RtrainBlues

Exact locations at https://new.mta.info/coronavirus/popup-vaccination-stations for those interested.

N15 via Clinton Rd certainly saves time than via the roundabout traffic-heavy route along Old Country Rd & Washington Ave. There's a huge ridership between HTC and RFM, and unless you're going to run the N35 every 10 minutes, then you'll need a supplementary N15. N16 first/last stop at NCC (and cutting stops at NCC) saves time for the majority of ridership who is not NCC bound, so they don't have to suffer those NCC detours. I still don't understand why buses like the N16 have to make a roundabout loop thru the Social Services Center at 60 Charles Lindbergh, which adds running time & costs money. The bus literally passes by it on the main road. Someone just has to cross the street and the building is right there! If someone is that mobility impaired that they can't cross the street, that person would likely need Access-A-Ride anyway.

Was surprised at just how crowded the Metro-North platform northbound at Fordham can get. Massive crowding during off-peak hours, obviously from people looking for a cheaper fare to Connecticut. It's a quick ride thru Manhattan and the Bronx on the D express to Fordham Road for Metro-North. As an aside, quite a weird platform setup at Fordham Road (I'm assuming the middle track is used for peak direction D express trains). During off-peak hours at Fordham Road, I've helped people going southbound, telling them they have to keep walking all the way down until they see ANOTHER platform, since that's the platform the D will stop at.

It's a similar logic to "let's eliminate all the token booth clerks" to save money and have more service or less of a fare hike. You can't put a price on safety, or your life. I don't believe eliminating most LIRR conductors will bring more service. I bet it will be used to line the pockets of the MTA managers. And will lead to mass layoffs. Perhaps you don't need approx 8 conductors on a Ronkonkoma train, and can get by with only 4. And you can assign conductors to shorter routes (like Hempstead) during the mid-day, if they have free time on their hands. The answer is to reassign them strategically, not take away their jobs. I'd rather wait a little extra for a train that moves faster (no congestion) and is fully staffed for safety. I don't want the extra service that will lead to congestion & safety issues. "Proof of payment" on the Q53 has brought many loitering people to the area by the wildlife refuge, in the heart of Broad Channel, etc. They are talking to themselves and acting erratically. It's not a model for those who want safety on their mass transit.

I think we can agree to disagree. In today's environment, I don't think extra police will happen. Fare reductions would never happen, just like the Verrazzano Bridge toll will never be reduced. I felt very unsafe on MARTA's trains (tap in, tap out) in upscale Buckhead and that was during afternoon rush-hour (large group of teens was acting up). I was amazed at how empty MARTA trains were during rush-hour, and I bet it was due to crime and lack of conductors checking tickets. Do we want the same to happen to Seaford and Garden City commuters? They'll drive instead. We are paying for service, safety, and more of a personal touch. We get to know our conductors and they make for a pleasant safe ride. The showtime dancers were always on the Q over the bridge or the E express in Queens - those aren't tourist audiences who ride in those locations; those are people who live in NYC. Also, I don't think political leaders and the unions would allow the MTA to eliminate so many jobs. Bottom line, the MTA will make a decision, and I bet it'll be using OMNY as a CHOICE to pay for your paper ticket. We'll have to wait and see what the MTA decides.

Extra crew would have helped here: https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/ntsb-brooklyn-crash-injured-1.16579846 Many people no longer feel safe riding the subway, with so many people being pushed onto the platform recently, being stabbed at Times Square last night, etc. How safe would LIRR riders feel taking the LIRR under reduced staff, knowing that people could just jump past fare control at stations and harass them and/or hurt them onboard the train? Do riders want the "Show-Time" dancers to come to the LIRR? They've almost kicked people in the face several times. The conductors in every other car keep things safe. Passengers currently pay a premium fare for good service and don't want a "tap in, tap out" system like the DC subway. Do we want to push riders away by eliminating conductor jobs?

Anyone who has ever stood at Atlantic Terminal around 8am/8:30am on a weekday knows that OMNY tap-in/tap-out would be doomed to fail. The arriving LIRR train is so full that it needs about 10-15 minutes just to have passengers exit, as the last few cars can't platform at Atlantic Terminal. Would we want people waiting 45-60 minutes to "tap out"? Would conductors allow all of their jobs to be eliminated if OMNY replaces their job of punching tickets? Will safety concerns arise if their jobs are eliminated (safety for train movement and safety from crime)?

Exactly - Just like every other #6 train goes to Pelham Bay Park during rush-hour, they should do the same with the N20, N22 and n24 (every other bus runs the full route).

Will be interesting to see if the drivers will insist on a return to rear-door boarding (until cases abate later in the spring), given this MTA COVID spike. I don't see any difference "before" and "after" with the driver shields they claim to have installed. The buses look the same to me with the driver shields as they've always looked the past few years. The passengers certainly aren't maintaining 6 feet of distance when they are dipping their Metrocard (or searching for coins, or for a valid Metrocard, etc).

I recall lots of potential negative redesign changes: Cutting the direct route from 91st/Shore medical center to 86/4th subway (B16), cutting one of the two very crowded bus routes that go from the very busy Flushing subway to Queens College (either Q17 or Q25, can't recall which), etc. I can't think of anything positive to say with the redesigns.

