final destination—a PRT pod works a bit like a personalized subway train that only makes express stops...

Urban Traffic Problems * USA - A silver bullet for

2011-05-05T07:58:00.000-03:00

Some of the most valuable real estate in cities is hidden beneath parked cars ...

New York,NY,USA-CNNMoney, by Eilene Zimmerman -April 29, 2011: ... For managers of urban resources, this turf is a blind spot... There's no real-time data about how it gets used, and you can't manage what you can't measure. Experts believe that some 30% of urban traffic comes from cars hunting for parking spaces... Enter Streetline, a 30-employee company in San Francisco that creates and installs wireless sensor networks to monitor parking spaces. Each sensor uses a magnetometer to detect the presence of large metal objects nearby... The sensors communicate wirelessly, signaling whether spots are occupied or vacant, gradually collecting data to reveal local parking patterns. That information allows cities to price their parking spaces according to their actual value, factoring in supply and demand as they would with any other piece of real estate... With that data, cities can both help ease congestion and boost their meter revenue... More cities are coming around to his way of thinking. During its first four years of business, Streetline closed only two deals. In the past six months, it closed six of them... (Photo from money.cnn: Lower East Side Seniors Home Eyes Seward Park Lots SPURA: Parking)

Bus Ridership * USA - As Gas Prices Rise So Does Ones

2011-05-05T07:44:00.000-03:00

Inter-city bus ridership continues to climb

New York,NY,USA -Transportation Nation, by Alex Goldmark -May 2, 2011: -- Ahead of the busy summer travel season, inter-city bus ridership continues to climb despite the trio of recent crashes in the Northeast... Robert Schwarz, Executive Vice President of Peter Phe said, “it’s definitely increasing and we’re very optimistic for where it’s going to go this summer.” He added of rising gas prices, “it’s very good for the intercity bus industry” because travel is a discretionary item and habits can change with relative costs... With gas over $4 a gallon, filling up the tank to go to Washington, D.C. can cost $60. You can get three bus tickets for that... MegaBus has been expanding fast in the past few years, so it’s hard to tell how gas prices might affect growth. Dale Moser, COO of MegaBus, said, that comparing ridership to this time last year on the same routes, the growth is “significantly greater” than projected, adding some of that “has to be somewhat related to gas.” He cautioned, they do not ask riders to give the reason they choose the bus over driving when the buy a ticket... (Photo from t3.gstatic: MEGABUS - SkyscraperCity )

BUSES' INSPECTIONS * USA - buses feel heat of Federal safety crackdown

2011-04-19T19:12:00.000-03:00

Washington,DC,USA -Fleet Owner, by David Cullen -Apr 13, 2011: -- Surprise inspections nationwide by a joint federal-state law enforcement “strike force” pulled 289 motor-coach buses and their drivers off the road for being unsafe in just one nine-day stretch. According to the Dept. of Transportation (DOT), the “coordinated enforcement strike force” of Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) inspectors working with state and local law-enforcement officers issued out-of-service violation citations to 156 drivers and 262 vehicles... Those violations were found amid 2,782 passenger-carrier safety inspections conducted between March 28 and April 6 as part of FMCSA’s ongoing effort to focus more closely on the safe operation of passenger buses... Earlier, from March 12 to March 28, an estimated 3,000 passenger carrier safety inspections were conducted across the country, noted DOT, resulting in nearly 300 passenger-carrier vehicles being put out of service that 17-day stretch... (Photo from usdotblog: FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro talks with safety inspector at Washington, DC, checkpoint near National Mall)

Mass Transit * USA - How Smartphones Can Improve Public Transit

2011-04-19T07:51:00.000-03:00

Smartphone apps may be the key to getting people out of their cars and onto mass transit

Boston,MASS,USA -Autopia, by Keith Barry -April 8, 2011: -- An interesting study of commuters in Boston and San Francisco found people are more willing to ride the bus or train when they have tools to manage their commutes effectively. The study asked 18 people to surrender their cars for one week. The participants found that any autonomy lost by handing over their keys could be regained through apps providing real-time information about transit schedules, delays and shops and services along the routes... Though the sample size is small, the researchers dug deep into participants’ reactions. The results could have a dramatic effect on public transportation planning, and certainly will catch the attention of planners and programmers alike. By encouraging the development of apps that make commuting easier, transit agencies can drastically, and at little cost, improve the ridership experience and make riding mass transit more attractive... Unfortunately, gathering and releasing all that data requires some tech savvy, which too often is lacking at some transit agencies...

BUSES PURCHASE PROSPECTS * USA - Hattiesburg School District to buy new buses

2011-04-13T06:55:00.002-03:00

Hattiesburg,Miss,USA -AP/Daily Reporter -April 07, 2011: -- The Hattiesburg School District will spend $803,000 for eight new school buses and nine vehicles, including a new car for the superintendent... Director of Transportation, Audrae Barnes, tells the Hattiesburg American that two of the buses will be used for activities. She says the other six will replace older buses... Of the nine vehicles, Barnes says two will be used for driver's education, two will be used by school resource officers, two will be used by the maintenance department, one will be used by the transportation department and one will be used by the technology department...

