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Buses World News

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

31.1.13

PUBLIC TRANSPORT * USA

* DC - APTA: US Transit Users save $10,502 yearly

Washington,DC,USA -Busworld (Belgium) -23 Jan 2013: -- According to the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) January Transit Savings Report, individuals who ride public transportation instead of driving can save, on average, more than $875 this month, and $10,502 annually... These savings are based on the cost of commuting by public transportation compared to the cost of owning and driving a vehicle which includes the January 17, 2013 average national gas price ($3.29 per gallon — reported by AAA) and the national unreserved monthly parking rate... APTA releases this monthly Transit Savings Report to examine how an individual in a two-person household can save money by taking public transportation and living with one less car... The national average for a monthly unreserved parking space in a downtown business district is $166.26, according to the 2012 Colliers International Parking Rate Study. Over the course of a year, parking costs for a vehicle can amount to an average of $1,995...

Labels: public transport system

7.9.12

PUBLIC TRANSPORT PLANS * WORLDWIDE

* Finland - Finnish transport sector sets 40% renewable methane target

Helsinki,Finland -Busworld (Belgium) -18 Aug 2012: -- In January 2012, Finland’s Ministry of Transport and Communications set up a “Future motive powers in transport” task force with a purpose to work out targets and plan paths for achieving them, for different motive powers in road, rail, water and air transport in 2020 and 2050... One of the motive powers considered by the task force is renewable methane for which a sectoral report was prepared by the Finnish Biogas Association and North Karelian Traffic Biogas Network Development Programme. The latter is an EU European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) co-funded project with a purpose to enable establishment of traffic biogas production and refueling network in the province of North Karelia in Eastern Finland... A goal of 40 % share for renewable methane of transport energy consumption in 2050 is proposed in the report and roadmaps for different forms of transport. Renewable methane means biomethane, wind methane, solar methane and other methane fuels produced by renewable energy sources... To be able to get development into desired tracks, targets for 2020 have also been proposed and a toolbox of recommended instruments has been designed for State level interventions for meeting the targets. In road transport the target is 2 % of vehicles in 2020, i.e. 60,000 vehicles, that will run ion biomethane. Meeting the target means that methane vehicles should reach 4.4 % share of registrations between 2012 and 2020. This includes buses and coaches. In 2020 natural gas (NG) is expected to cover 60 % of transport methane use of 2.5 TWh. Biogas (BG) and synthetic biogas (SBG) would contribute by 1 TWh (40 %). After 2020 the share of renewable methane will continuously increase and by 2050 the use of natural gas and all other fossil fuels will end...

* Canada - Ontario Government launch the Niagara Falls, WEGO system, into service

Ottawa,ONT,CAN -Busworld (Belgium) -28 Aug 2012: -- The government of Ontario, Canada marked the launch into service of the Niagara Falls Visitor Transportation System – called WEGO... It is a system that is fully accessible, so that all visitors have easier access to Niagara's wonderful attractions... When the system is completed in 2014, 27 fully accessible buses with intelligent transportation and fare collection systems will be in service... The WEGO buses are fitted with the latest in intelligent transportation technology, featuring on-board screens, next stop display and announcements, transit signal priority and real-time information on the Web... The buses are built by New Flyer, total cost of the completed WEGO Visitor Transportation System will be $50 million...

Labels: alternative fuels, public transport system, transport planing

14.1.10

New Public Transport System * Malaysia - Gets off to a good start

" ... 'RapidBET' it is more frequent and punctual"

(Popular choice: Many passengers tried out the bus on the first day but the frequency prevented overcrowding)
Malaysia -The Star On Line, by OH ING YEEN -January 13, 2010: -- The Rapid Bus Expressway Transit (RapidBET) got off to a good start yesterday as commuters lauded the shorter travel times... Two routes were introduced — Kota Damansara to KL Sentral and Pasar Seni via the Penchala Link (RapidBET1); and Bandar Sungai Long to Pasar Seni via the Grand Saga Highway (RapidBET2)...

(Dedicated lanes: To cut down on travelling time, marked lanes for the BET buses have been set up at the toll plazas along the route)
To help speed up the travel times, dedicated lanes marked BET have been set up at the toll gates along the route... The estimated reduction in travelling time is between 20 to 35 minutes, depending on traffic conditions... Chloe Leow, who commutes to work from Bandar Sungai Long, was pleased with RapidBET as it is more frequent and punctual... Siti Norfadzlynn Zain had not heard of the system but was glad that the travel time had been cut short...

