The exo thread...

[Jack 47]

14 hours ago, SMS said:

Not to be outdone, the city of Mercier has a new free minivan service called route 140:

https://www.infosuroit.com/nouveau-service-de-transport-collectif-gratuit-pour-les-citoyens-de-mercier/

A bus would be put in place if ridership goes up.  I doubt that all the people in that picture could clown-fit in the back of that SUV.  Theoretically, what vehicle would they be willing to place in service if 40 people suddenly start showing up every day at just one stop?

[rgilmtl]

140 is under exo HSL in the Chrono app. Dufresne has HSL's contract, but I think they only have coaches and school buses.

[MTL66]

22 hours ago, rgilmtl said:

140 is under exo HSL in the Chrono app. Dufresne has HSL's contract, but I think they only have coaches and school buses.

They do own minivans for smaller school routes.

[joseph99929]

On 7/10/2018 at 8:31 AM, SMS said:

Not to be outdone, the city of Mercier has a new free minivan service called route 140:

https://www.infosuroit.com/nouveau-service-de-transport-collectif-gratuit-pour-les-citoyens-de-mercier/

This looks pretty legit! It goes to Chateauguay too, allowing transfers to the CITSO 31/32 for much more frequent connections to Montreal than previously possible.

[sdgta2008]

Has anyone heard how many Eldorado EZ-Rider II MAX buses (I suspect ex-MiWay) Transbus has purchased to supplement their "exo" fleet?
 

[MTL66]

9 hours ago, sdgta2008 said:

Has anyone heard how many Eldorado EZ-Rider II MAX buses (I suspect ex-MiWay) Transbus has purchased to supplement their "exo" fleet?
 

Passed through that area today and only saw cutaways

[Jack 47]

8 hours ago, MTL66 said:

Passed through that area today and only saw cutaways

I think what needs to be said is that each type of vehicle has an influence over the desirability of public transit by the population.  It is after all, the showpiece of the corporation.

Modified school bus < Minivan < Cutaway Minibus < Mid-size bus < Full-size transit bus < Articulated transit bus < Commuter Coach

I hope this concept really sinks in the heads of those running transit providers.

[Bus_Medic]

Taken too far, one runs the risk of wastefully spending public money simply for “driveway envy”. 

[sdgta2008]

17 hours ago, MTL66 said:

Passed through that area today and only saw cutaways

It(they) may have been out somewhere running route 35 or route 7.  Next time I'm in town on a Saturday I'll see if it's parked.

[Jack 47]

8 hours ago, Bus_Medic said:

Taken too far, one runs the risk of wastefully spending public money simply for “driveway envy”. 

Some CIT's assign vehicles according to demand, so a cutaway would serve routes with light ridership, or weekend runs.  Other CIT's like Sainte-Julie want nothing to do with cutaways and so the minimum size of a bus would be a Grande West Vicinity.  Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu would put 61-passenger coaches and full-size transit buses on weekends even when ridership justifies a minibus.  Conditions of contract and cities' willingness to pay determine whether the community gets a minivan/minibus or puts up with behemoth intercity coaches doing transit in quiet residential neighborhoods. 

Really, a cutaway or modified school bus is a deal-breaker for the passenger and attracting new ridership, unless the service is free.

[MTL66]

Got a detailed list of the new fleet for exo Haut St-Laurent

Buses in Pink are from sightings and not on the roster provided, awaiting confirmation

[MTL66]

Got confirmation on the roster.

3103 is spare unit for exo service. It will be a charter bus in Dufresne Gold Colors

3124 does not exist, he said it most likely 3123, as it is Ex-1224, possibly Transbus/CITSV, no way to confirm as they were bought used through Prevost. VIN # is not on any wiki pages.

[Gael Fortier]

Hi, 

 

I don't know if the CRT Lanaudière counts as a CIT (although it has changed to Transport MRC de Joliette), But i had an idea for a regional route. It would be the #60.

The route would begin at the Joliette bus terminal, go thru MRC de Montcalm, then go at Carrefour Laval then go at montmenrency.

Here's a map i made with google MyMaps showing its path:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15inssWbTuJq9WbsecSO0YA4512vOUwkS&amp;usp=sharing

 

I saw that this area of Lanaudière lacked a lot in public transportation; You can't go from St-Jérôme to Joliette without reserving a place in the MRC de Montcalm unreliable minibus service. I checked and most of the time, all the seat were taken.

In Sainte-Anne-Des-Plaines, there is no connection from CIT Laurentide to the CRTL line 35 or MRC de Montcalm's (ex-CRTL) line 37. 

Moreover, google does not recognize MRC de Montcalm "bus" service, which doesn't help the cause either. 

With this bus line, people could go from Joliette to Carrefour laval in less than 1h30 of travelling, as well as giving a reliable bus service for the region. 

 

(PS: I would put some New Flyers XD40)

[eclair14]

The city of Boischatel has relase the new routes and timetables of their new free transit service, in replacement of current RTC services that will end August 15th 2019.