* UK - Government cash for green bus initatives

Poundbury,Dorchester,UK -This is Sommerset -7 April 2011: -- Seven new green buses will be picking up passengers in the West next year thanks to a Government grant of almost £650,000... Transport Minister, Norman Baker, said he had provided £475,000 for five single-decker buses to operate in Taunton... He has given Dorset County Council £166,000 for two single-decker electric buses for Poundbury, the village on the edge of Dorchester on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall... Mr Baker said the cash was part of £46 million from the Green Bus Fund for 542 new low-carbon buses to be on roads across the country by March 2012... The money is part of the Government's drive to invest in projects that encourage use of sustainable local transport, and promote green growth... The fund has previously supported almost 150 buses around the country... (Photo from inhabitat: Tindo bus green public transit)

CHALLENGE SLOW BUSES * USA - Man on Tricycle Outspeeds 42nd Street Bus

2011-04-13T06:44:00.000-03:00

New York,NY,USA -NBC New York, by Susannah Griffee -Apr 6, 2011: -- A man riding a child's tricycle beat the M42 bus in a race across town just to show how slowly it really moves... Mark Malkoff, a comedic filmmaker from Queens, raced the M42 bus for more than a mile on 42nd Street from 10th Avenue to Madison Avenue. Riding 4.7 mph, he clocked in at 12 minutes and 42 seconds, almost three minutes faster than the bus... Malkoff told NBC New York he got the idea for the race when he saw children riding Big Wheels on the street... (Photo: My Damn Channel)

NEW BUSES FLEET * WORLDWIDE

2011-04-13T06:12:00.001-03:00

* UK - Warrington Borough Transport invests £750k

Penketh,Warrington,UK -The Warrington Guardian -6 April 2011: -- Bus passengers in Penketh will get a roomy ride thanks to a £750,000 investment on new buses... Warrington Borough Transport has welcomed the arrival of six new Optare Solo minibuses for use on services visiting the Penketh area... The buses are environmentally friendly, have full cctv systems for customer safety and have been designed with high backed seats and updated interiors for customers comfort... The switch comes from customer feedback after a demonstration bus like the ones now in service was used on the route last year... The new buses mark the retirement of the last high floor single-deck buses in the fleet which have served the Penketh routes for the last 13 years... (Photo from warringtonboroughtransport: New, Optare Solo buses fleet)

* USA - Bendy buses debut in New Haven

New Haven,CT,USA -Yale Daily News, by McKenna Keyes -April 6, 2011: -- As of last Monday, the Connecticut Department of Transportation added 12 60-foot buses to the New Haven CTTRANSIT fleet of public buses. These longer buses are formally called articulated buses, which are commonly referred to as “bendy buses,” and have the ability to make turns like a 40-foot bus, using an accordion-like middle section that allows the last 20 feet of bus to bend inward. The new buses, which are roomier, were met with positive reviews from New Haven residents interviewed yesterday... Ragsdale said he has had a more challenging experience of adapting to the new bus, adding that there are more buttons, gadgets and length to deal with. However, he said the bendy buses are a good addition to the New Haven fleet because passengers have a more comfortable riding experience... The articulated buses are in accordance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2010 emission standards. Fourteen similarly environmentally friendly 40-foot buses were added to the New Haven fleet by the end of April... (Photo by McKenna Keyes: As New Haven bus driver Wilbert Ragsdale describes it, the bus he has been driving for the past 20 years has grown a 20-foot tail)

Bus 'hop card' * New Zealand - Welcome sign of progress

2011-04-13T06:01:00.000-03:00

Auckland has been waiting many years for a public transport system with a transfer ticket ...

Auckland,NZ -NZ Herald -Apr 6, 2011: ... At last there is a sign of progress... Auckland Transport, a body set up with the Super City, has adopted a debit card that will enable passengers to change buses with ease... Its "hop card", introduced by agreement with Infratil's subsidiaries Snapper and NZ Bus, sounds like the Snapper card that the former Auckland Regional Transport Agency rejected in favour of a bid from a French provider, Thales... Auckland has been waiting well over a year for the Thales contract to produce a transferable ticket and will continue to wait for the hop card to be extended to trains, ferries and buses not operated by NZ Bus. But at least that is the plan now... Car users naturally would like to see all public transport off the roads and on to rail, but that is not practical for a city of diverse daily travel patterns. Buses are here to stay. Under the eye of an agency that believes in them, improvements are beginning to happen... (Photo by Dean Purcell)

BUSMAKERS NEWS * WORLDWIDE

2011-04-12T17:10:00.004-03:00

* UK - Alexander Dennis secures £100m in bus contracts. More than 500 vehicles ordered this year

Falkirk,UK -Business7 -Apr 7 2011: -- Alexander Dennis has won £100 million of bus manufacturing contracts this year... The Falkirk company confirmed it has secured orders for more than 500 vehicles from a range of UK and international customers... These include 160 for FirstGroup, 116 for Go-Ahead Group, 99 for Arriva and 43 for London Sovereign... Hong Kong's MTRC and New Zealand based Mana Bus have also ordered extra buses... The company said the first dozen bus chassis for a 120-vehicle order for NZ Bus have arrived in New Zealand... The body kits are being built by Kiwi Bus with the first of the vehicles due to go into service before the Rugby World Cup...

* USA - New Alexander Dennis' 'Double Tall' transit buses on Seattle streets

Seattle,WASH,USA -The SEATTLEPI, by SCOTT GUTIERREZ -April 7, 2011: -- Seattle is getting a taste of London with a new fleet of "Double Tall" transit buses on city streets... The double-decker buses belong to Community Transit, which is running the first of the 23 new buses this week between Lynnwood and downtown Seattle. The 14-feet tall double-decker buses are replacing 60-foot articulated buses that were built in 1998 and are ready to be retired. The 23 buses were purchased with a federal stimulus grant and will be rolled out into the fleet this spring, Community Transit reports... Each bus costs about $830,000 and paid for with $13.8 million in federal money, including a $10.8 million stimulus grant, plus a $3 million state grant and $2.2 million in local money, Community Transit spokesman Martin Munguia said... The Double Talls were manufactured by Alexander Dennis Ltd., the same company that makes the famous London double deckers. Since federal funding for the buses has a "Buy America" requirement, the Scotland-based bus company established a plant in the United States so the buses could meet federal standards, which was required by the federal stimulus grant... (Photo by Joshua Trujillo/Seattlepi: A Community Transit doubledecker bus drives southbound on I-5 in Seattle)

