New Busses - Do We Need Them, Can We Afford Them?

[bishbashbosh]

http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=46720

 

Did the DCCL not get the memo telling them that the good times were over?

[slinkydevil]

Here they are: http://www.wright-bus.com/streetlite/wrightshome.html

 

"It may be small, but it's smart."

 

I bet the Government loved it when the salesman used that in the pitch. "Wow it is smart look!"

[Rocketman]

Great to see were finally getting buses suitable for a rural community. The current plethora of double deckers squeezing down narrow country lanes with no one on them seems wasteful, inappropriate and mildly annoying if your stuck behind one.

You dont see big buses on country roads in the peak district, lakes or dales as they are unsuitable, un-economic and potentially dangerous. This is because they are run by companies not local councils. Glad to see weve finally seen sense.

[buggane]

Great to see were finally getting buses suitable for a rural community. The current plethora of double deckers squeezing down narrow country lanes with no one on them seems wasteful, inappropriate and mildly annoying if your stuck behind one.

You dont see big buses on country roads in the peak district, lakes or dales as they are unsuitable, un-economic and potentially dangerous. This is because they are run by companies not local councils. Glad to see weve finally seen sense.

 

+1, apart from the bit about being annoyed being stuck behind one, not as annoying as if you travel by public transport and are held up by 1,000's of people one per car all travelling from work to the same place

 

Notice that they mentioned that they will be much cheaper and economic to run, thats good news as it will mean lower fares for us public transport users - ha ha as if !!

 

Tis a good move though as you say, I've travelled a lot in scotland and never seen a double decker bus (outside of the cities), these small buses are much more appropriate, especially until we can ween people out of their (ever increasingly sized) cars onto buses, with the buses decreasing in size and the cars getting more and more offensively huge it won't be long before the cars are bigger than the buses, guess by then the wealthy will have moved onto personal helicopters or some such fad

[Rocketman]

+2 I car share !

[monasqueen]

Probably a lot better an idea than that stupid bendy bus.

[Alias]

Six of one half-dozen of the other?

[easylife]

http://www.manxradio.com/newsread.aspx?id=46720

 

Did the DCCL not get the memo telling them that the good times were over?

So IOM buy new buses, So why can't someone in the Government do there home work and come up with lets get ECO-BUSES which in the long run will save on fuel cost.

I whish i was the sales person I'll be laughing my b*ll*cks off !!

 

 

Oxford to get £7.5m fleet of eco-buses

9:40am Thursday 15th July 2010

 

Print Email Share Comments(17) By Reg Little »

 

A FLEET of eco buses costing £7.5m hits the streets of Oxford today as the city enters a new era in public transport.

 

The 26 double decker buses are the first in the UK to use pioneering green hybrid technology on a large scale outside London.

 

And they are being viewed as the first fruit of Oxfordshire County Council’s deal with bus companies to cut pollution levels and reduce the number of buses in the city centre by a quarter.

 

The 78-seaters, each costing £300,000, are being unveiled by Stagecoach at Oxford Castle today.

 

The company says they represent Britain’s biggest single investment in hybrid bus technology. The Government has contributed £2.3m towards the cost.

 

There have been repeated calls to reduce the number of buses in the city centre, with colleges and traders complaining about noise and pollution resulting from 2,500 buses a day travelling up and down the High.

 

The hybrid buses produce 30 per cent less carbon emission than standard vehicles, according to Stagecoach.

 

A battery-powered electric motor provides traction, with a small diesel engine charging the batteries.

 

The new buses will begin running on some of the busiest city routes, starting today with route 1 to Cowley Road and Blackbird Leys.

 

 

Martin Sutton, managing director for Stagecoach in Oxfordshire, said: “We believe the introduction of these ground-breaking new buses on the busiest routes in Oxford will make a major contribution to reducing carbon and other emissions, and will encourage more people to travel into the city by bus.”

[mannin1]

Probably a lot better an idea than that stupid bendy bus.

 

 

Watch this space, evidently Mr Longthorne still wants these totally unsuitable vehicles as well, and DC is keeping very quiet at the minute!!

This whole government seem now to be making a total mockery of belt tightening, because their trouser wont fall down.

[Roger Mexico]

Old news (well what else would you expect from Manx Radio). From the Government Savings thread :

 

Posted 30 June 2010 - 02:46 PM

 

Fear not because our cash-strapped Government has decided to buy 12 new buses - so all will be well.

 

 

Of course there were supposed to be new bus routes to go along with them. Whatever happened to them?

 

(Always thought "busses" meant kisses. Which may be all we can afford to pay for then).

[Declan]

I can't work out why they're buying single deckers. What route would they be used on? Or will they be reducing fares to compensate for the new crappy service.

[mannin1]

I can't work out why they're buying single deckers. What route would they be used on? Or will they be reducing fares to compensate for the new crappy service.

 

 

So they can quantify buying bendy buses to compensate perhaps? and also to demonstrate just how short of cash we are, and how immaterial such details are to this Dep't of Government

[Max Power]

I notice that the capicity is c.70 max for all models with around 39 standing. To be honest that is probably ok for most routes on the Island. The only reservation I have is the engine, not sure if it's powerful enough to drag 70 people up Richmond Hill? I may be wrong, just a thought as a lot of these bus types operate in flat urban areas.

 

Other than that I think it's great that they are downsizing the vehicles, some of the routes around the streets of Douglas are not suitable for the huge modern double and single deckers they have now.

[mojomonkey]

I think the only reason for double deckers is for the school runs. Look at any non-school run double decker and you'll rarely see it anywhere near full.

 

Personally, I try to avoid buses when possible. As someone once told me they are like cattle trucks full of smelly people.

[Declan]

I think the only reason for double deckers is for the school runs. Look at any non-school run double decker and you'll rarely see it anywhere near full.

 

 

Utterly untrue. Everytime I get a bus out of Douglas there's more than a single deckers' worth of passengers. It empties out over the course of the journey, turns around and fills up. Also on the Southern Route you need lots of space for the luggage of people going to the airport. Are we supposed to stand till these cheapskates get off.