553 Bridgeton

On 1/19/2023 at 7:13 PM, Lawrence St said:

You do it the same as now, you tell the driver what zone your getting off at, the driver inputs it in the register and you tap and pay. Simple.

I don’t know why people make this sound so difficult. DeCamp has a tap pay reader on their register. NJT does not want to spend the money to upgrade the register. The current register came out around 2007-2008. It’s time to move on. 

Market Street 160, 163X, 164P went to Wayne. Market Street is now an all NABI garage. Smart move by NJT, without having to replace those Detroit’s at Market Street. 

Anyone know why this set was on the 1 yesterday. I filmed it at 18th.

Well this is the plan with njt fare card which is being developed by a German company. It would allow anyone to go into any store such as a 7 Eleven, Wawa and those type of stores to load fares on the cards. Unbanked will always have an option. Wawa and 7 Eleven is conveniently located throughout the state, although Wawa is not so much in northern Jersey, while 7 eleven is. Walgreens and such would sell the cards as well. The increase of people using mytix has went up greatly thus reducing the amount of cash we are carrying. 
 

If Penn Plaza can get out of its 1990s act then things will change until then, njt will continue to be what they are. None of those idiots in Penn Plaza want change. 

2 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

  

I don't disagree that they should move on from money transactions because it does slow down service.  I do use NJ Transit (commuter trains or the express buses) to commute to our NJ offices from the City here and there when I'm not working at home, and I always pay electronically, as it is more convenient. However, I am certain that if NJTransit does not come up with something that addresses the population of riders that are unbanked, there will be an outcry and rightfully so.  I have to attend NJTransit public meetings sometimes for work and one the biggest complaints I hear from riders is that NJTransit is tone deaf to the needs of its customers. 

That said, they absolutely need to revamp the system so that it speeds things up for the drivers, but doesn't make it more difficult for that population of people that still use cash.  I have no idea what percentage of those people take NJTransit, but it wouldn't shock me if it was similar to what the sees. They must have data on it though because they do that sort of research to make sure they're covering everyone that needs to take the service.

I can tell you that part of the issue with these new fare rollouts even with the has been programming.  I was speaking with them today about OMNY (pretty sure NJTransit is looking to implement something similar to keep the systems connected if you will) and I was complaining about the delays and the lack of fare rollouts.  It's been slow-going and that's putting it mildly.

Transit actually turned down the announcements on the buses because passengers was complaining it was too loud, and I always said what about deaf or blind people. Njt is not Ada friendly as you think. It’s sad.

Do you think other transit systems cared if people are unbanked? Look at DART in Delaware, they implemented the system and people adapted. The thing about life, you adapt and find a way. However DART did keep the exact fare boxes in the buses but if you pay with cash you don’t get change and that’s how you force people to get with the program.

Fairview should never be a cash garage, one of the reasons the 158/159 has to run so frequently. It’s a joke. 

16 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

That makes a lot of sense... Not. You would likely be negatively impacting the people that depend most on the service, especially people that are unbanked and use cash.

So? It’s time to move on. I should not have to break a 20. NJT is ridiculous. This is the problem management is always thinking about the person who may not have the electronic fare payments. Most of these people go to a bus terminal to get a mpass or the 10-trip tix, or even use the mail feature to get the pass , so what would stop them from buying a fare card if they already make a trip to buy the pass. Most ppl are actually using the mobile payments. NJT installed the ticket readers in the bus which has the ability to use tap pay however they have the tap pay turned off because they don’t want to upgrade the register. The ticket reader won’t connect with the register unless njt decides to upgrade the register which will never happen. 
 

SEPTA recently installed the same ticket reader as njt and guess what septa’s is already active with tap pay available.

1 hour ago, Lawrence St said:

Any other rider or driver here feel like the XD60's out of Fairview are starting to feel like the AN459's with parts falling off, horrible rides, etc etc?

Fairview don’t take care of nothing.

most of their 22000 series mci have exhaust leaks already. 

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

Locale specific? Hell, NJT doesn't have any sort of tangible bus map for public consumption.... Royal PITA AFAIC....

Guess they'd rather go all in with printing timetables individually for each route.... AC Bus Terminal & TTC (Trenton) are always fully stocked with (respective) area bus service timetables every time I venture to either of the 2 terminals.... They got whole boxes of them shits at PABT, but IDC for the fact that you have to go up the info booth & ask for a timetable.... There used to be some on the 3rd floor, but lately, I haven't been seeing any up there....

ACBT hasn’t been fully stocked on schedules in nearly a year. Transit now only prints bus schedules if there is a service adjustment or change. 
 

Now WRTC always has schedules no matter what. 
 

Other than that the schedules are delivered to the garages and leave it up to the bus operator to bring on the lines. 

Getting rid of the 67X was all Howells fault. They were cutting the trips, dumping people at Penn Station, skipping the airport on local trips, cutting brick twp on the 67B. So In turn njt said all trips are now local. Now the 319 suffers because all those Newark and Jersey people that take the 4pm and 6pm out of Atlantic City now will go to New York to take the 108, 119, 123, 125. The 137 cuts will be next, it’s just a matter of time before the off peak 137s will become 319s and 137 will only run during rush hour for the 137L and 137 via brick twp local.

