Gotham Bus Co.

11 hours ago, shiznit1987 said:

Honestly, alot of this new plan is just shuffling deck chairs. What happened to expanding SBS? Right off the bat Q46, Q66, Q60, Q69, Q43, Q4, Q5, Q6, Q111 should all be SBS. 

Realistically, by the time the plan in implemented, OMNY might be fully rolled out (with all-door boarding) and all SBS routes will be "demoted" to Limited.

On 12/14/2023 at 12:14 PM, QM1to6Ave said:

Plus the Q46-->subway is so slow and packed, that a fair number of people opt for the Exp bus. Unfortunately, they do not do nearly enough advertising of the Exp bus. 

Some realtors in eastern Queens include local and express buses in their listings. Beyond that, the buses and destination signs are large enough to advertise themselves.

10 hours ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

As the Queens redesign gets closer to implementation, one thing I thought would be interesting is the idea of how much different the Bronx redesign might be if they was the ones to implement Rush routes first. Here's the changes in the system I had in mind in the style of the Queens and Brooklyn Bus redesign:

Bx1 Limited: all current stops; but added Sunday Limited service from 10AM-6PM similar to Saturday service, evening local service

Bx7 Rush: limited stops south of 225 St (requires expanded Bx20 or M100 extension) or 207 St, stopping only at 191 St, 181 St, GWB bus terminal and 168 St. Local replacement: M100 and/or Bx20

Bx21 Rush: Selected stops on 3 Av only, stopping at 138 St, 148 St, Westchester Av/150 St, and 163 St. Local replacement: Bx2/15

Bx22 Rush: it can either be nonstop from Bronx Park East or Southern Blvd all the way to 3 Av. Local replacement: Bx12

Bx26 Rush: service would be provided at least during peak hours on Allerton Av, evening and weekend service all stops. Nonstop between Bartow Av and Boston Rd, with only one stop at Eastchester Rd. Local replacement: Bx25

Bx28 Limited: would be only making select stops on Gun Hill Road during weekdays, evening and weekend service all stops. Limited stops between Bainbridge Av and Bartow Av, including Webster Av, White Plains Rd, Bronxwood Av, Boston Rd, Gun Hill Road , and Eastchester Rd. Local replacement: Bx38

Bx40 Limited: Daily limited stops from approximately 6AM-9PM weekdays and 7:30AM-8PM weekends between Grand concourse and Bruckner Blvd. Limited stops include Webster Av, 3 Av, Crotona Av, Southern Blvd, Morris Park, Unionport Rd, Castle Hill Av, and Westchester Av. Local replacement: Bx42

Other proposals that require significant changes:

Bx11 Rush: Requires an extension of the Bx18 to freeman St to be used as a local variant of the Bx11, not including any chance that would need to be done due to the Bx18A/B split. Service could also be under a new separate Bx51 local between 170 St and Freeman St. Bx11 rush stops would be between St Nicholas Av and 174 St , including 170 St and , Webster Av, 3 Av, Crotona Av, and Louis None Bl/Boston Rd. Local replacements: Bx35, Bx18/51, Bx21

Bx12 service split: This would turn the Bx12 into 3 separate routes from the current 4 branches (including the Orchard branch). The Bx12 SBS would remain unchanged, a new Bx14 designation would be introduced replacing the Bx12 Local (mimicking the proposed Q5/115), and a new Bx52 rush route would be introduced to supplement the Bx12 SBS. The Bx52 would make all stops west of Jerome Av. East of Jerome Av, stops would only be at Fordham Plaza, White Plains Rd, Eastchester Rd/Jacobi Medical, and Pelham Bay. All missed stops would be served by the Bx12/14. During summer months, service would be extended to Orchard Beach. Service to Orchard Beach could possibly be supplemented by the Bx14, but to simplify designations, it makes more sense for orchard beach to only use the Bx52. 

Bx19 Local/Bx49 Rush: a proposed Bx19 split, with the Bx19 ending at Bronx terminal Market instead of going to Manhattan and the Bx49 Rush operating between Riverbank Park and West Farms at Southern Blvd/Westchester Av or near Whitlock Av . Bx49 makes all stop in Manhattan, with proposed Bronx Stops at Grand Concourse, 3 Av, Prospect Av/Southern Blvd, Hunts Point Av, and the above West Farms stops

Bx9 Local/Bx59 SBS: another proposed split route, with no Bx19 east of Fordham Plaza and the Bx59 making select stops between Marble Hill and West Farms. Stops include Marble Hill Av/W 230 St, W 225 St/Broadway, Jerome Av, 3 Av/Fordham Plaza, Southern Blvd/E 183 St, E 180 St/Crotona Pkwy, and West Farms .  Local service would be available via the Bx9, Bx12, Bx19, and Bx42.

