Re: #Article: Adelaide's worst bus routes revealed
Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2009 9:51 pm
Actually, they should leave it like that. How jaunty and fun! Dancing signs!
Adelaide's Premier Development and Construction Site
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https://mail.sensational-adelaide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2396
Better that you need to bend a little than people in wheelchairs or similar cant see it at all.ChrisRT wrote:...you are forced to bend over to find out when the next bus is scheduled...
Yes, the real problem is the lack of Countdown. Rather than having to bend down to see the timetable, you should be able to look up to find when your bus is really coming. It seems to work OK on the few E-W routes that have it, so how long will we have to wait before it's implemented everywhere?monotonehell wrote:Better that you need to bend a little than people in wheelchairs or similar cant see it at all.ChrisRT wrote:...you are forced to bend over to find out when the next bus is scheduled...
What they do need to do is think about what timetables they place on what stops, sometimes the table they choose has very little bearing on the buses that stop there.
A multi million dollar State Government commitment to extend the O-Bahn bus service into the City Centre and replace its ageing fleet has been delayed.
Just 2 of the 97 new O-Bahn buses-promised in May 2009 in a $118 million four year replacement program-have been built and are yet to enter service because they are still undergoing safety testing.
At the current rate of 3 a year,the full fleet of 97 buses would take until 2040 to join the Tea Tree Gully to City route.The Government meanwhile has revealed its planned $61 million O-Bahn extension into the City Centre will be delayed by at least 6 months, until mid-2012 because the project still does not have Federal funding.
The Federal Government announced last May it would fund the O-Bahn extension,with the State Government claiming dedicated bus lanes between Hackney Road and the City would cut 10 minutes off travel times.
Transport Minister Patrick Conlon's media adviser Sam Ion said on Friday that construction on the busway would finish in mid-2012 coinciding with the "allocation of funds from the Commonwealth Government".
He said the Transport Department was still developing concept plans for the busway and preparing traffic modelling "with a view to a presentation being made to the incoming Government early in its term".
The O-Bahn is Adelaides busiest route carrying more than 7000000 passengers a year from Adelaide's north-eastern suburbs.
Opposition transport spokeman David Ridgway said the delays showed Government had"no idea" how it was going to extend the track."Clearly it was one of those projects that they have plucked out from the air",he said."They don't know where they are going to take it and it goes back to the lack of leadership from the minister".
"The community has been misled.This was something they just dreamed up one day,thinking it would sound sexy,without actually working out how to do it".
The Government has signed deals with transport company Scania Australia and Royal Park bus builder Custom Coaches to construct 200 buses for the Adelaide Metro system including 120 articulated buses.
Mr Ion said 97 articulated buses would be used on the O-bahn,replaceing its ageing Mercedes-Benz models,which were not accessible to the disabled and had no air-conditioning and were nearly 25 years old.
Under the Passenger Transport Act,buses must be retired after 25 years in service,unless otherwise approved by the Transport Minister.
Mr. Ion confirmed 2 O-Bahn buses only had been constructed;1 is nearing completion and "approximately 33" were in various stages of production.
Teething problems?Bus chaos enters third week
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/bus-chaos ... 6166663057
Passengers are continuing to experience delays following the change in the state's bus services..
Reports of lost drivers, failure to stop at pickup points and even passengers having to instruct drivers have all marred the horror handover which continues into its third week.
Tell us now. Has the service improved for you? Have the buses been running late? Share your stories with us in the comment box below.
AdelaideNow readers have voiced of their experiences since the handover with mixed results.
"It's been shambolic," one said.
"Three times this week I've been left standing there waiting 30-45 minutes for an M44 to show up - this is a service running every 15 minutes for crying out loud. On Saturday the driver didn't even know the route and went the wrong way out of TTP."
Another commented: "I'm sick of drivers missing stops - they obviously aren't concentrating on their jobs - and slamming on the brakes at every bus stop, stop sign, turn etc."
Initially dismissed as "teething problems" by a Transfield spokesman the delays face yet another challenge next week when schools resume classes on Monday.
I completely agree. There are some things in society which should be done, simply because they are the right thing to do, and not because there is a profit to be made.Paulns wrote:This is what happens when you outsource... Should of just stayed with the Government in the first place. Lets face it, these private companies/multinationals only care about one thing and thats the bottom line. Everything else like passenger comfort and consistancy come second best to them.
A well written contract would have a daunting array of requirements on all those things, and an equally daunting array of penalties for breaches.Paulns wrote:This is what happens when you outsource... Should of just stayed with the Government in the first place. Lets face it, these private companies/multinationals only care about one thing and thats the bottom line. Everything else like passenger comfort and consistancy come second best to them.