ACTION today issued an apology to commuters for service disruptions this week, with an unusually large number of services, particularly during the morning peak, being cancelled.
The operator cited the recent hot weather as the cause of the cancellations, with Canberra enduring six days in a row of maximum temperatures in excess of 37 degrees.
Of the 726 morning peak services, 697 were delivered today, and 703 on Monday. With the commencement of the new school term, the problem was exacerbated by the additional 112 services that operate in the morning peak. By comparison, 611 of 614 morning peak services were delivered on Friday. School services must operate and are therefore prioritised over regular route services.
With the hot weather affecting ambient temperatures on the older Renault buses, unprepared commuters took to Twitter to air their frustrations, with numerous complaints about the lack of air conditioning:
@ACTIONbuses these old orange busses have to go. It is inhumane to sit in the heat of this steel box without any water.
— Pablo Eskimobar (@Pablo_Eskimobar) February 3, 2014
Phone battery & I having a competition for who melts first in this non air conditioned @ACTIONbuses bus in high 30s temp. @ShaneRattenbury
— Alan Kerlin (@alankerlin) February 3, 2014
@ACTIONbuses Why was Route 64 Woden to Tuggeranong at 5:06 today like an oven when passengers entered and for most of the trip?
— Brenda (@BrendaFranklin7) February 3, 2014
ACTION advises that its workshops are working extended hours to rectify mechanical faults and breakdowns to get buses back on the road. Commuters should consult the @ACTIONBusAlerts twitter feed or call 13 17 10 for service updates.
This page was last updated on 20 August 2023
