SoSpectacular

The newer Xcelsiors have a hill-hold feature which sets the brake after the pedal is held for about 3 seconds. It's a feature to allow you to rest your foot/leg during a red light and whatnot. It releases when the accelerator is pressed and the slightest pressure can release the hold. It's not uncommon for operators who are about to be relieved mid-route to set the run box for the next person. Some might do it just before or at some point during their layover before the trip. Unfortunately, the parking brake was not set when this all happened, and him having his tote bags on the ground instead of on the hooks behind him was just a recipe for disaster when he went back to sit.

I'm currently living near the depot and I haven't seen anything concerning the reconstruction yet. When I was there two years ago for equipment training that building was really screaming for a makeover...

You'll have to take that up with the DOT. They are the ones responsible for bus stop placement. To be honest with you, bus stops placed after the light (far side) are much more easier to pull the bus into than those placed before (near side). I haven't really done the 9 much but I never noticed that the stairs are across the street from the bus stops. You would think they'd be on both sides of the intersection like most elevated stations. Plus, the angle of that intersection may make it more difficult to get a bus into if there were cars parked on the far side and there is traffic on the opposite side so it's best to have those corners open. Same deal with the B11 going across to Ave I at McDonald.

And that's the negative feedback loop we find ourselves stuck in today. Transit workers want better peace of mind while on the road/tracks, riders want to feel safer on the buses and trains, and people are going to keep driving no matter how many speed cameras are placed, how many traffic signals get shortened, and reduced driving space.

You're forgetting that with COVID the fears are very real, not to mention the uptick in assaults in employees that are causing the shortages- we've got people out on FMLA, those that call out sick, senior drivers retiring quicker, all that's going down faster then they can replace. We all know no one pays attention to things unless they become a problem since that's how things have worked for decades- imagine the surprise when Transit started putting down the number of riders on a given bus at any time along a route. Not even the operators knew that there were devices automatically tracking people getting on or off! People complain for changes in the schedule to account for all these variables but they don't usually change things in the middle of a pick- and even then that takes considerable time and effort to figure out where things need changing, adjusting runs to account for it (especially this because some operators don't like when runs change or get chopped) and making sure the buses can run as close to schedule as possible. Since the pandemic the road conditions have gotten worse as more people have turned to driving cars adding to the usual traffic woes. Not much can be done there...

All that information is tracked. Almost every operating parameter of the bus in question is being recorded by an internal system. As for that other thing, some routes have problematic areas that will more often than not drastically affect performance- this could be things such as tight two-way streets, heavily trafficked areas, or simple obstructions like double parked vehicles blocking the way- some notable locations from personal experience can be Manhattan Avenue from Driggs to Greenpoint Avenues or 5th Avenue between Dean and Garfield Place which are pretty tight streets and double parked trucks/cars make it excruciatingly difficult to get ahead. There's also Church Avenue, or Nostrand/Rogers where traffic can get pretty stupid, or on the B11 cutting through 49th or 50th streets or Avenue J where you'll barely get by at a snail's pace between Coney Island and Avenue J. Things always happen. The schedules aren't dynamic so there's no way to really adjust times on the fly. Some of us will likely blow the layover period and call a personal to get some recovery/bathroom time. All part of the job. Most won't really understand that. Operators who really know their stuff will be able to anticipate these kinds of delays and adjust accordingly in a safe manner, while others may just hang back until a suitable opportunity presents itself. Like the reports for the bus redesign mention, a lot of the slowdowns happened starting in 2014, when services like Uber and Lyft exploded in the cities and the start of Vision Zero (although that was late in the year, but the increased slowdown of traffic due to all the sweeping changes and people still refusing to give up on driving seem to make it all the more worse).

Yes. Current procedure is to pull over the bus at the nearest location/bus stop to use the radio. Not always feasible because no one wants a beeping radio with "CALL" flashing endlessly until you pick up...

You'll be going to Zerega. You have paperwork to fill out plus getting assigned a depot where you will do your 7 days at. Things should more or less be back to regular over there.

