SoSpectacular

8 minutes ago, MeeP15-9112 said:

What gave the 1996 Orion 5s that unique screeching noise not found on other Orion 5 diesel models that the TA owned?

You're probably talking about the fan belts when they loosen up

9 hours ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

exactly. right now, there are approx. 25-26 runs on the B35... all artics. if you run any combination of 26 artics 24/7, well congratulations, MDBF just shot up in your depot exponentially, and for no good reason other than to add stress (and unnecessary OT) for the mechanics (at least in management's eyes) 

67 runs total on the weekdays!

Also, at times there's not even enough artics available to give out due to some of them being OOS for maintenance. There's been cases where 40-footers have gone out or drivers are stuck waiting for someone to pull in with an artic. I've pulled in from runs only to have the bus I just used pulled right back out!

16 minutes ago, Around the Horn said:

That's 95% of the fleet because of the stupid modifications that the MTA makes to them, supposedly for better fuel economy

Most of the newer Allison transmissions have the dynamic shift scheduling/economy mode on and it does screw with the shift patterns. Although the majority of our buses are capped at 40 MPH, the normal shift pattern does not go into 6th gear, instead staying at 5th. At 40 MPH in 6th gear it makes the bus a little harder to stop, plus any inclines will screw with the acceleration when the vehicle does lose speed, so it's best to keep in 4/5th gear to have a little more control. Hell, I do it with our C40s, I usually limit them to 5th gear on dry pavement and drop it to 3/4th in worsening conditions

21 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

Yeah same here. My coworkers have told me stories about how some operators turn out of the bus stop to wide and end up knocking over a sign pole or parking meter, which is a write up.

As someone with some experience with the artics, they're really not that hard to get the hang out. It may be a little harrowing but the day I trained on them I found them pretty fun to drive actually.

Keep in mind that you're driving the front portion. Even though the trailer has the powered wheels, your center wheel should be your reference point. Just watch the trailer section as it follows your rear tires and adjust if needed!

https://youtu.be/GACRvYI4bOQ

Watch how this bus exits the stand and how the trailer follows the middle wheels!

2 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Oh I'm not concerned about it. It's your buddy that noted that taxes will be raised. Let's be real here. The Democrats like raising taxes and going bonkers with overregulation, and Biden is a perfect example of that. Tax and spend... I expect to see something for this spending. As I said, they want to spend on infrastructure, go for it. They want to help struggling Americans. I'm fine with that. This plan should be focused on Americans and put Americans first. The pork can be cut out though and don't incentivize people to sit home and collect unemployment. Put them to work where possible.

Ask Texas what happened when they deregulated their power grid

12 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

So apparently the only reason why the overnight routes haven't changed the schedules is because it would have to wait until the new spring pick for the route times to change.

They've put out some of the proposed scheduling changes for the spring pick but it pissed off a lot of the senior operators. They've gone back to the drawing board and there should be some changes made by the 26th. 

5 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Makes you wonder how those bus drivers get those patches on their blazers/sweaters or whatever, denoting 3 consecutive years without ___________....

.....Hold on, what exactly does it denote? 3 consecutive years without any type of incident at all? without any type of major incident? something else I'm not conveying?

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

Be there as it may, it sucks that all it takes is some fools fighting on a bus you happen to be operating (or some other goofy ass act some passenger{s} engage in) for the MTA to have that be some sort of black mark/demerit or whatever on a normally otherwise incident-free driver...... Like you supposedly parked the bus, got up out of your seat, instigated & even referred that fight or something..... Stupid shit.

More power to you & the rest of you guys..... I'll keep repeating it; I could never for the MTA.

Class act.

Respect, man.

Last incident I had to deal with was two customers who got into it because one had her mask down to drink something and the other called her out on it, and it escalated from there, this was back in like September/October. People.

2 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

Saw an op with an XD40 (I'll leave the route/depot out lol) completely destroy the chains the other day after pushing that rule...wouldn't have wanted to explain that road call to the dispatcher... Seems like ~30 is the absolute max, 25 is pushing it, and 20 is what keeps the TA happy.

