TomaszSBklyn

On 12/2/2021 at 7:17 PM, R179 8258 said:

Is Meredith really a bus depot as in like does it’s own Maintenance and have building like the other depot, or it’s really like a storage for buses ?

According to :

https://ppiaf.org/sites/ppiaf.org/files/documents/toolkits/UrbanBusToolkit/assets/3/3.1/35(vii)b.html

A bus depot "is a transport system’s operating base. It provides parking accommodation, servicing and maintenance facilities for vehicles, an administrative function, and facilities for staff. A fully enclosed depot is sometimes referred to as a garage".

All other MTA Bus and NYCT depots do have servicing facilities, although as I understand not all types of servicing and maintenance is available at all depots, hence the existence of specialized shops such as Zerega Avenue CMF.

Therefore, one would be hard-pressed to call Mermaid, I mean Meredith Avenue a "depot". A "storage for buses" or perhaps a glorified parking lot (with a valet perhaps?) seems a more appropriate term to describe the facility.

9 hours ago, Cait Sith said:

I would not use Transsee as a source. The bus is still upstate.

Not to mention the fact, that Transsee is totally helpless when trying to locate any bus suffering from the Wonky Tracker Syndrome.

1 hour ago, Future ENY OP said:

7157 to Ulmer Park from East New York .. Unit is currently working the B6 this morning.

Just now, TomaszSBklyn said:

  40 minutes ago, Calvin said:

7156 has returned to Ulmer Park after its stay at ENY

Welcome back.

7 hours ago, UTC Bus Roster said:

To me it looks like Pennsylvania (I-80 is just 2 lanes through most of that state. Just a guess.

Yes.

10 hours ago, UTC Bus Roster said:

I guess you don't understand that MTA Bus is treated like a stepchild. They really didn't want to acquire the private bus lines but were forced to. That's why they'll send buses too old for NYC Bus to MTA Bus.

Thanks for the clarification. I kind of suspected that, but was not completely sure.

On 11/20/2021 at 9:08 AM, MTABusTransitFanner said:

  On 11/4/2021 at 10:35 AM, JAzumah said:

Those are all 2008 MCIs, correct?

A little early for retirement. What gives besides the hot exhausts?

On 11/20/2021 at 9:08 AM, MTABusTransitFanner said:

Yes 

The timing of retirement does not seem to make much sense, at least to an outsider to the MTA, yet the taxpayer like myself. For example, the MCI flipdots long time ago removed from depots other that CP served for years until recently. Many of them stayed even longer due to delays in delivery of the Prevost units caused by the pandemic. Similarly, the 2004-2006 MCI CLs are limited to a few depots, but all of a sudden are transferred back to CAS, since there is a need for them, and they seem good enough for the job. The Orions are retired en masse from the NYCT depots, but are holding fine for now in the MTA bus depots.

Is it the case that the MTA bus gets the best older buses and the NYCT keeps the worst ones? Not that I know of.

The only logical explanation is that buses are retired when the new replacement units come, otherwise they are kept pretty much for as long as needed. Does that make economic sense? I would argue not always, but this may be a topic for another discussion.

5 hours ago, Novabus 5000 said:

MTA Bus 2926 is not scrapped, It has been preserved by the Friends of the NJ Transportation Heritage Center. 

 

Thanks great news. I wish more retired buses were preserved as well.

2 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

Please disregard 3800. Bus is not scrap nor retired. Bus was in the shop for 4 days. Just spotted back in service this morning on the M42.   Couldn’t get a clear pic. (Currently driving). 

4 days in a shop does not seem like a long time. I have seen longer periods of inactivity time, at least based on information widely available. It would make sense for the MTA or NYCT to announce retirements of their fleet, so that the public can be informed.

34 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

The trend for enforcement is cameras, be it on the actual buses or cameras installed along the bus lanes. Using the NYPD to chase people out of the bus lanes is an endless process. I had discussions with the DOT about it, as we discussed the Hylan Blvd bus lanes and the 5th Av bus lanes.

While I am not a fan of those at all, perhaps it may be a good idea to implement drones to patrol bus lanes and bus stops. People park wherever they feel like and drive with total disregard to rules and safety and bus lanes and bus stops are no exceptions.

18 hours ago, Calvin said:

The B6 could use artics but, the flaw is that the amount is at least doubled or tripled to what the B1 has. Out of all routes that UP has for local, the B6 is the heaviest and not liked by most ops there. 

