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ABC attended the Queensland Bus Industry Council (QBIC) annual conference in Toowoomba this month and was impressed with the state government transit body TransLink’s commitment to helping operators that provide state school bus services. To the uninitiated, doing school runs seems like a fairly good way to earn a crust. You leave the depot, pick up the kids, drop them off at school, then return in the afternoon and drop them near their homes, or at spot where their parents can collect them each day. Seems pretty straightforward, right? The reality is anything but that. The truth is that all children have very different requirements when they’re on the school bus and parents have very different expectations of you as an operator. School bus operators in Queensland have taken the…
“This program will deliver better bus shelters so you’re not waiting in the rain” More than $22 million in funding for upgraded public transport infrastructure across regional Victoria has been announced. The extensive program will upgrade bus stops, signage and access, as well as bus and coach interchanges. Victorian Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan released the tender for the state government’s Road and Rail Minor Works program recently. “This program will deliver the day-to-day upgrades that make a real difference – more parking at the local station, a secure place to lock your bike, and better bus shelters so you’re not waiting in the rain,” she says. “They’re local projects that have come out of the extensive consultation with local communities through the Regional Network Development Plan – Victoria’s…
A new state-of-the-art bus depot in Thomastown is now open, supporting better bus services for passengers in Melbourne’s north. Parliamentary Secretary for Public Transport Ros Spence and Member for Thomastown Bronwyn Halfpenny were in attendance to officially open the $8.6 million facility. “We’re making buses better, with new routes and services to carry more people as Melbourne grows,” Spence says. “New depots like these will support better bus services on some of our most popular routes, getting them home safer and sooner every day.” The depot on High Street will be home for 50 buses operating on Smart Bus routes 901 and 902 – two of the most popular on the network. It includes facilities for 100 Transdev staff and huge tanks to capture 81,000 litres of rain water that…
Daimler Buses increased its global earnings by 28 per cent last year, 2016 sales figures reveal. Daimler Buses sold a total of 26,200 buses and bus chassis worldwide in 2016, compared to 28,100 in 2015. While mostly known in Australia for the Mercedes-Benz brand of buses, the Daimler Buses Setra brand also posted record international unit sales in 2016. Strong business with complete buses in Western Europe made a significant contribution to the boost. Daimler Buses were introduced to new markets in 2016, namely India, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Head of Daimler Buses Hartmut Schick says the organisation will have invested a further 835 million Australian dollars (600 million euros) by 2018. “We are systematically further developing our unique product portfolio and extending our technology leadership…
A brand new underground concourse at Central Station will better connect passengers to trains, buses, light rail and the new Sydney Metro. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and transport and infrastructure minister Andrew Constance announced ‘Central Walk’ will be built as a wide, accessible and modern pedestrian link from the eastern side of Central Station. It will link the new light rail stop to the new Sydney Metro platforms with direct access to existing suburban platforms. “We are going to revitalise Central Station to make it an international showpiece of Sydney’s transport network,” she says. “It’s often the first stop for visitors from overseas, interstate and from regional areas and we want to ensure the Central Station experience is world class and convenient for the quarter of a million…
“Action needs to be taken and we will commence route protection for mass transit” Land will be secured between Auckland’s CBD and airport for the creation of a bus priority lane with a view to converting this into a tram line over the next few decades. The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) and Auckland Transport boards have come to an important agreement on the next steps for mass transit in Auckland. Both boards have agreed that there will be a staged, integrated transition from bus to light rail transit from the airport to the city centre, based on future demand and capacity, and to commence route protection for this important gateway corridor between two of Auckland’s key growing employment areas. Further work will be done to assess key operational elements, required…