* India - ALL seeks to be among global top five bus makers

Chennai,India -The Financial Express, by R Ravichandran -Apr 5, 2011: -- Hinduja group flagship Ashok Leyland is aiming to become among the top 10 global players in the trucks business and top five in the bus segment in the next five to 10 years. The company believes this could be achieved with a combination of domestic as well as overseas sales (including exports) apart from strengthening its exiting products portfolio, brand image, service and dealers network, expanded overseas presence (through offices) across countries and huge investments into R&D and other facilities... The managing director of Ashok Leyland, Vinod K Dasari said, “We believe the domestic market alone will not help us sustain our share and that is why we are involved in expanding presence across the globe including in Africa, West Asia, Latin America and Saarc countries. We hope that 25% of our sales come from our international operations (including exports).”... (Photo from t3.gstatic: An ALL bus)

* UAE / Dubai - MAN to debut first CNG low-floor solo bus in the Region

Dubai -Zawya -5 Apr 2011: -- Market leader in gas-powered city buses to premier MAN, Lion's City CNG Model for hot countries at the upcoming 59th UTIP World Congress in Dubai ... The world's assured accessible natural-gas reserves are estimated at almost 190 billion cubic metres - at today's rate of extraction that's enough for the next sixty years. If one adds the natural-gas resources (meaning gas that cannot yet be extracted or only with great effort), then the range is around 130 years... At more than 75 billion cubic metres, the world's biggest deposits of natural gas have been found in the Near and Middle East, followed by Eastern Europe / CIS (62 billion), North, Central and South America (17), Far East/Pacific (15) and Africa (14)... Security of supply and combustion characteristics are factors in favour of natural gas as an alternative source of energy for both stationary and mobile applications - this is being recognised by more and more countries around the world. This is why the UAE, for example, decided years ago that natural gas was to account for twenty percent of the total amount of fuel consumed on its roads by the year 2012...

High Gas Prices * USA - Could fuel metro bus ridership

2011-04-12T17:02:00.000-03:00

Waterloo,IOW,USA -WCF Courier/Cedar Valley Business, by JOHN MOLSEED -April 4, 2011: -- When gas prices rise, so does the number of bus riders. In Black Hawk County, the increase in rider fares doesn't make up the difference in the increase in fuel costs, said Mark Little, operations manager of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Black Hawk County... Fuel costs for the MET have climbed from $1.45 per gallon average in March 2009 to $2.27 per gallon average in March 2010. This year, MET paid $3.23 per gallon its first fill this month... Ridership is up about 3 percent so far this fiscal year, with 271,631 passengers riding the MET fixed routes through Cedar Falls and Waterloo compared to 263,838 riders up to the same time last year... (Image from static.seekingalpha: Saupload high gas prices cartoon)

INFRASTRUCTURES * USA - Modern Design and Sustainability to Albany CDTA’s with New Bus Stations

2011-04-12T16:50:00.000-03:00

Serving 3.5 million commuters annually, Duo-Gard’s bus stations provide added security and convenience to riders

Canton,MICH,USA -Enhanced Online News -April 4, 2011: -- Duo-Gard Industries Inc. today announces it has teamed up with the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) of Albany, NY, to install its sustainable bus stations as part of the new BusPlus program. In this latest project, Duo-Gard once again demonstrates its ability to combine modern aesthetic design, high functionality and sustainability by installing these new stations at BusPlus stops between Schenectady and downtown Albany. The customized design for the CDTA sets new standards in the typically humdrum world of bus stations – providing added security and convenience to the Capital District's 3.5 million annual commuters on the busy Route 5 corridor... (Image from alloveralbany: BusPlus station)

VANDALISED BUSES * Bangladesh - Lawmaker attacked, 100 buses vandalised in Bangladesh strike

2011-04-12T16:38:00.002-03:00

Dhaka,Bangladesh -IndiaVision (India)-Apr 4, 2011: -- Islamist activists Monday attacked a lawmaker, vandalised 100 buses and set fire to a petrol pump in Chittagong port city of Bangladesh during a day-long strike called to protest the government's policy to ensure "equal status" to women... Police picked up 135 activists and in the sporadic pitched battles, 53 people were injured... A madrassa student had died on the eve of the strike... Lawmaker R.M.A. Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury escaped unhurt though four policemen were injured in the attack... The policy seeks to give "equal status" to women in Bangladesh that is an Islamic republic and has a predominantly Muslim population... (Photo from amaderdesh: Bangladeshi students go berserk over death of colleague)

* USA - History Repeats Itself In Bus Vs. Rail Protests

Los Angeles,CAL,USA -
KCet org, by Matthew Fleischer -April 5, 2011: -- As you may have heard, Metro has approved plans to significantly rollback its bus service. 300,000 hours, or 4% of all bus routes, will be cut. This comes only a year after Metro already cut bus services by 8%. Prompted by low-income transit advocates, the Federal Transit Administration is investigating whether these proposed rollbacks violate the Civil Rights Act--as it can easily be argued they disproportionately affect poor, minority riders... This wouldn't be the first time Metro faced federal sanctions for bus reductions in the face of rail expansion. Back in 1994, a group called the Bus Riders' Union sued Metro for reducing bus service while simultaneously constructing a multi-billion dollar rail line to Pasadena... The current plan to the bus fleet to 1,900 means Metro's total fleet will be 200 smaller than the 2,100 buses that drove the Bus Rider's Union to sue back in the 90's... With the Expo Line (hopefully) set to open in due time, there may indeed be a few lines that become redundant with the expanded rail service. But as my Spot.us colleague Alex Schmidt is currently investigating, many of the proposed cuts will take place in LA's poor working class communities, far away from new rail construction... History appears to be repeating itself in Los Angeles... Rail vs. bus shouldn't be a choice we need to make in Los Angeles. Everyone is excited for LA to finally get a world-class light rail network... Granted, LA's bus system is not always convenient for riders stuck in traffic. This city is in obvious need of increased light rail options. But our expanding rail network needs to complement our existing bus system, not replace it, nor shortchange it... (Photo from kcet.org: Buy 500 buses by 2010)

