LA MTA New Flyers we have 20 cameras interior and exterior + audio. Also, stop requesting is a button all GPS features like a new car. Also, before your stops alert passengers before and after without stop request on 40's,45,'s and 60 footers
Our Nova Bus LFS in Lansing, Michigan have the buttons and our New Flyers have the cords but our Novas a passenger could charged up their phone with our USB outlet. Hopefully you would take a ride on our buses soon too.
Honestly I think NewFlyers are so much more comfortable.. I think their a lot more smooth as well. In Missisauga, on their XE40/60s, they made the seats padded so I always get excited when I see one since it will be a super comfortable ride
We have both pull and button buses. I find the buttons get accidently hit with backpacks, people grazing them with their hands, and kids. So many times I stop and nobody gets off, when I operate a bus with buttons.
At one point, NYC buses got new shipment of vehicles back in the late 90s early 2000s without the cords. Then in the 2010s, they got further shipments with both cords and buttons.
In Chicago we have buttons on newer nova buses near ever seat and still have the cords even tho some of the cords are ripped off where they are supposed to be
In Montreal, Canada, we had stop request cords too and they were just fine. With a cord, you can be anywhere in the bus and access it, as it runs the length of the bus. With a button, you have to walk up to the nearest one, which is not practical in a crowded, jammed bus. I give kudos to cords! I love your videos, Bus Driver Life! Keep up the great work!
We used to have the old 2002 Blue birds school Buses like City buses. And what I mean by school bus. I mean they were raggedy and kept catching on fire. They used to have the yellow push tape above the seats. Then we got our first Batch of 2010 new flyers. They have the Yellow pull cord. And the Xcielsiors Came into play and those came with USB ports for charging your phone while you ride..
Wow your bus actually announces stop requested In Phoenix az all you hear is a ding and that is actually generated by that damn clever devices vms thing so if that don't work then no chime or anything, except the light on your dash
Back in the 80’s and early 90’s some of the transit buses used the tape strips as stop request cords and also to allow the passenger to open the rear door at a stop. The driver would put the handle in the rear door open position, it would light up above the door indicating it was ready and then the passenger would hit the strip on the door and it would open. There were RTS’s and early New Flyer D40LF’s with this setup. The strips wore out and it could potentially become an issue however.
The RTS and Flxible buses in my hometown (Monroe, LA) had the yellow strips back in the 80s and 90s. Then we switched to Gillig in the early 90s, which had cords...and we still have an all Gillig fleet.
I know the ADA buttons will get stuck and the stop request sign and bell will activate every time you close the door. At least with the cord, you can see where the cord is hung up at fixing it and get on without having to stop at every stop
I've ridden buses in Europe, North America, and Asia and never found a big difference in the buses. They all get you there, so thanks to the bus drivers of the world, you do an important job.
Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong order buses from European makes like Mercedes, MAN, Volvo and Scania. Even Japanese operators are buying Scanias with Aussie built Volgren bodywork.
I find the cord more convenient than the buttons as you know where it is and you don't have to stand and move to get to the button, just reach over and pull gently - you don't have to yank it; it even has a tactile click feedback to let you know you have activated it (accessibility for the deaf-blind).
Actually some of our buses here in Washington state allow for people to pull the cord multiple times and it makes a sound every time. As an operator i have to make sure the chime is flip to single and not the on position. I found this out the hard way😂
People here in the US have so little understanding of what the Stop Request cord actually does, I don’t think a button would help them at all. I can’t tell you how many people shout at me every single week for passing their stop because they didn’t pull the cord. I always tell them, “I left my tarot cards at home this morning, and my crystal ball is in the shop, so if you do not pull that cord, I’m not going to know when you want the next stop.” Then there’s the people who don’t know that they have to push the back door to get it to open. Those people are completely *useless.*
Here in Toronto the buses have both cords and buttons. However streetcars only have buttons for stop request. And on most buses there is a sign that says “Stop Request” and when someone pulls the cord or presses the button, it lights up and a bell sounds. On newer buses which have screens, the screen just says “Stop Request” on the top if someone pulls the cord/presses the button.
For the longest time from 1980-2000 All the foothill transit buses had a cord it either dinged a bell 🔔 or later Said stop requested finally about 2000 we got 1100 NABI low floor and they had a strip and u push it our last Cord bus was finally retired 2015 our newest ones a strip and it will say stop requested. We also have a voice example Approaching GAREY AVE and third street stop requested. You know like that.
I prefer the cords. So glad we did away with stop strips here in Nassau County. They're harder to press and reach as well. And yes the cords are easier to maintain, it makes sense. The last buses we had with the stop strips were the Orion VIING's but they've all been retired. MTA has had mostly cords as well. Suffolk has them but then they went with stop strips on their New Flyers, SMH. NJ Transit has buttons and stop strips generally since a lot of their buses are coaches.
NY has mix. Push button, pull cord, push tape. On $6.75 MTA express bus or NJ Transit coach buses has button on roof next to light. On NJ Transit, push tape on overhead above seat. On Jitney buses, you have to ask "Next stop please."
The biggest difference between the Gillig Low Floor buses I drove in college and the buses in Copenhagen, Denmark is that the Danish buses had twin axels. Same Voigt Turbo transmission, though. I'd recognize that whine anywhere
In Victoria, BC, Canada, our Chinese-built buses and UK-buit buses have stop buttons only. Our Canadian/American built buses have stop buttons and pull cords.
I once rode the tram in Memphis and it had a pull cord. I didn’t realize that because it’s a historic tram it was connected to a physical bell. The street cars was so loud that my operator didn’t hear it and I ended up riding till the end of the line.
