I know public transport isn't the favourite topic of conversation around here but thought I'd ask anyway.
We live close to a bus route and one of the buses which passes by several times a day sounds as if it's about to explode. It's easily heard from half a mile away or more and the noise sounds like it's being massively over revved all of the time. I contacted the bus garage today and they told me it is due to an electrical problem with the engine fan which works at full tilt permanently. The problem has been apparent for some weeks yet they apparently cannot fix it and have no idea how long it will be before something is done. I obviously have no idea if this is true but the thing is incredibly noisy and I'm fed up with being woken up from my much needed beauty sleep so I'm wondering what, if anything, I can do about it. Foolishly I then contacted TFL who very politely took all the details (built my hopes right up) and then said they'd forward them to the bus operator (hopes dashed). When I told them I'd already done just that they said there was nothing more they could do.
I can't imagine this bus is working within acceptable environmental limits so is there anything else we can do to solve this problem ? other than move :)
Cheers!
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if they cant fix a simple electric fan then they are probably lapsing on basic maintainance schedules give your concerns to vosa.
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Thanks for the Vosa suggestion - I will follow that up. To be fair I don't know what fan it is they're referring to but given the size/power of the engines on these things maybe there are several possibilities which would explain the problem, the noise and their difficulty repairing it.
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Try the Traffic Commissioners:
South Eastern and Metropolitan
Ivy House
3 Ivy Terrace
Eastbourne
BN21 4QT
Telephone: 0870 606 0440
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Try your local Environmental health department. They can measure noise and take action. HSE also have powers to deal with conduct of an "undertaking" if risk to health is involved - noise over 85dbA - which might be relevant for the driver, and even passengers if the noise is extremely loud internally.
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Or even the police.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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I saw this post and hope this comment may be of use - we have the same problem in Glasgow with the fleet of new volvo engined double deckers belonging to First bus - apparently with the cooling fan on the noise can exceed 90 db - I have spoken to the coachbiulders and they passed me on to a rather unhelpful individual at Volvo who did not acknowledge there was a problem. I have written to First bus and they acknowledge there may be a problem. If you do a search in Google for Noisy Buses there are articles on BBC and the Noise Abatement Society sites concerning the same problem in London - I am encouraged that I am not the only one to have noticed this - the noise is really loud and there is no way it is acceptable.
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Yes, some of these driver-only double-deckers do make an incredible clamour along with the blast of heat and diesel particulates they greet you with cheerily as you cross the road behind them.
Where I live though the clamour merges into the background roar of whumpa-whumpa-whumpa ICE set-ups, police and fire sirens, the howls and screams of adolescent hooligans, loonies and drunks and the conversations, often on mobile phones, of the passers-by, punctuated by pneumatic drills digging for the latest big water leak and chainsaws as the council trims the trees, often at ungodly hours of the morning.... No wonder you start to get a bit deaf at my age.
I am sorry to say though that articulated buses don't seem particularly loud although of course they are completely and utterly ridiculous in this country and there is no excuse whatsoever for the beastly things.
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'whumpa-whumpa-whumpa ICE set-ups.'
That is the funniest description I've heard in ages.
Ken.
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I'm glad I live in the Country...............VOSA I would suggest, especially if this bus passes at a particular time. Traffic Commisioners as well a good idea. As someone pointed out the HSE might be a good port of call there must be an issue for the driver involved here.
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VOSA won't be interested, they're more concerned about vehicle safety.
Assuming that it is the engine cooling fan making the noise, every similar bus on the fleet must make the same noise whenever the it's fan operates.
Has anyone else complained to the bus operator about the extra noise from it's buses whenever the cooling fan is operating ?
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im very surprised that you say vosa wont be interested none,if as said the company running the fleet of buses know about this bus but say they cant fix it then an inspection by vosa sounds well overdue,it may be interesting to see what their history is off past maintenance records and the amount of "stops" they may have had,the thing is if no one advises vosa then how do they build profiles of bad operators?
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>>how do they build profiles of bad operators?
By looking at failure rates at the MOT, and by roadside checks.
Too many test failures, or too many prohibition notices issued will arouse the interest and interference of VOSA. They can (and do) turn up at depots in the afternoon, and check all the vehicles as they come into the yard after a day's work.
While the noise might annoy people close to the bus route, I can't imagine that they receive any significant noise dose. The driver of the bus, on the other hand may have cause for concern.
Unfortunately, to measure dose properly, you need to use an integrating noise meter, and perform the measurement over a long period. It takes significantly longer than just obtaining the dBA measurement of sound pressure level - although if the dBA SPL is reasonably constant*, then the integration can be carried out numerically/analytically.
* on a bus which is generally noisy from many other sources, I suspect that the noise levels are anything but constant - i.e. some form of integrating measurement is probably required.
Number_Cruncher
Number_Cruncher
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Having a bus route about 100 yds from me,I doubt the noise is fan.Actually sounds like transmission problem to me.
I agree that some of these buses are noisy,but on occasions bus drivers do actually rev these for no reason even when stopping to pick up....Most annoying I think is Braking,ie the brakes are not serviced properly and you get the dreaded squeel as they brake.
Maybe they should employ decent mechanics than can de dust the braking system,and try to make them less heard of/they are are paid a pittance I know, but whats hapened to pride in what you do
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Steve
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More useful feedback - thanks!
Just to clarify - the bus route in question is a fairly busy one and this is the only one of the buses used which is making this noise. Having lived here for 20 years or so we've become used to the sound of the various types of bus and although there has been the odd similar occurrence over the years, none of the others currently being used on this route suffers from the same problem. In fact they're very quite really, to the extent that we don't normally notice them at all. I suspect a mechanical problem with this particular vehicle and will contact VOSA in the morning to see what they can suggest.
Thanks again.
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Dont you live in Orpington Mazda Man?,If not sorry. I seem to recall someone changed name to yours or similar,if you do which bus are you talking about.
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Steve
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Having a bus route about 100 yds from me
You live on the Scottish moors then? Buses go through a corner of my bedroom.
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The new d/deckers where I live have reasonably quiet engines, the main source of noise {read 'roar') is from the bank of cooling fans at the rear, for the air-con condenser.
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>>I agree that some of these buses are noisy,but on occasions bus drivers do actually rev these for no reason even when stopping to pick up.
I've been on a bus once where the driver kept the revs up a bit as the idling engine was sending a bone shaking vibration through the whole vehicle.
In Guildford Arriva have some fairly recent DAF buses which are quiet with a nice sounding turbo. They seem fairly clean and I've not noticed much exhaust smell from them. However they often release a lot air from the brake system.
Guildford also have some old Dennis ones (10 - 13 years old) which are noisy and stinky but oddly enough don't smoke. Lots of fan noise when the engine's at high revs and on some of them the revs flair up horribly as the autobox changes. Most of these have less than half the rear lights working and squeaky brakes. I guess they only check the lights work just before the MOT.
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