Transdev Melbourne Archives - Waking up in Geelong https://wongm.com/tag/transdev-melbourne/ Marcus Wong. Gunzel. Engineering geek. History nerd. Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:11:46 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 23299142 Photos from ten years ago: July 2014 https://wongm.com/2024/07/photos-from-ten-years-ago-july-2014/ https://wongm.com/2024/07/photos-from-ten-years-ago-july-2014/#comments Mon, 29 Jul 2024 21:30:00 +0000 https://wongm.com/?p=22269 Another instalment in my photos from ten years ago series – this time it is July 2014. Regional Rail Link The Regional Rail Link project was now approaching the finishing line, with a ‘consolidation train’ running back and forth over the newly laid tracks to bed them down before the commencement of revenue services. The […]

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Another instalment in my photos from ten years ago series – this time it is July 2014.

Regional Rail Link

The Regional Rail Link project was now approaching the finishing line, with a ‘consolidation train’ running back and forth over the newly laid tracks to bed them down before the commencement of revenue services.

The massive flyover at Manor Junction is just visible in the background

The new platforms dedicated to V/Line services at Footscray were also open.

N464 on the down Swan Hill service arrives at Footscray platform 4 on the newly opened RRL tracks

As restoration works continued on the station buildings.

Restoration works underway to the disused signal box on platforms 4 and 5

The new platforms were also ready for 9-car long trains, the first of which didn’t run until 2022.

'VL9' - nine-car VLocity set stopping mark on the RRL platform at Footscray

The new dual gauge tracks across the North Melbourne flyover also opened for trains, but not successfully – the Sydney-bound XPT derailed on the first attempt to leave Melbourne!

Rear view of the derailed train

The cause of the derailment – the new tracks were incompatible with the wheel flange profile used on New South Wales trains.

Derailed bogies of carriages six and seven

And elsewhere on the rail network

The original blue/green and purple VLocity train liveries still dominated the view at Southern Cross Station.

Original liveried VLocity 3VL26 on the left, purple-liveried 3VL51 to the right

Work had started on the 664 Collins Street development atop the south end of Southern Cross Station.

Vehicle access ramp from Collins Street to the 664 Collins Street development atop Southern Cross Station

The escalators at North Melbourne station where entering a steep decline into unreliability.

Escalators still out of order at North Melbourne platform 6

Myki gates at stations were also failing regularly.

Wide gate at Flagstaff station 'Temporarily Unavailable' for morning peak

And Metro Trains – they were using the next train displays at Richmond station to promote the Channel 7 TV show ‘House Rules’.

Metro using the PIDS at Richmond station to promote Channel 7 TV show 'House Rules'

Views that are gone

This view of a V/Line diesel headed over to the South Dynon locomotive depot was an unremarkable sight at the time, but today is hidden beneath the tangle of flyovers for the West Gate Tunnel at Dynon Road.

N451 bound for South Dynon heads along the new broad gauge lead from the North Melbourne flyover

As were these trains at the Wagon Storage Yard at North Melbourne – now taken over by the Wurundjeri Way extension.

B80 stabled on a loaded ballast train in the Wagon Storage Yard at North Melbourne. V/Line railcars VL37 and VL38 alongside

At Footscray station there was only a single small apartment tower to be seen – not the dozens found there today.

EDI Comeng 433M on a down Werribee service arrives into Footscray

And you’d be hard pressed to guess that this scene is now the site of the Metro Tunnel portal at South Yarra – this private garage and car park was cantilevered over the railway cutting on Arthur Street.

Private garage and car park cantilevered over the railway cutting on Arthur Street at South Yarra

And these trees cover Siding Reserve, which has been completely rebuilt to make way for the new railway tracks passing beneath.

EDI Comeng passes Siding Reserve at South Yarra on the up

Trams

A decade ago route 78 passengers were still having to put up with clunky old W class trams trundling down Chapel Street.

SW6.896 on route 78 at the corner of Chapel Street and Dandenong Road

As did route 30 passengers on La Trobe Streets – the old clunkers finally being sent off into retirement in December 2014.

SW6.854 on route 30 heads west at La Trobe and William Streets

Meanwhile on William Street was a sign of the future – a brand new E class trams headed through on test. However it took until December 2021 for these trams to carry passengers on route 58.

E.6009 on a test run, waiting to turn from William Street into Flinders Lane

Buses

The transition from National Bus to Transdev Melbourne started back in August 2013, but buses in the old liveries could still be seen on Hoddle Street.

Queue of four citybound Transdev buses waiting to turn right from Hoddle Street into Victoria Parade

And the Melbourne Visitor Shuttle bus was still kicking around, before it was discontinued in 2017.

Melbourne Visitor Shuttle bus #42 1042AO heads east on Collins Street at Batman's Hill

Some loose ends

The big stadium in Docklands was still called ‘Etihad Stadium’.

A2.286 arrives at final stop of route 24 - Etihad Stadium on La Trobe Street

Beside the Monash Freeway at Church Street in Cremorne, I found this small part under construction, on what was once a freeway off-ramp.

Repurposing the abandoned Church Street loop off ramp as a public park

And a random photo I took of the Geelong skyline – the Kardinia Park light towers in place, but not the massive new grandstands.

Looking across the Geelong skyline from Rippleside

And the view of Saint Mary of the Angels Basilica still dominated the skyline, with the office and apartment towers still to come.

Looking across the Geelong skyline from Rippleside

And an Melbourne Airport Rail note

At Footscray station I found a giant banner linked to the Napthine Government’s ‘Moving Victoria’ campaign, promoting their unfunded ‘Melbourne Rail Link‘ project.

Promoting the unfunded 'Melbourne Rail Link' project at Footscray station, which is intended to include a new railway line to Melbourne Airport

With a promise of trains running every 10 minutes to Melbourne Airport.

More blatant electioneering from the Liberal Party, under the 'Moving Victoria' banner

Conceived as an alternative to the Metro Tunnel, the Melbourne Rail Link tunnel would have run between South Yarra and Southern Cross, serving new stations at Domain and Fishermans Bend – instead of Arden and Parkville, who would be stuck using buses and trams.

'Moving Victoria' poster on Flemington Road in Parkville - spruiking the Melbourne Rail Link project and increased bus and tram services

But as you might have guessed, the Melbourne Rail Link project went nowhere, construction of the Metro Tunnel started a few years later and is almost finished, work on the Melbourne Airport Rail project has been stop-start, and a rail link to Fishermans Bend is as far away as ever.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Farewell to Melbourne’s first electric bus https://wongm.com/2024/01/farewell-transdev-melbourne-first-electric-bus/ https://wongm.com/2024/01/farewell-transdev-melbourne-first-electric-bus/#comments Mon, 08 Jan 2024 20:30:00 +0000 https://wongm.com/?p=21733 This is the story of Melbourne’s first electric bus, which doesn’t even operate in Victoria any more. The story starts in 2019, when Melbourne-based bus body builder Volgren was building a prototype electric bus on an imported BYD K9 chassis. In July 2019 Volgren completed the prototype of its first ever pure-electric bus, a product […]

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This is the story of Melbourne’s first electric bus, which doesn’t even operate in Victoria any more.

