East New York

It happens on all routes at times. Especially during peak periods.

It is, however about 2 years ago now when I said the fleets would become uniform in the future! it was inevitable that New Flyer begin to spill into other depots one day. Once the orders started going 60/40 NFI/Nova it was only a matter of time. Remember the post I referenced (from above) before all this fleet consolidation? This works because there’s no problem with a depot like JA having multiple bus types because of the location and the fact that all of their buses can be maintained at East New York or ZA (in the case of the LFS). They don’t even do major maintenance on the NG’s anymore at all. They go to EN along with all South Queens Bus Company Depot NG’s as well now. They can also be maintained at GA. On top of that the new JA will have a much larger store room. The RTS’ are on their way out the door, and this is only the beginning. We will see more depots with “dual fleets” in the future. However they will be based logistically. This also still works with the borough uniformity. Remember when I said Queens would be the acception because of Bus Company alone. Along with Stengel there are already a lot of Xcelsiors in Queens. Once the New JA opens I see them having up to 3 types of buses, which will likely include hybrids. All of them are doing it with the exception of CFM’s for the most part. It’s based on the side of the depot store rooms, and overall fleet location and logistics. And to replace the NG’s as well. Buses can however be housed at CP or another Bus Co. depot if need be. We are going to be tight on space until the new Jamaica opens. Some buses however will remain at Jamaica as I am being told the depot will not shut down all at once. It will be phased out for the new one as not to disrupt operations in the way we have in the past with a complete closure. The new depot will begin construction while the old one is still there. I will get more into that soon. There’s actually quite a few differences. There is overall commonality, but underneath they are fundamentally different. The E10’s (commonly known as 3G/4G’s) share some body panels, lights, and subsystems with the NG’s but that’s about all. They have different engines, powertrains, exhaust systems, windows, doors, different sized rear doors, different HVAC’s, different brakes, and totally different maintenance programs. These buses can essentially go anywhere. Since SI is a high mileage depot, I see them being transferred out at some point anyway. The could however die there. We will just have to wait and see and there are no current plans to move them that I know of. No, there’s a lot more to it that what it looks like from the surface. Just let MTA handle all that. The could decide to just swap NG’s with some on the mainland, or just get rid of them all together. Last plans I checked they were supposed to get rid of them the NG’s on the island all together. When the first assignments came down it didn’t make any sense to me because it didn’t really allow for displacement of the NG from the depot, only from the S79. With these new assignments it makes much more sense and follows what I was told about the island being hybrid free. I’m being told the next wave for SI will be electric buses, and they won’t be getting any of the new hybrids either. This revised actually is now nearly identical to what I said it should be. I however had Jamaica in the mix as well. But it makes sense for them to get XD’s right now. Lets not forget we will also have the last 96 XD40’s off the current order to be assigned to Depots after L train. This time next year we have hybrids beginning to come in, and if BAE doesn’t get it together the writing is on the wall. After L shuttle there will be quite a few moves, swaps, and retirements. Lets just let it play out and talk about it all as we get the information or as it happens.

Yeah it was supposed to but never made it. Was promptly reassigned and sent to UP. I figured it was because it was the weekend and there wouldn't be as many people there anyway so it would have just been sitting, when it could be in service.

I'm trying to pull up the details for the contracts. It appears as it was definitely a split award, but I'm not sure exactly how it was divided up.

More than a few actually stay at Quill. For all the others, they lay over at other places in Manhattan. Operators with split shifts or that have runs that aren’t interlined with off peak runs return to their respective depots. Subway shuttles actually do not have base schedules at all. Operators have a report time and they line up. Buses pull off as they fill if. If one does not fill up by a certain time, dispatch will send it out anyway so there isn’t any major gaps in the line. They are the ones who say when the next bus pulls off, and it is at their sole discretion. Notice there is always a dispatcher at the front of the line for any and all subway shuttles.

7549 was assigned to JG but there’s no sense in it going there over the weekend so I’m not sure why it was assigned there in the first place.

