Modern buses

Ooops!
Driver training session was in a standard RT not the Knight Bus, sorry if that was how it appeared. :blink:
The London Transport used to have an inclination rig where they would put the buses on a platform and tilt them sideways; those old RTs were good for 30 degrees plus!
Enjoy the truly British dialogue with this clip:

Many years ago a mate of mine went through the London Transport 'driving school'. He flew on to the skid pan at a great rate of knots, :woohoo: the instructor leaned forward and reefed the hand brake on. Ol' mate immediately released the hand brake and straitened the bus. He got a right royal bollocking for that. :oops:

Incidentally. The skid pan was to show the new drivers what could happen if the bus got out of control. Not to teach them fancy driving.

TDU

160823Tu Steve H (HCVC): Edinburgh (Scotland, UK), Cronin's Van Hool operated for Trafalgar Tours, on hire to Chiltern Travel.

Roderick

110517Tu Nairobi (Kenya): Kampala Coach bus from Juba (Sudan). (Roderick Smith)

Roderick

170203F Melbourne Herald Sun - Skybus to Avalon.

Roderick

Ventura bus depot in Cheltenham targeted in bizarre break-in.
Moorabbin Glen Eira Leader February 3, 2017.
VANDALS broke into a bus station over night, placed concrete blocks on the accelerators of three buses and turned the engines on.
The runaway vehicles caused extensive damage in the depot and to a neighbouring building.
Police believe someone broke into the Ventura bus depot at Phillips St, Cheltenham at about 1.50am this morning.
Kingston crime investigation unit detective Sergeant Peter Windhager said this bizarre incident was a “planned and determined attempt to cause substantial damage”.
“They’ve put the concrete on the accelerator and started the bus, then stepped out and reached in through the driver’s side window to release the handbrake,” Sgt Windhager said.
“These buses have just gone on their own drive and one of them has gone through a fence and into a neighbouring business premises, causing substantial damage.”
Sgt Windhager said a second bus went into the neighbouring property, damaging a truck and a shed, while a third drove up a median strip in the bus depot and became stuck.
Police found another two buses on site that had been turned on but were not moved from their parking spots.
Ventura general manager of operations Duncan Reid said the company had contingency plans which they put in place to ensure no services were affected by the attack.
“It’s very bizarre and just appears to be a mindless act,” Mr Reid said.
“Luckily no one was injured and we managed to run our services so we didn’t let our customers down.”
Sgt Windhager said investigators were looking for at least two offenders.
Anyone with information contact Kingston CIU on 9556 6565.
< www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/inner-south/...543e7853076e4fc913ac >
* Sounds like the person or persons responsible may have had knowledge of how a bus works, as its not just that simple to get a bus moving on its own, they have several safety features to stop unmanned movement.
Even so, I hope they get court quickly
* When the Police catch them, throw the book at them. No excuses. And make sure they work the damage off if it takes the rest of their lives.
* Why weren't the keys under 'lock and key'. Insurance claim should be void.
* Most modern buses don't have keys.
* They do, but in many companies it is a "one key fits all" type. But isn't it illegal to leave any vehicle unlocked and unattended? You can be fined for leaving a gap in your window.
See also < www.facebook.com/7NewsMelbourne/videos/10155087762914301 >

Roderick

February 3 2017 Nine kids safe after school bus fire in WA's remote north.
A school bus has burst into flames on a remote stretch of road in WA's Kimberley, with nine school children and the driver escaping the blaze unharmed.
Senior Sergeant Steve Principe from Kunnunurra Police said the school bus was travelling along the Victoria Highway outside the town when children on board noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle.
The school bus engulfed in flames. Photo: WA Police .
"Something's gone wrong with the bus - whether it's mechanical or it's dragged something under the wheels we don't know yet.
"Our roads can be like Mad Max up here, they get pretty wild with debris. But the driver pulled to the side of the road and the kids on board got off very quickly, they were helped along by a prefect who was on board, so quick thinking all round."
Flames spread quickly through the bus, and Snr Sgt Principe said firefighters quickly attended the scene to extinguish the blaze.
"We ended up parked up just watching a bonfire really. Lots of smoke and flames."
Another school bus was arranged to take the children to school, where they were debriefed by teachers about their eventful commute.
"The emergency services did a great job and the kids were all very brave," Snr Sgt Principe said.
"Bit of an unusual start to the morning, but luckily it's all ended well."
< www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/nine-kids-saf...20170203-gu59hm.html >

Grandaughter most impressed by the picture, has been travelling on the school bus this week. Fortunately not the one pictured

After Edinburgh, Steve headed to Belfast, then a stint of canal boating before finishing the holiday selection with a few in southern England.
160823Tu-26F Belfast (Northern Island): Translink Metro Optare 1805. (Steve H, HCVC).

