checkmatechamp13

The West Hempstead Branch isn't within walking distance of the Hempstead Branch. Riders would end up having to take a bus to reach either the Babylon/Long Beach Branches or Hempstead Branch. What time is that shuttle? They could just do inbound/outbound. Reverse-peak ridership should always be encouraged on any commuter mode, since the marginal cost is low (Since B/Os would otherwise be deadheading back to their home depot). In any case, I think reason would be that the B/O might log in as the opposite direction (So if it's a Midtown-bound SIM8, it might log in as an Arden Heights-bound SIM8 and accidentally charge the senior citizen half price for a peak trip).

Looking at the new Greenport Branch schedule, it's good that they shifted the train later, but with the stopping patterns of the electric trains, riders from Mineola and Hicksville don't see any benefit. Under the current schedule, riders from Hicksville need to take the 5:39pm train and transfer in Brentwood to reach the 6:24pm departure. Riders from Mineola need to take the 5:28pm and wait 13 minutes at Ronkonkoma to catch the 6:24pm departure. Under the new schedule, the departure time is 7:01pm, which is good for riders coming from Jamaica and points west (as well as Bethpage and points east), but unfortunately doesn't benefit riders coming from points on the Main Line.

Don't you work for NJT? And this is why I made the comment that I did. You said: Meanwhile, the farebox recovery ratio is listed as 41%, as per page 110/185 of the Route Profiles. You didn't just say it was low...you said it was extremely low...meanwhile, it's higher than that of the 20, which is a well-known busy route. And you mention "a lot of these changes will now require transferring 3 times (some even 4) to go to where people need to go"....so you're implying there's tons of people who have to take 4-5 separate vehicles to get where they need to go, but yet you don't give any specific examples. If the 1W comes (shortly) before the 1T, then that would mean less ridership for the 1T, not more. In any case, their logic is that the 1T is shorter, and they want to use the resources the 1W uses to run along NY-119 to boost BL-13 service. I agree with your comment about having all BL-1 service end at the Yonkers City Line. Page 12/172 of the Summary of Plan Recommendations shows the categories of routes. The BL-9 is listed as a Category 5 route, which will operate approximately every 45 minutes during rush hours and 60 minutes during middays. Given that the BL-6 and BL-2 run through areas of similar topographical elevation, and the BL-9 covers part of the BL-2 route (and the hospital is only about 1/2 mile from Tudor Woods to begin with) I don't think it will be much of an issue. If it gets extended to White Plains, that would use additional resources, not preserve them. I can agree with this. For what it's worth, the microtransit route provides service from Armonk to Mount Kisco. If Bee Line wants to preserve the connection from the airport to points north, they can add the airport to that service area. I agree with your comment on the 20, but I don't see any 24 route. Are you referring to the BL-101? I'm not opposed to this, but at the same time, I like the east-west connectivity the proposed BL-15 provides (though I would prefer it serve Mount Kisco rather than Katonah). I'm not sure if there's enough ridership to sustain both. This might actually work. This allows the BL-16 to serve the actual Mahopac Village Center (rather than just the little shopping mall) and gives it a railroad connection on both ends. But it would likely need funding from PART for it to actually occur. Definitely not happening...they're not going to be running express buses from Manhattan to Westchester at a lower fare than NYCT/MTA Bus express routes...heck under this proposal, they want to eliminate the BxM4C. I don't think those routes are frequent enough to warrant limited-stop service. If there is demand for more service, it should be added directly to the local variant. Ah I see...it was the California Road portion that the first draft and the new proposal had in common, but other than that they're completely different from each other. Thanks for the clarification. If you're going to have buses from Southside Mount Vernon serve Bronx River Road, I think it would be better to have those buses continue up Bronx River Road to Cross County Mall, rather than backtrack to Petrillo Plaza. There's a lot of apartment buildings along Bronx River Road, and a lot of hills heading over towards Kimball Avenue. I think Bee Line's proposed BL-107 does a pretty good job of covering that section of Mount Vernon, but it just occurred to me...if the BL-53 were rerouted to the Wakefield station rather than up to Petrillo Plaza, that would pretty much cover any gaps left by the BL-107 in terms of access to the . I know that the BL-53 is pretty much a Mount Vernon/Pelham shuttle/circulator, but given that all the connections available at Petrillo Plaza are also available at other points on the route, how outlandish would it be to reroute it to Wakefield rather than Petrillo Plaza? Yikes! Good catch...yeah, that's around 29 trips each way...it sounds like it'll be running something like every 30 minutes peak, 60 minutes off-peak or something along those lines...yeah they definitely need to redistribute more service from the BL-4 and BL-42 onto the BL-101.