In Jersey we have buttons or Tape, simply look on google for NJ Transit Nabi and MCI have them. Our New Flyers has the cords now. New Jersey Transit is still behind. We don’t even have metro cards to swipe. Our closest transit brother systems NY MTA and SEPTA, but we the Nation’s largest Statewide public transportation system and 3rd largest Bus, Light rail, and Rail.
I can't comment on other systems, but our buses(OC TRANSPO-Ottawa Canada)have both on all buses. The buttons ae basically located by the front where the Whel Chair position/Courtesy seating is easier for the elderly/mobility issue users can push, by the rear door, and at the rear by the seats over the rear wheels. The Artic buses have them spread thru out the buses as do our Alexander/Denis Double Decker buses. It just makes it easier to request a stop.In the two wheel chaair positions there is a bar under the seats when folded up with a button on it making it easier for those in wheel chairs or other mobile equipment to rquest a stop.
On my Pace 2020 New Flyer XD40 buses, we don't have cords but our 2013 ElDorado National Axess BRT 40 diesels we have cords but we had some people pull the cord like incredible hulk. I never rode the buses in the Sacramento, CA area. I only been to the San Francisco area and rode their buses before.
Maybe the bell SHOULD ring for each pull of the cord. I think the reason people often pull too hard on the cords is that they pull it after someone else already did, and because they don't hear the bell they think they need to pull it harder for it to work!
As a driver I would hate for it to keep ringing. People especially kids would take advantage of it lol. The buses here audibly says “stop requested” and it says it on a screen that everyone can see..unless visually impaired of course.
Back in the 80's our 1988 Gillig Phantoms came delivered with a button like strips that ran the vertical length of the windows throughout the coach. However they seemed more failure prone, some would stop working prematurely or parts of the strip would stop working so passengers had to press the strip in multiple places. This is why I think they went back to the more antiquated but reliable pull cords. 😐
Funny to see you mention that Mercedes Bus. That is exactly the bus my transit agency purchased recently to replace their entire fleet (except some newer electric bus they already have). The order is for around 100 buses for an option of 155 buses. Most are articulated (60ft) 100% low-floor buses with 4 double doors, the others are standard (40ft) 100% low-floor buses with 3 double doors. They are 8.4ft wide. All will be delivered by 2024 leading to 100% of the fleet being battery electric. And yeah, no pull cord in those buses, just buttons. It will have comfortable padded seats and USB-A/C charging throughout the bus to charge devices. It also has standing places with foldable seats and place for wheelchair users. The floor has a nice looking (fake) wood finishing. The interior and exterior lighting has full LEDs. It has a climate neutral (no emissions) climate system through a heat pump and airconditioning. For the driver it has camera mirrors and blind sport assistant. The bus also comes with an active brake system (preventative brake Assist). Regarding the battery, it is around 500kWh pack with the latest battery technology (NMC3) and pantograph charging. I am honestly a bit disappointed with the choice. The buses are of good quality and comfortable, Mercedes is known for that. But their electric buses are a bit dated regarding their technology, they are not the most modern buses. In that regard the VDL Citea New Generation and Ebusco 3.0 seem way nicer for example.
One thing I noticed in this video and what has been present in the buses in my agency (and of course the new upcoming buses as well) are large LCD or LED displays that can show extra information, the time, and the upcoming stops with live arrival times. At transfer stations it then also shows the possible transfers and at what time those depart. What I am also curious at is how they pay over there? Here they have used smart NFC transit cards (prepaid or postpaid, you can load a subscription/ticket/discount onto the personal card as well) for around 2 decades now. You can tap in and out at card readers at each door (there is one at either side of each door) that near instantly check your card. The card readers have a big screen showing the tap in/out was succesful, the card you used when applicable with what you paid (e.g. bank card, personal card with subscriptiom, etc.) or how much load you have left if you paid with your load. These days you can also put your transit card on your phone or just use your bank card to check in and out (physical card, or on your phone/wearable). Tapping in and out is necessary as they use dynamic pricing here base on transit operator, time of day, personal subscription/ticket/discount, and distance travelled. But you can also buy an individual ticket (more expensive, rarely anyone does) beforehand at a ticket machine, service shop, or online (you can show a ticket through a document, app, print it out, or have it delivered/pickup). Or buy a ticket (usually 2 hour ticket) at the bus driver. But they only accept card payment (contactless as well, so you can pay through your phone or smartwatch as well), no cash, these days.
If you don't mind me continuing the replies. The cloth seating on our old buses don't seem to create problems. The smells in the buses are still good and they are quite clean. They are cleaned regularly and if they show some wear and tear, they are replaced. So after 10 to 15 years they still look good. Although they seem to be switching to faux leather seats. They are easier to clean, cheaper, and generally last longer. While still offering quite some cushioning with proper padding behind them. So I actually think they will have red faux leather seats, like they are doing on all the modernized or new trams as well. What I also noticed on your buses is that they lack a back window. It is standard here to have a window in the back. Not only on 100% low floor buses, but also 70% low-floor (aka low-entry) buses they still have those. And of course in electric buses they can have an even larger window in the back. And also a single piece vs 2-piece front window is a noticable but minor difference. Regarding the transit payment system, I forgot that the card readers besides bank cards and transit cards can also read bar/qr codes on paper or digital tickets. Generally for tickets you ordered online and printed out or have as a document on your phone. The transit card can soon also be gotten as a digital card for on your phone or wearable through their app (likely through Apple Pay Express or Google Wallet). When used as prepaid, you can load up your card offline or online. Online through their website or app, you can also set it to load up a certain amount each period or automatically when it reaches a certain charge. Or offline through ticketing machines (can also be found inside trams), card loaders (can be found in pretty much every grocery store for example), or at a service office (where you can also pay in cash). Nearly all travel probably happens through that smart transit card.
