Recent posts

#1

Infrastructure / Re: Infrastructure Discussion

Last post by L94UBbusfan - Yesterday at 11:58:55 PM

The timer on the pedestrian lights are a good idea and could usefully be added at other interchanges. At my walking speed, I have found there is barely enough time from when the walk appears to complete the whole crossing

Try crossing Haydon Drive from Radford College, I would consider myself relatively fit and I can only just make it across the whole road if I run before the light starts flashing red. Would hate to imagine someone less mobile trying to cross.

As for the hike to the Westfield shops - effectively they are not served by TC.

Compared to the temporary interchange, I actually found the new interchange to be closer to Westfield, at least from Platform A/B. I was walking in the rain too so I would have known if it was longer (I can also say that the new interchange handled the weather alright too, the CIT provides good wind protection) although I can imagine it would be a different story walking to/from Platform 1 or 5.

#2

Infrastructure / Re: Infrastructure Discussion

Last post by triumph - Yesterday at 10:19:12 PM

Have now used the new Woden Interchange 14 times between 6th and 27th May
Platform 1 - 2 arrivals
Platform 3 - 4 departures
platform 5 - 1 departure
platform 8 - 5 arrivals
platform B - 2 departures

In my account ALL arrivals were shown as 'Invalid Stop ID', and ALL departures showed the time only. That MyWay+ seems not to have been ready by the Official Opening, or even a month later, indicates how deep the problems still are.

Also, as a brand new facility, where are the dynamic panels showing the next services at the various platforms?

The timer on the pedestrian lights are a good idea and could usefully be added at other interchanges. At my walking speed, I have found there is barely enough time from when the walk appears to complete the whole crossing.

Finally, the connection from arriving platform 8 to departure platform 5 (previously mentioned in posts, and now experienced once) is a very long walk taking over 3 min for those of us who are mobility restrained  As for the hike to the Westfield shops - effectively they are not served by TC.

#3

The Playground / Re: What PT did you get today?...

Last post by triumph - Yesterday at 09:30:50 PM

Got a bit behind with records
7th April
842 (901)
815 (R6)
675 (R2)

10th
835 (63) via Bowes, Melrose
847 (63) via Easty, Bowes

14th
814 (R5)
536 (R6)

15th
894 (64) via Easty, Bowes
842 (71) via Bowes, Melrose
893 (64) via Easty, Bowes
834 (70) via Bowes, Melrose. Last use of Temporary Woden Interchange

17th
892 (30) Boarded Westfield - Acct shows John Gorton Drive after Opperman Ave
898 (30) Boarded Dickson interchange - Acct shows time only

22nd
849 (31)
854 (R9) Boarded Dickson Interchange - Acct shows time only

29th
838 (24)
463 (R8)

1st May
878 (24) Tapped off Gungahlin Place - Acct shows Gungahlin Leisure Centre, The Valley Ave
003 (R1)
005 (R1)
001 (R1)
014 (R1)
724 (R6)

6th
884 (70) First use new Woden Interchange. Note 1
834 (63) Note 2
877 (63) Note 1
489 (R4) Note 3
838 (R7)
837 (63) Note 1
898 (65) Note 2
855 (70) Note 1
445 (64) Note 2

20th
660 (R2)
832 (56)
565 (59)
824 (54)
854 (57) Note 4
513 (R5) Note 3

27th
834 (57) Note 4
898 (64) Note 2
856 (70) Note 1
897 (57) Note 5

Notes
1 Arrival plt 1 Woden Interchange - Acct shows 'Invalid stop'
2 Board plt 3 Woden Interchange - Acct shows time only
3 Board plt B Woden Interchange - Acct shows time only
4 Arrival plt 1 Woden Interchange - Acct shows 'Invalid stop'
5 Board plt 5 Woden interchange - Acct shows time only

#4

The Playground / Re: What PT did you get today?...

Last post by Bus 400 - May 30, 2026, 05:23:18 PM

LRV15 (R1)
Bus 425 (R9)
Bus 409 (R5)
Bus 712 (79)
Bus 638 (70)
Bus 707 (R7)
LRV15 (R1)

#5

The Playground / Re: What PT did you get today?...

Last post by lukeo25 - May 27, 2026, 10:54:10 AM

447 (57)
500 (R3)
667 (R6)

#6

Fleet / Re: Four CD Element 2s (748-75...

Last post by Barry Drive - May 23, 2026, 12:56:27 PM

It was additionally mentioned in the Annual Reports hearings (in November 2025) that the Elements are to be upgraded.