7549 is at the service center and will be going to JG tomorrow to start driver/maintenance training if all goes as planned. Quill is next. 5531-5534 to GH

Lord knows I love the smell of a brand spanking new bus that’s never seen service! 😍

Correct @Cait Sith Ladies and gentleman, it has begun. Brand new 2019 model year NovaBus LFSA's 5531-5534 are officially assigned to GH, and pending delivery. We have a few others pending as well, but someone dropped the ball on this bus renumbering. 5535, 5536 and quite a few others need to be changed immediately as they are now officially in the way. smh And yes I said 2019! **** 5443 to MQ 7533, 7534, 7550 NFI to UP

That is correct. It began out of Bronx Division OF, fall pick 1992 between LGA and 125th & Lenox. It was extended to the west side in '94 when the new RTS' came in. A year later it was re-routed to Broadway. Here's a fun fact. The MetroCard pilot began in October 1994 on the Bx55, and focused on transferring to the IRT at 149th - Gd. Concourse. They then immediately changed plans to retrofit the rest of the MaBSTOA fleet, then citywide to TA over the next year or so.

see my comment below please If you all are not keeping up with the conversation, please go back and review previous pages, or reference the first page of this thread. Some of you (basically the same users) continue to be clueless as to some of what's going on and I'm not understanding why. Topics like XD40 assignments have been discussed almost every other day, and the disposition of almost everything going on in the system generally is on the first page as well. That 2014-2015 order was random as well when it comes to delivery just like all the others. The assignments however were pretty much complete when the buses came in. They didn't get anything in batches of 10, and buses are not delivered in high numbers like that from the manufacturer anyway. What you are likely referring to and thinking of is the odd batch 7140-7150, which was sent to UP out of sequence. That was actually 11 buses, which were built with the first 20 buses off the line, and therefore are 2014 models actually.They didn't get those all at once tho. Fuel economy is what it boiled down to for the last order. The Prevost is more fuel efficient than the classic and contemporary D-Series models. This time around, it will end up being based on the features mentioned above. They do however have a retarder as do all transit buses, and most all heavy duty vehicles. I see MCI, and Alexander-Dennis as our next OTR coach manufacturers.

As far as Quill. They do not have 5440, 5441, or 5443 just yet. They are all at the Nova Service center.

That was a typo thank you. I meant 1103 and 1105 weren't there yet. 1105 is on TA property, but hasn't made it to the depot yet at last check.

We got you bro! Not to mention 1036 has been up there for a week lol. JG does not have 1103 nor 1105. They haven’t arrived just yet. What systems are y’all using??? Lol

He's talking about delivery order. CH is either 3rd or 5th. I have to double check.

I'm still a bit confused as to what you are saying though. Some buses were running as M34's?? What I am not understanding is how buses would show up on BT as the M34 if they were shuttles. Doesn't really make sense seeing as the GPS is tied into the farebox and destination code. What day and time was this?

Making local stops???? There are no local stops and the one's that were shuttles weren't the M34. They were shuttles lol. That's actually pretty common seeing as they run every 10 minutes at that time, and the run is pretty long. The construction in the Canarsie area is what tends to buch them right now. Other than that, the leader/follower system has B60 buses back-to-back at most times of the day. Take this very moment for example, there are a few back-to-back headed in both directions now.

