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Buses World News

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

3.5.17

MAN BUSES' * Europe: Purchased by MOVIA

* Denmark - MAN Lions's City GL CNG buses for Copenhagen 

--- MAN Truck and Bus AG Trafikselskabet Movia (Movia), a major Danish public transport agency serving Copenhagen and the surrounding district is deploying 41 articulated MAN Lion’s City GL CNG buses on the new BRT line in the city’s north. Since Movia does not itself own any vehicles, Arriva will be operating the line on its behalf... With room for up to 150 passengers and five automatic sliding doors, the buses will help to speed up local public transport in Copenhagen as they run from Herlev through the city centre to the airport. With more than 20 million passengers a year and up to 75,000 passengers a day, the ‘City Line’ is the busiest line in the north of Denmark’s capital... The 310 HP (228 kW) city buses are fuelled with biogas. This means that MAN’s Lion’s City GL A40 CNGs have extremely low-emissions, making them a climate-friendly and economical mobility solution for urban transport... 
Copenhagen, Denmark - Busworld.org - 16 April 2017

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26.10.12

PUBLIC TRANSPORT * WORLDWIDE

* Belgium - EBSF: The future of public local Transport comes a step closer 

Brussels,Belgium -Busworld -25 Oct 2012: -- Four years of project work, 48 partners, 7 demonstration projects and a total budget of around 26 million – these are just some of the statistics generated by the European Bus System of the Future, or EBSF for short, which is the biggest road-related transportation project to be funded by the European Commission to date... As a comprehensive, widely networked research project for the design and development of an innovative, high-quality European bus system of the future, four years ago the EBSF project took on the goal of demonstrating the capabilities of a new generation of urban bus networks and creating the basis for an integrated systems approach (vehicle, infrastructure, technology, operation) with takes future passenger requirements into account. Project members in seven European countries have painstakingly assessed and compiled the data from the demonstration projects. EvoBus GmbH participated in two projects... The mixture of infotainment, news reports and transport connection information proved so popular among passengers that the transport operator sees this as a significant measure for increasing the appeal of the bus service...


* Germany - European driver's cockpit proyect as part of EBSF

Dresden,Germany -Busworld (Belgium) -24 Oct 2012: -- As part of the project for an ergonomically optimised European bus driver's cockpit, the EBSF project explored driver issues. The project examined in detail what parameters would have to be established in order to create a standardised European driver's cockpit, similar to what has been achieved with the VDV 234 guidelines in Germany... Apart from the ergonomic aspects, factors such as the driver's personal needs, safety considerations and compliance with European regulations were looked at. The test series was carried out at the Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems in Dresden, based on a variety of statistical data (in terms of sex, age, height) and using test subjects (active drivers) from Rome, Dresden and Gothenburg...


* India - No rollback for BRT in Delhi, Court says

New Delhi,India -Busworld (Belgium) -26 Oct 2012: ... The court ended its discussions with an interesting statement: “These ‘wealth creators,’ we are sure would like to live in a developed country,” said the bench. “A developed country is not one where the poor own cars. It is one where the rich use public transport” ... An India court declined to roll the back bus rapid transit corridor projects saying the “bitter medicine” of public transport was necessary for India. It was the response to a lawsuit filed earlier this year by an 84-year-old activist filed a lawsuit in the public interest asking an Indian court to scrap a road project in South Delhi that carved out separate space for buses, pedestrians and cyclists... One of his arguments was that car users are special, therefore deserve to travel faster, and were being hindered by the BRT, as it is known, which includes a dedicated bus lane... Bus commuters, not being as important, could afford to lose a few minutes here or there, was the argument in the petition of B.B. Sharan who wrote, “No consideration is given to the value of the time of the car users who are generally wealth creators such as managers, directors etc. as they waste extra 20 minutes on travelling on BRT Route”...

