Buses

[Fobulous]

I was just walking to work downtown and saw those new city buses that have the extensions on them in the middle. Has the city ordered a bunch of these? As a city transit user I am always up for more room on the bus but has the city planned for any way to remediate the problems on the city trains?

[fredr123]

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/...93703-sun.html

I think they're just on route 301 for now.

[mykalberta]

I always wondered why they werent down here, Edmonton has a boat load of them - althought its particularily funny when they get stuck going up the hill to downtown and they have to call the tow truch in the winter.

Oh wait, thats not funny, I got stuck in that situation a few times when I went to school there.

Calgary shouldnt have that problem as the elevation does changes as rapidly here as the river valley in E town.

MYK

[STeeLy]

They're used on those routes that has big loads in Ottawa. Works very well too especially if u've got 3 doors u can use to exit.

[Flames09]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

I always wondered why they werent down here, Edmonton has a boat load of them - althought its particularily funny when they get stuck going up the hill to downtown and they have to call the tow truch in the winter.

Oh wait, thats not funny, I got stuck in that situation a few times when I went to school there.

Calgary shouldnt have that problem as the elevation does changes as rapidly here as the river valley in E town.

MYK

Serves you right for going to school in 'E town' ..

[Biff]

If memory serves, Calgary actually pioneered the accordian buses and was one of the first places to test them way back in the late 70's or early 80's. I remember riding them as a kid and wanting to stand on the middle section 'cause it rotated. Possibly an early indication of future geekdom.

[Alana Flames]

Originally Posted by Biff

I remember riding them as a kid and wanting to stand on the middle section 'cause it rotated. Possibly an early indication of future geekdom.

Just like the middle circles on the C-train!

-Also I remember the news saying Calgary ordered 12 of those busses for imemdiate use, with the possibilty of more to come.-

[Barnes]

I saw one today again. 4 People on it.

[Alana Flames]

Originally Posted by Barnes

I saw one today again. 4 People on it.

3 of them were bums, and one was the driver.

[LouCypher]

Im not sure with the way this city is built if we will see more routes with them, I recall seeing quite a few in some of the cities in the states ive been to, here we have horribly narrow roads like 17th ave which could use better bus service but I cant imagine an extended bus having an easy go of it on 17th.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Alana Flames

3 of them were bums, and one was the driver.

What? A bum can't afford bus fare these days...

[Cowboy89]

Like I said in the Bering Sea Tunnel thread check out youtube and type in Russian Tunnel. Good example of the dangers of an 'accordian bus'

[RW99]

Originally Posted by Muta

What? A bum can't afford bus fare these days...

He should have clarified. $2.25 a day on the bus is now considered subsidized housing.

[Alana Flames]

Originally Posted by Muta

What? A bum can't afford bus fare these days...

then we've got some rich bums cause I always see them on there... I think drivers just ler them on free sometimes. Or perhaps it's because I'm taking the number1 which loops from forest lawn to bowness, and they're not bums they're residents...

[tvp2003]

Lots of them in Vancouver as well.

Glad to see the 301 (supposed "Bus Rail Transit") will have a little extra capacity during peak hours

[skins]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Lots of them in Vancouver as well.

Glad to see the 301 (supposed "Bus Rail Transit") will have a little extra capacity during peak hours

it's "Bus Rapid Transit".

http://www.calgarytransit.com/BRT/brt.html

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by RW99

He should have clarified. $2.25 a day on the bus is now considered subsidized housing.

Ha ha.

While we're on the topic of city transit -- please move in to the middle when you are on the train. If you don't, you are a dummy. There, I said it. And I say it because if you'd rather stand crammed in the doorway in the stink and armpits of a bunch of people instead of a comparatively wide open aisle spot you are a dummy. Or a prevert.

I was waiting on a platform today and I had to watch one train go by because all the doorways were jam packed. There was a guy standing in the middle of the aisle reading the paper. Not one of those skimpy freebie things -- the Calgary Herald, and it was opened right up. So please move in.

/rant

I've always wondered about them articulated buses. If you aren't paying attention and a wicked coincidence happens and you walk into the articulating side of the left side of the bus just as it's turning left, would you get squashed up like an accordion? Probably, eh? That would hurt.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by skins

it's "Bus Rapid Transit".

http://www.calgarytransit.com/BRT/brt.html

Oops. My bad. The point is that the BRT is supposed to serve as an quasi-LRT until the C-train lines are built. However, the size of the buses makes it difficult to accomodate the number of people who take the 301 (although I guess you could say this is very similar to the current LRT service ):

BRT is a distinctive, frequent, and limited stop bus service, similar to LRT, (the CTrain). BRT is being introduced in advance of future LRT lines.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

I was waiting on a platform today and I had to watch one train go by because all the doorways were jam packed. There was a guy standing in the middle of the aisle reading the paper. Not one of those skimpy freebie things -- the Calgary Herald, and it was opened right up. So please move in.

One fine evening after a night at the Stampede, I was on the platform watching train after train go by with nobody standing in the middles.

Since I was on a packed platform and was at least three rows back, I started to get pretty agitated that people at the front were not asking people blocking the doors to move tot he middle to get more people on the train.

After about three trains had gone by I finally got fed up and started hollaring "come on people, move on in... There's plenty of room in there, you guys wanna be here all night?"
That kickstarted something of a mini mob reaction and the whole platform started yelling at the people in the doors to move into the center.

It was satisfying...

[Winsor_Pilates]

Those buses should work great in Calgary. They're everywhere in Van and Calgary has much wider roads then here.

P.S. I also hate people who don't move to the middle of the train/back of the bus.