trife86

41 minutes ago, WestFarms36 said:

 it is none of their business to even instigate that, and we are no lesser than them in order for us to be chewed by some grown ass hypocrite who probably is stuck in a 9-5 job being paid less than $15 an hour. Public Transportation is PUBLIC. It is a system where anyone is entitled to use it regardless of age, color, race, or sex. 

If you didn't know there is a $15 minimum wage now, no one in NYC is making less.

23 minutes ago, 7-express said:

Got a report from my friend last night around 2230.  SIM1C bunching and having to take a SRO bus all the way back home.  Pretty absurd for that hour of the night.

Don't think it's a issue of bunching between that time and about 0100hrs A LOT of people get out of work in midtown, alot more so than expected. Every time i did a 1x between 2300-2400 even with a 5 or 10 minute headway I'd have a full load.

13 minutes ago, Lil 57 said:

Any reasons why they refused?

Ain't no body got time for dat!

58 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Yeah left the depot... MAYBE... But then there are times when drivers don’t have a bus to make service or there aren’t enough drivers. OT is an ongoing thing on Staten Island. Been that way since I lived there. As you said they are always asking about OT on the radio, which never made sense to me. If they just hired so many drivers, how are they still in need of so much OT?

Well for when drivers thatare waiting for for express they will usually always make them want for a bus to come in. On the other hand local it's where some will get cut, each depot got a list for school trips which are OK to not send out if no availability.

And it's very common for dispatchers to have to call into maintenance to get a bus released even if it's only for one trip to make service. 

As far as why so much OT, not sure.... Maybe the TA has high hopes everyone wants OT but can't force people on it. They have the manpower if they add another trip in everyone's run, not that I want more work lol.

But I assume you know all this by now lol I don't try to talk about stuff I don't know.

51 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Well they seemed to have another meeting right after so a lot of them had to leave. Cassella stayed until the end. Sat right across from me. I was grilling all of them. They were a good sport and he answered my questions as best as he could. The only thing I called BS on was his Wi-Fi comment, claiming that Wi-Fi works and is unsecure when we have customers complaining daily about no Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi requiring a password. Additionally, he claimed that 99% of express bus service was being filled on Staten Island. I almost fell out of my chair when I heard that. I said REALLY!??! So how do you explain passengers waiting for 40 minutes plus for an express bus during rush hour regularly? Basically blaming traffic. He also claimed that they are working on a dash board to show service filled for each line. I had to hold myself back from laughing. Such BS. Numbers are definitely fabricated, but I accepted that because I know what the next step is. If the service keeps going missing, we are asking for an audit of express bus service Citywide, and then we’ll see what that audit says.

In reality maybe it meant 99% of those trips left the depot? ( That's why you will see some busses that might have bad wifi or bad farebox. Whatever is needed to make service will be done sometimes)

If they made it or got short turned or anything is another story.

But I will say they do try to cover trips pretty regularly and send out mass messages about OT

But than again I might be coming at it from a more hopeful view than you or most lol.

Interesting Cassella showed up but no other union heads....

1 hour ago, trainfan22 said:

Today I finally rode an CP express route, now I been on express route out of every MTA Bus Depot (Even BP and LGA).

 

NYCT side I never been on an Medrith or QV express route.

Well your not missing anything on the meridith lines. No good scenery or anything in particular that it would be worthwhile to go out of the way for.

Yeah I hear you. Look what they left on my bus a week or two ago lol

18 hours ago, East New York said:

 

*SI will not be getting hybrids. Only diesels for now and the next major order will be electric. Some of the 45 AEB’s will likely end up out in SI anyway. However, they could essentially use XDE40’s if they are Allison equipped. That however won’t happen anyway. All diesels until new electric buses arrive for now.

*The 7000’s will likely head out of the island one day. That day may be sooner rather than later as the NG’s start to leave the island, and will no longer share common parts (other than some engine parts) with the LFS’s which dominate the island. 

 

Might be going a little OT

But you mentioned that the 3G and the LFS has exact same power train.

Why is it the 3G feels alot more powerful? Is it the transmission shifting strategy or is it different boost pressure tuning ?

The 3Gs are such a good driving bus, at least for the OP, the LFS can't even get out of its own way lol

17 hours ago, JeremiahC99 said:

 

Also, SI will have to wait for new artic buses since the ones on the mainland need to be replaced first, and Quill needs LFS buses 5567-5602 to complete their SBS fleet, and push out the oddball XD60s. Not only that, but an extra 2 buses for the S79 SBS would help with service reliability.

Having 2 extra wrapped has nothing to do with service reliability on the 79 as they can use a regular hardseater all day everyday if they don't have available wrapped buses.

33 minutes ago, IAlam said:

How many trips could an Electric MCI even do? Express bus service is already pretty iffy, if these buses don't have a similar range (Specifically in the winter) to the diesel counterparts I can see express bus service in the city getting a whole lot worse.  

I would assume a full shift, I would hope they are rated for 200+ miles? The highest mileage express pieces ( not full runs, but half's) usually don't do more than 100 miles.