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24.7.12

PUBLIC TRANSPORT * USA

* Southern California: Is getting millions for new buses and public transportation facilities

(Photo by Corey Moore/KPCC: The federal government is giving millions of dollars to Southern California for public transportation)
Los Angeles,CAL,USA -KPCC Radio, by Kitty Felde- Jul 23, 2012: -- Southern California’s getting millions of federal transportation dollars. The new grants will help propel a retro form of transit: buses... The money comes from the “State of Good Repair and Bus Livability” fund at the federal Department of Transportation... The L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will get $15 million to replace about three dozen aging buses with new ones that run on natural gas. Metro operates the world’s largest fleet of natural gas buses... More than a million passengers board Metro buses every weekday... Omnitrans in the Inland Empire is also getting federal bus money. More than $5 million will go to expand the San Bernardino Transit Center, adding 22 sheltered bus bays that’ll display “real time” arrival information. The new facility will also include restrooms, meeting rooms, secure bicycle parking and bike rentals...

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8.11.10

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES * WORLDWIDE

* Latvia - Buses from Riga

Riga,Latvia -PhotoRiga, by Ikars -1 Nov 2010: -- But I have so many supposedly interesting public transport pictures of Riga, that I decided to make this whole week in this theme. So, you will see various pics of Riga public transport ...
Riga doesn't have metro (it was planned to built in 80ies but wasn't possible due to both people's protests and too difficult soil conditions - it should be digged in very deeply), but it has very developed tram, trolleybus and bus network. The most renewed fleet is buses - there are no old buses in use. Riga has several bus depots, here you see one in Maskavas district. In summer, I rarely use public transport. How I get around the city? Well, if you look closely in the second picture you can find an answer there...
Only serious competitor to official Riga public transport enterprise (which runs buses, trolleybuses and trams) in Riga are minibuses. They also runs in many different routes, they are fast and they are also cheaper than municipal-owned public transport. There have been stories about too dangerous driving about those minibuses - they usually didn't respected traffic rules but it seems lately the situation has became better...


* Canada - Montreal's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)


Montreal,QBC,CAN -Images of Centre Town, by Charles Akben-Marchand -November 1, 2010: ... The buses allow you to use the Opus smart card for your fare. We found that it took 1-2 seconds for each passenger's card to register with the system. This slowed loading considerably--for the ten or so people getting on the bus at this top, I had enough time while waiting in line to get my camera out, move to the front, and take a photo of the people getting on board...   As we travelled the route, we passed few notable things (I'd compare it to taking the 85 down Carling Avenue from the Queensway to Lincoln Fields). The standard bus stops were not unlike those in Ottawa...
The only other thing to say about our short look at the bus system in Montreal--and only because I like to end my posts with something a bit more interesting than the above photo--was this long bus. We don't have articulated Novabuses in Ottawa-Gatineau, just the 40-foot model. Montreal does...


* Malysia - More buses useless without better info delivery

Putrajaya,Malaysia -The Malaysia Kini, by Moaz Yusuf Ahmad -Nov 4, 2010: -- The members of the Association for the Improvement of Mass Transit (Transit) note the recent announcement of 25 additional buses for the Nadi Putra service, to increase the size of the fleet from the current 150 buses... According to the article, the buses are smaller, and they will be used for a "feeder bus" role, going deeper into the housing estates to pick up passengers... The Nadi Putra service and the Putrajaya Corporation which owns the service, is also going to invest in an awareness campaign to encourage more people to take the bus... They are also promising that drivers will stick to the schedule in order to ensure that the service is reliable... Transit is pleased to note that the Putrajaya Corporation and Nadi Putra are going to continue with their efforts to improve the supply of public transport in Putrajaya... The only question is, will this increase in supply along with the awareness campaign help to increase the demand for public transportation?... The short answer is, there will be little change in the short term. And this is obviously disappointing for all those well-meaning people who want to see demand for the public transport service increase... Information about Nadi Putra bus services is currently poor and the awareness campaign (which will probably be little more than banners on light poles for car drivers to read) are simply not going to be enough to get more people to use the service... (Photo from  t3.gstatic: The local government has plans to add more buses in Nadi Putra's fleet)

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Flash Strike * India - PMPML drivers on contract demand bonus, go on strike

