User-agent: Mediapartners-Google* Disallow: Buses World News

Buses World News

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

19.1.16

BUS DRIVERS SAFETY * USA: SECURITY GLASS on BUSES

* Arizona - Security glass tested on select Sun Tran buses

-- In an effort to protect its operators and improve customer safety, Sun Tran is equipping several of its 252 buses with security partitions... Similar to what’s seen inside some banks and convenience stores, the partition is a half-inch thick piece of plexiglass separating the driver from passengers... The goal is to eventually equip every Sun Tran bus with security partitions... But before that happens, operators will test various models over the next few months to see what works best for them and their passengers... Considering Sun Tran provides more than 20 million passenger trips per year, 13 reported assaults on Sun Tran buses last year is actually quite low...
(Source: Tucson News Now - The goal is to eventually equip every Sun Tran bus with security partitions) -- Tucson, AZ, USA - Tucson News Now, by Som Lisaius - Jan 15, 2016

Labels: safety measures

23.2.09

CHECKS ON BUSES * UK - Operations target anti-social bus users

Over 1,000 arrests have been made in a major operation to combat antisocial behaviour and pickpocketing on London’s buses

London,UK -Mayor Watch, by Martin Hoscik -February 20, 2009: -- ... Funded by Transport for London and enacted by officers from the Met’s Transport Operational Command Unit, Operation Ridgeway saw up to 200 officers carry out “high-visibility patrols” on the bus network... During the operation officers distributed anti-theft chains to bus passengers and targeted pickpockets and those involved in antisocial behaviour. Revenue Protection staff from TfL also carried out random fare checks on buses...

Labels: safety measures

27.1.09

SAFETY * UK - Police target thugs attacking buses in Blacon

Chester,England,UK -The Chester Chronicle, by Ben Coulbeck -Jan 26 2009: -- Police in Blacon have vowed to crack down on anti-social youths who are targeting buses... Drivers of First buses, taking passengers through the Chester suburb, have feared for their safety after stones have been hurled at their windows... At bus stops, youths have switched off the engine using the emergency stop button on the side of the bus forcing the driver out of his seat and leaving ticket money unguarded... In a bid to make Blacon’s bus routes safer for the bus company and passengers using the service, Cheshire Police will now be sending community support officers on buses to monitor the situation...

Labels: safety measures

8.1.09

SAFETY * UK - Transport police will replace conductors on new buses, says Boris

London,UK -The Guardian, by Hélène Mulholland -8 January 2009: ... Transport police will be used to replace "old-fashioned" bus conductors on the new Routemaster buses in London, Boris Johnson said today... The mayor of London said that transport police community support officers would help people on and off the back of the new fleet of buses and provide a figure of "authority" for passengers... Johnson outlined his surprise plans for the staffing of the new bus fleet on the Vanessa Feltz show on BBC Radio London this morning... (One of the possible designs for the new London Routemaster bus, by Capoco)

Labels: safety measures

7.1.09

SAFETY * USA - Keeping an eye on the buses

Lines plagued by violence now getting a police escort

Boston,MAS,USA -The Boston Globe, by Maria Cramer -January 7, 2009: -- Transit Police use video hookups to watch for trouble on buses along routes through Dorchester and Roxbury... They are the most public of venues, traveling city streets with large windows and crowds of students, construction workers, and mothers pushing strollers... And yet the MBTA buses that rattle along some of the city's most dangerous corridors have not been public enough to deter crimes as violent as they are brazen... The primary focus of the MBTA's effort has been Route 23, a line long associated with high-profile crimes and the source of a barrage of community complaints. Transit police have assigned up to three cruisers a day to follow the roughly 16 buses that travel the route daily, monitoring live feeds from surveillance cameras. The agency has also assigned four officers to ride the route during peak afternoon hours, when high school students head home... The T has opted to put officers in the cruisers rather than increase the number of officers on board the bus because it gives police more flexibility to peel away from buses that are not crowded and focus on those with more potential for violence... Each crime stokes passengers' fears, triggering calls for more vigilance, especially when teenagers begin boarding already crowded buses... (On some bus routes, T posts watchful guard - SEE VIDEO: by Jonathan Wiggs and Maria Cramer, production by Chona Camomot/Globe Staff)