And regarding what the transit agencies used here previously. The agency has been driving 100% on green gas (refined biogas) since the late 2000s. They did this together with the regional transit agencies who ordered the same buses. So 100% of the fleet consisted of biogas buses on the EEV standard. EEV sits inbetween Euro 5 and 6. In 2018 the city agency ordered 8 40 feet electric buses to pilot them on each route. They had 3 double doors, floors with wood finishing, padded seats, USB charging, and multiple large LED displays. They were nice buses from VDL, like the new Mercedes electric buses they are getting. On the other hand, the regional agency already bought new buses in 2019 to replace their entire fleet. They ordered 2 dozen short (36ft) electric buses. They were nice buses with the amenities I mentioned for the new Mercedes and 2018 VDL buses I mentioned from the city agency. But they were low-entry (70% low-floor) and only had 2 double doors instead. They main part of the fleet consisted of around 120 Mercedes buses. Most are 40 feet, and some are 60 feet. Those were their new generation CNG buses. So they were Euro 6 hybrid-electric biogas buses driving on green gas. Also the same amenities as the other buses I mentioned, but they had extra comfortable cloth seats with a lot of padding, as they are used on slightly longer routes. That means passengers sit inside for longer and lower passenger flows. As these are regional buses instead of city buses, they can do with 2 double doors (or 3 double doors with the articulated models), less standing space (= more seats) and low-entry (70% low-floor) configuration instead. The regional agency says they are still committed to a 100% zero emission fleet by 2027. Because the fleet agency ran their biogas for longer, they can do their fleet replacement later. Which made it possible to achieve a 100% zero-emissoon fleet by 2024 already. Interesting thing, like their trams, all electricity used by the agency comes from renewables. Truly clean transit!
I love other countries stuff but I'm saying this to not offend anyone but seriously, I'm kinda fed up with Europeen people saying America's things are outdated old bla bla, not every country does things the exact same, the most modern thing is not always the best, just like you said most times it's just cheaper and easier to fix which is really understandable, not to mention the more expensive something is the more likely for people to break it, and coming from an American myself, yeah people over here arnt always the nicest so they can really get nice things
Most of Los Angeles Metro's bus fleet has had Stop Requested buttons for about a decade and a half now, except for the 60ft NABI buses that still use cords. So I don't know where these folk get that idea from 🤨
Sydney did away with the cord on their new government bus orders in 1977 when they ordered their first 200 Mercedes Benz city buses. The same push button design is still used today! NSW government ordered 1200 Mercedes O305 buses from 1977 -1987 making out the world's largest O305 fleet and they were widespread in Germany. The U.S (eg: Seattle ) ordered MAN buses for a while which share a lot of common components with the Mercedes O305 including engine blocks and running gear (axles).
The Citaro is a famous bus that is widely used in Europe and Asia. I am not sure why they are not allowed in the US though. By famous I mean been in production for many years. I rode it numerous times in Singapore when I am unable to make the subway. They are really nice.
Most likely because transit companies in the USA have buy American or gtfo clauses in their contracts. I know this became a big deal on a bus group I'm on since Nova is gonna pull out of the USA market
Yeah it’s the law that government agencies must use products manufactured within the US, including public transit agencies. Privately owned charter companies are free to import buses that are street legal here, but not public ones.
We used to have old Gillig Phantoms with the stop “tape”, basically one long button between the windows to press when a stop was needed. However, I’d always get someone that fell asleep and rest their head on it. Every turn or slight bump would trigger it, and make me stop. 😆😆
Boston's buses (& LRVs, for that matter) all have stop request buttons and tapes. Even in RI, our cutaway vans have stop request tape (found out the hard way, when I accidentally pressed it)
The T's newest NFs have buttons along the aisles and tapes along the walls. For a lot of newcomers it's not always clear what the tape strips are for even when it's in safety yellow.
I’m in Riverside CA and we only have buttons. They’re long strips and kinda hard to push, preventing accidental stops. I’ve never operated or ridden in a cord bus.
I remember Los Angeles southern California rapid transit district RTD had a cord a a Red and white box Ring a bell 🔔 ding and if it worked it would light up the words STOP REQUESTED this is LA metro today and this was Used up to the 90s
I can remember during the days of RTD before they switched to cords, they used to have those yellow strips of tape used to ring the bell. And yep, a red screen with the letters "Stop Requested" highlighted in white would light up when somebody was about to get off. Metro would continue on with this up until around 2003 when they linked up with Sunrise Systems
Buses in the 80s and 90s used to use those yellow push tapes... we still use em on our cutaway buses here There IS an ADA buttons on the big buses, as demonstrated at 0:48 We do have stop requested buttons on the motorcoahes tho
I could only agree with one thing about our buses here in the usa, is those old ugly outdated dashboards, for example is those ugly metal switches that's on American buses. But all other features on the buses here is great. Europeans use ugly hubcaps on some of their buses and to much glass on their buses, that is ridiculous.
The cords are great with buttons. The cords go across the whole bus unlike the buttons . The good Old GM newlooks could be pulled over and over ding, ding, ding
I wish you could of rode on our DDOT and SMART buses up here in Detroit 313 soon because you would definitely enjoy our New Flyer Xclesiors and Gilligs.
For people with a physical disability it’s always a yellow strip. Or at least in Woodstock Ontario Canada it is. I’ve been to a few places where it’s a big button for people with a physical disability to press
We have buttons in Australia, our old buses had the cord that was much better. Now when passengers get on the bus they grab the pole and press the button by mistake. I drove lots of European buses and imuch prefer the American buses. European buses don't last long and a lot overheat especially MAN. Our company only buys buses with an American chassis and running gear. Mostly Cummins and Detroit gear.
The fact that you still have PULL-CORDS in the US might not necessarily be a bad thing. In Norway, stop buttons have been the standard for a long time, but now we're experiencing the consequences of that. The new electric buses in Oslo have wireless buttons, and it's a disaster. The buttons don't register the pressure properly, they're not connected correctly to the stop system, and are made of the cheapest type of plastic available - resulting in the buttons getting damaged quickly. Pull-Cords, on the other hand, don't cause as many problems. They can be impractical in many cases, but they are generally less problematic.
