7-express

Isn't the Q34 kind of like a school route? I thought it routes kids from the Mitchell-Linden complex to the schools next to Memorial Field.

I've had a MVM mess up my card before but not really a SBS machine. Though I have heard of an SBS machine overcharging a card on a single "swipe"

Daily News has an article out about providing discounts to students who take express buses to high school: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-express-bus-student-funding-20190806-p7yqythexfh7xibljy6uqgoz6y-story.html

I was actually chatting with another QM20 regular about the earlier buses on the QM5/7 since we're both early birds. We agreed that the QM20 could benefit from a 0530 run.

They posted this article about the QM5 and QM7: https://qns.com/story/2019/08/06/northeast-queens-commuters-gain-two-additional-express-bus-trips-during-morning-rush-hours-rozic/ If only they could also add early morning buses to the QM20. A 0530 run would be beneficial because the current first run at 0545 is pretty full.

Does a bus with dead overhead vents but working window vents count as a bus with bad AC? I had back luck this week with express buses with poor AC. Thursday was another warm bus with barely working AC. Friday, I caught a bus with dead overhead vents but the window vents were still cold. But I'm not sure if dead overhead AC vents were just the driver forgetting to turn them on.

Thanks to the MTA for making me feel like a baked potato. Bus 3193 out of CP depot and operating as the 1910 QM2 back to Queens had no AC. Vents were just slowly blowing hot air around so it was super toasty in there for the long ride back home. They seriously couldn't find a single express bus with working AC to make service on a weekend?

Maybe they were desk cops who aren't used to being outside...

Fortunately, they were smart enough to re-rpute the QM2 through Mitchell-Linden a few years ago to provide express bus service through the area again and help boost the weekend ridership numbers for the QM2.

If it's on the official published schedule now, shouldn't it be the official route drivers follow now? The new driver that came with the summer pick does not follow it and keeps going down 59th Street...and getting jammed in the mess that comes with it. It's not as bad since it's summer traffic patterns now but still not great.

In your talks with the city DOT, have there been any talks of making 59th Street No Standing Only curb to curb from 5th Ave to the QB Bridge? Additional lane capacity during the afternoon rush can definitely help here. Also, I noticed there was one cop this afternoon standing on the corner of 59th and Madison milking it by pulling over cars for turn signal violations. Problem is, it was blocking the bus stop there with all the cars he pulled over. Also did nothing for the delivery trucks double parked killing lane capacity.

I read somewhere else that they're rolling out automated people counters on all newer buses (or retrofitting newer existing buses). I think it uses infrared to count people entering and exiting. It's not 100% accurate but it's better than relying strictly on MetroCard swipes, especially with farebeaters, back door borders, etc. Granted an express bus is a somewhat more controlled environment than a local bus or articulated bus.

Better than last year when they axed the last 9:30PM trip to Midtown. And when they killed off the 12AM run of the QM2...

Well I can see why the return AM trips would take forever on Northern because the lights are synced for Manhattan-bound traffic at that hour. But I do agree, the PM rush hour has been very slow between 82nd Street and 108th Street lately. I'm pretty sure this has to do with deBlasio's Vision Zero policy of slowing down traffic by retarding traffic signal timing. Traffic through the area used to flow fairly well but they tweaked the signals 3 or so years ago and just killed any chance of gaining speed in the area. They also did this with Astoria Blvd too. I think I had one driver who got frustrated with Northern in Jackson Heights and found his way north to Astoria Blvd instead for some relief.

Just for historical perspective, why was the monthly bus pass discontinued way back when?