aemoreira81

I have to wonder if there is a reason why E450-based cutaways aren’t ordered by the MTA, especially for Hudson RailLink and some Staten Island Division routes, like the S42, S54, S55, S56, and S57. Those routes, outside of school trips, are among the lowest ridership routes in the system (the SI routes). (I also wonder if the Bronx could use it for the Bx24, Bx29, and Bx46, given that the Bx29 no longer serves Bay Plaza…moving the Bx46 to Gun Hill via a Bruckner deadhead.) This would be about a 50-60 bus fleet.

Curious as to how high (and big) the new orders are supposed to be in terms of 35-footers and 40-footers. The previous order ended at 503.

I forgot about that.` The ones transferred to CHS never got re-labeled. I'm not sure they ever tracked with Charleston on MyMTA or TransSee.

It was 3200-3251, but excluding 3209 and 3212. They were split between Yukon and Castleton.

So when are the PATH, Bee Line, and NICE Bus planned to get OMNY?

Other possibilities of buses retired and likely already in the graveyard or dismantled (dates in 2023 unless another year is given), based on Transsee tracking data: 2225: last ran in August 2021 3007: last ran on September 7 3025: last ran on August 30 3048: last ran on January 24 3076: last ran in November 2021 4306: last ran in May 2021

Indeed, I can't see it entering service before the fall pick begins. Drivers and mechanics must all be trained first.

Also, regarding some of the Staten Island local routes, in particular, the S42 S54, S55, S56, S57, and S66…I have to wonder if maybe it’s time to go smaller on these routes with cutaway buses (E450-based) as they would be more nimble than typical Class 8 buses…and more right-sized to actual ridership; the S66 is basically a supplement to the S62 nowadays, and none of the others, except for the S42, service St. George at all. (LFS buses could operate supplemental school service.) This is where a fleet of around 25-28 of these buses could be used, assigned to Castleton (S42, S54, S57, S66) and Charleston (S55, S56). (A similar situation could be said about the Bx20, but you don’t have enough routes in the Bronx Division for which this could work…I can only really think of the Bx18 and Bx20) Also, is there a reason why articulated buses aren’t considered for SI local bridge and SBS routes? A fleet of around 90 of these buses could work…35 for the S79 and 55 for the S53/S93. The big question might be: can Castleton or Yukon handle 60-foot buses inside the garage building?

I have to wonder why not to an even $3 for the local fare. Now, as for fare evasion, the fine long ago should have been fixed at many multiples to the base fare (I have thought maybe 60-75 times the base fare would send a message.

Regarding the 49/68 swap, the major reason to me for that seems like money saving…to move the 49 to Ulmer Park and to shorten the deadhead, as the 68 would remain out of Gleason.

I have to wonder if the MTA doesn’t want to duplicate the J train fully with a bus route.

A few things I notice: 1. Is there a real need for a Broadway Junction super-hub to warrant a split of a route like the B60, unless Broadway Junction gets full ADA access? 2. On the B5 and B82 SBS, I have to wonder if the lines should be combined into one that has a north and south branch (and instead be B50A and B50B…A via Brooklyn College and Cozine Avenue and B via Kings Highway and Spring Creek Towers). The other issue is: Gateway Drive will be clogged with buses terminating there with the B5 (B50), B13, B83, and Q51 all terminating there. 3. Operationally, the B55 will be interesting as you could have the problem you have with super-long routes, especially since a long time will be spent on narrow streets (Church Avenue and New Lots Avenue. Dispatch will have to be wary and potentially turn buses at Drew Street. It will also be interesting if that route comes out of Gleason only, as opposed to Gleason and JFK. I also see this as needing to be Select Bus…and would it make sense to route the B55 onto Linden between Nostrand/New York and Mother Gaston Boulevard, reconfiguring parts of the main road to accommodate SBS stops between Kings Highway and Rockaway Avenue? (At Mother Gaston, the route would have to return to New Lots to serve the train.) 4. Speaking of Church Avenue service, what about rerouting the B67/B69 down 39 Street from their southern terminus, to end the B35 at Fort Hamilton Parkway and 36 Street (to connect with the B16 still)? I would send the B67/69 down 15 Avenue and 39 Street to 1 Avenue…which would be close to what would have been deadhead distance for the two routes, especially with the B67 being cut from the Navy Yard. The B35 would run Kensington to Brownsville only.

Indeed, it was basically junk on some of the New Flyer Xcelsior tandem buses, especially the 6126-6286 batch.

But don’t cut the charging ports. Those get used a lot on the buses.

The signal had gotten really unreliable of late. I’m not sad to see the Wi-Fi go. At least the USB ports will remain. Bee-Line never put Wi-Fi on its Xcelsior fleet, only the USB ports.

By far, the B83 has to be the worst. On Sunday, heading to work, there were 4 buses on the line...back to back to back to back. If the B83 becomes a straight up Pennsylvania Avenue route, that would help a lot. The command center has to be better at placing buses.

Amsterdam Avenue is the oldest facility in the system (dating back to the 19th century). I wonder if there is maybe room at Grand Avenue to store the museum fleet.

Curious: with Sunrise Mall’s demise imminent, what does NICE plan to do with all the routes that currently terminate there? Also, how high is that Gillig order going? Replacing 1840-1884 as well?

This should end this week and the road should be reopened around November 14.

8016 has extensive mold damage. How is that bus going to be decontaminated before it’s deemed safe for a scrap dealer to handle without spreading mold spores around?

How high is the order going? I photographed bus 501 (XDE40) on the 2.

7943 and 7948 at Flatbush. ENY also has 7905.

317 and 581-610 were having their tanks expiring, forcing retirement. I am surprised that the 402-580 and 611-630 batch got retired as soon as the NG order came in...not even being transferred to MTA Bus (save a few 400s). By contrast, 244 and 247 outlasted most of that batch.

With the new XD40 order, I notice that all of the 7900 series will be used for numberings of buses. I have two questions: 1. What numbers in the 4 digits have never been used to number a bus (excluding a demo) between 1000 and 9999? 2. What numbers if any are the XD40s using for the first time ever?

I could see another reconfiguration where the M125 and the M101 swap terminals. The M100 was covered in the Bronx redesign, but not the M101.