Quote:
Originally Posted by KevanGuy
I'd like know if double length busses cost more to operate than regular busses. And if they are, why are there double length busses on the roads late in the evening when there is little demand, specifically on route 3.
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From a transit planning course, I recall that you have the operating costs (fuel, repairs parking and cleaning) of two buses and the passenger capacity of two buses but you only have to pay one driver for the two buses..
As to why they are out late? That depends on scheduling i.e. when the bus started and whether drivers change mid route. Where the garage is and how far it lies off route. Sometimes it is cheaper to keep the same bus running instead of paying the deadheading required for equipment change out
over simplified example warning. Proceed at your own risk!
For example if it takes 30 minutes to take the big bus to the yard and park it and 30 minutes to start and bring the regular bus back to the route... You also need a second bus for an hour to maintain the scheduled service.Thus you consume two service hours before the more economical bus toes into service... And you may need a lot of fuel savings to recover those two service hours (avg $100-120/hr).