goingnowhere wrote: » The issue wasn't the terminal, it was the hard standing used previously for the ferry. There is a separate application to build a cruise ship berth just to the left of the old HSS dock and provide parking, bus stands etc. This is with ABP currently, http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/PA0051.htm . As a result DLRCC won't entertain another application until the first is either withdrawn or refused
Stephen15 wrote: » Hearing a rumour that Go-Ahead may be storing buses in Collinstown for its Northside routes
Yer Da sells Avon wrote: » I think that's the plan anyway. And then Dún Laoghaire and/or perhaps Bray for southside routes.
GM228 wrote: » Actually yes come to think of it I would say you are correct although without seeing the contract we can only currently speculate and remember that the NTA keeping the farebox does not necessarily mean they will keep income from advertising. The LUAS contract whilst not a PSO contract is similar to the type of competitive tendering contract GA have, advertising on the LUAS is managed by JC Decaux under contract with TII as opposed to Transdev so I would assume the NTA will contact advertising on GA services (as well as BE Waterford).
Bidding ProcedureAs of the tender closing time, 6 bids were submitted from hopeful operators. S/No Country Tenderer Price for 5 Years Amount (S$) 1. China / Local Jiaoyun Group Corporation / Travel GSH Pte Ltd Consortium 418,835,946.60 2. Local SBS Transit Ltd 474,965,108.00 Alternative Bid: 471,965,108.00 3. China Shenzhen Bus Group Co. Ltd. 449,264,285.00 4. Local SMRT Buses Ltd 444,925,777.00 5. Local The Go-Ahead Group Plc 518,706,175.00 6. Local Tower Transit Singapore Pte. Ltd. 483,796,997.00 Contract Awarded: On Friday, 23 February 2018, LTA announced SBS Transit Ltd as the winner of the Bukit Merah Bus Package. The evaluation was conducted through a two-envelope process which included quality and price factors, with greater weightage given to the quality proposals submitted by tenderers. As per the LTA press release, SBST was awarded the contract because its proposal demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the operational considerations, and strong competence in bus service scheduling that would enable the optimal deployment of buses and resources. In addition, SBST’s proposal showcased extensive experience in bus operations, while offering good value for money. It also had comprehensive contingency plans for cross-border services, and committed a significant number of experienced technicians to ensure high maintenance and reliability standards. SBST also demonstrated innovative IT solutions for infrastructure and asset maintenance, as well as security management, with the development of several in-house mobile applications for staff to report defects and incidents. It also presented a career development programme to up-skill its staff, with more opportunities for career progression, the authority said. The alternative proposal awarded involves SBS Transit leveraging on its existing bus infrastructure to optimise bus operations. This involved garaging some buses which operates on bus services as part of Bukit Merah Bus Package at other bus depots operated by SBS Transit. Additional Initiatives: SBS Transit introduced a telematics system, known as SAfe Green Eco System (SAGE), on all 730 buses under the Seletar and Bukit Merah Bus Packages to monitor the smoothness and comfort of bus rides provided by Bus Captains (BCs). The system records and monitors the BC’s driving behaviour such as speeding and harsh acceleration with feedback given in real-time through audio and visual alerts. This system is aimed at improving the safety of buses. Besides SAGE, these buses are also equipped with the Mobileye collision alert system. SBS Transit also set up a new Bus Technical Specialist Certification Centre at Ulu Pandan Depot for the Singapore Bus Academy (SGBA). This would enhance the professionalism of engineering and technical staff in the bus industry. SBS Transit’s experienced engineering staff would be involved in curriculum development and conducting assessments and certification. In addition, Free WiFi for commuters would be available for all bus services under the Bukit Merah Bus Package from February 2019. Bus Services: Bukit Merah Bus Package consists of 18 existing bus services, all of which are currently operated by SBS Transit. As a result, there will be no operator changes to all services. Service Destination 1 Destination 2 Type Description 5 Bukit Merah Pasir Ris Trunk 16 Bukit Merah Bedok Trunk 57 Bukit Merah