Buses World News
In brief: Worldwide montly news & informations about Buses, Busmakers, Passengers' and the Transport Industry
Free Buses * USA - Circulator bus begins hauling passengers
Baltimore finally got its free shuttle bus called the Circulator off the ground
Baltimore,MAR,USA -The Baltimore Sun, by Mike Dresser -12 Jan 2009: ... It's been delayed, and only one route has been launched, but city officials have high hopes the free bus -- did I mention it's free -- will cut down on congestion, improve air quality and make getting around easier for commuters and visitors... The Orange route runs east-west. And two new routes are is expected in the spring: the Purple Route connecting Penn Station with Federal Hill and the Green Route connecting Johns Hopkins Hospital with Fells Point and City Hall... The money has a dedicated source of financing in the city's parking tax, which city officials say means it will be around awhile longer than other bus services that relied on grants...Labels: free buses, new services
New Express Bus * USA - Links Temecula, Escondido. Route was requested by commuters
Temecula,CAL,USA -The Californian, by AARON CLAVERIE -July 7, 2009: -- There's a new option for commuters between Temecula and Escondido who are fed up with the daily grind of traffic on Interstate 15... The Riverside Transit Agency is now offering an express bus, Route 217, that links San Jacinto with Escondido... The express route ---- which features stops in Hemet and Temecula ---- is the first public transit option linking Southwest County to Escondido, a major San Diego County hub... For people commuting to Escondido from Temecula, or vice-versa, the route is ideal as there are no scheduled stops in between the two cities... Hien Tran, waiting for the bus early Thursday morning at The Promenade mall's bus stop near P.F. Chang's, said he has a hybrid car at home, but he has been using public transportation of late due to the economy... (Photo by Don Boomer/Staff Photographer - Riverside Transit Authority express bus driver Francisco Armendariz adjusts the mirror on his bus outside of The Promenade mall in Temecula before his drive to Escondido recently)
Labels: new services
New bus service * Pakistan - For Lahorites to be launched today
Lahore To Get Buses from Chinese CompanyLahore,Pakistan -Pakistan Defence -June 28, 2009: -- In the provincial metropolis a new bus service is being inaugurated in the City, while an agreement is also being made with a Chinese company for getting air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned CNG buses... Secretary Transport while giving details about Chinese company informed that company will provide 2000 CNG buses in different phases and an agreement is being finalised with the company in this regard. He informed that under the agreement, the company would provide 700 buses during September to December this year while 500 buses to be provided during January to June 2010... Similarly, 500 buses would be received during July to December 2010 and 300 buses between January to March 2011. He said company would also set up five CNG stations for these buses... Labels: new services
Night-owl transport * USA - University senior designs late-night bus program catering to Autzen-area students
Kinsrow,Oregon,USA -The Daily Emerald, by Alex Tomchak Scott -9 Feb 2009: -- ... A little more than a year later, Schillaci is the designer of a late-night bus program that ferries more than 1,000 students between the Kinsrow area and the University every week, and the ASUO's official liaison to the Lane Transit District, which provides Eugene and Springfield with bus service. And Schillaci said he's still not satisfied: By next year, he wants to add three more routes that run until 2:10 a.m... About 100 students use the late night route on weeknights, and ridership jumps to about 300 on Fridays and Saturdays. Students who ride the bus said it saved them from having to stumble home in the dark on weekends and from paying for a taxi on weekdays... Now that the bus runs until the wee hours, Schillaci catches a ride on nights when he has "nothing better to do," when his friends are not playing beer pong or going to a bar. Then, he rides the bus to "nowhere" and "people-watches," scribbling notes and figures about ridership in his folder. He said his only regret is that the service came after his girlfriend moved closer to campus...Labels: new services
NEW SERVICE * USA - Danville launches new bus service for $1 a ride
Danville,Ky,USA -AP/WZTV Fox17 -December 13, 2008: -- A Danville bus service once reserved just for the elderly and disabled is preparing to open its doors to the general public for $1 a ride... The Danville Advocate-Messenger reports the newly named DAN-TRAN will begin service Dec. 22 with its blue and white buses... Danville isn't the only central Kentucky community experimenting with new bus routes. The Richmond Register reports a trial run of a route connecting Richmond and Berea could become permanent after experiencing two extremely successful months...Labels: new services
New bus service * USA - To begin trips between Lompoc and Solvang
Within the next few weeks, a 20-passenger bus will begin running three daily round trips between Lompoc and Solvang, with a stop in Buellton
Lompoc,CA,USA -The Lompoc Record, by Bo Poertner -5 July 2008: -- ... Operated by the City of Lompoc Transit (COLT) system, and paid for by the three cities and Santa Barbara County, the pilot program is designed to answer citizen requests for transportation to work, school and medical and social service appointments - mostly to Lompoc, said Richard Fernbaugh, Lompoc's aviation/transportation administrator... The new service, as yet unnamed, could begin perhaps by mid-July, as soon as county, Solvang and Buellton officials sign off on the project. The Lompoc City Council approved it Tuesday night... (Photo: A Lompoc COLT bus stops for passengers on the north end of town. In a few weeks, a 20-passenger bus will begin running three daily round trips between Lompoc and Solvang, with a stop in Buellton)Labels: new services
Planners * Australia - Miss the connections
Sydney,NSW,Australia -The Sydney Morning Herald, by Sherrill Nixon & Jano Gibson -July 1, 2008: -- Sydney's transport authorities are failing to keep up with the changing commuting habits and longer hours of many of the city's workers, with its bus and train systems still finishing their official evening peaks at 6.30pm... But the private sector is noticing the shift. One operator, Hillsbus, is adding buses to meet demand for new "professional peaks" developing later in the morning and evening that have forced it to increase its services running on the M2... Sydney Buses's official afternoon peak is still between 3pm and 6pm, although it recognises patronage is growing in the "shoulder periods", particularly between 6pm and 7pm... Patronage on the M2 services to the city has grown 15 to 30 per cent a year for the past two years, thanks in part to rising food and fuel costs, and a return to full employment in the CBD...Labels: new services
NEW BUSES' SERVICE * Namibia - City of Windhoek to Expand Bus Service
Windhoek,Namibia -All Africa (Washington,DC,USA)/New Era, by Desie Heita -20 May 2008: -- The City of Windhoek will expand its passenger service to include white-collar commuters amid escalating fuel prices... Currently, the municipality buses cater for the blue-collar workers and students who cannot afford the more expensive modes of public transport... The bus fare is N$5 compared to the N$7 taxi fare because the City of Windhoek subsidises the fare by about 60 percent... The blue-collar workers, scholars and students constitute between 20 and 25 percent of the passenger transport market in Windhoek. This translates into 8000 passengers daily on weekdays...Labels: new services
New Bus Service * USA - Lakeville to pay tax, receive they
The City Council agreed to a new regional tax in exchange for bus service in town, but it will cut expenses to spare residents
Minneapolis,MN,USA -The Minneapolis Star Tribune, by SARAH LEMAGIE -May 6, 2008: -- Lakeville commuters, take heart: Buses are on the way... The Lakeville City Council has approved a Metropolitan Council offer that will bring buses and two new stations to the city by September 2009, along with $15 million or so in roadwork on Interstate 35... In exchange, Lakeville residents will join other metro-area cities that already pay the transit tax. It's a better offer, local leaders say, than previous efforts to force Lakeville into paying the tax. And the deal comes with deadlines and guarantees that buses will actually pull up in town... But it still means adding a new tax in tight economic times, which the Lakeville City Council acknowledged when it unanimously approved the plan Monday night. So it decided to cut the city's budget to offset the new tax, which will run the average Lakeville homeowner about $36...Labels: new services
NEW SERVICES* Australia - Bendigo bus network boosted by 700 new services a week
