Rimrock Stages Shut Down BY DOT

[railiner]

I was perusing the 'net today, and just came across this http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/limited-bus-service-on-rimrock-stages-routes-starting-again/article_8465e439-b510-5343-9a18-ec54360b189a.html item.

I am not very familiar with Rimrock Trailways, but I am surprised that an established carrier is no better than some of those 'Chinatown' carrier's...

I hope that Jefferson Lines will make its temporary assumption of some of those routes into permanent ones. It looks like Jefferson may soon stretch from Chicago to Seattle--sort of a latter-day Northland Greyhound......

 

[DET63]

From the article:

In the week since Rimrock Stages was shut down, passengers trying to travel by bus from Spokane, Wash., to Minneapolis faced detours of more than 600 miles, traveling south to Salt Lake City or Denver. The service interruptions also caused financial harm to bus companies in neighboring states that connected with Rimrock, Ballard said.

Better that than seeing possibly dozens of people seriously injured or killed in a major accident.

 

[the_traveler]

Just take the EB!

 

[jebr]

Just take the EB!

The EB doesn't go to most of the towns Rimrock served. (It may not go to any of them, if I remember correctly.)

Here's the information about service being reinstated along these routes, if anyone's interested.

 

[jebr]

Also, it looks like some of their craziness was videotaped. She labeled it Jefferson Lines, but the commenters corrected that to be Rimrock.

 

[railiner]

Also, it looks like some of their craziness was videotaped. She labeled it Jefferson Lines, but the commenters corrected that to be Rimrock.

Those two soldier's sure do deserve a medal......

talk about going above and beyond 'the call of duty'....... :giggle:

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Well, well, talk about another Van Hool operator. For some reason their website has not been updated to reflect the changes.

I wish Jefferson would just run into Chicago.

 

[jebr]

Well, well, talk about another Van Hool operator. For some reason their website has not been updated to reflect the changes.
I wish Jefferson would just run into Chicago.

Almost all of Jefferson's routes eventually end up in Minneapolis (especially the east/west ones.) All of those could transfer to Greyhound Express in Minneapolis anyways, so it doesn't make much sense for Jefferson Lines to duplicate that route.

They could expand the route from Minneapolis to Madison to go to Milwaukee to facilitate more transfers, but I don't blame Jefferson Lines for not stopping in Chicago. It's already a very competitive market, and Jefferson Lines' forte is the smaller-town routes.

 

[railiner]

Well, well, talk about another Van Hool operator. For some reason their website has not been updated to reflect the changes.
I wish Jefferson would just run into Chicago.

Welcome back....but be careful of what you wish for, re 'Van Hool operators'....

guess who was instructing a bunch of operators in The Port today, on a brand-new CO2045?

'Say it ain't so....'

it was none other than the object of your affection, GLI!

They had a new one in a white paint scheme with blue lettering and dog logo. Apparently they are going to get some for their 'Yo Bus' Chinatown operations.

The demo was numbered '86808'....

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Well, well, talk about another Van Hool operator. For some reason their website has not been updated to reflect the changes.
I wish Jefferson would just run into Chicago.

Welcome back....but be careful of what you wish for, re 'Van Hool operators'....

guess who was instructing a bunch of operators in The Port today, on a brand-new CO2045?

'Say it ain't so....'

it was none other than the object of your affection, GLI!

They had a new one in a white paint scheme with blue lettering and dog logo. Apparently they are going to get some for their 'Yo Bus' Chinatown operations.

The demo was numbered '86808'....

Are you sure it was new? Not one of those old demonstraters or some shirfted over from Michigan/Texas? The livery seems odd.

BTW, Jefferson just reinstated most of the old Rimrock route by running a through service from Minneapolis. For some reason they took a detour through Williston.

 

[jebr]

BTW, Jefferson just reinstated most of the old Rimrock route by running a through service from Minneapolis. For some reason they took a detour through Williston.

Oil country and Minot, I'm guessing. A lot of business there, so it makes sense to detour.

 

[railiner]

Well, well, talk about another Van Hool operator. For some reason their website has not been updated to reflect the changes.
I wish Jefferson would just run into Chicago.

Welcome back....but be careful of what you wish for, re 'Van Hool operators'....

guess who was instructing a bunch of operators in The Port today, on a brand-new CO2045?

'Say it ain't so....'

it was none other than the object of your affection, GLI!

They had a new one in a white paint scheme with blue lettering and dog logo. Apparently they are going to get some for their 'Yo Bus' Chinatown operations.

The demo was numbered '86808'....

Are you sure it was new? Not one of those old demonstraters or some shirfted over from Michigan/Texas? The livery seems odd..

