🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi...

Don't know if anyone has commented on the (almost) new buses...you know, 
the ones that hug the road closer, and "kneel" for people who need 
assistance in getting on the bus.  Personally, I find that the only 
redeeming feature of the bus is the fact that it kneels.  Otherwise, all 
I have for the new bus is complaints.

I haven't had the need to use the new buses in the past year, since I've 
been living on campus, and the bus routes which I take to do my grocery 
shopping, etc, aren't the same ones which use these buses.  However, now 
that I've moved back home for the summer, I've almost always been forced 
to take one wherever I go.  I won't bother to write a 2000 word 
complaint, so I'll just summarize my complaints, and hope that someone 
from BC Transit can pass it on to someone in charge.

1) I don't feel safe sitting in the bus.  The bus is too low on the road, 
unlike the older buses, and in the case that a bozo comes and kisses the 
side of the bus with their $15000 mobile coffin, anyone sitting in the 
bus will not be safe.  The construction of the side of the bus does not 
look like it can withstand the impact of another vehicle, and does not 
look think enough to act as a cushion.

2) There is no leg room for those of us with long legs.  I've sat in many 
of the seats, and the only ones with enough leg room for me are the ones 
facing towards the centerline of the bus (in which case, I'll obstruct 
traffic moving to the back) or the seats at the very back of the bus.  In 
fact, my femur is just long enough that if I am sitting on a 
"forward-facing" seat, it reaches from the back of my seat to the back of 
the seat preceding mine.

3) There is much less seating in the new bus than on the old ones.  
Couple that with #2 above, and you'll see that the buses have actually 
reduced the total seating capacity entirely.  This is probably due to the 
(unnecessary) plush seating.

4) There is an irritatingly long delay in the mechanism for opening the 
rear doors.  The sign on the back doors state "Push to open", but when it 
takes a second or two for the door to open, it makes people wonder if 
they've pushed it hard enough or not; this means that people may attempt 
again, with more force.  This may potentially result in avoidable 
repairs (ie. if the mechanism had no delay in the first place).  Why 
don't you just stick with the good old "weight" sensor on the step instead?

5) These buses are used on moderate capacity routes.  I feel really lucky 
that I live on campus during the winter session, since I won't have to 
transfer to the "25" bus when it is packed.  Since there is less seating 
capacity, not much improvement on standing capacity, and the route is 
heavily used by UBC students (as well as high school students going to 
Lord Byng and post-secondary students going to BCIT), I would suspect 
that taking the bus on that route would be nothing short of comparing it 
to a tin of sardines.  Granted, the older buses would still be packed if 
they were used on the same routes (I should know: I've bussed for 4 years 
prior to moving on campus); but at least more people could be transported.

I don't know who designed this bus, or who suggested their use.  However, 
I'd just like to say that the new buses _*SUCK*_, and that if they are to 
be used, at least make sure that they are limited to low capacity routes, 
and not to moderate capacity routes, such as going to UBC and Metrotown.

Thank you for your attention, and that's enough spewage from me.

Disgusted at the new buses,
Ead

--
Edmund "Ead" Gin, egin@unixg.ubc.ca, e5c192@ugrad.cs.ubc.ca
Undergraduate Student, Department of Chemical Engineering
An Eaditor of _The_nEUSpayper_ (an Offishul Publikayshun of UBC's EUS),
EUS Publicity Representative, EUS Editorial Board Chairperson, and 
creator/maintainer of the EUS homepage, http://www.ee.ubc.ca/~eus