The main drawback to splitting routes into Local and Rush variants is that there wouldn't be enough service at local stops.  My twists are as follows:

Bx7:  Keep as a Local route, but restructure to absorb Bx20. Add a few trips on weekdays, then alternate between Bx7 (direct) and Bx7A (via Kappock Street).

Bx9:  No need to split. 

Bx12:  Keep as is. Splitting among 4 variants would lead to too many forced transfers and not enough service at local stops. SBS "demoted" back to Ltd once OMNY is fully rolled out with all-door boarding.

Bx19/Bx49 split: Bx19 Local would use Bx46 path in Hunts Point. Bx46 discontinued.

Bx21 Rush:  Would have to add Bx15 Local trips to provide enough service at local stops. (Then again, Bx15LTD saves almost zero running time. Maybe run everything local.)

Bx28LTD/Bx38Local:  Would have to add Bx38 trips to provide enough service at local stops.

Bx40LTD/Bx42Local:  Would have to add Bx42 trips to provide enough service at local stops.

16 hours ago, The TransitMan said:

The Q50...I see short-turns as in the original Q48 and original Q50. Also, there needs to be some clarification because I read that the Q50 was suppose travel along the Grand Central Pkwy into LaGuardia Airport. You're right...this is a problem.

IIRC, the original plan had on the GCP and using 108th and Roosevelt.

On 12/20/2023 at 8:12 AM, vmadden said:

I read that the M35 began service to Wards Island in 1995, and before that it was the M34. But then in another place I read that it only when from Harlem to Randalls Island not Wards. Can anyone clarify please? I am writing something set in 1993 that involves taking the bus from 125th to Wards. I remember riding the M35 around 2008 to Randalls Island, and it was quite a lively ride. The bus driver broke up two fights and put one man off the bus, then the rest of the bus yelled at him that he'd ejected the wrong guy. 

Any history on getting to Wards Island by public transit in the early 90s is deeply appreciated.

  Randalls (north) and Wards (south) used to be separate islands, but the small channel between them ("Little Hell Gate") was filled in during the 1960s and they are now physically one island with two names.

 The 1946 Fifth Avenue Coach Lines bus map shows a multi-branch route called TB serving Manhattan (Lexington/125th), Bronx (Jackson/138th), Astoria (24 Ave & 37th St), and Randalls and Wards Island (shown as separate islands). 

 In 1974, TB was dissolved into M34 (Lexington to Randalls/Wards), M35 (Lexington to Astoria), Bx21 (Bronx to Astoria).

 Bx21 didn't last long. M34 was later merged into M35 (Lexington - Randalls/Wards - Astoria).

 After M60 started in 1992, M35 didn't need to go to Queens but was kept there rush-only due to politics until 1995. 

 Search Google for 1974 Manhattan and Bronx bus maps, the 1975 Queens bus map, and the 1946 Fifth Avenue Coach Lines map. 

1 hour ago, Q43LTD said:

Overnight goes to Queens Village LIRR. It is proposed to be eliminated. 

IIRC, the proposal is for Q83 overnight to follow the daytime route up the hill to 227th. 

Let me guess.... The answer is yet another forensic audit of the MTA.

Of course, every politician and every advocate who has ever demanded a forensic audit of the MTA has subsequently refused to release the results of said audits. (Maybe that's because they show how much the MTA has to reimburse the state for all those audits!)

On 12/14/2023 at 1:03 AM, QM1to6Ave said:

BUT, the QM6/36 will still be cut west of 188th street.

I don't understand why they are so insistent on cutting the West of 188th street service! That is where a majority of ridership comes from, even on the QM6. The QM6/36 will now basically be private service for North Shore Towers.

Sounds like NST wanted a faster ride to Manhattan. Will there be more QM1/31 to cover the "inner zone"?

1 hour ago, limitednyc said:

Fr can't handle artics 

Does that negate my other th

3 hours ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

Q83: see they caught me off guard. The proposed Q83 would maintain its existing routing" but they don't mention the Q83 late night service to Queens Village being permanently discontinued. Not that I care for it.

The Q83 overnight thing was a holdover from the former Queens Village branch. It kept going there because the extended Q27 didn't go sough of Jamaica Avenue overnights. Now it does, so the overnight Q83 isn't needed on Springfield. 