Labels: public transport system

14.3.09

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM WORLDWIDE * Morocco

Moroccan Transport Madness

Rabat,Morocco -Existensis, by Vago Damitio ~ March 10th, 2009: -- I feel like I have traveled around enough in Morocco at this point to write a small piece on how transport works here. In a nutshell, it works, but only in the most loosely defined sense of the word...

Buses

There are local buses that you get a ticket from the guy on the bus on and the more efficient long transport buses. Again, no clearly defined stops, no real help from the drivers, sometimes you have to pay for baggage going underneath, sometimes you don’t... The bus times and schedules are not at all clear, rarely or not posted, and even if you have a seat assigned, you can expect to find someone in it and then you just find another seat. The more local style buses will sell more tickets than seats and while they don’t seat people on the roof, Hanane and I rode on a blanket covered gearbox next to the driver that wasn’t too uncomfortable but required everyone exiting the bus to climb over us... Next to us was a guy on a stool, a guy hanging out the door, and the driver smoking while he blared tinny Moroccan music. This was about an hours ride. Oddly romantic except for the baggy pants kid in the Palestinian scarf who kept flinging unwanted comments towards us... When we got off the bus in Fes, Hanane ripped him a new one and he meekly apologized and went on his way. There is more to this story, but you will have to hear it over coffee with me someday… Anyway, buses are scheduled badly and few and far between, overcrowded, and pretty fun…watch your bags close and be careful not to miss your stop...

Labels: public transport system

13.10.08

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES * Thailand - The Bangkok Buses of Thaphra

Bangkok,Thailand -Thai Mass Transport Systems, by njhis1 -11 Oct 2008: -- This is a shot of a Route 89: Bangkok Rajamangala Institute of Technology – Taling Chan Bus. Traveling towards Taling Chan. Bus number 89 – 9. Bus type Non aircon Hino. This service operates from 5am to 11pm operates every 5 to 10 mins... This is an image of a Route 205: Customs Department (Klong Toei) – Tha Phra Bus. BMTA bus number 4 – 80072. Bus type non aircon Mitsubishi. This service operates from 4.30am to 11.20pm operates every 2 to 5 mins. Note this bus is a free service...This is a shot of a Route 205 bus. Traveling towards Tha Phra. BMTA bus number 4 – 45124. Bus type Aircon Hino. Between 6am and 9am and 4pm and 7pm rapid buses operate using the aircon buses every 2 to 5 mins in addition to the normal service. These buses use all 5 Rama 3 road flyover bridges to provide a faster service...This is a shot of a Route 504: Rangsit to Thanon Tok bus. Traveling towards Thanon Tok terminus. Bus number 504 – 3. This service is operated by premium management and appears to be a new route as the old route is via Charoen Krung road. Bus type Golden Dragon. This service appears to operate every 10 mins... This is an image of a Route 22: Sathu Pradit to Lat Phrao 101 bus traveling towards Lat Phrao 101 Bus number 8 – 6739. Bus type Merc O305. This service operates every 5 to 10 mins and is a 24 hour service...The Buses of Tha Phra.This next set of images where taken in the area in front of the Mall Tha Pra. This area is where the last BRT station meant to be built. However due to issues mentioned at the start it has been delayed due to its detrimental effects on traffic in the area. This area has crawling 5 to 10 kph traffic in at least one direction from 6am to 11pm 7 days a week. These images where taken on a Sunday afternoon when the traffic its lightest inbound but was jammed outbound.The bus services in this area are already at capacity and operate when the traffic allows every 30 seconds on a number of separate routes. Making the traffic worse is the addition of 4 new 30 plus storey condo projects close to the already very busy Mall Tha Phra. These building will be built with zero consideration for the infrastructure issues of the area... This is a shot of a Route 147: Rama 2 – Bang Khae – Tha Pra – Dao Khanong bus. Bus number 147 – 58. Bus type Unknown. The bus was stuck in the massive outbound jam opposite the Mall Thaphra...This is another angle on the very pink Route 147 bus. This bus has recently undergone a major refurbishment with new seats new paint job and a conversion to NGV. Buts it’s still got crappy old windows and doors plus no aircon and the choice of colour leave a lot to be desired...This is an image of a Route 57: Thonburi – Southern Bus Terminal Loop bus. Bus number 21 – 215. Bus type Unknown. The route of this bus is very complex and indirect as it appears to be made up of parts of other routes. It even provides train replacement service between Wong Wien Yai and Klong San...This is an image of a Route 68: Mahachai city – Banglamphu bus. Bus number 68 – 22. Bus type Merc O 305. This bus has been converted to NGV...This is a shot of a Route 547: Mahadol University (Salaya) to Victory Monument bus. Bus number 547 – 10. Bus type Merc O 305. This service travels via an indirect route...This is a shot of a Route 101: Rama 2 (Bang Mod) – Wat Muang bus. BMTA bus number 6 – 50107. Bus type Isuzu. Note this is a free bus service...This is a picture of a Route 205: Thaphra – Customs Department (Klong Toei) Bus. BMTA bus number 4 – 44086. Bus type Aircon Hino...This is a shot of an unrefurbished Route 147 bus. Bus number 147 – 47. Bus type Unknown...This is an image of a Route 193: Rama 2 - Kanlapaphruek – Tha Phra – Dao Khanong loop bus. BMTA bus number 6 – 30315. Bus type Merc O 405. This is a new service that started in September and fills in a previous transport black hole on Kanlapaphruek road...This is a shot of a Route 68: Samae Dum – Banglamphu bus. BMTA bus number 5 – 30378. Bus type Merc O 405...Now for something different a Route 1402: Bang Bon – Bang Khae bus. Bus number 1402 – 60. Bus type unknown. Note how the bus doors have long since gone missing. This route is a minor route and provides an important alternative route to Bang Khae. Taken as it was doing a U – turn at Bang Bon SRT station...I hope you find the pictures and vehicles shown to be of interest if you view this please post some comments and feelings about the pictures...

Labels: public transport system

6.1.08

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM * China - Taking the Bus in Pekin

USA -blogs.sun.com/robsblog -1 Jan 2008: -- ... I spent most of the last four days relying on public buses to get around Beijing. From trips to Lama Temple, to Beijing United to pickup a prescription, to Bodhi to get a massage, it was for the most part been done by bus. (I also took a really cool ride on Beijing's new #5 subway line... wow...)... The bus conductors are quite interesting. Kinda like cable car conductors, but not. Besides helping people unfortunate enough not to have a transit card, they do such things as give out transfers, announce certain stops, give travel advice, and, which can be a real necessity in Beijing, hang out of the window waving and yelling warnings about the bus coming to the multitudes of cars, people, bicycles, and carts that also occupy the roadway... Bus travel is slower than both taxi or subway. But, it is a lot cheaper (I think the maximum price is 1 RMB... will add a link with more information later). Also, on these winter days, the extra travel time has been good, giving one the chance to look out the window and see the city from an entirely new aspect... (Video YouTube, by mikebeijing -March 26, 2007: "Bus Pékin", dimanche)

Labels: public transport system

20.12.07

Regional Transport * Australia - Qld Govt launches better solution in

Spring Hill,Queensland,Australia -The Queensland Business Review -20 December 2007: -- A "revolution" in Queensland's regional transport services - qconnect – has been launched in Cairns today by Transport Minister John Mickel... He says qconnect will deliver to regional cities the kind of benefits South East Queenslanders enjoy from TransLink...

Qconnect initiatives include:

* Standardised fares and zones on buses in regional towns and cities
* Transport services designed to connect with each other for easy transfers
* Modern, accessible transport infrastructure (including bus stops)
* Secure taxi ranks (including CCTV, lighting, pedestrian barriers, rank marshals and security guards)
* Wheelchair accessible taxis in regional towns... (Video from YouTube, by pinoydeltafan1988 -November 27, 2007: "CitySights Bus - Brisbane, Queensland, Australia" Just a taste on what to expect when you're on a Brisbane CitySights bus)

