Burrstone

Yesterday afternoon I saw a bus with n16 on the sign on Merrick Ave heading southbound near Bellmore Ave in East Meadow... The n16 doesn't belong there does it? Someone forgot to change their sign or got really lost?

Like a quick release, a quick sound like the driver pulled or released the parking brake? If I'm thinking of what you describing it is the system releases air which also expels moisture and debris from the system. But we could be talking about two different things here...

Like a rapid release of air? If that's what it is all air brakes have a system governing the amount of air in the system, if there is not enough air in the system it will kick in and make more, if there is too much air in the system the system releases air... You will hear all types of trucks and buses with air brakes make that shhhh (or swish) sound when releasing air... if that's not what you're talking about I have no idea especially if it is specific to the N/3G as I have never driven one... Oh... Well then, it looks like the universe is coming together for me.

Honest to god Brett, what was wrong with his post deserved a downvove? I asked, and he answered... I'm actually thinking about taking it the opposite way, n19 to the first westbound n4x, just because I think it'll be pretty cool to take the first bus... ...but then again it is a Sunday and will really have no way to go using the n4x so I'll probably be lazy and just the n4x on Tue.... Although I'll probably be really lazy on tue and take the LIRR. I kind of want to see what levels the n4x gets before I take it, i don't want to be dealing with crowded buses. Plus I'm sure the first few days the n4x will be bogged down with people who don't know its express making the bus stop at stops it's not supposed to stop at....

Anyone planning on taking the first n4X? If the bus stops were before intersections they might have to stop while the light is green then get stuck behind the red light further delaying buses while they had to wait for the light to turn green (then wait for traffic stopped at the light to merge back into the lane and pass the intersection), imagine this multiple times on a route and how much it could really delay the bus... Whereas stopping after the intersection they can just go whenever traffic allows...

Yes, please!

Drivers don't "have to" speed to catch the light, dangerous idiots decide to speed to catch the light when they see it turning yellow instead of waiting. Do you know how many people I see in a day I see turning after an arrow or WAY after their light has turned red, so much so that te light is green in my direction... You are really running a red light if oncoming traffic gets a green while you are still going. But Nassau and Suffolk is full of idiots who feel they are rightfully first than everyone else and everyone must wait for them. It is a combination of decades of horrible parenting and the cops allowing this behavior. Shit, I saw two incidents involving Suffolk Police that made me sick, one was in front of me at a light I hear this squeeling after their light had turned red, some idiot either didn't see the red light or was going to run a light that had been red for a while but saw the cop at the intersection. This person cam to such an abrupt stop that he spun out halfway into the intercession, his car was sideways into the lane next to him and there was smoke all over from his tires squealing I was like "oh boy, you did this in front of a cop!" When our light turned green I thought for sure the cop was going to make sure the guy wasn't drunk, on drugs, having a medical condition, ect... NOPE! The cop goes the other way and doesn't do anything! What if this driver was drunk, high, having a medical condition, (or just a dangerous idiot who didn't see the light or likes to run red lights but saw the cop) and killed someone after that!?! Next was the 4th of July, I'm coming back from going out east on Montauk highway on Copiague or Lindenhurst, traffic is backed up, there was a 2 or 3 car accident, not too bad but blocking the eastbound left lane and there looks like there is going to be another accident with people not paying attention, speeding and almost hitting the disabled cars. There is a Suffolk cop that car was marked "COPE" a few cars up, (traffic is backed up on both sides) this cop refuses to do anything when the people involved in the accident are motioning for him, he drives past them, a guy involved in the accident runs over to him as he passes them and knocks on the cops window... The cop and the motorist are both motioning with their hands like they are arguing (I cannot hear what is going on) then the cop makes a motion with his head like he is pissed off, puts his red lights on, pulls a u-turn and gets behind the cars that were in the accident. Are you kidding? This guy saw an accident with no officers on the scene and saw dangerous cars swerving out of the way as they came up on the accident. As an officer of the law isn't it your duty to at least see if everyone is alright or needs immediate medical attention, maybe sit there with your lights on, make everyone get on the sidewalk so they are not seriously hurt with traffic passing? Close off the lane and wait for the responding units to get their, NOT just ignore an accident even if you may be in a different unit or division!?! AND THIS IS THE HIGHEST PAID POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTRY IN ACTION!!!

Thanks for the wealth of information! So do companies bid on particular routes? How often do bids come up? You wouldn't have access to past RFP's (just the RFP's, not asking for the results or anything) would you?