I've done bus moves to Grand's CMF and it's not that bad a drive. A lot of our buses end up there for work.

Too much running time between the timepoints, I've taken the Q3 on occasion and yes it does move pretty slow, especially when there aren't a lot of people riding. It's the same reason I'm regretting picking on the B63 this pick. Too much time and not a lot of people, especially during the later hours, end up 5-7 minutes hot. Literally have to crawl at 10-15 MPH because of it at times.

Union politics at their finest lol

They do send people home if your temperature is elevated, and we're still required to quarantine if we come into contact with any infected people.

It is, but there's not always enough artics to go out, especially when a good number are OOS for routine maintenance. Not uncommon. It is something that's supposed to be brought up to the union when it does happen (primarily a busier time a day)...

We get them in every now and then, haven't seen a fresh order in a hot minute though...

No, I was referring to your comment. We're technically supposed to use the Hegeman stop and turn around right there.

He's definitely correct. And yes, I've also made the last stop at New Lots (we actually aren't supposed to even layover there because of the B15) and made the turnaround using Lott. It's amazing how well those artics handle those backstreets.

Not on the express bus side, but I had a fellow operator back during the fall pick who brought up that he got called into the office one day because a customer had complained that he wasn't "courteous" enough to say anything. He pretty much said the same thing where he does not say a word to people, even when spoken to. Someone just happened to complain about it. Myself on the other hand, I'll respond if people greet me/thank me, but that's all they're going to get. You get on, pay your fare, sit down and shut up. I don't even get into it with people who get on my bus with the stink attitude because they had to wait longer for a bus due to missing runs or a leader who got placed for running late. I just stare at them until they finish ranting. No time for it. At the end of the day, I'm trying to get back home to my family.

On our paddles they're one and the same. They just mark the trip as LTD with the proper sign code and timepoint(s)

Well if you want something to really get done, by all means go on up to Albany and march right on up in their faces and keep screaming until you get what you all need. Otherwise, this whole thing falls on deaf ears.

A lot of drivers with the time and age are taking their pensions and running. You'd be surprised at how many guys there still are that have been with Transit for over 25 years. Aside from some of the busier routes, ridership hasn't gotten back to previous levels at all since the cases have dwindled (or last summer when rides were free). But even with the busy routes aside, ridership drops off dramatically towards the end of rush hour (after 6PM I've noticed this large decrease). Buses really start carrying air then and some buses will start running early or have to drag out a trip by going even slower/waiting their time out at bus stops. Really not much point in hiring more operators now until the numbers get better. There is a class currently in training still at my depot, they'll be thrown on the list once they're finished with the line training so that should help things. I'm currently on the B63 for the spring pick and it's actually not too bad traffic/ridership wise. Things do get extremely light towards the end of my runs, though.

Not every stop but major transfer points and any requested stops by customers. Technically under the current law every stop would have to be mentioned for total compliance, but with all the stops our lines have it would be impractical. Another reason for the automated announcements.

When I was line training, one of the operators gave me a pretty nice tip for dealing with things like hydrants in a bus stop- make sure the object is between your front and rear pivot point. That way when you pull off, you won't have to concern yourself with the tail swing when you pull off. For an artic, if you can, try to keep the object at or just behind the bellows and between the rear tires if possible.

Ah, a fellow Gleason op! Trust me when I say it was rougher before the pandemic and things were running as usual. I've had to call an ambulance on a homeless person, had to deal with a guy who blocked my bus cause he missed the stop all in my first year. I still can't believe I survived the last 7 months of probation on that B43. You may or may not get a third ride, I got my first ride 3 months in to the date and my second during my eighth month. I was on the lookout during my eleventh month and before I knew it I'm signing the last evaluation form. Just watch yourself as usual.

253 has screens

While not necessary to ring the bell at the last stop, it's standard operating procedure for bus operators to check our buses at each terminal... We get in trouble if we wind up bringing people into the depot on the bus and they get left behind unannounced... You know, safety hazard and all that.