With a Biden presidency looking more likely, elected officials and the MTA are likely counting on a large bailout becoming more likely as well. As an aside, would be interesting to know the approx % of paying local bus customers who ONLY take a bus (not using a free xfer to/from subway), to understand how local bus fare collection effective August 31st affected MTA finances. Also, would the bus ridership drop from 1.3M in July/August to 1.0M now (due to bus fare collection resuming) affect the amount of federal subsidy? Put another way, if most people riding local buses are getting a free xfer from subway, why bother to enforce local bus fare collection, so that you attract more riders & a larger federal subsidy?

The MTA subway/bus figures at https://new.mta.info/coronavirus/ridership are extremely depressing and suggest we may not see a rebound until later in 2021 or sometime in 2022 when theaters/concerts start up again. Nevertheless, the MTA is likely waiting until after the election to determine what plan of action it will need to take.

With ridership likely to remain extremely depressed far longer (at least until theaters/concerts resume, which as of now won't be until May 31st at the earliest), why is the MTA still running pre-pandemic levels of service? I used to ride the bus all the time, but I stopped on August 31st once fares resumed, and now use my bike daily to get around.

Why don't they make all Staten Island local buses free, including the S53/S93/S79, so express bus users are financially incentivized to take those instead? People can transfer to the SIR to the ferry for quicker service if needed. Those who work in lower Manhattan would essentially get to work for free if they took the free local bus then the ferry. Would likely save the MTA a lot more money than running extra super-expensive express buses.

Shocking that these rampant crimes are occurring even in stations with a police station inside (like Hoyt-Schermerhorn).

Lots of changes today: Destination sign on outside front of bus alternates with "FARE REQUIRED" then the route/destination. Small sign on outside back door directs passengers to board through the front door instead. Big sign inside of bus states that fare collection starts again on Monday, and to use Metrocard, OMNY or coins. Saw one bus with a plastic curtain (looks like a shower curtain) that wraps around driver area. But will that plastic shield protect driver & prevent air from getting from one part of bus to another? Will be interesting to see how much bus ridership declines as of Monday.

Why has bus ridership rebounded? Since it's free. People get on the local bus now at Atlantic Ave with Target bags, instead of taking the subway, and ride all the way to Bay Ridge since it's free (even though it will take longer than the subway). Large families get on the local bus and ride it a half-mile or mile to a shopping center, since it's free. Once bus fares resume, I will get out my bike instead. And family members with shorter distances will drive or walk. We will all stop taking the bus.

Exactly - the cost in collecting minimal bus fares may likely be greater than the actual fares collected. It may be a money loser. By using subway ridership's vast declines, we can estimate how much bus ridership may decline if fares are re-instituted. Will hordes of drivers be furloughed if this happens? Will drivers refuse to drive if they don't feel safe with a partition during a pandemic? Will they sue and take it to court?

Most of the people I see riding buses are only riding them now since they're free. They get on for a half mile and then get off. Or they bring their entire family on the bus to go to a shopping center a mile away. The vast majority of passengers would likely disappear once fare payment resumes. Don't know why the MTA would go to all this trouble during the pandemic (both time and money). The "return on investment" won't be that great at all. May even be a net money loser to install these partitions. Better to keep them free until the vaccine or therapeutic arrives, and then the hordes of riders will once again return and there won't be need for partitions.

I think it was 4746 with the painful blinkers on last night (mid-evening, Bay Ridge bound).

Until things are "back to normal", ridership will likely stay extremely depressed. People are either teleworking or they're out of a job, so they don't need to use the subway daily. They have very few discretionary trips since most venues are closed. The "once a week" trip to Manhattan or downtown to visit friends/shop/etc certainly is a drop in the bucket, compared to the Monthly/Weekly Unlimiteds many used to purchase.

The detoured S78 moves just as fast along Bay St, if not faster. It's a safer, busier road. The detour is not that far of a walk for those who need the exact stops. The hills along the original stretch aren't that bad - certainly nowhere near as bad as the hills in Harlem (Amsterdam Ave) or San Francisco. I'd imagine the drivers would have a valid safety reason to refuse to drive the buses if the MTA insisted on maintaining the current route, given the large number of incidents. The union would likely back them up. Political & budget reasons may hinder undercover officers from riding the bus thru the affected area.

I saw the extremely bright blue blinkers on the front of a Bay Ridge bound (articulated) B1 approx 9:30pm Wednesday, which were quite painful to the eyes, as it had already gotten dark out.

How can the average user find these special late night bus schedules on the web site? The MTA web site is a complete mess.

It wasn't an issue with the R shuttle 36-95, but several years ago feels like another era. Back then, then we had many missed connections (southbound D arriving 2:17am at 36th, but the R was sent in front at 2:16am so everyone needed to wait for the 2:36am R shuttle). So many trains have become much worse in the past year or two with the homeless late nights - especially the 1, 2, R, F, E and Q. I'm not sure it's a function of the terminal location since it's so widespread now.