Realizm I'd love to know the reality of a small company being to win a bid for any sort of NYCDOE transportation? Can someone who planned on buying 1-4 buses bid and actually be awarded any sort of contract? I'm wondering because I've read a lot of RFP's for District transportation and it all seems to come down to "qualified candidates," many RFP's even stated part of the qualifying process is an inspection of the potential contractors yard an equipment. I'm wondering how easy it is to get a NYCDOE contract because I've seen an increase in "mom & pop bus inc" operating around the city, even more so last school year. How does the bid work? Do you bid on particular routes? Are there an equipment requirements (for example age requirements, like buses can't be more than 10 years old, etc.)?

The way this guy was smiling/laughing as the cops brought him in he had to be on drugs or just straight up crazy!

Imagine if a NICE employee stole a company truck to steal materials from the company and was only discovered because he left the crane up pulling down power lines and poles ravishing a Nassau community. This section would have been full of describing how evil Veolia is, another fine example of how the is better than Veolia! ...but I can't one post about the NYCT employee stealing a truck with the intentions to steal from the had it not been for his royal eff up, destroying a Nassau neighborhood instead. I wonder how long this guy and people like him have been ripping off the and its riders by "borrowing" vehicles to steal products right under the nose of the ? SMH

I think people who were waiting for the bus Yuki was on were counted in addition to those left, giving an over inflation based on the riders for both the buses not just the one that was skipped.

I know, I don't think it is ok at all for them to hang up on you because you they cant understand you. Have you thought about TTY/TTD, or even having having a friend call in for you? Here's my simple suggestion, that may help you with more than just NICE. Have a recorded message you can play into the phone at the start of every conversation stating you have a disability and to please bare with you...It might prevent hang ups...

Well, that's not ok at all in my opinion!

So she's just driving the bus without picking up anyone? How do you know she didn't pick up a lady with a cane if you weren't on the alleged bus that wasn't picking anyone up? My real question is instead of continually complaining here why not call these things into the NICE customer service, enough complaints (and they find it to be legitimate) this driver will not be around much longer. Two problems though, your only real complaint is she left you at the RR, with unions, labor laws and fears of lawsuits NO COMPANY is going to discipline an employee based on a complaint based on what someone else has told them, they don't know if it is true.... Then when you they hear you say 200-300 people were left behind they think you or the person who told you are exaggerating or lying... For anything to happen you have to be taken seriously for them to take your word and a lot of your stories have some element that raise red flags when NICE would look at the credibility of your story... Do you ever call NICE to complain? 'Cause I don't think supervisors are trolling NYCTF to open investigations about employee conduct...

Dude 200-300 passengers from one skipped bus? Com on...

Thanks, I was wondering. If ya'll (what I wanna be from the south tonight) remember the took the logo off the building in Mitchel Field in Garden City and left "Long Island Bus" .. I guess the was only concerned with the logo and not the term "Long Island Bus," that looks like the case with this building, the logo seems to be associated with LIRR on the building and they just left "Long Island Bus." I think in the beginning the was worried the public would think Veolia was running an service or that Veolia would try to pass themselves off under the brand, but I think Veolia has branded NICE in a way that the public wouldn't be confused that the no longer cares, I could be wrong though.

Exactly what was the logo on?

Buying tow trucks would be such a waste of money especially with the limited funds NICE has to work with. These trucks are very expensive and the people who operate them get paid very good wage.... It is SUCH a better idea just to pay a little bit of money to get your buses towed back when needed than waste hundreds of thousands buying tow trucks! Not many fleets (of anything that I can think of) have their own tow trucks, they contract it out. Think of any of the biggest trucking companies in the area, more times than not they will contract out their tow service.

Coming back will you be using subway, n4, other NICE line? I'm interested to see what happens because coming eastbound I've done - n4 - n19 and have been charged an additional fair getting on the n19. - n4 - n19, been an additional fair on the n19 and throughout the years have entered at various different subway stations on different lines and have transferred to the or - n4 - n19 and have been charged $2.50 when I got on the n19 everytime.

You might find this interesting, lots of information salaries for 2010, as positions decreased salary costs increased. This is where all of the money is going, look at LIRR pay, it is outrageous! Kind of ironic all these big earning salaries in 2010 considering the system wide cuts in 2010, huh!?! http://www.empirecenter.org/documents/pdf/stny-payroll-mta-july-2011b.pdf Again I say the MTA is not set up to do what it is intended, give the community a ride, but rather to make sure everyone in the wink and nod club has a good salary, fantastic benefits, and a pension. Forget about riders, the is around for one reason and one reason only to give certain people a certain job, as long as the is around is around that is never going to change.