The upside for Stengel with the 4700s though is they can shuffle the artics in-service in case the SBS units are out or so (vice-versa with the 4700s, SBS unit can cover the run)

 

The B6 buses are overcrowded and could use bigger vehicles. However, this may be difficult to implement, considering that the B6 runs through areas that are nightmare to drive through, even for for a driver of a compact car (e.g. Midwood section along Ave J and Brooklyn College). Places infamous not only for heavy traffic but for large number of double parked cars that, as I imagine, makes it very difficult to drive a large vehicle though. I can imagine driving an artic through these places will be exponentially harder.

Even now, at the B1 route where the UP artics are common, there is a stretch of route below the elevated D-Line running along the 86th Street between New Utrecht and Stilwell. In my humble opinion any BO who needs to drive an artic through this stretch should be paid double time while there. 

23 hours ago, UTC Bus Roster said:

This thread is for Bus Deliveries and Transfers ONLY! PLEASE move these discussions to the RANDOM THOUGHTS thread!

It's really becoming increasingly annoying having to sift to this nonsensical drivel to find the actual moves and transfers!

I am confused. So the only type of information that belongs to this post is the type: "XXXX (bus number) from Depot A to Depot B"? What about historical information relevant to transfers in general? How is that a "nonsensical drivel"?

On 10/23/2021 at 11:33 PM, Cait Sith said:

Have you forgotten about the R179s? At the time those things were new, they developed problems up the wazoo that delayed them for years, and still had more problems after they all showed up. Those too have been pulled from service a time or two.

Anyway.....

There are things called "teething problems" in new fleets of buses or trains, this one is it, especially since this is a new spec.

The issue was found in only one bus. So as a safety precaution, they pulled the rest of them OOS in order to deal with the fleet in general and apply the fix to the rest of the fleet. This is not the first time they've pulled a fleet of buses out of service over something like this or something similar.

Things like this are always tested thoroughly by the manufacturer, especially with these doors. However, how it was tested and how it is in service and in the environment they are being used in are two very different things, parts can go bad and the city streets doesn't help out over time. Something also could've gotten loose. They may have passed testing at the manufacturer and the vendor, but how it is in service can play out differently.

The emphasis on brand new buses is simply that, they are brand new and they are still under warranty. If the door issue is major, the manufacturer will deal with it themselves. Chances are it'll be a combination of the manufacturer and in-house maintenance staff working on rectifying the issue and getting them back on the road ASAP. As bad as it sounds. it's better for it to happen now(especially since we are in the process of replacing buses) than later on when the fleet is no longer under warranty and becomes a standardized fleet, so they can apply the fix to the rest of the buses(and the ones that have yet to be delivered) as a prevention method.

There is also the underlying issue of what actually caused the doors to open. It could've been from someone trying to open it a time or two, it could've been a mechanical failure, it could've been a bad sensor, whatever the case is, it'll get fixed.

Thanks. It is good to know that these issues are limited to a few new units, but all or most of them are pulled out of service as a precaution. Somehow I got an impression that new problems are widespread. Speaking about the R179s, I relied on news coverage, where the new subway cars were simply described as "lemons". Apparently big overstatement, but many news presenters and writers or anchors like big and oversimplified words as they perhaps improve ratings.

I read about the Grumman Flxible 870 disaster in NYC Transit decades ago. From what I was reading problems with this particular fleet looked like way bigger and more dangerous than the issues with the most recent Novas and Prevosts. But from what I read, even these Grummans were rebuild and successfully used by other transit agencies.

On 10/24/2021 at 10:50 PM, QM1to6Ave said:

Back in the day, even a regular consumer buying a brand new car from a dealer would start making list of all the problems and come back to the dealer a bunch of times the first few weeks to get it all straightened out. My last two or three cars also had workmanship issues despite being brand new. Some were freak occurrences, some were issues that were seen on other new vehicles of the same model. It's the way it is with the complex machines we use.

Thanks for your response. It looks like buying second hand, not too old of course (preowned certified) may be a way to go if one wants more reliability. From my experience, not with vehicles but computers, I have seen many hot and brand new systems have issues that get fixed with firmware and drivers updates. I wish one could apply the same strategies to deal with the "teething issues" on buses and subways.

4 hours ago, Cait Sith said:

That's not how that works. They'll fix the issue altogether in due time.

This is not the first time a big fleet of buses were taken OOS over some kind of issue when they were brand new, emphasis on brand new. This is the perfect time to rectify any issues that may happen later on. This is why places like Zerega, ENY CMF and Grand Avenue CMF exist, along with the many vendors in the tri-state.

