Bus travels, Tour and transport

Most subway and bus riders say service has got worse, poll finds

Posted by david - Monday, January 30, 2012

A majority of riders said their commute has worsened in the last three years, according to a review by Transportation Alternatives.

Of the nearly 700 people surveyed last week, 61% said their subway or bus services has gotten worse since 2009; 13% said it had better and the remaining 26% said it's stayed the same.

"Particularly on the weekend, it's awful," said Karl Green, 39, of Staten Island, as he waited for a downtown train Sunday. "The trains don’t run on time, it's always packed, and trains are not going where they are supposed to be going."

Since 2009, the cash-strapped transit agency has raised fares and made some of the worst service cuts in its history in 2010 when two subway lines were eliminates, along with dozens of bus routes.

“This survey confirms what every bus and subway rider in this metropolis knows,” White said. “Our commutes have gotten worse.

Most straphangers interviewed by NewYork said they have notice service getting worse in recent years.

Find a Charter Bus in Maryland

Posted by Jeff adams - Thursday, January 26, 2012

Maryland is verily a holidaymaker’s paradise and it is therefore no surprise that tourists flock to Maryland to see the bays, visit the zoos, watch the historic lighthouses and become part of the their unique art and culture. The best and most comfortable way to go around Maryland to see the various tourist spots is traveling by charter bus.

Interestingly, a reporter for National Geographic channel who visited Maryland aptly called the state “Miniature America”. Maryland has it all from majestic mountains to salubrious seashores within about a 3-hour drive from their biggest city, Baltimore. When you are on a holiday, avoid driving yourself and make yourself free to enjoy the splendor and beauty of Maryland by hiring a charter bus.

Choose a reliable charter bus

Like the charter buses in all other cities of United States, you do not have to worry about driving, traffic, or fueling up when availing Maryland charter bus. All you have to do is to sit and enjoy the ride and witness the picturesque sceneries Maryland has to offer.

In Maryland there are many places to go fishing, boating, kayaking or canoeing or whatever water sports you prefer. If you are fond of the outdoors, there are more than 25 beautiful state parks that you can choose from.

Ask your Maryland charter bus to drop you off at one of the plethora of theaters Maryland has and tell them to pick you up at the front door after the program is over. This way, you do not even have to worry about parking space.

All Things Travel: Massport Meetings To Encourage Public Feedback

Posted by Jeff adams - Monday, January 23, 2012

Massachusetts desk of Transportation Richard Davey is putting his trample on the Massport Board where he also serves as its Chairman.

Changes are going to take place, both inside and outside the Authority that runs Logan Airport and the cruise terminal in Boston. Some of these changes will bring Massport board meetings more in line with the agenda of the monthly meetings of the MBTA and MassDOT at the Transportation Building downtown.

Starting with the monthly meeting scheduled for February 16 at the Massport Headquarters on the airport’s Harborside Drive, there will be 30 minutes at the opening of each meeting for input from people in the community. They will be encouraged to speak for about three minutes.

Another item to be reviewed is the dollars allocated for gifts to community groups. Finally, discussions will begin on whether parking fees should be increased at Logan Airport and where this extra income might be spent.

Outside the headquarters at this month’s January 19 meeting, the first of 32 large diesel/electric hybrid buses were on display for the first time. Built in Anniston, Alabama by North American Bus Industries, the price tag for each bus is $830,000. They have 39 seats and extra luggage racks.

Thanks : http://boston.cbslocal.com

Dallas Charter Bus

Posted by Jeff adams - Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Worth and the Mid-Cities form the largest metropolitan area in the south-central United States. The Dallas metro area has the largest concentration of corporate headquarters in the U.S.

Dallas attracts business visitors, tourists, and recreational travelers in masses. Metropolitan Shuttle’s network of professional charter buses, bus rentals, bus charters, bus rental rental operators in the Dallas area specialize in group travel and transportation.

Dallas transportation options include charter buses, minibuses, shuttles and vans to and from airports, reunions, business conventions, family reunions, festivals, academic events, sports events, religious events, weddings, and more.

Halloween the Sensational Gut Feeling

Posted by Jeff adams - Sunday, January 08, 2012

Guys get ready it’s time to celebrate the Halloween party.
Have you chosen your invites???? Has the planning for Halloween started???
Get access to stuff that you had never thought about in your lifetime…..
Choose a costume that is more edgy and just rock on………..