Good evening everyone. The first page has received it first full update in about 6-7 months. Please take time and review it from top to bottom as almost everything has changed, and new information has been added. It is not complete just yet, and have to new things that I want to add in and discuss. Sometime this month or next I will start an official thread on the pending Train Shuttle service. After that, I will be starting a thread on the Jamaica Terminal reconstruction project. Slightly behind schedule, the final design is planned for completion in the fall of 2019, with construction and relocation to temporary bus stops to begin in October of 2019. MTA plans for the construction to be complete by may 2020, with operations fully restored to the new terminal for Summer pick. In the meanwhile, it's time for the fall DOB review. In progress/pending deliveries: LFS - QV,and YU are up first for delivery beginning in February. LFSA - GH is pending delivery immediately. XD40 - Delivery to UP, MQ, and 1 unit to JG for training and qualification are up next. XDE40 - Last Allison unit (9504) said to be an audit bus. BAE unit 9505 was delayed for delivery to GA more than once now. Hybrid evaluation is scheduled to be complete, with production models beginning production in exactly 1 year. This means BAE has some immediate catching up to do. With buses now scheduled for delivery this week, the competition may finally begin. XD60 - It is now time for the next wave of Xcelsior artics to come rolling in. Fleet assignments are now pending for FB and OF depots. In the interim, Flatbush and Hale will be getting units for training and qualification. Flatbush will be converting to an all XD60 fleet. Hale will still have 10 older artic buses, and it is unclear if they if Nova's will remain. It makes sense for them to transfer 10 4700 series buses to Hale, and send the remaining LFSA's to the Bronx. The Bus Company lot will begin deliver soon as well, and loaned buses will transfer back to Transit. At that time, we will go back over the original base XD60 assignments, and discuss the implementation of artics at EN, and the B82+ conversion. For information about the progress and status, please see the first page of this thread. Grand Avenue depot will keep 1 artic on hand for training, and qualification, pending the new crosstown SBS, and possible artic runs on the L train shuttle as they will have buses newly available from Bus Company. XN60 - Delivery to both JG and WF will continue through December. JG has begun a rotation of loaned of buses back to The Bronx, which will continue this week. All of JG's batch buses should be in by the end of next month. *Next up on the list is electric bus status. For the most part, MTA has approved both test models with the acception of the Proterra Deceleration (brake) tests. In order for a bus to be fully qualified under the New Bus Evaluation program, the manufacturer has to successfully demonstrate that all parameters have been passed, and the bus is either ready to go, or will be ready to go by the time MTA would like to introduce it into service. As the initial part of the evaluation is over, MTA has to now decide if they want to split the order for 45 standard buses, or award to a sole manufacturer. Due to the current satisfaction levels, I see a split award with options on the horizon. This however has yet to be determined. As we move into phase 2 of this evaluation, current plans call for MTA to continue extensive evaluation of the buses, while drafting up the final specifications for the production order. At this time it is unclear if the evaluation will be extended in light of a new Proterra demo, and additional decel testing. The timeline calls for the first production buses to begin rolling off the line in just over 8 months now in June of 2019. *The quite some time there was a lot of speculation on what the next order of articulated buses would be. Would they be hybrid? Would they be electric? Could it be both? It's still somewhat unclear, but I was able to confirm electric buses for the time being. As of right now, the design and specifications for the buses are underway. Final design is said to be complete by January 2019. ruray Award planed by February with production to begin immediately. There will likely be 4-5 pilots, with an accelerated delivery schedule. According to my sources the buses will be XE60's, and delivery is scheduled for all 15 buses by January 2020. This means the buses will not be available at the start of the M14SBS and train shuttles. Originally MTA planned on having hybrids as an order of XDE60's to be tacked on to the artic option order in a similar fashion to how the XDE40's came to be. 10 of which were converted to hybrid options over diesel. More details coming soon. Express Bus Update: MTA is now in the evaluation process for the next orders of express buses. These will be the last diesel express buses ordered, and has been a very stiff competition that will come down to overall usability. I am told we will in fact order up to 37 Double Decker buses according to the current plans. It aslo appears that we can expect D45 CRT's in the near future as well. The next order is still up in the air, and could go either way. MTA is currently reviewing proposals from Alexander-Dennis, MCI, and Prevost. The final decision os expected by April 2019, with pilot delivery by next fall. As always, any and everything is subject to change without notice. Later on today I will also be starting Borough redesign threads to address everyone's concerns, opinions, and ideas for the future of NYC Buses.

Yes. As of right now the depot assignments are the same, we are just waiting on the revised fleet numbers for each depot. The first page will be updated before the end of the day. I'm going to leave the XD60 assignments temporary until Bus Co.'s batch comes in, at which time I will start changing the assignments back to what they should be. I am also being told 6126-6129 will also serve as the pilots for said batch. Currently awaiting confirmation.

I think I've said that like 3 times now including in the post you just quoted.... lol To add on to this, they are also not NG's. lol Ok..... Im going to need for you all to start going back and reading before you just jump in and post. I'm saying the same things over and over.

Yes it is confirmed. I however think MV could have borrowed a few new XD40's, but replacing them with NG's is best for now. Some of the GenII OG's are going to Bus Co. anyway. They don't want any and won't be getting any. They will take NG's from EN and fight tooth and nail before they take NG's. Why would it change for UP now?? They don't need any. Yeah, It doesn't work like that. Staten Island has the highest average speed of all the boroughs which means the buses have to be maintained on a different schedule than all the other buses. MTA wants all the series hybrids out of Staten Island, and have for quite some time now. There are quite a few differences. In addition to what was mentioned above the cameras, a few components and options, destination signs, and seating configuration IIRC. Yes FP will get hybrids, and Grand is getting artics. Why would EN and UP be getting hybrids? No one ever said that so I don't know why it's even a topic. Neither of those depots want them and they will never be assigned on any basis other than temporary anyway even if they did have some. Both depots would rather have RTS. EN doesn't even want the hybrids they have now, they want 9500's. East New York and Ulmer are getting brand new XD40's anyway. The depot assignments haven't changed.... They aren't battery chargers. Only electric buses have battery chargers. The hybrids need to be maintained with battery conditioners. They can actually go to any depot in the system, including CNG depots. All they have to do is go to a CFM like East New York which currently has NG's and OG's from every borough and bus company in the shop right now.

