101 replies to this topic

[mike from edmonton]

Halifax has tendered for 3, Diesel Electric, 60 foot, Transit busses

I would have to assume that "Diesel Electric" is to mean a Hybrid, and probably low floor too

No further details as I'm not paying for the tender docs!

[IRT_BMT_IND]

If it's Halifax they will probably be DE60LFs. I wonder if it's for expansion or to replace some of the Classics.

[hfx_chris]

Thanks for the heads up, I was wondering when those would come out. You don't need to pay to download tender documents from HRM's website.

It's not for fleet replacement, it's to create a new downtown shuttle route which hits all the major downtown locales, like transit terminals, shopping areas, schools, universities and hospitals.

There were planning workshops being held earlier in the year, which sadly I was unable to attend. Here is the advertisement for the workshops, you can see a fairly decent photoshopped DE60LF with BRT styling; I kind of like that livery, the front looks a bit like our regular BRT/MetroLink livery, but with green instead of blue.
http://www.halifax.c...ents/Notice.pdf

[M.Wright]

hfx_chris, on Oct 4 2008, 10:32 AM, said:

It's not for fleet replacement, it's to create a new downtown shuttle route which hits all the major downtown locales, like transit terminals, shopping areas, schools, universities and hospitals.

So it'll be like a new fred?

[hfx_chris]

Yeah, but not free, and probably would service a larger area

[Halifax_Route10]

hfx_chris, on Oct 4 2008, 10:27 PM, said:

Yeah, but not free

Are you sure about that? I could have sworn they said somewhere it was going to be free...

[MaT]

"Halifax Regional Municipality’s five-year Transit Plan includes the introduction of a fast, frequent, and
possibly free shuttle bus service. The Service Planning Workshop is intended to assist us in designing this
service to best meet the needs of areas in and around Downtown Halifax."

That's the first paragraph in the link that Halifax_chris gave us. "possibly free shuttle bus service" For a downtown shuttle, I was expecting a 30ft or 40 ft bus, not exactly an artic lol.

[hfx_chris]

I doubt it would be free. FRED is free, but this is like an entirely new route servicing much of the peninsula. I would probably crap myself if it were free.

MaT, on Oct 5 2008, 01:48 PM, said:

For a downtown shuttle, I was expecting a 30ft or 40 ft bus, not exactly an artic lol.

A lot of people work and go to school in our downtown...

[Halifax_Route10]

MaT, on Oct 5 2008, 01:48 PM, said:

For a downtown shuttle, I was expecting a 30ft or 40 ft bus, not exactly an artic lol.

I'm going to start spouting statistics here, I apologize...

You probably don't realize how well used our transit system is here. To compare:

Windsor service population: 323,000 218,000
Transit Windsor yearly ridership: 6 million

HRM service population: 385,000 282,000
Metro Transit yearly ridership: 20 million

Our transit system is not perfect by any means (except where I live ), but it's very rare to see a bus that's not near capacity. Metro Transit has actually said that they're going to focus on ordering artics for the next few years to try and get back some of the seating capacity lost with the switch to low-floor buses, capacity which we badly need.

The reason that they're introducing a downtown shuttle, as far as I understand it, is because most of the routes dump people in the heart of downtown. That's great if you work there, but lots of people don't. So people get off their route, transfer to the downtown shuttle, and take it to their workplace.

[hfx_chris]

Halifax_Route10, on Oct 5 2008, 06:58 PM, said:

Our transit system is not perfect by any means (except where I live )

If you don't mind me asking, which area are you in?

[Halifax_Route10]

hfx_chris, on Oct 5 2008, 06:13 PM, said:

If you don't mind me asking, which area are you in?

Near Mic Mac Mall. I can pretty much get anywhere in the city I want to without a transfer. Whereabouts are you?

[MaT]

And just so you know, Windsor's population is 218,000. The metro doesnt have transit service(close to 340,000), only Windsor has service.

[Halifax_Route10]

MaT, on Oct 5 2008, 10:29 PM, said:

And just so you know, Windsor's population is 218,000. The metro doesnt have transit service(close to 340,000), only Windsor has service.

Sorry 'bout that, I wasn't sure how much of the population figure of Windsor I got (from Wikipedia) had transit service.

I realize now that I used the wrong figure for HRM as well. I used the figure for the entire municipality (all 5,500 square kms of it), when very little of that has transit service. So the service population of HRM is somewhere around 282,000. I have corrected my above post.

Note to self: Get more sleep before compiling statistics!

[mtltransitguy]

Halifax_Route10, on Oct 5 2008, 10:44 PM, said:

Sorry 'bout that, I wasn't sure how much of the population figure of Windsor I got (from Wikipedia) had transit service.

I realize now that I used the wrong figure for HRM as well. I used the figure for the entire municipality (all 5,500 square kms of it), when very little of that has transit service. So the service population of HRM is somewhere around 282,000. I have corrected my above post.

Note to self: Get more sleep before compiling statistics!

Even better ridership ratio then!

And I love that BRT artic, it's probably one of my favourite modern buses.

[M.Wright]

Halifax_Route10, on Oct 5 2008, 05:58 PM, said:

Windsor service population: 323,000 218,000
Transit Windsor yearly ridership: 6 million

HRM service population: 385,000 282,000
Metro Transit yearly ridership: 20 million

Didn't think the ridership to population ratio in Halifax was that high...

Now I get why you guys have 14 artics lol

P.S. yes I am looking at the updated statistics

Also we're kinda in a similiar scenario here in Ottawa, yesterday I was reading the report that pretty much messed up our transit system, they recommend as we're only going to buying low floors from that day, that 50% of our fleet be articulated buses. Obviously we're not bang on yet but we are getting there.

Anyway good for you guys, at least someone is finally doing something right.

[hfx_chris]

Halifax_Route10, on Oct 5 2008, 09:05 PM, said:

Near Mic Mac Mall. I can pretty much get anywhere in the city I want to without a transfer. Whereabouts are you?

Out east. Like, past Cole Harbour. I don't have transit service where I'm at, so I drive in and take the bus the rest of the way.

[SMS]

This order is a big FU or FO to Novabus!

[hfx_chris]

Halifax hasn't purchased anything from NovaBus in almost 9 years, I think they said FU a while ago

[dj.surf.lfs]

It looks like Nova is bidding, along with New Flyer. Check "Nova LFS Artic HEV" thread in the Transit Thread section.

[Halifax_Route10]

Well, the tender is closed, and both Nova and New Flyer bid. We should find out who'll win this in a few weeks.