46Dover

Beginning to think I picked the wrong work. Having Willowbrook Mall close at 8 is just bad....

The night from hell that could have been worse: (cue gazoo noise) I took a ride into Bay Ridge to visit friends I rode a 192 bus deadheading from Wayne garage starting at Clifton to Port Authority then using (R46 set) and an (R160s). Round trip. Late that afternoon I took a ride on the 119 out of Port Authority on the New Flyer Xcelsiors. Which is nice since they had working USB ports and my iPhone was low on battery. Run the full length and get the 10 at Bayonne to go to Jersey City (Suburban NABI). Get off at Journal Square and take the to Newark. Next plan is to get the 11 to Willowbrook Mall and make a connection to the 198 to go near my job (where I parked my car). Well, I’m on the wrong side of Newark Penn and miss the 11. Ok no problem, I’ll get the 28. It only goes to Montclair State University? Ok no problem, get the last train to Mount Olive and go to Wayne Transit Center. Pass an Emergency Vehicle setup along Bloomfield Ave (thought nothing of it at the time). Get to MSU and made my way to Montclair Heights. I wait 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, so I put out a bolo on Facebook to see if anyone knows what’s going on (the app has no info at all). Come to find out the emergency vehicles seen earlier served a purpose after all: Fire along the MOBO line at Glen Ridge. NY-MSU train cancelled. My train to Wayne Transit Center is 50 minutes late. Around the corner is the last bus to Newark from MSU (28). Next plan is to catch the 72 to go to Paterson and catch whoever was done for the night going back to Wayne garage. Operator puts me off a full mile (or two) before a spot where I’m supposed to get off. Cue a long walk down Bloomfield Avenue (which included some brisk walks mixed in with all out sprints), but I made it to Broad and Belleville with 3 minutes time to spare. The last 72 bus is operated by a former co worker of mine from Lakeland and so we caught up as we were moving along. Found a 190 going back to Wayne and thus ended a night that could’ve gone badly wrong 🤦‍♂️

1. Not sure if anyone does 2. Not surprised. A friend of mine from Lakeland is designated 74 driver with an MCI.

Maybe he means Kevin Corbett, the Executive Director of NJT

You know, I used to do the same thing to send whoever wanted to go to Willowbrook from 308 to 306 (late evenings) for the express until it dawned on me that some folks (and the case if I had to do the daytime trips off Gate 234) may want to get off on North Leg or Willowbrook Blvd. Especially now since it would seem that everyone is coming back riding the buses again, it also helps to alleviate loads for said express lines to just go ahead and board those locals That gate is the most difficult to put a 45 foot coach in for those who have never had the pleasure of going into that gate. It is a very (2x more times) tight turn, so much that you have to swing out perfectly in order to fit in. Wayne operators who have the (haha) pleasure of doing the 195X are feeling the challenge of pulling into that gate without running the risk of having safety points on their record. To this day I have no idea how past lines (ostensibly the 127) pulled it off

All these hiring for $15 at all these fast food restaurants and no takers? Don’t kill me for using a Jersey-ized example for this, but what shocked me when I first started my new pick recently was I wasn’t expecting Willowbrook Mall to close at 8pm on a Saturday. I went into the mall on break with the sole mission of getting a grilled chicken sandwich from Wendy’s only to find out from the manager there (who works in 3 different locations) that they can’t get workers. He is also having to do work for a lot of people. I can only imagine what it’s like for mall shoppers east of the Hudson. Not to mention the heartbreak of seeing a once 24 hour White Castle closed at a time you crave for a burger...

Lakeland used to drop off at Willowbrook Mall on the side of US 46 East, however with construction of the area that came to an end. With construction complete it was expected to resume drop off services, but the finished construction has left no room for the buses to pull off to the side, so Lakeland will no longer stop at Willowbrook

Saturdays I have the 198 (round trip), then 195 at 5:20 out of Willowbrook with a 191 round trip and a 195 out of Port Authority. Sundays I’m the last 4 inbounds on the 192. Mondays I have the 199, 195X (with that horrific entry into Gate 230 🤦‍♂️), and a 191 round trip. Tuesday and Wednesday I have 2 324 trips and I finish with a 194 to Stockholm. I’m off Thursdays and Fridays, but it’s 4th of July and I’m feeling greedy 😁

I missed an opportunity to see you then. Friday was my last day of my pick on the PABT-Pompton Lakes 197. The Warwick side of Alps is torn up because of construction which NJT/Wayne Twp has temporarily eliminated (took them long enough). I was hoping not to be challenged by some passenger or someone doing jumping jacks as a measure of getting my attention, to board or alight that stop which thankfully has not been the case.

Same. I would expect a load of folks to go back to New York on the 194, 197 or 198 alone from Hello Fresh.

So the 646 is the one I see in Fairfield on 46 and the 843 is the one I see at Willowbrook

I think it’s those EZ Ride shuttle buses (the ones that serve Willowbrook Mall to that food factory behind I-80 in Wayne, and I think I’ve seen them in Newark as well)

Do you know how many times I’ve been asked to do work outside my garage? I said no but I would like to be trained on it. Nothing happens after i ask.

Yes.

I think, all told, 5 hours?

My favorite was being bounced around on extra board (asking “who makes these schedules anyway?) like a basketball first doing the 196 from Warwick, then 161 to Paterson, then 190 to New York (although the latter was an express, but still...) 🙄

It’s expected that since they’re not getting the ridership on that line, they’ll put up another 46 trip

I would say no because a lot of companies are still not out of the COVID funk with schedules, laid off employees, etc. For example, because people who needed to go to Morristown didn’t have Community Coach, or Mount Arlington, didn’t have Lakeland, etc.

And just as quickly as it came back, it’s gone

The following lines will be affected by the new gate changes happening 6/25/22: 107X to Gate 306 (307 nights) 112 to Gate 221, (316 on nights) 123 to Gate 203 (303 nights) 126 to Gate 213 (323 nights) 126 via Willow Ave from Gate 214 (323 nights) 119 to Gate 210 (322 nights) 127 to Gate 315 153T to Gate 305 PM Rush Hours 167/177 to Gate 220 (Gate 326 nights) 195X to Gate 230 PM Rush Hours 320 to Gate 204

The guy I picked up in West Milford on the 197 who wanted to go to Spring Valley wished there was a local connection. Oof.

delete

Oh really? Nice

Sloppy seconds FTW 🙌

They sure don’t make em the way they used to.....