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Burrstone

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Posts posted by Burrstone

  1. you must both be very proud. I used to drive buses for a living and eventually started my own company for doing what we did. After 4-5 years it just felt like a waste of my time, so I split up the empire amongst friends I had made and left. Once I did I was able to earn numerous times what I used to make, retire my family and myself, own multiple properties across the globe [toronto, vancouver, los angeles, ny, miami, alps, dominican, paris, london, south africa, moscow, bangkok, tokyo, etc], travel the world in chartered jets & yachts, collect the most expensive and rare cars in the world, party with the creme de la creme of society, and I've dated 2 a list actresses, 6 models, 4 daughters of an oil tycoon, shipping magnate & 2 ceo's and all this within 10 years after leaving.

     

    Wow! ...and all because you stopped driving a bus, huh?  It seems like you've seen Wolf of Wall St one too many times.  but hey, don't let us stop you, dream troll, dream!

     

    I could tell you were full of sh!t in the in the second sentence....

     

    I thought you were the one who took/posted the original video?  Are you?

  2. I did that all the time,as well as any other seasoned driver trying to keep on schedule.

    Show the morons on the road who's boss and the critics who support them. Clearly, most of the people here don't drive and are thus stuck taking public transportation such as this joke of an operation. Haha.

     

    First, your first sentence makes sense, you might want to break out the hooked on phonics and try again.

     

    Hound & I both have CDL's and are profession drivers...

     

    Hound has been driving transit buses in Nassau County for 40 years (and Greyhound before that)...

     

    I have delivered transit buses (as well as various trucks) all over this country and have driven school buses in Nassau County for years...

     

    Hound & I both have clean driving record, how's your driving record?

     

    Anything else?

  3. I seriously can not believe you guys are standing up for that kamikaze BO.

     

    Kamikaze bus operator!?!  That's racist!

     

    But seriously, the only one who thinks that B/O was a kamikaze B/O are people waiting for the bus in Iowa!

     

     

     

    Are there bus drivers who have it rough, yes. Is this one one of them? maybe, but it doesn't give him the right to drive like that. Sitting here mocking the guy in the car with his wife, 4 year old child and a family friend who's six months pregnant, you should all be ashamed of yourselves. "Oh, that was edited. Oh, they're trying to make the bus driver look bad". They didn't need to, the driver was doing it all on his own.

     

    This is exactly why he should have let the bus go in, nope, he got cut off (and he didn't really get cut off because because there was at least 2 car lengths for the bus to enter)...  Nope. his feelings got hurt, a bus couldn't be in front of him, so he laid on the horn like a douche.  You know a horn is a warning device, oops you didn't see me, now you can hear me....  But people use the horn like this guy did, they use it to annoy people that piss them off, that's the only reason you use a horn like this guy did. He sounds his horn and the bus continues, so he plays chicken with a bus because his feelings got hurt knowing his wife, a child, and a pregnant women was in the car?

     

    Let's say you and the driver was 100% right and this guy was a dangerous driver, why the eff is he following him and waiting for "his turn" to get cut off?  Change lanes, let the aggressive driver in, don't play games with a dangerous driver to get good video while you have a child and pregnant women in the car.

     

     

     

    That's about a half dozen moving violations on the part of the BO.  

     

    Since you're counting how many did the car driver rack up?  

     

    If there had been an accident the car driver would have been 50% responsible. Let's say the car driver had seen the bus cut off 2 other cars and now it was his turn, he has a duty to prevent an accident not play chicken! 

  4. Why was the driver in the video following the n21 in the first place? It seemed like he was tailgating the bus and harassing the driver.

    Precisely. 

     

    He was looking for trouble, he got his feelings hurt.  It also seems like he knows the bus route,  So convenient, that he waits at the yellow line before he enters the left turn lane.  Boy doesn't he seem like a law abiding citizen and then whoa, here comes the dangerous bully bus driver again!  He just sits there and waits to enter the lane because he legally shouldn't, who does that?  Come on?  He knew the bus would be turning there, he wanted it to look good on video.