* USA - Vandals damage Edgewood buses

Edgewood, Maryland, USA -The Enquirer -5 April 2011: -- Vandals damaged Edgewood Schools' bus fleet early Tuesday, causing classes to be delayed two hours in the Butler County school system... Edgewood officials said someone entered the locked parking lot where the district's fleet of 30 school buses are stored and deflated the tires of 28 of the buses... The 3,750-student district in the city of Trenton returned to classes Tuesday after being off for spring break... No suspects have been indentified and the Butler County Sheriff's office is investigating, school officials said...

TRANSPORT POLICIES * Europe - * EU plan to phase out 'conventionally fueled' cars by 2050. The Commission says Europe's transport system remains unsustainable.

2011-04-12T11:11:00.001-03:00

Brussels,Belgium -Gizmag, by Tannith Cattermole -April 11, 2011: -- The European Commission has released a white paper detailing ambitious plans to transform Europe's transport infrastructure by 2050... The overall goal is to create a unified transport system capable of meeting the needs of the 500 million EU citizens... Without change, oil dependence of transport will remain around 90%, CO2 emissions from transport will remain one third higher than their 1990 level and congestion costs will increase by about 50% by 2050... The major goals set out in the "Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area" are:

• The gradual phasing out of conventionally-fueled cars in cities with a view to significantly reduce oil dependence, greenhouse gas emissions and local air and noise pollution

• Use of smaller, lighter and more specialized road passenger vehicles with focus on fleets of city buses, taxis and delivery vans that can be adapted for new alternative propulsion and fuels.

• A 50% shift of medium distance intercity passenger and freight journeys from road to rail and waterborne transport

• An overall 60% cut in transport emissions by 2050

• Switching to cleaner public transport in cities, as well as the option of walking and cycling

• A higher share of travel by public transport with minimum service obligations. Public transport quality and connections must be improved if consumer behavior is to change: currently 71% of car users feel that public transport is less convenient than the car while 72% say they don't use public transport because of a lack of connections, 54% mention lack of reliability

• Multi-modal travel planning and integrated ticketing across Europe

The European Twowheel Retailers' Association welcomed the plans but were felt that the part two-wheelers could play in helping cut emissions had been underplayed... (Photo: A lorries protest in UK)

BUSMAKERS NEWS * UK - Optare extends contract with GMPTE

2011-03-26T05:29:00.000-03:00

Blackburn,Manchester.UK -Manchester Evening News -21 March 2011: -- Bus and coach manufacturer Optare has announced its third big deal of the month with an extension to its contract with Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive... Optare, which is based in Blackburn, won an initial £13m order last May for 66 hybrid buses, of which 20 are now in service... The company has now secured a contract for a further 22 vehicles worth £4.3m which will be delivered during the fourth quarter of 2011 and early 2012... Last week, Optare announced a contract worth more than £2.2m with Go Ahead North East and earlier in March said it had been commissioned to supply 20 buses to Rotala for £3.6m... (Picture from wikipedia: Lancashire United Optare Versa unfinished livery)

COMPLAINS * UK - Passengers’ fury at rural bus route cuts

2011-03-26T05:14:00.000-03:00

Northamptonshire,EN,UK -The Evening Telegraph -23 March 2011: -- News that scores of bus services across the north of the county are to be axed has been greeted with anger by people in rural communities... Service operator Stagecoach has announced a first round of cuts as it attempts to make up a shortfall in council funding... The £3.1m a year previously given to bus companies by Northamptonshire County Council is being cut to £1m and Stagecoach says it cannot afford operate non-profitable services... But in Loddington, a village currently served by six buses a day to Kettering which will soon be axed, residents fear it will lead to people becoming isolated... (Photo: The Route A bus will be less frequent)

* Rural areas face double hit of bus fare rises and service cuts

Yorkshire,EN,UK -The Yorkshire Post -23 March 2011: -- Rural areas are set to be hard hit as bus passengers face a double hit of “large scale” cuts in routes and fare increases on remaining services because of Government funding cuts and soaring costs... Arriva, which operates buses across West and North Yorkshire, says fares will rise beyond inflation and many services will be cut because it is losing £14m a year in Government funding while also being hit by increasing fuel and staff costs... Bosses also warn of further strain imposed by cuts in funding for free bus travel which they say will have an uneven impact, smaller cities and rural areas being particularly affected...

BUSES PURCHASE PROSPECT * Canada - St. John's spending $15 M on new buses

2011-03-26T04:58:00.000-03:00

Metrobus will be replacing some of its old buses

St. John,Manitoba,Canada -CBC News -Mar 22, 2011: -- St. John's city council has approved a plan to borrow $15 million for new public buses... Half the city's fleet is at least 25 years old and councillors said the buses should be replaced for safety reasons... Metrobus will get 30 new vehicles under the seven-year plan... City officials looked into buying new hybrid-electric buses but decided not to purchase the more-expensive, environmentally friendly vehicles... The hybrids each cost $300,000 more than standard buses...