Bishan Trunk 93 HarbourFront Eunos Trunk 120 Kampong Bahru ↺ Telok Blangah Heights Trunk 121 Kampong Bahru ↺ Telok Blangah Rise Trunk 122 Kampong Bahru ↺ Commonwealth Drive Trunk 123 Bukit Merah Beach Station Trunk 123M Harbourfront ↺ Tiong Bahru Road Trunk Supplementary 131 Bukit Merah St. Michael’s Trunk 131M Bukit Merah ↺ Bt Purmei Ave Trunk Peak-hour Supplementary 145 Buona Vista Toa Payoh Trunk 160 Jurong East ↺ JB Sentral Trunk Cross Border 170 Queen Street Larkin Trunk Cross Border 170A Queen Street Woodlands Ctr Rd Trunk Supplementary 170X Kranji MRT ↺ JB Sentral Trunk Cross Border 195 Marina Centre ↺ Commonwealth Avenue Trunk 198 Bukit Merah Boon Lay Trunk 272 Bukit Merah ↺ Telok Blangah Rise Feeder 273 Bukit Merah ↺ Henderson Road Feeder 400 Shenton Way ↺ Marina Gardens Drive Trunk 402 Shenton Way ↺ Marina Coastal Drive Trunk Services 123M, 131M, 170A and 170X are considered as supplementary services of their parent service and do not add to the overall service count. Short-Trip services are not included in the above list. Scope of Tender: As part of the tender, the new Operator will be required to fulfill responsibilities as such: Operate the eighteen (18) bus services in the areas in accordance with specified EWT performance standards Operate and maintain the buses and their onboard equipment provided by LTA Operate and maintain Bukit Merah and HarbourFront Bus Interchanges, Kampong Bahru, Queen Street, Shenton Way and Marina Centre Bus Terminals, and the new Ulu Pandan Bus Depot, including all equipment and systems provided therein Charge and collect the fares approved by the Public Transport Council, on behalf of the Government Provide bus service information at all bus stops and bus interchanges served by the 18 bus services Provide customer management services, such as lost and found service, and a hotline for commuter feedback and enquiries. All bus services will have scheduled headways of no more than 15 minutes for both directions during the morning and evening peak periods, with at least half of them having even shorter scheduled headways of no more than 10 minutes. Of these, the feeder services will run at even shorter intervals of 6-8 minutes. An estimated 45% of bus services will come at shorter intervals during peak periods when compared to the expanded BSEP. More guidelines can be found in the main Bus Contracting Model (BCM) article. Bus Interchanges & Terminals under the package: Bukit Merah Bus Interchange HarbourFront Bus Interchange Kampong Bahru Bus Terminal Queen Street Bus Terminal Shenton Way Bus Terminal Marina Centre Bus Terminal Bus Depot under the package: Ulu Pandan Bus Depot Route Package Timeline: 2016 (11 Aug): Bukit Merah Bus Package mentioned as one of 11 Negotiated Contract (NC) Packages operated by SBS Transit. 2017 (28 Apr): Bukit Merah Bus Package open for Tender. Closes on 28 Aug 2017, 12:00PM 2017 (28 Aug): Tender closed with 6 bids received 2018 (23 Feb): Tender awarded to SBS Transit Ltd (Alternative Bid) 2018 (18 Nov): Start of Bukit Merah Bus Package (Tendered Contract)
AlekSmart wrote: » Ah yes...that ol'contract thing again...wonder how many FoI's and trips to the High Court it's gonna take to get a peep at it ? Meanwhile,way down yonder in Singapore.....(again !!)https://landtransportguru.net/bus/bus-contracting-model/bukit-merah-bus-package/?fbclid=IwAR0Jnqv6-XxT1H0UB_orxExUfyBYvQVgwSyqqi81fbozuMTPqI_BrOf22e0https://landtransportguru.net/bus/bus-contracting-model/bukit-merah-bus-package/?fbclid=IwAR0Jnqv6-XxT1H0UB_orxExUfyBYvQVgwSyqqi81fbozuMTPqI_BrOf22e0 TLDR,as the NTA hope you'll say....;)
GM228 wrote: » I really don't understand why you constantly refer to Singapore? Different rules and all that, Singapore is an exception, not the norm. You do know that by law the NTA must refuse a FOI request where commercial sensitivity is involved? Yes there is a public interest test involved but should a case ever come before the courts (unlikely I would guess) I find it very hard to believe they will ever be released as the principles of commercial sensitivity are well established and protected by the courts.
AlekSmart wrote: » The NTA should be required,by law,to fully release into the Public Domain,any,and all elements of the process which lead to the decision to award it's contracts....to whatever entity secures them. What is it about this entirely basic principle of "Openess & Transparency" that frightens so many people within & without the "System"
dublinman1990 wrote: » I have seen the Steetlite Max twice for the 1st time today. They are a very nice long enough single deck bus to have in GAI's fleet.
