Ahh, the number one. I don't know what they did with this bus. It used to be a pretty good bus, but while the regen brakes are still quite strong, the service brakes have gotten more sensitive.
While the majority of the Anteater Express consists of BYD K9M 40 foot battery electric buses, they're not created equal. Some of them are a pleasure to drive on. Others... not so much. Here's my commentary of each of AntEx's buses (and routes because why not).
As of June 2024, this page is no longer updated, so commentary may not reflect the current state of each bus.
Ahh, the number one. I don't know what they did with this bus. It used to be a pretty good bus, but while the regen brakes are still quite strong, the service brakes have gotten more sensitive.
Fun fact, they took marketing pictures of this bus at what I presume to be Lancaster (which is where BYD USA's buses are built). Again, it's a nice bus.
Eh, I've seen better.
I don't know what's up with this bus. It was never my favorite, but for a decent chunk of the 2022-2023 school year, the bus was at the BYD plant in Lancaster. When it came back, I'm not exactly sure what they fixed. Soon, the back of the bus started sounding like a playground swingset in dire need of lubrication, not exactly the most comforting thing to hear. That issue was eventually fixed. Another quirk on this bus is that the passenger side mirror is higher up compared to the other buses.
Okay, here's where things get interesting. While it's a good bus to drive on, it's also a problem child.
Week 0 on my first actual day on the job, I found out it has a smoking tire issue. In fact, one of my first shifts with passengers involved me driving this bus back to the lot and swapping it. This bus also had broken tail lights whenever the accelerator is pushed, which confused dispatch for a bit during my shift. And then this...
I was pre-tripping the bus one morning when, after performing a safe start and testing the driver light, a countdown appeared on the dash and the bus shut down. My supervisor said it's "normal". But then, as I turn the bus on again, I discover that the ODK (the device used to change the destination signs) is not working. White screen, button inputs don't work. I don't think 5 was in service for several weeks (possibly months) after that. But now it's back and it's a pleasure to drive on.
This bus drives decently, but it had a huge battery drainage problem. Once this bus reaches 20% SOC, it'll then drop to around 15% in just a matter of minutes. Driving wise, it's okay, I've driven better.
Oof. If you ask any AntEx operator what their least favorite bus is, it'll probably be either this bus or AE-13. Why? Here's a little lesson...
The BYD K9M is equipped with regenerative brakes. Once the bus reaches about a 95% state of charge (SOC), the regen brakes activate. This means that, as you release your foot from the accelerator, the bus will start to brake on its own. Of course, the regular service brake pedal can still be used.
Many buses in the AntEx fleet have very sensitive brakes. On a flat surface, if I engage the service brake a bit too much, I feel a "jolting" sensation. Think of it as fully engaging on the brake pedal on a vehicle without regen brakes, except on the bus I'm barely pushing on it. It's especially bad in the back, where the seats are not nearly as comfortable and many passengers are standing.
We're taught in training to rely mostly on the regen brake, only engaging on the service brake at the last moment. I try to do this to the best of my ability, but sometimes I misgauge things (I'm a human, not a robot) and use the service brake a bit too much. If you're a passenger reading this, just know that we try to provide a comfortable ride to the best of our ability.
If it wasn't clear earlier, I don't like this bus. Recently, it's been relegated to training due to a broken GPS, so it has only been used if there's no other spare buses.
This bus drives decently, but one of the stop request buttons was jammed, making it kinda hard to tell whether a stop is actually requested or not. They ended up removing the physical button as a fix. There's another more hillarious quirk, but I'm not disclosing it in public.
Decent bus, but this one has a driver window that's damn near impossible to close. Backing this bus was extremely scary, however. The buses are equipped with a hill hold, which stops the bus from rolling back when stopped. On this bus, it remained engaged even when applying the accelerator on reverse until you push it a good amount. The bus will then reverse very suddenly, a sensation that never failed to scare the hell out of me. Luckily, this issue was eventually fixed.
I thought this bus had bad brakes, but they're actually not terrible now. But that's not all! Story time...
One time, the front door started closing on its own, and the regular door handle wouldn't open it either. Dispatch told me to take the bus out of service if I was comfortable doing so. I closed the front door manually, but the bus wouldn't move. Dispatch told me to do something I will not explain on a public website. The bus still wouldn't move, but then I tried the door handle again. Apparently the door interlock is only disengaged when the front door is closed using the door handle.