The new network has four routes. Service frequency is not very consistent, hourly during rush hours to every 2 hours off peak and week-ends. All buses begins / ends their route at the RTC Chute Montmorency terminal (transfer 50,250,350,550,800)

Route 1 - Du Roi - Travels along Royale from west to east, will even travel out of city limits all the way to L'Ange-Gardien
Route 2 - Du Fleuve - Share the first few stops with route 1, but at de L'Église hill, goes down to serve area along Rte 138
Route 3 and 4 - De la Fôret / de la Rivière - Those two route forms a loop and are the main routes of the system, Route 3 is Counter clock wise and route 4 is clockwise, the only difference is that each route has a different remote sector to service. So in the common route, service is every 30 minutes during peak and every hour off peak

[MTL66]

Time for a bump,

Some changes coming to the "CITs",

exo Chambly Richelieu Carignan is going to be operated by La Quebecoise as of January 2021. A return for La Quebecoise after losing the CIT Le Richelain contract in 2018.

exo Rousillion is going to be operated by Autobus Dufresne as of January 2021. Dufresne will operate a second contract for the first time. They have run the Haut St-Laurent contract since the start.

So Transdev loses 2 contracts, they retained the Le Richelain contract, they were the only bidder on that one.

[Chris W]

13 minutes ago, MTL66 said:

Time for a bump,

Some changes coming to the "CITs",

exo Chambly Richelieu Carignan is going to be operated by La Quebecoise as of January 2021. A return for La Quebecoise after losing the CIT Le Richelain contract in 2018.

exo Rousillion is going to be operated by Autobus Dufresne as of January 2021. Dufresne will operate a second contract for the first time. They have run the Haut St-Laurent contract since the start.

So Transdev loses 2 contracts, they retained the Le Richelain contract, they were the only bidder on that one.

What's going to happen to the fleet? Will it be retained past the switchover or will they be given entirely new buses?

[Articulated]

6 hours ago, Chris W said:

What's going to happen to the fleet? Will it be retained past the switchover or will they be given entirely new buses?

Usually when contracts flip, the new operator brings their own buses in. Often the contract requires the contractor to invest in a new fleet of buses, in exchange for a longer duration in order to recouperate their expenses. The Le Richelain contract is a good example, as Transdev purchased 20 new LFS buses that year just for that contract.

Transdev has enough other contracts that they can move some of the newer equipment to other systems to replace older, less reliable stuff.

[MTL66]

It remains to be seen how they will invest in equipment. these are 1 year contracts.

As of 2022, all buses will be owned by exo, and they will contract out the driving duties externally. Buses will be parked in 1 garage next to the REM train garage.

So in the case of these contracts, exo might of accepted they use older equipment that has a smaller purchase price. There are no details in offer sheet.

[sdgta2008]

With the new Vicinity buses now active for Exo-Presqu'ile, does anyone know if Transbus re-allocated the MD30s?  I haven't seen them active on transit tracker in weeks.....

[MTL66]

10 hours ago, sdgta2008 said:

With the new Vicinity buses now active for Exo-Presqu'ile, does anyone know if Transbus re-allocated the MD30s?  I haven't seen them active on transit tracker in weeks.....

They were parked in their regular spots at the garage when I drove by 2 weeks ago. Drivers were not a fan of them, might be allocated spares now.

[Thomasw]

11 minutes ago, MTL66 said:

They were parked in their regular spots at the garage when I drove by 2 weeks ago. Drivers were not a fan of them, might be allocated spares now.

There are 4 2016 MD30s on eBay right now so maybe that's where they went.

[MTL66]

1 hour ago, Thomasw said:

There are 4 2016 MD30s on eBay right now so maybe that's where they went.

It could very possibly be. In the main photo, you can see the reflection of a Transbus Dodge Caravan.

The 2 units in Sorel have not seen service in a while either.

EDIT

There are 4 2014 Midis and 4 2016 Midis for Sale on eBay, both ads we can see reflections of the Transbus Caravan. These are most likely the units from Transbus Vaudreuil and Sorel.

[sdgta2008]

7 hours ago, MTL66 said:

It could very possibly be. In the main photo, you can see the reflection of a Transbus Dodge Caravan.

The 2 units in Sorel have not seen service in a while either.

EDIT

There are 4 2014 Midis and 4 2016 Midis for Sale on eBay, both ads we can see reflections of the Transbus Caravan. These are most likely the units from Transbus Vaudreuil and Sorel.

Interesting...  I wonder where they'll end up.  Cornwall should grab them to get rid of the Orion VI's that are falling apart 

[Cimon8000]

11 hours ago, MTL66 said:

It could very possibly be. In the main photo, you can see the reflection of a Transbus Dodge Caravan.

The 2 units in Sorel have not seen service in a while either.

EDIT

There are 4 2014 Midis and 4 2016 Midis for Sale on eBay, both ads we can see reflections of the Transbus Caravan. These are most likely the units from Transbus Vaudreuil and Sorel.

very odd that they are selling them off that quick and from the photos on Ebay they look very decent...............anyone knows what's the reason they are selling them off?

On the other hand, i am wondering if all the CIT buses, including those used New Flyer D40LF from Kingston, Ontario and D40LFR from Red Deer, Alberta, have been decalled into the EXO scheme or not?  Thank you.

[Byfold]

30 minutes ago, Cimon8000 said:

very odd that they are selling them off that quick and from the photos on Ebay they look very decent...............anyone knows what's the reason they are selling them off?

100% pure junk bus!