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#buses

4 posts4 participants0 posts today

Reading an article on electric buses, I was struck by these lines:

>> If the T [Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ] chooses to use federal money to purchase electric buses, it cannot purchase any bus that comes from (or has parts made in) China. Yet these are the best, least expensive electric buses on the market today and for the foreseeable future. This China ban means that every US transit agency using federal funds is forced to purchase from one vendor, New Flyer.

This is a classic monopoly marketplace, and you don’t need a degree in economics to understand that such marketplaces do not offer best-value pricing. At a time when the T should be maximizing the use of its financial resources, spending any money on electric buses until we can make purchases of quality equipment in a competitive market makes no fiscal sense. <<

"Monopoly" has been a boo word for more than two centuries in US history, yet here we see one example of how US policy has created one, with all the extra expense for ordinary people and potential for abuse that private monopoly entails.

Look forward to Trump's trade policies multiplying this kind of expense and inefficiency in every corner of US life.

commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion

CommonWealth Beacon · Why the MBTA’s electric bus mandate is a bad ideaBy James Aloisi

#London #Transport (LT) News (No. 117 - February 3 1978) clipping:
LT split a £17m order for 450 new double-deck buses equally between British Leyland's "Titan" and Metro-Cammell Weymann's "Metrobus" models, with an option for more. Both designs featured separate front and centre exits, with Metrobuses being lower and both promising a quieter, smoother ride. Additionally, LT acquired 68 AEC #Routemaster #buses from London Country Bus Services for £140,000 to combat bus shortages. 30 were immediately serviceable, 20 for training, and 18 for overhaul or spares. Some were already in North London service.

First of 90 EV buses added to Transperth routes in Perth's suburbs
By Briana Shepherd

Eleven buses are now operational, servicing commuters in Perth's north-east, with more to come in the following months.

abc.net.au/news/2025-07-06/ev-

ABC News · EV buses join Perth's wider suburban network, 'milestone' for diesel phase-outBy Briana Shepherd
Continued thread

You might think they're created by the buses physically damaging the trees as they pass, but I suspect they're actually created by crown shyness, where trees naturally limit their growth so as not the clash with the branches of neighbouring trees. In this case, the trees infer the regular movement of the passing buses as an indication that they're getting too close to a neighbouring tree and, as a result, restrict their growth it that direction.

#London has surpassed 2,000 zero-emission #buses, making its fleet the largest in Western #Europe. This marks major progress since 2016, when there were just 30. Now, over one in five of the capital’s iconic red buses are zero-emission, with route 337 the latest to go fully electric. The move is part of the Mayor’s efforts to tackle toxic air, cut carbon emissions and protect public health, aiming for a fully zero-emission fleet by 2030. TfL’s investment has supported 3,000 green jobs across the UK and boosted manufacturing in cities like Ballymena and Falkirk. Zero-emission buses offer smoother, quieter journeys and meet the highest safety standards. London’s Superloop network, better infrastructure, and expanded ULEZ are further reducing emissions. With over 100 zero-emission routes and innovations like pantograph charging trials, TfL is leading the shift to greener, more sustainable transport while supporting economic growth and cleaner air for all Londoners.
tfl-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/l