Bendigo ,Victoria,Australia -Australasian Bus and Coach -11 April 2008: -- The Bendigo bus network has been increased by 30 percent offering 692 new services every week, including new routes and improved co-ordination with V/Line train services... Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky says it is the biggest bus service improvement delivered to Greater Bendigo in 15 years... "There will be services at least every 30 minutes on prime routes and every hour on secondary routes," he says...Labels: new services
Rediscovering the bus * USA - Frustrated drivers, fliers boost low-price carriers
Riding the bus: cool again
Boston,MAS,USA -The Boston Globe, by Ross Kerber & Ashley L. Traupman -March 11, 2008: -- Greyhound Lines Inc. plans to start offering its low-cost BoltBus service between Boston and New York City starting next month, a spokesman said yesterday, the latest move by a major carrier seeking to capitalize on the popularity of cheap bus travel... With fares starting at $1, wireless internet access, and curbside drop-offs in New York, BoltBus is Greyhound's latest salvo in its long-running rivalry with operators such as Fung Wah Bus Transportation Inc... BoltBus plans to keep fares low in a large part by selling tickets mainly online, which cuts operating costs. (Just 10 percent of Greyhound tickets are sold on the Web)... BoltBus aims to attract young people, business travelers, and tourists who are flocking back to motorcoaches and boosting traffic across the industry after years of decline. Reasons include rising gas costs and frustration with driving in traffic jams and standing in airport security lines... (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff - Passengers boarded a Greyhound bus for New York yesterday afternoon. The line's lower-cost service will start next month)Labels: new services
Passengers' Services * Australia - New bus passed by
Sydney,New South Wales,Australia -The Sydney Morning Herald, by Linton Besser -March 11, 2008: -- On the first day that motorists grappled with the long-awaited constriction of Epping Road to one general traffic lane and one dedicated bus lane, hundreds of commuters were left stranded as full buses drove past... With traffic expected to remain heavy along the crucial artery, the NSW Roads Minister, Eric Roozendaal, has promoted the road's narrowing - and a new $5 million interchange at Lane Cove - as an important piece of public transport infrastructure... But with only seven more buses in place yesterday, many who took up the invitation and ditched their cars were left frustrated... The Opposition transport spokeswoman, Gladys Berejiklian, said the "so-called infrastructure" along Epping Road made no sense without putting in the bus services to go with it...Labels: new services
Business * UK - New-look buses set to hit streets
The first image of the new buses which are set to hit the streets of the Black Country in March
Wolverhampton,England,UK -expressandstar.com-4 Feb 2008: -- ... The first bus to be branded with the national express logo, replacing the decades old Travel West Midlands icon, was being unveiled by the chief executive Richard Bowker in Birmingham today...
The move by parent company national express is part of a plan across the country by the coach and train giant to bring all of its companies under one logo. Bosses say it will make travel simpler for passengers all over the the UK... national express UK Division was formed on January 1 as part of the new international national Express Group, which saw the company’s headquarters move from London to Hagley Road, Birmingham... Labels: new services
New Services * India - PMTCL launches 'quick bus'
Pune,India -The Times of India -4 Oct 2007: -- In order to attract passengers, who travel in six-seaters and auto rickshaws, which operate on stage basis, the Pune Municipal Transport Corporation Limited (PMTCL) is planning to start ‘quick bus services’ on several routes in the city... The corporation has already started such service on trial basis from Swargate to Shaniwarwada and Pune railway station... Labels: new services
Baltimore,MAR,USA -The Baltimore Sun, by Mike Dresser -12 Jan 2009: ... It's been delayed, and only one route has been launched, but city officials have high hopes the free bus -- did I mention it's free -- will cut down on congestion, improve air quality and make getting around easier for commuters and visitors... The Orange route runs east-west. And two new routes are is expected in the spring: the Purple Route connecting Penn Station with Federal Hill and the Green Route connecting Johns Hopkins Hospital with Fells Point and City Hall... The money has a dedicated source of financing in the city's parking tax, which city officials say means it will be around awhile longer than other bus services that relied on grants...