The buttons on London buses? Passenger presses the Bell. It rings once in the cab and then it rings at the back of the bus. I can't imagine not having that feature in your bus cuz if you forget to stop at least you can hear them going crazy and pressing the bell😂😂 by the way, they're all Bluetooth buttons all around the bus what you need to drive is an electric bus or hydrogen bus. Now that's comfort LoL
Not related to stop request systems but some US practices are outdated such as front door boarding and rear door exiting procedures. All door boarding and exiting is significantly more efficient.
Still done in The Netherlands. The reason is purely to limit fare evasion while not requiring any extra ticket inspections for buses. Most stops have low enough passenger volume for it to not really be a significant efficiency problem. When it is very busy the bus driver can still decide to just allow all door boarding as each door has card readers where they can tap in and out.
As an American, i feel like we should just update our ways of doing many things because they are just so outdated. They say: "it works", but don't you think we should bring up things to a higher standard?
ADA Tape strips. Since nobody's arguing about that. I used to ride RTS and RTX buses with nothing, but ADA Tape strips. (WTF happened to that stuff??) Also, MTA Maryland used to have ADA Tape strips on ALL of their buses! Flxibles, NABIs. What happened to that technology? I actually prefer the ADA Tape strips over the cords because of the fact that people abuse the cords so damn much.
I will be honest with you. It would be a nightmare to drive those old diesel buses again. So much work fighting with those brakes once you drive the electric bus you won't want to go back when you stop in the electric bus all the brakes come on automatically. You hardly have to use the handbrake only when you're open in the back door. It's so relaxing and quiet. No diesel engine.
We have electric busses. We don't have diesel busses here in Sacramento with the exception of some historic busses. Most of our fleet is NCG. Don't dis the new diesels. They are more clean and more efficient than our CNG's now.
@@Local_256 dude, I said electric buses not converted old diesel buses with electric motors LOL and moving on to the second generation electric buses all out design from the ground upwards aluminium body aluminium chassis and we have hydrogen buses and now the introducing driverless buses where you just sit there and let the bus drive. Hahaha
That really depends on the CNG buses. If you use brand new CNG buses with newly developed Euro 6 (latest emission norms) CNG engines and use green gas (biogas) you can get very efficient buses. If you combine them with a hybrid-electric module they can be made even more efficient. The entire fleet here is made up of such brand new Euro 6 hybrid-electric biogas here. They are the closest you can get to zero-emission without going fully electric (or hydrogen fuel cell).
Of course you can say similar about brand new Euro 6 diesel buses with a hybrid-electric module driving on biodiesel (or HVP-diesel). But I think biogas probably still has the edge in that case. Especially combined with good insulation, efficient climate control (heat pumps), lower weight and drag bus, and efficient drivetrain you can create extremely low emission buses.
Today I took the city bus and I felt so bad because I actually broke the pull cord. I told the bus driver that I broke it by accident. I just want to know how much does it cost to fix the pull cord? Thanks. BTW I asked the bus driver if there's anything I can do and I'm sorry it was an accident and he said don't worry about it😅.
Most of our CTA and Pace buses have cords except for the New Flyer XD40 buses with Pace.
LA MTA New Flyers we have 20 cameras interior and exterior + audio. Also, stop requesting is a button all GPS features like a new car. Also, before your stops alert passengers before and after without stop request on 40's,45,'s and 60 footers
Our Nova Bus LFS in Lansing, Michigan have the buttons and our New Flyers have the cords but our Novas a passenger could charged up their phone with our USB outlet. Hopefully you would take a ride on our buses soon too.
Honestly I think NewFlyers are so much more comfortable.. I think their a lot more smooth as well. In Missisauga, on their XE40/60s, they made the seats padded so I always get excited when I see one since it will be a super comfortable ride
When I ride the bus, I don't bother with the cord, I just pry the door open and tuck and roll. It saves everyone time because I'm polite like that.
I’ve seen some public transit buses that have those yellow touch strips between every window to indicate “stop requested”.
We have both pull and button buses. I find the buttons get accidently hit with backpacks, people grazing them with their hands, and kids. So many times I stop and nobody gets off, when I operate a bus with buttons.
At one point, NYC buses got new shipment of vehicles back in the late 90s early 2000s without the cords. Then in the 2010s, they got further shipments with both cords and buttons.
In Chicago we have buttons on newer nova buses near ever seat and still have the cords even tho some of the cords are ripped off where they are supposed to be
In Montreal, Canada, we had stop request cords too and they were just fine. With a cord, you can be anywhere in the bus and access it, as it runs the length of the bus. With a button, you have to walk up to the nearest one, which is not practical in a crowded, jammed bus. I give kudos to cords! I love your videos, Bus Driver Life! Keep up the great work!
Thank you!!!
We used to have the old 2002 Blue birds school Buses like City buses. And what I mean by school bus. I mean they were raggedy and kept catching on fire. They used to have the yellow push tape above the seats. Then we got our first Batch of 2010 new flyers. They have the Yellow pull cord. And the Xcielsiors Came into play and those came with USB ports for charging your phone while you ride..
Wow your bus actually announces stop requested
In Phoenix az all you hear is a ding and that is actually generated by that damn clever devices vms thing so if that don't work then no chime or anything, except the light on your dash
I love old school me buddy & you’re buses 🚍 look perfectly modern to me Pal. 👍
Thank you for acknowledging that as a mechanic it’s easier to work on bell cords than buttons. Buttons look cooler, but they malfunction more.