Labels: public transport system

5.12.07

* Australia - New, improved system for Metro buses

Hobart,Tasmania,Australia -ABC Online -Dec 5, 2007: -- Metro is expected to begin phasing-in its new ticketing system in Tasmania by late next year... The new state-of-the-art smart-card ticketing system, will among other things, tell patrons when the next bus is due and link with traffic signals to give buses priority... Metro chief executive, Tony Sim, says the change will allow the company to introduce a range of new products and to more effectively monitor the on-time reliability of its services... A German company has been selected as the preferred tenderer for the project... (Video from YouTube, by DaveSpencer32 -January 27, 2007: A short low resolution extract from PMP DVD 1452 which covers buses in Hobart in January 2007)

Labels: public transport system

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM * Kenya - Popular Matatu buses now safer

NAIROBI,Kenya -BusinessWeek (USA), by EDWARD HARRIS -5 Dec 2007: -- It's happy hour in Kenya's capital and The Whistler is filled to bursting, pulsing with American hip hop tunes, women twitching their hips on a flat-screen television showing music videos. But the customers aren't getting on the dance floor. They're getting home... Thousands of privately owned Matatu buses compete for passengers with flashy paint jobs, names like Razmatazz, Czar, House Snoop and Gambino Family and onboard audiovisual entertainment: bass-heavy and played at top volume... While reckless driving and spotty law enforcement continue, Kenyans say a government regulations and enforcement initiative has boosted Matatus' safety and comfort -- making it a relatively successful drive by an African government to tame private industry without trampling it... The Matatus, essentially souped-up minibuses, carry about a dozen passengers and are as old as the country itself. Kenya's leaders after 1963 independence from Britain allowed the Matatu sector to develop with little government interference -- either in tax collection or safety regulations... (Video from YouTube, by andywolf100 -July 17, 2006: a short vid I filmed from a bus going from central Nairobi to Buruburu. You will also come across lots of police checkpoints as they look for hijackers, make sure that when you are stoped you have your seat belt on as the police willl fine anyone who does not !!)

Labels: public transport system

13.11.07

PASSENGERS' TRANSPORT SYSTEMS * Africa - The Joys of Public Transport in

On this African adventure my companions and I have vowed to use public transport almost entirely; buses (long distance and local), minibuses, ferry boats and trucks

Africa -Zulu Jazz/Amberinsa (Pennsylvania,USA) -12 Nov 2007: -- ... The advantages of public transport are of course the cheap price but also the experience of rubbing elbows with locals (although this can be both enjoyable and unpleasant...) Some of the disadvantages of pub trans include long waiting periods, infrequent bathroom stops and losing all of the feeling in your ass... The Bus... the travel times here, they are roughly:

Jo-burg (SA) - Gaborone (Bots) : 5 hrs
Gabs - Palapye : 3 hrs
Palapye - Maun : 4 hrs
Maun - Nata : 3 hrs
Livingstone (Zam) - Lusaka : 6 hrs
Lusaka (Zam) - Lilongwe (Malawi) : 14 hrs
Lilongwe - Mzuzu : 6 hrs (it was supposed to be 4 but the bus got a flat tire)
Mbeya (Tanzania) - Dar es Salaam : 12 hrs
That’s alot of time on a bus... Mostly bus rides aren’t that interesting, but once in a while something notable will happen. In Malawi a volunteer typically leads the passengers in prayer before setting off. I don’t know if this occurs because of the devout religious faith of Malawians or because of their fear that the bus won’t reach its destination… In Botswana if you arrive late or get on the bus when its already full you’re left standing in the aisle until a seat opens up - if a seat opens up... The only bus ride so far that has featured live animals was in Tanzania (unless you consider cockaroaches to be live animals, in which case we also encountered some on a Zambian bus), and it was what I believe to be a single chicken discreetly concealed in a small cardboard box. I wouldn’t have even noticed it except for the box’s makeshift airholes and the soft clucking noise that emanated from within, which definitely indicated the presence of a fowl. Also in Tanzania we saw two goats tied to the top of a tanker truck...

Labels: public transport system

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM * Dubai - RTA master plan for better bus services

Khaleej,Dubai,UAE -The Khaleej Times, by Joy Sengupta -11 November 2007: -- The Public Transport Agency at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is working on a ‘Bus Master Plan’ in a bid to ensure better services to the commuters... Senior RTA officials pointed out that the recommendations thrown up by the ongoing studies would be adopted in the development of bus services... The officials confirmed that at least six new bus depots would come up in Jebel Ali, Al Quoz, Motor City, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Jebel Ali Airport and Al Qusais for accommodating the buses... Essa Al Dossari, CEO of the Public Transport Agency, said the master plan would aim at providing rapid and secure mobility services... Al Dossari added that 45 new and sophisticated buses were introduced in the inter-city service in May this year and 125 buses will be added early next year. The buses are equipped with advanced customer services comparable to those provided in flights... (Photo by Christian Kraut: Dubai bus model: 2002 L94)

Labels: public transport system

8.11.07

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM * Jamaica - Weathering it in Kingston

A vicious cycle...

