Maybe even more popular if your were interested in transport seriously.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/11/2186308.htm

Epping Rd demand caught us off guard: Govt

Posted Tue Mar 11, 2008 1:23pm AEDT

The New South Wales Government has admitted it was caught off guard by increased demand for public transport on Sydney's Epping Road.

Transport Minister John Watkins has announced additional bus services after just one day of peak hour traffic flowing through the new Lane Cove bus interchange.

The increased services started this morning, with enough buses to carry an additional 850 passengers.

Transport Minister John Watkins says the need for extra bus services is good news.

"It means people are trying public transport that haven't done it before," he said.

"That's good for congestion, it's good for our enviornment and it's certainly cheaper for those people who are perhaps using public transport for the first time."

Mr Watkins says demand for public transport was much higher than the Government had anticipated.

"This is probably the biggest week of the year when it comes to public transport because everyone is back at school, everyone is back at work and universities are fully prepared," he said

"We did put extra services on yesterday morning to cope with that surge, but I suppose a pleasing factor was that more people seemed to try public transport for the first time."

Sydney Buses SURPRISE!

The SURPRISE being that 100 buses are operating. Never feels like it each time I stand at the 400 bus stop waiting for buses that never show!

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From the Daily Terrorgraph.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23087489-5001021,00.html

A hundred Sydney Buses are operating with gas fuel tanks that have passed their 15-year replacement date, amid calls for the NSW Government to immediately pull them off the road to ensure passenger safety.

Transport unions will today seek assurances that the underfloor tanks in compressed natural gas (CNG) buses - Sydney's oldest gas buses - do not pose a "lethal threat" to drivers and the travelling public.

The 102 Scania CNG buses are housed at State Transit's (STA) Kingsgrove depot in Sydney's southwest, clocking up a combined 7.5 million km per year.

Their high-pressure gas cylinders were produced in 1993 and scheduled to be replaced no later than January 2008.

The Victorian-based manufacturer contacted STA in December last year to warn of delays in the supply of the replacement tanks.

The first batch of replacement tanks are due to begin arriving next month but that has not quelled the fears of worried drivers.

Rail Tram and Bus Union secretary Nick Lewocki said the State Government should ground the CNG buses until the new tanks are fitted.

"We've got serious concerns that these could pose a lethal threat to our members and the public if they are operated past their expiry dates," he said.

"Considering recent problems, you have to wonder about the maintenance regime and schedules at STA. The Government must intervene on behalf of passengers."

Already under fire for the recent steering rod replacement fiasco, STA last night pledged to begin visual inspections on CNG tanks from today.

Acting chief executive Peter Rowley conceded that the tanks were due to be replaced but said that WorkCover had agreed to allow the buses to operate.

So far just eight new tanks have been fitted.

STA believes that the 15-year use-by date should begin from when the tanks were first filled with gas rather than when they were made.

Mr Rowley said the staggered delivery of buses from 1994 meant that, in some cases, the 15-year period would end in December 2010.

"WorkCover agreed to this extension with the condition that the tanks be visually inspected by an authorised gas cylinder test station on or before its expiry date," Mr Rowley said last night.

Advanced Fuels Technology chief executive Sean Blythe said the main danger posed to tanks was from wear and tear due to heavy usage.

"The danger is some fatigue wear isn't picked up," he said.

Heres what that Telegraph rag had to say.

Normally I treat all that journalists say as a load of stinking cobblers, I mean have you ever read the rubbish they publish when it comes to trains?
Do they even both to research train facts or do they just invent it in an effort to publish it all first?
Anyway, this is that Telegraph publications report on the buses.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22950060-5006009,00.html

State Transit - Rumoured to be a transport service.

What a smelly excuse for a first world transport service State Transit has become.

I mean, have you used the service lately? Vomit near the back door of one bus, the almost customary screaming loony, the endless graffiti scratched into the wondows by some of societies lowest of scum..

Just yesterday I had need to catch a bus when the Falcon slagged itself. Its a 20 minute service offered and the following pretty much outlines the events.

10.05 Bus departs

10.06 I get to bus stop.

10.25 This bus never even shows. Not surprising given news reports this morning saying that, on average, 140 buses a day can't be bothered too.

10.45 Finally a bus approaches, but in the last moment one dopey bloody minion opens his car door to have it wiped off by the bus. The result that the bus disgorges its load of socities slaves and is unable to take the, now, huge lot of people.

11.05 A bus is due.

11.09 Where is that flamin bus. People now start opting to try their luck and risk being ripped off by cabbies.

11.15 Ten minutes late, the bus finally shows up. Being grateful that a bus actually showed up I decide to find a space within which has the least people and sit down for the trip home.

11.16 Yep there we go. The screaming loony. This time in the form of some near 80yo Miss Crotch-Itch. She is apparently upset that the bus stopped to pick up passengers when it is running late. Whinging ALOUD about it all the freaken way to where the stupid thing got off.

I suppose my biggest complaint is State Transit's obvious disregard for the environment. Printing out all those flamin timetables can't be good for the world and since they don't stick to them, THEN THEY ARE A BLOODY WASTE TOO.

GOODNITE!