     

    I wonder who this guy knows at News12 and/or the (MTA) ?  Luckily this guy had his dash cam on to catch the dangerous driver!  The news says he lives in Queens, I'm sure he see's (IMTA) buses doing this crap every day...  I'm sure he has his dash cam on every day!  I wonder where the (MTA) video's are?  hmmm

     

    I just feel bad for the guy who lost 5 days pay for just doing his job and someone out there with an agenda....

     

    Lol I saw that same crap on the TV a while ago... Guy was a smug douchebag.

     

    Don't let me see that guy on the streets... I'll show him something...

     

    I can only hope this makes it on Tosh.0 and he embarrasses himself more than he already embarrassed himself on TV...

  5. This was beyond ridiculous on the news, my favorite part was after stating the driver serves a 5 day sentence asking the peanut gallery of riders what his punishment should be.  Why would their opinion of the drivers punishment count?  These people aren't even remotely qualified to judge a professional drivers driving.

     

    The guy in the video was a prick, he first laid on the horn like a prick, he continually tried to one up the bus, and I hate it when I drive a bus that these people hang out where this guy does.  Right just stay there right near my wheel well.  PASS the bus!  

     

    How many of you would see that left turn lane open?  How many of you wouldn't do what this driver did.  Then the car driver saw the bus he thought he just one upped and decides he now wants to go,  mmmhhhhmmmm

     

    He didn't like the bus trying to get in on him, this is long island, on routes like this there are always going to be cars.  How about instead of laying in the horn like a douche you get over when you first see the bus.  I think all NICE drivers should go to this guy's job, harass him and be a prick!


    at 0:47 notice the (MTA) bus do the same thing lol classic nice bashing

  6.  I'm grateful to God above that I passed my road test on Tuesday because I'd be goddamned if I was going to put up with another year of this shit.  

     

    Thank god, goodbye!  [sarcasm]Your life will be so much better now![/sarcasm]

     

     

    I really haven't seen any difference in anything.  

     

    That's the difference, you say it over and over more with less then you stumble right over the point.

     

    There is not a skeleton system...

     

     

    I'm sick and tired of the service and of the people who still think it's better.

     

     

    I'm sick of you idiots coming here and bitching about how much NICE sucks and how much better the (MTA) was.  I'm sorry you don't like hearing the truth whenever you decided to piss on NICE because you were frustrated with your life because you couldn't pass a simple driving test.

     

    I'm tired of having to constantly type the truth every time you and Pine go on a NICE bashing spree...  When I was typing this afternoon I literally had to muster up the strength because I was tired of typing the same shit for people who can't comprehend it because they're here saying the same crap a day or two later. 

     

    I came her years ago just to be the voice of reason, to point out the other side, and people like you have turned me into Mr. Veolia constantly having to run to their defense every time one of you tools says the (MTA) was better, you want the (MTA) back, etc etc etc...  I have to remind you of the truth,the a couple of days later you're back here spouting the same " (MTA) was better, this never would have happened with the (MTA) ."  It's frustrating!

  7. I wasn't even gone a week and we have all this (MTA) cheerleading...  I miss the (MTA) things were so much better with the (MTA))...  Were they?  I understand why Hound misses the (MTA) he misses the $100 grand a year pay day.  He had enough seniority where he'd be one of the few drivers not laid off driving the skeleton system...  Joel Up Front, how would you fare with only a skeleton system?  Maybe hourly service on the busiest lines.  You and PinePower can't even handle the service as it is....

     

    I'm sorry you don't like me being the Veolia cheer leader telling the truth...

     

    Cait Smith, for Christmas can I get a bot in this section to auto post the fact that the golden (MTA) was planning on running a "skeleton system" (there term) for more money than what Veolia is working with now and the fact that NICE does more per dollar than the (MTA) did whenever someone posts that they miss the (MTA) or things would be so much better if the (MTA) came back?

  8. Hound, I sent you a PM, scroll all the way to the top of the page and click on the envelope in the top right corner...

     

    I miss when Veolia didn't require a shill a non-paid PR rep someone to defend every little thing they do.

