General BC Transit Discussion

[Les Broughton]

all the 2000 ex whistlers were repainted; 9090 was one of three briefly assigned to VTC, hence the renumbering. this one has been used in a lot of systems, no doubt relieving units being bebuilt. Could very well be its turn for overhaul--Wilson's is making a killing keeping these lemons alive

[BCT-3122-D800-10240]

Is this Dennis Dart in the new livery?

Yes. Yes it is - http://www.busdrawings.com/Transit/Britishcolumbia/Victoria/2000dart/220210-7929victoria9090.jpg

[dcspeedskater]

On 11/19/2013 at 1:03 AM, airwolf said:

So I was driving a Greyhound trip on schedule 5042 from Vancouver to Cache Creek yesterday. Not an unusual situation to be sure. However I was surprised when I crossed the bridge and entered Spence's Bridge during a single lane alternating construction project and found a low bed semi hauling a 35 foot Dennis Dart waiting for his/her turn to cross the bridge. I'm guessing she was Victoria bound. It looks like she had been parked for quite some time. The windshield was SO caked in dust and dirt. Unit number was 9090.

I'm assuming that was refurbished and sent back to Fort St. John as a contingency bus, as it has been now currently operating in Dawson Creek while waiting for our Vicinity 3015 to return to service, which could be months as it was involved in a MVA

[Articulated]

17 hours ago, dcspeedskater said:

I'm assuming that was refurbished and sent back to Fort St. John as a contingency bus, as it has been now currently operating in Dawson Creek while waiting for our Vicinity 3015 to return to service, which could be months as it was involved in a MVA

Just to let you know, that post is almost 3 years old, but yes according to the fleet page on the Wiki 9090 did return to service and bounced around to a few properties as a Contingency unit. Based on your info, I updated the Wiki to reflect 9090's new (probably temporary) home in Dawson Creek.

[dzldriver]

 

The darts are and always will be junk.  Can't wait for the day that someone posts a picture of ALL of them in a heap at the scrap yard.  Same can also be said for the Yaxings. 

 

[dcspeedskater]

On 8/31/2016 at 4:07 PM, Articulated said:

Just to let you know, that post is almost 3 years old, but yes according to the fleet page on the Wiki 9090 did return to service and bounced around to a few properties as a Contingency unit. Based on your info, I updated the Wiki to reflect 9090's new (probably temporary) home in Dawson Creek.

Just seen the update, it's a great bus to have as a spare bus while Yaxing Vicinity 3015 undergoes major repairs as a result of an MVA

[Allandale25]

I saw a December 2018 post and article about restoring rail service on Vancouver Island and couldn't find a specific thread so I created one here. Posting in case it's of interest. 

[Thomasw]

Found this Arboc for sale and it was pretty obvious that it used to be a BC Transit unit. 

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/rds/hvd/d/langley-city-2013-chevrolet-4500-medium/7028765505.html

I was wondering if anyone could identify it. 

[Articulated]

56 minutes ago, Thomasw said:

Found this Arboc for sale and it was pretty obvious that it used to be a BC Transit unit. 

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/rds/hvd/d/langley-city-2013-chevrolet-4500-medium/7028765505.html

I was wondering if anyone could identify it. 

Definitely an ex-BC Transit unit based on the remaining stickers and specifications. However, without a VIN or any clear pictures of where the fleet numbers used to be, it would be impossible to figure out its former fleet number.

[Matt Dunlop]

On 12/3/2019 at 5:45 PM, Thomasw said:

Found this Arboc for sale and it was pretty obvious that it used to be a BC Transit unit. 

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/rds/hvd/d/langley-city-2013-chevrolet-4500-medium/7028765505.html

I was wondering if anyone could identify it. 

It has seatbelts so it was likely a HandyDart unit. IIRC no transit shuttles had seatbelts. The "Biodiesel" logo was usually only on the Polar shuttles, no idea why it was placed on this one. Appears to have had an LED sign so likely from a small community. 

[translink]

On 12/3/2019 at 5:45 PM, Thomasw said:

Found this Arboc for sale and it was pretty obvious that it used to be a BC Transit unit. 

https://vancouver.craigslist.org/rds/hvd/d/langley-city-2013-chevrolet-4500-medium/7028765505.html

I was wondering if anyone could identify it. 

Either 240X or 242X. It’s all I can see from the photos. 

[Matt Dunlop]

17 hours ago, translink said:

Either 240X or 242X. It’s all I can see from the photos. 

Possibly 2416. It was an old HandyDART unit, then was used for conventional transit but the seatbelts were left attached. The only HandyDART units with LED signs were the 2300s (23-footers). 

[Blake M]

Random question: why does the West Kootenay system use some International buses? Why not all novas?

[Iron]

2 hours ago, Blake M said:

Random question: why does the West Kootenay system use some International buses? Why not all novas?

