RailBus63

3544 is on the Q70 SBS right now.

On 2/19/2022 at 4:28 PM, GojiMet86 said:

The new RFP is out for up to 1,729 buses.

https://new.mta.info/document/76796

 

1,042 Standard 40-foot buses

345 Articulated 60-foot buses

342 Express coaches

485 Electric low floor buses (460 for NYCT, 25 for MTA Bus)

 

From a Facebook post:
 

Hopefully the 5 test transit buses are Novas and not BYD's.

6 hours ago, lornaevo said:

That’s BS. He can use his class A, as long as he have Passenger Endorsement. 

Correct.  He's going to go through the training and the road test to get his passenger endorsement added to his license, but a class A license holder isn't forced to downgrade to a class B.  I work with a few people who had to do this.  

14 hours ago, Enyceots said:

True…  how are the classes after getting your CDL with the MTA?

I didn't get my CDL with the MTA (never worked there), but I'm sure others can answer. 

Can't go wrong getting trained by the MTA and getting paid while doing it.

What a terrible shame - words just fail me.  I'd like to think that no one who considers themselves an enthusiast would ever commit such a terrible act, but there are some disturbed individuals in this hobby and nothing would surprise me.  I have to think that the Transit Museum will pull the plug on the final run - it's just not worth the expense and effort any more given the insistence by some awful people to ruin this occasion for everyone else.  Hopefully those responsible for this crime will be found and brought to justice. 

I'd be surprised if they couldn't swap a bench section out from another OOS car quite easily, unless there was some equipment behind or below it that was damaged. 

5 hours ago, MrTransitMan said:

Hey thanks, the last digits appeared to be "72" to me.

Good catch, it looks like it was 1772, a 2017 Gillig CNG.

3 hours ago, MrTransitMan said:

By chance, can someone here confirm if 1272, was the vehicle in the accident in Syracuse on November 30th?

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

It was not, the bus involved in the accident on James St. was a Gillig.

What is different about the doors on the Nova HEV's compared to the LFS diesels?

On 10/8/2021 at 3:59 PM, Bill from Maspeth said:

They were not under water because there are no NG's at Castleton............for that matter in all of Staten Island.  The optimum time to scrap buses is at 12 years old.  These buses have reached that age.  As you know, transit keeps them to about 15 years of age.  The NG's being retired have suffered form collisions,  and simply poor performing buses.  And not worth repairing financially and labor wise.  

This exactly.  In any decent-sized bus or truck fleet, some units seem to become 'hangar queens', always breaking down or in the shop for one problem or another.  Once a transit bus passes the 12-year mark and replacements are available, any smart agency will sideline those problem units, even if it means that an older but more reliable bus remains in service longer than it 'should'.

10 hours ago, R32 3838 said:

those could get new replacements since they are still new and under warranty

Warranties don't work this way. They protect against defective workmanship or poor performance - they don't automatically provide a free replacement if something happens to the vehicle. 

6 hours ago, SevenEleven said:

You will be doing both to get to/from your relief point, depending on where you have to go. Staten Island does reliefs outside the depots, so it's just a matter of going downstairs. But let's say Manhattanville or Quill for example, you will be taking the bus or train to your relief point.

If there's any new damage to the bus, it'll be obvious. The shop tends to smooth out prior damage, so you can tell the difference between the two, most of the time. So if it wasn't written up or can be explained, refuse the bus.

Just curious - do you guys have to fill out any inspection forms when you do a pull-out or a relief? 

At our agency, we fill out a 'vehicle inspection report' form to note any discrepancies, which is where I'd note any old scuffs or dents. The form has space for four operators and is left on the bus so you can see what previous operators wrote up.  We fill it out after we do a walk-around and we're not supposed to move the bus without filling it our (supervisors will occasionally hop on at a random stop to spot-check us). Obviously, it is always in an operator's best interest to pay close attention and write up anything you see - at our place, failure to note damage or an operating issue that causes a problem for the next B/O can get you written up. 

On 8/25/2021 at 4:52 PM, train1290 said:

Hi guys, so I qualified today, tomorrow I'm going to Jamaica Depot. Question, when does Line training begin? When do I get a schedule?

Congratulations!

1 hour ago, train1290 said:

So tomorrow is Day 5, I think we will be in Manhattan doing highway driving and driving locally around Manhattan. I know day 6 we have to do good and along with day 7 to qualify the earliest. So what do we have to do good on Day 6 and day 7 to qualify, anyone know of a list of items we should and shouldnt do on days 6 and 7? Thanks!

Just my two cents here, but I think that you are worrying too much about what you might do wrong.  By day 6, new bus operator candidates should be past their initial jitters about controlling a 40 foot long x 102 inch wide vehicle through busy city streets. Listen to your instructors, do what they say and drive to the best of your abilities.  It's Ok to ask B/O's here what to expect in training, but if you are behind the wheel worrying about a difficult turn that someone on an internet message board told you about, you might not be ready for a situation that happens suddenly. 