Back in the 80’s and early 90’s some of the transit buses used the tape strips as stop request cords and also to allow the passenger to open the rear door at a stop. The driver would put the handle in the rear door open position, it would light up above the door indicating it was ready and then the passenger would hit the strip on the door and it would open. There were RTS’s and early New Flyer D40LF’s with this setup. The strips wore out and it could potentially become an issue however.
The RTS and Flxible buses in my hometown (Monroe, LA) had the yellow strips back in the 80s and 90s. Then we switched to Gillig in the early 90s, which had cords...and we still have an all Gillig fleet.
We used to have stop request strips on our old Gilligs here.
No pull cords in Las Vegas, only buttons. 8 out of ten stops you still hear “back door” because pushing the button is just asking too much 😂
I know the ADA buttons will get stuck and the stop request sign and bell will activate every time you close the door. At least with the cord, you can see where the cord is hung up at fixing it and get on without having to stop at every stop
Great video! I like the cord because you don't have to look , just reach. I wish people wouldn't fall asleep with their big heads on the cord
I've ridden buses in Europe, North America, and Asia and never found a big difference in the buses. They all get you there, so thanks to the bus drivers of the world, you do an important job.
Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong order buses from European makes like Mercedes, MAN, Volvo and Scania. Even Japanese operators are buying Scanias with Aussie built Volgren bodywork.
Have you ever heard of Erin Mishkin Jr? He does videos of public transportation in the Chicago area and suburbs.
I find the cord more convenient than the buttons as you know where it is and you don't have to stand and move to get to the button, just reach over and pull gently - you don't have to yank it; it even has a tactile click feedback to let you know you have activated it (accessibility for the deaf-blind).
Actually some of our buses here in Washington state allow for people to pull the cord multiple times and it makes a sound every time. As an operator i have to make sure the chime is flip to single and not the on position. I found this out the hard way😂
Wow…I know that’s annoying!!
People here in the US have so little understanding of what the Stop Request cord actually does, I don’t think a button would help them at all. I can’t tell you how many people shout at me every single week for passing their stop because they didn’t pull the cord. I always tell them,
“I left my tarot cards at home this morning, and my crystal ball is in the shop, so if you do not pull that cord, I’m not going to know when you want the next stop.”
Then there’s the people who don’t know that they have to push the back door to get it to open. Those people are completely *useless.*
Here in Toronto the buses have both cords and buttons. However streetcars only have buttons for stop request. And on most buses there is a sign that says “Stop Request” and when someone pulls the cord or presses the button, it lights up and a bell sounds. On newer buses which have screens, the screen just says “Stop Request” on the top if someone pulls the cord/presses the button.
I live in Toronto as well! Very rarely ride the streetcar, so did not know they only have buttons! Assumed they had both as well!
2:28 a stop request rubber chicken would be a great April fool's idea 😂
For the longest time from 1980-2000 All the foothill transit buses had a cord it either dinged a bell 🔔 or later Said stop requested finally about 2000 we got 1100 NABI low floor and they had a strip and u push it our last Cord bus was finally retired 2015 our newest ones a strip and it will say stop requested. We also have a voice example Approaching GAREY AVE and third street stop requested. You know like that.
I prefer the cords. So glad we did away with stop strips here in Nassau County. They're harder to press and reach as well. And yes the cords are easier to maintain, it makes sense. The last buses we had with the stop strips were the Orion VIING's but they've all been retired. MTA has had mostly cords as well. Suffolk has them but then they went with stop strips on their New Flyers, SMH. NJ Transit has buttons and stop strips generally since a lot of their buses are coaches.
Our Transit City Busses have both the cords and buttons.
NY has mix.
Push button, pull cord, push tape.
On $6.75 MTA express bus or NJ Transit coach buses has button on roof next to light.
On NJ Transit, push tape on overhead above seat.
On Jitney buses, you have to ask "Next stop please."
Jitney buses, you mean Hampton jitney
@@mtanyctrainatlantamartatra7164 No Jitney means dollar vans. Hampton Jitney buses don't have stop request
As a bus operator i have both stop requested, both pull and press,
The biggest difference between the Gillig Low Floor buses I drove in college and the buses in Copenhagen, Denmark is that the Danish buses had twin axels. Same Voigt Turbo transmission, though. I'd recognize that whine anywhere
In Victoria, BC, Canada, our Chinese-built buses and UK-buit buses have stop buttons only. Our Canadian/American built buses have stop buttons and pull cords.
I once rode the tram in Memphis and it had a pull cord. I didn’t realize that because it’s a historic tram it was connected to a physical bell. The street cars was so loud that my operator didn’t hear it and I ended up riding till the end of the line.
In Jersey we have buttons or Tape, simply look on google for NJ Transit Nabi and MCI have them. Our New Flyers has the cords now. New Jersey Transit is still behind. We don’t even have metro cards to swipe. Our closest transit brother systems NY MTA and SEPTA, but we the Nation’s largest Statewide public transportation system and 3rd largest Bus, Light rail, and Rail.
I can't comment on other systems, but our buses(OC TRANSPO-Ottawa Canada)have both on all buses. The buttons ae basically located by the front where the Whel Chair position/Courtesy seating is easier for the elderly/mobility issue users can push, by the rear door, and at the rear by the seats over the rear wheels. The Artic buses have them spread thru out the buses as do our Alexander/Denis Double Decker buses. It just makes it easier to request a stop.In the two wheel chaair positions there is a bar under the seats when folded up with a button on it making it easier for those in wheel chairs or other mobile equipment to rquest a stop.
On my Pace 2020 New Flyer XD40 buses, we don't have cords but our 2013 ElDorado National Axess BRT 40 diesels we have cords but we had some people pull the cord like incredible hulk. I never rode the buses in the Sacramento, CA area. I only been to the San Francisco area and rode their buses before.
