Burrstone

Search this section for MTA and skeleton system and tell me how much better you think things would be if was still around. As Brett explained (and I have painstakingly explained over the years) is that given proper funding Veolia is a better bet to run the system over the MTA because Veolia runs the system for a less when broken down per hour, so whatever funding goes into the system Veolia does more per dollar, so the rider gets more per dollar from Veolia. Pretty sad IMO considering this is true and Veolia is making a profit and still does more per dollar than the MTA did. I thought this would have set alarms, having people in the city demanding an audit, but people still blindly think the MTA is best to run (whatever system).

What is this EasyPay? I'm sure even easy pay can go empty, so what if your pictures on it? How's the driver supposed to know your card with your picture on it has money on it as opposed to Joe Blow who's picture is also on the card with no money trying to scam a free ride? ...and while we're on the topic people need to start getting quarters before they get on the bus, walking up the down the bus with 2 dollar bills in your hand looking like an idiot. Everybody knows you're lazy or trying to get a free ride hoping no one will have quarters (or will want to part with their quarters) so you get a free ride. If you don't have coins you should get kicked off immediately,sure I've seen some people who are unfamiliar with the system, honestly forgot their change, or didn't have time to get change, but others are ridiculous with this (you can tell the difference).

I assume it will be New flyer BUT we haven't even seen a RFP put out for this order have we? Unless things have changed you need a CDL B with Passenger endorsement to be hired... Long Island bus offered me part time (labo) for less money an hour than I was making driving a school bus, it wasn't worth it. They had a pension if you were in it for the long run (how'd that work out lol) but I wasn't trying to make a career out of driving a bus (no offense to those who have or want to). Most were always better off driving off a school bus. Even driving the able ride buses for Suffolk County starts off around $18-$20 an hour... You'll make a hell of lot more money delivering school & transit buses than driving any school or transit bus locally. I'd rather drive a New Flyer C40LF but that doesn't mean I'm willing to go work for the in the city.

And Long Island Bus tested buses like they did in the city? When was the last test fleet or test bus in the LIB system? Give me a break. How do you know Veolia can't analyze data from fleets of different manufacturers in service around the country? Are we going back to to the Veolia can't do like the assumptions again?

1008 was broken down on the side of Commack Rd earlier today hazards on, triangles behind it, it looked like they left it waiting for a tow. Sunday evening I was near EBTs yard and 1004 was being towed... These "newer" Orion.s are dropping like flies...

Come on man you have your entire life to be productive, how many more opportunities will you have to ride that bus?!

Someone at NICE went to school for marketing (or at least took a marketing class) making class lol... Using contracted service on social media to make them look like a good Samaritan on social media.. "Genius!" lol Damn, I wanna drive that bus.. So this bus was actually in service? Taking passengers?

This service must be in Veolia's contract with the County, I've been thinking this since I've also seen this on News12 with evacuated UPS employees keeping warm on a NICE bus as well evacuated residents in Massapequa after the oil tanker caught fire on Merrick rd.

What is the hickup? I've never heard of the n19 terminating at the mall, then again I don't follow NICE nicebus on twitter,,,, The n19 wastes so much time by traveling on Sunrise Hwy (some times of the day the traffic is heavier at times and the lights on Sunrise are long). The n19 should only cross cross Sunrise, it shouldn't travel it. Also, the routing to the mall needs to be changed, I even dare to say the n19 should be routed to the Amityville RR and drop the mall all together, the bus would save so much time. Passengers could transfer to a majority of SCT and NICE lines at Amityville RR if not they could transfer at the RR and take the S33 or n54/n55 from the RR to the mall.

Amityville is the only town in Suffolk where particular road is called Merrick Rd not Montauk Hwy, come on Hound I thought you knew everything... lol It's not your fault, if you've driven the N19 I'm sure you've heard years of the bus announcements calling it Montauk Hwy. Anyway, I agree with you, I have been saying both on here for years. The shoulder is wide enough on both sides at the end of 110 and is far enough away from the corner of 110/Merrick that it wouldn't interfere. There is a big community lot right there that the bus could turn around in. As for the n19, I have shown (sometime somewhere here) that rerouting the n19 through Amityville RR and to the mall would not only route it through the RR but save it time getting to the mall rather than it's current route traveling on Sunrise HWY, there is no reason that bus needs to be on Sunrise as it doesn't even have any stops on Sunrise.