Money. An Eldorado AeroElite (International) costs significantly less then a Nova LFS. Its at least half from my understanding. 

[SomeIslandKid]

https://www.newflyer.com/2020/03/new-flyer-issues-order-to-bc-transit-for-more-cng-buses-further-supports-bcs-low-carbon-program-with-immediate-emission-reduction/

BC Transit apparently ordered 17 more XN40s. Not sure if they're already accounted for somewhere else, but they're officially ordered! 68 were ordered in August, so that's a total of 85 new XN40s between late 2019 and early 2021(?)

[InfiNorth]

That's wonderful to hear. Hopefully we can get some of these old DLF40s off the road.

[Matt Dunlop]

Rear door boarding through the whole province now. 

[InfiNorth]

I just wanted to share this highway camera image I caught back in 2017 during a massive storm on the Coquihalla. Two Novas on their way North towards either Kelowna or Kamloops, I assume. 

[Matt Dunlop]

Question about the NextRide system and COVID-19. So certain buses have passenger counters, so you can see whether the bus is light, medium, or fully loaded before it comes. Has BC Transit adjusted those passenger counters to relect the capacity that COVID-19 social distancing requires? For instance if a bus was 1/4 full would it say full?  I have been told you basically have to restrict the capacity of a bus down to 25%. So an Arboc would only fit 6 pax, Nova would fit 8-10 pax, Decker would fit 25-30 pax, etc. 

[InfiNorth]

50 minutes ago, Matt Dunlop said:

Question about the NextRide system and COVID-19. So certain buses have passenger counters, so you can see whether the bus is light, medium, or fully loaded before it comes. Has BC Transit adjusted those passenger counters to relect the capacity that COVID-19 social distancing requires? For instance if a bus was 1/4 full would it say full?  I have been told you basically have to restrict the capacity of a bus down to 25%. So an Arboc would only fit 6 pax, Nova would fit 8-10 pax, Decker would fit 25-30 pax, etc. 

This is actually something I would suggest emailing or calling BC Transit about as it is health and safety related. That being said, I'd be surprised if they gave you anything other than "NextRide is never guaranteed to be accurate as many buses don't have passenger counters blah blah."

[Matt Dunlop]

2 hours ago, InfiNorth said:

This is actually something I would suggest emailing or calling BC Transit about as it is health and safety related. That being said, I'd be surprised if they gave you anything other than "NextRide is never guaranteed to be accurate as many buses don't have passenger counters blah blah."

EDIT: I received a response from BC Transit and they posted this: 

Hi Matthew,

 

I’ve received an answer about your questions;

Yes, the sensors have been adjusted to show the lower capacity levels for physical distancing. When looking at NextRide it will show as light, medium or full when the buses have reached the levels allowed on the bus. 

 

Kind regards,
Ellie

[Matt Dunlop]

Minor issues going on with NextRide today. Appears to affect all systems. 

Some buses will show up on the map, but won't display their route, just the bus number and/or passenger count. 

I'm sure if transit just reboots the entire system (if possible) it will fix itself. 

[SomeIslandKid]

On June 1st BC Transit plans to reinstate front door boarding and fare payments province wide. Buses without the driver door already installed will have a temporary vinyl panels. Copied is their full statement

Quote

May 4, 2020

Transit System: Global

On June 1, 2020, BC Transit will be enhancing safety measures for our provincial transit systems that will allow for a return to front door loading and collection of fares in all BC Transit communities. With the change, fares will be collected on conventional, community, and handyDART services.

 

BC Transit will be installing a temporary vinyl panel to allow for physical distancing for the operator and customers on all buses without a full driver door. This new safety measures aligns with the direction from the Provincial Health Officer.

With the change to front door loading and collecting fares, other safety measures already implemented will remain in effect including:

• Enhanced cleaning on buses and at BC Transit facilities.
• Communication to staff and customers about physical distancing procedures.
• Limiting passenger capacity to support physical distancing.
• Enhancing the red line for passengers to stand behind.
• Vinyl panels on light duty buses.

Until June 1, rear door loading and not collecting fares will continue.

 

BC Transit continues to provide transportation services for those that need us including essential service workers and those going for their weekly grocery trip.

 

For more details about BC Transit fares and services, please visit BCTransit.com

 

[InfiNorth]

7 hours ago, SomeIslandKid said:

On June 1st BC Transit plans to reinstate front door boarding and fare payments province wide. Buses without the driver door already installed will have a temporary vinyl panels. Copied is their full statement

I'm glad to hear that they are going to start collecting fares again. I'm hoping TransLink will do the same, they're really hurting right now.  Just checked, they're doing it too. 

[Matt Dunlop]

What BC Transit isn't telling you is that it's "modified" Saturday service every day (well, Mon-Sat). That means certain routes won't run at all, and the busier routes won't run as often.