The Custom Denning Element buses are running in route service at the moment. There are ongoing reliability challenges with those four buses, which we are working with the vendor on. We have seen an improvement in the performance of them. They also operate in New South Wales. The ACT has a slightly different variant to those in New South Wales. The main work with the vendor is on how we retrofit to effectively the same performance outcomes. We obviously cannot change the whole bus, but what can we do is pick up the technology that now operates in New South Wales, as a – for want of a better description – version 2 of those buses and bring our version 1s up to the same performance. That is a process we are working through at the moment.

(The "Next Generation" Element 2 was announced in September 2025. There's not a lot of detail about what is different - other than a revised seating layout and rear door location.)

It's likely that 749 is currently in Sydney receiving this upgrade.

[536]

#7

The Playground / Re: What PT did you get today?...

Last post by L94UBbusfan - May 22, 2026, 07:02:34 PM

It was more fun in the old days, when the driver would open & close the front door whilst still moving.

I remember sometimes on the Renaults the driver would leave Westfield Belconnen interchange with the front doors still open and presumably drive to the depot with the doors open. Would have been around 10 years ago now.

Anyway onto the last 2 weeks of travel (I'll update this post as the week goes on). I was planning to go out on Tuesday (26th) and ride my 200th bus of the year. I have a rule that the first, last and every _00th bus of the year has to be something interesting. When the CNGs were still around I made the rule that every _00th bus had to be a CNG, but with them gone now it's either a STAG, Artic, Element or something I haven't got a record of riding yet. Anyway, I completely forgot about my goals until I was adding the 2 buses I rode on Monday onto my totals and realised that the next bus I ride would be my 200th bus of the year, so frantically I went onto Anytrip to see if anything interesting was passing through Belconnen when I saw 522 on an R6, so I did a quick bus-hop and saved myself from having to walk 3kms in the rain 
I'm slightly further ahead numbers wise than I was this time last year (hit 200 buses on 13/6 last year compared to 25/5 this year) but I assume it will all even out as I didn't start going really hard with bus riding until about May/June last year.

Last Saturday (16/5/26)
2619MO (Wings over Shellharbour carpark shuttle)

Last Monday (18/5/26)
717 (23) - I was in such a rush to get it I mistook it for 711 when I boarded, only found out it was 717 after checking Anytrip later.
614 (R5)
487 (R5) - up to 14 minutes early at one point, I just missed the previous R5 and 487 arrived not even a minute later.
014 (R1)
413 (25)

Last Friday (22/5/26)
585 (30)
536 (R6)
647 (R8)
549 (26)

Monday (25/5/26)
732 (23)
830 (R8)
522 (R6) - 200th bus of the year

Thursday (28/5/26)
729 (30)
488 (R4)
503 (R4)
528 (R6) - Pretty noisy diff on this one
518 (R6)
858 (R8)
628 (26)
Really need to start riding more buses I don't have a record of riding yet, I've only ridden 1 in the last 2 weeks.

#8

The Playground / Re: What PT did you get today?...

Last post by triumph - May 17, 2026, 02:13:12 PM

And perhaps less so (particularly for the driver in winter) in even older days, when some buses (at least in Hobart - 1st fleet of electric buses) had no front door at all.

#9

The Playground / Re: What PT did you get today?...

Last post by Bus 400 - May 17, 2026, 11:13:30 AM

Today (15/5/26)
682 (31) - random question, I pressed the stop button and the "BUS STOPPING" light activated, but then it looked like the driver flicked a switch or something and turned it off. Do drivers actually have any control over the next stop system, and if so, can they control it on all buses or only certain types/bodies?

Drivers have the ability to switch the bus stop bell off. It's fun when they forget to turn it back on & you're up the back of an artic. 

It was more fun in the old days, when the driver would open & close the front door whilst still moving. 

[418]

#10

The Playground / Re: What PT did you get today?...

Last post by L94UBbusfan - May 15, 2026, 07:41:02 PM

Last Tuesday (5/5/26)
418 (26) - PID out of order

Last Wednesday (6/5/26)
713 (30)
877 (R8)
589 (30)

Last Thursday (7/5/26)
584 (30)
484 (R4)
534 (R2)
511 (R6)
489 (R4)
834 (R8)
587 (26) - ended up being pretty late due to some sort of traffic in Gungahlin which made every bus leaving Gungahlin around 5pm run late.

Last Friday (8/5/26)
556 (23)
396 (28)

Tuesday (12/5/26)
390 (23) - crazy that a CB60 Evo ll is now the oldest bus in the fleet 
469 (R4)
475 (R4)
498 (R8)
727 (26)

Today (15/5/26)
682 (31) - random question, I pressed the stop button and the "BUS STOPPING" light activated, but then it looked like the driver flicked a switch or something and turned it off. Do drivers actually have any control over the next stop system, and if so, can they control it on all buses or only certain types/bodies?
474 (R4) - now confirmed ridden all steertags in the TC fleet 
846 (R8)
748 (25) - always good to ride an Element, swear they've done something to make them quieter though.