7-express

https://new.mta.info/project/brooklyn-bus-network-redesign Things are live now.

I recently took bus 1329 and it had the new display screen update to constantly show "Stop Requested" and the name of the next stop on the upper 1/3 of the screen while the bottom 2/3 showed ads. Also seemed like the next stops display stays on the screen longer during the pick up and drop off portion rather than quickly switching back to ads. So far, it seems like a good improvement for the buses that do have the update.

Some information from this month's board notes about the OMNY CVMs:

Are they pairing the seat adjustments with the installation of the plexi barriers? That could be the cause of the delay if they're trying to knock off two birds with one stone but are getting stuck with supply issues. Just a thought.

Thanks for the update. I saw QNS posted an article about it too today...should be interesting to see what happens. I've had some PM rush buses just take 68 St to the GCP instead to avoid the stupidity on Northern. I'm cautiously optimistic but I have a feeling portions will just become double parking lanes, similar to what happens to the Woodhaven bus lanes in certain commercial areas. Link to the QNS article: https://qns.com/2022/11/northern-boulevard-bus-priority-project/

The MTA has a new video out about how to use OMNY for reduced-fare customers. But it doesn't really show anything new that wasn't already possible over the summer...just documenting it so people can see how to do it. Only tidbit is special reduced-fare OMNY cards coming next year for folks who want one, which is the same that was listed in this months board meeting notes. Guess we'll have to wait till spring or later for more news.

TSP will certainly help though I'm not what their policy of implementing it on routes that already have the "green wave" during rush hour is. It would definitely help for off hours EB runs (outside of 3PM-8PM) when the green wave isn't active on Northern Blvd.

Great thanks for getting some additional details...I'll pass it onto some other folks I know who travel the corridor.

Thanks...Northern has definitely been getting bogged down over the last two months with school back in session. So much so that some of my PM rush buses back to Bay Terrace have been flipping over to either Astoria Blvd or the GCP just to avoid the mess.

Do you have any contacts at the DOT you can ask about the Northern Blvd bus lane and when that will get going? The original presentation from earlier this year said Summer/Fall implementation but I have yet to see any construction or prep work for this to happen.

Yeah it's fine for off-peak runs but this was an early AM bus so it really didn't make much sense. The only other time that had happened before was during the freak early morning downpours a couple weeks back where the GCP was flooded but that made sense then to use the Van Wyck to get around it.

Are CP drivers trying something new now? For two days in a row with two different drivers, my WB bus in the AM has gone via the Van Wyck to the LIE instead of the GCP to HHP to the LIE. Unfortunately, this nullifies any time savings since the Van Wyck to the LIE crawls with heavy traffic until Maspeth. The GCP to HHP to LIE route saves a bunch more time by bypassing most of that traffic. Not sure what they're trying out here but it's costing run time.

IIRC, the destination sign was set up correctly. For now, I'll just chalk it up to a glitchy GPS that just took a while to sync up. I have noticed some EB QM2/20s being listed as Midtown buses and don't correct on BusTime until it gets to Rockefeller Center or so, even if the destination sign is set up correctly. So I'm not sure what's up with that but I can generally figure out what's approaching based on the schedule. Another weird BusTime quirk is that passenger counts on the newer Prevost buses (13xx, 14xx) don't always show up on some buses during the pickup section of the route. I thought all of the newer Prevosts come with passenger counters now so I just thought it was odd it wasn't showing all the time. For example, bus 1334 operating as a QM2 today didn't show a passenger counter in Manhattan but by the time it started dropping passengers off in Queens, it started displaying passenger counts again.

FYI, bus 1333 operating as the 1545 QM2 trip to Bay Terrace wasn't showing up on BusTime while in Manhattan. It only showed up again once it entered Queens. Not sure if this is a bad GPS or it was having a bad signal in Manhattan. Just thought I'd note it here.

Looks like a QM6 was involved in a collision this afternoon right as it was about to turn onto the upper level of the Queensboro Bridge on 57th Street. Looks like the Ford went straight from a double left turn bay into the front of a newer Prevost.

I was on a newer Prevost bus this morning and the chains were removed from the front, restoring about 4 rows of seating. The 5th row (the very front row) was blocked off by...you guessed it...all of the bus driver's belongings. Pretty good crowd on my bus too with 35 people on board.

Practically every QM2/20 MCI bus I end up on has the driver blocking the first row with their belongings. Only on certain buses someone sits up there, usually people the driver likes to talk to. It hasn't been an issue with the buses I've been on though because they're either carrying less than 25 people or a person is already occupying the seat.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone on the QM2/20 being asked to put on a mask, especially since things have gotten rather loose in the last 2-3 months anyways. Still seems like the majority of people have a mask on the express buses I'm on but the tide is turning. I really do hope they unblock the first 2-3 rows of the Prevosts soon. It's annoying to be on a bus with 30+ people and no one can use those seats.

Not an issue but a slight pet peeve...the LCD screens on the newer Prevosts are extremely bright. It's quite noticeable during night time hours when the screens are still set to daylight brightness. It's even worse when the driver turns off the overhead lights so people can snooze but the display screens are crazy bright in your eyes. Just something to consider in case others have similar complaints and you want to bring this up to the tech teams.

Great news that the Stop Requested sign will stay up instead of being covered up by ads. I was on one earlier this week and it was annoying that it didn't switch to saying Stop Requested until the driver was pulling into the stop itself. The new Prevosts out of CP seem fine to me besides that on the few times I've had them. AC seems a bit better than the MCIs and the suspension is much nicer/smoother compared to the usual bumpy ride when you're sitting on top of the rear wheels. The narrow front door turn is a bit annoying and I sometimes forget there is another step up after the driver to get into the passenger area.

My early AM buses have been fine and on-time...usually about 25-35 people on my bus depending on the day. My early PM bus have been okay too save for a few times 59th Street and the bridge get backed up to hell (today was one, which caused a net 30 minute delay). I have noticed some QM2s opting to continue taking 59th Street instead of 57th Street going east, which causes delays on some days adding 5-10 mins to the run. Of course this is with summer level traffic so we'll see what happens after Labor Day when supposedly more people return to work and school is back in full force. I'm just dreading UN week coming up in late September. I'll probably bail on the express bus those days and find a better way east during the PM rush. It's too bad they can't make more runs SX for that week to try and avoid some of the insanity.

It was a newer Prevost express bus. First two rows behind the driver and 3 rows on the opposite side were chained off. Is this because they don't have the shower curtain installed yet like on the MCIs? Not that I see any driver use it on the MCIs outside of one time...

Got on a CP bus this morning and for the first time in a long while, the first 3 rows on each side were blocked off by chains/stuff the driver was carrying with him. Just a tad annoying a bus with 35 people on it. I have the bus number and run time/route if you need it for anything.

Because that's the off-peak direction during the AM rush unless you're going to the schools around Memorial Field. The AM rush would be going towards Flushing for the subway.

The MTA released a video on how to use a pre-tax benefits cards with OMNY. It's for those who don't have contactless cards but it also works for credit/debit customers who don't want a thousand individual charges on their statements: