Burrstone

Stop being a backseat backseat moderator.

Me too. I'll take the night shift, all I need is 8-12 beers a shift, a beer tool belt, and a wrench. All mechanical equipment even the ones tat operate the things that place your boiling pins need regular preventive maintenance.. I've suspect for a while that a couple of members (especially John from Flushing) are former regulars here trying to spam this section to obliteration in order to grow another site.

Wow! You should write the Bus Rider's Guide to Being a Scumbag! Although, no one would buy it because they'd have to chose between buying the book or (everyone say it with me) FOOD! NICE loses a lot of money to the Metrocard. You're probably right that it's probably a pain in the ass to collect the coins and maintain the farboxex (that they don't even own they lease from the . I guess the mobile app would probably be their best bet (though, I don't know what related fees NICE must pay). Sadly, this is the only post he's made here that actually enlightened me on something. Where do they send them out? It sucks for the mechanics but if you can get the work done cheaper outside, oh well... Unions are sucking the Island dry and costing people jobs! Hound, are the laid off Mechanics offered driver positions like they were when NICE first started?

If a rider cannot afford an extra 25c a ride, 50cents a day, $2.50 a week, something went seriously wrong in that persons life that quite frankly isn't NICE's or Nassau County's problem.

Why would they? What does it serve them to release this data? Are they obligated under the contract to release this data? Can you FOIL this information? Yea, that must be it... lmao What stop is that? Usually dispatchers are at major hub's logging in many buses arriving departing not at a single stop, unless there was an incident at the stop. It's not worth the driver perusing it past asking once or twice because the driver may be assaulted or forced to defend him/herself. The idea is not let a situation escalate, I remember when NICE first started an article was posted here that a Veolia Employee was fired for taking down someone with a knife. Why? Because that is not the drivers job, the situation could have escalated and someone could have been seriously injured or died. If a driver peruses the fare odds are it will escalate and the driver will be assaulted or the driver will defend him/herself and be suspended for getting into a fight with a passenger. In this day and age god forbid the driver be white and the fare beater be black or spanish. I could just see the headlines about the racist white driver assaulting a poor passenger over a $2.75 fare. I could also see a fare beater trying to escalate the situation so they can get assaulted by the driver in an attempt to get a few dollars from Transdev and/or Nassau. I think drivers try to get people to pay because ridership figures are being taken from the farebox and not from counters, The less people that pay makes it look like less people ride and the drivers are afraid of having their runs cut. LMAO!!!

A recent observation about NICE is that more drivers seem to call the people back up who don't pay the fare when they enter the bus. I love the attitude these people give the driver, hum excuse me, you're a scumbag not trying to pay the fare we all paid, drop the attitude. lol Also I've noticed at major transfer points the dispatchers are doing a great job informing customers of gaps bc a bus broke down, and when the next bus will be coming. I can't remember a dispatcher ever coming over during the LIB days and saying " anyone waiting for the nXX? That bus broke down, the next one is due in xx minutes..."

When I would commute on HART HART would collect SCT paper transfers, in the afternoon I'd pay for a paper transfer on HART which were like the old school SCT transfers. I'd hand the transfer to the SCT driver when I transferred and 50% would take it it, the other half would throw it in the trash can or point to the trash can to toss it myself.

Even brand new buses break down, it happens.

Yes, you know it is... Will NICE allow public comments from facetime, skype, or whatever? Probably not. There is businesses that needs to be tended to at these meetings and asking for virtual comments is asking to clog up these meetings with hours of trash yelling into their phone at home about shit NICE cannot control such as traffic and funding.

I would have liked to have seen a video of NICE officials giving information at the meeting but LIBRU's youtube account didn't have that. Did you people film the entire meeting or just you yahoo's yammering on about stupid shit that affects no one else? Do you see how ironic this is? Every poster here (with the exception of LIBRU members) have been saying for years how worthless the LIBRU is, just a bunch of people who want to hear themselves complain. The LIBRU whined on News12 that information at the meeting is not accessible to all because of a 5 minute walk. So, in today's day and age the LIBRU was actually able to help people with the resources they have, cameras and a youtube account! They could have filmed all of the meeting for the general rider who is in work or school at that time and posted the information in the meeting on youtube as a resource to many. Instead all that was posted on youtube was the LIBRU complaining. Thanks.