The drive back was quite interesting. Have you ever driven with no lights before? In the dark? And I'm not even talking the headlights, I'm talking all lights, not even the turn signals worked. Was this a case of user error? Possibly. But hey, I still got back to the lot safely.
In addition, this bus also sounded extremely squeaky at one point during Fall '23, and a tire even exploded on this bus once (are these two problems related, no idea).
I forgot if it was this bus or 13, but I took my second DMV test on one of these buses (in case you're wondering, I failed the first time for cutting someone off in Costa Mesa, oops). Luckily, I passed the second time, but as my examiner was going over my driving, I distinctly remember this part:
Supervisor: "Your braking should be smoother."
Me: "This must be one of the buses with the crappy brakes."
Supervisor: "Yeah, but the passengers aren't gonna know that."
It's true, passengers don't know a lot of things. The brakes on 11 are horrific, and it shakes a lot when driving.
Decent bus, drives well. The one big issue with this bus is the front destination sign, which will either not change or display extremely glitched out text. Sometimes passengers try to get on a bus when the sign clearly says "NOT IN SERVICE", but on this bus, it might actually be in service.
In many cultures, 13 is seen as an unlucky number. This bus is cursed. AE-13's brakes are kinda bad, living up to its infamous number. It used to be worse, though. Coincidentally, this bus was involved in a very well publicized accident with the fire hydrant at the UTC bus stop, a rather unlucky situation to be caught in, as well as various other incidents.
It's a decent bus with one glaring flaw; the suspension is extremely low. This bus "bottoms out" extremely easily when traversing through the California Ave and Campus Dr intersection.
Although the brakes on this bus aren't perfect, they aren't bad. What really made this bus stand out, however, was the vibrating noise it makes when going at high speeds (like below 50). I remember driving this bus on A Line going northbound on Culver when I noticed the vibrations for the first time. I asked my passengers if they've heard anything, the said no. I called dispatch, they say they'll let me know if they want to swap the bus.
During my second round of the day, I call back dispatch explaining the exact location of the sound. They reply saying that it's a known issue and they haven't been able to identify why the bus vibrates. I mean, if it works, it works. Allegedly, it's (finally) been fixed.
The regen brakes on this bus are very strong, but in return, the service brakes are buttery smooth. This is a very nice bus.
Another bus with smooth brakes. However, after this bus' driver window was replaced, someone neglected to re-install the driver side sun visor, which is very annoying. I've also heard complaints about the driver's seat "sinking".
Driving wise, it's a decent bus, but there are a few quirks. This bus beeps every time I disengage the parking brake. Some buses will make a very loud buzzing sound when you disengage the parking brake on neutral, but in this case, a brief "beep" is made every single time, even while on drive. The brakes on this bus are okay. The cap for the hazard light switch was missing for the longest time until one of the other operations staff members e-mailed a supervisor, after which they ordered a replacement part.
I don't think I've ever seen 19 in service until November of 2021. Never during the 2020-2021 school year, never during training. Not only are the brakes on this bus horrendous, but the radio straight up doesn't work. A lot of buses have radios with shoddy reception, but on 19, it's literal white noise 24/7. Apparently, even the manufacturer of the bus doesn't know how to fix the radio.
20, eww. One, the brakes are horrendous, but you probably guessed that already. I remember driving this bus a lot during training, and there were ants all over the drivers cab area. It wasn't a full on infestation, but it was still off putting. Oh, and the PA, can I talk about the PA for a bit?
Most drivers never use the PA ever. I use it religiously because I want my passengers to be informed and because I've seen some very valuable items lost and then left unclaimed during my shifts. On some buses, the gooseneck microphone won't work but the handheld microphone will. On this bus, both technically work. However, whenever I do use it, there's a very good chance there will be a very loud screeching noise that won't shut up until I mess with some switches.
Previously, this bus would also have a certain message pop up on the dash from time to time that sounds scary, but the bus continues to function as normal. It's been out of service for some time after they already tried to "fix" the issue once, so I'm assuming this issue is not present anymore.
The cherry on top is the destination sign. It's very glitched.
These are PhoenixEV (formerly Proterra) ZX5 buses, delievered new to Anteater Express in Spring 2024. I never got the chance to drive these buses, but while I think these buses look ugly, it seems like there's a bunch of neat new features for both passengers and operators. Whether or not they'll be more reliable than the BYDs, I have no idea.
