News, debate and discussion on Bus Operations outside of the UK


"The LibertyBus service in Jersey is here to keep you on the move – whether you’re commuting to work, visiting the Island, going shopping or just getting out and about.

Your LibertyBus service is delivered by CT Plus Jersey under contract to – and in partnership with – the Transport and Technical Services Department at the States of Jersey."

Currently, LibertyBus staff members are on strike. It is rumoured that this is as a result of another member of staff being dismissed and also about changes to shift patterns and working practices.

A report on the BBC is given here, while further information is displayed on the operator's website here and here.

Just 24 hours before the strike was due to commence, LibertyBus members of staff called it off.
Read more here - article published on 21st August by BBC.

Looks like Arrivas in Trouble over in Malta again...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/...19734.html

Wasn't sure where to put it but....

Six killed after train collides with bus in Canada's capital


http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/...pital?lite

The pic of the bus is in a right mess, its at bottom of the page

Why are people kicking up a stink about it, its a bus aint it, gets from A to B

Could imagine someone issuing GNE an ultimatum

'Get rid of M(S)PDS or else we will boycott whereever they go'

EDIT: JUST READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

(21 Sep 2013, 11:48 pm)fozzovmurton wrote Why are people kicking up a stink about it, its a bus aint it, gets from A to B

Could imagine someone issuing GNE an ultimatum

'Get rid of M(S)PDS or else we will boycott whereever they go'

EDIT: JUST READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Should bring them back to the UK, the North West has a decker shortage so this would be a step forward

I saw an advert the other day, for 6 month driving vacancies out there.

It seems there are issues, not just related to vehicles...

A big organisation coming onto Malta and re-writing the whole industry on the Island, was bound to cause issues and problems.

True, i dont know whos *smart* idea it was to use bendies on a small island in the first place, i would gladly swap some bendies with some of the Pulsars at Arriva St Helens Depot, 10A route needs the extra seats and the only change you need to do to the route is make it go around the back of the Wilkos in St Helens, an extra minute in the Timetable.

It's sounds more like a bus that's taking them from A to B, via a fire.

Keeps you awake in the morning apparently

Or we could gather up all the renouns from St. Helens and send them over to malta

If the renowns was to leave St Helens you would have to find full size single deckers from somewhere to replace them otherwise you leave the depot even lower on Seat numbers.

Leave the Renown's at St Helens as there some of the best buses in the fleet at St Helens in my opinion, if they did indeed leave the fleet at St Helens it would be interesting to see what would replace them on 89s which is the route there primarily used on these days well that and 320s

Well it has been confirmed Arriva are to pull out of Malta

As well as testing out my Greek and the Ouzo, I will also be sampling the two bus operators which exist on my trip out there.

One is a municipal ownened company, the other (as far as I can gather), is still state owned.

The fares look cheap, no idea what the fleet will be like.

May break the habit of a lifetime and take a photo or two!

Used the bus in Rhodes for the first time today - going, it was a MAN Regio. Coming back, some sort of Neoplan coach.

For a 30min+ journey (12mile), the fare was €2.20, which I thought reasonable.

Buses were heaving and drivers were radio-ing in to control letting them know of the queues of passengers dotted around.

Additional buses were put out, some running short to certain popular destinations, such as the waterpark in Faliaraki.

Inspectors were also out on the buses, although not sure what they were doing, other than maybe monitoring loads - certainly didn't check tickets.

Coming back on the coach, I witnessed the Greek temperament at its best.
Seeing a waiting passenger standing by the side of the road (not at a stop), the driver was wanting to leave her - the inspector made him stop.
On boarding, both the driver and inspector made a point in explaining it wasn't a bus stop and pointed out the next flag as we passed it.
The driver also got a berating as he whizzed past a young lad waiting - being forced to stop by the inspector, who apologised to the lad.

On boarding a bus by the road, you are expected to pay the driver.
In Rhodes, you pay at the KTEL kiosk in the bus station and show the driver your ticket - except that is what is supposed to happen.
Some locals paid on boarding, the rest of the locals and all tourists, bought at the kiosk.

Timetables - they're a mystery.
Routes aren't allocated a number.
They don't list via points either.
Despite several buses passing through the place we are staying, only one service actually lists it as a destination on the timetable.
You basically look at the map and if a bus is going to a town, village, resort beyond where you are staying, you can get it.

Heading in the opposite direction tomorrow - will maybe share my adventures again!

One bonus - there are no funky zones to go through! No boundaries to work out or nowt!
Maybe they're onto a winner with that one

(11 Aug 2014, 3:04 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Used the bus in Rhodes for the first time today - going, it was a MAN Regio. Coming back, some sort of Neoplan coach.

For a 30min+ journey (12mile), the fare was €2.20, which I thought reasonable.

Buses were heaving and drivers were radio-ing in to control letting them know of the queues of passengers dotted around.

Additional buses were put out, some running short to certain popular destinations, such as the waterpark in Faliaraki.

Inspectors were also out on the buses, although not sure what they were doing, other than maybe monitoring loads - certainly didn't check tickets.