Transdev electric bus #3000 BS05MR on route 903 at Sunshine station

The story starts in 2019, when Melbourne-based bus body builder Volgren was building a prototype electric bus on an imported BYD K9 chassis.

In July 2019 Volgren completed the prototype of its first ever pure-electric bus, a product launch the company is describing as its most significant since it introduced the Optimus route bus in 2013.

The 12.2-metre vehicle is built on a BYD K9 electric bus chassis and features 324-kilowatt hours of battery capacity. It’s capable of travelling up to 300 kilometres on a single charge and will carry a total of 61 passengers; 39 seats and 22 standees, the company states.

Volgren has been investigating electric technology for more than five years and the prototype alone has involved 12 months of planning, research and engineering problem-solving, as well as partnership-building and discussion with BYD – not to mention the build itself.

There is a great deal of pride at Volgren that its first pure-electric vehicle body was not a brand new design, but a modified Optimus.

That’s not to say, however, that this project was merely a matter of Volgren placing its flagship product over BYD’s and getting the wiring right. Kearney explains that the electric vehicle body Volgren developed required a number of new parts, among them “…new moulded solutions for interior finish and fitout”, as well as “…the introduction of a roof-treatment package designed to better integrate the roof-mounted EV equipment into the vehicle”.

To understand how Volgren ensured these components – and the bus as a whole – worked precisely as it needed to, it’s best to go back to 2018.

“We began with some feasibility studies and reviews in early 2018, assessing the product layout, compliance with Australian Design Rules and other regulations, suitability for Australian customer specification and developing a preliminary understanding of the high-voltage systems and their integration,” Kearney said.

In June of that year the company sent two design engineers to China to attend ‘familiarisation training’ with BYD.

“This process also included a review of issues elicited through the feasibility study and the provision of design and product information from BYD to enable commencement of detailed design.”

Kearney says that for assistance with development of the aesthetic roof treatment they turned to Monash University’s Mobility Design Lab. It was a partnership Volgren knew it could count on, having worked with Monash University in the development of the Optimus Route Bus body earlier this decade.

A few months later the Victorian Government announcing an electric bus trial in conjunction with bus operator Transdev Melbourne.

Victoria’s first locally built, fully electric bus will soon begin carrying passengers on one of Melbourne’s busiest routes, thanks to a partnership between the Andrews Labor Government and Transdev.

The bus will run on Route 246 between Elsternwick and Clifton Hill via St Kilda before potentially being used across other inner Melbourne routes.

The body construction and fit out for the new bus was carried out in Dandenong by Volgren, supporting Victorian jobs and backing the local automotive industry to develop new capability and innovation.

The new zero-emission bus is fitted with 324 kWH of Lithium Phosphate batteries providing 300 kilometers of travel range.

The bus will be based at Transdev’s North Fitzroy depot where a charging station has been installed.

The trial will continue until January 2021 and will be reviewed to determine the potential to roll out fully electric buses across Victoria.

However the trial was the idea of Transdev Australasia and not the Victorian Government, as part of what they called ‘Project Aurora

The seeds for the company’s zero-emissions ambitions ‘Down Under’ were sown in 2019, following a phone call with Transdev Australasia’s chief engineer Marc Cleave and Volgren Australia.

Dandenong-based Volgren had recently commenced manufacture of its BYD-chassis prototype electric bus – a modified version of its popular Optimus model. For Transdev and Marc Cleave, now somewhat a veteran of the bus manufacturing scene, the call helped to ignite a vision for a zero-emissions fleet in Australia and New Zealand, helping to kick-start internal ‘Project Aurora’.

Transdev had pioneered zero-emissions electric and hydrogen fleets internationally, it says, but usage in the Australian and New Zealand market was still in relative infancy. From our international learnings we knew the value that zero emissions vehicles could add to our local fleets and contracts, which is why we acted quickly in developing Project Aurora.”

Armed with insights about what worked, Transdev quickly set about gathering a group of locally based suppliers to help realise the vision and bring the company’s first electric bus – ‘Aurora 1’ – to Melbourne in November, 2019.

Under Project Aurora, Transdev took delivery of its first new Volgren BYD Optimus electric bus and BYD charging infrastructure in November, 2019, with the bus going into service on Melbourne’s streets in December of that year, as part of a trial with Victoria’s Department of Transport.

The remaining four vehicles rolled off Volgren’s Dandenong production line in March, 2021, with one commencing service in Brisbane in April and three going into service in Sydney in May. Gala events were held in Dandenong, Brisbane and Sydney, with local authorities, stakeholders and industry to celebrate the launch of the new fleet.

Tessari says the commissioning of the Transdev fleet as part of Project Aurora was significant for the company.

Transdev Australasia funded three of the five vehicles delivered under Project Aurora. Transport for NSW directly funded two vehicles for Sydney, which Transdev procured on its behalf.

“We wanted to demonstrate zero-emissions technology by investing our own cash in it. It’s here now, and it’s the future now that we want to promote to government and show that public transport can be decarbonised,” Craig added.

The trial bus was given fleet number #3000 and registration plate BS05MR, with the first stage of the trial program commencing in December 2019 on route 246, followed by stage two in October 2020 on route 250, and stage three in May 2021 on route 903.

Transdev electric bus #3000 BS05MR on route 251 along Rathdowne Street, Carlton North

November 2021 also saw the electric bus receive special ‘Ride with Pride’ decals on the side.

Transdev electric bus #3000 BS05MR on route 903 at Wright Street and Hampshire Road, Sunshine

But then bad news for Transdev Melbourne – in October 2021 it was announced that their bid for an extension of their Melbourne Bus Franchise contract had failed, and that a new operator would take over – Kinetic, parent company of Melbourne’s SkyBus service.

As a result, once the electric bus trial ended in October 2021, Transdev Melbourne withdrew the bus from their fleet, and sent up to Transdev NSW to join their fleet of four other electric buses operating in Sydney.


Video by NSW Transport on YouTube

Where it also lived a short life, being withdrawn from service in July 2023 and placed into storage.

The only consolation prize for Melbourne – Transdev’s successor Kinetic has to introduce 36 electric buses to their fleet by mid-2025.

Kinetic electric bus #3017 BS10SA at Queen and Bourke Street

Transit Systems in Melbourne’s west also purchasing electric buses.

Transit Systems electric bus #166 BS09LM on route 420 at Sunshine station

Along with Sunbury Bus Service.

Sunbury Bus Service electric bus #106 3106AO on route 481 at Sunbury station

Ventura in Melbourne’s east.

Ventura electric bus #1620 BS10ZB on a route 109 cruise shuttle at Market and Flinders Street

And Mitchell Transit in Seymour.

Mitchell Transit electric bus #72 BS07LF on High Street, Seymour

But not much of an improvement over the massive order for 50 hybrid buses CDC Melbourne made back in 2019.