Good question--I'll have to check it out again, but it looked pretty pristine to me. IIRC, it had the latest interior with those derivative curved entry steps.

The "reverse" livery actually looked pretty good, but my mistake....it is a grey on white not blue on white.....

I did learn that they have four of them here, with two allocated to 'Yo-Bus", and two to the mainline fleet.

An inside source told me that MCI and Prevost were too backlogged to deliver new buses quick enough to suit GL (ADA compliance perhaps?).

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

BTW, Jefferson just reinstated most of the old Rimrock route by running a through service from Minneapolis. For some reason they took a detour through Williston.

Oil country and Minot, I'm guessing. A lot of business there, so it makes sense to detour.

Their run through Grand Forks already goes through Minot and Williston, so two runs over there on a detour still dosen't make sense.

Well, well, talk about another Van Hool operator. For some reason their website has not been updated to reflect the changes.
I wish Jefferson would just run into Chicago.

Welcome back....but be careful of what you wish for, re 'Van Hool operators'....

guess who was instructing a bunch of operators in The Port today, on a brand-new CO2045?

'Say it ain't so....'

it was none other than the object of your affection, GLI!

They had a new one in a white paint scheme with blue lettering and dog logo. Apparently they are going to get some for their 'Yo Bus' Chinatown operations.

The demo was numbered '86808'....

Are you sure it was new? Not one of those old demonstraters or some shirfted over from Michigan/Texas? The livery seems odd..

Good question--I'll have to check it out again, but it looked pretty pristine to me. IIRC, it had the latest interior with those derivative curved entry steps.

The "reverse" livery actually looked pretty good, but my mistake....it is a grey on white not blue on white.....

I did learn that they have four of them here, with two allocated to 'Yo-Bus", and two to the mainline fleet.

An inside source told me that MCI and Prevost were too backlogged to deliver new buses quick enough to suit GL (ADA compliance perhaps?).

They had some in Chicago of the 3200-series. I think they were trasnferred from Valley Transit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbernero/5457035247/in/set-72157625959347317.

I guess ADA really swamped Greyhound fleet plans, they can't retire the G4500s yet because they have lifts and the 40-footers didn't. The G4100s went to Americanos.

 

[railiner]

86808 is still here in The Port training driver's. And it is indeed a new 2013 model, with the 'J'-like, curved entry steps.....

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I'll just have to hope Greyhound dosen't make a major order. They better not make the G4500 mistake again. The MC-12s and 102D3s are gone, and the fleet shortage isn't helped by new routes New York-Atlanta, New York-Miami, and Springfield-Ottumwa.

None of these shut down operators have been able to return to service. Rimrock is "suspended" but I don't think they're coming back. Maybe Northwestern Trailways could make an effort in Montana now restoring the routes to Kalispell and Great Falls.

 

[railiner]

and the fleet shortage isn't helped by new routes New York-Atlanta, New York-Miami, and Springfield-Ottumwa.

Wow. This got my attention. While the New York to Atlanta and Miami routes aren't really new, the fact that there are once again, after a long spell, thru buses not requiring a change at Richmond, is.

But that Springfield, Mo. to Ottumwa, Ia. route is certainly new. I see its sponsored by the State of Missouri, and it runs a route that Greyhound has never run before. The closest to it was run by the long gone Missouri Transit Lines....

It connects Amtrak routes at Jefferson City and Ottumwa, but does not stop at La Plata.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

and the fleet shortage isn't helped by new routes New York-Atlanta, New York-Miami, and Springfield-Ottumwa.

Wow. This got my attention. While the New York to Atlanta and Miami routes aren't really new, the fact that there are once again, after a long spell, thru buses not requiring a change at Richmond, is.

But that Springfield, Mo. to Ottumwa, Ia. route is certainly new. I see its sponsored by the State of Missouri, and it runs a route that Greyhound has never run before. The closest to it was run by the long gone Missouri Transit Lines....

It connects Amtrak routes at Jefferson City and Ottumwa, but does not stop at La Plata.

Yep, just check Extranet. The LD ones, I don't even know which garages they are being run out of and they are express routes too. Looks like GLI may be turning back their policy of SD focus and cutting rural routes. It's probably caused by airline route and service cuts combined with dropping car usage.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

AIBRA has released the latest update on Montana and North Dakota bus service: http://www.aibra.org/pdf/updates19.pdf

Looks like Jefferson has reshuffled service with one run taking the direct route and another one going through Grand Forks and Sidney.

Bismark-Minot is now served by Blue Earth.

Salt Lake Express restored the route to Great Falls and added Billings-Missoua route with many stops compared to the Jefferson one.