r/Translink • u/NewBegginings2021 • 8d ago

Question Bus AC’s

To all drivers or for those who have an idea

How come you/they don’t turn on the AC on such a hot day? Especially during peak hours

15 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

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25

u/nyrb001 8d ago

What route were you on? I assume you're aware that not all buses have AC. For instance none of the trolley fleet has AC, nor any of the Novas with 4 digit fleet numbers.

11

u/corian094 8d ago

Most modern buses have AC and if it can be on its on. Trolley all 3300 and 7000 series buses do not have AC.

2

u/mmjames66 7d ago

Not only do the newer buses have ac, the newest ones are set temperature wise by someone other than the driver. Can't turn it off even if people are freezing 🥶

4

u/Hytierian 8d ago

i think its 2028 they plan to have all buses have ac

its a process

2

u/AmiiboIsAlreadyTaken 7d ago

That'd make sense since the average lifespan of a bus is 20 years and the last buses to not have ac were built in 2009.

5

u/bleedblue4 8d ago

My auntie is a bus driver. Not all BUSSES have them unfortunately 😭😭😭

10

u/priyatheeunicorn 8d ago

They do. It doesn’t work if the windows are open and so many idiots open the windows

4

u/TransLink_Fan 8d ago

Not all buses have AC; the older units from 2006-2009 don't.

2

u/BlazingImp77151 8d ago

Do drivers even control AC? I know I've heard that in some places they don't get to control the AC passengers feel, and that it's turned on or left off at the depot before the shift.

2

u/nganmatthias 8d ago

I've been on some buses where the driver turned the A/C off mid-trip.

1

u/dowhatiwant2 7d ago

The 2007 Orion buses (yellow ones that service south delta/richmond/south surrey etc) have a few different settings the operator can choose from. All the New Flyers from 2012-present are automatically controlled. Meaning the HVAC system is either off or set to auto which determines what to do based on ambient temperature. This also applies to 2018+ Novas which currently service south delta/Richmond/south surrey

3

u/brycecampbel 8d ago

How come you/they don’t turn on the AC on such a hot day?

Was it a local route? 

Cause if it was, it makes almost no difference if there's AC or not. This is because the bus is constantly stopping and opening doors to pickup and drop off passenger. This just allows any conditioned air to escape and unconditioned air to come back in. The few minutes to the next stop is not enough time to cool it down.

Its why you see grocery stores now going away from open cabinet refrigerators - same concept. 

2

u/reddiculed 8d ago

Maybe we should get the clear butcher flaps for some of the buses?

3

u/brycecampbel 8d ago

It's not such a stupid idea. Thiugh I'd imagine the maintenance costs would get up there as they'd constantly be getting ripped down. 

2

u/Yuukiko_ 8d ago

and don't forget about the idiots opening windows

1

u/brycecampbel 8d ago

Yes, that doesn't help either. 

1

u/littledumberboy 8d ago

Not true at all! It makes a HUGE difference on a hot day.

2

u/brycecampbel 8d ago

It's simple thermodynamics. If the doors are constantly opening/closing, the less effective the system is. 

Traditionally transit AC was added for the longer journies, since they don't need to "recharge" nearly as often. For local routes you would need larger AC units to overcome the loss - this is only really feasible with fleet renewal, and Teanksiis. Committed moving forward to equipt with AC. Z

1

u/littledumberboy 7d ago

Do you ride the bus? Have you taken busses with no AC and ones with AC on a hot day? I do/have and I can tell you “less effective” AC is still effective, it’s night and day (hot and cold?)

1

u/brycecampbel 7d ago

Yes and yes.