Orion VII 4 Life

Note: Starting Monday, November 24, the M98 is all hybrids, no more RTS

Don't jump to that. We still don't know exactly what MCH will have and we'll find out tomorrow.

NG 1785 (might be 1795) has the new Clever Devices - 3G signs, announcement, and the touch screen next to the steering wheel.  A pity the old ones rarely worked or stopped working properly as a whole - I liked how they announced transfers.

Probably the one I saw a little while back with the cone antenna on top. They're probably rolling it out to all the other buses this month or so to get everything set up for BusTime.

How many times do you have to get it through your thick skull? There's no morally right or wrong way of coming here. There's only the law, and while the law states that not having papers and documentation is illegal, it also makes it clear that you can be here illegally and still apply for citizenship. Nothing wrong there. 

 

It's ironic that you're the one talking. You're always screwing with the law and people some way or another, especially the Port Authority and you are always blatantly ignoring the law. All I have to do is look at your prank videos to see how you screw around. But lucky for you, there's no law on departing misbehaving citizens.

1. There's a legally right way and wrong way of coming here.

 

2. I have the right to believe in some laws and not others and me "breaking the law" is irrelevant, no matter how much stupid sh*t I decide to do I understand it's a risk and that I may be arrested. It's like any other railfan who decides to go take pictures on PATH (inb4 I do worse sh*t), you know what you're doing, you know what can happen.  I respect our immigration laws and understand that law enforcement has to enforce ALL our laws and not select what they want to enforce, say if I'm carrying an ounce of bud in my bag I understand I take the risk of being charged with a misdemeanor by the NYPD because they have to by New York State Law. Now, I don't like that law, but it's the law and I knowingly took the risk carrying that stuff in my bag. At the same time, someone crossing the border likely knows what they could be getting themselves in to and they take the risk as well. But the President is ordering the federal Border Patrol to not enforce our immigration laws and someone crossing the border illegally will likely be able to get by because the President doesn't want them to be arrested, even though the law says they should.

There's a right way and a wrong way to come here. My family came here the right way and lived the American dream by working for it, many owning businesses and working around the clock. We shouldn't be rewarding people with socialist "benefits" who came here the wrong way. These people have showed disregard for our laws and policies since the day they decided to cross illegally and now we're gonna let them live off taxpayer money? It's one thing to offer them one, closely monitored chance at a path to citizenship but they shouldn't be able to get our money or be given our rights as citizens (especially to vote) while they're on that "path". Oh wait, the Democrats need a lot of new satisfied voters in 2016 so we can't do that. We have to give them benefits and the right to vote so in 2016 they vote for Mr./Mrs. Handout. America is dying.

 

Inb4 liberal hate speech calling me racist/bigoted/"outdated"/any other classic liberal branding. Racism is when you hate someone because of their race and that's not the case here and you know it.

I wonder what they mean by that since early yesterday morning, they ran an emergency shuttle and it was mostly PA buses out there.

I see the "confirmatory" next to it, maybe they have to call NYCT when they need them and they were able to cover everything themselves and didn't have to that day.

Airtrain shuttle ran this morning, PA buses were used. I wonder when the deal between the PA and MTA goes into effect?

Been in effect since June

http://www.panynj.gov/business-opportunities/ca-contracts-awarded.html

 

Search for NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY

Back under Green Lines the Q10 used to serve all terminals in JFK. I wonder how long the Q10 would take inside the airport.?

The Port probably doesn't want that, it would take riders off the AirTrain. They control the MTA's access to the property and they set all the stops, MTA can't decide to serve the other terminals or areas without the Port's permission.

Eventually, the area where the buses are stopping *might* be under construction as JetBlue has plans to expand T5 (phase 1 just wrapped up and added 3 new gates and an International arrival facility.) A move may not be immediate or even needed, but if it happens it's because of a second phase of expansion for T5.

The T5 bus terminal isn't the most modern place but it does look like it was built to stay there and I'm sure the Port/MTA spent some money putting up the dispatch booth and shelters there. It's really the perfect spot for the buses too, they get off the Van Wyck and get right back on and they really don't get stuck in terminal traffic since they stay off the main terminal roads. 

NYCT wasn't running AirTrain buses at 7:30 today after I landed at JFK, just the Port Authority buses. The contract might only cover busy periods or peak hours, they needed a lot more buses even later and the Port obviously didn't have enough cause I was in a jam packed Port bus and they weren't even bunching like they usually do. Not sure if Servisair is short staffed or short on buses or what but they should add on to the NYCT contract and have them out there all day until 10 at least in full force if the Port and Servisair can't cover everything that needs to be covered when the AirTrain's out. The MTA is much more efficient in running their own subway shuttles when there's a train out than the Port is when the AirTrain's out. I would have been much better off taking the Q10 to the home than the AirTrain bus to the AirTrain at Fed Circle to Howard Beach, I was on JetBlue at Terminal 5 so I was right by the Q10, matter of fact I took it to the airport going out but I didn't think the shuttle would be that messed up so I decided to take that home.

 

Little proposal for the Port, reorganize the damn bus "groups" to have 3 groups instead of 2. Group 1 has T1/2/4 like it does now. Group 2 should have T5 only, the JetBlue crowd is more than enough to get a bus SRO and that bus will have to go to T7 and T8 fully loaded and a lot of the people waiting there will not make it on. Make Group 3 T7 and T8, the T7 crowd is relatively light but the T8 American Air crowd gets hectic and really screws up the Group 2 buses, we had to have been sitting at T8 for 5 minutes while people tried to squeeze on a bus that's been jam packed with the T5 crowd already. T7 and T8 should be fine sharing a bus like 1 2 and 4 do, JetBlue really needs its own bus group running to T5.