What I said it should have been in the first place! lol Minus only Jamaica Depot. No point in sending diesels when there are plenty of NG's free, and new Hybrids will be coming in next year. In addition, MV will get electric buses at some point in the near future anyway. More OG's will also go Bus Company until they retire. I'm going to start updating the first page soon, and now we are just waiting on the new XD assignments which are just fly-by-wire right now.

Aver evaluating 7523 for a few trips on it's first day of service, along with 7667, and 7487 before it, my preliminary take is much better that I initially expected. These are now my favorites out of the XD40's. The LBSS has finally been tuned just right for NYC operations. These buses take off much faster and are rivaled only by a few 4800 series buses at East New York Depot. These buses also feel a lot more solid, and ride a lot smoother. I also love the fuel-saver feature, which actually works great for a city like New York where we have idling laws, and MTA requires operators to shut buses down on layover. With the Xcelsior, if the bus is idling for 15 minutes, it will automatically shut itself off. Overall, my favorite Xcelsiors have been the CNG's and the hybrids. I am patiently awaiting delivery of 9505 to GA. This bus has been delayed a couple times. It was supposed to be delivered to GA yesterday, but the bus never made it. It is now pending delivery to GA as soon as MTA signs off on it. Note these BAE powered buses were already supposed to be in service to begin side-by-side evaluation with the other units. As of now, the Allison units have been doing pretty well with the exception of some minor maintenance issues with 9502. I've always been a fan of the Luminator destination sign, and that's what my RTS has. However, I am really digging the reliability of these Hanover Multi-color signs. The ODK may not be as fancy as Luminators, but the programming and hardware is quite solid. All the Proterra buses have Luminator test signs. If MTA is satisfied with how they operate they will then be willing to let them bid on contracts again. In case anyone did not know, MTA has a settlement agreement in place with Luminator. Any signs that need to be replaced will be replaced with Spectrum/Titan combos. For example, if a front sign goes out on a C40LF, it will be replaced with a Spectrum, and not a Titan. Hence all the C40LF's that have Spectrum front signs now. In other news, all the Proterra buses now have the new rear doors installed, however they have not been running in service due to one issue. The buses have passed every MTA evaluation test except the Deceleration Test. Also known as the break test, this is to test the stopping distance, and stopping power of the bus. At this time it is not up to MTA specifications, therefore Proterra will work with MTA to find a solution. In the meanwhile, we have an unplanned test demo on the horizon. Now known as 0021, a new Proterra is said to soon make its way to our city to undergo evaluation by the MTA. Information on this new project is limited at this time. From what I understand, we now operate test buses with the "Prodrive" electric system, and 0021 will feature the 'Duodrive" system. As soon as I can confirm, and have more information I will be sure to post. In the meanwhile, the newly released Proterra specs are now available if you all want to look at the technical side of things. The first page of this thread will be updated accordingly. https://www.proterra.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Catalyst-40-ft-Spec-Sheet-Sept-2018.pdf Not off topic at all. This is the thread for these types of discussions. However transit fans rarely dictate service patterns or marketing plans unless it beneficial to all sides. If customers demand changes, then they will be looked into.

7525, 7529 to GA. Did a few trips on 7523 on its first day of service and I must say overall I am impressed with this batch of XD40’s. From the suspension, to the amazing take-off right down to the feel of it. It’s much more solid than the previous 7000’s, and much faster. As of right now, the ONLY XD’s that can keep up with the new ones are 4818-4820 and 4824. I will discuss the new LBSS and what’s so special about the ones mentioned above in detail in the Fleet & Depots thread.

That's my home line. Almost every run is leader/follower, and its gets bunched a lot due to traffic. This is why I recommend that anyone who uses BusTime get Bus Tracker for Android or Bus NYC for iOS. I like to use Bus NYC, and I track my bus well before I'm anywhere near it. For example, If I'm getting on an from say Broadway Junction, I will check the details before I even get on the train. I plan out my trips to the T because I don't like waiting for buses or trains. Here and there when "ghost runs" are out and not trackable is when things can get frustrating. You know there should be a bus coming but BusTime says the next is twice as far away. When that happens I just cheat and see if there's anything out not publically trackable. However, since everyone can't do that, I recommend using BusTime in conjunction with Google Transit and you have a much greater chance of not having to wait for anything. At one time I would just go about my day and not check any schedules. Seemed like when I did it that way I missed the B15 at New Lots every single time. Now I can't remember the last time I waited.