Kingston,Jamaica -The Jamaica Gleaner, by Athaliah Reynolds -November 4, 2007: -- ... That's the only way to describe our country's public transportation system, as a ride on one of the many illegal minibuses that crowd the streets is almost always a near-death experience. However, the long wait and fatigue that one has to suffer before getting a Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) bus going your way, is just as frustrating... This was my dilemma when I arrived at the bus stop along Baldwin Crescent in Duhaney Park, St. Andrew, at 8:30 a.m... The bus stop is packed. After 15 minutes, I become restless, as people in the crowd begin to mumble... Five minutes later, we are jolted by the loud horns of a minibus... It's now 9:00 a.m. Half hour after I first stood at the bus stop, still no JUTC bus in sight, so I decide to take my chances with these guys... The bus driver is on his phone. He's enquiring about the police. The way is clear, so we head towards our destination... We stop to pick up several passengers... There are now more than 20 passengers jammed into the small bus, built to seat only 15... We make a final stop, this time at a gas station to put air in a back tyre. The driver is back on his phone, enquiring about the police. Thirty minutes later, we swerve into the bus stop at Half-Way Tree, fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, successfully dodging the Transport Authority officials and the police... (Photographer, Rudolph Brown: A motorcycle cop monitors activity behind this minibus, which was hit by a trailer, after the driver allegedly turned in front the heavy duty vehicle to pick up passengers at a bus stop on Spanish Town Road, St. Andrew, last year. Several passengers were injured)

Labels: public transport system

24.10.07

PASSENGERS' TRANSPORTS * Worldwide: 5 Tips to Surviving Long Bus

Often these trips can feel more like 15+ hour nightmares than an interesting journey through a strange new land

USA -Go Budget Travel, by Rob Meyer -October 23, 2007: -- If you travel through developing regions of the globe, it’s likely you will gain a lot of experience in long distance bus and train travel... Personally, I’ve been aboard enough cramped, sweaty, bone jarring, noisy, 15+ hour, buses and trains to know that special measures should be taken when traveling in this manner. However, it’s definitely a different kind of experience, and one that brings you closer to life as a local–a good thing... Bus and train travel are also great ways to minimize expenses as a traveler, especially across international borders. For example, I recently took a buses from Quito, Ecuador to Lima, Peru. The trip was VERY long (around 36 hours), but cost me only $50–flying would have cost around $350-$400. Additionally I got to see tons of interesting things that I would have missed completely from the air...

Below are some common tips I use when traveling long distance by bus or train:

1. Pop a pill:

2. Choose your seat wisely:

3. Cover your ears:

4. Travel at night:

5. Choose your bus company wisely:... (Pîcture: Edge of Space/flickr - Karachi's, Pakistan, way of transport)

Labels: public transport system

23.10.07

Buses a poor cousin * Australia - Putting the bus back into the bustle of commuting

Melbourne,Australia -The Age -October 20, 2007: -- It is peak hour and cars are at a standstill, neatly aligned along the Eastern Freeway all the way from the Chandler Highway to Hoddle Street. Motorists flick between radio stations for traffic updates... Every minute a bus zips down the emergency lane, bypassing the jam. Passengers inside are relaxed, perhaps reading the paper or applying their make-up. Half-an-hour later, the bus is empty, having dropped the last of the city workers in Queen Street.. To many of those who have embraced them, buses are a convenient — often only — means of getting to work or getting around. But in a city where trains are packed and trams adored, buses remain the poor cousin... The commuters who bypass the peak-hour freeway gridlock are certainly happy, but for many others it's a different story. Before the bus upgrades began this year, a study by the chair of transport at Monash University, Graham Currie, found a dramatic lack of services, and frequencies in many places of just 40 minutes. Most routes, the study found, finish by 7pm and fewer than 20 per cent run on Sundays... Buses are cheap because the infrastructure — roads — already exists and the lead time from concept to roll-out can take less than a year. That's why the bus is a major part of the Government's 10-year transport plan... (Photo by Craig Abraham - Beating the rush: with an emergency lane to itself, a bus avoids the Eastern Freeway's early morning traffic)