I don't think you don't know what your talking but you have told me before Transdev's responsibility to your system over there is different than her, no? Anyway all I'm saying is Veolia is given money to run the system, that is theirs just like a grocery clerk is given money by a company to provide their services to a grocery store (stocking shelves, using a cash register etc). Veolia is also given funding from Nassau County, NYS, the federal government to run the system. This money pays to run the system as well things like buying buses. There may be provisions in the contract that Veolia has to lay for, but that's part of doing business. Now let's say I run a snow plow company and you own a store with a parking lot in Nassau County. We have a contract that you will pay me $X to keep your lot and sidewalks clean of snow. I go out by a plow truck shovel to fulfill the contract, it is also in the contract that I must repair any potholes come the spring because of the plowing. In the spring I go out and buy the materials to repair the potholes. Am I throwing in money to upgrade your property? Of course not I was fulfilling a service and being paid to do the service the contract requires. I was paid to provide a service and I had to spend some of that money to fulfill the contract.

This is very different here, it is not Veolia/Transdev's responsibility to "kick in" money, fund, or in anyway subsidize Nassau County's bus transit system. They won a bid to run the system for $X and nothing more. This scenario could be different if let's say the contract required Veolia/Transdev to provide the equipment, then again Can you provide a source? http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/CountyExecutive/NewsRelease/2013/11-01-2013.html "It will be paid for with an 80 percent grant from the Federal Transit Administration, with the remainder coming from New York State and Nassau County." Anyway, like an equipment requirement Veolia could be required to provide this or required to provide a service that this technology allows such as better tracking of buses, bus timeliness, better tracking of buses/drivers etc. (it takes money to make money). Are we really debating whether a company could/would/should/is kicking money into the system? That is not their job, they take /make money to run the system, they do not have an obligation to fund the system in any way. Back onto the original topic of kicking in money for buses, it would be too sticky *if* they did and asking for huge problems when/*if* they lost the contract with the county. Besides I think Veolia is smart enough to know that buses bought with any portion of federal funding have to stay in the municipality they were meant for.

How exactly am I talking out of my ass?

Regardless if you said *if* or not it was a follow up statement. I saw *if* and my comment would have been the same whether you said if or not.... You talk about this section getting off topic, yet you feel the need to bring this conversation off topic to make me take notice you said *if*.... Are you serious? Can we move on now?

Is that why bought just under 350 Nova's between 2011-2013, bought about 750 New Flyer's between 2011-2013, and has an order in for 276 more New Flyer's? lol I'm pretty sure I remember (without taking the time to look) that there was some sort of $incentive$ attached to this, if it's still around it could mean something to NICE. Veolia/Transdev is not funding anything. lol It works the other way, Nassau pays them to run the system, they don't fund anything... This will go down as it always has (and usually does in most municipalities) 80% of the buses are funded, the local municipality or transit authority funds the balance and the buses are are the property of the local municipality. Could you imagine the mess if Veolia kicked in extra money to buy buses, lost the contract at the end of this contract and they felt they were owed money or would take buses with the,? Yikes! lol

The MTA has nothing to do with NICE, they handled the contract for decades and now Veolia runs the system. The MTA stepping in to offer funds would make as much sense as SCT in Suffolk County or RGRTA up in Rochester stepping in to offer funds. 80% of the funds will come from state/federal funding and 20% comes from the municipality, in this case Nassau County... Nassau County would be the owners of the buses, cut and dry... I think the reason Nassau has an all ORION fleet is the same reason there are no Gillig's in the fleet, geography. Orion was located up near Utica, NY and Gillig is located on the other side of the Country. Besides, I think there was some sort of "buy NY" incentive offered, because I always remember schumer sticking his in the press talking about upstate workers building a bus for a downstate system. blah blah blah... With Gilligyou are talking about a 3,000 mile trip (an extra 3,000 on the odometer) and at least $6,000 to $9,000 in delivery expenses per bus with 40 buses that's $240,000 to $360,000 just for delivery. Compare this to Orion in Oriskany, NY, less than 300 miles away, your talking 10% the cost for delivery. Now for everyone saying NICE can't "afford" New Flyer, for the money allocated for new buses it comes out to about $400,000 per bus, which if you look at recent New Flyer orders it comes out to about $400,000 per bus. The last NICE order was spec'd buses and if they do the same orders stripped down buses. Believe me some places order buses with all the "bells and whistles" where the orders the bare bones. Speaking of the Veolia and the have a good working relationship, just ordered 276 Xcelsior buses, I wouldn't be surprised at all if NICE hammered out a deal to by some of those buses, NEw Flyer builds some in that order for NICE, or NICE excercizes an option for buses the MTA has on "order."