Maybe the bell SHOULD ring for each pull of the cord. I think the reason people often pull too hard on the cords is that they pull it after someone else already did, and because they don't hear the bell they think they need to pull it harder for it to work!
As a driver I would hate for it to keep ringing. People especially kids would take advantage of it lol. The buses here audibly says “stop requested” and it says it on a screen that everyone can see..unless visually impaired of course.
Many buses in Chicago and New York actually have both…
i saw this video yesterday when u published it and made private within 5 minutes
Back in the 80's our 1988 Gillig Phantoms came delivered with a button like strips that ran the vertical length of the windows throughout the coach. However they seemed more failure prone, some would stop working prematurely or parts of the strip would stop working so passengers had to press the strip in multiple places. This is why I think they went back to the more antiquated but reliable pull cords. 😐
Yes we had those oddly enough the district I worked for retired the 88 Gilligs before the 84 Gilligs which they retired in 2015
Funny to see you mention that Mercedes Bus.
That is exactly the bus my transit agency purchased recently to replace their entire fleet (except some newer electric bus they already have). The order is for around 100 buses for an option of 155 buses. Most are articulated (60ft) 100% low-floor buses with 4 double doors, the others are standard (40ft) 100% low-floor buses with 3 double doors. They are 8.4ft wide. All will be delivered by 2024 leading to 100% of the fleet being battery electric.
And yeah, no pull cord in those buses, just buttons. It will have comfortable padded seats and USB-A/C charging throughout the bus to charge devices. It also has standing places with foldable seats and place for wheelchair users. The floor has a nice looking (fake) wood finishing. The interior and exterior lighting has full LEDs. It has a climate neutral (no emissions) climate system through a heat pump and airconditioning. For the driver it has camera mirrors and blind sport assistant. The bus also comes with an active brake system (preventative brake Assist). Regarding the battery, it is around 500kWh pack with the latest battery technology (NMC3) and pantograph charging.
I am honestly a bit disappointed with the choice. The buses are of good quality and comfortable, Mercedes is known for that. But their electric buses are a bit dated regarding their technology, they are not the most modern buses. In that regard the VDL Citea New Generation and Ebusco 3.0 seem way nicer for example.
One thing I noticed in this video and what has been present in the buses in my agency (and of course the new upcoming buses as well) are large LCD or LED displays that can show extra information, the time, and the upcoming stops with live arrival times. At transfer stations it then also shows the possible transfers and at what time those depart.
What I am also curious at is how they pay over there? Here they have used smart NFC transit cards (prepaid or postpaid, you can load a subscription/ticket/discount onto the personal card as well) for around 2 decades now. You can tap in and out at card readers at each door (there is one at either side of each door) that near instantly check your card. The card readers have a big screen showing the tap in/out was succesful, the card you used when applicable with what you paid (e.g. bank card, personal card with subscriptiom, etc.) or how much load you have left if you paid with your load.
These days you can also put your transit card on your phone or just use your bank card to check in and out (physical card, or on your phone/wearable). Tapping in and out is necessary as they use dynamic pricing here base on transit operator, time of day, personal subscription/ticket/discount, and distance travelled. But you can also buy an individual ticket (more expensive, rarely anyone does) beforehand at a ticket machine, service shop, or online (you can show a ticket through a document, app, print it out, or have it delivered/pickup). Or buy a ticket (usually 2 hour ticket) at the bus driver. But they only accept card payment (contactless as well, so you can pay through your phone or smartwatch as well), no cash, these days.
If you don't mind me continuing the replies.
The cloth seating on our old buses don't seem to create problems. The smells in the buses are still good and they are quite clean. They are cleaned regularly and if they show some wear and tear, they are replaced. So after 10 to 15 years they still look good. Although they seem to be switching to faux leather seats. They are easier to clean, cheaper, and generally last longer. While still offering quite some cushioning with proper padding behind them. So I actually think they will have red faux leather seats, like they are doing on all the modernized or new trams as well.
What I also noticed on your buses is that they lack a back window. It is standard here to have a window in the back. Not only on 100% low floor buses, but also 70% low-floor (aka low-entry) buses they still have those. And of course in electric buses they can have an even larger window in the back. And also a single piece vs 2-piece front window is a noticable but minor difference.
Regarding the transit payment system, I forgot that the card readers besides bank cards and transit cards can also read bar/qr codes on paper or digital tickets. Generally for tickets you ordered online and printed out or have as a document on your phone. The transit card can soon also be gotten as a digital card for on your phone or wearable through their app (likely through Apple Pay Express or Google Wallet). When used as prepaid, you can load up your card offline or online. Online through their website or app, you can also set it to load up a certain amount each period or automatically when it reaches a certain charge. Or offline through ticketing machines (can also be found inside trams), card loaders (can be found in pretty much every grocery store for example), or at a service office (where you can also pay in cash). Nearly all travel probably happens through that smart transit card.
And regarding what the transit agencies used here previously. The agency has been driving 100% on green gas (refined biogas) since the late 2000s. They did this together with the regional transit agencies who ordered the same buses. So 100% of the fleet consisted of biogas buses on the EEV standard. EEV sits inbetween Euro 5 and 6.
In 2018 the city agency ordered 8 40 feet electric buses to pilot them on each route. They had 3 double doors, floors with wood finishing, padded seats, USB charging, and multiple large LED displays. They were nice buses from VDL, like the new Mercedes electric buses they are getting.
On the other hand, the regional agency already bought new buses in 2019 to replace their entire fleet. They ordered 2 dozen short (36ft) electric buses. They were nice buses with the amenities I mentioned for the new Mercedes and 2018 VDL buses I mentioned from the city agency. But they were low-entry (70% low-floor) and only had 2 double doors instead.