Labels: public transport system

CRISIS * Australia - $115m bus fleet not road-fit

The State Government is spending $115 million on gas-powered buses that could be too heavy to drive on NSW roads with a full load of passengers

Sydney,New South Wales,Australia -The Daily Telegraph, by Andrew Chesterton -October 21, 2007: -- ... Custom Coaches was awarded a $250 million contract to build 255 natural gas and 250 diesel buses for the State Transit Authority in 1997... It was the biggest investment in buses in NSW history... But testing on the first 30 buses has revealed the company will need to carry fewer passengers than the rest of the fleet to keep the vehicles under the RTA maximum weight restriction of 16 tonnes... It is understood the weight problems stem from the addition of a 1.4 tonne gas pod attached to the roof of the new buses... Now the company is begging the RTA to grant an exemption for the gas buses, which would see the maximum weight allowed on the state's roads increased from 16 to 16.5 tonnes... (Photo: Too heavy...The government's new multi-million dollar gas buses are overweight. )

* Basil Fawlty on the buses

Who'd be a commuter in Sydney. The city's public transport system lurches from crisis to crisis
Sydney,New South Wales,Australia -The Daily Telegraph -October 21, 2007: -- ... Despite the spin, the entire system is liable to grind to a halt if just one thing goes wrong. Traffic is chaotic and buses come when they want to... Now we learn that the Government's plans to replace much of its bus fleet with environmentally friendly gas-powered vehicles has run into problems... It appears the $250 million contract entered into by the Government is delivering buses that are too heavy to run on the city's roads if they are full of passengers... The gas units the buses need to power them apparently put them over the RTA's weight limit... One solution - which would do Basil Fawlty proud - is to limit passenger numbers. Another is to get the Roads and Traffic Authority to change the road rules for gas-powered buses... Either way it adds up to yet another debacle in the making. Long-suffering commuters can only shake their heads again and wonder what it would be like to live in a city where things actually worked...(

* Govt 'to blame' for overweight buses
Australia -ABC News -Oct 21, 2007: -- The New South Wales Opposition says the State Government is ultimately responsible for problems with the weight of the State Transit Authority's new bus fleet... The company which was awarded the contract to deliver about 255 natural gas-powered buses to the authority has applied for a weight exemption from the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA)... It comes after the addition of gas tanks to the new buses increased their weight above the 16-tonne road limit...

Labels: public transport system

11.10.07

Popularity * USA - Breeds late buses, trains

An examination into Muni transit lines with the highest number of commuters showed a handful of routes making headway in the fight to arrive on time, while the most popular buses left passengers waiting a little longer

San Francisco,CAL,USA -The Examiner, by David Smith -Oct 5, 2007: -- ... According to Muni data, the two most popular lines in the Muni system saw the largest percentage drop in on-time arrivals between 2005-06 and 2006-07. Muni tracks data according to The City’s fiscal year, which runs July 1 through June 30... The 14-Mission bus, the most widely used Muni line during 2005-06 with a 33,461-rider weekday average, saw the biggest slip in on-time performance, according to Muni... In 1999, San Francisco voters approved Proposition E, which mandated that Muni vehicles arrive on time 85 percent of the time. Six bus lines achieved that goal once during the 2006-07 year: the 4-Sutter; 16AX Noriega; 53-Southern Heights; 56-Rutland; 80X-Gateway Express; 81X-Caltrain Express and 108-Treasure Island... The 4-Sutter and 108-Treasure Island were the only lines with yearlong averages above 85 percent on time, according to Muni data... (Photo The Examiner: The 14-Mission bus is the most widely used line but experienced the largest drop in on-time performance from fiscal year 2005-06 to 2006-07)

