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East New York

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Everything posted by East New York

  1. They don’t really have a solid plan, and at this point Ulmer has to get something. They are going to have to shift more XD40’s from somewhere to Ulmer because the next batch of buses they are slated to get are XDE40’s and those are next year. Retirement was slated for the end of the year and for about 25 to still remain in January of 2020. Now how all of a sudden we have enough buses when we DONT even have enough for West Farms and Spring Creak is a mystery. About 30 buses short right now. True, during the summer we won’t need as many, but in the meanwhile, I don’t see this turning out well. Seeing as MTA didn’t plan on retiring the RTS this early, there were no additional assignments made to include FB. Once the LFS hit the island there will be 82 NG’s to spread around where needed. Flatbush, and Manhattanville seem like the likely candidates, which could then bump a few 2015 XD’s over to Flatbush. Then they would just have to wait till they get XDE40’s in the future. GA has to train on them, service patters and route testing has to be completed. Buses aren’t just going to start flooding GA until it’s time for artic implementation. TA would rather have XD60’s at Grand anyway, so this is why they were considering artic implementation now versus SBD since they want all new SBS buses on the line. However, there is room to move some so Grand after the TA buses come back from Bus Co.
  2. OMG I could kick myself in the face...... I just missed my bus, and it was 5119 😩 Oh well. 7565 will do. These new XD40’s are the truth! The take-off!!!! 🤤 It’s kinda bittersweet looking at the “Test Your Bus IQ” on the info screen in this bus.... I always wait for the RTS to pop up. 😫😪 There are a few reason, but I’m glad you asked because it’s an interesting story. There are a lot of restrictions, and an agency like NJT for example could not take them because they have a rear axle weight limit. Note, this is why NJT NABI’s have a smaller rear ended and they were basically custom made. To this day the directors of maintenance, procurement and bus ops said they wished they had gone with the RTS. Crazy thing, this was my favorite NABI product to date, however they could not make a business case for it. It was too far ahead of its time. It was made out of composite materials very similar to that of the Boeing 787 and future 797. Many agencies were not sure of how they would hold up. In my personal opinion, this is the one NABI bus MTA should have gone for. U fortunately at the time, NABI refused to work with the MTA as did Gillig. Outside of LA and Florida, the 45C never made a huge splash. A possible saving grace was when CTA showed interest and ordered 1 Bus with options for an additional 24. NABI then tried to secure more orders following the delivery of the CTA pilot. However there was no major interest, which forced them to close the line, and leaving CTA without remaining option availability. They returned the pilot which they had actually accepted as there was no longer a need for it if NABI could not afford to produce the rest. This also made CTA uncertain of the future for the line and chose not to commit to anything more than 24.
  3. Many agencies that are small have never really needed anything more than a narrow body. Quite a few agencies carry small loads that don’t require wide-body buses. Burlington, VT for example ONLY ordered RTS buses in 96 inch models no matter the length. Chicago had narrow-body buses so they could better fit on roads under elevated track. As far as 45 foot buses go, there has only been one manufacturer, and there’s no market for it. Surprisingly there wasn’t really a market for it when it was available. MTA doesn’t like to use buses that would be restricted to certain depots or routes. So basically is the rationale for not using them is the fact that they aren’t available, and MTA did NOT purchase anything from NABI, and never would have. The MTA however was once interested in the 42.5 foot RTS Extreme BRT, and that bus could have run out of any depot on any standard line.
  4. No problem at all @UTC Bus Roster I was actually born in 1983 lol. I’ve been following your roster since I had the internet sometime in the mid 90’s if I recall correctly. You had meeting and slideshows I remember, and it was the most accurate roster available. There were no forums, no roster databases within the MTA to look up. It was by sight and if you were like me and lived in bus depots Dispatch would let you know what they had. This generation doesn’t realize how blessed they
  5. Grand also maintains and paints hybrids as well. Technically that is a New Flyer product now, but as I mentioned a while back before they got there XD60’s that everything would rotate through grand for evaluation purposes. Theoretically they can maintain anything. EN is usually tied up with NG’s and OG Brooklyn and Bus company most times. Most of JFK’s NG’s go to EN so if EN is full a bus can be maintained at Grand. Anything major I should likely to go to EN.
