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Idk where people got this idea that seeing only a couple on on a single day means much, I see them in Flushing everyday on every route, the Q32 was the first and is always swamped with them, makes sense too since it's probably one of the highest turnover route CS has alongside the Q44. Though from my experience they seem to be everywhere except the bus I get on. But I'm not going to go out of my way to ride one either.

I kinda agree with this, part of the reason why the Queensbridge and VanDam St gets clogged up so much is because it's free. Having a toll on east river bridges could help balance the load on each crossing and free up some congestion for express buses going back to Queens.

Other than the business class I'm really excited, I've been on the Brightline and Midwest venture cars and they're great. As for the business class they wen with the same version as VIA which uses the same seats with just more space between seats which I'm not a fan of. I wish the got the wider seats like Brightline did. The only other issue I'm probably gonna have is the fact these trains will most likely have fixed seats which can't be turned. That'll be fine for short journeys but I wouldn't be a fan of them for longer ones.

I also noticed on the Brooklyn redesign it said the Q59 will stay on Queens Bl but also still has the stop on 56th Av. Which doesn't make sense to me because there is no way for the bus to make the left turn on Grand Av unless the bus stop will be located on the main road. Also going back to that discussion about the Q98 going via Elliot over Grand looking at the map now if the purpose of the Q98 is to get to Ridgewood as fast as possible I feel like it'd be better off just getting back on the expressway after serving QCM/Woodhaven Bl. The service road between Grand Av and Queen Bl/Woodhaven isn't typically that busy for most hours of the day.

I’m on one of CS’s new novas and the seat behind the driver is available. I honestly thought they were getting rid of them since this new order was coming with that area blocked off. I’m glad too since that’s my favorite seat.

So I’m reading this morning on all express bus lines that. I wonder if this means the the QM bus ops will finally have the flexibility today to take the best route.

Honestly I feel like this problem could be solved overnight if the MTA just implemented fare capping for express buses. But there’s still no time frame as to when the MTA will introduce express bus fare capping or the ability to purchase passes directly.

I'm really glad to see that they're going this route, I was never convinced that the MTA could have a 100% electric fleet solely relying on battery electric buses. I hope hearing this news Nova Bus and other companies start working on and releasing their versions of hydrogen buses soon.

Yes

I still don't think that an excuse to be running service as inconsistent as they do, on my branch peak service is worse than off peak service with a 1 hour gap in the morning, those trains are way to crowded and there an almost 90 min gap in the off peak direction due to an express train that doesn't even go all the way. There's really no excuse to charge people a premium to stand on a train that's less frequent than what they get off peak, and don't even get me started on the main line. I've have 2 friends that got jobs in Long Island this year and the main line gap is so bad it's nearly impossible for them to get there in a timely fashion. It's either get there 2 hours early or make it there a couple min late. The first one already gave up and started driving, the second one is about to start is has a to connect to a NICE bus that leaves 3 min after the train arrives. If they miss that bus they're basically screwed. The second friend is also considering driving now because the new schedules are still too far away. If the MTA's service is so inconsistent during peak hours, I don't know how they expect people to rely on it. Once someone goes through the effort and to get a license and a car they're not turning back. Inconsistent service pretty much kills the demand in the first place or at the very least prevents growth. At least with the Metro North while not perfect is a lot more consistent with it's service.

Basically on the left side on the single seat before the wheel well.

Hmm I'm speculating here but to me that sounds like something for the railroads.

Have you seen sports fans? Especially in a city where people are already divided over sports with 2 teams.

The only routes that still regularly run OG's and NG's in Manhattan are Queens routes Q32/Q60/Q101. If you're looking for more OG's you'll have to go much deeper in Queens, Jamaica is where you'll see the most. You can also spot some along Queens Blvd Between Woodhaven and Jamaica on the Q11/Q21/Q37/Q60/Q64

I see that happen a lot during off peak runs but for peak trips that's a bad idea.