CDC Melbourne photo

Footnote: the gory details

History of Transdev’s trial electric bus #3000 from Australian Bus Fleet Lists:

Chassis Type:
BYD D9RA

Chassis No:
LC04S44S4J1000003

Body Manufacturer:
Volgren Optimus

Body No:
VG4899

Body Date:
9/19

Registered BS05MR:
16/12/2021

Transferred to Transdev NSW, and registered as m/o 8190:
24/04/2022

Withdrawn by 29/7/23 and placed in storage

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Photos from ten years ago: March 2012 https://wongm.com/2022/03/photos-from-ten-years-ago-march-2012/ https://wongm.com/2022/03/photos-from-ten-years-ago-march-2012/#comments Mon, 28 Mar 2022 20:33:00 +0000 https://wongm.com/?p=19287 Another instalment in my photos from ten years ago series – this time it is March 2012. Trains A decade ago the Melbourne CBD skyline as viewed from Ascot Vale was much shorter. As was that of Docklands viewed from North Melbourne station. A handful of Hitachi trains were still kicking about. But a new […]

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Another instalment in my photos from ten years ago series – this time it is March 2012.

Trains

A decade ago the Melbourne CBD skyline as viewed from Ascot Vale was much shorter.

Alstom Comeng arrives into Ascot Vale, with the CBD skyline behind

As was that of Docklands viewed from North Melbourne station.

X41 leads X42 on the up train past North Melbourne station

A handful of Hitachi trains were still kicking about.

Hitachi 292M about to depart from Flinders Street platform 2

But a new inspection train had just entered service.

T377 trails the push-pull lashup

Commissioned following a spate of overhead wire failures., from a glass cupola atop the carriage, staff and video cameras onboard the carriage monitor how the pantograph tracks along the overhead wire.

Pantograph on IEV102 in the raised position

Going bush

I made up trip north to the Murray River at Echuca, and ran into four museum pieces hauling a freight train.

Crew change at Echuca station

And an equally antiquated signalling system at the junction station of Barnes.

Semaphore signals for down trains approaching Barnes

The four diesel locomotives were on hire from railway preservation groups.

Quad VR liveried locos haul the train on the down side of Barnes

I followed the train north, passing local wildlife.

T320 chasing down a fox (I didn't notice it in the shot until I got home)

Until we reached the Sunrice mill at Deniliquin, where the wagons were shunted into the plant for loading.

S313 and the rest of the locos pushing the empty wagons into the Sunrice plant

Rebuilding Footscray station

In 2012 work on the ‘Colander Bridge‘ at Footscray station had finally finished.

Grass knoll outside the Irving Street forecourt

But it was still surrounded by a sea of car parking.

Rather large car park along the Irving Street frontage of the station

Stretching all the way to Barkly Street.

I'd presume there are better used of land beside Footscray station than massive car parks

But work on Regional Rail Link was about to start.

Looking out over Footscray

The shops along Irving Street had been demolished to make way for two new platforms.

Looking back towards the shopping area over the cleared land

As had the service station at Hopkins Street.

Demolishing the former service station on the Hopkins / Irving Street corner

The shops along the Nicholson Street bridge.

Almost all of the shops on the eastern side gone

And even the trees along the rail cutting.

Cutting trees back on the north-west side of the cutting

A spot of luck on the trams

In March 2012 the Tramway Museum Society Of Victoria chartered ‘Royal TramZ3.185 to run a special tour around Melbourne. Along the way we paid a visit to Royal Park.

Photo line at Royal Park, waiting for a suburban train to pass over the top

And posed our tram for a cliché train over tram photo.

Cliché shot at Royal Park: a Siemens train passes over Z3.158

And parked at the end of the Footscray Road siding, a location passengers never visit.

Z3.158 beneath the big wheel at Footscray Road

In my travels I also paid a visit to Clifton Hill, and happened to catch a route 86 tram passing under a train bound for South Morang.

Passing beneath X'Trapolis 75M at Clifton Hill, B2.2010 heads into town with a route 86 service

Back in 2012 this shot at Domain Interchange was nothing special.

B2.2101 turns onto St Kilda Road from Domain Road at Domain Interchange

But this piece of tram track no longer exists – route 8 is now route 58, and the tram tracks disused – diverted via Toorak Road in 2017 to make way for the construction of Anzac station.

The tram restaurant was another unremarkable sight.

Colonial Tramcar Restaurant #4 (SW6.938) departs Port Junction on the dinner run

But no longer exists – the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant last ran in 2018 after Yarra Trams grounded their fleet, and there is no sign of a possible solution.

A decade ago City Circle trams were still in the maroon livery, and were running out of North Fitzroy depot on Nicholson Street.

Headed into service from North Fitzroy depot, W6.981 heads onto Nicholson Street

closed in 1993, but reopened in 2008-2012 to stable W class trams used on the City Circle while Southbank depot was undergoing refurbishment.

After months of inaction, work finally starting to happen on platform stops along Swanston Street.

D1.3502 passes the tram stop works on Swanston Street at Collins Street

Excavators having moved in to work on the platforms themselves.

Something resembling work on the Swanston Street platform stops

On route 86 some new platform stops along High Street, Northcote had been built.

B2.2103 on route 86 stops for passenger at one of the new platform stops on High Street, Northcote

But route 96 services along Nicholson Street would have to wait – fancy yellow low floor ‘Bumblebee’ trams plying their way along the tracks, but with no platform stops to board them.

C2.5103 'Bumblebee 3' on an outbound route 96 service stops outside the Melbourne Museum on Nicholson Street

The trams got a repaint in 2014, but building accessible tram stops had to wait until 2018.

And under “something things never change” we have the route 57 terminus at West Maribyrnong terminus – the same high floor Z3 class trams still run there today, stopping outside the abandoned explosives factory.

Z3.121 at the West Maribyrnong terminus, the defence establishment in the background

Buses

Ventura blue and National Bus yellow were the colours of the buses at North Fitzroy depot.

National Bus fleet stabled between peaks at the North Fitzroy depot

The operation became Transdev Melbourne in 2013, then refranchised to Kinetic Melbourne in 2022.

In 2012 SkyBus was still boasting “20 minutes to the airport“, with a fleet of articulated buses plying the Tullamarine Freeway.

SkyBus articulated bus #74 7487AO on the Tullamarine Freeway near Essendon Airport

They acquired their first Bustech “CDi” double deck bus in 2015, which now form the core of their airport fleet.

Out at Highpoint Shopping Centre I found a high floor bus operated by Westrans.

Westrans high floor bus #33 4927AO on a route 408 service at Highpoint Shopping Centre

Followed by a Melbourne Bus Link bus.

Melbourne Bus Link #401 5901AO on a route 223 service at Highpoint Shopping Centre

Melbourne Bus Link was merged into Transdev Melbourne in 2013, with Westrans rebranding as CDC Melbourne in 2014.