Just a heads up for anyone riding or planning on riding the n19... I just saw on news12 that a tanker truck carrying home heating oil aught fire on Merrick rd in Massapequa in front of St. Rose church, I would expect a detour somewhere Lakeshore BLVD and Park Blvd on Massapequa. It took hours took about 2 hours to put the fire out, residents were evacuated and just allowed back in the area. Officials say they are now waiting on a crew to clean up the mess. In addition to a detour I would expect delays on n19....

I was joking, I ride both NICE and SCT and it seems people get a ride and I dont't want to say "a lot" but "I often" see people getting rides and the person giving the rides just cuts off the bus, slows to a stop, and the person gets on....

LMAO welcome to Nassau County! Actually don't worry about buying a car just have a friend or significant other drive you to the bus stop, and make sure you wait for until the last possible minute so the bus pulls out of your spot, follow it until you can get in front of it, put on your hazard lights, cut in front of the bus, slam on your brakes (forcing the bus to stop), you get on, whalla the Nassau County way... lol

Can't believe the is only 17% New Flyer... Just reporting news that was posted on the New Flyer website, as it was only posted there Monday

NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT AWARDS NEW FLYER A CONTRACT FOR 276 40-FOOT XCELSIOR® BUSES VALUED AT $138M http://www.newflyer.com/index/2014_02_03_new_york_award Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – February 3, 2014: (TSX: NFI) (TSX: NFI.DB.U) New Flyer Industries Inc. (“New Flyer” or the “Company”), the leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in the United States and Canada, announced today that New York City Transit Authority (“NYCT”) has awarded New Flyer a firm contract for 276 heavy-duty 40-foot Xcelsior® clean diesel powered buses. The contract is valued at $138 million. NYCT and MTA Bus Company (together, “MTA”) comprise the largest transit agency in North America with over 5,700 transit buses in their fleet of which approximately 1000 or 17% are New Flyer buses. Over the last three years, New Flyer has delivered 668 transit buses or 758 equivalent units (“EUs”) to MTA with both clean-diesel and natural gas propulsions systems in 40- and 60-foot configurations. In 2013 alone New Flyer built 118 buses or 138 EUs for MTA. Paul Soubry, New Flyer’s President and Chief Executive Officer, announced, “We are very proud to have been awarded yet another opportunity to build buses for the NYCT, the largest bus operator in America.” Soubry added, “NYCT has among the harshest and most demanding operating profile of any transit agency in North America, so continued contract awards to New Flyer reaffirms our Xcelsior, offering world-class quality and industry leading product support with comprehensive warranty, service and lifetime customer care is meeting our customers needs.” Production of the 276 Xcelsior® buses is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2014 with the delivery of four pilot buses. All production buses are to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2015.

Maybe they have someone watching the video's from the cameras on the buses, counting "pass-ups"?

If there are Gangsters riding the bus I've watched enough rap videos to know they are doing something wrong... LMAO But seriously, fake thugs carry real guns, so...

I open 'em, people sometimes give me a dirty look but if i'm hot and your cold you can put on carry a hoodie or jacket, I'm not sweating because your chilly. Some people run hotter and colder than others, if you run cold bring something to put on, don't expect us to sweet. @Turbo19 No offense and not trying to start so don't blow up over a comment, but it's easier said than done when you're not used to the local clientele on these buses. Most of these people are f**king crazy, not even kidding. But whenever anyone says anything to me (unless I know them) the response is "Yea, okay" as I look the other way. Translation: I don't give a shit... lol

No the new ford SUV's they use for dispatchers and officials ... Maybe a para dispatcher? The veterans hospital is not that far way...