9623 replies to this topic

[Jackerbie]

^ BC Transit has said that the goal is 100% electric. Here's the current plan for the province-wide fleet (note that Handy DART operates "light duty" buses)

 

 

via https://www.bctransi...n-fleet-program

[Mike K.]

Don’t we have eight high capacity buses on order for the Sooke run? Transit announced that earlier this year.

[Jackerbie]

Don’t we have eight high capacity buses on order for the Sooke run? Transit announced that earlier this year.

 

Could be an outdated graphic. The fleet replacement strategy was released in November 2018

Edited by Jackerbie, 23 September 2019 - 03:14 PM.

[vortoozo]

Don’t we have eight high capacity buses on order for the Sooke run? Transit announced that earlier this year.

 

Busses aren't assigned to specific routes. You've mentioned a few times that new busses have been ordered for the Sooke run, but in reality they'll be spread throughout the system.

[Mike K.]

In an effort to ease capacity demands on major routes to the Westshore, the Victoria Regional Transit Commission has recently authorized the purchase of an additional eight double decker buses that will be earmarked for the #50 Langford/Downtown Victoria and #61 routes, yielding more capacity for commuters. The new buses are expected to arrive by the fall of 2020.

- https://victoria.cit...lic-engagement/

A transit planner I spoke with for the above article didn’t mince words when she called me to discuss improvements for Sooke commuters. The 50/61 is a shared route, so some 61s continue on as 50s eastbound, some 50s continue on as 61s westbound. Then there are dedicated 61s. Currently there aren’t enough double deckers operating to ensure all high demand 50/61 splits are equipped as such.

[Cats4Hire]

I think you guys are talking two different things here. These specific 8 buses won't exclusively run on 50/61 routes but they're using the fact they have 8 more high capacity buses to run 8 more on 50/61. Their oldest could be on a 50/61 while one of these new ones is on a 4 but there's still 8 extra high capacity buses on 50/61.

[Mike K.]

They’re being ordered so there are eight more double deckers serving the 50/61, whether they’re new or from within the existing fleet.

Speaking of which a good number of our deckers are now approaching 20 years of service. They’ll be getting phased out rather soon, I would imagine.

[sebberry]

Speaking of which a good number of our deckers are now approaching 20 years of service. They’ll be getting phased out rather soon, I would imagine.

 

I better catch a ride on one while I still can, eh?

[Mike K.]

The orders one for sure. I think they are the 90xx fleet numbered ones.

[kenmuir]

The orders one for sure. I think they are the 90xx fleet numbered ones.

According to this wiki, it's 9001-9049, and then 9501-9531.  That site is consistent with the bus numbers appearing in NextRide for every time that I've checked.

Edited by kenmuir, 23 September 2019 - 09:45 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

A number of bus routes in Greater Victoria were hit by delays and cancellations again on Wednesday morning.

A list posted to the BC Transit website shows 20 bus routes were impacted including three cancellations of the busy #50 bus from Langford to downtown Victoria at 7:15 a.m., 7:56 a.m. and 8:17 a.m.

BC Transit is blaming the recent problems with service on what it calls “an unusual number of vehicles” not available for service over the past number of weekdays.

https://www.cheknews...lations-607484/

[Cats4Hire]

So according to NextRide the southbound stop on the TCH at Admirals is being closed. Alert isn't on BC Transit's site yet but if there's no temporary stop that would mean none of the Westshore routes heading downtown will stop after VGH until about halfway between Saanich and Cloverdale. I get highways are probably harder to put temp stops on but this seems pretty unacceptable.

Oh I misread the times and thought it was from 7:30 AM-5:30 PM so it's not too bad then.

Edited by Cats4Hire, 03 October 2019 - 11:08 AM.

[vortoozo]

The alert has been up for the past week or so: https://www.bctransi...d=1529706023934

[Cats4Hire]

The alert has been up for the past week or so: https://www.bctransi...d=1529706023934

That's for Tillicum I'm talking about Admirals.

[Cats4Hire]

On another note, I was on a 15 today and every single time the door opened it did the usual "15 Esquimalt Fort/Yates Express" but then continued with "This is an express bus with limited stops" Is that second part really necessary? You already said it's the Fort/Yates express, I'm sure people can figure out what that means.

[Victoria Watcher]

All that being said, our bus stop signs are really only helpful for people that take the same bus routes regularly. For everyone else, especially new users, they offer little help to navigating around our city. 

 

With that in mind, I tried designing my own, new and improved transit map based on a similar design by Jimin Huh, a UX designer and university student in South Korea. 

 

Like a normal bus stop sign, the new sign displays the stop number, TransLink logo, and all the bus route numbers at the top but the first difference you'll probably notice is the map.

 

 

i actually think that translink should not have thrown so much shade on this.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/n...e-lee-1.5307213

 

I reached out to TransLink for their thoughts on the signs and Jada Stevens, their wayfinding planner, kindly responded with some sobering but interesting thoughts.

 

First off, with our current technology, using my design would be a lot of work.

 

"TransLink has over 8,000 bus stops, and to include unique bus routing information by way of maps and diagrams at each stop would be an incredibly difficult task to undertake without the help of automation," said Stevens in a statement.

 

 

big deal 8000 stops.  crowdsource it to volunteers.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 October 2019 - 09:33 AM.

[Coreyburger]

Big deal 8000 stops.  crowdsource it to volunteers.

Have you ever QA-ed a production map, let alone 8000 individual ones. I've never done 8000, but do a fair amount of map QA in my current and past jobs. It isn't easy and it isn't fast and it isn't something that you can easily outsource to volunteers.

[Victoria Watcher]

Have you ever QA-ed a production map, let alone 8000 individual ones. I've never done 8000, but do a fair amount of map QA in my current and past jobs. It isn't easy and it isn't fast and it isn't something that you can easily outsource to volunteers.

 

you underestimate the power of the people!  and you think too small.  google maps uses volunteers to get real-time traffic info in over 300,000 cities today.  think outside the box!  8000 stops big deal.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 October 2019 - 09:53 AM.

[Cats4Hire]

you underestimate the power of the people!  and you think too small.  google maps uses volunteers to get real-time traffic info in over 300,000 cities today.  think outside the box!  8000 stops big deal.

unless you can somehow get people's phones to send data that becomes a map to Translink I don't think Google Map's "volunteers" can really help with this https://www.business...-traffic-2017-1

[Victoria Watcher]

believe it or not not everything government does has to cost an arm and a leg.  there are tens of thousands of good-willed vancouverites that would be willing to do the work for this for free.  in the public interest.

 

i know you two public servants can't fathom that.  but people do stuff for for free all the time without being paid by taxpayers every step of the way.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 October 2019 - 10:13 AM.