The Freedom Buses, with student designs, ready to roll

2011-03-26T04:24:00.001-03:00

Berkeley,CAL,USA -The Berkeleyside, by Tracey Taylor -March 21, 2011: -- An AC Transit bus wrapped in artwork commemorating the civil rights movement, created by Berkeley High School Arts and Humanities Academy students, will go on display on March 25 to the public... The bus is part of the Freedom Bus Project, a joint effort by the Alameda County Office of Education and AC Transit, in conjunction with West Contra Costa Unified School District and Art IS Education. The project honors the 55th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ historic bus ride in Montgomery, Alabama... Elementary, middle and high school students in the AC Transit service district, which spans Alameda County and West Contra Costa County, submitted social justice-themed artwork which was considered for the Freedom Bus Project’s mobile art exhibit. Starting in April, four of the winning entries will be displayed in over 200 buses in the AC Transit fleet through the end of the month...

The Freedom Bus Project’s Art Exhibit and Community Celebration will be held at 6pm on March 25, 2011 at the Oakland School for the Arts...

GPS * India - On Delhi city buses by March-end

2011-03-26T04:13:00.000-03:00

New Delhi,India -Sify -21 March 2011: -- The Delhi government today said it will install global positioning systems (GPS) in all buses by end of this fiscal while over 1,700 new bus shelters will be set up in the city in another two months... Transport Minister Arvinder Singh said the government had identified 2,800 sites for new bus shelters, of which 1,703 are being set up in the first phase and the rest will come up in phase-II... Work on installing over 1,000 such shelters has already been completed, Singh said adding, the first phase was to be over by April 31 but now it has been delayed and will be completed in the month of May... To supplementaries raised by members, he said action will be taken against any contractor who won tenders for the first phase of the project but is yet to start work. He assured of a probe into allegations that old bus shelters are being installed in some rural areas and that a bus stop near MCD Civic Centre building has been removed...

BUS CARDS * Australia - 1 in 5 bus passengers using MyWay

2011-03-26T04:04:00.000-03:00

Canberra,ACT,Australia -ABC News -Mar 21, 2011: -- The ACT Government says about a fifth of Canberra bus passengers are now using the new MyWay ticketing system... From April 11, paper-based tickets will no longer be valid on ACTION buses... MyWay cards or cash fares will be the only way that passengers can access buses after that date... The new cards were offered to seniors a month ago and made more widely available a fortnight ago... TAM's Director of Transport Planning Paul Peters says the old system will be phased out early next month... (Picture from ABC News: An estimated 1 in 5 Canberra bus passengers are using the new MyWay ticketing system for travel)

BUSES vs. TRAINS * USA - Metro plans to cut L.A. bus service as rail capacity expands

2011-03-26T03:50:00.000-03:00

Changes to Metro's bus system come five years after a federal consent decree was lifted

The Dart: Ep 104 - Los Angeles Metro from Richard Lutz on Vimeo.
Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Los Angeles Times, by Sam Allen -March 19, 2011: -- The consent decree arose from a settlement of a suit alleging the transit agency violated civil rights by favoring rail over buses... As transit officials push forward on an ambitious plan to expand rail service across L.A. County, they are also proposing significant reductions in bus service aimed at cutting costs and making the system more efficient... The latest plans, combined with changes last year, mark the most significant overhaul of L.A.'s bus system in more than a decade and would slash overall bus service by 12% and increase the number of passengers on individual buses. Nine routes are set to be eliminated in June and 11 more would be cut back... The series of reductions by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority comes after a federal judge ended a decade-long consent decree five years ago. The decree gave a court-appointed special master oversight over how the agency managed its bus service, which today accounts for about 80% of Metro's total 1.4 million average weekday boardings...

"PARASITES" * UK - Cost Londoners £75m

2011-03-22T14:08:00.000-03:00

Boris Johnson slams the fare-dodging

London,EN,USA -The London Evening Standard, by Dick Murray -18 Mar 2011: -- Boris Johnson today accused Tube and bus fare dodgers of being a "parasitic scourge" on London as figures showed the problem has got worse... The cost of fare-dodging rose to almost £75 million last year, up £5 million from the previous year... At least 120,000 passengers are known to have "dodged" their fare and Transport for London believes many hundreds of thousands of journeys are made each year by people with no valid ticket... "Fare dodgers are a parasitic scourge on this city costing London millions of pounds," said the Mayor as TfL announced a clampdown on cheats, with more plain-clothes ticket inspectors and police operations. Inspectors and uniformed staff will target specific areas and routes with British Transport Police and City of London Police... Mr Johnson also said that one of the main reasons he was phasing out "the dreaded bendy buses" was because "they made it far too easy for people to avoid paying"... Bendy buses have Oyster card readers by the rear doors and passengers do not have to pass the driver when boarding...

Transit Bus Testing * USA - Heavier Passengers Bring Change to

2011-03-22T13:30:00.000-03:00

FTA: Current assumption, 150 pounds per passenger, is no longer accurate

Washington,DC,USA -OHS -Mar 15, 2011: -- The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is changing how transit buses are tested to verify they can withstand the rigors of regular transit service. The change boosts the average assumed weight per passenger from 150 to 175 pounds and the assumed dimensions for a standing passenger from 1.5 square feet of free floor space to 1.75 square feet of free floor space "to acknowledge the expanding girth of the average passenger" ... The tests are done with a full load of seated and standing passengers represented during the gross vehicle weight portion and with all seats filled during the seated load weight portion, the notice states...

Out of Service * USA - New York sting puts 14 of 14 tour buses ...