Finally, route 509 in Brunswick – a single minibus making the 2 kilometre long journey back and forth along Hope Street all day long.

A few minutes later, the westbound bus heads along Hope Street

I paid a visit because it was about to be discontinued, but despite how useless the service looked, locals appealed the decision, with the route eventually reinstated in 2016.

Emporium Melbourne

The big hole at Myer’s former Lonsdale Street store has featured in previous months.

One more bit to go, and it's all gone

And now it was complete.

Excavator at work next to the ever growing basement

The Lonsdale Street facade overlooking an empty hole.

Just a facade on Lonsdale Street

Exposing tunnels to neighbouring buildings.

A bit more work on the tunnel leading into the David Jones

And the other stuff

March 2012 was the F1 Australian Grand Prix, and the usual merchandise stalls were stinking up access to Southern Cross Station.

Yes, that is a shop erected in the *middle* of a staircase [headdesk]

Remember Melbourne Bike Share?

Ute transferring Melbourne Bike Share bikes between stations

Since people can return their bike anywhere, leading to some stations becoming full and others empty, so management needed to drive around Melbourne rebalance bikes between the stations.

After years of lacklustre usage, the system was finally shut down in November 2019.

Out at Airport West I strolled past the Tullamarine Freeway.

Tullamarine Freeway at English Street

Back then six lanes squeezed under the bridge at English Street, but in 2017 the bridge was rebuilt to allow eight to pass under, as part of CityLink Tulla Widening stage 2.

And finally – the Racecourse Hotel all boarded up in Flemington.

Racecourse Hotel all boarded up in Flemington

Next door to the roundabout with trams passing through the middle.

Z3.180 on a route 57 service passes through the middle of the roundabout at Epsom and Racecourse Roads, Flemington

Abandoned since at least 2009, an arson attack in June 2012 destroyed the hotel, with the 22-storey apartment tower ‘ONLY Flemington’ now occupying the site.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Farewell to Transdev Melbourne https://wongm.com/2022/02/farewell-to-transdev-melbourne/ https://wongm.com/2022/02/farewell-to-transdev-melbourne/#comments Mon, 31 Jan 2022 20:30:28 +0000 https://wongm.com/?p=12552 31 January 2022 marked yet another deck chair shuffling exercise on the Melbourne public transport network – Kinetic Melbourne has taken over the operation of 534 buses on 49 bus routes. This is the story of their predecessor, Transdev Melbourne. The beginning The story starts in June 2012 when the Victorian Government called for expressions […]

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31 January 2022 marked yet another deck chair shuffling exercise on the Melbourne public transport network – Kinetic Melbourne has taken over the operation of 534 buses on 49 bus routes. This is the story of their predecessor, Transdev Melbourne.

SmartBus departs the Transdev depot at North Fitzroy

The beginning

The story starts in June 2012 when the Victorian Government called for expressions of interest to operate the Melbourne Metropolitan Bus Franchise, which covered 30% of the city’s bus network.

It included routes operated by Melbourne Bus Link in the western and south-east regions of Melbourne, operated from depots at Footscray and Sandringham.

Melbourne Bus Link #426 7826AO on a route 216 service turns from Queensbridge Street into Flinders Street

And those of the National Bus Company in the eastern suburbs, from depots located at Doncaster and Fitzroy North.

National Bus #524 southbound on Queensbridge Street on route 253

National Bus having been a subsidiary of Ventura Bus Lines since 2004.

National Bus #559 6093AO departs Clifton Hill interchange on route 251

In April 2013 Transdev Melbourne was awarded the franchise, to run for seven years with an option to extend for a further three years, with operations commencing on 4 August 2013.

The rebranding

If there is one thing the Victorian Government loves, it is rebranding public transport operations – and Transdev Melbourne was no different – it was spelt out in their contract.

5.20 Fleet rebranding
(a) The Franchisee will rebrand each Contract Bus to comply with the PTV Master Style Guide during the first year of the Franchise.
(b) The Franchisee will achieve this by re-branding the exterior of each Contract Bus using vehicle wrapping with 3M self-adhesive vinyl film. Each vehicle will be wrapped as part of its periodical maintenance activities. The existing NBC fleet will be completely wrapped while the MBL Fleet will require partial wrapping due to the existing white livery.
(c) Failure to rebrand each Contract Bus by 31 July 2014 will constitute a Non-Compliance Event.

The first stage of the rebranding was covering over the logos of the previous operators – an easy task for the ex-National Bus fleet since they weren’t heavily branded.

Transdev bus #747 rego 1747AO, with yellow stickers covering the old National Bus branding

But the big ‘Melbourne Bus Link’ logo on the side was harder to cover up.

Transdev bus #425 rego 7825AO northbound on Queensbridge Street with a route 220 service

A change less noticeable once the ex-Melbourne Bus Link fleet were stripped down to bare white.

Bare liveried Transdev bus #374 rego 0374AO northbound at Queen and Bourke Streets with a route 220 service

Providing a clear base for the new PTV decals to be applied.

Transdev bus #743 rego 1743AO at La Trobe and William Streets

But the ex-National Bus and Ventura fleet presented a different problem – the colour!

Transdev bus #556 rego 5944AO with the PTV livery partially applied

The PTV decals could be applied to any colour bus, but the front fairings needed to be repainted – a task completed independently from the application of the side livery.

Transdev #542 rego 5838AO on route 251 at Market and Flinders Street

Cost cutting begins

Having won the Melbourne bus franchise due to their bargain basement tender price, Transdev Melbourne had to cut costs somewhere – and so gained a reputation as a cheap and nasty operator, their buses covered with graffiti.

Up the back of yet another filthy graffiti covered Transdev bus

A problem not acknowledged until 2017, where a cleanup campaign was launched.

But that wasn’t Transdev’s only problem – buses were running around with accident damage.

Damaged front bumper on Transdev bus #501 4988AO

Patched up with duct tape.

Transdev bus #938 7931AO held together with duct tape

Or even a missing front bumper!

The fleet crisis

September 2017 marked the start of the Transdev fleet crisis, with over 140 Transdev buses taken out of service after they failed roadworthy inspections.

Dysons bus 7964AO parked at the Transdev depot in Sunshine

With an array of hired buses used as a stopgap measure to continue running services.

Transdev buses #431 7831AO and #958 8038AO beside Kastoria buses #47 6843AO and #19 1419AO at Transdev's Sunshine depot

By late October 2017 things had started to return to normal, with Bus Safety Victoria working to ensure that Transdev implemented a robust safety system, to ensure such a crisis would not reoccur, and the Victorian Government investing $16 million to buy 100 new buses for Transdev.

Angling for a renewal

With their initial seven year franchise due to end in 2020, Transdev needed to get back into the good books with the government to secure a three years extension, but they were unsuccessful – in December 2018 the Victorian Government announced that their contract would not be renewed, with an extension to January 2021 allowing for an open tender process to find a replacement.

As a result Transdev pulled out all stops to prove themselves as a competent operator – launching a business case to upgrade route 302/304 services.