They main part of the fleet consisted of around 120 Mercedes buses. Most are 40 feet, and some are 60 feet. Those were their new generation CNG buses. So they were Euro 6 hybrid-electric biogas buses driving on green gas. Also the same amenities as the other buses I mentioned, but they had extra comfortable cloth seats with a lot of padding, as they are used on slightly longer routes. That means passengers sit inside for longer and lower passenger flows. As these are regional buses instead of city buses, they can do with 2 double doors (or 3 double doors with the articulated models), less standing space (= more seats) and low-entry (70% low-floor) configuration instead.
The regional agency says they are still committed to a 100% zero emission fleet by 2027. Because the fleet agency ran their biogas for longer, they can do their fleet replacement later. Which made it possible to achieve a 100% zero-emissoon fleet by 2024 already. Interesting thing, like their trams, all electricity used by the agency comes from renewables. Truly clean transit!
I love other countries stuff but I'm saying this to not offend anyone but seriously, I'm kinda fed up with Europeen people saying America's things are outdated old bla bla, not every country does things the exact same, the most modern thing is not always the best, just like you said most times it's just cheaper and easier to fix which is really understandable, not to mention the more expensive something is the more likely for people to break it, and coming from an American myself, yeah people over here arnt always the nicest so they can really get nice things
Most of Los Angeles Metro's bus fleet has had Stop Requested buttons for about a decade and a half now, except for the 60ft NABI buses that still use cords. So I don't know where these folk get that idea from 🤨
Sydney did away with the cord on their new government bus orders in 1977 when they ordered their first 200 Mercedes Benz city buses. The same push button design is still used today!
NSW government ordered 1200 Mercedes O305 buses from 1977 -1987 making out the world's largest O305 fleet and they were widespread in Germany.
The U.S (eg: Seattle ) ordered MAN buses for a while which share a lot of common components with the Mercedes O305 including engine blocks and running gear (axles).
My buses have the pull cords because I drive mostly the El Dorado National Axess BRT 40 foot diesel buses.
RTD denver we use pull cords, and ada section buttons
We have buttons/cords on AC Transit in the Bay Area also 😅🤷🏽♂️
The Citaro is a famous bus that is widely used in Europe and Asia. I am not sure why they are not allowed in the US though. By famous I mean been in production for many years. I rode it numerous times in Singapore when I am unable to make the subway. They are really nice.
Most likely because transit companies in the USA have buy American or gtfo clauses in their contracts. I know this became a big deal on a bus group I'm on since Nova is gonna pull out of the USA market
Yeah it’s the law that government agencies must use products manufactured within the US, including public transit agencies. Privately owned charter companies are free to import buses that are street legal here, but not public ones.
@@airbus7373 hey thanks man
@@adventureoflinkmk2 good to know thank you very much
@@adventureoflinkmk2 Regulations set by the fhwa...
We used to have old Gillig Phantoms with the stop “tape”, basically one long button between the windows to press when a stop was needed. However, I’d always get someone that fell asleep and rest their head on it. Every turn or slight bump would trigger it, and make me stop. 😆😆
Reminds me of the cutaway here at BCRTA where those tapes are in such a shitty position where it trips accidentally quite a bit lol
Lynx uses cords on most of their buses. The only exception to this is the XN60s which use yellow touch tapes, and red buttons.
Buses back then had a button pull thingy then pull cords replaced them
3:40 i remember buses had a hard limit of only one pull... sometimes i get smartass college kids pulling it over and over thinking theyre funny
Cords are more satisfying for some reason, and kids that ride the bus ALWAYS want to pull the cord.
We’ve got both in my area… only thing we don’t have is that voiceover
That button was a wheelchair stop request button
Boston's buses (& LRVs, for that matter) all have stop request buttons and tapes. Even in RI, our cutaway vans have stop request tape (found out the hard way, when I accidentally pressed it)
The T's newest NFs have buttons along the aisles and tapes along the walls. For a lot of newcomers it's not always clear what the tape strips are for even when it's in safety yellow.
I’m in Riverside CA and we only have buttons. They’re long strips and kinda hard to push, preventing accidental stops. I’ve never operated or ridden in a cord bus.
I remember Los Angeles southern California rapid transit district RTD had a cord a a Red and white box Ring a bell 🔔 ding and if it worked it would light up the words STOP REQUESTED this is LA metro today and this was Used up to the 90s
I can remember during the days of RTD before they switched to cords, they used to have those yellow strips of tape used to ring the bell. And yep, a red screen with the letters "Stop Requested" highlighted in white would light up when somebody was about to get off. Metro would continue on with this up until around 2003 when they linked up with Sunrise Systems
NOW getting the bus to stop.. Mean while EVERYONE MAD CAUSE you only Chumpa getting off the bus
3:07 closest you can get is a MCI D45-CRT-LE
I live in Canada and we have both a pull cord and push buttons. I just assumed it was an accessibility thing for people whom could not reach the cord.
Because pull cords require intentionality
In Australia as well as San Francisco, there’s both the cord and buttons at the same time.
Buttons were standard equipment on the GMC RTS bus that you use in you avatar.
Buses in the 80s and 90s used to use those yellow push tapes... we still use em on our cutaway buses here
There IS an ADA buttons on the big buses, as demonstrated at 0:48
We do have stop requested buttons on the motorcoahes tho
LACMTA has buttons and I hate them. There are not enough and are too hard to find on a overcrowded bus.
In Florida, the older buses have buttons.
I like the rubber 🐓 chicken idea.
We had RTS buses that had the push tape instead of the pull cord.
Same in my hometown Milwaukee Wisconsin in the 80’s and 90’s. I love RTS buses
Ngl Houston had a pretty badass bus fleet in the 90s and early 00s
On Montebello Bus Lines they have always ordered their buses with the stop requested strip even their 2020 New Flyer Xcelsior CNG fleet.