You're most likely referring to a Proterra BE40 bus which had it's own unique design and floor layout compared most of the other models commonly used in the city. My guess here would be a New Flyer Hybrid XDE40 if you we're in Brooklyn/Queens.

Not only that some ops just outright don't have the right sign up. I usually see this happening 3-4 times a month and then some of them get angry at passengers asking them if they're going to their stop. You can't get mad at passengers asking if you're going past Flushing if you are but have the sign set to Flushing only. In some cases signs are just bad ie Q44 to Sutphin doesn't tell the passengers if that's Hillside or Archer.

Over the course of the pandemic I've noticed a more drivers seem so dead. a couple years ago I'd say ~75% of bus ops would respond back if I said hello, go morning, or a thank you when I got off. Now it's down to ~25% which is honestly sad. A lot of them don't even look at people let alone speak to them, they just straight ahead or to the left. I usually consider the "nicer" ones to be the ones just that acknowledge you nowadays.

So they're slowing adding more buses back to Co-Op City, I wonder if this trend will continue over time. Also I'm glad to see that they're adding back trips to the SIM23/24.

The bus op was basically on their phone right after we left the stop and until I got off, and still had the phone in hand when I got off. On top of that I got on and just sat in the front seat and had a clear view from where I was sitting. I didn't get the picture by going up to him and snapping it. If that was the case I definitely would have shrugged it off, even if it was just them stopped at a red light. Yeah it's been very bad especially on the CP side but I still can't imagine getting a much better outcome on from any NYCT op.

That's true, part of the reason I was so uncomfortable was because the B/O was squeezing between double parked cars and opposing traffic while just looking down. I've heard about it happening once but I've never seen it myself before, so I was a bit surprised when it happened yesterday. Most people in the Flushing area (where I was riding) ride pretty short distances it's very common to see short trips less than mile, and if I see a bus as I'm going to the station there really is no reason no to let it pass. Yeah I'm not the type of person willing to get into arguments on the street, especially when I'm already rushing to get to a train. I might not feel good about it but, that doesn't mean what that op did was ok. Stop acting like I'm here just out to get drivers for frivolous mistakes and one offs. I constantly deal with many bad ops especially those on the express side but you don't see me filing a complaint to the MTA about every single thing they do. This has been an issue ever since I could remember, back when I used to come home in the evening from HS there would constantly be delays as bus ops wouldn't show up to take over a bus at their scheduled time. I usually see a bus go out of service at least 1-2 times a month. Even when they do show up sometimes they're late, other times some ops just take a long time to swap, but overall it messes with the reliability on Main St in general. Most of that bunching occurs at 39th Ave as it turns into a chokehold during busy periods.

So I got on a local bus today and noticed the bus op playing music. I only ever seen that on express buses before, and those bus ops turn it off as soon as the first passengers gets on. But normally I don't mind I as I understand that driving all day can be boring and having music can help people get through the day easier. At the next red light after I boarded, the bus stop started changing music on his phone and again I wouldn't mind that much since the bus wasn't moving, but once the light turned green the op started to move the bus still with the phone in hand. I was on the bus only for a couple blocks but the entire time they we're on their phone. I ended up taking a quick pick and reporting it, but I feel bad about doing that since the bus op seemed like a nice person. But being on your phone while driving a bus is just reckless and unacceptable. Idk how strict the MTA would be about it, but I don't like the idea of being that person responsible for them possibly loosing their job.

Go those drivers can be some of the worst. All of the NE Queens express buses come from the same pool of bus ops but the rudest end up on the QM2/20 somehow. I just stopped using it all together and switched to the QM4 even if it is further away for me.

They bus would probably just go over them, I do suspect the Q73 has a really high potential for a new route but it needs adjustments.

I usually sit a row in front of the screen so I can avoid the light but yeah it desperately needs a night mode. Honestly, it been pretty bad to the point I'll just pay peak fares on the LIRR now, also with school staring today who knows how bad it'll get. But I've also tried to use the QM21 some late evenings to avoid Queens Blvd and even that saves time over the QM4/5/6.