Transdev bus #925 6529AO on route 304 along Belmore Road, Balwyn North

And introducing Melbourne’s first 100% electric bus as part of ‘Project Aurora‘.

Transdev electric bus #3000 BS05MR on route 903 at Sunshine station

But it wasn’t enough – after an interim contract extension to 30 January 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in October 2021 it was announced that a new operator would take over the Melbourne Bus Franchise – Kinetic, parent company of Melbourne’s SkyBus service.

So another rebranding

Luckily for Kinetic, the buses they were receiving from Transdev were already in PTV livery.

Transdev bus #433 7833AO on route 429 departs Sunshine station

The old ‘Transdev’ logos being replaced by new ‘Kinetic’ ones on the weekend before the handover.

Transdev bus #439 9039AO terminates at Sunshine station on route 220

And the last bus

The last Transdev service was on route 907 service from the city, arriving at Mitcham station at 12:43am. But I went out to photograph the last Transdev bus departing Sunshine – the 23:54 route 426 service to Caroline Springs.

Transdev bus #433 7833AO on route 426 runs the last Transdev service out of Sunshine station

Then headed over to their Sunshine West depot, which was already rebranded.

Signage outside Sunshine West depot already updated for the handover from Transdev to Kinetic

Full of parked buses that also had new logos applied, ready for the handover to Kinetic.

Transdev bus #1109 BS05CG parked at the Sunshine West depot awaiting the handover to Kinetic

Their @Transdev_Melb Twitter account was also closed.

And later deleted.

As was their transdevmelbourne.com.au website.

Footnote: Transdev’s electric bus

Melbourne’s first electric bus was as part of ‘Project Aurora‘ – a trial run by Transdev until January 2021 in association with the Victorian Department of Transport.

Transdev electric bus #3000 BS05MR on route 903 at Wright Street and Hampshire Road, Sunshine

The first stage of the trial program commenced in December 2019 on route 246, followed by stage two in October 2020 on route 250, and stage three in May 2021 on route 903.

Following the end of the trial in October 2021, the electric bus was then withdrawn from service in Melbourne, and sent up to Transdev NSW to join their fleet of four other electric buses.

The only consolation prize – Kinetic has to introduce 36 electric buses to their fleet by mid-2025.

But not much of an improvement over the 50 hybrid buses bought back in 2019?

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How do you pronounce a bus route number? https://wongm.com/2020/09/pronouncing-bus-route-numbers/ https://wongm.com/2020/09/pronouncing-bus-route-numbers/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2020 21:30:31 +0000 https://wongm.com/?p=15842 The other week somebody on Facebook made a divisive comment – “If you refer to a bus number as its numerical value rather than as single digits, you’re what is wrong with this world”. So how do you pronounce a bus route number? I posed that very question on a bus spotting discussion group years […]

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The other week somebody on Facebook made a divisive comment – “If you refer to a bus number as its numerical value rather than as single digits, you’re what is wrong with this world”. So how do you pronounce a bus route number?

Updated signage at the Sunshine station bus interchange following the introduction of route 429

I posed that very question on a bus spotting discussion group years ago.

How do people pronounce route numbers – for example 215 as “two one five”, “two fifteen” or “two hundred and fifteen”?

And came to the following conclusions…

They’re normally spelt out as digits, like “two three seven”.

Transdev buses #1157 BS05DP and #705 1762AO on route 237 at Southern Cross Station

Four one one“.

Westrans bus #102 rego 5932AO on a route 411 service along Buckley Street in Footscray

“Six oh five”.

CDC Melbourne bus #123 7513AO on route 605 crosses Queens Bridge

Or “seven three three”.

Ventura bus #1049 BS00NS southbound on route 733 along Clayton Road, Clayton

But for round numbers, it’s “two hundred”.

Transdev bus #1133 BS05AI on route 200 along Johnstone Street, Fitzroy

“Two fifty”.

National Bus #526 4036AO northbound on Queensbridge Street with a route 250 service

Or “Four twenty”.

Sita bus on route 420 along Glengala Road, Sunshine

Out in the sticks

Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo bus route numbers are all low numbers, like “one”.

Trio of CDC Geelong buses at the Moorabool Street interchange

And “twenty five”.

CDC Geelong bus #168 BS04MG on route 25 at Geelong station

And on trams

The same logic applies for one and two digit tram route numbers, like “eight”.

Passengers swarm Z3.223 on route 8 outside South Yarra station

And “forty eight”.

A2.272 heads east on route 48 at Victorian Harbour

The exception being the three digit route “one oh nine”.

C.3026 arrives at the route 109 terminus at Port Melbourne

Further reading

There is a logic to the way route numbers are assigned to Melbourne buses and trams.

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COVID-19 related public transport observations https://wongm.com/2020/05/covid-19-related-melbourne-public-transport-observations/ https://wongm.com/2020/05/covid-19-related-melbourne-public-transport-observations/#comments Mon, 18 May 2020 21:30:40 +0000 https://wongm.com/?p=15000 I’ve managed to completely avoid the topic of COVID-19 over the past few months, so here goes – a quick collection of coronavirus related public transport observations. Changes I’ve been lucky enough to be able to work from home since March, but I ventured back in early April to pick up some stuff from the […]

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I’ve managed to completely avoid the topic of COVID-19 over the past few months, so here goes – a quick collection of coronavirus related public transport observations.

Bourke Street Mall completely empty

Changes

I’ve been lucky enough to be able to work from home since March, but I ventured back in early April to pick up some stuff from the office – where I found the Melbourne CBD virtually empty.

E2.6071 heads north on route 96 outside Southern Cross Station

Normally parked cars at Tottenham station overflow into the neighbouring grassy patch, turning it into a mud hole, but it’s now empty with everyone staying home.

Everyone staying home due to COVID-19, so the overflow car park at Tottenham station is empty

At railway stations coronavirus posters have replaced the usual promotions.

'We only accept card payments at this location' and 'Reduce your risk of coronavirus' posters poster at Sunshine station

Encouraging social distancing on escalators.

'Keep a 1.5m distance from others on escalators' poster at a station

Victorian Government announcements on repeat.


Recorded by Philip Mallis

And cash payments stopped at the ticket office.

'No cash payment accepted' signage at the Sunshine station ticket office

Trams have blocked the front row of seats out of use, to shield drivers.

With Transdev Melbourne taking it one step further – asking passengers to use the rear door to enter and exit the bus.

'Please use rear door to enter and exit bus' sign on a Transdev bus

But V/Line replacement road coaches make do with a government health warning sticky taped to the door.

Victorian Touring Coaches #33 6233AO with a Geelong line rail replacement service along Hampshire Road, Sunshine

And the same

Back in early April SkyBus was still serving Melbourne Airport – the passenger on the top deck of this service wearing a mask.

SkyBus Melbourne double decker #116 BS04NV exits CityLink bound for Southern Cross Station

As was the City Circle tram around the Melbourne CBD.

