Latest news with #buses
The National
4 days ago
- The National
In the age of the metro and air taxis, will we still be travelling on buses in Dubai years from now?
Anyone settling into their seat on the metro at Dubai International Airport and contemplating a glide across the city, perhaps as far as the Expo 2020 station tens of kilometres away, might wonder why they would ever travel on a bus again. The humble bus can easily appear to be a product of a bygone era in a progressive city in which multibillion-dirham rail projects and plans for flying taxis are taking shape. As construction continues apace on Dubai Metro's Blue Line, which will complement the existing red and green lines, and as the city looks ahead to the launch of even electric air taxis, could the bus slide further down the transport food chain? If evidence from around the world is anything to go by, the answer is probably to be no, because even when a city invests heavily in top-line rail-based transit – metro and tram lines are often built along what were the busiest few bus routes – buses still play a vital role. Peter White, professor emeritus at the University of Westminster in the UK and a steering group member for a 2018 report, Buses in Urban Developments, says that buses are sometimes easier to access than metro stations with steps and lifts. Serving communities They also tend to be better suited to areas with lower density of population, enabling a more comprehensive public transport network to be provided. 'It may also be important to continue to offer some bus services running parallel to a new urban rail line, to avoid undue interchange for short trips, and to cater for those unable to walk the longer distances to urban rail stations – typically with a substantially wider spacing than bus stops,' says Prof White, who is the author of the textbook Public Transport: Its Planning, Management and Operation. When a metro or tram system is developed, factors such as the reconfiguration of bus networks often lead to a growth in bus ridership. Dr Alexander Wray, a transport researcher at Western University in Canada, has seen the bus system flourish in his hometown of Kitchener-Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, since the city's tram system opened in 2019. While there was a fall in the number of buses on the road, Dr Wray says that ridership grew as new bus services to connect to tram stations were inaugurated. Another key factor behind the growth in passenger numbers was, he says, increases in bus frequency. 'From the evidence, we know what people look for is the ability to just walk up to a stop and know that there's a vehicle coming in the next 10 minutes. That breeds confidence in a transit system,' Dr Wray says. While cutting the wait times between buses is seen as the key factor that draws in passengers, making buses more comfortable also helps. 'Generally all the modern buses tend to have Wi-Fi and power points, and there's a bit more effort being put into the quality of bus services to make them more competitive with the car,' says Peter Jones, professor of transport and sustainable development at University College London and a former member of the Dubai Future Council for Transportation. Boosting connectivity Many other cities demonstrate the continued relevance of bus services even when rail-based transit is on offer. In Nottingham in England and Edinburgh in Scotland, Prof White says, the trams serve only a few corridors, whereas the buses provide comprehensive networks. Buses carried 41.6 million passengers in Nottingham in 2023-24, compared to 15.5 million on the tramway, while in Edinburgh the difference was even greater, with 110 million bus trips in 2023 compared to 10.1 million tram journeys. 'Both [Edinburgh and Nottingham bus] operators run very modern fleets, with a strong emphasis on high quality of service and passenger information,' Prof White says. 'Services run largely on a commercial basis – that is, covering costs, including provision of vehicles, from passenger revenue, after allowing for compensation for free concessionary travel, and a grant received by all local bus services.' In suburban North America the technology-driven emergence of bus services that ply flexible rather than fixed routes has been seen. The bus goes to where the passengers are, something that can be particularly helpful for, for example, people with mobility issues or those who do not drive. 'We also see them in some rural areas in North America where it just doesn't make sense to run a fixed route service at all,' Dr Wray says. 'So they operate almost like a shared Uber in that it's like a small 15, 20-passenger bus that's just driving around all day. And you're booking your times and where you need to go. 'The app and the algorithm will match you up with the next available good routing for that vehicle. So it's never following a fixed route: it's meeting demand where it is.' In Dubai, the bus services on offer are continuing to improve just as the number of passengers using them increases: the number of bus journeys made in the emirate last year increased by eight per cent to 188 million. The Roads and Transport Authority previously announced that it was upgrading stations and depots and aiming to achieve 'seamless connectivity' with the Metro and taxis. The fleet itself is enjoying an uplift, with hundreds of low-emission buses on order along with 40 all-electric vehicles. While analysts say that investment in buses often lags behind that of urban rail, Dubai passengers are set to see improvements. So in the UAE, as in many other places, if urban rail – or even electric air taxi – transport grows, the bus will retain a central role in helping everyone to get around.