Halloween is a chance for restrained people to let loose and turn spooky, wild, wicked, and naughty almost to do things that are stupid. So this time make sure that Your Halloween is more enjoyable and it will be, but only if you plan for something unusual rather the same dress up. Halloween is known for the dreadful dress up rather anything else. Here you can find few tips concerned with the Halloween costumes for all age groups and some ideas to give an awe factor. Make sure that the makeup and costumes which you wear has a mixed effect of art and science such that it is dreadful.

Dressing up completely different attires is basically fun however finding the simplest and right kind of outfit for Halloween is sort of powerful task. Ton of your time is needed to hold out through analysis then solely you'll return up with the simplest attires. You can go with the cloth primarily based on your style and preference. When it involves wear enticing costume, you've got to be little artistic to consider some special outfits to wear in party.

Interesting information to you “One quarter of all the candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween” isn’t it exciting to know???

Though infants know nothing about the Halloween party it is fun dressing up for them and presenting them in the cutest way. While selecting infant Halloween costumes make sure that you opt for the one which your baby feels comfy. You can check out the various sites which offer the infant costumes and opt for the best one.

When it comes to women there are quite a lot of costumes like princess, bat girl, horror witch, and skeleton with bleeding-heart. While selecting for Halloween women costumes make sure that you opt the best costume suitable for you in varying styles and persona that will help you to look your "best" while you enjoy the partying.

Movie characters are great ideas for boys who wish to dress up for Halloween parties. When it comes to Boy’s costumes in Halloween, harry potter is in the trend. One of the main advantages in dressing up like a movie character for your Halloween party is it will help the onlookers to make out the character.

Adults are the one who make the most of from the Halloween party and they tend to blast off and enjoy off the charts to have a splendid time. When it comes to adult, costumes are available in a wide range like vampire look, deviled egg and many more.

On the whole, the best part of Halloween is that you could become anyone you wanted to be, even if was for one night.
Jackson is a Expert author for Halloween costumes and Women Costumes.He has written many articles like Boy’s costumes. For more information visit our site http://www.costumecenterusa.com.
Contact him at ccusamaster@gmail.com

Costs spike to transport homeless students to school

Posted by Jeff adams - Sunday, December 18, 2011

As the number of homeless students continues to rise in Michigan, school districts across the state are struggling to transport and educate them.

Sometimes, schools pay a taxi service to transport homeless students back to the school they attended before they became homeless. Assisting with transportation is required under federal law.

Schools in Washtenaw County spent $5,234 transporting homeless children by taxi in October 2010. This year, the October cab bill spiked to $9,223 for a county that has seen a 40% increase in the number of homeless students in the last two years at 10 school districts and 11 charter schools. Most of the bill ($8,139) was paid by the districts, not the federal government.

"We have families who are moving every three or four days," said Peri Stone-Palmquist, who is in charge of the homeless program for the Washtenaw Intermediate School District. "We feel like we are drowning with the number of families that are calling for help."

Other districts don't have taxi service and rely on busing or give parents gas cards to defray costs.

source : www.freep.com

Bendy bus makes final journey for Transport for London

Posted by Jeff adams - Sunday, December 11, 2011

The last of London's bendy buses was taken off the roads on Friday night.

The vehicles were used on 12 routes over the past decade but Mayor Boris Johnson called them "cumbersome machines" which were too big for narrow streets and encouraged fare-dodgers.

He has ordered nearly 500 new buses to replace them and promised more vehicles on the routes during the rush hour.

But campaigners said they were "the most accessible bus in London" and would be missed by wheelchair users.

The final route to be operated with bendy buses has been the 207 between Hayes and White City, and the last of the long vehicles was to run late on Friday.

Transport for London (TfL) predicted it would increase its takings by £7.4m because fare-evasion would now become harder.

The "hop-on, hop-off" style of the bendy buses, with few checks on tickets, had encouraged thousands of people to avoid paying.
'Frequently stranded'

But Transport for All, which speaks for older and disabled transport users, said TfL was "nuts" to scrap the vehicles, especially as their new Routemaster-style replacements had only "a tiny wheelchair space".

Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk

Guernsey school bus travel rules delayed

Posted by Jeff adams - Monday, December 05, 2011

The introduction of a minimum travel distance for children to qualify to use Guernsey school buses has been delayed The environment department planned to start the restrictions from Monday, but has delayed it until the New Year.

The new measures means pupils who travel less than a mile to school will be barred from using the service The delay is to allow the department to consult further having only received responses from five schools to the proposed changes.

The move follows complaints from parents and schools that some children had been unable to catch the bus as seats were taken by those who lived much closer.

source:www.bbc.co.uk

Free bus travel for visitors to Devon costs county £1m

Posted by Jeff adams - Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Devon has been hit by £1 million of costs after it emerged one-in-five people using free bus passes in the tourism season come from outside the county A Devon County Council survey found it was under-writing the free off-peak travel scheme, enjoyed by Britons over 60, for hundreds of visitors.

The survey revealed that during September 21 per cent of people using a concessionary bus pass were not from the Devon local authority area The figure included 2 per cent from Torbay and 1 per cent from Plymouth, but 18 per cent were residents from beyond the two neighbouring authorities Devon County Council is calling for more funding from Government to pay for the £1 million it cost to pay for outsiders to travel free. Currently, the authority is handed £7 million a year by Government to run the scheme, which also applies to disabled people. But it faces a £5 million shortfall because it costs £12 million in total.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council cabinet member for transport, said: "The concessionary bus pass funding certainly doesn't take into account visitor numbers from other areas.

Source: http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk

Free Christmas bus travel for children welcomed by Swansea traders

Posted by Jeff adams - Sunday, November 27, 2011

TRADERS in Swansea have welcomed plans to allow children free bus travel during the Christmas period Swansea Council has agreed to provide free bus travel for children aged five to 16 in an effort to reduce the costs to families during the festive period while schools are closed And council chiefs hope it will also encourage families to visit the city centre to do their shopping.

The authority believes it could be among the first in the UK to introduce such a scheme, which will cost an estimated £35,000 The free travel offer is between December 22 and January 8 to take in the January sales, and it’s hoped it will provide a significant boost for city centre businesses throughout the Christmas period John Hague, cabinet member for the environment on Swansea Council, said: “We have excellent public transport services in Swansea, boosted by the new city centre bus station.

“The latest offer should help tempt more families to use public transport.”Council leader Chris Holley said: “Christmas can be an expensive time of year for families. We want to try and ease some of the costs by offering free travel for children under 16 “Hopefully this will encourage more families to use public transport and come into the city centre. We expect lots of families to come and visit the Waterfront Winterland attraction “The free travel will certainly help that.”

Read More www.walesonline.co.uk

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Traveling by bus? Choose a safe ride

Posted by Jeff adams - Thursday, November 24, 2011

With Thanksgiving almost here, many people will be jumping on buses to head home or to grandma’s house.They won’t be alone. Each year about 750 million passenger trips are taken by bus, a mode of travel that has experienced very large growth in the last six to seven years, according to the American Bus Association Foundation.

There is no official data for nationwide bus travel for Thanksgiving week, but Coach USA/megabus.com expects about 60 percent to 70 percent more travelers than during a typical week. “Thanksgiving is one of the biggest travel weeks,” said Dale Moser, the company’s president and chief operating officer.For the week of Nov. 21-27, the company will carry between 160,000 and 210,000 passengers, a 28 percent to 35 percent increase from last year, Moser said.

“With convenient departure options and comfortable motorcoaches with power outlets and Wi-Fi, it's no wonder people are choosing buses over rising gas prices and crowded airports,” U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wrote in his blog last week. “America's commercial buses are a safe, affordable choice for your holiday travel.”But recent news reports detail companies being put out of business and high-profile crashes.

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Here Comes the Ambulance Bus

Posted by Jeff adams - Monday, November 21, 2011

Frisco is the first North Texas City to receive a giant, new tool to respond to large-scale emergencies and major events. And the city plans to share it with the rest of North Texas. It's called an ambulance bus and it's as big as it sounds a fire department can send several ambulances in an emergency, but now Frisco can deploy a 41-foot-long ambulance that has the body of a bus.