    Oh wait.

     

    Are you referring to me?  With all the stupid (MTA) cheer leading are you really going to make that comment?

     

    Do you really want to start kicking mud for no reason?  We've been so civil lately....

  9. To be honest NICE should start getting MCI buses for their fastest routes to reduce the breakdowns. And do away with the most useless routes or integration of segments from them into heavier routes. And breakup the stupidly long routes to boost OTP.

     

    I support getting MCI's or Prevost's (Oh Prevost's are so much nicer IMO) just to offer express n4 service via Sunrise HWY or offer new Express routes into Lower Manhattan, Midtown, and growing areas of Brooklyn & Queens that are seeing job growth.  These are the routes that will pay off, maybe eventually the system can be resigned into a system of the transit buses acting as feeders into the coaches?

     

    Could Veolia piggy back on the (MTA) 's big Prevost order?  Are there options left over or just one big order? 

    2. Kimberly (black- I don't know how to say black politely). She lives near n4 bus.

     

    Err..  How about not saying it?  What difference does it make if we know she's white, black, or green!?!

    Sidewalks aren't good enough because of broken guardrail and overgrown trees,  so I walk toward oncoming eastbound traffic wearing my vest.

     

    ...and that folks concludes another episode of "I'm Surprised Yuki Didn't Die," tune in next week to see what happens next!

  10. One rider in the video pretty much summed up how most people feel about the service NICE provides:  "It's not for better service at all.  It's for the same crappy service . . . late to work . . . .risking losing their job(s)."  

     

    I really don't understand this assumption and it needs correction.  It is the same service...   a cash fare increase as well as a $400,000 contribution from Veolia was needed to maintain current service levels because of rising costs including rising CNG (fuel costs), employee health benefits (contracted with the union) and rising able ride costs.  NICE basically has one pot of money, they are legally required to honor ALL qualified able-ride requests and that money comes out of the pot before it is allowed to go to transit.

     

    So, in other words, costs went up, it created a budget gap and this cash increase along with a $400,000 contribution from Veolia will allow for service levels to stay the same.  If it were not for cash increase service would have to be cut.

     

    Whether people like the board or not but this system has been set up so one authority cannot do something like arbitrarily raise fares, the CEO of the company has to go in front of the board, ask, give reasoning, and answer questions. The board then decides whether to raise the fare or not...

     

    I would suggest that riders like the lady attend or at least read the community meeting minutes...

     

     

     People wouldn't mind paying the extra quarter if they had reliable service, but sadly this is not the case.

     

    An extra quarter isn't going to do it. lol  Nassau needs to open their piggy bank...

     

     

    Since she's from Valley Stream, perhaps she's talking about the horrendous service on the N4 and other lines.

     

    I've been riding the n4 for years before NICE came to town and it's always been a mess even during the golden (MTA) LIB days!

     

     

    Only shut door to Channel 12 because Jack Khouz welcome us.

     

    If I were NICE I'd shut the door to the false one sided story tellers known as "News"12...

     

     

    Reliable it sure aint, but I stepped off this bus just in time, westbound n20 from Hicksville left Greenvale in a big cloud of smoke.

    Smelled like burning oil. Buses cant even handle highway speeds for long w/o breaking down!

     

    You're actually right about something transit buses are not built to handle highway speeds.  Even governed at 55mph when transit buses are delivered they require frequent stops for fluid/tire checks and fluid/tire cool down periods...

     

    You might be on to something, I never thought about this in service but there are several routes where buses near 50-55mph on NICE and SCT and and NICE and SCT Orion's (in particular) are dropping like flies...  ...and these buses are run all day long without much downtime.

     

    News 12 runs this stuff on purpose to make bus riders look greedy & to show they don't deserve better service.

     

    That's an interesting take on it...  I think these reports are to make NICE look bad, get riders and tax payers to tune in...  Riders will be scared, I don't remember the reporter saying 25cents a lot, but she dropped $130 a year :o  a lot, and get riders riled up over a fare increase without better service  :o .  They also get taxpayers going "well darling, why are we paying our tax dollars if this company keeps increasing the fare?"