Coming back on the coach, I witnessed the Greek temperament at its best.
Seeing a waiting passenger standing by the side of the road (not at a stop), the driver was wanting to leave her - the inspector made him stop.
On boarding, both the driver and inspector made a point in explaining it wasn't a bus stop and pointed out the next flag as we passed it.
The driver also got a berating as he whizzed past a young lad waiting - being forced to stop by the inspector, who apologised to the lad.

On boarding a bus by the road, you are expected to pay the driver.
In Rhodes, you pay at the KTEL kiosk in the bus station and show the driver your ticket - except that is what is supposed to happen.
Some locals paid on boarding, the rest of the locals and all tourists, bought at the kiosk.

Timetables - they're a mystery.
Routes aren't allocated a number.
They don't list via points either.
Despite several buses passing through the place we are staying, only one service actually lists it as a destination on the timetable.
You basically look at the map and if a bus is going to a town, village, resort beyond where you are staying, you can get it.

Heading in the opposite direction tomorrow - will maybe share my adventures again!

One bonus - there are no funky zones to go through! No boundaries to work out or nowt!
Maybe they're onto a winner with that one

Second trip today using KTEA.
As yesterday, this mornings trip was on a MAN Regio and it was a trip back on a coach (managed to id it as a dual doored Setra).

Both were comfy, with the Setra carrying standees down the gangway.
On a hill which was longer than Long Bank, but just as steep - the MAN bus performed better than the Setra coach. In fact, the bus had plenty room left in its engine and was desperate to do some overtaking.

Today, we travelled just short of 20miles, it took about 45mins and cost €3.50.

Still cheap and still no zonal systems in sight

(12 Aug 2014, 2:57 pm)Andreos1 wrote Second trip today using KTEA.
As yesterday, this mornings trip was on a MAN Regio and it was a trip back on a coach (managed to id it as a dual doored Setra).

Both were comfy, with the Setra carrying standees down the gangway.
On a hill which was longer than Long Bank, but just as steep - the MAN bus performed better than the Setra coach. In fact, the bus had plenty room left in its engine and was desperate to do some overtaking.

Today, we travelled just short of 20miles, it took about 45mins and cost €3.50.

Still cheap and still no zonal systems in sight

When I went to Zakynthos in July I went on two operators; Ionan Transport (with awful bovas and setras and KTEA the main public operator.

Currently in Alpe D'Huez in France and they have shuttles round the village using king longs, MANs and Citaros. The weird thing is that they do not have numbers, they have Apple Circuit, Strawberry Circuit and Blueberry Circuit, the only numbered bus is the 3020 to Grenoble

(04 Feb 2016, 11:28 am)NK53 TKT wrote Currently in Alpe D'Huez in France and they have shuttles round the village using king longs, MANs and Citaros. The weird thing is that they do not have numbers, they have Apple Circuit, Strawberry Circuit and Blueberry Circuit, the only numbered bus is the 3020 to Grenoble

I tried one of the French buses on the Apple Circuit today, it was a Temsa? Solaris, very decent considering it is a free bus. The 3020 to Grenoble is run by Bovas

I am off to Malta for the second time in the summer and when I was there last in 2013 Arriva ran the local bus services and there were only King Longs and ex London Mercedes Benz citaro artics. These have been overheating apparently and I wondered if these buses are still in service if anyone knows?

(The current bus services are no longer run by Arriva but are instead operated commercially, Arriva we're introducing solo srs the last time I was there)

I am currently in Malta and since I was last here the buses have been taken back into public hands, at present there are 4 types of buses as can be found below, these are two types of otokars, King longs and citaros:
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/trfc3615/2...+064+Malta
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/trfc3615/1...D_w_IS_all
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/trfc3615/2...D_w_IS_all
https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/trfc3615/2...D_w_IS_all
Photo credit: Mark Haldon

Here is a selection of buses from around the world provided by readers of the Guardian.

http://www.theguardian.com/community/ng-...-the-world

(30 Aug 2016, 4:26 pm)GuyParkRoyal wrote Here is a selection of buses from around the world provided by readers of the Guardian.

http://www.theguardian.com/community/ng-...-the-world

I wonder where the Bolton Atlantean was pictured (9/50)

Ive recently been on holiday in Greece ( Just came back yesterday ) which explains why I've been offline for so long.

Got a few photo's from around Athens in my spare time, Got round to uploading the first : https://www.flickr.com/photos/140662069@...ed-public/

More will come shortly.

In the last week I have been on holiday in Munich, Germany in which I photographed an array of buses, trams, trains and cars. We start off with a selection of photos from the MAN Bus Forum based on the Dachauer Strabe featuring the new model for 2018 of the MAN Lion's City, unfortunately due a vehicle breakdown in Moosach on route to the forum I missed the tour of the forum which started at 12pm, however the receptionist was more than happy for me to take a few photos inside the main entrance and outside the forum.

Here is a link to the photos from the forum - https://www.flickr.com/photos/adammalark...4516043310

Some photos from the Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum (Munich Transport Museum)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/adammalark...3135578198