Labels: safety measures

27.10.08

BUSES' SAFETY * WORLDWIDE

* Singapore - Belts made mandatory on buses

Singapore -Radio Australia (Melbourne,Victoria,Australia) by Sen Lam -26 Oct 2008: -- The recent announcement that seat belts will be made mandatory in all small buses in Singapore has left one burning question for parents will this cause school bus fares to rise?... Singapore's Land Transport Authority last week moved to fit all small buses carrying up to 15 passengers with front-facing seats and seat belts. The government will also provide 35 million dollars to defray the cost, but it may not be enough to prevent a price rise...

* UK - Live CCTV to be installed on London buses

London,UK -APP/Associated Press of Pakistan (PAK) -Oct 27, 2008: -- A hi-tech CCTV system that transmit live pictures to police control rooms is to be installed on commuter buses on some of London’s most troubled-plagued routes. The system which can be activated by the driver will broadcast pictures straight to police commanders who can then dispatch rapid response squads to outbreaks of violence... Under the scheme announced by the London City Government, the cameras will be fitted on 21 buses and it may be extended to other problem routes across the capital if a six-month trial proves successful... There are 60,000 CCTV cameras spread across London’s 8,000 buses with the police making 650 requests for footage every month. The new system will involve the British Transport Police and the Metropolitan Police teaming up to tackle bus crime...

Labels: safety measures

16.10.08

Guardian Angels * USA - Will patrol some Milwaukee buses

Milwaukee,USA -The Journal Sentinel, by JESSE GARZA -Oct. 9, 2008: -- The Guardian Angels, a national citizen volunteer crime-fighting organization, will begin patrolling two Milwaukee County Transit System bus routes today, a member of the Milwaukee chapter of the organization said Thursday... Willie Brooks, the spokesman for the Milwaukee chapter, said the patrols are in response to two incidents Monday in which a bus driver and a passenger were assaulted... The patrols on Routes 19 and 63 will start at 10 a.m. at the intersection of N. 27th St. and W. Atkinson Ave., Brooks said... Also Thursday, the union that represents transit system drivers issued four proposals for improving safety aboard buses... In a news release, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 998 called for installation of security shields for drivers on a trial number of buses, more police and sheriff’s office patrols, more transit security officers and training bus drivers in the use of pepper spray... Milwaukee County Sheriff, David A. Clarke Jr., has been calling on transit company officials to install the safety shields and has offered pepper spray training... (WATCH A VIDEO: A driver and a passenger are attacked aboard Milwaukee County Transit System buses in two separate incidents Monday)

Labels: safety measures

18.9.08

Pre-Trip Safety Information * USA - For Bus and Motorcoach Passengers

Washington,DC,USA -FMCSA (Press Release), by Lisha Dunlap /The Sun Herald -Sept 15. 2008: -- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, has developed outreach materials to assist bus and motorcoach companies in providing pre-trip safety information to their passengers... Bus and motorcoach companies are strongly encouraged to provide these or similar materials about emergency and safety features of their vehicles to passengers before every trip... For more information visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Labels: safety measures

25.6.08

Officers on the buses * UK - To tackle anti-social behaviour

Leicestershire,UK -The Leicestershire Constabulary News -19 June 2008: -- Officers in Harborough are getting on the buses to take action against anti-social behaviour in Broughton Astley... The Joint Action Group in Harborough, made up of local police, council representatives and members of the community, have launched the scheme in partnership with Arriva Buses to crack down on loutish behaviour...