2011-03-22T07:17:00.002-03:00

“Major Issues”: lack of an updated log book required to show how long a driver has been behind the wheel

Albany,NY,USA -The Associated Press, by MICHAEL GORMLEY -21 March 2011: -- A sting operation by New York state transportation investigators and law enforcement a week after a horrific fatal tour bus crash included a single stop in Manhattan in which all 14 tour buses pulled over were ordered off the road, state officials said Saturday... State investigators reported nine “major issues” Friday night with the drivers, including lack of an updated log book required to show how long a driver has been behind the wheel, an official familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press. The state Department of Transportation investigators found 10 major vehicle issues and 40 minor infractions, the official said... The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the continuing sting operation involving police statewide... Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed the operation at DOT checkpoints as part of his order to investigate the Bronx crash of the tour bus, which was serving casino customers, while stepping up enforcement of all tour buses statewide... (AP photo: The state Department of Transportation investigators found 10 major vehicle issues)

* New York - Deadly Crashes highlight proliferation of low-fare bus options in Northeast

New York,NY,USA -The Washington Post -March 18, 2010: -- The past year has been one of exhilarating expansion, and deadly setbacks, for the fleets of inexpensive buses plying the highways of the Northeast...
Lured by cheap fares, convenient routes and in some cases free wireless Internet, customers queue up daily from curbside pickups in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington... The industry is in the fifth year of a solid boom, thanks to a new breed of bus service that eschews terminals and thrives on low prices Amtrak couldn’t hope to match. But a string of fatal crashes over six months also has prompted calls for tougher regulation... In September, four people died after a Megabus driver missed his exit for a depot in Syracuse, N.Y., and smashed into a low bridge on an unfamiliar parkway. Last Saturday, a bus swerved off Interstate 95 in New York City and was sliced in two by a pole, killing 15. On Monday, a bus drove off the New Jersey Turnpike and struck a bridge support, killing the driver and a passenger... The buses were all operated under different circumstances. One was owned by a big corporation with deep pockets. Another was a casino shuttle. The third was a tiny company serving mostly Chinese immigrants. Still, all three crashes happened in the dark, and on any bus route drivers are susceptible to fatigue... Brian Lancaster, a driver who cruises a route between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, N.J., said that many times he has felt like pulling over to the side of the road to rest... (Photo by Bill Kostroun/The Associated Press: NTSB workers inspect the tour bus at a New York State Police impound lot in Salt Point, N.Y. Tuesday, March 15, 2011)

* New York - Stepped-up inspections take 41 buses off road

New York,NY,USA -Lohud, by Ken Valenti -22 March 2011: -- Dozens of buses and drivers were pulled off the road in stepped-up inspections over the weekend, the state Department of Transportation said Monday... The DOT, New York City and state police — with federal border patrol agents working near Canada — inspected 164 buses from Friday through Sunday, and in 41 cases, they found violations involving either the bus or the driver that were serious enough to take the bus out of service... Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered additional safety inspections after the March 12 bus crash on the Westchester County-Bronx border that killed 15 and injured more than a dozen others... Elsewhere in the state, 138 buses were inspected with 25 taken off the road. DOT officials declined to say specifically where the stops occurred, citing the continuing investigation... Stephen Keppler, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, said more attention should to be paid to the condition of buses and the safety of the passengers on them... (Photo by Matthew Brown/The Journal News: Passengers exit the number 20 Bee Line bus at the stop in front of Empire City at Yonkers Raceway this month in Yonkers)

STRIKES * Italy - Buses out of service in Rome

2011-03-15T06:38:00.000-03:00

Rome,Italy -Video from YouTube - 10 March 2011: Transport strike in Rome.

BUSMAKERS NEWS * USA - Investing in tomorrow and create jobs today

2011-03-09T14:21:00.002-03:00

(Video from YouTube, by usdotgov -11 Feb 2011: Proterra was founded in 2004 to build the "bus of tomorrow." And with the help of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration, the company has succeeded creating an electric bus that can be recharged in under ten minutes)

Greenville,S.C.,USA -USA DOT -1 March 2011: ... Proterra Inc., an electric bus manufacturer, thanks to federal investment has been able to develop incredible zero-emissions transit buses and add hundreds of new jobs in South Carolina... Proterra has hired to the Greenville community more than 120 workers, with plans to reach up to 350 workers by the end of this year and more than 1,300 by 2015... Although Federal Tranist Administration grants had helped the company develop its fuel-cell technology, Proterra did not make the leap from a research and development company into a full-fledged manufacturer until FTA grants made it possible for cash-strapped transit agencies across the country to order new buses... The Obama Administration is investing in tomorrow and creating jobs today.

Tech Innovations * USA & Canada - Transit's Tops

2011-03-09T14:03:00.001-03:00

* Canada - Nova Bus: All-Electric Engine Cooling System

The Saint-Eustache,QC,USA -Mass Transit Mag -Feb 2011: -- A proprietary, integrated engineering electric engine cooling system improves the buses’ performance through reductions in maintenance costs, fuel consumption and polluting emissions... The system’s 13 variable-speed brushless fans are designed to last the life of the bus. Improved fuel efficiency affords up to 15 percent fuel economy from the lower overall power draw from the engine. Reduced maintenance costs are seen due to the elimination of the oil cooler and manifold. The system is positioned for the cleanest and coolest air intake... The all-electric engine cooling system is designed for serviceability and integrated in the Volvo multiplex system for easy diagnostics... (Image from novabus)

* USA - Thermo King Corp., a business of Ingersoll Rand – Alternator-Powered All-Electric HVAC

Minneapolis,Minnesota,USA -Mass Transit Mag -Feb 2011: -- While all-electric heating, ventilation and air conditioning for hybrid buses and trolley buses is a well-established technology, Thermo King offers a unique innovative solution that supplies high voltage power to the electric HVAC unit using an alternator driven by the bus engine. The alternator output is conditioned and stabilized before being used to power the electric compressors and fan motors regardless of engine speed... The alternator-powered all-electric HVAC system provides full capacity at engine idle, constant capacity throughout the speed range of the engine, lower maintenance costs, improved reliability, fuel savings and a control system that optimizes energy management and conservation...