If Pine Power is sold, that's enough for me. He was one of the most outspoken critics of NICE and Veolia at the beginning, if he sees things are getting better that is enough for me. The thing about these survey's is that people love to complain, even if service was perfect they'd find something to complain about, complaining is becoming human nature. I used to think Pine Power just complained for the sake of complaining but now respect his opinion because he can look at something he was once against and see the benefit, that it's getting better, see that we are getting extra's we would not with the (like the n87 and n4x), and can admit it not just be anti Veolia/NICE just because that was his stance from the beginning .I think we will see a Veolia/SCT partnership within the next 5 years, sooner if they choose Veolia to run the S1 SBS pilot program But lol I think the people wearing Veolia vests are new NICE drivers in training (I've passed a"training bus with a few of them wearing that vest). I don't think Veolia would send new drivers to scope out SCT as SCT would just give Veolia whatever information they wanted. Before NICE launched Veolia had "traffic checkers" riding LIB buses counting passengers because the wouldn't share any of that information with Veolia. These "traffic checkers" were not Veolia employees though, I've heard they' were hired through local temp employment agencies. I agree with you LIRR trains are extra filthy lately and an "on-time" train going westbound in the morning is 3-5 minutes late and coming home at night my train usually gets in on average 10 minutes late (everyone pays attention to time getting into the city, I know I never paid attention to what time the train was supposed to pull into my station. I started keeping track, my train is late EVERY TIME coming back at night). Last month a conductor asked a lady for her ticket, she had the biggest attitude ever refused said she was an employee completely ignoring and disrespecting the conductor. He explained to her she was violating the rules by not showing her pass when it was requested. She flashed him the pass with the biggest attitude, he came back after collecting the other tickets in the car and said "you know you can get you can get your pass revoked for doing what your doing, and you wanna give me a hard time about it." She insisted she wasn't giving him a hard time, they were all fake nice to each other for a minute, then he said "your giving me a hard time like that, I'm being a nice, I should've pulled your pass, but I didn't because I'm a nice guy." She gets all ghetto with "what the f uck is you gonna do? You gonna pull my pass!?! You punch tickets, and your gonna pull my pass." The conductor walked away, and she said the last line over and over until she got off the train. As a "customer" I was outraged, I wish they pulled her and her attitude off the train and revoked her right to ride to work for free while others have to pay $200+ a month for the privilege. If I was managing a gas station, fast food joint, or whatever low paying entry level job you can think of and I heard an employee talking to another like that (especially cursing) in front of customers to see I would have terminated the employee on the spot for the way they represented the company and treated a fellow employee in front of paying customers... ...but this is the way the LIRR allows employees to act in front of paying customers... ...oh and it was a crowded train with people standing, the employee with the bad attitude was sitting. If these people ride for free it should be a rule that on SRO trains they have to give up their seat to a paying customer. I'll see if I can find anything, but am getting tired, might call it a night.

What's done is done, and IMO we will see an improved bus system once all the kinks are worked out, we are still in the early stages of NICE. Hopefully as the economy gets better funding over the years and service is improved.

How do you know applications are slow? This came from an interview with Setzer, what reason would he have to lie about the pay and benefits? Seriously. For all we know if you called and were told that all the full-time positions could have been filled, I mean we are only talking about 28 of them. I mean really what would Newsday or NICE gain by lying about hiring 28 full-time drivers? $18.56/hr (starting) plus benefits is above average for Long Island, and if not mistaken is above the starting wage at LIB.

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/28-more-nassau-bus-drivers-being-hired-1.5865303 28 more Nassau bus drivers being hiredOriginally published: August 9, 2013 6:29 PM Updated: August 9, 2013 9:26 PM By ALFONSO A. CASTILLO alfonso.castillo@newsday.com Nassau County's bus operator plans to hire more than two dozen drivers in time for its planned increases in service next month. Michael Setzer, chief executive operator of the Nassau Inter-County Express, said Friday that the company is looking to bring on 28 bus drivers over the next three weeks. Setzer said the added drivers are needed to carry out NICE's biggest service enhancements in years, planned for Sept. 1. The upgrades include a new N4 Express line to ease congestion on a busy South Shore route, and more buses serving Nassau Community College, which NICE officials intend to transform into a "transit hub." Setzer said the drivers' jobs, which have a starting salary of $18.56 an hour, "include a full range of benefits" including health care and retirement plans. Some of the openings are part-time positions, but Setzer said those workers could eventually move into full-time jobs. "This is a good career job for someone who likes this kind of work and can bring a commercial drivers' license and a clean driving record," said Setzer, who noted that it's rare for that many drivers' jobs to open up at once. NICE is also looking to hire additional maintenance workers, including mechanics, Setzer said. In total, NICE will have added 79 workers since taking over the county bus system from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in January 2012. The company expects to have 857 drivers and maintenance workers on the job by September, and for the total workforce to soon top 1,000. "Clearly, NICE is adding routes as well as growing jobs, which together strengthens our local economy," County Executive Edward Mangano said. ...and... Holy shit, NICE took my idea.