Jump to content

Vancouver general sightings and notes


Enviro 500

Recommended Posts

Figure I'll stick this here.

It's been sometime since I was last visit to Vancouver. I did spend 1 day there back in 2011 or 2012, but, nothing since, and it has been more like 7 years since my last multi-day trip.

My impressions.

I am quite impressed with Compass. I used daypasses most days I rode, other than 1 day when I just bought a Compass ticket from a TVM before boarding a bus. Other than going tap-crazy at a WCE station, figuring it wouldn't let me tap for WCE after using that fare, and it turns out it did let me, no issues for myself. Being able to use a daypass for part of the WCE fare was great and made purchasing a daypass for only a few hours of use a cost effective decision! Very noticeable lack of riders paying cash fares on buses. I'm really hoping that when ETS brings in smart fare that they have taken a close look at what Vancouver has set up.

Quite impressed with the cleanliness of the buses. Riding a 2014 XN40 in particular, the interior still looked like it was new.

I enjoyed riding the Evergreen extension. I didn't realize all of the Mark I cars had been refurbished already. It was quite neat to see the 6 car consists as the norm, rather than 4 car consists of Mark I's. 

What I noticed almost immediately however is the lack of passengers that thank the driver. I only saw a small handful of riders who thanked the driver. Here in Edmonton it is actually quite common. My first ETS ride since getting back, and in Downtown easily 6-7 people thanked the driver while getting off at just 1 stop.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's quite a few Mark Is that haven't been refurbished yet, actually. It's only the original ones ordered for system opening that got refurbed. The 1991 and 1995 Mark Is have not been refurbished, with the 1991 Mark Is being notable for still being in BC Transit colours.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still get the feeling the 1991 Mark Is will be retired instead of refurbished. They've been in BC Transit colours despite being owned by TransLink for nearly 20 years, but the 1995 Mark Is got repainted nearly immediately. Or if they're not outright retired, they'll start using them for peak period service only.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, M. Parsons said:

What I noticed almost immediately however is the lack of passengers that thank the driver. I only saw a small handful of riders who thanked the driver. Here in Edmonton it is actually quite common. My first ETS ride since getting back, and in Downtown easily 6-7 people thanked the driver while getting off at just 1 stop.

I believe that your experience was an exception rather than the norm. In my experience, thanking the driver is quite common here, and it seems to me that it only becomes less so if the driver does not foster a positive experience on the bus right from the moment the doors are opened.

As a driver, I feel that I can set the tone for someone's bus ride. If I open the door and greet people with nothing more than eye contact and a smile, even without saying anything, I find that more people are likely to thank me as they disembark. If I look at boarding passengers with a neutral expression, or if my attention is not focused fully on my intending customers (for example, if I'm watching the rear doors, or I just took over the bus and I'm simultaneously loading passengers and adjusting my seat/mirrors, or if I'm stopped awkwardly and need to keep an eye on my left mirror), then the majority of people will just disembark without saying a word.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, MCW Metrobus said:

What I noticed almost immediately however is the lack of passengers that thank the driver. I only saw a small handful of riders who thanked the driver. Here in Edmonton it is actually quite common. My first ETS ride since getting back, and in Downtown easily 6-7 people thanked the driver while getting off at just 1 stop.

 

10 minutes ago, MCW Metrobus said:

I believe that your experience was an exception rather than the norm. In my experience, thanking the driver is quite common here, and it seems to me that it only becomes less so if the driver does not foster a positive experience on the bus right from the moment the doors are opened.

I agree with Metrobus.  When I moved to Van in late 2011, I was gobsmacked at how many riders were pleasant and thanking the driver as they disembarked. Every stop there was just a non stop chorus of 'Thank-Yous'.  Compared  to the grumpy bunch riding on ETS. However, when I returned to Edmonton I found more people were saying Thank You now as opposed to 4 - 5 years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting, I generally avoid eye contact with people (culture and social reasons) but I smile and greet and yes I agree people are generally nicer and thank you on the way out. Some even wave when leaving through the rear doors.

But I also notice there are more complainers here in the Lower Mainland, I've had several people complain about my driving calling me slow when I'm driving exactly the speed limit and refuse to run Yellow lights. My favorite is on hwy 99, I hold it exactly at 90 Km/h and 80 km/h around the George Massey Tunnel and I get passed by my very own co-workers :( either I'm the 351 and I get passed by a 601 or I'm doing 601 and a 351 passes me. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Phillip said:

Interesting, I generally avoid eye contact with people (culture and social reasons) but I smile and greet and yes I agree people are generally nicer and thank you on the way out. Some even wave when leaving through the rear doors.

But I also notice there are more complainers here in the Lower Mainland, I've had several people complain about my driving calling me slow when I'm driving exactly the speed limit and refuse to run Yellow lights. My favorite is on hwy 99, I hold it exactly at 90 Km/h and 80 km/h around the George Massey Tunnel and I get passed by my very own co-workers :( either I'm the 351 and I get passed by a 601 or I'm doing 601 and a 351 passes me. 

 

Whenever I've been on the 351 or 354 in the past month we've been in the left lane southbound from the tunnel to Massey Exchange. I love it, but it's quite funny (and probably somewhat dangerous?) to see a bus in the left lane and going over what I assume is 100km/h. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Stormscape said:

it's only dangerous if you're not going at the speed of traffic. If you're weaving around people cutting them off, any speed is dangerous.

Good point; the other drivers seem much more dangerous than any bus driver I've ridden with, but I know in Montréal the buses are limited to 90km/h - is there a specific reason why CMBC buses aren't limited to 100km/h or is it just because speeds are generally higher in Vancouver/insurance isn't as big of an issue?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Stormscape said:

Probably not limited to 100kph because if a transit bus tried to go only 100 on a highway here they'd get passed like they were standing still.

Some are governed to 100kph, the D40LFRs are for sure and the 7400 D40LFs are as well I believe and most of the Nova's.  The Orions are not governed at all and some of them ride and drive so smooth that it's easy to go over 120kph without realizing it, more so when traffic is going that speed.  Easier to notice when your alone on the highway though.

36 minutes ago, Stormscape said:

That's due to potential to damage overhead though, isn't it?

 

1 hour ago, GORDOOM said:

IIRC the trolleybuses are governed to 65 km/h.

Yes, the trolleys are governed to 65kph due to the overhead speed restrictions.  Sometimes we can a little more speed by double tapping the accelerator at full speed.  Trolley's can go over 100km/h easily if they are set to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Brando737 said:

The Orions are not governed at all and some of them ride and drive so smooth that it's easy to go over 120kph without realizing it, more so when traffic is going that speed.  Easier to notice when your alone on the highway though.

For highway driving, isn't that safer anyway? Isn't a vehicle incapable of matching the prevailing traffic speeds actually more of a safety risk?

5 minutes ago, Brando737 said:

Yes, the trolleys are governed to 65kph due to the overhead speed restrictions.  Sometimes we can a little more speed by double tapping the accelerator at full speed.  Trolley's can go over 100km/h easily if they are set to.

But is there anywhere on the trolleybus overhead network with a speed limit over 50 km/h?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...