Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

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Newcastle Flyer
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Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by Newcastle Flyer »

Some on Youtube have stated that bus drivers can manually disable the "bus stopping" bell on buses.

Is that correct, or not correct?
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by Campbelltown busboy »

Yes that’s true well drivers in the western suburbs can turn the stop buses of some older buses on and off I’ve been on buses where the driver could turn the stop on and off with a flick of a switch that is located on the buses switch panel
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by booma »

Some buses yes,you can flick a switch. Other buses have to have door opened in order to reset the bell.
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by Fleet Lists »

Resetting and turning off are two different things. Reset is normal whether by opening door or flicking a switch but it wil still work for the next stop. Turning of means it will NOT work at any subsequent stop.
I think the question relates to turning it off and not just to resetting.

And as some answers already indicate, the answer depends on the type of bus.
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by boeing »

At least on the STA buses I've driven, yes, there is a switch to turn off the bell.
I've never used it except by accident (embarrassing) but I understand it's mainly for when on school runs where all stops are defined, mandatory and unalterable.
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by tonyp »

boeing wrote: I understand it's mainly for when on school runs where all stops are defined, mandatory and unalterable.
Plus kids just can't resist pressing buttons ;)
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by sunnyyan »

^ Kids like it more when the stop button is turned off. On Volgren buses, you can get the bus stopping light to flash on and off by spamming the button.
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by boronia »

I got overcarried a few years ago, after the (STA) driver decided to turn the bell off "because a passenger pressed the bell and no-one got off back there".

She missed my stop, and by the time I got to the front of the crowded bus to talk to her, she missed the next stop too.
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by flitter »

Happens all the time on the Victoria Road express busses. It really confuses the people who didn’t realise it’s an express and try to make it stop during the first 15 minutes of the trip.
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by boronia »

Gee, if they can't work out what a Xxx route number is, perhaps they deserve to be "punished". completely different thing to a driver ignoring valid stops.
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by mubd »

Yeah, I can remember being on a school field trip to the local bus depot (ah, the joys of Year 1) and the bus drivers always switching the bus stopping bell off. That trip was bloody fun - we got to go through the bus wash. A few of the little shits up the back opened the windows (of course, there being no mechanism to lock them) and let a whole load of soapy stuff into the bus.

A kid also kept pressing the button while the doors were opened (which meant they could just spam the button and keep activating the bell) and they got told off by the teacher for doing it.
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by hornetfig »

I remember the apocryphal reason given to kids to not repeatedly ring the bell in an era somewhat closer (but still years and years on) from OMO everywhere: "the constant ding is the signal from the conductor to skip the stop"
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by boronia »

Prior to the air-door deckers, there was no control on the bell, every time the stop request cord was pulled, it would ring in the cab.

The old bell codes were
1. passenger request
2. conductor signal to go
3. emergency stop
4. full bus
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Re: Can a bus driver disable a "BUS STOPPING" bell?

Post by Glen »

Hence the old term, having a "four bell load".
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