The end of the bendy buses in Chicago

[marmar]

from the Chicago Tribune:



CTA bus troubles: 225 accordion-style buses won't be back on street because of safety issues, officials say
Agency, bus manufacturer locked in court battle

By Jon Hilkevitch | Tribune reporter
April 24, 2009


About 225 accordion-style buses that the CTA removed from service in February after cracks and other structural defects were found will not be returned to the streets of Chicago, transit officials said Thursday.

Among the issues still to be resolved is how many millions of dollars in losses the CTA, the busmaker and taxpayers will be on the hook for in the $102.1 million deal gone sour.

The CTA and the manufacturer, North American Bus Industries Inc., continue to battle in Cook County Circuit Court. Lawsuits were filed after negotiations reached an impasse several years ago.

Hours after receiving inquiries from the Tribune on Thursday, the busmaker issued a voluntary recall aimed at inspecting and repairing the CTA buses. The company said it had been denied an opportunity to "fully inspect" the CTA buses pulled from service two months ago.

The CTA still plans to return the buses to the Alabama-based manufacturer, CTA President Richard Rodriguez said.

"Given the six-year performance history of these buses, concerns about their long-term structural integrity and ongoing litigation with the manufacturer, it does not make sense to expend any more of our limited resources on these buses," Rodriguez said. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-cta-bus-24-apr24,0,2883513.story

[nxylas]

1. Looks like Boris Johnson was right

It pains me to say that, because Johnson is a right-wing racist arsehole, but his decision to bring back an updated Routemaster in place of London's bendy buses appears to have been the correct one.

[KamaAina]

2. Ouch.

I can testify from personal experience that regular, non-articulated buses are woefully inadequate to handle those routes. I would often have to wait for three or four to come by before there would be one with room in it.

The buses, which accounted for more than 10 percent of the CTA's 2,000-bus fleet, were assigned to some of the busiest routes serving downtown via Lake Shore Drive and other major corridors.

Yup, those'd be the very routes I took: the 151-Sheridan and (later) 145-Lake Shore Express. There are lots of high-rise apartment buildings all along the lakefront, and the El is several blocks inland, so everyone piles into those buses. Now they're going to be human sardine cans again. :scared:

Fortunately, someone else makes our articulated buses.

[mwooldri]

3. Maybe time for double decker buses for Chicago?

That and more buses on the routes would cure capacity issues.

I'm surprised that double decker buses aren't really seen anywhere much outside the UK or Hong Kong.