Flash strike by bus drivers at the Bhosari and Nigdi bus depots

Pune,India -TNN/The Times of India -Nov 6, 2010: --  Public transport services in the city was partially disrupted on Friday following a flash strike by bus drivers at the Bhosari and Nigdi bus depots. The drivers, who are working with a contractor from whom the PMPML has hired buses, are demanding that they be paid Diwali bonus... PMPML officials said as many as 60 buses remained off the roads as result of the strike. The strike affected the bus service, thus causing inconvenience to commuters. However, Friday being a holiday, there was less than usual rush of passengers... In addition to the 1,100-odd buses in its fleet, the PMPML has hired over 250 buses from various private contractors. The transport company has already paid bonus and ex-gratia amount to its staff. The drivers employed with the private contractor have demanded that they too be paid Diwali bonus... The PMPML officials had no clues about when the strike will be withdrawn. The officials indicated that the issue has to be resolved by the contractor. The strike is not likely to affect people seriously as the next two days are holidays. The authorities are also hoping that the strike would be called off soon... (Photo from cdn.wn: The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited -PMPML- ... but good revenue does not necessarily translate into quality service)


* India - Overcrowded PMPML buses means passengers travelling dangerously on the footboard or clinging to the bars of windows while maintaining a toe-hold

Pune,India -The Times of India/TNN -Nov 4, 2010: ... The life-threatening manner of travel has made Prashant Inamdar of Pedestrians First write to district collector Chandrakant Dalvi, also the chairman of the newly formed district transport authority... The unsafe way is also a serious violation of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and traffic rules, said Inamdar. In his earlier letter to PMPML, Inamdar said that a commuter standing precariously on the doorway may slip off and get hit by another vehicle. He added that the driver would also face difficulties in controlling and steering the bus in such an unbalanced condition and accidents may rise... There have been fatal accidents involving commuters travelling in a dangerous manner. Inamdar said that overloaded buses create a poor image of the public transport undertaking and the city... (Photo from beta.thehindu: Commuters travelling in an overcrowded private bus in Kolkata on August 3, 2009)

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5.11.10

TRIPS * Tanzania - Braving "buses of death"

I'm relieved to have survived. Half-way through my first journey, I had re-named them the "buses of death"

Moshi,(in the shadow of) Kilimanjaro,Tanzania -The Citizen, by Ismat Abidi -31 October 2010:  ... Inter-city buses in Tanzania are unreliable, uncomfortable, incredibly slow and, most of all, dangerous. Having just looked up the statistics on Tanzania road traffic deaths, I'm relieved to have survived. Half-way through my first journey, I had re-named them the "buses of death"...   The ticketing system is bizarrely the one strand of order in what is otherwise a day of chaos - you may not be able to rely on reaching your destination in one piece but you can rely on your seat number...   It took Razan and I almost 10 hours to reach our next city, with no time to get off the bus for a toilet break in case we were left stranded (bus drivers are notorious for zooming off). We were on a paved road for an hour before the driver veered off onto a dirt track through a barren, dry desert, which was home to the odd wild baboon..  Despite booking on the most expensive bus company ($2-$3) for a single intercity journey), I have never felt more frightened in a vehicle. Dust, sand and dirt continued to layer our bodies and many of the locals began to cover their faces with scarves, as did I. The swerving and loud horns continued all day and there were times where I genuinely thought the bus would flip over. Razan and I were so scared that all we could do was laugh...  It was time for another ride on the "bus of death". Again, the only thing right about the journey was our assigned seat numbers. Although this bus had windows, it felt more unsafe this time around. Once again, we were the only non-locals on the packed bus and as soon as the dirt road track began, we passed an overturned bus and an overturned truck in the space of an hour...  We still had 10 hours left. I contemplated texting our bus details back home in case something happened but was suddenly distracted...  During that time we heard the crow of roosters from the front of the bus and the luggage above, providing a welcome distraction to the dangerous driving...  Another unlikely but welcome distraction came about nine hours into the journey, when the bus broke down. At this point, we were more concerned about a toilet break and surviving the last hour of the highway than reaching our destination... (Photo from pages.cs.brandeis.edu: around Tanzania usually I get there by buses)

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29.8.10

Brewing bus battle * USA / Minnesota: Fancy vs. frill-free

More officials are asking: Are two tiers of bus service really fair, and are affluent suburbs getting more than their share of the bucks?