FC-1 was the oddball out of the AntEx fleet, as this was an ElDorado National hydrogen fuel cell bus. Introduced in 2015 but broken since 2019, from what I've heard, it was not a pleasant bus to drive and hydrogen is a very expensive fuel. Prior to it being removed, it was used to store cleaning materials. Since it would be "financially irresponsible" to get this bus up and running again, FC-1 was removed from Anteater Express property in 2024.
C Line used to be the hidden gem of the AntEx route network. It was designed to serve Arroyo Vista and Camino del Sol. Because passengers aren't familiar with how our schedules work, many opt to take N Line instead, making C Line relatively empty. It was quiet, but rounds are 20 minutes, so at least it was quick. Unfortunately, my beloved C Line was discontinued for the 22-23 school year in favor of all-day A Line service.
I haven't driven V line often and I was never a passenger on it, but it was a pretty cool route, especially since it went both northbound and southbound on Culver. The "lollipop" and the end of Arroyo Dr is fun too. Like with C Line, V Line was discontinued for the 22-23 school year in favor of all-day A Line service.
Oh boy, this is my new least favorite line. A Line is a combination of the C and V Lines that currently operates all-day. It's quite busy at the beginning of the school year (when people actually attend their classes), but the crowds soon die down. I thought A Line was decent during the 21-22 school year, but for the 22-23 school year, they decided to shorten the rounds from 30 to 25 minutes. Big mistake. During mid-day and evening service, there's heavy traffic and the lights don't cooperate, which often makes one bus fall behind schedule once they finally return to admin. This causes a domino effect, and a lot of times, it gets so bad that the two A Line buses sometimes even drive back-to-back. It's awful. Even a routing change made for W23 didn't help much.
This is my personal favorite line as a driver, it's so fun. Full buses are quite common; I have "my bus is now full, requesting permission to leave early" and the ODK codes engraved in my brain now. I use the PA a lot whenever I'm at admin, telling passengers "once all seats are filled, you may take any available standing room including in the back". Of course, a lot of passengers don't actually listen, as they'll just stay in the middle of the bus right next to the back door when there's plenty of space in the back ("oh, i need to get to my place like ten seconds faster"). N Line used to have 25 minute rounds, but due to a route change for the 23-24 school year, they're now 20 minutes. Despite this (and unlike A Line), N Line is on-time most of the time.
"Does this bus go to the ARC?" Yes it does. P Line was weird, introduced during the 2021-2022 school year to serve Plaza Verde residents heading to campus. Often times, though, there will already be an N Line bus pulled up at the Plaza Verde stop, leaving my bus completely empty, and I mean completely empty. On top of that, there's some passengers who specifically want to take the N Line bus because it gets to admin a few seconds faster (I mean, that's on you if you choose to enter a sardine can). The rounds are only 20 minutes long, but I found the timed stop at the ARC to be too long (luckily they shortened it for winter quarter service). This route was discontinued for the 22-23 school year, much to the dismay of some Plaza residents.
E Line, it serves a similar purpose that P Line did except it has a different route. Introduced during the 2023-2024 school year in response to the opening of Plaza Verde II, E Line only stops at Puerta del Sol and Plaza Verde before looping back to UTC. Doesn't sound bad, right? Not when you actually have to drive it. E Line has two really bad left turns, Campus to Culver and Culver to Harvard, and if the bus just barely misses a light cycle, it's going to be a very long wait. E Line might be an easy route that's rarely crowded, but it's very mentally draining as a driver.
This was my least favorite line during the 21-22 school year, but now that there's two busses running most of the day on 25 minute loops, I like M Line a lot. The route is very nice, and there's plenty of time at timed stops without feeling too much of a drag. It also gets decently busy, even full at some times. The one time I absolutely dreaded M Line was the first few weeks of Fall '23, when crowding was so bad the two buses ended up bunching a lot of the time.
H Line is a pretty interesting line. Before Plaza Verde opened, this was the only ACC route that ran at night, serving all of the ACC stop locations. The current iteration of H Line is basically a combination of A and N Line that operates during night service; it also operated for two quarters during the 2020-2021 COVID year due to a lack of staff and demand. Since H Line is a night only route and I don't usually work night shifts, I've never driven the current iteration of H Line. It doesn't seem too bad as a passenger though.
Summer H Line is very similar to academic year H Line, with the differences being that it stopped at the UTC side of Watson Bridge and it doesn't serve the A Line Arroyo Vista stop. I liked this line a lot; since Culver isn't in the picture, it's pretty hard to fall behind schedule, and the 30 minute rounds are quite generous despite all the stops. This most recently operated during Summer 2023; in Summer 2024, the academic year H Line routing was used.