  6. So instead of saying his comment is irrelevant, clear it up because as I said they way it came off was very snide. He wasn’t the only one that didn’t have a clear understanding. For all we knew it seemed as if you were implying that it was scrap.
  7. Understandable. However your response of “irrelevant” came off just as such. I feel like it would have been more appropriate to say what series of buses you were referring to by your post, because when I read it myself, it appeared as you were saying those were the ONLY buses still active. I don’t read everything at all times because I’m the community manager and it just gets to be too much. Leading up to your post, I would have though the same just as another person did who brought it to my attention that was not involved. Then you said, “Unless you have proof...etc” which came off as a real snide comment. He’s been doing this since before even I had access to this information. I’m almost positive I also was doing this before you were born as well. However that is irrelevant. So your argument doesn’t really match up... You accused him of having wrong information, which he DOES NOT, then proceeded to clean it up by saying that you were talking about a different series of bus..... 🤔
  8. Yes more standing room as well like mentioned above. They are all the same width. Theres more head room in the front of low floors. That’s all. There actually aren’t that many 96 inch wide buses that were produced in the later years years, and overall only account for about 20% of the total buses ever built. Yes all MTA buses are 102 inches wide. They haven’t ordered 96 in. wide buses since before most of us were born. These days the major manufacturing companies have discontinued the “narrow-body” and only offer standard 102 in. wide models.
  9. It’s not really a priority because those buses are on their way out soon so they will get to them during the maintenance rotation. Let me review what is already pinned, and go from there. To answer your other question, everything 2010 and newer is supposed to get the screens.
  10. Leg room has always been a major issue. Something I never really understood. And yeah they definitely need to go. My only point is some of the kneelers won’t go back up on new buses lol. Or the bypass they’ll the bus it does but it’s really still dragging the ground. Especially when crushloaded. That’s usually the only time an RTS kneeler won’t go back up as well. But it took 15 years for them to start wearing out. New buses? 15 months lmao. Being someone who isn’t a y’all guy the RTS is perfect for me. The only friends that I have that are tall that like them are SOLELY because they are RTS fans. 80% of the guys that are tall can’t stand that bus, and I can totally understand why. And yep, if you sit too high you can’t see and it becomes a safety issue. This is why many agencies including TTC opted for the Wide Front Door Model. Those things have crazy room in the front, they are just ugly as hell. Lol True they are aging but yes many people including passengers in my part of Brooklyn (contrary to what politicians and haters want you to believe) in the poorest neighborhoods as they say, which I live dead smack in the center of, if a low floor and a high floor come back to back crush loaded, a good portion of these poor people are gonna run to the high floor. I see it all the time. Elderly people will even hold up a whole bus to go up some steps. If they asked “real” people in and around my neighborhood how they feel, or maybe the older crowd on the upper east side and lower Manhattan how they feel we would know. Funny all these damn years have passed and not ONE rich person has made a stink about in in some of the nicest neighborhoods in Manhattan or Queens. At the end of the day, of the Orion V, and Orion VII were of better build quality Most of the RTS would have been gone long ago. However, MTA has to divert funds to order “emergency” Xcelsiors and implement artics in order to get rid of 2 whole fleets of buses that were costing them an exorbitant about of money to maintain. It’s sad that as I write this in 2019, the RTS still has the lowest maintenance cost..... Oh, and gets better gas mileage than the newest MCI’s we have, and the roofs of MCI’s haven’t been made of steel in a long time. Plus they are of newer EPA standards... Interesting. Again, I agree it’s time for them to go, but the ties that are needed to get them off the road says something all in itself It’s the opposite. High floors automatically have more space. More floor space, more seating space. No front wheels to compete with..... I thought that was quite obvious just by standing in one and looking Yes they were. To East New York. Yeah, there’s a few undercover haters that got together with a few passengers that would also agree they are time to go, and fabricated a whole story. I wonder what this means for the Retirement party?
