Remarks: Oh, buses. We like you, honest we do. But why must you be so loud? And smelly? And unwilling to take us to the airport? (Oops, separate problem.) Spokesperson Lori Patterson offered the Metro Transit house policy on idling: “When our busses are in the garage, we operate under a three to five minute rule because of the indoor air quality.” But what of the outdoor air quality, we ask? “Generally, if a bus is going to be laying over for more than three to five minutes, should be turned off.” Yeah. Should.
Who’s Responsible?: Lori Patterson, Metro Transit Manager of Public Affairs, 490-6609.
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
As someone who has driven school, charter and transit buses over the past 15+ years I feel the need to explain the workings of a transit bus to those who don’t understand the mechanical aspects re. what they consider excessive idling.First off the doors, brakes and suspension systems all operate on compressed air which is provided by a compressor on the engine. When a bus is shut down it is likely that air leaks in the suspension and door air lines will allow the air in the reserve tanks to be depleted. This is the reason you might see a non-running bus leaning to one side when parked as the suspension air bags lose their pressure.The braking system will not allow the parking brake to be released unless there is a minimum amount of air pressure built up in the system, this is a safety mechanism built into every vehicle that uses air brakes. If the air is depleted by the other systems onboard the bus then you’ll have to idle the bus to allow the air to build up to that minimum point. You’ve now cancelled out any perceived positive effects from shutting down the bus engine on a short (less than 5-6 minutes) stopover.Another point to look at is that Metro Transit doesn’t have spare buses sitting all over their territory to assist in the event a bus doesn’t want to start after a short stopover. Would you want to be the bus driver who has to explain to the passengers that they will miss their connections or be late for work because he was forced to shut down the bus while sitting at a timing point for less than 5 minutes?The buses operated by Metro Transit are among the best maintained in the transit industry and are much less polluting than those scrapped over the last twenty years. Please learn a bit about the technical aspects before complaining about a non-issue.
Good info on buses, butwhat the fuck does that have to do with buddy’s missing iris.
I’m willing to bet there was an idling Metro Transit bus parked near the scene of the crime, and that the driver is now sporting an Iris in his/her jacket lapel.
To”figured it out”…Thanks for the laugh. It’s obvious you have a great sense of humour!!!
To”figured it out”…Thanks for the laugh. It’s obvious you have a great sense of humour!!!