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Frustrated resident finally traces non-stop honking to weird TTC bus feature
A Toronto resident captured video of TTC buses blaring their horns outside his apartment, near Kipling Station for several minutes. A west-end resident who found himself frequently disturbed by honking vehicles says he identified an unlikely culprit when he finally investigated the source of the noise. Lucas Laporta has lived in an apartment near Kipling Station in Etobicoke for nearly four years. A busy area with freight trains, subway trains and heavy machinery, he says he's learned to treat most of the noise in the area as background sound. But that's been tougher to do for one type of sound – the blaring of a honking vehicle horn that can sometimes continue unabated for as long as five minutes. 'When you live across from a transit hub, you expect there to be some honking, just the same as you would if you lived on the corner a busy intersection. Sometimes you hear a car honk and that's fine, it's not a big deal, it's part of the package,' Laporta says. 'What you don't expect is for the buses across the street from you to honk for up to five minutes straight, completely uninterrupted and completely unprompted.' At first, he thought it might be one inconsiderate motorist responsible for what sounded like a driver leaning hard on their horn without stopping. 'But one day, the honking happened as I was walking by the station on my way home from work,' Laporta recalls. 'Imagine my surprise when I see the culprit in question is parked, idling in its berth, with no driver in sight. The horn was going off completely on its own.' Bus horn noise A parked bus with a blaring car horn is pictured idling at Kipling Station. (Lucas Laporta /Submitted) After several calls to TTC customer service, he was informed that the honking was in fact the result of a strange feature in the buses: If a stop is requested while the vehicle is idling, the horn will continue to honk until it is deactivated by the driver. And if the horn goes off while the driver isn't near the vehicle, it could take several minutes for someone to notice and turn it off. While it might sound like a simple nuisance, Laporta says the noise is loud enough that it can be heard over anything else that is happening in his seventh-floor apartment, especially if it happens in the early hours or late at night. He's never sure when or how frequently the sound will go off. 'It varies, really, like it's hard to say,' he says. 'There are times like yesterday – it happened three times in one day. It's just a roll of the dice.' Laporta, who mainly works form home, says he started tracking the honking buses in November 2023 and has recorded at least 67 occurrences since then. One of the videos he shared with CP24 shows a parked bus at the station honking loudly for nearly three minutes straight. TTC customer service has told him there's nothing they can do because it's a built-in feature of the buses, he said. While he appreciates that it might not be their fault, he says the situation is nonetheless 'Kafkaesque' and the prolonged honking at all hours continues to be disruptive. 'It doesn't make any sense. You know, it's surprising because of how irrational it is. 'Oh, yeah, you pulled the thing while the bus is stopped and it sounds an alarm, it makes the horn honk.' Why? Why does it do that? You're supposed to honk the horn to alert other people on the road. It doesn't make any sense.' Noisy bus horns Laporta says bus horns can be heard blaring from the station at all hours. In a statement, the TTC told CP24 it's aware of the issue and is trying to get drivers to disable the function whenever possible. 'We apologize to the neighbours for this inconvenience,' the TTC said. 'This is a feature of the buses that is intended for safety. We are aware that sometimes they go off and we've been reminding operators about disarming the feature whenever possible to do so. 'We will continue to remind them to disable the alarms out of respect to the community.' Dozens of readers have written in to CP24 and CTV News Toronto recently to describe how noise in the city affects them, from loss of sleep to lack of concentration. Many have complained that noise is not treated as a serious problem in the city, but rather something to be expected and ignored. For its part, the City of Toronto has said it is trying to utilize technologies, such as sound level monitoring, to do a better job of identifying and mitigating problematic noise.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Preston crackdown on bus-blocking parking on six streets
Highways chiefs are to crackdown on residents whose parking blocks buses from getting down streets. Round-the-clock bans on waiting will be brought in parts of Preston, with double-yellow lines expected to follow. Thorntrees Avenue, Thornpark Drive, Hawthorn Crescent, Parkthorn Road, Campion Drive and The Campions - all off the A5085 Blackpool Road in Lea - will be included in the scheme. The restrictions will cover tight bends, areas close to junctions and other narrow sections of roads. Lancashire County Council said the move was planned "to prevent vehicles from parking obstructively and creating problems with bus manoeuvres". A consultation on the plans ends on Friday. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Syria asks Turkiye for defense support after sectarian clashes, Turkish officials say
A convoy of ambulances and buses arrives at a checkpoint in the village of Busra al-Harir, southern Syria, on its way to Sweida province, as security forces cordon off the area to block Bedouin fighters from entering the province, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
Earlier and later times added to York Park and Ride bus network
Earlier and later buses have been added to York's Park and Ride timetable. Changes that took effect on Sunday (June 20) mean that services will now arrive in York city centre by 5.45am (7.45am on Sundays), and will depart from the city centre at 10.30pm (every day). This applies to services 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 59. Councillor Kate Ravilious, executive member for transport at City of York Council, said: "Whether you're catching an early morning train, finishing an overnight shift, or enjoying a night out in York, this expansion is part of our commitment to giving people more travel options and making York a cleaner, more affordable, and more sustainable city." First Bus has also increased frequency across the Park and Ride network. Until September 7, additional buses will operate on weekdays on all services, and also on Saturdays on routes 7 and 8. Normal timetables will run on Sundays. For more information, visit and