Minneapolis,MINN,USA -The Star Tribune, by DAVID PETERSON & KATIE HUMPHREY -August 25, 2010: -- It's not that she hates city buses. She takes them all the time. But when she steps from the floral-scented atmosphere of the Eden Prairie station into one of the gleaming black coaches of SouthWest Transit, Lori York enters a different world than the one she encounters on Metro Transit buses... Here, unlike the city bus, she feels like a first-class airline passenger, from the style of the announcements over the loudspeaker to the reclining coach seats, the footrests and the cup holder... But that two-tier Twin Cities bus system, with fancy coaches serving some suburbs while bare-bones buses cruise city streets, has long rankled those who get the frill-free treatment... And key city legislators are now openly suggesting it's unacceptable -- especially in light of data suggesting the suburban services cost significantly more per passenger. The legislative auditor is in the midst of a major study, the kind that can lead to landmark legislation... The rumbles of change have civic leaders in the "golden crescent" of upscale western and southern suburbs worried that they could lose the ability to provide the high-quality service that draws longer-range commuters out of their cars... (Photo by Brendan Sullivan/The Star Tribune: On Saturday afternoon, Metro Transit bus users wait to arrive at their destination while riding the No. 4 route city bus throughout downtown Minneapolis. The city buses are recently being compared to the suburban buses which are considered more of a luxury)

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13.8.10

Public Transportation * Kurdistan - Demand for, decreasing, “little use to the public”

Erbil,Kurdistan -TCKR International, by Michael Simko -August 10, 2010: -- Low-quality services and availability of private cars undermines the public transportation sector in Kurdistan... It is 3:15 p.m., the burning sun is almost boiling a bottle of water in the hand of Hazhar Faraj, 26, as he waits for a bus under the shade of a tree on the Kirkuk Road in Erbil... “I always try to go by bus and avoid taxis because taxis are so expensive. But the bus never arrives on time, and after two to three minutes of waiting in the sun, I am forced to hire a taxi and pay my 3,000 dinars [around US$2.5].” Soon after, Faraj hired a taxi and left. With his taxi still in sight, the bus arrived at his stop with only a few passengers who seemed almost unconscious... The issue is much bigger when it comes to outside city transportation. In that case, the same passenger has to choose between waiting approximately five to 10 minutes for three more passengers and arriving at his destination in time in an air-conditioned taxi, or waiting for around 30 minutes to one hour for some 20 more passengers and arriving in almost double the time of the taxi in an old bus without air-conditioning for a few less dollars... The public transportation sector in Kurdistan gets worse every day and is of little use to the public. Reasons could be the quality of the vehicles, undependability in terms of time, and lack of a comprehensive network that can cover the whole city... (Photo from img200.exs.cx: Kurdistan, all the buses have been covered with posters of the political parties. The buses are private)

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26.7.10

PUBLIC SERVICE * India - 'Make use of low-floor BEST buses'


(Video from YouTube, by tandelbaba -10 May 2010: BEST Double-Decker bus doing a good job in mild Mumbai Traffic!!!!!)

Mumbai,India -The Times of India, by Somit Sen -Jul 24, 2010: -- After its recent decision to reserve more seats for women and senior citizens, the BEST now wants to encourage wheelchair-bound senior citizens/handicapped persons to avail of the low-floor "disabled-friendly" buses... There are 30 such buses plying the city and suburbs. The buses were launched in 2005 following a court directive, but got a poor response... BEST committee member, Ravi Raja, claimed that not a single wheelchair-bound person has availed of the service till date. "BEST has failed to meet the purpose for which the buses were launched,'' he stated... "We are appealing to spastics society, hospitals and other institutions to create awareness about our special buses," a senior official said...


* India - DTC’s AC buses full of hot air

New Delhi,India -The Hindustan Times, by Atul Mathur -July 24, 2010: -- The Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC) swanky air-conditioned buses are slowly proving to be a dud in Delhi’s muggy weather. Many of the low-floor buses are still waiting to hit the road, thanks to ineffective air-conditioning. In fact, there have been regular complaints of poor cooling in most buses running on Delhi roads for the past one year... DTC sources said the problem is more serious in buses manufactured by Ashok Leyland. Of 1,250 AC buses that will add to the DTC’s fleet before the Commonwealth Games, Ashok Leyland is to supply 350... Ashok Leyland recently called experts from Spain to rectify the problem. “On close inspection, we found the air curtain — which separates hot air in the atmosphere from cool air inside the bus — at both the doors was ineffective,” said Naresh Kumar, DTC chairman and managing director... According to an Ashok Leyland spokesperson, a team of engineers from Hispacold, the Spanish company that supplied ACs for the low floor buses, and Ashok Leyland looked into the problem and suggested addition of few extra slots for cold air inside the bus and improvement in air curtain at the door...

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25.2.10

Public Service * Canada - Let the transit move you

Open Letter to Neophyte Transit Users. With that in mind I give you this:

Vancouver,BC,Canada -Olympic City Girl -February 20, 2010: -- Dear tourists, suburbanites and recovering oil-junkies, on behalf of regular transit users in Metro Vancouver, I’d like to welcome you aboard our SkyTrain, Canada Line, SeaBus and buses... I’m so glad you’ve come out to spur Vancouver, if only for a few weeks, to make like a proper urban centre with quick, efficient transit running late into the night and at regular, frequent intervals... To my shock and awe, the people of this good city are much smarter than I’d given them credit for. A good 30 per cent of those who drive have parked their cars in exchange for public transit and alternative transport as per Vanoc’s request. Although, I guess it’s not much of a surprise, since to drive downtown these days — as some insist on doing — you would have to be an utter masochist... TransLink is reporting its highest usage ever, 1.5 million people last Sunday, with the peak yet to come this weekend with the awesome weather (there are cherry blossoms out!) and continuing party downtown... (Picture from rinconeslejanos: Metro Vancouver)

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6.5.09

PUBLIC TRANSPORT * France - Bus Travel in

Paris,France -France Travel Guide -30 April 2009: -- While France as a very well connected highway system, because the French government encourages people to travel by train in the country, there is no national bus system in France. Also, while the TGV (France’s high-speed train) can whisk you from one side of the country to the other in just a few hours, bus travel is definitely neither the easiest nor the cheapest way to get around the country...That being said, while buses are slower, less convenient and less comfortable than trains, they are also cheaper. Especially for those travelers who qualify for discounts (under 26, students, teachers, over 60), taking the bus can be a good way to save some extra cash for shopping in Paris...

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24.3.09

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM * Dominican Republic - Santiago, Metro Bus Station


(Video of the Metro Bus Station in Santiago, Dominican Republic)

Santiago,Dominican Republic -DR Adventurers Blog -22 March 2009: -- This is a video of inside and outside the terminal and surrounding area and inside of waiting area, ticket counter and convenience store within terminal. Travelling to different cities via motor coach is a preferred method of travel between the major cities in Dominican Republic... There are few methods of transportation for getting around in the Dominican Republic comfortably. The Metro usually is the most rapid non stop transportation to and from the 3 major cities, Santiago, Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata... The early morning and late evening rides can sometimes be chilly, especially the window seats when you can get an icy blast of air-condtioning, carry an extra blouse or jacket - for some reason many buses wont or cannot make adjustments to the air-conditioning temparature to insure passenger comfort...

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20.3.09

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM * Cuba - Sees Major Transport Recovery

Cuba’s transportation system has undergone a major overhaul since 2005

(Photo by Caridad: New Chinese buses, many articulated, have replaced older worn out units) Havana,Cuba -The Havana Times,by DALIA ACOSTA -March 18, 2009: -- An end to Cuba’s severe transport crisis finally appears to be in sight, after three years of substantial investments and reforms, although future economic growth could pose new challenges...Like many people in the Cuban capital, Flores uses the government-subsidized public transport system to get to work. Last year the number of routes connecting outlying neighborhoods to the areas where economic activity is concentrated was doubled, after Chinese and Russian buses arrived on the streets...Today there are 16 bus routes plying between the centre and the suburbs, and one which connects the outlying areas. In addition there are minor routes between these major arteries...(Photo by Elio Delgado: The famous and disliked “camels” like this specimen have been replaced in the capital by the modern buses)