I'm debating as to whether the Q94 specifically is necessary (I agree with speeding up the Q44 by putting it on the Whitestone service road). Riders can either walk or take a short ride on the proposed Q31 or Q76 if they need to reach the Q44.

I believe the original draft of the Q44 had it doing that. (I agree, and I would also have a stop at 14th Avenue for the connection to the Q31) I'm not sure if a completely separate route is necessary for the Flushing-Bronx segment. I think it would be better to have buses short-turned as-needed at the Bruckner Interchange (from Fordham Plaza) to avoid issues at the Whitestone Bridge.

I'd be curious to know what the planned itinerary was and the actual itinerary ended up being. I will say the #748 doesn't seem to be too reliable. The last time I tried to catch it, I was at Ratzer & Alps and at the time the bus was supposed to be getting to that stop heading back towards Willowbrook Mall, it was crossing the river heading eastbound to Downtown Paterson.

I swear, sometimes I think you're mixing and matching words when you write your posts.... That's their problem...if they're still able to make their trip in a similar (or even better) matter than they were previously and they don't want to figure out their new route, that's on them...there's a difference between valid complaints and complaints just to complain....

To be clear, it looks like it's a separate zone that feeds into the Peekskill station. I believe it is the same as the previous draft if I read it correctly. I know it's different from the present-day version) I think Mount Kisco is a no-brainer compared to Katonah (It's similar distance-wise and doesn't involve the backtrack through Yorktown Heights). My guess is their logic was they wanted a fixed route at both the northern and southern ends of the microtransit route. I personally don't think the BL-16 is the worst candidate for microtransit service. On the western end, you have the Hudson Valley Hospital, Peekskill MNRR station, Division Street corridor, and (in the microtransit coverage area) the Highland Street corridor, which has a Peekskill Housing Authority development at the northern end. Then in the middle, you have the Strawberry Road deviation. That being said, given that they added the Verplanck microtransit route, it might be worthwhile to have that cover the northern sections of Peekskill & Cortlandt, and have the BL-16 run straight down U.S.6, swing up to the hospital, and then continue down U.S.202 into Downtown Peekskill and the MNRR station. Depending on the exact routing choices (e.g. Cutting it back from Mahopac Village Center to Somers Commons, or even having the BL-15 run straight down U.S.202 and leaving the BL-16 to cover U.S.6), it might be possible to extend one of those routes to Verplanck and allow the microtransit route to focus on northern Peekskill/Cortlandt. (The BL-14 would cover the areas up the hill on Washington Street, and either the BL-15 or BL-16 would cover the waterfront areas) On a side note, these route profiles are pretty interesting. To clarify, would you have the BL-106 go to Cross County and then cut across the mall and take the rest of the BL-105 route? (Rather than going back to Kimball and taking that to Tuckahoe Road to reach Ridge Hill)? And yes, definitely agree with phasing out the BL-42. Would you have the BL-107 run to Nereid Avenue, so it can be used interchangeably with the BL-101 out to South Fulton Avenue?

Hopefully the n88X B/Os dont give anyone a hard time traveling between Freeport and Hempstead (the schedule doesn't make any mention of it being closed-door, so presumably Hempstead-Freeport trips are allowed).

