General Discussion

[Bus 400]

I wonder how long it has had the hole. As maybe it was before the Platforms were extended?

[Snorzac]

Didn't have it on Saturday. Refer to thread 'Pictures in Page'.

[Snorzac]

Got this pic of 375 this arvo, stuff that guy, he is mosaicked out. Check out the body roll.

[Irisbus Rider]

Lol, very nice shot. And, yes, stuff the guy, ha ha. It must be becuuse of their high ride height?

[Bus 400]

Didn't have it on Saturday. Refer to thread 'Pictures in Page'.

That shot is taken on the wrong side. Have posted the pic in Multimedia as it is a great shot.

[Snorzac]

But you can see there is no damage

[Bus 400]

If anyone is still after a Network '06 map, the newsagent at Tuggeranong Hyperdome has lots of them & are handing them out & don't have any from even Network '08.

[lukeo25]

lets hope they have some tommorow when i am down there, are they handing them out for free or not?

[Bus 400]

Yep, even though it has the price of $2.20 RRP on them. I suppose that they can't order more until they run out. There was almost 30-40 in a pile.

[lukeo25]

good, i can put 1 on my wall and get 1 for my collection

[Bus 400]

I suspect that a well known driver (Fraser) is on holidays as no one picked up on which bus I caught on Wednesday.

[Snorzac]

read the post after your Wednesday 'What bus'

[Bus 400]

My apologies, I didn't know what 970, lol would mean. Only found out today it is Fraser's bus. But Fraser wasn't driving, it was a driver opposite to Fraser (assuming Fraser is bus gunzel friendly). I love typing Fraser alot in this post.

[Bus 400]

Accoring to The Riot ACT, Brenden Smyth has concerns over ACT Government selling off assests such as ACTION (http://the-riotact.com/?p=11748). But I am not sure about this as I haven't seen anymore on this anywhere else.

[Busnerd]

I don't even have to read that to know that ACTION will not be privatised, shut up about it.

[Buzz Killington]

It was also confirmed by treasurer Katy Gallagher today that she is not considering any such sale.

[Snorzac]

Hey guys, look at this, what is wrong, it was taken today:

[Bus 400]

I've seen that months ago. It is the same case with the last bus stop of Eyre Street KINGSTON. I feel like taking both signs (if only I could work out how)

[Buzz Killington]

all of it, aside from the words 'bus stop' and the little bus icon?

[Bus 400]

Yepo, it is only a sheet of metal attached to the board, Kingston is screw in, but both are higher then my arms.

Also forgot to mention that as some people may of heard, there was a bad accident at the southern entrance into Woden Interchange at around 17:00. This resulted in south bound buses having to do the Woden loop (via Melrose Drive, Hindmarsh Drive & Callam Street). I had the bad luck on my southbound 300, where the driver (one of the good ones mind you-he is known here that's why) had to do his drop off from Platform 12 & I called people waiting at the southbound Intertown platform over to him. Most others did the Woden Loop though.

[Busnerd]

You are not stealing those ACTION signs. Why can't you be content with a photo like everyone else.

[Bus 400]

It is to help the public not be confused, which helps the drivers stress levels as they won't get people asking "When does the 34 comes?"

**To be fair, I do not condone illegal activity such as theft of Government property. This is only as a joke.

[Busnerd]

Well if your truly concerned you can contact the government to take it down!

[belcodriver]

It is to help the public not be confused, which helps the drivers stress levels as they won't get people asking "When does the 34 comes?"

**To be fair, I do not condone illegal activity such as theft of Government property. This is only as a joke.

Being a sarcastic guy I'd quite happily answer "10 months ago".

[Bus 400]

On Thursday my Gran had one of the "bitchy" bus drivers. I say this as she was on an Intertown North & pressed the bell for the bus stop on Athllon Drive just after Melrose Drive rounabout. We she was getting off she asked the driver if it was the right stop for the Phillip Health Centre. His reply was "There are lots of bus stops along here & one goes there." She got off anyway & ended up walking along Athllon Drive & found the closer stop near Shea Street (which is the right one).

She described the driver to me & it sounds like the only driver in ACTION that I avoid at any costs. I have never had a run in with this guy, but I just don't trust him. But I'll ask: As a driver what would/do you do? I'd do what I think most drivers do & say it's the next stop.

[Bus 400]

338 is over in the Workshop waiting area at Tuggeranong Depot with a plastic sheet over the back right windows.

With a CNG Pod off a bus. But it isn't 381 as I saw this pod on Friday, with the mirror being replaced on 381 at the same time (& it still had a holy gas pod.

[Snorzac]

338 has apparently been there for ages and that gas pod came off 377, which had really bad damage to it's pod a few weeks back.

[Bus 400]

The same as 382, didn't think a bus had a plastic sheet before. I would love to know why these 2 have been in for ages.

[Snorzac]

The plastic sheet is for a broken window and if you mean 382 has been outside of the workshops for ages, it seems to have spent more time there than on the road, I haven't seen it out of the depot since January

[Busnerd]

That explains why I haven't got a photo of it yet then!