  11. I know, or know of most everyone in this area with an RTS. I may know which one that is. There about 10 Privately (non-corporate) owned in the city if I recall off the top of my head.
  12. Unfortunately MTA doesn’t like to do that, and even if they did you likely wouldn’t want one unless you are a mechanic. I have wanted one since I was a kid and if by chance I can get my hands on one I would only want one sold to another party like NYPD or FDNY. When MTA retires buses they drain them of all usable fluids and fuel. The exceptions are the buses that have ended up with other agencies. If that occurs you have a chance of getting something good like what has been seen with 7018, 9207, and the now infamous Black and white Mechanics RTS that’s at College Point all the time. However, since this is the final retirement phase, they may retain a few for sale. I just want some damn parts! Lol But if I could snag 9525, 4983, 4987, 5000, 5012, or 5234 man oh man...... I would opt for 5124 but you can keep the maintenance on that ZF for someone else. I don’t think anyone will ever maintain one of those better than MTA. MTA will also go down in history as the best maintainers of The Detroit Diesel engine ever. Detroit Department of Transportation will go down in history as the worse. How ironic! Lol
  13. Since we are on the topic, I’ve been wanting to say that for a while but left it alone. Some people are getting confused now though, so can we ALL start using a uniform system here. We have several people using several different designations or abbreviations. I have noticed that this has occasionally lead to confusion and double posting of moves and transfers. From here on out, let’s use the official 2 character designation. The 3 character designations are still used internally at times, but are no longer official. If there is anyone who does not know what these are, please ask for a list in Fleet & Depots and I will provide it.
  14. Not a problem at all. That’s what this thread is for. No need to apologize as I knew you weren’t coming for any information. You legit asked a question that you don’t know about and I’m glad you didn’t take offense. You all know how I can come off a bit strong at times lol. I don’t want you or anyone to ever take what I say personal or think you are asking a stupid question. I am just very passionate about what I do lol. I am sure a lot of people didn’t know that and learned something, so don’t be afraid to ask anything because of “How ENY might come off.”
  15. No disrespect, let’s leave this area to the professionals and business managers. Who cares how long it lasts? Anyone who knows how to effectively run a business. They were the best buses overall in EVERY category except the wheel chair lift, driver comfort and rear seat comfort. They perform best on the road, had the best suspension, and nothing will ever perform as good in bad weather or torrential rains. They are the most durable and longest lasting buses ever made, and have a higher reliability rating than any new bus to date. They had the most powerful and most optimized engine/trans combo of any coach to date. They are the easiest to maintain, and cost the lowest to maintain. Many of the parts are not made anymore and have not been for a while and maintenance was still the lowest cost of any bus in the fleet. If you were to build a brand new RTS low floor with with new face, and new style it would still outperform anything on the road right now hands down. My person RTS runs circles around ANY bus in the MTA fleet including MCI’s and Prevosts. You may not understand the significance of this America Icon, but we all do, especially MTA maintenance and management. Hence why we still have so many, why there are so many in the fleet, and why it’s the main topic on the Bus IQ Test on every Information screen on all these new buses. The Orion V only had more space for the driver and the in the last row. That’s all. Even though I like them a lot, the structure was trash and they were nowhere near as reliable. MTA likely would have never gotten them if it wasn’t for the Flxible disaster. An upgrade is not always an upgrade. Maintenance records have been unable to match the ones of this to this this day in 2019 and this bus is a 1976 concept. The only other bus that will last ALMOST as long is a Nova LFS and that’s because it uses the exact same body design philosophy. The Cummins will just never last as long as a Detroit Diesel, or be as easy to maintain. I mean the engine leaks oil by design for Christ sake. Pure Detroit genius just like the RTS, Old Look, and New Look buses. Thats a classic era of transit that unfortunately too many of you are too young to remember or appreciate. Sure all these new buses are pretty, but if you knew anything about maintenance and value there would be a different opinion. Another fun fact of the day, Altoona stated publicly that they will miss the bus dearly as it was to date the easies bus ever to test and certify, and maintains the best in-service uptime record, and ease-of maintenance status. And the closing fact, 5249 will go down as the most historic RTS now inducted into the Museum Fleet. Looking pretty in 1999 delivery colors, she was the last model designated the RTS T80-206 ever made. As to modernization, as Lil Wayne would say, “it ain’t broke, don’t break it.” Because it was a fact. The RTS was born from that very bus and later assumed it’s title as best. Sales, satisfaction and maintenance records hail them the King and Queen of transit. What in the word are you talking about? Gleason doesn’t have any buses to spare. Have you been somewhere under a rock? The XN60’s didn’t just come in yesterday, or anytime recently for that matter, and quite a few buses were ALREADY transferred to West Farms from Gleason. Leave this to the MTA and the professionals please, because nothing that you said there makes logistical or monetary sense. Incentivize the NG? You can’t be serious..... But you are serious..... 😴 Not only is it not possible, but it’s also a waste of money. We don’t own any chargers or electric buses yet so they’re is nothing to fill in a gap. These are engineering test buses that do not belong to us, and we will soon have our own anyway. In the meanwhile it’s not just that simple to just up and move chargers like legos or something. Maintenance is not trained on them, MTA mechanics cannot work on them. Any agency/person that leases buses/cars have to have mechanics that are mandated by the manufacturer to perform all maintenance. An entire maintenance program is being designed around these buses because they are unlike anything we have when it comes to the power train and the batteries. We don’t have enough duty cycle data to loan these buses out either. If they didn’t need them why would they have them? You gotta learn the inner workings of these things. Spares, preventive maintenance, scheduled maintenance, unscheduled maintenance, accidents...... Buses don’t just run every day of their lives. They have to be pulled from service. Not to mention we are in the biggest fleet overhaul cycle in a very long time. Buses need to be upgraded to WiFi and have Info screens installed on top of all that. SC for example just got 9 OG’s on loan. The have 56 C40’s to be exact. All of which are needed for service and spares. At rush it’s actually about 42 in rotation which leaves room for only 14 buses to be for spare on in the shop for maintenance. 9 of them are now out of service for maintenance. For example on Friday just past, every bus was in service except 4 C40’s at some time during the day. Yes JG needs all of theirs as well. The B35 requires all its artics and 4 standards. It’s 8pm on a Saturday and there are currently 118 C40’s and XN40’s in active service as I type this. Now ass that up and tell me how many they need at rush. Same for CP, with 73 in service right now out of 157. Not only that, they had at least 3 buses that were road called. That’s unplanned. Now they need to go in the shop and have 3 to replace them go out on the run line.
  16. 3524, 3658, 3676, 3694, 3698, 3703, 3773, 3776, 3781 to SC on loan
  17. There is no reason for the buses not to arrive on time. Production is solid, all the buses are approved. As far as management, at this point the buses up for retirement anyway there’s no need to argue to paint or have anyone fact check.
  18. What is your obsession with NG’s going to Ulmer Park bro??? It’s NOT happening. Period. Lol Why would they “practice” on a bus they are never going to have? What exactly are they practicing here? When they get XDE40’s they won’t even need to fully train on them, just qualify. If we end up ordering allison units there won’t me much training needed at all except in maintenance. Yet the Allison hybrid is the only hybrid system built similar to a transmission to keep things familiar. The mechanics however do have to train extensively. EN doesn’t not need or want them either. We have plenty of new buses coming in to displace others. 77 NG’s off the Island soon as well so don’t forget those.