Pretty much

You're welcome. Basically, you pick a run, and the run has certain routes within it. So you just read the whole paddle (the description of the schedule you have to keep) and see if it's something you like. What you prefer might not necessarily be what someone else prefers. (As I mentioned, some routes are prone to hitting a lot of traffic at certain times...If you like overtime, you might prefer those routes...if you don't like dealing with traffic, you might want to avoid those routes...or at least those routes at those times). For the full service lines (where you have to make change), some drivers may want to avoid the hassle of having to deal with cash and make change (the right way of doing it is to do it at the stop itself...you shouldn't be driving down the road counting money out, but of course, you have the have the schedule to keep so you have to learn how to do it safely and efficiently...you'll likely get the hang of it, but it might be a bit nerve-wracking at first). So for example (I'm not looking at any schedules, so this is a hypothetical run), one run at Market Street might be to report at 5:30am, do a 6am trip on the #171 to GWB, then a 7:15am trip on the #182 to Hackensack, then a 7:50am trip on the #178 to GWB, then an 8:30am trip on the #186 to Dumont, a return trip at 9:30am back to GWB, a 10:30am trip on the #171 back to Paterson, take a meal break, and then a 12:30pm trip on the #171 to GWB, a 1:45pm trip back to Paterson, and then head back to the depot and punch out to go home. Then another run might be all #72 trips, so you might report at 5:45am, do a 6:15am trip to Newark, a 7:45am trip to Paterson, a 9:15am trip to Newark, a 10:30am trip back to Paterson, take a meal break, and then a 12:30pm to Newark, a 1:50pm back to Paterson, and then head back to the depot and punch out. So basically, if you accept that run, you are agreeing to everything within it (the start and end times, break times, the routes within it and the pros/cons of those routes, etc) So the routes that go into the runs are decided by management. Sometimes there is a logic, and sometimes there isn't.

Generally speaking, the more senior drivers prefer weekends off, so you will likely get stuck with weekend shifts (Plus three weekdays of course...in some cases, maybe you could work Tuesday - Saturday or Sunday - Thursday and get at least one weekend day off). The work shifts vary widely. Start and end times are spread out across the whole service day. There's people who work early in the morning until around lunchtime, there's people who start around lunchtime and work until the evening, there's people who start in the PM rush and work until the late evening, and then there's a few overnight runs. (NJ Transit doesn't have a very extensive 24/7 network like NYC, but you might pick up an overnight shift working the #190 out of Wayne or the #166 out of Oradell). I would imagine there's a decent amount of split shifts (I'm not sure if there's any compensation for the time in the middle...I know at NYCT, they pay half pay for the swing/meal break if it's over two hours...not sure if NJ Transit does anything similar). The benefit of living close to work is that in the event of a split shift, you can at least go home to pass the time (Get your grocery shopping in, or a quick medical appointment, run some errands basically). One small advantage of Market Street is that it's actually in a city, so you can pass the time at a restaurant or at the Great Falls and do it all on foot....get a chance to stretch your legs and walk around basically (For Oradell, the depot is on a dead-end street near a residential area, and for Wayne it's a long cul-de-sac in the middle of an industrial area off the highway).

Glad to help A split route has runs that come out of both depots (So for example, on the #122, it is split between Wayne and Meadowlands, so some #122 drivers come from Wayne, and some come from Meadowlands). Keep in mind that many routes are interlined (Meaning you come into a terminal as one route and leave as another route). So for example, you might do a #122 going into PABT, then do a PABT - Paterson trip on the #190, then a Paterson - PABT trip on the #161, then a PABT - Warwick trip on the #197. Some runs are just straight runs (e.g. 2 round-trips on the #197) while others are a mix of different routes. Also keep in mind that once in a while, another depot may cover a route that is normally not based out of that depot (for example, I saw a Greenville bus cover the #39, which is normally based out of Hilton). You should ask for training on a route before you volunteer to cover it (So you know all of the turns, all of the stops, etc) While we're on the topic of stops, keep in mind that some stops are unsigned. So for example, this "No Parking" sign is actually a bus stop for the #76 to Newark (and across the street is a bus stop for the #76 to Hackensack). It makes no sense, but in any case, you don't want to accidentally bypass a waiting customer, so it is important to be familiar with quirks like these.