[Bus 400]

Forgot to mention that I noticed an "incident" at Platform 12 at Woden Interchange this afternoon. What I saw was a Poilce car fly out of Woden & go the wrong way past the drivers lunch room & park right at the end of the Tuggeranong Intertown Platform. Then by the time I had driven around the taxi rank up the top & came back down, a Police paddy wagon copied them. It looked as if they were talking with someone on the metal chair on the corner of Platform 12 & an ACTION staff member came out of the Supervisor Office just after the Police arrived.

[Bus 400]

I am wondering what are peoples thoughts on learning bus routes by driving behind the bus?

I ask this as I was behind Bus 783 which was being driven my a member of this forum at the time. We where on School Bus 583 (Lanyon Valley Serive) while on Pockett Ave BANKS, 2 detectives pull me over & search my car & etc. But at the end one of them says that this sort of activity (driving behind the buses, learning the routes) is a bit weird & I shouldn't do it again. Although yesterday the driver in question said it was ok (I always ask the driver beforehand). They did let me off & said I couldn't do it again. But I was as open as possible & told them how I met the driver (through this forum) & gave both our usernames. I also told him about Australian Transport Discussion Board. So this forum & ATDB may be looked at by ACT Police workers today.

[The Love Guru]

Following buses in your car is a BIG MISTAKE. You will attract police attention almost everytime you do, with or without the drivers consent. Members of the public will report suspicious activity. If you were following a school bus i'm not suprised the police stopped you. There have been numerous attempted abductions in recent times and there is a high level of alert regarding student safety.

I suggest if you want to learn the runs then it would be best to do so on board the bus. Also, it is pointless learning school runs as they tend to change a lot and you may only get to that run once in a year. ACTION provide more than adequate route direcitons.

[Busnerd]

I would just like to say that the ACT BUS management team do not kendone this sort of activity.

As Chris_Guru said, you can easily learn the routes on the computer by looking at route maps or directions.

[Buzz Killington]

Exactly. I would suggest you learn the routes via the maps and listings available on the ACTION Website.

We'll leave that line of discussion now thanks.

[Bus 400]

It looks as if today was bus breakdown day today.

345 broke down on Namatjira Drive FISHER
Another Scania broke down on Belconnen Way
Another bus broke down on Northbourne Ave LYNEHAM

Also drivers that had a Scania or MAN were not allowed in Belconnen Depot on their lunch break today. It wasn't that Belconnen Depot was annoyed with Tuggeranong, but that resealing work was being done on the main gate & drivers had to go through the cement gate entrance.

[Busnerd]

Name one driver who actually goes to the Belconnen Canteen for lunch?

Most drivers would pack their own lunch or go to the mall

[Bus 400]

No idea. But I think that some shifts say to have lunch at Belco or Tuggers depot. Surely with the amount of shifts given out on Sunday someone's shift might say this (mine don't).

[The Love Guru]

You'll find a lot fo drivers use the canteens in the depot, at a guess i'd say at least 50 a day.

[Busnerd]

Yes I know that people go there, but I'm saying, as an example, plenty of people get shifts with things like 'WODEN MEAL ROOM' or 'BELCONNEN DEPOT' yet a lot pack their own lunch or just go to the shopping centre(s)

My depot has a fairly high turnover or drivers and staff who use the canteen, but then usually they will be at the depot because they have to swap a bus over, where as most of the ACTION shifts where a tuggy driver has a meal at belco may just run as

[Bus 400]

950 has been transferred to Tuggeranong Depot & personally Belconnen should have it back. The Wayfarer is broken, the box behind the driver is on the ground, the door doesn't have its hook things.

Also I saw the 732 Xpresso come into Woden Interchange at 17:00 & it was Bus 700 & empty.

[Snorzac]

Chris_Guru won't be happy about that, he thinks it's a good bus, I am going to wait for confirmation from one of the drivers before I update the Bus Australia fleet lists as it may only be temporary.

If it is permanent it will be tuggys first .2 with a rack.

[Buzz Killington]

how do you know it has been transferred, TP3000?

[Bus 400]

I may have the number wrong as this bus didn't have a bike rack. But I know that this bus didn't have an S & the driver did think it was a Belco bus. I was going by what the driver said as he hasn't seen it around. It did have a weird drivers seat though that was different & the driver said it felt like a sack of potatoes. The seat cover did look different to most bus driver seats.

[Snorzac]

did it have front fleet numbers?

[Buzz Killington]

You realise that the 'S' sticker doesn't really mean anything anymore? They were applied around 2001-02 IIRC, and many stickers have come off and buses have been transferred.

[Bus 400]

No front fleet numbers & the driver also said about that 'S' thing

[Snorzac]

Most of the 87# series which are (with the exception of 870) all at Belconnen have them. I think it was before '01-'02 Ryan I can remember seeing them around before then.

[Buzz Killington]

yeah, not entirely sure when they were applied - around 2000 or so.

[The Love Guru]

950 was at B depot at lunch time today. It had not been transfered to the best of my knowledge.