  19. Yep. Had a 1980 ex-OCTA GMC reposed, and now I have a 2000 Nova in Damn near mint condition. And she will run circles around any new equipment here now. 😎 I do have a bit of an advantage tho, being a master truck/bus/diesel tech in training, my bus is impeccably maintained. My personal mechanic is also a master mechanic at ENY. But I tell you, that damn wheel-chair lift makes us want to pull all our hair out. 🤬 Our knowledge is on the Lift-U brand lifts. MTA retired the RTS brand buses long ago for just that reason. This thing has been the ONLY issue I have ever had with my bus. My 1980 had a Lift-U and still works to this day. They are the longest lasting and easiest to maintain. You can roadcall an RTS at breakfast and it will be back out pounding the pavement at evening rush. Roadcall something new and we will see it next week. I can’t lie tho... I would love to have my my own D40LFR or XDE40 Allison one day. 😎 Facts! In other news, model RTS buses will be on sale at http://Facebook.com/ModelBusShop No one can do a model like me or my Model Bus Alliance Partners. We are also the only people in the world that make true scale TMC and Nova models. Mention code NYCTF20 for an additional discount. Sift through the photos and check stuff out guys. Some of my personal fleet is in there as well.
  20. At this point I couldn’t care less. Yeah it’s a somber moment but they are 20 and 21 years old. I have one of my own anyway so I’m content. It was a good era. Just means it’s almost time for me to retire. Nothing will ever beat The Master of The Snow. It will definitely go down in history as the most durable bus ever made. Other than the fact that 90% of that article is inaccurate, it is what it is. FYI, Hybrids actually break down at a higher rate than the RTS.... That’s clearly why they are still here..... If it was up to MTA and the engineering department a small reserve fleet would have been here for a while.
  21. 5332 FB to GA 7745, 7747 NFI to FP 7764 NFI to JA Today for 6131 6137 is not yet ready to enter service. I don’t think it has its fare box as of this moment.
  22. Naw that will likely always be the NG’s status. Lol. The RTS on the contrary is the most loved. Big difference. Only new ops, and older vets who have driven thousands of them and like change don’t care for them. The aren’t made for y’all people either so a lot of ops that are tall done like them. Others won’t pull out anything other than an RTS. That’s why they are interestingly enough at the 2 most powerful depots in the system. ENY and Quill. They could have been retired years ago easily. They are only the least favorite when it comes to that wheel chair lift. Overall, in every other category they are the favored bus among maintenance, ops, fans, and surprisingly many passengers. In Brooklyn, and on many Quill routes, I have seen countless older men and women go for an RTS if 2 buses pull up together. Downside, they take longer to get up the steps lol. Until it’s gone it’s hold the title of Queen. Man y’all should see 5249 now! She will be 20 this year, and those delivery specs that she’s in are 🔥🔥🔥
  23. This is temporary as all the hybrids will be moving out of the island eventually. The LFS order however is delayed and at last check MTA was less than pleased with the new delivery schedule that is now pending. See above. See below. That’s an example. However there are many different scenarios. To sum it up, and interlined run is a work assignment that includes multiple bus routes being completed within the assignment. Meaning one operation does 2 or more routes within a shift. *Most all local-limited runs are interlined. Some other common examples of interlined runs/routes are..... B8/B35 before articulation. B25 and everything out of ENY damn near lol B32/B60 Bx28/Bx38 Bx40/Bx42 M101/M102/M103 Q25/Q65 Q64/Q111/Q113/Q114 A rare example of an interline is one of the B44+ runs transfers to a southbound B49 short term at rush hour. There are many different reason for this. Some do it because they are running early or directly on time. Others do it because they are rude, have no consideration for the passenger who likely doesn’t wanna get on the bus anyway, and want to get “placed” by dispatch when they get to the end of the line extremely late. Some operators tend to start driving slower when they are talking. There’s this guy in Flatbush I know, likely has the most seniority out the depot. Picks hawk (night) runs and just prefers to drive slow. He also had an stellar safely record. I did however notice that whenever I catch him, if we start talking You beat me to it lmao!!!
  24. The whole point of artics on the B46+ is for rush hours ops for the most part, and you all have to remember the route ends where it does now because of traffic in the area. Once the artics hit the line, up to 15 of the XD40’s can be unwrapped for local service. What do you mean? That’s the plan. See my above comment. They are all for SBS.
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