The #72 and #74 both go into Newark (though the #74 only goes to the outskirts). The #703, #704, #712, and #770 don't go to GWB or Newark. Here are the assignments (according to Wikipedia). Oradell: 144, 155 (split with Westwood), 157 (split with Westwood), 162, 163, 164 (split with Wayne), 165 (split with Westwood), 166 (split with Meadowlands), 167 (split with Meadowlands, Westwood), 168, 177 (split with Meadowlands, Westwood), 353 (split with Ironbound, Meadowlands, Community Coach) Wayne: 122 (split with Meadowlands), 145, 148, 151, 160, 161, 164 (split with Oradell) 190 (split with Meadowlands), 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 324 Market Street (Paterson): 72, 74, 171, 175, 178, 182, 186, 703, 704, 712, 770 What I recommend is going to MyBusNow and checking out the routes to get an idea of where they run (Just to get an idea of whether you're going through urban areas, suburban areas, highway miles, local miles, PABT, GWB, etc). Also, FWIW, the intrastate routes out of Market Street are exact fare only (which means you don't have to make change when a customer pays with cash). The rest of the routes are full service routes which means you have to make change. (Except at PABT and GWB themselves). @newbie https://mybusnow.njtransit.com/bustime/map/displaymap.jsp Wayne has taken most of the Market Street express routes.

It's a bit difficult to explain, but let me give it a shot. In NJ Transit, you have interstate routes (Routes that either go to NY or Pennsylvania) and intrastate routes (Routes that remain within NJ). Generally speaking, intrastate routes use "city buses" (NABIs or XD60s). Usually, buses with a door in the front and a door in the back so that the bus can load and unload people simultaneously at a stop. For interstate routes, those usually use MCI coaches (basically, those charter-style buses with one door in the front that are designed for long stretches of highway, and not that much turnover). However, there are some interstate routes that use "city buses" (For example, the #126 from Hoboken to PABT, or the #159 from Fort Lee to PABT). There's also "intracommuter routes", which are usually operated with MCI coaches. Those are designed to bring people from Central NJ (e.g. Freehold, Toms River, Lakewood, etc) to areas like Newark, Jersey City, and Hoboken, which are large urban centers, but aren't NYC or Philadelphia. Keep in mind that most interstate routes allow intrastate riders (So for example, on the #108, you can ride from Newark to Union City, or on the #190, you can ride from Paterson to Rutherford). Keep in mind that an interstate route with suburban MCI coaches doesn't necessarily serve suburban neighborhoods or have long highway stretches. For example, the #165/166 local pretty much get out of the Lincoln Tunnel and start making local stops immediately afterwards, though some pretty dense urban areas. I would say if you don't have too much familiarity, just focus on picking shifts based on a schedule that works for you (If you prefer mornings, evenings, etc...and then also look at things like the breaks between trips and how much overtime is paid out for certain shifts), and just take it as it comes. As you gain experience, you'll be able to figure out which routes you prefer (and it comes down to your preferences as well...for trips that involve going to the PABT, you might run late often...if you like overtime, you may see that as a benefit...if you don't like dealing with traffic then you might see that as a downside)

I saw on a local Facebook page that the 7:50am #192D has had a double bus added (Rather than adjust the PDF schedule on the spot, and just split the 7:50am into a 7:40am and an 8am, since it's not incorporated into the pick or GTFS feed anyway) In any case, it's good news that ridership is picking up so quickly, and hopefully that is the case on the other routes as well.