This "news" story on news12 made me laugh, all this is is a story! These yahoos could have taken any bus to NCC bookstore and walked through easily to MF it's a 5 maybe 10 min walk, that wouldn't be a good story though. Then they go on to are everything not controlled by NICE. Does someone need to stand in front of them and blow a megaphone saying NICE has nothing to do with where the meeting is held (or for busy roads ). Then they go on about a taking a trip from queens to Montauk. WTF does this have to do with getting to the NICE meeting!?! What point are they trying make? Who commutes from queens to Montauk on a transit bus!?! What are they trying to raise awareness for?!? That a bunch of people without jobs can't take a joyride out to Montauk and back in the same say!?! What does NICE have to do with Sunday bus service with SUFFOLK COUNTY TRANSIT!?! They think they're not getting what they pay for... Really!?! WTF do they think $2.75 should but them!?! $2.75 is not even enough to buy to get from Freeport to Roosevelt Field if they owned a car, forget about maintenance and insurance on top of that. The only thing the LIBRU is bring attention to is that they are one useless group hellbent on bitching to anybody about anything and everything!

Maybe the one I saw was going to be the original 1016 bc this bus wasn't ready for NICE service as it was still in full Foothill livery. It had 1016 written on the windshield so we know that usually this becomes the body number after the Nassau stripe is painted on. I didn't get a good enough look to see if there was any body damage or not. Maybe they will paint this one and replace 1016, assuming something happened to it?

I saw foothills bus (still in foothill livery) 1256 numbered 1016 being towed on Merrick Rd. Going eastbound just east of the meadowbrook. I haven't seen one of them being towed in months! Are they getting more or is 1256 one of the buses damaged on its way from CA? Also I've never seen these buses on sunrise usually I spot them a on 109 or Sunrise near the 109/Sunrise junction on their way to AKA...

Thanks for sharing, I don't usually go to NICE's facebook page. I'm really surprised they're building New Flyer's in Alabama instead of Minnesota.

SO proud of the bus he had the engine rebuilt in Florida but the proud owner doesn't own one picture? Even from before his camera broke? I was planning on finding this and if it was him cool see if I could take the bus for a spin, if not tell him there's someone online online posing as the owner telling them to meet him in various places. ...When I say I want to find the bus/go to one of his meet ups it means that I would like to do but probably won't... There was a driving school (forget the name and if it it is in western Nassau or Queens) who bought a NICE Bus V at auction and is using it to train students.

I'd like to see pictures! I can't just stop by random places or drive that far out east, although I might stop by one day because I want to take it for a spin (assuming I could drive it of course).

Veolia Transdev is only the operator, operating a contract for Nassau County. It is not Transdev's obligation to reach into "it's" pocket for anything.....even all they did reach into their pocket and use their money last year to balance a budget shortfall so service wouldn't be cut for the riders. Nassau County owns the buses in the fleet. *Usually* 80% of the price of each bus comes from Federal/State grants and 20% comes from the local municipality, in this case NICE/Nassau County.

Question... Do you have a CDL A or B with Passenger endorsement? What type of plates do you have on the bus? Can you post pictures of the bus?!!

Trains ALWAYS have the right of way at ANY crossing.