     

    The News12 untruths have been going on since Veolia first contracted with the county! 

  11.  

     

    1)  News 12 made NO mention of the $400,000 contribution Veolia made of THEIR money that they didn't have to, the service cuts that would need to be made if there wasn't this minor increase, or the fact that this was just a cash increase inline with the metro card and MTA increases earlier in the year...

     

    21) At around 1 minute I wish they kept rolling to see these idiots and their list of demands be thrown out by security...

     

    3) What an idiot this Anits Halasz (LI Jobs with Justice) seems to be...  Because of her stupid and either uninformed comment or comment neglecting the facts "demanding" NICE  to issue the riders a public thank you for "bailing 'them' out, because that's this is...  ...when there's no service increase with this fare increase w're bailing them out..."  I DEMAND this idiot issue a public apology and thank you to NICE to contributing $400,000 of their money to the system and not cutting service instead...

     

    4) Seriously, can I get a tip off of when sh!t like this is happening so I can can make fools like this look even dumber.... Oh yea, I forgot, this was already a one sided story by News12....

  12. During evening rush hour, passengers at Jamaica Center lined up from n4 bay all the way near dispatcher booth's.

     

    This and the delays you mentioned earlier are nothing new, this was all present during the golden (MTA) era...

     

    At least NICE rerouted the bus to take the Merrick Rd exit at the Sunrise/Merrick merge instead of taking the right by Lay Z Boy and a left at King Kullen. was wasting a lot of time, I dunno why LIB didn't change that earlier...

     

    Kinda hard to do considering how stupidly long these routes are.

    ^this.

     

    Along with traffic and the vast amount of people that use the line. That n4 is HEAVY!

     

    Bingo!

     

    Short of completely redesigning the route the only thing NICE could really do is put added into the schedule to make it more consistent and realistic.  Even then, traffic jams vary...  Accidents on the route happen every day!, traffic building up on the Southern State backs up sunrise, which then backs up Merrick...

     

    Something to think about Adding time to the schedule could have an adverse effect on service and even the amount of buses on the n4, let's say veolia adds 15 minutes of scheduled time to 12 (I pulled that number out of the sky, but 6 AM and 6PM buses?) weekday buses... 15min x 12 = 3 hours per day...  3 hrs x 5 weekdays a week is 15 hours per week...  x 52 weeks = an extra 780 extra hours a year!  Veolia gets paid hourly (I hope the number isn't out of date, sorry if it is), Veolai charges Nassau County $87.12 per vehicle hour for Fixed 

    Route buses.  an extra 780 hours a year x $87.12/hour = $67,953.60...
     
    To add 15 minutes of scheduled time to 12 buses per weekday is $68,000!  Where the hell is NICE going to get $68,000 when they don't have money?  They'd have to cut service somewhere else...
  13. Lots of NICE Drivers honked at this poster because they not happy with Veolia NICE, including NICE Dispatcher.

     

     

    First off the majority of Dispatchers are were Dispatchers from LIB....

     

    I love this so called bitterness towards NICE, and it;s true it exits and I'm amazed it does, in reality.  Maybe the (MTA) was lax and let the drivers get away with stuff?  I really don't know...  In reality drivers should be grateful with a job at Veolia with a starting pay near $19 and top pay near $27.  If drivers want to be reminded how good they have I regularly look into class B jobs to see if leaving this industry was a wise decision or not, I'd be happy to post the jobs out there as a reminder of what the options are!  This weeks job features CDL B furniture delivery (lots of heavy lifting) for $14 to $15 an hour!  I've even thought about leaving a job that requires a college degree and going to drive for NICE because it starts off paying more than a job that requires a degree and in  6 years it probably pays more.

     

    If the drivers are unhappy with Veolia Boo Hoo, it's corporate America, they're not let you get away with what the (MTA) did or let them earn almost $900 a week working 20 hours in overtime when they can pay a new hire under $400 a week to cover the same 40 hours.