15 hours ago, NBTA said:

My guess for the depots:

QV: Q1, Q2, Q36, Q45, Q46, Q48, Q75, Q82, Q83, Q88

JAM: Q3, Q4, Q5, Q17, Q30, Q31, Q42, Q51, Q77, Q84, Q85, Q86, Q87

STE: Q12, Q13, Q15, Q16, Q20, Q26, Q27, Q28, Q32, Q44, Q61, Q62, Q76

JFK: Q6, Q7, Q8, Q9, Q10, Q37, Q40, Q52, Q60

FRK: Q11, Q22, Q35, Q41

BP: Q64, Q110, Q111, Q112, Q114, Q115

CP: Q14, Q19, Q23, Q25, Q38, Q63, Q65, Q66

LGA: Q18, Q29, Q33, Q39, Q47, Q49, Q53, Q67, Q68, Q69, Q70, Q72, Q101, Q103, Q104, Q105

There’s probably a couple missing, but those are my guesses.

Couldn't some routes be moved between NYCT and MTAB? For example...

Q32 could be assigned to CS, LG, MQ, or even GA.

Q39 could go to LG, GA, or FP.

Q51 could go to QV, JA, BP, or JFK.

Q64 could go to BP or CP.

Q76 could go to CP, CS, or JA

Q110 could go to BP, JA, or QV.

Also, wouldn't Q11 and Q41 work better at JFK (and wouldn't Q52 work better at FR)?

2 hours ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

Q45/46/48: new routes all for the purpose of tryna divide the Union Tpke ridership. At least that Q23 extension/reroute no longer happening

Basically, each peak-hour variation (L.I.J. LTD, Glen Oaks LTD, "inner zone" local) gets its own full-time route number.

3 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Unfortunately, they do not do nearly enough advertising of the Exp bus. Esp with congestion pricing, they need to start advertising it more, and even creating off-peak reduced fares to entice people to try it out.

How much "advertising" do they need to do? The service almost markets itself, with large buses that are kind of hard to miss.

52 minutes ago, 7-express said:

Q20 serving 14th Ave seems like providing a lot of service for a little used corridor versus 20th Ave...but that's just me.

Looks like Q62 will cover 20th Avenue from Flushing.

30 minutes ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

Comments in red...

 

-Don't know why they made the Q48/50 combination even more of a "combination", as in now the Q50 absorbs the ENTIRE Q48 route (I predict 100% turnover at Main Street station, except when there's a special event at CitiField.)

-The Q5/86/87 fantasy plan is a reality, and that I like ((Each variant gets its own number.)

-Extending the Q37 is somehow better than extending the Q9  (I would have ended the Q37 at 130th and sent the Q9 to AirTrain.)

-Don't hate the Q11/21 combo (Me neither.)

-At least the Q31 is straighter  (This WILL get pushback from folks along Utopia north of Crocheron.)

-the Q33 goes to Term A and nb service is on 81 st, replacing the unreliable Q47 (I could take or leave this swap.)

-funny how I thought of a similar proposal to the Q36 in this plan, which I referred to as a separate Q86

-no more Q44 to Fordham, which is probably more harm than good (I wish it could be split at Roosevelt, but there's too much through riding.)

-Q51 is now a LTD and dosent go to BK (Does it need to?)

-would rather keep the Q58 rerouted up north to Roosevelt

-This new Q63/66 combo? Yeah no. I'm not sure how the Q66 could be a rush when it almost literally could just be a limited route according to the definition of a limited in this plan

-Some of the Q65 is replaced with the Q26, which I like

- I don't know where tf the Q68 ending now (somewhere in Elmhurst not near the subway) (on 41st Avenue at Elmhurst Hospital)

-Not exactly sure how I feel about the new new Q75

-if the Q78 isn't gonna run, might as well just expand Q27 and Q77 service according to the MTA smh (At least Q27 avoids Holly Avenue.)

-The Q82 is still here

-I feel the Manhattan portion of the Q101 is the weakest portion of the route and glad it's mostly the same in this plan

-if any route was gonna shuttle through Roosevelt Island, it should be the Q104

-Q105 should just remain as the Q102 (Maybe it was renumbered because it won't go to Roosevelt Island.)

-Q110 rerouted to Floral Park. Let's see how this goes (Floral Park Village didn't even want the old Q79 on a 30-minute headway back in 1996. "The buses will target our children!" It will probably end up on 256th where the Q36 ends now.)

-Q112 extended to Euclid Av to replace the Q7 ig

-the MTA hates the Q113 and is basically absorbed by the Q114, which I saw coming (I would have kept the Q113 number instead of Q114.)

