Buses World News

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

24.6.08

STATISTICS * Sri Lanka - State sector bus service increases, private sector decreases

With various new initiatives, public passenger transportation showed some improvement in 2007

Columbo,Sri Lanka -The Island, by Charumini de Silva -18 June 2008: -- The average number of buses operated per day by Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) increased by 9% to 4,127. The average number of buses operated by the private sector however decreased by 2% in 2007... The total operated kilometres and passenger kilometres of SLTB increased by 16% and 15% respectively, during the year... Meanwhile, the new registration of motor vehicles in 2007 decreased marginally... The registration of passenger buses too decreased by 21% in 2007 stated the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Annual Report 2007...

* Sri Lanka - Public vigilance averts disaster, hand grenade found inside a bus

Sri Lanka -Ministry of Defence (PR) -19 June 2008: -- A major disaster was averted this evening (June 18), when a timely detection of an improvised hand grenade was made by a passenger on a public transportation bus plying from Awissawella to Colombo, route no: 122 near Salaka, close to the Ibbanwela junction... The hand grenade was detected by a Navy sailor P.K.V Rathnasiri who got suspicious of an unattended box. As no individual claimed ownership of the parcel Rathnasiri along with the bus conductor immediately informed the Police calling for bomb disposal squads while, assuring safety of the passengers and commuters nearby... The hand grenade was set inside a box and improvised, the Slave Island Police OIC said speaking to our correspondent...

Labels: statistics

15.2.08

* UK - TfL attacks report’s bus crime claims

London,UK -News Shopper -15 Feb 2008: -- Transport chiefs in London have disputed suggestions allowing under-16s to travel free on the capital's buses has increased disorder problems... Transport for London (TfL) was commenting on a report by the London Assembly's transport committee... This claimed figures showed a rise in crime and anti-social behaviour since free travel was introduced in September 2005... But TfL says crime rates on the buses are the lowest since 2004 and are lower than when the free travel concession was introduced... TfL claims the majority of driver reports are not about anti-social behaviour and says the London Assembly report has seriously underestimated the impact of CCTV and visible policing... (Picture courtesy of PETER BAYLIS: Bexley's Safer Transport policing team makes sure youngsters queue to get on a bus )

Labels: statistics

8.2.08

FIGURES * UK - Bus journeys reach 11-year high

The number of people travelling by bus has reached an 11-year high of 4.72bn journeys

London,UK -BBC News -7 February 2008: -- ... The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) said the figures for 2006 - the most recent available - showed a 3% rise on the previous year... About 1bn of the bus journeys made in 2006 were for shopping - outstripping those made to work and to school... Transport Minister Rosie Winterton said the report showed how vital buses are... (Picture: More bus journeys are for shopping than for work or school)

Labels: statistics

27.1.08

Riders * USA - Pack buses in record numbers

The buses handled an estimated 110 million boardings last year

Seattle,Wash,Usa -The Seattle Times, by Mike Lindblom & Susan Gilmore -25 Jan 2008: -- Seattle ranks seventh in the U.S. in the proportion of workers within city limits who commute using public transportation. And as traffic and the cost of gasoline and parking continue to rise, so does the incentive to ride the bus... The combination of a growing work force and $3-per-gallon gasoline is luring record numbers of riders onto King County Metro buses... The buses handled an estimated 110 million boardings last year, nearly a 7 percent increase over the 2006 number, the agency reported Wednesday. It is the largest increase in at least a decade, officials said. Buses handled about 365,000 boardings per weekday... Bigger crowds aren't a surprise to commuters. Several people waiting for buses at the Pioneer Square station in the downtown Seattle bus tunnel said it's often tough to find a seat on their routes to South King County... (Photo: King County Metro saw its biggest ridership gain in 10 years in 2007. Relief may be on the way for packed-in passengers: Next month, Metro receives the first 22 of 122 buses promised in the 2006 "Transit Now" ballot measure)

Labels: statistics

STATISTICS * USA - The buses are booming

New York,NY,USA -AMNY Subway Tracker (via mta.info), by Marlene Naanes -24 Jan 2008: -- MTA Bus Company, which operates 46 outerborough local routes and 35 express buses into Manhattan, surged by 11 percent in 2007, the MTA said today... Its 1,336 buses carried an average of 367,900 riders per weekday, anincrease of 9.7% compared with 2006. Ridership increases were evengreater on weekends, with a 2007 average of 196,300 riders (a 15.1%increase) on Saturdays and 138,900 (a 13.0% increase) on Sundays...

Labels: statistics