Labels: public transport system

4.9.07

PASSENGERS SUGGESTION * Dubai - For better bus service

Dubai,United Arab Emirates -7DAYS -29 Aug, 2007: -- ... I would like to point out some important facts which might help the RTA Public Transport System in Dubai, to improve their services... We got 8 and 8A plying with frequency of 20 min reach route meaning a bus in every 10 minutes. Sometimes, I don’t see any bus for 40 min but very soon I see a tail of 3 or more buses of same route behind each other coming at same time. This scene is very popular on most of the routes. The idea of public transport is not only maintaining time but also to pick up passengers. If all 3 buses come at same time, what if a passenger comes in a minute later?? I bet he needed to wait for 40 more minutes! It would be wise if the buses maintain a gap with 5 to 7 min if they decide to come one behind other. If the RTA traffic controller should coordinate with drivers on time gaps, it must improve present bus service to some extent...(Photo from: hotels-of-dubai - The Wonder Bus is an amphibious bus )

* RTA plans exclusive bus lanes in selected areas
Dubai,United Arab Emirates -The Khaleej Times, by Joy Sengupta -2 September 2007: -- The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is mulling the idea of introducing exclusive bus lanes in selected places in Dubai in a bid to ease the excessive traffic on roads... The CEO of the Public Transport Agency of the RTA, said that studies were on in order to select the areas where this service could be launched. We are at present studying the different areas. We want to launch this service in areas where there is heavy traffic... Another senior official revealed on conditions of anonymity that the RTA was also working out a plan which would ensure a smooth traffic if at all the Metro is temporarily interrupted due to any technical reasons... There would be no traffic disruption at all...

Labels: public transport system

23.6.07

Comparisons * Turkey - Public transport in

Bus travel works well enough in Europe but is sort of dull compared to that in Turkey. I shall enlarge on that generalization

Istanbul,Turkey -Today's Zaman, by JOHN LAUGHLAND FETHİYE -22 June 2007: -- Travel in Europe is expensive, in Turkey it is cheap... In Holland, Germany and Turkey, too, travel is efficient. Trains in Europe run on time within 5 percent of their targets with a standard deviation of about 5, quite acceptable I think. In Turkey trains achieve the same target but with standard deviation of 20, just a little less than acceptable. There is no reason to doubt that the statistics for buses are very similar... I very much doubt that you would ever find a 20 kilogram fish lying on the threshold of a bus in Europe, lying so that passengers must step over it to board or depart the bus. I’ll wager that there has never been a calf on the back seat of a Dutch or German bus. How about a Dutch passenger loading his two bags of cement into the boot of the bus and asking if the driver would mind leaving his route by a mile or two so that he might drop off the load at his home?... Try suggesting to a German bus company that they introduce free soft drinks and biscuits for their customers. Oh, and unlimited cologne!... I’ve an idea that might happen in England, but they do it more subtly. Next time British Rail asks you to change trains unexpectedly, cast an eye in the direction of the engine and driver; if you see a huddle and money changing hands, you will know why: You’ve been flogged!...

Labels: public transport system

21.6.07

* Chile - Senate greenlights US$290mn Transantiago financing

Santiago,Chile -Business News Americas, by Eva Medalla -June 20, 2007: -- Chile's senate approved late Tuesday night a US$290mn injection into capital Santiago's problem-wrought integrated public transport system Transantiago, thereby freeing up the funds for disbursement... financing goes hand in hand with additional financing of at least US$100mn for public works in the rest of the country's regions... With the financing approved in congress and system performance indicators improving, authorities are preparing to discuss the possibility of expanding the role of capital Santiago's Metro company to handle both the subway network and buses, the transport ministry official said... Other issues on the government agenda include the creation of a local transport authority and the creation of an agency to temporarily take over operations in case a bus concessionaire fails to comply with contract rules...

Labels: public transport system

1.6.07

Public Transportation * Spain - How to increase use more than 30% in four years

Valladolid’s public transportation system had increased by more than 30% and this public service had turned into a source of civic pride

Valladolid,Spain -Transpordas/WordPress.com, by ordas (USA) -31 May 2007: -- The city of Valladolid, a regional industry and services capital with a population of 350,000 located inSpain’s northwest plains, had a problem... Its bus-based transportation system was not serving the public very well: its fleet management system was barely operative; its payment system was obsolete; and although the city had been rapidly expanding, along with many Spanish capitals, into new suburban areas, existing routes had not been adjusted to meet changing demand... Passenger use was low and the image of the public transport system was marginal... The challenge was to make public transportation something appealing and a source of civic pride for mature users, something hip and cool for the young...

Labels: public transport system