7-express

Does anyone know why there are 7 N/B AM rush hour trips of the Q44-SBS that terminate in Whitestone?

Looks like they're cutting back on mezzanine sizes and office space for the Phase 2 stations: https://nypost.com/2023/02/16/mta-shaves-back-station-plans-for-second-avenue-extension/

Did something crazy happen at CP depot this morning? BusTime Looks like this with similar effect on the QM1/4/5/6/7/8/10/11/12:

Yeah I'm really looking forward to 2 hour trip run times for the QM2/20 to get back to Bay Terrace in the future...

It may even get worse due to a new proposal this year that could give the city the ability to change speed limits to 20 MPH or less in certain areas. https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-could-drop-speed-limits-below-25-mph-under-hochul-proposal

More details on the Wi-Fi cuts here: https://gothamist.com/news/mta-cuts-free-wi-fi-from-nyc-buses Mostly to cut $3.3 million in annual costs that only benefited an average of 33k riders.

The media has finally taken notice of it today with an article on Gothamist and PIX11. https://gothamist.com/news/mta-cuts-free-wi-fi-from-nyc-buses Mainly states that only an average of 33k folks were using it and cutting it will save $3.3 million annually.

Anyone note any weird issues with the Stop Requested bell system on the newer Prevosts? I was on one yesterday and the bell kept ringing at random intervals even though no one was pressing it. And the Stop Requested signal on the screen wouldn't clear when the driver opened the door at the bus stop. So we just had to revert to folk just yelling out "next stop" in order to get off or standing near the front.

3273 seems to have a busted GPS. Wasn't showing this morning on BusTime but it showed up on time.

Got a notice via email advertising reduced-fare OMNY for folks with MetroCards expiring this year. No real news but it seems like they'll send reduced-fare OMNY cards out to folks with expiring MetroCards later this year whenever they become available. Guess we'll just have to wait till the spring OMNY update to the board for any additional news.

I saw the governor wants the CityTicket expanded to cover peak hours too: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-public-transit-expansions-increase-access-affordability-and-safety Wonder if this is the nail in the coffin for certain at risk lines like the QM3 that run relatively close to the LIRR.

Looks like the $5 CityTicket will be expanded to 24/7 within city limits sometime in the future: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-public-transit-expansions-increase-access-affordability-and-safety

I doubt they'll get rid of USB ports though. There's no upkeep charge like there probably is with a mobile data plan and the maintenance is probably just limited to plugs that have been vandalized/damaged.

I just noticed the disclaimer today to when connecting to the WiFi. It says mid-January and we're awfully close to it so they could be yanking the plug in just one or two weeks. I do use the WiFi just to keep my data usage low on my plan. But it is indeed quite slow. It's okay for general browsing but forget trying to do anything media intensive on it. Probably contributes to the lack of popularity as everyone is trying to stream a video one way or another.

I guess a lot of the fixed ones are going to CP depot so far? I know my PM bus driver exclusively asks for an MCI to take out and hates the new Prevosts.

I have noticed that more often than not now, I am getting the Prevosts with the fixed screens, seats, and installed partitions now. So it seems they're getting traction now.

I have yet to encounter a Prevost with working overhead blowers. I checked the one I was on this morning and it was dead.

I got a 135x bus this morning and while the bins were padlocked on the driver's side, this one did have steel cable that was trimmed properly. Seems like maybe it was only the 137x bus I was on yesterday so far...

I'll check again tomorrow morning since my AM driver usually takes out a Prevost. But this is probably why drivers always leave their stuff on the first seat instead of the overhead bins...

Weird possible safety issue I noticed this morning on a newer Prevost is that the locked overhead bins behind the driver are locked with some weird looking padlock that has sharp steel wire sticking out of it. I almost cut my hand on it this morning trying to grab onto the overhead ledge while exiting. Not sure if it's on other buses or just this one (137x).

I don't ever recall the overhead vents in the Prevosts working any time I've been on them. Or it was so weak it wasn't worth the effort.

Until people started getting sick from it being too hot or sweating it out in the summer! The MCIs I still catch still have good temperatures on board, especially while everyone is wearing a winter coat in these 30 degree temps. Though the MCIs are slowly rattling themselves apart.

Well actually the one redeeming feature of the newer Prevosts is that the suspension is a bit nicer than the MCIs. I was on a newer bus this morning and while it wasn't as crazy hot as Monday, it was definitely warm with your jacket on. As I was exiting, I saw the driver had set the temp to 76 degrees on his dash. I'm not sure if that's the driver temp or the cabin temp but it does seem like a rather high setting when everyone has winter jackets on.

Thanks...I'll report on any buses that appear to be hot. My theory is that the thermostat is at the front of the bus where it's cooler and the climate control system doesn't know it's cooking the back...shoddy corner cutting for Prevost likely. And agreed that the overhead vents are relatively useless on the Prevosts vs the MCIs...blows either nothing or barely anything that won't flow down to the seat. I was on a bus last week where the Stop Requested sign appeared to be stuck but I wasn't sure if it was because the driver never reset it at a stop. The driver did complain the bell system was acting up and he didn't have an indication of a stop requested on the dash. Really wish they would've had an old school light in the front to at least get around some of these digital disasters.

I got to experience what you were talking about today. Rode on 1335 and it was a sauna on board. The back was super hot while the front was much more mild. I sat in a window seat but had to move because the window vents were really warm. I didn't have an IR thermometer on me but the vents felt like they were at least 90 degrees to the touch. A warm bus is nice during the winter but not this warm! Also the GPS and screens were out on this bus and the driver and I couldn't figure out how to turn it on. With the screens dead, the stop requested bell didn't even work and wasn't showing up on the dashboard for the driver. We had to resort to calling out our stops verbally instead. Not sure if this was an electrical gremlin or this is just how the system behaves but it seems asinine that the stop requested system is tied to the screens only.