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17.3.09

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM * Nigeria - One year on, complaints trail Lagos BRT scheme

Exactly one year after hitting the roads, commuters recount sad tales of waiting to board BRT vehicles

Lagos,Nigeria -Punch, by MIKE ODIEGWU -16 Mar 2009: -- When about 280 vehicles of the Bus Rapid Transit hit the Lagos roads last year, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, a government parastatal, left no one in doubt that the scheme would offer high capacity services... Among other advantages of the scheme, LAMATA had said that the BRT would operate along major corridors of the metropolis and also offer fast and efficient fare collection services... Commuters who woke up early and besieged the bus stations complained of staying on long queues for hours... On Thursday, for instance, commuters grumbled over stretched queues in various termini of the BRT in the state... (Photo: BRT buses parked at Ketu Bus-Stop)

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16.3.09

PUBLIC TRANSPORT * Japan - To help Myanmar upgrade public transportation in Yangon

Yangon,Myanmar -Xinhua (China) -March 12,2009: -- The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will help Myanmar upgrade the urban public transportation of Myanmar's former capital of Yangon to international standard as part of the cooperation program between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)... The JICA, which is Japanese government's overseas aid agency, had conducted research for two times in Myanmar with a workshop being held on the move last year and the findings will be based to seek ways of improvement of the urban transportation... According to statistics of the Yangon municipal authorities, there is a total of 310 bus lines with 6,330 buses transporting over 3 million passengers per day in the city... As part of its efforts to reduce traffic jam and ensure safety in traveling, the Yangon traffic police authorities have started removing a total of 370 very-old-aged buses running in the former capital, which were left behind by the Second World War, and replacing them with modern ones. Of the total, 207 have been transferred to the remote suburban areas... Instead, about 300 modern buses have been imported to reinforce the city's public transportation, the authorities said...

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17.2.09

Passengers' Transport * Dubai - Taxi price rise in Sharjah leads to increase in bus use

Sharjah,Dubai -Gulf News, by Mariam M. Al Serkal -13 Feb 2009: -- ... "I have started to use the bus to go around Sharjah because it is cheaper than the taxi," said Aamir Suhail, a resident who lives in Al Rolla... The popularity of buses has increased as a result of implementing a new taxi fare for passengers en route to Dubai, whose taxi metres start at Dh20... The number of passengers using public buses in Sharjah was recorded to have increased by nearly 3,000 passengers since December, according to a senior official at Sharjah Transport... (Gulf News Archive - Taxi price rise in Sharjah leads to increase in bus use)

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5.2.09

Bus Information * USA - Hit the Road With

2008 was the year of the bus boom

New York,NY,USA -The Washington Post -1 Feb 2009: -- 2008 was the year of the bus boom, with two companies, Megabus and BoltBus, joining Greyhound and smaller companies in ferrying passengers between Washington and New York... BoltBus rolled out its service in March, offering fares as low as $1 one-way (and up to $23) from Metro Center to New York's Chinatown or Penn Station... In May, the double-decker-boasting Megabus arrived with $1 fares (up to $21) and similar routes. Megabus is offering free tickets on select buses through March 18... The two newcomers join a crowded field, including Greyhound, whose fares from downtown Washington to New York's Port Authority start at $20 one way or $40 round trip, and Peter Pan Bus Lines, which serves the Northeast corridor and shares terminals with Greyhound in Washington, Silver Spring and New Carrollton... Fares on GotoBus.com start at $15 one way and $30 round trip, with schedules from eight bus companies that leave from Chinatown, Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom and downtown, plus Bethesda, Rockville and Arlington. Another reservation site is Chinatown Bus, whose stops also include Rockville and New York's Midtown, with fares from $20 one way and $35 round trip. Both booking sites also offer buses from the Washington area to Philadelphia ($15/$28) and Richmond ($15/$25)...