Forgive me, but your response seems to defy common sense. Why would something "brand new, emphasis on brand new" develop problems serious enough to warrant pulling it OOS? Minor issues, I could understand. But big ones that can potentially result in injuries. In my humble opinion anything that is safety related should have been thoroughly and exhaustively tested by the manufacturer before sending it to the client/customer. 

In response to the "AirTrain" topic posted by multiple members in multiple discussions, let me bring the latest from the NYT (Oct. 12, 2021, 9:05 p.m. ET).

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/12/nyregion/laguardia-airport-airtrain.html

On 10/2/2021 at 1:44 PM, limitednyc said:

2424, 2441 ULPK-MA

Is this a temporary or permanent transfer?

2 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

7001 has been saved and is currently back in service at Castelton. Currently on the S46. It was one of the buses scheduled to possibly be scrapped. 

Good news.

2 hours ago, GojiMet86 said:

DOT just installed a new traffic light near me. And I agree with that decision, because the amount of traffic has increased dramatically on that intersection over the last decade.

New traffic light might indeed help pedestrians cross the streets safer, but from the motorist's point of view they mostly slow down traffic. I have seen it right in my neighborhood. Most of the time one is forced to stop and wait for no reason other than not to run a red light.

58 minutes ago, JeremiahC99 said:

7364 is not an articulated New Flyer XD60 bus. Rather, it is a standard length New Flyer XD40 bus. 

Not correct. I have seen the video. The bus number showing there was 7364 and it was an articulated bus.

Pretty sad week for Ulmer Park. As per Citizen, another artic from UP, 7364 running on B1 (Oriental Blvd bound) was involved in an accident on 86th Street in Bath Beach not far from where another UP artic struck a pedestrian about a week ago. According to the Citizen, yesterday (10-02) around 2:22pm, the bus collided with an SUV. Video showed minimal damage to the SUV. As per the video and the comments section, the NYCT Bus driver went to the left side of the 86th Street in order to pass a double parked SUV. And while many "commentators" quickly jumped to conclusion and assigned a blame to the NYCT Bus driver, I am not buying this at all unless evidence from a camera or credible witnesses in a form of multiple coherent statements is provided.

The 86th Street in Bath Beach, runs below elevated subway tracks (D-line) from New Utrecht to Stillwell. It is a nightmare to drive a big and wide vehicle there, so my heart goes to the MTA bus operators that have to drive there. I rode on the B1 through this stretch of 86th St and noticed that the bus would come almost to a halt while passing another bus or a truck driving in the opposite direction. Passing was slow and painful. The stretch of this street is treacherous as the subway tracks sit on the top of metal pillars sitting on top of concrete pyramid like bases that are quite wide at the bottom. While this is easy to notice while driving a regular car it may be harder to estimate the width of these columns while sitting high above the ground in an SUV, a bus or a truck.

Earlier during the past week I saw B1s rerouted through Bath Avenue between 20th Avenue and some other street (did no see which one). Normally only B64 runs there, but it is served by  regular 40 footers and not artics. Bath Avenue can be a headache as well. In both the 86th Street and Bath, one of the worst headaches is an infestation of double parked troublemakers delaying traffic and forcing other users of the road go into left side of the street to pass.

27 minutes ago, NBTA said:

Are you kidding me?

The amount of gullibility is insane..

I'm not an expert, if that changes anything.

9 hours ago, SevenEleven said:

Nah, we got a 45 ft bus numbered 7575 running around. 

I'm eager to catch it or at least look at its picture. Where can I find more info? At this link:

https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Metropolitan_Transportation_Authority_7484-7850#7500-7599

there is nothing specific or unusual about vehicle 7575. Also, as a 45 footer shouldn't it have a tag axle?

20 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

Someone gets hit by a bus and this is your response? Disgusting.

I was only describing the location, where the topic of the question focused. A place in the map in the context of changes and events that have been going for a while. That's all.

3 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

Is this by Bay Parkway Station-

Less than one subway stop away going toward Bay 50th Street, home of the now famous and fanned D99 route powered by buses from at least 3 Brooklyn Depots: Ulmer, Flatbush and the Ralph Kramden, I mean Jackie Gleason.

According to the Citizen app a pedestrian has been struck by the B1 artic (4786, UP) in Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, at 2238 86th St. Cops and paramedics seen in the video.