W8.983 heads east on the City Circle at Docklands Drive and Harbour Esplanade

Authorised Officers were still roaming the rail network.

Authorised Officers still roaming the rail network

Freight trains have also kept moving.

XR558 and 8130 on a westbound standard gauge grain at Sunshine

Transport steel, containers, grain, and everything else that usually moves by rail.

Great Southern liveried NR30 leads NR85 and NR106 on SM2 up steel and intermodal at Albion

So what have I been up to?

If you’re a regular visitor to my photo gallery you might have noticed I been uploading a lot less photos recently – this graph really shows the decline.

The last time I uploaded so few photos was when I went overseas!

But luckily for you I haven’t been wasting the Coronavirus lockdown – I’ve been still regularly updating this blog, along with my Hong Kong transport and European rail spinoffs, and slowly uploading my backlog of non-train photos to Flickr.

You can head over to https://www.patreon.com/wongm to get a sneak peek at what’s coming soon on my blogs.

Footnote

Daniel Bowen has written more about COVID-19 and Melbourne transport on his blog.

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Daniel Andrews, Merry Christmas and Wikimedia Commons https://wongm.com/2019/12/daniel-andrews-merry-christmas-wikimedia-commons-images/ https://wongm.com/2019/12/daniel-andrews-merry-christmas-wikimedia-commons-images/#comments Wed, 25 Dec 2019 20:30:00 +0000 https://wongm.com/?p=14097 It was the day before Christmas, and Daniel Andrews’ social media team shared a ‘Free Public Transport on Christmas Day’ post. Not everyone can rely on Dancer and Prancer to get them around tomorrow. So we're putting on free public transport right around Victoria. Merry Christmas. pic.twitter.com/q8SesyxQ5H — Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) December 24, 2019 My […]

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It was the day before Christmas, and Daniel Andrews’ social media team shared a ‘Free Public Transport on Christmas Day’ post.

My first through – I’ve seen that photo of a V/Line train before – I uploaded it to Wikipedia a decade ago.

So where did the other photos come from? The Z3 class tram looked familiar – Wikipedia again.

And the bus – another photo via Wikipedia.

But as for the source of the X’Trapolis train photo – I’ve come up blank – if only they’d followed the Creative Commons licence

You are free:

  • to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
  • to remix – to adapt the work

Under the following conditions:

  • attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
  • share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original.

And through the looking glass

If you take a close look at the original photo on Wikipedia, you’ll notice a green advertisement for Monteith’s apple cider.

Which has been photoshopped out of the ‘Free Public Transport on Christmas Day’ post – replaced by a panel of PTV green triangles.

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Bike lanes and bus stops on Southbank Boulevard https://wongm.com/2019/12/southbank-boulevard-bike-lane-bus-stop/ https://wongm.com/2019/12/southbank-boulevard-bike-lane-bus-stop/#comments Mon, 23 Dec 2019 20:30:00 +0000 https://wongm.com/?p=13972 In 2018 the City of Melbourne started work to transform Southbank Boulevard, reclaiming underused roadways to create 2.5 hectares of public space and neighbourhood parkland for the people of Southbank, Melbourne’s most densely populated suburb. Something new Work started at the eastern section of Southbank Boulevard and was completed in three stages. Stage 1 A […]

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In 2018 the City of Melbourne started work to transform Southbank Boulevard, reclaiming underused roadways to create 2.5 hectares of public space and neighbourhood parkland for the people of Southbank, Melbourne’s most densely populated suburb.

Turning road into parkland at the corner of Sturt Street and Southbank Boulevard

Something new

Work started at the eastern section of Southbank Boulevard and was completed in three stages.

  • Stage 1 A – Early works: Early July to 21 September 2018
  • Stage 1 B – Tram occupation works: 22-30 September 2018
  • Stage 1 C – Civil and footpath works: 1 October 2018 to August 2019

Rebuilding the route 1 tram tracks on a new alignment.

Relaid tram tracks at Southbank Boulevard and St Kilda Road

With bike lanes along either side.

Z3.171 heads east on route 1 along Southbank Boulevard

Four bus routes also travel along Southbank Boulevard:

  • 216 Sunshine Station – Brighton Beach
  • 219 Sunshine South – Gardenvale
  • 220 Sunshine – City – Gardenvale
  • 605 Gardenvale – Flagstaff Station

So something new was provided – a ‘platform stop’ for bus passengers.

'Platform stop' across the bike lane for eastbound buses on Southbank Boulevard

The bike lane passing right beside the bus stop on a raised hump.

'Platform stop' across the bike lane for eastbound buses on Southbank Boulevard

With cyclists on the bike lane having to give way to bus passengers.

'Cyclists stop behind buses' sign at a bus stop on Southbank Boulevard

This design having replaced the original plans where the bike lane disappeared through each bus stop.

But will it work?

Trams have been stopping in the middle of the Melbourne roads for years.

Westbound Z3.205 picks up passengers on Maribyrnong Road near Ascot Vale Road

Despite the fact the motorists keep driving past tram stops, leaving a trail of injured passengers.

After almost hitting a few people, driver of WZV799 decides they should stop

And Melbourne also has a precedent for cyclists travelling along a bike lane sharing space with passengers boarding public transport vehicles – the tram stops on Swanston Street.

Northbound Z3.141 arrives at the Melbourne Central tram stop on Swanston

Back in 2011 nobody had any idea how to use them.

Cyclists at the Swanston Street tram stop navigate a pack of passengers blocking the bike lane

But in the years since you could almost consider them a success.

Cyclists stop for route 67 passengers boarding B2.2011 at Swanston and Collins Street

And there is one problem yet to be solved – there doesn’t appear to be legislation backing the ‘cyclists stop behind buses’ sign at the bus stop.

'Cyclists stop behind buses' sign at a bus stop on Southbank Boulevard

Road rule 163 describes “driving past the rear of a stopped tram at a tram stop” – but makes no mention of passing stopped buses to the left.

And so far the new ‘platform’ bus stop has yet to see a bus stop at it – CDC Melbourne route 605 has been diverting around the area since July 2018 until work is completed on Southbank Boulevard, and Transdev bus routes 216, 219 and 220 no longer pass through the area, having been split into two sections in September 2018, and then completely reformed in November 2019.

But with the completion of the Southbank Boulevard works not coming until 2021, it will be some time until we find out whether cyclists will ever be asked to share the road with bus passengers.

March 2020 update

Looks like I didn’t need to wait that long – route 605 is returning to Southbank Boulevard from Sunday 29 March.

Footnote

City of Melbourne diagram of the area.

And the bus stop itself.

Further reading

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Missed opportunities and Melbourne’s new hybrid buses https://wongm.com/2019/09/new-melbourne-hybrid-buses-cdc-melbourne-transdev/ https://wongm.com/2019/09/new-melbourne-hybrid-buses-cdc-melbourne-transdev/#comments Mon, 16 Sep 2019 21:30:00 +0000 https://wongm.com/?p=13160 Back in April 2019 Daniel Andrews and the Minister for Public Transport were shouting ‘Melbourne first hybrid buses’ from the rooftops. But the reality is different – they’re not Melbourne’s first hybrid buses, we’re still buying hundreds of conventional diesel buses, and technology has already overtaken us. CDC Melbourne photo Some background Here is the […]

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Back in April 2019 Daniel Andrews and the Minister for Public Transport were shouting ‘Melbourne first hybrid buses’ from the rooftops. But the reality is different – they’re not Melbourne’s first hybrid buses, we’re still buying hundreds of conventional diesel buses, and technology has already overtaken us.


CDC Melbourne photo

Some background

Here is the media release from the Minister for Public Transport

First New Hybrid Bus Ready To Hit Melbourne Roads

5 April 2019

The first of 50 new Hybrid technology buses for Melbourne’s bus network will take its first passengers next week, thanks to the Andrews Labor Government.

The new Victorian-built buses will be progressively rolled out across the next three years and will operate across bus routes in Wyndham, Oakleigh and Sunshine.

The buses will reduce fuel consumption and the impact on the environment, while improving passenger experience by delivering a quieter and smoother ride.

The Labor Government’s order for 50 new Hybrid buses into the CDC Victoria bus fleet is the single biggest order of hybrid buses in Australia.

The body construction and fit out for the new buses is being carried out in Dandenong by Volgren, supporting Victorian jobs and backing the local automotive industry to develop new capability and innovation.

All 50 buses will feature low floor layouts and are Euro 6 emission standard, the highest and cleanest level for commercial vehicles worldwide.

Hybrid technology uses the electric battery when idling and travelling under 20 km/h. The bus noise is significantly reduced when idling at stops and departing from stops, while trials in Victoria found Hybrid buses used 30 per cent less fuel.

30 Hybrid buses will be phased in over the next 12 months, with all 50 buses to be in service on CDC routes in Wyndham, Oakleigh and Sunshine by 2022.

With the hybrid buses now appearing across CDC Melbourne routes.

CDC Melbourne hybrid bus #152 BS05FJ on route 605 at Flagstaff station

Not the first hybrid

Hybrid buses were first trialled in Melbourne a decade ago.

Melbourne to host Australia’s first hybrid bus trial

June 28, 2009

Hybrid buses are set to hit Melbourne’s roads in an Australia-first trial aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions by a fifth compared with conventional buses.

Two hybrid-electric buses will go into service on two suburban routes in the $500,000 joint Victorian and federal government trial.

The trial will assess the viability of hybrid buses in reducing the carbon emissions of public transport.

If successful, the cleaner buses could be rolled out across the network.

“We believe the hybrid-electric bus trial will show how improvements in transport technology can deliver air quality improvements and reduce our carbon emissions,” Victorian Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said.

“It is estimated this hybrid-electric technology will provide a saving of around 20 per cent on fuel and greenhouse gas emissions compared to a conventional diesel bus.”

Grenda Corporation will trial a hybrid bus on its 900 route from Stud Park to Caulfield, in Melbourne’s southeast.

A second bus will be put in service on Ventura Buses’ 250 route from bayside Garden City to La Trobe University in the northern suburbs.

Two different technology platforms were used in the 2009 trial, with the Grenda bus still in service today, but the Ventura bus was put into storage following mechanical difficulties.

So why weren’t more hybrid buses ordered following the trial a decade ago?

Not even the first ‘real’ order

Latrobe Valley Bus Lines launched their Australia first fleet of hybrid buses back in August 2018.

Volgren, Volvo and Latrobe Valley Bus Lines unite in hybrid low-floor Aussie first

16 August 2018

The first of eight new Volgren-bodied Volvo hybrid chassis buses for Latrobe Valley Bus Lines (LVBL) – and the first full service hybrid in Australia – is being launched in Moe, Victoria, offering “up to a 40 per cent fuel saving” and cleaner Euro 6 emissions standards.

Dandenong-based bus body-building company Volgren is building the new Volvo Euro 6 buses on a hybrid chassis imported from Volvo in Sweden.

Volgren – now the first Australian manufacturer in the country to successfully deliver a bus body on the new Euro 6 Volvo B5LH hybrid – says it worked closely with the Volvo development team in Sweden, sharing concepts and refining the design of both the body and chassis, ensuring each stage was validated and complied with Australian Design Rules.

The completed prototype breaks new ground in bus body design and manufacturing assembly processes, says Michael Kearney, Volgren’s Product Engineering manager.

“The design and construction of the Euro 6 hybrid bus is quite different [to a traditional bus], with high voltage battery packs, radiator, air compressor and associated equipment all mounted in the roof,” Kearney explained.

With the majority of this hybrid’s components in the roof, those responsible for engineering, manufacturing and production had to rethink the assembly line. In fact, Kearney says, innovative changes were developed to accommodate the new build process to enable the Euro 6 hybrid to fit within the factory processes normally dedicated to the assembly of diesel buses.

So beaten to the punch there.

More diesel buses

At the same time as the State Government was boasting of 50 new hybrid buses, they announced an order of 100 brand new exhaust belching diesel buses!

Transdev bus #162 BS03LV at William and Lonsdale Street

From their media release:

Renewing Melbourne’s Biggest Bus Fleet

15 December 2018

The Andrews Labor Government will buy 100 new buses to support Melbourne’s public transport network, giving passengers across the city better buses to get wherever they need to go.

Minister for Public Transport Melissa Horne today announced the Labor Government will invest $16 million over the next two years to replace and modernise the ageing state-owned bus fleet used on routes operated by Transdev Melbourne.

The new bus order will improve reliability and comfort for passengers, with Transdev exploring passenger-focused improvements including onboard Wi-Fi, mobile phone charging and improved passenger displays.

Many of the buses operated by Transdev are older than the industry average and are susceptible to reliability issues, particularly during hot weather.

The new buses will be built in line with the Government’s Local Jobs First policy, meaning they will be made with 60 per cent local content and create more than 20 new jobs for locals in Dandenong, Truganina and other potential locations.

I wrote about Transdev’s fleet maintenance issues last year, so the new buses are much needed.

Transdev bus #1132 BS05AH heads west on route 232 at Collins and Spencer Street

Due to the size of the order, it was split between two bus builders.

Ballarat automotive manufacturer OzPress Industries has partnered with South East Asia’s largest bus body builder Gemilang, to deliver 50 new buses for Victorian passengers.

The remaining 50 buses are being built at Volgren’s Dandenong factory, providing further Victorian employment opportunities connected to the upgrade of Melbourne’s bus fleet.

So why are the new buses for Transdev not hybrids? Apparently cost is the reason – the government is desperate for new buses, and isn’t willing to prise open their chequebook to help the environment.

And behind the times in technology

Electric buses are now the future of public transport, with the Chinese city of Shenzhen hitting the worldwide news in 2018 when they moved to a 100% electric bus fleet.

From The Guardian:

Shenzhen’s silent revolution: world’s first fully electric bus fleet quietens Chinese megacity

12 December 2018

Shenzhen now has 16,000 electric buses in total and is noticeably quieter for it.