Labels: safety measures

12.5.08

CONTROLS * Canada - Angry words fly over buses

School buses across the province sat idle Thursday as provincial safety inspectors and mechanics scrutinized older units for safety risks

Charlottetown,Prince Edward Island,Canada -The Guardian, by TERESA WRIGHT -12 May 2008: -- ... But questions are being raised about why these inspections weren’t done sooner, especially after the provincial auditor general highlighted the need for structural inspections of older buses two years ago... Forty-one older buses were inspected and 10 were flagged with serious structural problems. Of those, seven were pulled out of service as “beyond repair... In fact, the current problems with the Island’s older buses were only uncovered when a mechanic in the Western School Board went beyond regular inspection routine and took apart a bus after discovering corrosion around a wheel well... (Photo by Heather Taweel by Guardian - Parents take their kids home from Glen Stewart elementary school in Stratford Thursday after all buses were off the road after some of the vehicles failed a safety inspection)

Labels: safety measures

29.11.07

SAFETY * Canada - Transpo watch

City moves to spend $250,000 on cameras in buses to monitor drivers

Ottawa,ONT,Canada -The Ottawa Citizen, by Jake Rupert -November 26, 2007: -- Weeks after OC Transpo enlisted spies to monitor its drivers, the transit company is poised to spend $250,000 to equip 265 of its buses with cameras that will watch over them - and passengers - in a bid to improve safety and boost ridership... If the six-month pilot project is a success, OC Transpo will spend $750,000 more to equip all buses with cameras by next year... (Photograph by Mike Carroccetto/The Ottawa Citizen: Dennis Mayhew, a veteran and a regular on route 14)

Labels: safety measures

28.10.07

Student discipline * Canada - Safety under surveillance

Board ponders videos on buses

High River,Alberta,Canada -The High River Times, by Jessica Patterson -October 26, 2007: -- The Foothills School Division is considering a policy update that would allow for more video cameras on its buses... The division would only use the tapes in disciplining students for their behaviour on the bus... Issues of responsibility and legality were raised at the board meeting Wednesday. Trustee Laurie Copland was curious about the responsibility bus drivers have for the children they transport... Drivers themselves are encouraged not to physically get involved... (Photo from www.westernwheel.com: The Foothills School Division)

Labels: safety measures

SAFETY * UK - Undercover operation tackles troubled buses

Anti-social youths got a shock this week as police and undercover council officers boarded buses to stamp out bad behaviour

Morecambe,England,UK -The Visitor -24 October 2007: -- ... As a result of the operation by Morecambe police and staff from the Lancashire County Council Safer Travel Unit, who travelled on bus services in plain clothes in an attempt to identify offenders, 15 youths were warned for behaving badly and one teenager was given a fine... The operation was the first of its kind on buses used by children travelling home from school in the area... The undercover council officers travelled on commercial bus services to spot people acting in an anti-social manner... Once the bus service arrived at 'gateway check' sites at Euston Road and outside Happy Mount Park, police boarded the vehicle with the Safer Travel Unit staff to talk to identified offenders... (Photo - CAUGHT OUT: Youngsters are warned about behaviour on buses)

Labels: safety measures

SAFETY * USA - Police follow school buses to catch lawbreakers

Hanover,PA,USA -The Evening Sun, by SHARI SANGER -25 Oct 2007: -- West Manheim Township Police Officer Craig Snyder looked for a South Western School District bus, then followed it in his police cruiser as the bus made its morning stops in the rain on Wednesday... He was looking for drivers who were violating the state's School Bus Stopping Law... The state Department of Transportation program usually is run as part of National School Bus Safety Week in the third week of October... (Photo by James Robinson/Evening Sun - West Manheim Township Police Officer Craig Snyder follows a South Western school bus while it makes its morning rounds. Officers statewide were policing problem areas as part of Operation Safe Stop, an initiative by the state Department of Transportation to better enforce safety regulations regarding school buses)

Labels: safety measures

20.9.07

Safety * USA - New regulations on school bus ones

Auto safety rules pledged

Washington,DC,USA -The Detroit News, by David Shepardson -September 20, 2007: -- The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration pledged action on a number of key auto safety and regulatory issues before the end of the year... NHTSA chief Nicole Nason pledged to introduce new regulations on school bus safety, and revisions to the government's New Car Assessment Program and its "ease of use" rating system for child safety seats... She also said a Bush administration working group is on pace to propose vehicle tailpipe emissions limits by the end of this year, with a final regulation in place by the end of 2008... In pledging quicker action, Nason noted the fast turnaround in getting new rules mandating electronic stability control, an anti-rollover technology... (US DOT's Photo: Nicole Nason)