"When we're going to help do evacuations or maybe move a nursing home during a power outage or something like that, it allows us to do that with a similar number of people but certainly a lot less space taken up with the vehicles," said Cameron Kraemer, Frisco Fire Department's training division chief. "It certainly offers one more vehicle, one more tool in our toolbox to be able to take care of the citizens of Frisco."

The ambulance bus is like a hospital on wheels. The city said it does the job of 10 regular ambulances the bus can carry six paramedics and up to 20 patients on portable stretchers and gurneys with wheels. Seats fold out for patients that need to sit up rather than lie down. Wheelchairs can be secured to the floor."It's completely reconfigurable to meet the needs of the mission," said firefighter-paramedic Scott Vetterick. "It's nice to know that it's there and it's available. We hope we don't have to use it."a cardiac monitor/defibrillator and five wireless vital sign monitors allow paramedics to send critical information to their commander.

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New Lymmo lines will link Creative Village to SunRail, downtown

Posted by Jeff adams - Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The first concrete step in the future of the Creative Village is coming, in the form of two projects worth $22 million that will more than triple the length of the free bus route through downtown Orlando the work includes dedicated bus lanes, bus stops and other infrastructure that will encircle the Creative Village site, linking its future high-tech workers and students to the upcoming SunRail train system and the rest of downtown.

It will also give Creative Village developers something beyond architectural renderings to point to as they begin to market their 68-acre neighborhood to potential commercial and institutional tenants.

"This is the first stage of going in and getting ready for development," said developer Craig Ustler of Creative Village Development LLC. "This moves us significantly farther down the road. I think it gives us a solid start."

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Fight for a school bus continues

Posted by Jeff adams - Sunday, November 13, 2011

Parents are determined to ensure that their children’s free school transport will be reinstated in October Bedford Borough Council decided to end the free school transport from Roxton to Alban Academy in Great Barford. Parents fought the proposal because they believe the route is dangerous but the council deemed it to be safe to walk with an adult the move will not save any money as the bus will continue to run and children can use it on a first come first saved basis if they pay.

Following the decision the Save Roxton School Bus parents group decided to write to the Queen and their concerns were passed to the Department for Education but the department’s reply said: “Funding for transport provision is delegated to local authorities and in these difficult economic times the Government expects them to take account of all local circumstances and issues and ensure that value for money can be achieved.

“Local authorities are best placed to determine how their resources are to be utilised and, whilst the Government expects them to take account of their responsibilities, it is not an area in which the Government can intervene.” parent Angie Foster said: “It’s really urgent that we can get our bus reinstated. We are worried that they will look at the bus not stopping in the village at all next year.”

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Charter bus to discontinue service

Posted by Jeff adams - Thursday, November 10, 2011

Lenzner Coach Lines is discontinuing transit service between Franklin Park and Downtown at the end of the month because of low ridership, the company's president said Tuesday the Ohio Township-based company started running North Hills commuter routes after Port Authority of Allegheny County cut service by 15 percent in late March. Lenzner offered five daily round trips between Marshall and Downtown, and four daily round trips between Franklin Park and Downtown.

The Franklin Park route struggled from the start. Company President Charles Lenzner said the 57-seat Franklin Park buses, on average, carry 10 to 20 passengers lenzner attributed the low ridership to the private service's higher costs and riders migrating instead to Port Authority stops at Rave Cinemas in McCandless and the Perrysville Avenue lot in Ross. Lenzner's fares on the route are $5 each way, compared with $3.25 per trip on the nearby Port Authority routes.

Tourism Links

Safer school buses in Abu Dhabi

Posted by Jeff adams - Monday, November 07, 2011

The GPS project, which will be fully operational next year, is part of the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s (ADEC) comprehensive plan to upgrade the transportation requirements in order to ensure the safety and security of children on their way to school and back home “This project has started already and it will be fully active next year. This year, we will complete the installation and testing of the system,” Khaled Al Ansari, Infrastructure and Facilities Division Manager at the ADEC, told Khaleej Times.

The upgrade also included a plan to install surveillance cameras in school buses. But for the pilot phase, eight government schools are being selected to fit three or four of their buses with cameras Al Ansari said the camera installations will be carried out during the first semester break starting on December 18, during which, the project will be closely monitored.