More like seeing the general superintendent the next day to explain it...

On 2/7/2021 at 6:49 PM, Future ENY OP said:

I believe some drivers have said 20 MPH. However, anything over 20/25MPH poses hazards. Gotta remember once roads hit blacktop it’s extremely important to maintain safe speed so that chains don’t snap.  @SevenEleven, @EastFlatbushLarry @Flatbush Operator @SoSpectacular @Cait Sith please correct me if I’m wrong with this information. 

Yeah we are told 20 MPH is the max. It's to prevent damage to the chains/tires and road surface

On 2/4/2021 at 12:44 PM, QM1to6Ave said:

Maybe since they sit all the way in the front, it is muffled (and the vibrations arent as strong as in the back/middle

We can still feel the chains on the rear wheels during movement, I don't like getting buses with chains.

59 minutes ago, RSMG106 said:

I think this might fit for a topic on announcements.  On Wednesday, I took an ride on 614 on the Q25. And I noticed an different TTS used on these buses. I looked at the announcement rosters for the bus that is used, and sure enough it was a Luminator. For what I can tell, the Luminator version sounds more natural for Text-To-Speech, than the Clever Device/ViaNova ones. I wonder why the MTA didn't add the Luminator ones on the other C40LFs, or the other buses like the LFS? And also, just last week, I took an ride on Westchester's buses, and their announcements are realistic. So it made sense that the Bee-Line can do announcements right, while the MTA can cut corner when it comes to announcements. If I have to choose which announcement system the MTA should use more often, then the Luminator is the way to go.

Not all the C40s are outfitted with announcements, 448-490 are still without as well as 659-672 at Gleason. It's a toss-up if they'll even get around to retrofitting those but the Luminator system is pretty nice.

The Vianova units in our buses are a close second when it comes to announcements. Clever Devices I'm not a fan of.

43 minutes ago, MTAdude said:

Hey guys. I am currently on the NYCT Bus Operator list and just curious if anyone can give a detailed run down of the biweekly pay? After taxes for a rookie bus operator.....and top pay bus operator biweekly.

Ive been searching high and low and still cant find a solid answer as to what kind of pay to expect from this career. I expect to get married soon and eventually have a kid or 2....just wondering if im making the right choice with this job financially.

Also....those of you on the job,  Do you like the job?

 

Anyways, thank you for any info!!!!

I am currently entering my second year and I'm sitting around 26-27/hour- current start rate is 24 and some change with another bump coming in May according to the recent contract...

As far as pay goes, your hours will be all over the place due to many factors. Unless your runs are boosted (meaning the actual shift is shorter than 8 hours but you still get paid for 8 regardless) you will more often than not end up making more than 40 hours a week.

My current work week is roughly 43 hours but the fuel line every night tends to add on to that, I can easily break 45-46 hours a week. 

Blowing/missing your lunch break because of traffic (this is going to happen to you a lot during your first year) also gets you paid for the entire thing so you'll definitely be seeing some extra money on your check.

There's not really a definite answer to your question as it all varies but believe me you will be financially sound provided you follow the directions and procedures to survive probation.

As far as liking the job, I enjoy the aspect of driving and I actually like some challenge so every trip is interesting in some form.

4 hours ago, RailBus63 said:

Did he have a right to refuse?  

You have the right to refuse but it also gives you a sure-shot chance at being shown the door... Fortunately Transit has only given the driver days in the street until they can get an explanation/investigation done

8 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

The fact that this bus fell off an overpass with the CNG tanks holding up and that they pulled that bus out in one piece. Holy crap, New Flyer made a damn tank.

The way this bus model was manufactured may have saved lives. And the fact that it has an event recorder (bus equivalent of a plane's black box) and probably cameras on board means the investigation will likely reveal a lot.

Those XN60 buses are pretty solidly built. I actually prefer them over the 40-footers we have at Gleason.

They're gonna need a crane to lift that thing out from where it is...