Labels: safety measures

4.9.07

Safety * UK - Patrols will take on buses that clog up cities

Bus companies which fail to meet their service obligations and congest town and city centres will be targeted in the biggest clampdown on operators since deregulation in the 1980s

Glasgow,Scotland,UK -The Herald, by GERRY BRAIDEN -August 30 2007: -- ... Uniformed enforcement officers are being recruited to police the bus industry in the west of Scotland, with six due to come on board within weeks, possibly rising to 20 in the coming years... Firms not complying with the legal requirements could incur financial penalties... The intention is to have an enforcement presence in all major towns in the west of Scotland, checking on the region's 145 bus firms... (Picture: oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk)

Labels: safety measures

23.8.07

SAFETY * Ireland - Minister shocked by children not wearing seat belts

Junior Minister for Education Sean Haughey today branded as shocking that three-quarters of post-primary pupils are not wearing seatbelts on school buses

Cork,Ireland -The Evening Echo -22 Aug 2007: -- Speaking as the new school year draws closer, he said the message must get through to children to “belt up safely”... He referred to a survey carried out by Bus Eireann earlier in the year which revealed the majority of pupils were not complying with the new law, introduced following the Navan school bus crash in 2005 which claimed the lives of five teenage girls.

Labels: safety measures

COMMENT * Malaysia - Strict enforcement can keep roads safe

They seem to say that their services should still continue though they have been blacklisted by the Road Transport Department and have yet to settle the numerous police summonses for traffic offences

Malaysia -The Malaysia Star, by V.K.CHIN -August 22, 2007: -- The reaction of bus operators is really surprising and can only be described as “bizarre” in the explanation as to why companies whose vehicles had received summonses should continue with their services... They are of the opinion that it is all right to keep their vehicles on the road because their drivers were the ones who committed the offences. Therefore, there is no reason for them to stop their operations... To them, it is not unusual for drivers with dozens of bookings for speeding and dangerous driving to continue in the job... Every time there is a fatal accident where many people are either killed or injured, the usual chorus of warnings, complaints, indignant or condemnation would appear in the media.
The tragedy is that no lessons would be learnt from Bukit Gantang unless all parties involved in ensuring road safety, namely, the transport ministry, JPJ, police, the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board, Puspakom and non-governmental organisations come together to tackle this serious problem... It is futile pointing fingers as to who should be responsible for road deaths. In fact, all of them should share the responsibility and blame... What is the use of issuing tickets to offenders without any follow-up to punish those who ignore the law? When booking them, the officers have all the personal details of the bus drivers, including the company they work for... It is therefore not difficult to track down such offenders to execute the warrants of arrest since their workplace is known...

Labels: safety measures

SAFETY * Canada - Cameras on Buses Working

Video surveillance cameras on Guelph Transit buses appear to be working

Guelph,Ontario, Canada -The Guelph Tribune, by Paige Hilton -Aug 21, 2007: -- ... "Since the cameras were installed, we're not aware of anyone being assaulted or spat upon," said manager of transit services Randall French... All buses now have emergency alarms that are also linked to the video surveillance. The surveillance quality increases when the alarm is sounded, French said... Buses also now have tracking devices installed so transit workers can alert police to the bus's exact location when the alarm is sounded...

Labels: safety measures

17.8.07

Safety * Malaysia - CEOs of bus firms to be accountable for

Chief executive officers of bus companies will be held accountable for safety standards

Putrajaya,Malaysia -The Malaysia Star, by DEVID RAJAH -August 15, 2007: -- Chief executive officers of bus companies will be held accountable for safety standards, hiring and training of drivers and fleet management, under measures approved by the Cabinet, said Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy... He said this was to prevent bus companies from hiring bad drivers or using faulty buses... The measures are: .... Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh, who was also present, said, "The time has come for CEOs to be taken to court. Safety should the first and last priority,” he said... (Picture by english.aljazeera.net - 08/13/2007 - Many killed in Malaysia bus crash)

Labels: safety measures