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27.1.09

PUBLIC TRANSPORT in SHOTS * Thailand - The Buses of Saphan Taksin

Saphan Taksin,Thailand -Thai Mass Transport Systems, by thaitransit -January 27, 2009: -- The Saphan Taksin area is located next to the Chao Phraya River in inner Bangkok. The area is named after the modern road bridge that links the Sathorn and Khlong San areas of Bangkok. Saphan Taksin is the current terminus for the BTS elevated metro and the most important boat pier on the Chao Phraya express boat service... The day I photographed the area the traffic on Charoen Krung road was rather light and with a reasonable flow which was good for a change in this area.
1. This is a shot of a Route 120: Mahachai – Khlong San bus. Taken as it was approaching the bus stop in Krung Thonburi road. Bus number 120 – 14. Bus type unknown...
2. This is a shot of a Route 6: Phra Pradaeng – Banglamphu bus. Taken as it was heading south along Charoen Nakhon road. Bus number unknown. Bus type unknown...
3. This is an image of a Route 111: Talat Phlu – Bukkhalo (loop service) bus. Taken as it was heading south along Charoen Nakhon road. Bus number BMTA 5 – 40116. Bus type Hino non aircon. Note this is a free bus...
4. This is a shot of a Route 84: Om Yai – Khlong San bus. Taken as it was turning into Charoen Nakhon Road. Bus number BMTA 6 – 50099. Bus type Isuzu non aircon...
5. This is a shot of a Route 84n: Aue Arthon Village (Salaya) – Khlong San bus. Taken as it was turning into Charoen Nakhon road. Bus number BMTA 6 – 56114. Bus type Isuzu aircon...
6. This is an image of the Taksin cross river ferry waiting to depart from the thonburi side of the Chao Phaya River. Each boat holds 110 people. During peak periods boats depart stuffed full every 2 minutes. Off peak boats depart every 5 – 10 minutes. Taken looking east across the river.

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15.1.09

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEMS * Iraq / Turkey - Connecting People in Istanbul and Kirkuk Overland

Istambul,Turkey -Iraq Updates -7 January 2009: -- As relations between Turkey and northern Iraq begin to heal, a bus company has started traveling between Istanbul and Kirkuk... Although there are only a limited number of buses traveling... The buses carry Turkmen, Arab and Kurdish people who want to visit family, relatives and friends in Istanbul... The buses, owned by a company based in the southeastern city of Mardin, currently travel twice a week. Although the trip is long and difficult, it is as popular as flight tickets to Kirkuk from Istanbul, which cost around $500 while the bus trip costs $130... For many Iraqis, the bus is a much cheaper option for travel to Turkey... Bus driver Rıdvan Değer said the buses have traveled between Istanbul and Kirkuk for the last six months and they have not encountered any problems except time spent waiting at borders... The route from Kirkuk goes through Zaho, Silopi and then to Mardin, Gaziantep, Adana and uses the Ankara highway to reach Istanbul in 28 hours... (Photo: Bus driver Iraq)


* USA - Chinatown Bus Lines are a Budget Traveler’s Dream

New York,NY,USA -China Tour/China Travel Guide -January 11, 2009: -- The word is out—the cheapest way to get from one major U.S. city to another is on the “Chinatown bus”... In recent years this has become transportation option of choice for budget travelers in New York, Washington DC, and Boston, and more recently on the West Coast. .. Students, backpackers, and an array of other savvy travelers have long loved the rock bottom prices that these bus companies offer. Despite the popularity of these bus lines it can still be difficult to find information on Chinatown bus service... What exactly is a “Chinatown Bus”? Read on and you will have the inside track on this great budget travel option...

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3.1.09

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM * Iraq - Transport network on road to recovery but needs help

Iraq's dilapidated transport infrastructure is on the road to recovery after decades of neglect but funding is inadequate and the new transport minister is seeking outside investors

Baghdad,Iraq -AFP/Zawya, by Benjamin Morgan -Jan 02, 2009: -- Factionalism and corruption was rife when Amer Abduljabbar Ismail took the helm at a government department considered to be one of the most dysfunctional in the war-battered country, the minister told AFP in an interview... "It looked like a group of gangs and militias," he said, noting that at one point the skills shortage was such that nearly half the workforce only had a primary education...

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