On 1/3/2021 at 4:46 PM, Snorunts said:

The one on 665 still says "coming soon." I rode it today on the B63.

For some bizarre reason, buses 448-490 and 659-672 all seem to have this issue with the readers. I've driven 475 and 667 lately and they did not function...

23 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

I mean you could be a short-turn or some other route on the pole for all they know. 

Yeah exactly If I have to be turned short gotta make sure the sign is readable so I don't get the "This is the last stop??"

4 hours ago, Natalie said:

How does everyone feel on the artic. Does anyone else feel like they can use a little more training in it? In my mirror it always looks like my tail is going to hit the pole or whatever is there when I’m making my turns. Also if I I get stuck I’m not to sure On how to back it up because I’m scared it might lock on me then I will have to call console. 

The articulated buses are pretty fun to drive from my perspective. They take a little getting used to but keep in mind that the front two axles are on the first half of the bus. The front half of the bus is also shorter so you can straighten out a little earlier than you could with a 40-footer. If the bus stop is on a far-side corner (meaning on the opposite side of the light) you'll have to swing out wide to get in the stop otherwise the rear end will hit something. Definitely something I have to keep in mind should I find myself on the B35 and making that right onto 39th Street off 13th Ave.

Backing one up is tricky, yes, but the only way you'll get stuck is if you jack knife. That's when you hit the max angle on the articulation joint. Not sure if they showed you (you should have done so) in training but getting out of a max angle lock should be a simple procedure. The time you're given to get out of it is pretty generous as well before you're really screwed.

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Although the majority of buses I've seen still has it displayed, I'm also noticing an increasing amount of buses (regardless of borough) removing those two messages from the destination signage....

They're not removed, they're PR messages that have to be input separately from the destination sign. I stopped bothering with it because the destination signs take too long to cycle and getting constantly bombarded with the same questions about what route I am despite going in the direction posted on the bus stop get annoying...

40 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

For all the windows? Dam, I wonder how much tiring that is on an artic lmao.

Speaking of artics, has there been any update to the artic pilot in Staten Island?

Technically, just one has to be opened...

On 12/27/2020 at 10:03 PM, Natalie said:

@Biggington as soon as I walked into the depot he was behind the window with the dispatchers then I reported and that’s when he came out and started talking to me and said he was going to ride me. He only rode with me a few stops then asked foe my pass number and that’s it. 

Consider yourself lucky. My check rides were definitely incognito.

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

I sped-read this & I was like, damn, this dude fast as shit..... I initially misread it; thought it said this b/o blew past 3 stops & you caught up to it !

Anyway, I've been on several buses where the window started swaying while in motion.... One thing I simply won't do is attempt to hold the window in place.... It's always another passenger that would blurt out that the window back there is open (or something to that effect).... Every single time, the b/o had a nonchalant attitude to being informed of it.

That can actually be easily fixed... In fact it's even part of the pre-trip to open one of the windows and let it slam back into place to confirm that they are "functioning". That red latch is simple.

1 hour ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Actually that is not accurate. That does not apply to  Bus. The only day  Bus will see reduced service this week is Friday for New Year's Day. You're referring to the NYCT lines.

Yes, most will figure what I meant. Not sure how MTA Bus is doing things, but I can look up their schedules

2 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

So do they not not even bother putting reasons for route suspensions anymore?

This week in all boroughs except Staten Island buses are running on a reduced weekday schedule- some buses that usually get limited service will not, depends on the line. The reduced weekday schedules are usually put into effect on MLK Day/Columbus Day/Black Friday and the holiday break for students. The rest of the major holidays get Sunday schedules.

There has been one too many times where I've seen cyclists ride out into busy intersections where they DON'T have the light and nothing gets done about it! I've seen cars stop short of hitting, I've had to re-direct my bus pulling into far-side stops to account for someone who decided to ignore the red. Not sure as to what exactly happened yesterday evening but from where the bike and the bus ended up at I am fairly certain someone most likely lost control of their bicycle.