And would have to see how weather effects them as well as the NGs alone really lack power during sub freezing temps (from experience) when it's working on more diesel power than electric you feel a huge difference.

But I don't know NADA about full electric power and don't claim to know more than I do.

11 minutes ago, Chris Alleyne said:

 

My question for this is, why exactly does the MTA want to go all electric? The all diesel-electric hybrid idea didn't exactly go the way the MTA had hoped which is why we haven't had any new hybrids from 2010 until recently. What makes them so sure that fully electrified buses will be able to work in all NYC area environments. As of right now, Staten Island has yet to test out an all electric bus. How will they do there? Personally, I'd think it'd be wise to continue to buy new clean diesel and Comprised Natural Gas (and maybe even LNG powered buses too) buses for the foreseeable future. I mean, don't they want more XN60s for bus company if College Point depot ever end up going artic?  That way, if the technology fails, they can atleast have something else to fall back on. Weren't they also going to test hydrogen powered buses too next decade (2020s)? Was that plan scrapped? 

Hydrogen is interesting to follow, I did some research into the Honda Clarity Sedan they had a rocky enough start in California.

5 minutes ago, Lil 57 said:

Or pebbles. We heard loud banging on the bus when the kids were running for it.

I had someone throw their Chinese lunch special at my bus once, broker open as soon as it hit the window in a explosion of pork fried rice.

2 hours ago, Lil 57 said:

But the 3G's were never given to the Bronx so the Bronx might not have the right maintenance equipment.

They are not that different or advanced from many other models out there. They share many many common parts with others.

39 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Just think about all of the OT as you guys are stuck in traffic.  Ca ching ca ching ca ching ching.... 

Lol that's just more runs that are going to have missing trips when they can't make it back.

But nah no OT for me I'm a "8 and skate" guy.

Finish my shift and bolt the hell outta there.

Some of us want to get on and off that bus as quick as you do 😂

22 minutes ago, lara8710 said:

Either way you still have to spend money. Since the S98 operates rush hours only, any difference in budgeting between an S98 extension to EWR and a new bus route would be minimal; if both routes operated 7 days a week it's a different story. If such a plan goes ahead, it's likely the MTA would look to a third party to help with funding for Staten Island-EWR service (possibly the Port Authority).

There is no need to spend any money, just drop that whole ridiculous idea.

3 hours ago, JeremiahC99 said:

About damn time these transfer announcements are rolling ahead (sorry. I'm just impatient with these upgrades). Also, any videos of the transfer announcements yet? I'm dying to hear how they are on the buses themselves.

They sound like every other announcement that system does, same voice and tone.

44 minutes ago, lara8710 said:

How about installing bike racks on the Q44 and S79 SBS as well? Both of those routes also cross the same bridges as the three routes that already have the racks.

Bike racks will slow down a SBS, defeats the purpose of SBS

1 hour ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

As far as I'm concerned, just send the S98 over the Goethals Bridge, expand service to run 7 days a week and be done with it.

What, because one person said that people going to EWR have money for the flight so they must have money for a taxi? What about people who work at the airport (TSA agents, etc)? What about people who need to travel over the Goethals Bridge for whatever other reason (shopping/working at Jersey Gardens, going to school/college, etc)? They don't matter?

Just thinking Why wouldn't it be NJ transit to handle it ?

And what about those workers? They knew their job location before they accepted the gig and should of did some research themselfs IMO.

7 minutes ago, mine248 said:

Oh wow. I don’t even think that the depots care anyways...right???

It's not up to depots to care. It goes above them.

2 minutes ago, Orion6025 said:

I don't get what the big deal is over that bus stop style. I mean like it tells you the route that stops there. Not like the signs are misleading or anything

What do you mean bus stop style ?

16 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Yeah, bus stops is done by the DOT. The bus shelters are also overseen by the DOT, BUT they contract that work out in terms of maintenance, cleaning, etc. The actually does however change out the bus schedules that you see.  Part of the reason why everything takes FOREVER is because there are too many agencies involved.  

Wait for the snow. The bus stops without shelters are up to DSNY.  One more agency in the mix. One big happy family.

7 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

I wonder how many depots with outdoor storage had trouble starting up their buses this morning due to the cold. A lot of the people around the area had trouble starting their cars today.

 

 

I know SC hooks up their bus engines to block heaters so they will be able to start up in cold weather, I don't think older depots have that luxury. 

 

 

There are cold weather plans in place. I don't know the exact numbers but it goes like if outside temp is 10-20 bus may be started and ran for 15 minutes every 2 hours.

If it's 0-10 outside busses may be started and ran 15min every hour.

Maintenance is usually on top of it. Saves them work later

44 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

I wonder if depots will have trouble making service today between buses being used for the various subway shuttles AND 40 footers being used on artic routes..

No. Regular service is priority over shuttles. And even depots that have shuttles going out its usually only a handful.

1 hour ago, DueceDrives said:

You have to take consideration of the tail of the artic buses follows and if there’s not enough clearence, 

So on certain turns the 40ft can make it, where that 60-65 footers can’t and I can name a few local streets and areas.

Throw  some out there. Not saying it's not possible but id like to know.