Transit Windsor

[Girardin71]

well the outside worker strike is really slowing TW from operating on time.

[MaT]

STRIKE SLOWING BUSSES 2009-04-20 08:05:45

The strike by 1400 inside workers and 400 outside workers is having an negative impact on transit windsor busses this morning. Pickets have been preventing busses from leaving the station on time. The delay has been as much as 40 minutes per bus. Yesterday pickets held up fans heading for the Windsor Spitfires game. The strike is largely over a wage freeze and benefits for future employees.

From AM800.

[newflyerinvero]

Are the conditions of retired Classics 501, 527 and 522 good enough to be at least conceived to be somehow rebuilt/restored to be put back into service in the future?

I mean, the time that Matt and I back in 2008 when we witnessed the rebuilding of 501 until next month when something happened and now it's being used for parts.

[MaT]

Actually if I remember right all of those classics are gone now, off property(minus the parts they took from them of course). Same with those LTC VIs. I think they needed the room for the hybrids when they all come in.

[Paco]

601 was out on the road with a "Garage" sign the other day (Tuesday I think).

[MaT]

Ok good to know thanks. My parents saw 701 today on the 10, told me when they got home. But they thought it was the hybrid until I said no thats 601.

[newflyerinvero]

I saw 601 on the cams this afternoon, heading southbound on Goyeau, trailing a 2005 Nova LFS.

What I didn't expect was that a minute later (after the cams timed out), there were TWO MORE that were heading southbound along Goyeau. It's a possibility, seeing as they looked indentical to 601.

Or, could it not have beeen 601 trailing the Nova?

Then, 5 minutes later, what definitely looked like another DE40LFR, was heading eastbound along what I think was...um, University Ave? Is that the next street seen from the tunnel camera? If not, it was going along that street.

So, if any of the Windsorites see possibly 4 more hybrids at the garage, you could possibly thank me seeing them all being delievered.

[MaT]

As of yesterday there was only 601 here, so I really doubt this was possible. The next ones(at least 6) aren't gonna come for a few more weeks, give or take.

[Paco]

Could have been 601 driving around in circles.

[MaT]

Nope. I just went to the garage and there's at least 5 hybrids there now. One is on the east end wall and the other 4 were in the north east corner. They must have JUST been delivered in the past few days cuz there was only one on thursday.

[MaT]

Ok Bernie saved me a bike ride today(thanks! lol). 601-605 are on property already and 606,607 are supposed to arrive today.

[MaT]

Ok so today I went by the garage and no new hybrids yet. BUT, I found a tender for new fareboxes on the city's website.

CITY OF WINDSOR

PROPOSAL 59-09

FAREBOX SYSTEM – TRANSIT WINDSOR

Proposals will be received by the Purchasing Supervisor, 400 City Hall Square East, Suite 404A, Windsor, Ontario, N9A 7K6, until ELEVEN-THIRTY (11:30) A.M. (E.S.T.), THURSDAY, MAY 28th, 2009, for Transit Windsor’s Farebox System. Contracted services will include the design, supply, delivery, installation training and oversight, operational and maintenance training, up-front and on-going technical and functional support of the solution.

Proposals received after the closing deadline, whether delivered personally, or if mailed, regardless of postal markings, will not be opened. Fax submissions will not be accepted.

Terms of reference are now available for a $50.00 non-refundable fee at Purchasing Division, 400 City Hall Square East, Suite 404A, Windsor, Ontario, by calling (519) 255-6272 or emailing purchasing@city.windsor.on.ca.

The right is reserved to accept or reject any or all proposals. Acceptance or rejection of any proposal will be made according to The City of Windsor Purchasing By-Law 400-2004, and amendments thereto.

If I find any more hybrids I'll put them up here.

[MaT]

Ok, here's the concrete info I have. 601-612 are here now. so that leaves 613-618 left to come

[MaT]

Heyy just found this in the Windsor Star..Hopefully it all goes through!

Buses, cop cars and fire trucks: City to spend $43 million on vehicles

One of the biggest items in Windsor’s five-year, $678 million capital budget is for new vehicles, with total spending of nearly $43 million on buses, patrol cars, fire engines and other motorized city street stock.

Transit Windsor will eat more than a third of that amount, about $16.7 million, to put new-generation buses on the street. This year’s spending of $3.9 million will complete the purchase of 18 previously approved hybrid buses, each of which costs about $625,000. Nearly $3.2 million follows in each of the four following years to acquire six replacement buses annually.

The amounts are higher than in previous years because they include the added cost of switching from diesel to hybrids, each of which costs about $180,000 more than traditional diesel buses, said Transit Windsor executive director Penny Williams.

Windsor’s approximately 100 buses get a good workout before being retired. Williams said the average bus put out to pasture is 18 years old and has up to 1.2 million km on the odometer.

The first of the bus company’s hybrid fleet is expected to be let loose on local streets sometime this summer, said Williams.

Windsor’s fire department will see a big leap in its acquisition budget from just over $550,000 this year to almost $3.3 million in 2010.

Deputy chief Al Reaume said a new fire engine will be in service this year but that next year’s spending includes two new aerial units. The aerials, which cost about US$1.2 million per larger 95-footer, are on a pay-as-you-go replacement schedule of 10 years.

Reaume said the department will maintain its two 70-foot aerials but is reducing its number of 95-footers from three to two. He said the surplus aerial is being replaced with a combo pumper/tanker to be based at Windsor Airport to service the lands annexed from Tecumseh. Fire engines cost just over US$500,000.