* Ohio / USA - Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority – TransitStat

Cleveland,OH,USA -Mass Transit Mag -Feb 2011: -- TransitStat requires GCRTA’s management team to use data and information systems to define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) operations... Stat programs are structured, continuous management processes, which entail the frequent gathering, reviewing and analyzing of day-to-day government performance. GCRTA holds weekly meetings led by OMB and an executive team to review performance, understand trends and make necessary adjustments to ensure that immediate and long-term goals are met... TransitStat affects the entire organization’s culture by signaling that performance and data-driven management is important... Over the past several years, GCRTA’s business strategy has focused on three goals: A) Maintain financial health, B) Improve customer service, and C) Enhance the image of GCRTA. In order to affect these goals, GCRTA must embrace a performance culture that manages by data. TransitStat enhances GCRTA’s ability to deliver performance needed to reach and exceed its goals...

* DC / USA - Capital Metro – Mirror Awareness Guide

Washington,DC,USA -Mass Transit Mag -Feb 2011: -- One of Capital Metro’s most common types of collisions was mirror-to-mirror. Surprisingly, more collisions occurred from vehicles overtaking buses rather than from oncoming traffic. To counter this problem, the agency developed its Mirror Awareness Guide (MAG) devices and affixed them to the street-side rear section of its buses. The MAG device is the width of a bus mirror and set to the center height of the street-side exterior mirror... The premise is simple: when an overtaking vehicle approaches the bus and begins to pass, the driver should notice the protruding MAG device, which focuses their attention on the bus, causing them to pass with a wider safety cushion... If they fail to notice the device and travel too close to the bus, their mirror will hit the device producing a loud noise without harming their mirror or the flexible MAG. This should encourage them to move away from the bus before striking its mirror...

* Connecticut / USA - CTTransit – Hydrogen Garage Modifications

CT,USA -Mass Transit Mag -Feb 2011: -- Initially, bus companies testing hydrogen-fueled buses spent millions of dollars building small separate garages or bays for these specially fueled vehicles. These facilities were very expensive as they were designed to contain an explosion should one occur. CTTransit felt this was the wrong strategy and hired a consultant with extensive experience working with hydrogen with sophisticated computer modeling tools... Hydrogen is the lightest element in the universe, and if released, it disperses quickly. It is only flammable or explosive if concentrated. CTTransit was able to prove to the state facility engineer and fire marshals a better way to handle a hydrogen leak was not to contain it, concentrating it, but dispersing it immediately... The approved final solution was groundbreaking and inexpensive. CTTransit placed hydrogen leak detectors in its bus and bus bay and connected both to the facility backup electrical power supply should grid power fail. It locked out/tagged out the bus’ hydrogen fuel system before bringing it into the garage and ran it solely on electric power... Plastic covers were placed over bus bay light fixtures to prevent hydrogen from entering them and eliminating the lights as a possible spark source. Ventilation ducts were lowered from the ceiling so a constant low flow of air would be directed on the bus at all times...

* Colorado / USA - Proterra: EcoRide

Golden, CO ,USA -Mass Transit Mag -Feb 2011: -- Traditionally, the barriers to employing battery-powered buses in large-scale applications were the range and charging needs of batteries. Additionally, the weight of traditional buses has made it difficult to feasibly incorporate a battery with sufficient power and energy storage capacity into coach designs... Proterra Inc. is unique in that it designs and manufactures an electric bus’ complete system, including its own TerraVolt energy storage system which includes batteries, battery management system and integration system, FastFill rooftop rapid charging system, ProDrive drive system using a UQM PowerPhase 150 motor with three-speed gearbox, and a Continental VDO master control system with custom programming... The Proterra EcoRide BE 35 is different than most battery drive vehicles where range is dictated by the number of batteries. The Ecoliner can operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week on routes outfitted with fast-charge stations... The key to this project is the utilization of the fast-charge battery. According to laboratory data, this battery retains its energy reserve and charging profile from 8,000 to 25,000 charge-discharge cycles and can be quick-charged from a 10 percent to a 95 percent charge in 10 minutes or less while the bus is at a layover... The EcoRide BE 35 offers zero emissions, potential for 90 percent reduction in fuel costs, significant noise reduction, lower maintenance costs and 90 percent regenerative braking energy recapture.

* BC / Canada - NextBus' real-time passenger information systems

Burnaby,British Columbia,CAN -Mass Transit Mag -Feb 2011: -- Used by more than 80 transit properties, including 30 colleges and universities, NextBus’ real-time passenger information systems provide services for city and county transit systems, resort shuttles, hospital and corporate campus shuttles, airport shuttles, and college and university transit systems. The largest transit properties in North America use NextBus, including Toronto (TTC), Boston (MBTA), San Francisco (SFMTA), Los Angeles (LACMTA) and Washington, D.C., (WMATA)... NextBus helps transit properties provide exceptional service to their customers. Riders will always know when their bus will arrive. Transit managers will always know where their buses are and if they are operating properly. Truly a win-win situation for everyone involved...

BUSMAKERS' NEWS * Germany - Volkswagen's Bulli concept revives memories of the Kombi

2011-03-04T10:01:00.000-03:00

An urban electric all-purpose vehicle

(Picture: The Volkswagen Bulli Concept from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show)

Wolfsburg,Germany -Gizmag, by Mike Hanlon -March 2, 2011: -- Volkswagen is reprising the iconic Microbus/Kombi wagon surfaced in Geneva. The new 'Bulli' concept offers a flexible layout, seating for six, a 40 kWh lithium-ion battery, an 85 kW electric motor with 260 Nm torque,140 km/h (87 mph) top speed and a range of 300 km (186 miles). There's still not enough range just yet for a serious escape vehicle – if there's no electricity available where you're going, you're on a 90 mile leash – but suitable as an urban electric all-purpose vehicle... The all-new 'Bulli' concept is not in effect all-new... The electric Bulli will probably not be the first of this shape available, as VW pointed out that both petrol and diesel direct injection engines can be accommodated by the front-wheel-drive design...