 

Also I saw outside at Terminal 8 there were signs with "Q10 Local Bus" or something taped over but I definitely don't recall seeing that before and I remember the Q10 being at T4 before it was moved to the T5 bus terminal. Are they planning to move the Q10 to T8 or have it stop there? That would be a little screwed up to move it IMHO since they built that bus terminal at T5 and since I always fly JetBlue it's a nice convenience for me to have the cheap Q10 option right to my terminal if I don't have bags and have time to kill. They could just add it as a stop on the Q10 but I don't know how that would work if the last stop is still T5. Come to think of it though Q10 Local Bus could be the Via 130th Street local runs only and not the Limited...

AirTrain at JFK will be out this weekend and in addition to the usual Port Authority buses we might see NYCT buses out there too, if anyone wants to check it out.

 

The PA and NYCT entered a contract for "AirTrain busing" a while back but there haven't been any big AirTrain outages since that I know of.

Its Mid NOV where is this bus tracking system?

Still plenty of the older buses don't have the new Clever Devices. When you see more of the cone shaped antennas on top of them and the new system like the 3rd Gens inside you'll know the GPS is coming. I did see a 1700 or 1800 with the cone antenna a little while back but nothing since. The 3Gs have a completely new interface on their systems too and the touchscreen has been moved to next to the farebox, I think the software part is all done and now all they have to do is retrofit the older buses since the old system doesn't even work using GPS.

 

Clever is probably retrofitting the buses at their factory in Woodbury so if anyone drives past they can see if any NICE buses are parked.

Fulton Center isnt open. Just walked past they're only letting the media inside.

The orange box in the rear means that it has EZ Pass, If Im wrong about this? 

 

All express buses have EZ Pass. It's a black or yellow box mounted inside near the farebox or on the roof on some older buses. No clue what the sticker's for.

Since when did Howell have 8316? Saw it recently on one of the 130s on the turnpike.

They got 8101 too. I wonder if more CNGs had to go.

When the 7100s came theu came in at ironbound n we sent up drivers to get them. Will likely be the same when the hybrids come.

I think the CNGs go there or Meadowlands first but there's probably a delivery point of some sort (likely a MCI/Cummins service center) they go to before. Kinda like how an MTA order will go to Prevost in Piscataway or Northeast Rebuilders, then go to Zerega, then the local depot.

What do you guys use for bus tracking? I've been using "MTA Tracker+" for a few months and its OK. I want to know if there is a similar android app that works more smoothly.

BusBus NYC for iPhone

Heading up to Kearny and Newark to see if any more CNGs arrived. If I don't see any there I'll probably head to Prevost.

MCIs would probably not be getting delivered to Prevost. I'd say they're going to Cummins.

 

Where did the MTAs get delivered?

Pretty much the same reason why the Q11/Q21 and Q52/Q53 don't share the same schedule.

I'm glad the Q113 is off the Q111 schedule in a way because the way it was before was very confusing.

Uhh the 52 and 53 are the same schedule

I would like to know where the Nabi order ended? O.N.E bus was to stop at 6538 then it was changed to 6614 as the last bus. But nobody here has seen anything higher than 6550. If they went to 6614 there would be no novas out there so I guess 6550 was it.

Coach OWNS the Novas they have now, they have Illinois tags and say owned and operated by ONE Bus on the side. They're not going anywhere.

I saw that bus (4002) in the JFK parking lot. The one with the Port Authority Orion 7s.

That's the Northeast Bus Rebuilders service center. It's getting fixed over there.

If I were to guess it's going to FP or to GA repaint and or overhaul?

Why would it be on the Belt?

So the new "soft opening" date for MCH is November 9...let's keep our fingers crossed for this one.

What will they be starting out with?

Wonder what the destination for Downtown Brooklyn would be.

They've been using this for years before it was extended:

 

"B67 DNTWN BKLYN SANDS ST via FLATBUSH AV"

So I walk down Blvd East before and see a shiny new Setra running as a jitney with "NEW YORK 42ND STREET" in the window. Kinda sad those jitneys have better buses than Transit now lol

Ok everyone. I have been silent for a while because there are a lot of developments. With 1,000 plus new buses on the way, and the production backlogs stacking up for New Flyer and Nova, things are going to be quite different from what everyone originally expected. The CNG procurement is coming up, and a lot is riding on Nova LFS pilot 8090. With 7090 in its acceptance phase, preventive maintenance is a major issue for all new buses coming in the future. 700 options are at stake, and I can say with confidence that this is going to be quite interesting. As the year comes to a close, the first Nova pilot is set to enter service any day as long as everything ramps up as it is supposed to.

 

256 Articulated buses are set to be awarded next. It was once expected that Nova was a shoe-in for this award. However, because of the recent developments, this was a toss up, and the award schedule has changed several times. MTA has pretty much decided which way this order will go. Stay tuned for details coming very soon.

With all the orders (artic, Prevost) they've won and the factory upstate I honestly thought Nova/Prevost was gonna become the next Orion for the MTA. Was shocked to see NF get the MTAB order but now it's really looking like Nova isn't gonna be so big with the TA. I'm good I like the Xcelsior more anyways, but it looked like the next 10 years was gonna be all LFS and Prevost coming our way.

 

Then again, the TA took a lot of crap from Orion too and still ordered hundreds/thousands of buses from them.

It aint the batteries that gave the OGs issues, it was the hybridrive systems on at least a handful of them. The only NG that really went up in flames was 4002, which was because of driver error several years ago.

 

If only we went with parallel hybrid systems, little to no problems across the board. I've been on a few in Seattle and they're not too bad.

Blame Orion for only offering the BAE Hybridrive