Roderick

Roderick.

Melbourne Express: Thursday, February 16, 2017.
8.23 I've been getting a few emails about how to improve Melbourne's bus network. Even though the population is growing and some areas are only serviced by buses, patronage has been decreasing.
A common theme in the emails is better connections with train timetables.
Reader Zoe had these three suggestions on ways the bus network could be improved:
1) services run more frequently and connect up with rail and tram services.
2) more routes and dedicated bus interchanges that allow people to readily swap routes partway through a journey.
3) better infrastructure to support people using them - I have seen people sitting on the pavement. It is appropriate that there are bus shelters at regular points on a bus route particularly given how hot/wet/windy it can sometimes get in Melbourne. Also secure bike parking should also be considered at some shelters where riders might choose to ride part of the journey and then take a bus for the remaining trip into town... this might see more women take up riding.
Most of the contacts for Melbourne's bus network will be opened up for the first time in generations.
The state government is hoping this shake-up in the network will improve the popularity of buses, which cost taxpayers $600 million a year but are actually decreasing in patronage.
How do you think Melbourne's bus network could be improved? Let me know.
Government's $600 million fix to lure commuters back to buses.
A bus. Photo: Wayne Hawkins
< www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-exp...20170215-gudfai.html >.

February 15 2017 Government's $600 million fix to lure commuters back to buses .
Decades-old, family-owned bus contracts could be cast aside as the Victorian government tries to turn around the least popular form of public transport.
Twelve of the 13 contracts for Melbourne's bus network will be opened to competition for the first time in generations, in a bid to get more people using the city's lagging bus services.
Melbourne's bus contracts are set to be overhauled. Photo: Michael Clayton-Jones .
Bus passenger numbers have been falling since 2014, despite rapid population growth across the city, particularly in the outer suburbs where buses are often the only available public transport.
In an effort to reverse the declining use of buses, which cost taxpayers $600 million a year, the Andrews government is preparing to kill off the old system of exclusive, heavily subsidised contracts that have existed since the mid-1970s.
More than 300 complaints about buses and drivers were made to PTV's call centre in one week.
Passengers driven round the bend by bad experiences on buses It hopes overhauling the contracts will usher in a better and more popular bus network, with fewer near-empty buses operating on slow, zig-zagging routes across the suburbs.
The old contracts are due to expire next year and, when they do, the government will break with the convention of rolling the contracts over to the 12 incumbent operators, many of whom have worked Melbourne's streets as family-run businesses for almost a century.
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the current contracts made it difficult to change bus routes and timetables to better meet the needs of passengers.
"There are some challenges in the current arrangements, particularly around the exclusivity that sits in the contracts that really restricts the ability to plan and deliver new bus services now and into the future," Ms Allan said.
Buses travel is the only mode of public transport in Melbourne that is becoming less popular, she said.
"We have to recognise the current arrangements are clearly not attracting people to use bus services."
Hoddle Street intersections are set for major upgrades.
Bus companies will lose their exclusive contracts with government. Photo: Angela Wylie But the incumbents, including Ventura, Dysons, CDC and Kastoria, will have time to adapt to the new regime.
The contractual changes will be brought in over the next 10 years, and the 12 affected bus operators will be given a choice of entering into a shorter-term contract that maintains exclusivity for five years, or a 10-year agreement with tougher performance targets.
The bus industry has long opposed any change to the existing arrangement of exclusive contracts.
Chris Lowe, chief executive of industry group the Bus Association, said it accepted buses had to be more responsive to demand in the age of Uber, but did not support putting existing contracts out to competitive tender.
"The industry supports the government's position to negotiate over the renewal of contracts as opposed to putting them out to competitive tender," Mr Lowe said.
Transdev, which operates 30 per cent of Melbourne's bus routes, will not be affected because it already has a franchise agreement with the state that was awarded through a competitive tender in 2013.
Victoria's Auditor-General analysed the state's bus contracts in 2015 and found they offered "minimal incentives for improving services".
"Many of Melbourne's bus routes currently have long wait times, indirect routes, and do not operate on schedules designed to harmonise well with the rail network or other bus routes," the Auditor-General's report found.
"These issues are longstanding and reduce the usefulness of bus services for commuters and impede patronage growth."
The contracts' pending expiry in 2018 was a "critical" opportunity to improve things, it found.
Related Content:
Transdev won a competitive tender to run 30 per cent of Melbourne's bus network.
Billion-dollar bus contracts not value for money: auditor-general .
< www.theage.com.au/victoria/governments-6...20170215-gudqcd.html >

170216Th Melbourne Age - Invicta bus.