Like many vehicles in Geneva, the tablet or iPad has been used in the center console as a multifunctional touchscreen interface and controller. In the Bulli, it acts as an interface for Internet-based applications, the media and entertainment functionality of the vehicles' telephone and navigation...

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION * USA - Turkey first off rank for new NY taxis

2011-03-02T03:48:00.000-03:00

Karsan, a small Turkish contract manufacturer, has caused a stir with its eye-catching V1 hybrid van

Toronto,ONT,CAN -FT (UK), by Bernard Simon -February 28 2011: -- Anyone hailing a yellow cab in New York in years to come will have a better than even chance of stepping into a vehicle built not in one of the global carmaking centres of Detroit, Japan or Germany, but in Turkey... Turkey has strong connections to two of three finalists in a contest known as Taxi of Tomorrow, under which the city will mandate a single model for all its 13,200 cabs, starting in 2014... Karsan, a small Turkish contract manufacturer, has caused a stir with its eye-catching V1 hybrid van, whose features include a panoramic glass roof and wheelchair ramps on both sides of the vehicle. Ford Motor’s entry, an adaptation of its popular Transit Connect van, is also currently assembled in Turkey... The third finalist is a North American version of Nissan’s NV200 van, already available in Europe and Asia... New York taxis are owned by private operators, who are required to buy their vehicles from a list of models approved by the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission... Accessibility has played a big role in the Taxi of Tomorrow contest, hence the absence of a conventional sedan among the finalists. Fuel economy, safety and value-for-money are also high on the list. Other features offered by the finalists include WiFi accessibility, power sockets, television screens and credit card machines... Karsan was favoured by two-thirds of 22,000 New Yorkers who voted in a recent commission poll on the three finalists’ visual designs. Nissan came second and Ford third. (Image from hotelsinbursa: Karsan taxi New York)

BUSES vs. SPEED RAIL * WORLDWIDE

2011-03-01T09:44:00.004-03:00

* USA - Use Buses Not High Speed Rail...

Lake Wales,Lakeland,FL,USA -The Ledger, by CHARLES TANNER -February 23, 2011: ... Create jobs, build express lanes where the tracks were to be laid. Express buses, built in the U.S.A., would travel this route with natural gas engines. The stations could be much smaller, cheaper to build, with many convenient locations. The express lanes would be privately operated toll roads, accommodating privately operated buses and cars. This would leave the taxpayer off the hook for ever having to support this system... Think of the flexibility this idea would have. An express bus could travel directly from Tampa International Airport to Disney or directly to any of the other theme parks. A visitor would leave his flight at Tampa and not have to hire a taxi to take him to the train station. He would go directly to his destination without having to find a ride after arriving at the station. A bus able to travel 70 mph could travel between Tampa and Orlando in a little over an hour... The financing would be accomplished by companies bidding for the right to franchise this project. I am sure many of the theme parks would combine and take part in the project... The benefits of this idea is Florida jobs, less carbon dioxide emissions and flexibility. Florida workers would build the express lanes and stations. The buses could be built in the U.S. rather than in a foreign country... The power plants that would have had to supply electricity for the trains would use less coal or oil not having to support 150-mph trains... (Photo from en.wikipedia: Double articulated bus in Hamburg)

* UK - Green group attacks high-speed rail plans

London,EN,UK -FT (UK), by Robert Wright -February 28 2011: -- Environmental campaigners have urged the government to improve the UK’s existing rail network before it builds a new high-speed line... The call, by Friends of the Earth, was the latest in a series of criticisms levelled in the run-up to Monday’s unveiling of a public consultation on the plans for the high-speed scheme... Philip Hammond, the transport secretary, said at the launch in Birmingham that the high-speed rail blueprint offered a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to transform travel in the UK... But there have also been detailed criticisms of the wider principle of building a new line, where trains would run at 350kmph (219mph)... Craig Bennett, Friends of the Earth’s policy and campaigns director, said the UK urgently needed a fast and efficient rail system but the high-speed rail plans would do little to encourage people out of aircraft or cars... At the heart of many of the criticisms is the high cost of building a line compared with the benefits achieved... Stephen Glaister, executive director of the pro-motoring RAC Foundation and a respected transport economist, last week highlighted the UK’s existing, relatively fast intercity train service as one reason why high-speed rail might not work as well in the UK as elsewhere... “High-speed rail has become an article of faith with insufficient evidence to support it,” Professor Glaister told the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation...

BUSMAKERS NEWS * UK - County Antrim bus builders secure £55m order

2011-02-28T12:37:00.001-03:00

Wrightbus have announced a major new order from the UK for 334 new buses

(Image: A Wrightbus)

County Antrim,NI,UK -BBC News Northen Ireland -23 February 2011: -- Its the biggest order the company has had in 'several years'... The contract with bus operator Arriva is valued at around £55m and consists of 204 double-deck and 130 single-deck buses... Arriva runs several routes in cities across the UK including, London and Glasgow... The order also includes the first Wrightbus StreetLite midi-buses to be delivered to an international public transport operator... The order from Arriva represented six months' work which would take the company up to the end of December 2011...

* UK - Bus makers and operators must work together says minister at bus industry event

London,EN,UK -MHW -23 February 2011: -- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, Norman Baker MP, told delegates at the Bus and Coach Engineering Conference that he wanted to "encourage even closer co-operation between manufacturers and operators" in order to help the passenger carrying vehicle sector meet its onerous targets and deadlines for compliance... Speaking at the conference - organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE), a professional sector of the SOE (Society of Operations Engineers), and Passengerfta, on 16 February in London - Mr Baker alluded to the challenge faced by operators to meet legislative deadlines and the need for manufacturers to help meet them... The conference looked at the maintenance of vehicles, the design of lighter vehicles and included a presentation about the design of the new bus for London from Wright Bus...