Is BUZ A Buzzin' Brand?
We have already met the BUZ bus stops flag and we already know that the 'brand' designates frequent (hmmm, every 15 min?) limited stop services.
We may also remember that the 200 runs to Carindale ...
... which is east of the central area of Brisbane.
But we can sample the route - which will be exciting (yes it will!) - courtesy of a full length YouTube video which is, ahem, not very exciting.
We start from Queen Street subterranean bus station ...
... and quickly emerge from the gloom ...
... to cross the buses only Victoria Bridge ...
... remember? Picture below taken before it was buses only.
The bridge is now part of the South East Busway, a massive bus lane used by a substantial flock of limited stop buses.
Immediately on the far side of the river you cone to the first "station" (Cultural Quarter) ...
... where a major re-jig was underway when the video-ist was at work.
There are tunnels ...
... open sections ...
... and more "stations" ...
... more tunnel ...
... and we reach the fourth and newest "station".
This goes by the delightful name of ...
... Wooloongabba!
Everything so far, since the underground bus station, has been running on bus only infrastructure.
Magnificent!
Oh, yes. Wooloongabba is the same "Gabba" as the celebrated cricket ground a few hundred yards away!
You may be able to pick up the early part of the 200 route from this plan of the busway.
The 200 leaves its secluded roadway after the fourth and final "station", to continue its journey on ordinary roads.
There then follows a lengthy section of uninspiring retail premises, car lots and light industry. It has little to offer visually unless you like spotting MacDonalds and similar. You do get patches of greenery from time to time ...
... until you hang a left to take you to ...
.... Carindale, which is more of the same, but with no obvious MacDonalds!
There is a bus station ...
... into which you U turn, exchange passengers ...
... but there weren't any! You U turn to pass the colonnade again and you are then en route to Carindale Heights and the terminus. The area is now entirely residential, almost universally single decker property.
You know it us residential because there are frequent road naurrows markings to awake you from your slumbering response to the excitement of the route.
If you are reasonably awake, you might spot the previous bus in the cycle speeding it's way back to Brizzy.
The terminus is almost as exciting as watching paint dry, but not quite.
Here the video ends with no picture of the bus or indication of how and where it turns.
But Streetview comes to the rescue.
A little further along the road, and on the right, is a dinky little turning circle ...
... equipped with TWO shelters to accommodate the crowds (!) ...
... c/w timetable frame and BUZ 'flag'! There is also a mysterious but unexplained hut in the middle.
Any guesses as to what it might be? Toilet?
It has ventilation grilles and a trellis on the opposite side ..
... and what might be a locked door.
But, inside, the roof is sloping.
Maybe steps down to a nuclear bunker?
Or, more mundanely, an electricity transformer station?
And A P.S.
We can probably see why Victoria Bridge became buses only!
Yikes!
Tomorrow we look at route and timetables on a printable leaflet and we meet yet another, more obscure, brand!
Next Brizzy Bus Brands blog : Wed Mar 11