The main purpose is to save money. If they didn't route those buses to QCC they would short-turn them at Springfield Blvd. They wouldn't run them to Little Neck Parkway. That being said, I agree the Q45 should be a full-time route.

That may have been based on information he received when he was still an MTA employee. When we went to the virtual meetings in February/March, the MTA staff there said they didn't have a specific timeline for the Queens redesign.

Only the portion from WBP to Broadway Junction (i.e. The section under the ) would receive overnight service. The corridors where it is the only form of transit would be left without overnight service (similar to the situation with the overnight Bx39). The Q33 being extended to Broadway Junction via Sunnyside would be way too long, and there is debate about whether there is even demand between Sunnyside/Greenpoint and Broadway Junction, let alone between Jackson Heights and Broadway Junction.

I don't live in Westchester, but generally speaking I think it's good idea that they're attempting to integrate Metro-North into the bus system for intracounty riders. (To me, one of the big things I would do to increase connectivity to Metro-North is extend the BL-15 to Mount Kisco to give those riders access to both the Harlem Line and Hudson Line, especially since the BL-77 is proposed to be eliminated). Free transfers from Metro-North to the bus and later/more frequent service (hopefully for Manhattan-bound trips as well) should help boost ridership and encourage people to use the bus to Metro-North rather than driving.

Knowing them, they probably mean the last day of spring (or the last day of the fourth quarter in June 2023).

I remember the first time a B/O asked me to scan out in Morris County...I fumbled around with the QR code (I can't stand those things in general) and realized why they don't do it on busy urban routes...with all of the passengers boarding, and having to fumble around, it's just easier to activate it and walk on. NJT gets its money and it gets the ridership count when the B/O pushes the button. Stupidly enough, one of the B/Os who wanted to be all by-the-book about scanning (when the scanner wasn't even working) refused to sell me a transfer, insisting "You should buy it through the app" (Unlike Suffolk County, you can't buy transfers through the app out in NJ. Transfers and overrides need to be paid in cash) Fair enough, and yeah if they didn't want the farebox used, they should've covered it up (but then in that case, you might run into confusion where people think the bus is free with a broken farebox and the B/O has to call them back up to pay). I suppose one of the downsides of being able to make change on the bus (For some systems that accept cash, they'll offer a farecard with the equivalent amount of value that would've been given back...maybe that's a potential solution). Of course, it doesn't help that NJT fare increments (especially for intrastate lines) are usually in increments of nickels and dimes.

@B35 via Church The 107 and 108 are exact fare lines, so the money goes into the farebox. For full service lines, my understanding is that you give the money to the driver, in case they need to make change for another person. (e.g. If you pay with singles, and the next person pays with a $5 bill, they can use the singles to give change if necessary). But I could be completely wrong. I usually just pay with the app nowadays. Makes it especially easy in cases like PABT and GWB where you're technically supposed to have the ticket in advance (there's nothing physically stopping them from selling an X zone interstate ticket from those points, but they just don't want a ton of people fumbling with cash at those busy terminals) On a side note, for anybody looking to use the Newark Light Rail shuttle buses this weekend, they leave from Grove at :15, :35, :55 past the hour and leave Newark Penn at :05, :25, and :45 past the hour. Last bus is 12:55am out of Grove and 1:25am out of Newark Penn. @Lawrence St I don't see what the big no-no is. The 107 is a farebox line so the B/O told him to use the farebox. The 182 is full service so the B/O told him to give the cash directly to the B/O.

Not as far as I've heard, but you can feel free to follow up with them at the next board meeting on April 19th at 6pm: https://www.njtransit.com/about/board-of-directors I agree they should work out some arrangement (maybe even have R & T operate some service on behalf of NJT if necessary, similar to how it's contracted out in Middlesex County).

Yes, I know offhand the go25 and go28 are listed as the 250 and 258 respectively on MyBusNow.