Transit buses of the world

[fieldsofdreams]

I just stumbled upon this forum, and I said, "hmmm, let me build up something here that hopefully will be popular". I really love traveling myself, and I have been fascinated with three big things: buses, trains, and downtown areas. And as I garner my inspiration to start a brand new thread in a brand new forum, I ask, why not share my huge bus collection I have so far? Now, it's my turn to open my doors and say, share your buses! The key rule: healthy discussions are encouraged and welcome in this thread, and please, limit OTs to just one or two replies.

In my Photobucket collection, I have a collection of over 7,000 buses alone, in which I also use for my other threads here on SSC, and I'm willing to share them with you because I am deeply fascinated with them to begin with. As a kid, I've collected Matchbox cars -- many of them buses -- and as I grew up in Manila, I bought much more buses than those of model cars! Now, as I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I can't stop loving buses myself, and I'm open to exploring even more buses! So, here will be my first bus picture that I'll share:

San Francisco Muni operates several types of buses, namely Neoplan (high-floored), ETI from the Czech Republic (trolleybus, high-floored), New Flyer Industries (trolleybus, high-floored), NABU (high-floored), and Orion (low-floored). The agency operates the most number of trolley buses in the United States, and those are operated mainly on hilly routes and on some high-density routes. Below are examples of an ETI bus from the Czech Republic (40-foot standard length):

on white background:


on gray background:

[Yellow Fever]

good thread! I also have a buses and trucks thread in this forum. In order to avoid the confusion, i'm going to change the title to 'transit buses of the world', hope you don't mind.

[fieldsofdreams]

Of course! No problem with me.

[Yellow Fever]

Thanks!


Back on topic.. Vancouver transit buses.

Here's a video about it.

[Yellow Fever]

No Shoes , No Service in Vancouver. BC Transit Bus Driver Tells Teen

[Yellow Fever]

Buses in Vancouver, BC (Volume Two)

[Yellow Fever]

Buses in Metro Vancouver are operated by two companies. Coast Mountain Bus Company, a subsidiary of TransLink, operates regular transit buses, generally powered by diesel or natural gas, in most of the region's municipalities, in addition to trolley buses primarily within the City of Vancouver. The District Municipality of West Vancouver operates the Blue Bus system serving West Vancouver and Lions Bay. The schedules, fares, and routes of these services are integrated with other transit services operated by TransLink.

Within the City of Vancouver, buses generally run on a grid system, with most trolley bus routes operating radially out of Downtown and along north–south arteries, and most diesel buses providing east–west crosstown service, with the University of British Columbia (UBC) as their western terminus. Outside the City of Vancouver, most buses operate on a hub-and-spoke system along feeder routes that connect with SkyTrain, SeaBus, West Coast Express, or other regional centres.


One of the newer trolley buses introduced in 2006
Two high-capacity, high-frequency B-Line express routes use articulated buses, rounding out the regional public transportation backbone provided by SkyTrain, SeaBus, and West Coast Express.

Electric trolley buses operate on major routes in the City of Vancouver, with one route extending to neighbouring Burnaby. Most trolley bus routes operate in a north–south direction. Trolley buses receive electricity from a network of overhead wires. In the fall of 2006, TransLink introduced a new generation of electric trolley buses, replacing the old models built in the early 1980s. The new trolley buses have low floors and are fully wheelchair accessible.

Many local routes are serviced with buses manufactured by New Flyer and Nova Bus. More recently, TransLink has been utilizing hybrid diesel-electric buses. Some suburban routes use Orion coaches with high-back seats and luggage racks.

In 2007, all TransLink buses became designated a "fare paid zone". Under this system, a rider is required to be in possession of a valid fare (transfer/transit pass) while on board the bus and produce it upon request by a transit official. Enforcement of fares will be conducted by Transit Security Officers. On designated routes, such as the 99 B-Line, larger, 60 feet (18.3 m), three-door buses allow passengers to board through rear doors. As they are bypassing the driver and fare box, they must have a valid fare in their possession. On all other buses, passengers are required to board through the front doors and should show a valid fare to the bus driver. Fare inspections on buses are normally conducted by Transit Security Officers and on occasion by the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service. Failure to produce proof of payment may result in ejection from the bus and/or a fine of $173.

TransLink also operates a late-night bus service, called NightBus, along a series of 13 routes extending from downtown throughout the city and to several suburbs. NightBuses leave Downtown Vancouver until 3 am. For the safety of passengers late at night,

Transit Security Officers ride some of the nightbuses and respond to calls onboard other nightbuses. These buses are popular since SkyTrain ends service at 1:30am, but the clubs/bar don't close until 2 am.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TransLi...itish_Columbia)

[fieldsofdreams]

San Francisco Muni mostly operates with high-floored buses, a stark contrast from other major cities like San Jose, Los Angeles, or even New York that operate more low-floored buses in their fleets. This is because the hilly terrain of the City makes it particularly difficult to operate low-floored buses, especially when dealing with handicapped passengers. Plus, high-floored buses allow for more room when climbing and descending some of the steeper slopes on many of its routes, particularly ones operating through the Fillmore, Pacific Heights, Castro, and Bernal Heights districts.

First up, an evolution of Muni's liveries over time. Note: such evolution of colors can only be seen on one particular type of bus: the New Flyer 60-footer articulated electric trolleybus.

Oldest existing livery (around 1970s or 80s):




White, orange, and red livery (around 1990s to mid-2000s):




Steel gray and red livery (2008 to present):

[Linguine]

nice....