-they still TRYING SO HARD to justify the B62 to Astoria  (I would leave B62 alone and extend Q39 or Q67 to Astoria instead.)

-Most of the QM routes look untouched, but the QM3 remains discontinued "due to low ridership" (The main change is that QM63/64/68 are rerouted to follow QM21.)

24 minutes ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

There's one proposal that I wanna see how it plays out in particular, and that's the Q110 to Floral Park LIRR. I'd like to see what folks end up doing once they catch wind of that proposal.

The Village of Floral Park didn't even want the old Q79 (which serves a wealthier demographic that Floral Park) using Tulip Avenue on a 30-minute headway.  It will probably end on 256th where the Q36 ends now. 

51 minutes ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

So apparently there's an unofficial redesign floating around I got hands on and I'm feeling like it's an improvement of the network for the most part. Without giving too much away in case it is real without leaking all the info (remember this is all speculation until an official plan is released), here are some highlights from the plan: 

*Many combined routes from the new draft plan are reverted back to the current route they run today

*Some routes are rerouted to a busy corridor and replaced by another nearby route (Corridors include Northern Blvd, Hillside Av, Archer Av)

*Select corridors may include a local only service, with limited/rush routes replacing the local east of its terminal (similar to the Q115)

*Some current routes are split as well, acting as subway feeder routes (namely the College Point - Jamaica Routes) or to dispute service along the busiest parts of the route (Q60/66)

*Included in the plan is a "revival" of the Q14, Q45, Q75, and Q79, but are all not the same as their previous 2010 route

*The N20G could unofficially be "sent to NYCT" under a different name

*A new route between The Hub, Bronx and Jackson Heights via RFK and Astoria is "in the works", but something may have been sacrificed in the second draft plan to make this route a reality 

Sounds like someone's 'wildest dreams" wish list.  

On 11/27/2023 at 4:33 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

If they're contractors, it saves the trouble of having to house the buses in an NJT depot and find NJT B/Os to drive the routes.

Then maybe NJT should take over those garages as well.

On 8/31/2023 at 5:21 AM, FLX9304 said:

Q94???? 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Is should have been called "F94" in keeping with lots of other shuttles.

On 10/31/2023 at 11:20 AM, mikecintel said:

"OMNY Cards will be available for $1, rather than the typical $5, for a limited time at OMNY vending machines, officials said. People who buy them from retailers will get $4 in ride credit for a limited time, they said."

Glitch in the process:  Just as we're not allowed to combine MetroCards, we're also not allowed to move balances from MetroCard to OMNY.

On 10/28/2023 at 10:16 AM, DCTransitFilms said:

 

All the A&C Buses left their garage this morning. Saw 6475, 6483, and 6485 heading towards the direction of Meadowlands this morning.

Can/should NJT take over A&C's garage?

On 10/28/2023 at 10:16 AM, DCTransitFilms said:

All the A&C Buses left their garage this morning. Saw 6475, 6483, and 6485 heading towards the direction of Meadowlands this morning.

23 hours ago, DCTransitFilms said:

8 and 9 are at Meadowlands, 14 and 80S are at Greenville.

Also the 24 has trips out of Hilton now., 5808 and 6336 are on it right now. 

Why couldn't NJT have kept ONE and A&C as contractors?

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

Hmm... think I just stumbled onto a new term there.... gonna start using it from now on to describe those B24, Q38, NJT #452, etc. type of routes.... Boomerang route.

The 452 doesn't just "boomerang" — it intersects itself.

(Question: Does it offer a transfer privilege from itself to itself, or do people have to ride out of their way to get from one terminal to the other?)

On 10/24/2023 at 10:58 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

Please Note: The 92 will operate on its Winter Schedule, effective October 29, 2023.

Service Note: Effective October 29, 2023, the northbound 92 scheduled to depart Bridgehampton LIRR at 8:00 AM will now depart East Hampton LIRR at 7:30 AM and Sag Harbor Main St at 7:46 AM, with continued service according to the regular schedule from Bridgehampton LIRR at 8:00 AM. The northbound 92 scheduled to depart East Hampton LIRR at 1:20 PM will terminate at Orient NYS 25/Main St at 4:15 PM, and the northbound 92 scheduled to depart Bridgehampton at 2:15 PM will terminate at Orient NYS25/Main St at 4:45 PM

Is there really enough through riding between the South and North Forks to justify keeping the 92 as a single route? Would it run better as two routes?

Is there a reason why lines 403, 405, 407, 413, 418, and 419 have to keep their Philadelphia numbers despite not serving Philadelphia at all? There are lots of unused upper-400-series numbers available.