TTC: New Articulated Buses (In Delivery, Novabus)

[Electrify]

Artics are probably not a good idea without POP system...

Otherwise, reducing the number of buses just means more delays at stops, to wait for people to get onto the bus, and that means slower and more unreliable service, not to mention further reduced frequencies and capacities, partly negating the saving in labour costs, which is the whole point of using artics in first place.

The Queen streetcar uses articulated streetcars which have an even higher capacity and doesn't have POP and it works... actually, you may have a point there.

 

[GraphicMatt]

Queen is POP but it's not very well advertised and there's no way to pay your fare except on the vehicle.

 

[doady]

Not only is Queen the POP route, it was the route the TTC chose to split for a time in an attempt to increase reliability. And it just so happens to be the only route that uses articulated streetcars. Coincidence?

 

[EnviroTO]

Riding an artic yesterday, I remembered another disadvantage of artics: they stop at every stop. With so many people on the bus, there is a request for every stop.

That has been my experience in Mississauga as well. As soon as you go articulated you definitely need larger stop spacing.

 

[W. K. Lis]

The articulated streetcar have a more level ride than articulated buses. Because buses bounce much more, an articulated bus would face more maintenance problems than articulated streetcars. Articulated streetcars tend to have to accommodate the swing, while articulated buses have to accommodate not only a swing, but also twists in the body.

 

[gweed123]

Dufferin could use 18 metre buses. Reduce the number of buses on the route, and improve the frequency.

Exactly what I was thinking. Implement these on routes where they have buses travelling in pairs or even triples. Fewer buses, fewer drivers, same number of people.

Other possible routes: Finch, Eglinton, Don Mills.

Ottawa uses articulated buses along several of the busy routes during peak periods (the 118 along Baseline for example), but normal buses during lower periods.

 

[nfitz]

In the Chair's report to Thursday's TTC meeting is a recommendation that the TTC "Purchase 75 to 150 new articulated buses for high-volume routes." (Page 25)

 

[Ed Drass]

STM buying 200 artics: article from March 2010

MONTREAL – Articulated buses have helped increase ridership on lines where they have been deployed and will be used exclusively on three routes as of June, the Société de transport de Montréal says.

The first articulated buses hit the road last fall, but the STM had previously not disclosed its rollout schedule.

The STM is spending $182 million to buy 202 of the longer buses. Sixty have been delivered, with the rest to arrive gradually over the next 12 months.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news...culated+June/2677506/story.html#ixzz10viSWdCD

 

[Hipster Duck]

In Vancouver, artics are mainly used for express routes with POP boarding (mostly the 99 B-line). They function quite well, and the service is fast and reliable, if cramped and completely in need of a Skytrain replacement (for capacity, rather than speed reasons). I think artics would be best used on routes like the 39 Finch express routes, again with all door boarding, and probably extending the "express", limited stop nature of the service past at least Markham Rd. My feeling is that they would be diastrous on local routes on narrow roads like the 29 Dufferin.

 

[ShonTron]

I'm in agreement about the utility of articulated buses. They aren't that useful on conventional routes, and the TTC's response is to add more buses to address overcrowding rather than add artics.

The 39E is being replaced with the route 199 in October, running from Finch Station on the Yonge Subway to Scarborough Centre Station via Finch and McCowan, though it means that anyone headed to Markham or Neilson is left with having to take a local milk run, unless they decided to chance a transfer.

But yes, those types of routes make the most sense for artics, rather than 29 Dufferin. But what makes me curious is whether 45 foot (13.5 metre) buses make sense on suburban high-density route like 60, 53 or 96. Those extra 5 feet could add two extra rows of seats, and would be the same length as most GO buses, which often deal with curves and turns in suburban areas.

 

[StIdes]

I guess the suggestion is that the actual frequency would improve, rather than the scheduled frequency.

I don't even know why the ttc has scheduled frequency info cards at some major stops. Those schedules are way out to lunch.

 

[gweed123]

While driving on the 401 to Toronto from Ottawa on Friday, I saw a couple artics painted with OC Transpo colours bound for Ottawa (or at least heading eastbound, presumably to Ottawa). 2nd time I've seen them driving that way in 2 weeks. Looks like Ottawa is beefing up its artic fleet even more.

 

[new.flyer.408]

While driving on the 401 to Toronto from Ottawa on Friday, I saw a couple artics painted with OC Transpo colours bound for Ottawa (or at least heading eastbound, presumably to Ottawa). 2nd time I've seen them driving that way in 2 weeks. Looks like Ottawa is beefing up its artic fleet even more.

Actually, their older articulated buses are being replaced by these new ones. The older ones are available for resale by New Flyer (the manufacturer).

 

[Voltz]

A picture has been taken of the first articulated TTC Nova bus.

The front end seems to be a bit outdated compared to the models York Region has.

 

[EnviroTO]

It is pretty much the same front with a different choice of light clusters and a bike rack mounted on. TTC and the MTA tend to buy similar specs based on maintenance costs so I'm guessing there is an operational cost advantage to the large halogen light versus the dual projector lights.