The benefits from the switch from diesel buses to electric are not confined to less noise pollution: this fast-growing megacity of 12 million is also expected to achieve an estimated reduction in CO2 emissions of 48% and cuts in pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, non-methane hydrocarbons and particulate matter. Shenzhen Bus Group estimates it has been able to conserve 160,000 tonnes of coal per year and reduce annual CO2 emissions by 440,000 tonnes. Its fuel bill has halved.

The main roadblock – cost:

China’s drive to reduce the choking smog that envelops many of its major cities has propelled a huge investment in electric transport. Although it remains expensive for cities to introduce electric buses – one bus costs around 1.8 million yuan (£208,000) – Shenzhen was able to go all-electric thanks to generous subsidies from both central and local government.

Availability of changing stations:

To keep Shenzhen’s electric vehicle fleet running, the city has built around 40,000 charging piles. Shenzhen Bus Company has 180 depots with their own charging facilities installed. One of its major depots in Futian can accommodate around 20 buses at the same time. “Most of the buses we charge overnight for two hours and then they can run their entire service, as the range of the bus is 200km per charge,” says Ma.

And geography.

Shenzhen is fairly flat, but the hills of nearby Hong Kong have proven too much in trials of electric buses. Other cities in northern China have struggled with battery power in the extreme cold of winter.

But availability of ‘clean’ electricity doesn’t need to be – Victoria built a $198 million solar farm at Numurkah to power our tram fleet, so we could do the same to power electric buses.

So why does it matter?

Once an operator buys a new bus, they’ve committed to using it around Melbourne for the next 20+ years.

Back in the late-1990s some bus operators delayed the introduction of ‘new fangled’ low floor buses to their fleets. Twenty years on, we’re still feeling the impact of this decision, as passengers in wheelchairs get left behind whenever an inaccessible high floor bus shows up.

CDC Melbourne high floor #50 4929AO heads for the depot from Sunshine station

Our tardiness introducing clean buses will have the same impact on Melbourne of the 2040s – today’s ‘new’ diesel buses will be even more polluting as they age.

Footnote

Australian bus body manufacturer Volgren has their fingers in many pies – they’re building the 50 hybrid buses for CDC Melbourne, 50 diesel buses for Transdev, and now their first electric bus.

Australian bus builder Volgren to produce its first all-electric vehicle

May 14, 2019

Australian bus body manufacturer Volgren has commenced production of its first ever electric bus, as part of what the company hopes is a larger transition to zero-emissions transport.

The milestone is the culmination of a five-year development period for Volgren, which has sought to be pro-active in shifting to all electric buses, while wanting to ensure passengers enjoy a reliable service.

Volgren says it is Australia’s largest producer of bus bodies and has previously partnered with major chassis manufacturers including MAN, Volvo and Scania.

“We’ve known for some time that the bus industry was about to go through its biggest transformation in three or four decades. And we wanted to approach this shift with the best information at our disposal.” Volgren business development manager Jon Tozer said in a statement.

“We wanted to understand the products, the technologies and the solutions available in the market before beginning our work in earnest,”

Volgren will complete its first prototype electric bus in June, with an operating range of 250km. The prototype will be produced at Volgren’s Australian headquarters in Dandenong in Victoria.

The bus will be equipped with 324kWh of battery storage, that can be charged in four to five hours between routes upon returning to its depot.

Due to the falling cost of battery technologies, Volgren believes the bus market is on the cusp of being cost competitive with existing diesel fuelled options.

While all electric buses still have higher up-front purchase costs, significantly lower operating costs, including reduced fuel costs, mean that electric buses will soon be cheaper over the full life of the vehicle, if not already.

“When you take into account the significant operation saving in maintenance and energy costs per kilometre, as well as the significant fall in the cost and increase in energy density of batteries over the last few years, we’re nearing the point where total cost of ownership will soon be the same as it is for a diesel, if it isn’t already.” Tozer said.

I wonder who will be the first Victorian bus operator to take up the opportunity?

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On the bus – public transport to Fishermans Bend https://wongm.com/2019/01/fishermans-bend-melbourne-public-transport-inadequate-buses/ https://wongm.com/2019/01/fishermans-bend-melbourne-public-transport-inadequate-buses/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2019 20:30:00 +0000 https://wongm.com/?p=8707 Fishermans Bend is supposed to be Melbourne’s next new urban development precinct, but there is something lacking – decent public transport. On the bus The Fishermans Bend urban renewal area has been divided into four precincts. With permits already granted for high rise development across much of the Montague Precinct. But no plans have been […]

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Fishermans Bend is supposed to be Melbourne’s next new urban development precinct, but there is something lacking – decent public transport.

Hoards of passengers waiting outside Southern Cross for the bus to Fishermans Bend

On the bus

The Fishermans Bend urban renewal area has been divided into four precincts.

With permits already granted for high rise development across much of the Montague Precinct.

But no plans have been made to improve public transport.

With four bus routes the only link between Fishermans Bend and the Melbourne CBD:

  • 235 – City – Fishermans Bend via Williamstown Road
  • 237 – City – Fishermans Bend via Lorimer Street
  • 234 – Garden City – City (Queen Victoria Market)
  • 236 – Garden City – Queen Victoria Market via City

Routes 235 and 237 depart from outside Southern Cross Station.

Transdev bus eastbound on Collins Street passes Southern Cross Station

But no facilities are provided for waiting passengers.

Decent sized crowd waiting outside Southern Cross Station for the route 235/237/238 buses to Fishermans Bend

Not even a token bus shelter.

Passengers waiting at Collins and Spencer Street for a bus towards Fishermans Bend

These buses travel along Collins Street.

Transdev bus #974 rego 8256AO on a route 237 along Collins Street near Southern Cross

Where they get stuck in traffic.

Transdev bus 0184AO on route 235 stuck in Collins Street traffic outside Southern Cross Station

Behind queues of single occupant cars.

Route 237 stuck in traffic on Collins Street outside Southern Cross Station

While being overtaken by trams, which have their own dedicated tracks.

A2.261 on route 48 parallels Transdev bus #433 7833AO on a route 232 service along Collins Street

But still the passengers pile onboard buses in spite of the shabby service.

Passengers board a Fishermans Bend-bound bus at Southern Cross via both front and back doors

Can you imagine how many more people would leave their car at home if the bus service was improved?

So what to do?

A tram bridge between Docklands and Fishermans Bend is a frequent idea that does the rounds – through it won’t be cheap.

But in the meantime, a bus shelter at Southern Cross Station won’t break the bank.

Ventura bus #837 7691AO on route 691 at Ferntree Gully station

And what about some real bus priority.

Route 234 and 236 share the tram tracks along Queensbridge Street.

Transdev bus #598 6862AO on route 234 at Queens Bridge

So why can’t the same thing happen along the Docklands end of Collins Street?

Footnote

Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning Victoria animation showing approved developments in the Fishermans Bend urban renewal area.

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