Bus travels, Tour and transport

Free bus journey coming soon

Posted by david - Monday, February 27, 2012

A slice of 12,000 free seats offered nationwide by a prominent inter-city bus operator is intended for travelers commuting to and from Northland.

Naked bus has announced 12,000 free seats nationwide in May and June, with at least 1000 to be snap up for trips to and from Whangarei and Paihia on a first-come, first-served basis.

Naked bus has two every day departures from Auckland to Paihia via Whangarei.

One of those services expands to Kerikeri and during summer and busy periods such as Easter, an additional service is organized to and from Kerikeri each day.

The free seat promotion started on Wednesday and will run until March 6 unless the tickets are snapped up earlier. Travel will be between May 1 and June 24 but the free fare is not available on services to and from airports.

Commuters can travel free from Northland to and from any major towns and cities in the North Island that Naked bus services, includes Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Palmerston North, Gisborne, Napier.

Development in customer numbers has allowed the company to introduce more services in the past 12 months, including a shuttle service between Auckland, Hamilton and Rotorua, direct services from Tauranga and Rotorua to Wellington and return, more services north of Auckland to Whangarei and Bay of Islands, services from Gisborne to Napier, Palmerston North and Wellington.

If there are free fares obtainable for a journey, the ticket price will appear as $0.00 during online booking.

The American bus revival

Posted by Jeff adams - Sunday, February 26, 2012

Motor coaches are the greatest growing form of extended coldness transport in the United States, and British-owned companies are leading the charge. So has the US finally learned to love the bus?

"Imagine if William Shatner had crashed a plane into the side of a building. The airline industry would go crazy."

Dan Ronan, chief spokesman for the American Bus Association, has a bone to pick with Captain Kirk.

The object of his irritation is an advertisement for travel website Priceline, currently on heavy rotation on American television, which features William Shatner on board a bus that plunges over a precipice and explodes in a spectacular fireball.

The ABA feels the ad is in "poor taste" but what really irks the industry is that Shatner's bus is not a modern, air-conditioned vehicle with leather seats and wi-fi but a beaten-up museum piece from the 1950s.

It seems to sum up the average American traveller's view of buses as the transport option of last resort - slow, uncomfortable and out-of-date.

According to ABA president Peter Pantuso, the last time most Americans took to the road in public transport was in the yellow bus that took them to school.

Persuading them to take their first trip on a modern coach is the toughest task he faces.

Thanks: bbc.co.uk

Halloween Costumes

New bus service will link Athens and Atlanta

Posted by Jeff adams - Thursday, February 23, 2012

Discount express bus corporation Megabus will present service between Athens and Atlanta three(3) times per day starting next Wednesday.

“As Americans continue to look for ways to stretch their income, we look forward to providing safe, convenient and affordable travel to Athens-area residents,” President and Chief Operating Officer Dale Moser said in a news release.

Buses will leave Athens at 7 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., arriving in Atlanta an hour and 40 minutes later. Return trips are scheduled for 11 a.m., 3:45 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Buses will depart Athens from the Multimodal Transportation Center on East Broad Street Monday through Saturday. On Sundays, when Athens Transit buses don’t run, they’ll depart from the University of Georgia’s East Campus parking deck.

In Atlanta, buses will arrive and depart at the Civic Center MARTA station in Midtown.

The service will boost the local tourism and convention industry, said Kathryn Lookofsky, executive director of the Athens Downtown Development Authority.

Thanks: onlineathens.com/local-news/

Halloween Costumes

Adult pirate costumes for your Halloween dress up

Posted by Jeff adams - Monday, February 06, 2012

Halloween is one among the most auspicious times of the year that is cherished and celebrated with a lot of spirit all around the world.

Everyone loves to dress up in some costume or the other on this day, trying to look as realistic as possible and fit pretty well into the character. On this day, everyone around the world irrespective of their age or size dress up in bizarre costumes and party all through the night. Irrespective of which character you dress up as, authenticity is very appropriate and important. At least everyone expects to look as real as the character while they dress up and they put in a lot of effort, money and time to create that appropriate character look.

Children on this same day dress up in children’s costumes and run around the neighborhood playing trick or treat. Trick or treat is a very popular concept. Children visits their neighborhood homes and asks for trick or treat while they are supposed to perform as the character in which they have dressed up as and authenticate their character. In return, neighbors give them sweets, candies and chocolates as treat. Traditionally it is believed that the concept to have originated from the fact that children ought to be treated on this spooky day or they can trick you into a scheme. Some people believe that children could cast a spell or jinx their neighbors with their special magic powers when neighbors fail to treat them. However, this is just a superstitious concept and every household all around the globe cherish the concept with a lot of passion that they always end up treating these kids with chocolates and candies irrespective of whether children performs as the character or not. In fact, every year during Halloween, they see to that they include large quantities of chocolates and candies in their grocery shopping lists. When it comes to costumes, you have two choices. You can either choose to purchase the outfit at retail or wholesale costume shops or you can make your own outfit from your own closet using simple accessories and clothes.

There are also retail shops that rent these costumes instead of selling them which works out all the more cheaper and convenient for you. However, in order to look authentic it is advisable for you to opt for purchasing these costumes which allows you to use them for several years to come or rent these costumes for Halloween instead of making them on your own. Jack Sparrow and Pirates of the Caribbean has been a very popular theme ever since it hit the market. Everyone loves the movie and rejoices Johnny Depp’s performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. The character has some wide base of fanatics as well. So it’s understandable that many would love to dress up as pirates for the upcoming Halloween.

You can find these adult pirate costumes across several websites online and retail stores. However, if you choose to purchase it, it is very important that you purchase it from a reputable store or a website in order to ensure the costume’s quality. These costumes are considerably expensive and no one would like to waste on poor quality costumes. Hence, it is very important that your research thoroughly on the background of the website or store before purchasing or renting these costumes. And always remember to never compromise over quality for cheap price at any given day.

Jackson is a Expert author for Halloween costumes and Women Costumes.He has written many articles like Adult pirate costumes. For more information visit our site http://www.costumecenterusa.com.
Contact him at ccusamaster@gmail.com

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.

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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.

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