“The ADEC will observe how parents and students are reacting to the new initiative, and will point out the limitations encountered during that period, if any. If the project proves successful, surveillance cameras will be diversified to all public school buses across the emirate,” he stated the ADEC has started the overhaul of the transport system after several cases of neglect and incidents of young girls being subjected to abuse and molestation by unscrupulous school bus drivers and attendants were recorded across the country in separate accidents in 2008 and 2009, two girls, aged three and four, died in the Capital after they were locked inside the school bus for several hours under extreme heat.

Tourism Links

Historic train makes way to Arizona for Centennial tour

Posted by Jeff adams - Sunday, November 06, 2011

Arizonans can take a trip back in time starting next Thursday when historic Union Pacific Steam Locomotive Engine No. 844 relives the Southern Arizona "Sunset Limited" route in recognition of Arizona's 100 years of statehood.

The engine is scheduled to approach Willcox November 10 and head westward to Tucson for close-up viewing, according to a news release from the Arizona Centennial Commission.

After its stop in Willcox, No. 844 will travel through Benson and Vail for "whistle stops" and arrives in Tucson for its first "display day" on Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The route takes the engine through Coolidge, Gilbert and Tempe before arriving for another "display day" in Phoenix on Sunday, November 13 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as well as Monday, November 14.

From Phoenix, the engine makes its way back to its original route near Casa Grande, and continues west through Gila Bend, Wellton, and finally arrives in Yuma late in the afternoon on Tuesday, November 15, officials say.

“The adventures of steam locomotives captivate us even today. They literally blazed the trail westward. And, it’s exciting – for train enthusiasts and all of us -- to catch a glimpse of the West as it was more than 100 years ago,” said Karen Churchard, executive director, Arizona Centennial Commission & 2012 Foundation.

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Carriers Enhance Motor Coach Service

Posted by Jeff adams - Thursday, November 03, 2011

As Greyhound prepares to move from its longtime Downtown bus station to the airport area this month, another change under way in the Memphis motor coach market reflects broader changes in the business nationally.

Carriers are moving toward low-cost, regional, express bus service with amenities like Wi-Fi – and the competition in the Memphis market is heating up.

Greyhound Lines Inc. and Megabus.com are each launching express bus service to and from Atlanta hubs this month.

The new Greyhound Express routes from the Atlanta hub to Memphis and Birmingham, Ala., start Nov. 15.

The next day, Megabus.com begins daily service from Atlanta to Memphis, Birmingham and nine other southeastern cities including Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville.

Each company uses a different approach to its transportation network. While Dallas-based Greyhound has hubs in its cities, Megabus.com operates a system without terminals, using curbside stops that border bus terminals instead.

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Red zone bus tour bookings overload phones

Posted by Jeff adams - Tuesday, November 01, 2011

Massive public demand for Christchurch red zone bus tours overloaded phone lines this morning as seats were booked out at a rate of one every 25 seconds.

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority's (CERA) phone lines were overloaded just half an hour after it started taking bookings for the weekend tours, the first of which starts this Saturday.

CERA general manager of demolitions Warwick Isaacs said its call centre completed 361 bookings in the first two and a half hours, which averaged one booking every 25 seconds.

The calls were taking an average of seven minutes to complete as callers were given safety briefings over the phone.

Mr Isaacs said demand remained very high but overloading had eased back from initial levels.

CERA chief executive Roger Sutton earlier apologised for the frustration.

He reminded callers there would be six buses running every hour for the next six weekends, so there would be opportunities for everyone to experience the trips.

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Making school bus travel even safer

Posted by Jeff adams -

What's the safest mode of transportation in California?

Here's a hint: They're big, bright yellow and black, and seen most often in early morning and late afternoon hours.

The obvious answer, of course, is the school bus. Oct. 17-21 is state School Bus Safety Week, and the California Highway Patrol and local school districts are observing that milestone with ongoing efforts to educate the public on ways to make things even safer.

CHP Officer Jeffrey S. Butticci is the school bus coordinator and training officer for the Merced area patrol office. He watches over more than 400 drivers who work for 14 northern Merced County school districts.

"School buses are by far the safest mode of transportation," Butticci said. "They (school bus drivers) are top-notch, second to none, when it comes to safety. They are the most highly trained drivers in California."

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