You don't haave to stop for tracks marked "exempt" or abandoned Mac5689 is right and instincts kick in. You see the RR actually you see the RR Xing marked on the pavement or the RR Xing sign first and autopilot almost kicks in. Also some tracks have a traffic light that also controls the "intersection" with the tracks and the roadway, you don't have to stop if that light is green. One that I can think of that is like that is on Commack Rd heading north near tanger outlet in Deer Park, there is a light there but I see buses & trucks carrying hazardous materials stopping for the tracks al the time. They probably think like me, I don't know the technology behind these lights but a lot of trains go through there and if the gate fails, won't the light fail as well? I'd rather be safe than sorry! Believe me you'll see the RR tracks before you see a sign a marked exempt on the tracks, that's why the driver probably stopped, again it's better safe than sorry. Most newer school buses these days have radios built in wired into the speakers. School buses have a kill switch, when you stop at RR tracks you are supposed to open the window, the door, engage the kill switch (which kills the am/fm radio, the bus radio, the fans, heat, etc. all extra noise) then you are supposed to "look and listen." Yea, besides the fine I'm not sure if the first violation is revocation or 60 day suspension of your CDL, either way you'll be out of a job and probably looking for a new career. I mean when you get your CDL back it is probably going to be a little hard to get a new job when you answer "RR crossing violation" to the question why you left your last job. You can't lie about it either because it's on your motor vehicle record... That's jut the beginning, imagine if you totally ignore the crossing rules, the gate malfunctioned, didn't come down, your bus was hit, and passengers on your bus died. Do you think people sitting at home, the DA, and jury would be like "poor bus driver, it wasn't his/her fault, the gate malfunctioned!" Nope! You'd be charged and probably convicted of manslaughter for everyone who died and counts of assault for everyone injured in the crash BECAUSE there are systems out in place to protect passengers if the rail crossing system fails. You'd probably be spending decades in prison wishing you took ten seconds to stop. Not aimed at anyone here, this is probably why you have to be 21 (or is it 22) to drive a bus. Weed out some of the high school immaturity, where it is cool to ignore or break the rules. Driving a bus is serious for obvious reasons and there's no excuse for breaking any of the rules! That sticker has been there for a while along with the no turn on red sign.... I was thinking the other day that on the FootHill buses where you can see the remains of where took the foot hill name off in the top middle of the bus they should make the orange drivers needed sticker bigger and place it over where you can see the remains of the foot hill name. I think it would look pretty cool and a lot better than the remains of foot hill name looks now.

That's actually the way it's supposed to be in all buses, not just school buses, no one does it that way though. You better stop though in any bus, you don't want the DOT or cop to see you not stopping, or god forbid get hit by a train or service vehicle on the tracks (if you survived and a passenger died, you'd be in prison for a very long time). Yes! EVERY passenger bus in the US most stop for tracks unless the tracks are exempt or are marked out of service.

I might have a problem reading what you write because you write like you're illiterate.

1) Get a CDL B (or A) with Passenger endorsement... 2) Apply to NICE...

I think this is the portion of the training where new drivers in training are shown the routes before being cut lose. I don't know why but a lot of new drivers seem to lost in that little loop (IMO that should be cut out) going to/from Sunrise Mall & Merrick Rd. Then again I live in the area so I know it well enough. I know others have asked on this forum why drivers need training on routes like the n19, a rather simple route. Two things, 1) those asking these questions have never and don't realize just how helpful doing the route with someone first telling where to turn is... 2) People on this are bus fans, people who get hired simply aren't, this is a job. They haven't spendt hours analogizing a bus map or riding routes for fun. Many are coming from driving a school bus and have ridden a transit bus seldom if ever before they were hired. (this wasn't directed at anyone or to put anyone in this forum down). Another thing to keep in mind, to be hired with NICE you must already have a CDL B with Passenger endorsement to be hired. This is not the case with the or those hired back with LIB. The would help you get your CDL. This is good but doing so only gis you a CDL with Passenger endorsement. Your options in this area are kinda limited if you get fired or quit. You need a CDL with Passenger and School Bus endorsements to drive a school so if you leave NICE you can take the city exam and wait around, or hopefully get hired by Suffolk Transit. A friend of mine who has tried to convince me to go back to driving a school bus has pointed that school bus companies are paying a lot more. I don't know what the starting rate is at NICE these days but I hear it's higher than NICE at Suffolk Transportation and Bauman. People like Hound say driving a school bus is "not a real bus." I used to laugh so hard at these people back when I drove school bus and to tell you the truth I looked down on transit drivers as being the lowest form of bus driver. Now I don't care and think that's all silly! There are benefits to driving a school bus though, summers off, paid to sit on the couch for 2 months while you make $420 a week for doing nothing, not having scumbags talk down to you, not having to deal with crackheads in Jamaica and Hempstead, every weekend off unless you want the overtime and get paid for hours to sit in the bus, all the overtime you want (very easy to work 40+ hours especially during busy sports times! They literally will beg you!)... What the hell does that mean and what the hell does it have to do with what you quoted!?!

Why would NICE send their drivers into Manhattan for training? They don't service Manhattan... The same way no longer spends a week in Nassau County for training. Back before NICE everyone who was going into fixed route would go through the same training whether they'd be in the city or hired by Long Island Bus. Training took place in the Bronks...