     

    If you don't like it quit, your option this week is back breaking furniture delivery for $4/$5 dollars an hour less... 

  14. Not everyone can afford one or get one (my case).  What do those people do?  I'm equally as bitter about this situation because just about everyone else I know can drive and they expected me to by this age, should I move?

     

    I forget what you're going to school for and where.  I've told you before and if you're living on your own you should consider going to a CUNY school and living in Brooklyn or Queens.  Not only would transportation be easier but rents are getting ridiculous on the island, half are illegal basements another quarter are someones cottage/pool house...  These home owners don't respect your rights as a tenant they think of you as someone living in their property who must respect their rules.  Some of their ads on craigslist are hilarious...

    I bought a car. That solved those problems.

     

    Another kid on Long Island who's parents presumably bought them a car giving advice on why someone should have a car instead of taking the bus, how cliche...  

  15. Well, the question is, would you rather listen to drivers on here who work/worked for NICE and spoke to management on a daily basis, 

     

     

    Drivers don't talk to the people in the loop, the decision makers,upper/mid level manager on a daily basis.  I can tell you from being a former driver (not NICE or the MTA) drivers get what you think is insider information from the rumor mill...  Some's true, some,s mixed, some's BS!

     

     I'm still waiting for Suffolk County Transit to become part of the (MTA) , you know that's why the bought the  2010 Orion's after not buying Orion for years right?  Because the (MTA) wanted Orion's to integrate into their fleet...   :rolleyes: ...BTW this deal with Veolia is never going through...  Wait a tick, Veolia might be allowed to run up to half with the MTA's help...  Veolia will never be able to hit the ground running on Jan 1st, 2012, they aren't prepared to take over.  You think the delay's and missing buses were bad?  Just wait until the first week of 2012, Veolia is not prepared to run the system on the MTA's level.

     

     

    Well, the question is, would you rather listen to drivers on here who work/worked for NICE and spoke to management on a daily basis, or to users like Burrstone who base their posts on speculation and opinions? 

     

    Oh you're going to call me out like that and with a blatant lie?  (Not wanting too much of my personal life on the public forum)  You know because I told in the past that I know many higher up members of NICE, Veolia,and former members of NICE/Veolia.  Maybe you're just sore that if you want to talk to these people you have to go to a public meeting to plug your ideas and website while I can just walk in the front door, right past security...

     

    The difference between you and I is they're busy, I'm busy, if I saw them I'd probably talk to them about them.  I'm not going to waste my time so I can waste their time to get "insider info" so I can try to prove my worth to a website or whatever it is you have going on...

     

     

     

    As for management, there may be some from Long Island Bus still there, but the heads are still from Veolia and still do things their way and have the final say in how to spend to money and run things.

     

    What makes you think LIB management knew best?  Of course Veolia has the last say...

     

    Speaking of LIB management.  Many of them knew where they stood with the (MTA) towards the last couple/few months of LIB. Some were offered jobs with other MTA facilities while others were offered nothing.  What a slap in the face that must be after years, or even decades of service. So I wouldn't expect any ex LIB workers to be very loyal to the (MTA) .

     

    While we're on the subject while top LIB management got "nice" LIRR jobs etc., what did the (MTA) offer their "top" drivers?  Hound, as one of the most senior LIB opertors, would like to answer?  That's right nothing, they could've kept senior drivers like Hound on in the (MTA) system until they retired with a full pension.  But they offered them nothing, that's why I don't understand why guy's like Hound are pro (MTA)

  16. So, what you're saying, all the Orion VII 3Gs breaking down that are less than two years old are all bad? At this stage in the game, they shouldn't be breaking down. 

     

    My comment was regarding the older V's not the NG's...  BUT I do think there are major problems with Orion's, as I pointed out before the 2010's SCTalso have problems...  ...But as Cait Smith said new buses break down,new trucks break down, trains breakdown, they are machines they malfunction, parts go bad, sometimes for no reason...

     

     

     What NICE is doing is the only thing they can do with the money...