5334 is back at twp looking at it now 

1 hour ago, 46Dover said:

???? 

This was last night 

Meadowlands driver assaulted on the 10 in Journal Square for asking people to vacate the wheelchair seats. 
 

Word from someone I know in control that the guy who answered the call told her “what kind of excuse is that to not finish the line” when she called to notify.

2 hours ago, 46Dover said:

It actually went under a new name, Matador Tours, and I’ve seen some buses recently in Saddle River graphics, (MCI J4500s and some D4505s).  They’re based out of the Carlstadt/Moonachie area

I’ve seen them to, I saw one of the D4505s in Atlantic City. And interestingly enough I skated past him in 17063 lol. 

14 hours ago, Tranzitfan81 said:

Wow! Just seems rather strange to pull from the Southern division in which all 3 of our garages are severely short especially Washington Twp and Egg Harbor Twp.  Camden going to end up in the same boat soon too if they keep pulling from there. 

Newton Av is the only southern garage that has too many buses. They loaned eht 19128,19131,19150 and 17064. 
 

Newton Av does not use their entire fleet of mcis or Nabis in week they rotate them.   
 

It’s not washington twp loaning buses it’s the maintenance superintendent’s that make these calls on where buses go.

8 hours ago, BreeddekalbL said:

1. Ok at least you dont have to wait for years 

2. How long is the training 3 weeks etc? 

3. Nice atleast it isnt like a year like the MTA

4. Ok that's good also do they still want you to learn routes out of pabt incase you get drafted to do one outside of say ironbound routes say you get drafted to do a wayne route( didn't you tell the forum a story of you getting drafted to do a 193 but you weren't qualified for it?) 

5. Nice atleast i know I don't wanna do that get locked into meadowlands. So I would have no trouble if say I wanted to transfer from ironbound to say big tree or wayne or orange and back? 

New question 

Using yourself as an example at your garage when were you able to first bid for your preferred days off? And when were you able to first bid for s su days off?  I prefer s m days off 

Training is 21 days it can be up to 28 if you come in with no cdl, and need more driving. They tend to hire permit drivers first as it’s easier to teach them the transit way. 
 

You learn all your garages PABT lines and that’s it, if you want to learn another garages line it’s on you. No starter can force you to do another line, but if you agree and get into an accident then you’re Texas TOAST. 
 

Transferring isn’t an easy process, but you can transfer back but manpower in Penn plaza will make you wait. A friend of mine transferred from Greenville to Ironbound back to Greenville then back to Ironbound. You don’t carry your garage seniority only company seniority keep that m mind. 
 

It all depends how on how many people are retiring, get fired, that determines how fast you move up. When I started I was 255, I am now 107 out of 260. It took me about 6yrs to get a s/s off, however s/s is not the days I like, I like tu/wed or wed/thur or even mon/tue. Most of the senior guys like 1-100 will take those days first. Weekdays allows me to get things I need done. 

1. It depends on how bad is manpower is, it took me around 7/8mo.

2. the training is Blahh, they really just teaching you how to drive their way. And you only learn the main line out of your garage.

3. 90 days 

4. You will put with an operator on your first day out of training and you have 3x to learn each line. Best to do all the lines at night. 

5. Meadowlands is the only garage your locked  into. They wont let anyone transfer out, if you transfer in you better be sure meadowlands is where you want to stay.

It looks as if Oradell got most of the 22000s, and Westwood the 21000s.

5 hours ago, mfs NJT459 said:

I know the logo is still on the timetable but is Academy still supplementing the 139?

Yes, mainly the 136

On 10/11/2022 at 8:39 AM, Gmansports said:

NJT prefers to use the age of bus metric over miles driven. They are focused on replacing oldest bus on the fleet.

I know how they do things I’m simply saying it should be miles driven which, that’s how it used to be. Instead now buses are sent to garages and die there. 

Between Washington Twp and Egg Harbor there are 111 18000 series. With the high miles on the 18000s they are going to have to shift those buses to a garage that does less miles. Same with the low 17000s njt took back. 
 

I can see at least 40 18000s going to market steet. 

11 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

What is with certain operators flying out of the gates in the Port Authority!?! This is why I hate doing NYC routes. 

Most of the times it’s Howell and  gate 211/212 Oradell, Meadowlands ops. 
 

this is the least of my concern, these ops still parking on the UBL.

8 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

So I saw a #96 pass by the northern end of Roseville Avenue with about 3 people on board and a "Standing Room Only" sign. Does the #96 typically get crowded around school hours and if so, is it only around West Side High School?

Some ops put the standing room only sign on purpose. Or it could have been left on from a previous trip or previous day.

This will be used more to punish crew nothing more nothing less. 

3rd rail gaps as well. Happens at east 180th northbound as the train takes off.