The regular municipal fleet gets $12.5 million, or $2.5 million annually, to replace its rolling stock. It includes close to 400 vehicles, everything from cheap compact cars for bylaw enforcement to utility, aerial and sewer vacuum trucks — the latter costing about a quarter-million dollars each — and up to the half-million-dollar hot paint striper which paints yellow highway lane dividers.

Executive director of operations Mike Palanacki said the annual expenditures, taken from the fleet reserve fund, pay for two or three replacements to the 21-vehicle garbage packer fleet, each costing about $200,000.

The city has also budgeted $1.1 million in each of the next five years to replace Windsor police vehicles.

© Copyright © The Windsor Star

[MaT]

Well all of the hybrids except for 617 and 618 are in now. No more updates yet other than that.

[D40LF]

Stopped at Devonshire Mall yesterday, got some shots of 415, 518, 561, and 564. Just missed 513 as it departed when I was coming out of the mall.

Tried to get a transit map but was told that they are hard to get as the new schedule is coming out in two weeks

[newflyerinvero]

Stopped at Devonshire Mall yesterday, got some shots of 415, 518, 561, and 564. Just missed 513 as it departed when I was coming out of the mall.

Tried to get a transit map but was told that they are hard to get as the new schedule is coming out in two weeks

Any pictures, by chance, buddy?

Yes, the new schedule would be the summer schedule, in effect from Juen 28th, (or is it the 21st) until late August.

[D40LF]

Any pictures, by chance, buddy?

Yes, the new schedule would be the summer schedule, in effect from Juen 28th, (or is it the 21st) until late August.

I won't be able to post them until Monday night at the earliest.

I'm in Detroit and don't have the ability to transfer the photos to the internet.

[D40LF]

Some of the shots can be found here.

[Guest HAMILTON BUS]

I have relatives who live in Windsor!! I will be going down there in a few weeks for a visit!! Im wondering what kinds of buses do they ahve in there fleet?? I want to know what to look out for!!! I have never seen a Windsor Transit bus before!!

Any help would be greatly appericiated!!

[OC Transpo 8238]

Check the wiki

But they have:

GM Fishbowls (2)

GM, MCI Classics

Orion V, VI, VII

NovaBUS LFS

EZ-Rider II (I believe)

New Flyer DE40LFR

[Guest HAMILTON BUS]

Check the wiki

But they have:

GM Fishbowls (2)

GM, MCI Classics

Orion V, VI, VII

NovaBUS LFS

EZ-Rider II (I believe)

New Flyer DE40LFR

The wiki is a good idea. I am new to this site. thanks for the list though.

[MaT]

Just got an email about the DE40LFRs. The official launch is June 22nd @ 9AM at WITT. I am definitely attending since the Stduent Ambassadors are invited to attend.

[MaT]

Oh no, there was an article in the star today about TW's new problem. They mentioned the new hybrids coming into service on monday(making it 67 LFs in the fleet)..The UH OH is that 907 and 912 are apparently both retiring, if I read it right.

Transit Windsor facing costly problems

WINDSOR, Ont. -- Transit Windsor is bracing for a potential triple whammy to its budget this year thanks to pension problems, new driver rest regulations and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

“What we do know is that our (pension) fund that is managed by OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System), lost 15.3 per cent at the end of 2008,” Transit Windsor general manager Penny Williams said at Transit Windsor’s annual strategic planning session on Wednesday.

“That is a risk to our 2009 budget.”

Transit Windsor is still waiting for the actuarial figures but the damage is expected to be in the multiple millions of dollars.

“Any deficit would have to be amortized over five years,” said Williams.

Another cost implication is the announcement earlier this month by federal transport minister John Baird that drivers for federally regulated transit services will be subject to new rules to reduce fatigue.

Williams said the regulations will cause scheduling difficulties, but the exact cost has yet to be determined.

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act is to be updated this year with new regulations for transit services.

It is expected to set timeframes for transit companies to convert their fleets to fully accessible “kneeling” buses, among other requirements such as verbal stop calling.

“We don’t know specifically what’s going to happen,” said Williams.

As of Monday, Transit Windsor’s fleet of 104 buses will include 67 handicapped-accessible buses.

Williams said senior governments are forcing the costly additional requirements on transit services without providing funding to deal with them. She said she has no problem with the requirements themselves.

Despite the hurdles, Transit Windsor is anxiously awaiting the unveiling of its new fleet of 18 hybrid buses on Monday.“We’re so excited,” said Williams.

“Two of the buses we’re taking out of service are going to be 29 and so that’s why we’re so excited. We’re taking out 460 years of bus age out of our fleet and adding in 18.”

The hybrid buses come at a cost of $600,000 each compared to about $450,000 for traditional all-diesel buses. The hybrids provide substantial savings on fuel, however.

Transit Windsor is also anticipating getting new fare boxes by the fall that will allow drivers to print passes and tickets on board the bus.

The current fare boxes are of 1989 vintage and had a recommended lifespan of 10 years.

“Actually this year there are a lot of opportunities in the fact that we are going to be getting new fare boxes and it’s going to give us an opportunity to look at new fare options for customers,” said Williams.

“We’re looking at options that hopefully will be something that will encourage ridership.”

[Windy]

I suppose these new buses will knock out the last of the Fishbowls in Windsor?