     

    Let's just assume you are 100% right and say even the brand new buses are breaking down because of maintenance and funding issues.  It is a funding issue, again, as I stated before the only problem with NICE is funding which is not Veolia's fault.  The NICE bashing is unjust, you can see it's a funding issue, but you can't help to bash Veolia/NICE as if it's their fault...???  You're becoming as bad as Pine with this!

     

     

    Although, at this point given ridership statistics, they've already lost money.

     

    And how much money have they (Veolia) made?

     

     

    No offense to you, but I have to take the logical side and tell you to stop backseat moderating. You think you're some type of holy grail to this community.

    I like how you came out of nowhere to say that. You clearly can't tell the difference between on-topic and off-topic in this section if you say that.

     

    Kind like you came from nowhere and posted an off topic comment about how in your reality the place was better with you as a mod? Really?  Example # 117 of why you were a crappy mod, you would reprimand people for stuff you did all the time!

  17. The thing with maintenance is, even if LIB did have the same problems with the same buses, they were quicker to respond to fixing them and getting them onto the street safely. NICE pushes the damaged ones out of the depot and stresses them on the street before fixing them which only does more and more damage to the inside components. 

     

    The thing that everyone is stressing is that if the buses were bad during the LIB days no matter how much "maintenance" is done these are not going to make them good buses.  Spending more on maintenance (that they don't have) is just a more expensive band-aid than  what NICE is doing...  Nothing short of an expensive overhaul would make these buses good.  It's not like a computer game where you increase maintenance and a bad bus becomes a good bus.  Once a bus is crap it's crap...  It's like buying a used car, if the previous owner beat the crap out it increasing the oil changes, "tune ups" etc won't make it a good car again.  Sure you can spend a lot of money and fix everything, but at what point is it  just too much on a used car you plan on hanging on to for a year or two?  Same thing with NICE, at what point is throwing money into a bus they plan keeping for a year?  Sure, NICE can rebuild a crappy engine or transmission, but what's the risk?  What if the transmission or motor goes next month?  NICE just spent thousands of dollars they don't have on a bus they plan on keeping for a year..

     

    This is why, IMO, NICE is doing the right thing.  Slapping a band-aid on the problem buses, hoping  they can make it through the year.  The money is better spend on the VII's they inherited with problems that they will for years. 

  18. Yes, I think you do care,..

    Props to you on the photoshop, I can see you really go that EXTRA mile to make your posts thoroughly detailed!

     

    It took a few extra minutes but it's worth it to show you care.

     

     

    I died from laughter out of this.

     

    Seriously though, back on topic please.

     

    ----------------------------------

     

    On a side note, it SEEMS as if they've been doing some work to the soon-too-be-gone lower half of the 1600 series. Rode/recorded 1604 and 1608. They're much faster and ride a bit smoother than they did this past winter. There have been quite a lot of those running on the Hillside Avenue end these days.

     

    The upper half of the 1600s(1633 and up) have been having some problems when it comes to the heat. It hasn't been too severe these days, but I have seen one of them break down in my area of Queens every now and then. Though then again, those were shit buses from the get-go.

     

    I've noticed that with some and will throw in a 1606 and it seems they are out on routes more (or maybe I just see them on my routes more often)...  Do you think they were overhauled?  

     

    They sure are ugly, I've said this before but it's too bad they didn't paint (or wrap) some of the V's that they planned on keeping around for a while.  If you see a V that's actually bee taken care of or repainted it looks really nice...

     

     

    Though then again, those were shit buses from the get-go.

     

    I've had my theories about Orion's lately but no real time to research anything and make it anything but a theory.  If anyone has time I recommend they ride the s1 for comparison, I relied the s1 last year for an internship and the 2010 Orion VII NG's are already having problems (and not getting better according to people I know who still ride and drive the s1)..  I would pray for a Gillig even all they were older and usually shorter (less sets more crowded).  At one point during the Holiday's the operators didn't have enough buses to cover all of the runs bc of breakdowns and a majority of the breakdowns were the VII NG's.  I was on a bus that broke down and we literally had to wait for the next one bc the yard didn't have a spare... 

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