When I was on the 7 before going around Glenageary Roundabout near Lidl at Sallynoggin. I see a 45A from Dun Laoghaire stopping outside Lidl. When the 7 just went off the roundabout to head down Silchester Road; another 45a from Dun Laoghaire comes up Silchester Road less than 5 seconds later. I know that the 45A frequency is about every 15 to 20 minutes throughout the day. But; can someone here try to answer why does the 45A suffers from apparent bus bunching during this evening? Is this a regular occurence with all of the GAI routes in Dun Laoghaire?
loyatemu wrote: » fun and games on the 184 yesterday - apparently one of the afternoon buses got to Greystones village and the driver realised he was supposed to be on the 185 and kicked everyone off (this is from the local FB group):
john boye wrote: » That seems to be just happen sometimes sadly. My Mrs and a load of others got turfed off a "15A" a few weeks ago as the driver had accidentally put it up instead of 15B.
loyatemu wrote: » how did he get to Greystones before realising he was on the wrong route though? The 185 goes in a completely different direction.
superg wrote: » It can't be helpful when you do several different routes as part of one duty, especially when all the routes and roads are new to you. Friend of mine who's wife uses several of the Go Ahead routes said drivers going the wrong way is happening a lot.
KD345 wrote: » From observing the services it does seem like Go Ahead are stretching their resources too much. Many of the delays and bunching seems to be down to a delay on one route creating a knock on effect for the next route that bus is due to operate. The running time seems pretty tight on many duties too which may be an issue. I used Go Ahead services 4 times in the last week - two services ran on time, one was 20 minutes late and the other bus didn't turn up.
They should just put double deckers back onto the 184 full time to cope with the crowds. Having passengers left at the side of the road is not the way to go. Possibly related, Dublin Bus have just announced an increase on the 84 from Monday with 4 additional departures. This should help with the crowds between Greystones and Bray. http://www.dublinbus.ie/News-Centre/General-News/Additional-Departures-on-Route-84a/ I noticed online Wicklow County Council have sent a letter to the NTA to complain about the recent changes in the Greystones area on the 84, 184 and DART.
KD345 wrote: » They should just put double deckers back onto the 184 full time to cope with the crowds. Having passengers left at the side of the road is not the way to go. Possibly related, Dublin Bus have just announced an increase on the 84 from Monday with 4 additional departures. This should help with the crowds between Greystones and Bray. http://www.dublinbus.ie/News-Centre/General-News/Additional-Departures-on-Route-84a/
superg wrote: Friend of mine who's wife uses several of the Go Ahead routes said drivers going the wrong way is happening a lot.
dashcamdanny wrote: » I think alot of that could be down to inexperience. I dont think they are doing several routes in one duty. That is not really possible.
dashcamdanny wrote: » I think alot of that could be down to inexperience. Which will correct itself in time. I dont think they are doing several routes in on duty. That is not really possible. Lots of dublin bus duties have 2 different routes. Once you go the wrong way a few times, you soon learn to concentrate harder.
Dave_Dublin wrote: » As a Go-Ahead driver, I can tell you that we drive up to FOUR (4) different routes in one duty shift. Many duties have a gap of two to three hours after we've driven for a few hours. The shifts are usually between 11 and 13 hours long. We are stranded in Dún Laoghaire for the three-hour gap / we're not on a break, we are officially on "Stand-by" - - this means we can be requested to drive or do any other task assigned by a supervisor. Our 40-minute break is usually scheduled either at the start or the end of the *stand-by* period. As previously mentioned in the thread, there are no toilet facilities available to us. Yes: there are plenty of toliets in D.L. but many are "for customers only" or are PAY-as-you-use... I have had to eat my lunch sitting on the side of the road at the rear of the train station -or- at a bus stop at the front of the station if it was raining. If our first run is late (delayed in traffic), our subsequent runs are automatically late as there's usually only a 7-minute buffer between the scheduled arrival time of one route and the scheduled departure time of the next route. (Traffic delays, especially on route 75, can put us up to 20 minutes behind schedule)
dashcamdanny wrote: » What are SIPTU doing on these matters? You should at least have shelter to eat your packed lunch in. Dublin bus have very little in the way of toilets either. They really do expect you to go 5 hours with out a toilet. You keep a bottle in your bag. As for lady drivers, they must have bladders of steel.