I could only agree with one thing about our buses here in the usa, is those old ugly outdated dashboards, for example is those ugly metal switches that's on American buses. But all other features on the buses here is great. Europeans use ugly hubcaps on some of their buses and to much glass on their buses, that is ridiculous.
The cords are great with buttons. The cords go across the whole bus unlike the buttons .
The good Old GM newlooks could be pulled over and over ding, ding, ding
I wish you could of rode on our DDOT and SMART buses up here in Detroit 313 soon because you would definitely enjoy our New Flyer Xclesiors and Gilligs.
I started driving transit buses in 2004 we were still driving buses from 1986. No ADA announcements, no wheel chair lifts.😂😂
We used to have buttons
In my city we only have buttons
Grand Rapids mi has cords too
😂😂😂 this made me cryyyy.. in Canada we got cords and buttons since 1993. Calm down England
Could you do a video explaining the SpeakEasy box mounted on the B-pillar to the left of the driver? What is it and what does it do?
I can!
For people with a physical disability it’s always a yellow strip. Or at least in Woodstock Ontario Canada it is. I’ve been to a few places where it’s a big button for people with a physical disability to press
3:19 you know we can’t have nice things here in the US 😩
We have buttons in Australia, our old buses had the cord that was much better. Now when passengers get on the bus they grab the pole and press the button by mistake. I drove lots of European buses and imuch prefer the American buses. European buses don't last long and a lot overheat especially MAN. Our company only buys buses with an American chassis and running gear. Mostly Cummins and Detroit gear.
The fact that you still have PULL-CORDS in the US might not necessarily be a bad thing. In Norway, stop buttons have been the standard for a long time, but now we're experiencing the consequences of that. The new electric buses in Oslo have wireless buttons, and it's a disaster. The buttons don't register the pressure properly, they're not connected correctly to the stop system, and are made of the cheapest type of plastic available - resulting in the buttons getting damaged quickly. Pull-Cords, on the other hand, don't cause as many problems. They can be impractical in many cases, but they are generally less problematic.
The cords are fun!
The buttons on London buses? Passenger presses the Bell. It rings once in the cab and then it rings at the back of the bus. I can't imagine not having that feature in your bus cuz if you forget to stop at least you can hear them going crazy and pressing the bell😂😂 by the way, they're all Bluetooth buttons all around the bus what you need to drive is an electric bus or hydrogen bus. Now that's comfort LoL
button and wires in Sarnia Ontario
Great informative video😀👍💯 Personally for me, buses & light rail vehicles should have *both* the cords and stop buttons for better convenience.
I like both actually.
Great experience ❤🎉
Canada also has cords
Montreal has both
In Ireland we have buttons and when pressed it makes a very annoying ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Sound
Not related to stop request systems but some US practices are outdated such as front door boarding and rear door exiting procedures. All door boarding and exiting is significantly more efficient.
Still done in The Netherlands. The reason is purely to limit fare evasion while not requiring any extra ticket inspections for buses.
Most stops have low enough passenger volume for it to not really be a significant efficiency problem. When it is very busy the bus driver can still decide to just allow all door boarding as each door has card readers where they can tap in and out.
I’m european but prefer the cord. No need to look around the bus to find the button 🤩
As an American, i feel like we should just update our ways of doing many things because they are just so outdated. They say: "it works", but don't you think we should bring up things to a higher standard?
Just out of curiosity, would the Stop Request still expire when you open the front door at a train crossing?
ADA Tape strips. Since nobody's arguing about that. I used to ride RTS and RTX buses with nothing, but ADA Tape strips. (WTF happened to that stuff??) Also, MTA Maryland used to have ADA Tape strips on ALL of their buses! Flxibles, NABIs. What happened to that technology?
I actually prefer the ADA Tape strips over the cords because of the fact that people abuse the cords so damn much.
I love the tape strips!! I remember RTS buses had those in the 80’s and 90’s!
@@BusDriverLife I missed those buses so much! Oil companies should require the Tape strips!
I will be honest with you. It would be a nightmare to drive those old diesel buses again. So much work fighting with those brakes once you drive the electric bus you won't want to go back when you stop in the electric bus all the brakes come on automatically. You hardly have to use the handbrake only when you're open in the back door. It's so relaxing and quiet. No diesel engine.
We have electric busses. We don't have diesel busses here in Sacramento with the exception of some historic busses. Most of our fleet is NCG. Don't dis the new diesels. They are more clean and more efficient than our CNG's now.
@@Local_256 dude, I said electric buses not converted old diesel buses with electric motors LOL and moving on to the second generation electric buses all out design from the ground upwards aluminium body aluminium chassis and we have hydrogen buses and now the introducing driverless buses where you just sit there and let the bus drive. Hahaha
That really depends on the CNG buses. If you use brand new CNG buses with newly developed Euro 6 (latest emission norms) CNG engines and use green gas (biogas) you can get very efficient buses. If you combine them with a hybrid-electric module they can be made even more efficient. The entire fleet here is made up of such brand new Euro 6 hybrid-electric biogas here. They are the closest you can get to zero-emission without going fully electric (or hydrogen fuel cell).
Of course you can say similar about brand new Euro 6 diesel buses with a hybrid-electric module driving on biodiesel (or HVP-diesel). But I think biogas probably still has the edge in that case.
Especially combined with good insulation, efficient climate control (heat pumps), lower weight and drag bus, and efficient drivetrain you can create extremely low emission buses.
HVO-diesel*
We have buton ,but many people ask is that work ,or I don't now why I must push buton when you must stop on station.🤨🤨🤨
Blunt wrapper shavings
Today I took the city bus and I felt so bad because I actually broke the pull cord. I told the bus driver that I broke it by accident. I just want to know how much does it cost to fix the pull cord? Thanks. BTW I asked the bus driver if there's anything I can do and I'm sorry it was an accident and he said don't worry about it😅.