On 8/15/2021 at 1:43 PM, Cait Sith said:

 

It looks like that from the outside looking in, but that's not really the case, it's actually pretty far from that case.

Orion's marketing practices also screwed themselves over. The costs for the buses were no longer at the point of being competitive and they were losing out to the likes of Gillig and New Flyer. Mid-2010 to 2012 showed a pretty steep decline in profits to a point where it was no longer profitable for Daimler to keep going with Orion. Selling off Orion would not help matters either, so it was decided to just shut them down altogether.

From the debut of the Next Gen models to the EPA10/3G models, Orion was basically a sinking ship because of their own decisions.

Few corrections.

Daimler didn't actually pull the plug on the Orion Artic that was planned. It was consistently in development till the very end of Orion being in business. New Flyer purchased Orion's parts & services division and made it into their own.

MCI was not involved in the building process of the Setra S lineup, but moreso the marketing and distribution of those buses. MCI mostly managed the parts and warranties of Setra buses. Last I recall, Daimler owned 10% of MCI's equity. Setra has since found a new distributor for their S lineup.

I always thought that Orion took the MTA and TTC for granted in the 2000's and thought they'd always get the lion's share of their orders.  The writing was on the wall when they started losing the transit agencies in their Upstate backyard - NFTA and CDTA were solid Orion customers for years before being lost to Nova and then Gillig, and even Centro went Gillig for a while in the late 2000's before having one last go with the Daimler buses right at the end. 

What Orion should have done is figure out what their sales rep was doing in the Southeast states - the DC area was a stronghold right until the end, and there were a bunch of small and mid-sized agencies in the Carolinas and Georgia buying V's and VII's!  That person should have been promoted to show the rest of their reps how it needed to be done LOL.  There were some big agencies across the country who had V's at one time but got poached by NFI and Gillig (Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, Denver come to mind). 

On 7/28/2021 at 8:51 AM, mattfutureconductor5 said:

After pre screening, how long is the wait to go into mini training and then road test?  I want to go find a job and practice driving a  bus , currently an Amazon Walker and  custodian. I have been jumping to jobs  to jobs sadly. I have never driven a bus before.

If I were you, at this point I wouldn't bother trying to get a bus driving job somewhere else. Doing some quickie training at another company may result in poor instruction that can lead to bad habits. Go to the TA training class, pay attention to the instructors and drive to the best of your ability.  Lots of people enter transit bus training never having driven anything bigger than a car or SUV. 

And if you pass the 10-day course, be prepared to seriously study for the road test. There is a *lot* you have to learn to successfully pass the pre-trip inspection, never mind the road test itself. Find some fellow students and quiz each other during break times, etc. Create flash cards and have a family member or friend quiz you until you can get them all correct.  There is a ton of information that you will have to memorize and recite to the DMV examiner and be able to do it confidently so he or she is convinced that you know what you are talking about. 

On 6/18/2021 at 12:53 PM, MTA MAC said:

I definitely have to thank you +Young+ for all of the information and help I received throughout the past few years of being on the forum. Believe me it is greatly appreciated, thanks.. Yes I will use the handouts combined with my pre-road test training.

Congrats on your qualification! 

Good luck on your road test training - the pre-trip can seem daunting when you first start learning it but constant practice will help you develop a rhythm that will help you remember, no matter what curveballs the examiner may throw you.  When I was going through training (not the MTA) for my CDL road test, I became friends with two other students and the three of us would use break times during road training or go in early before class to quiz each other on the pre-trip.     

6 hours ago, Cait Sith said:

Scrap.
 

They all have over 500k miles, some close to a million. Some of them also have bad frames.

I can only imagine how many miles the last of those 2002 D4500's racked up before they were retired. 

There's nothing wrong with asking for tips from experienced B/O's, but make sure that you are paying attention to your instructors and doing things the way they teach you.  Nobody wants to be 'that student' who the instructor thinks is ignoring them because they have their own ideas on how to drive a bus.  

Looks like a standard Sportsworks bike rack, so I don't understand why they wouldn't be good. 

Putting bike racks on NICE buses is long overdue. 

11 hours ago, hh1a said:

Hi

Unfortunately the first 8 videos are not working anymore it seems

It looks like it has been blocked or taken down?

Who else can't watch them?

Same here

On 2/2/2021 at 11:34 PM, GojiMet86 said:

New Flyer has won the contract with Bee-Line. Base order is for 66 XDE40, with options for 52 XDE40 and 10 XDE35.

 

https://www.newflyer.com/content/2021/02/westchester-county-awards-new-flyer-a-contract-for-up-to-128-hybrid-electric-xcelsior-transit-buses/

 

Any idea which other bus manufacturers bid on the contract?  I couldn't find anything on the county website. 

On 2/4/2021 at 1:15 AM, MTAdude said:

So ive been studying for the permit and I am almost ready to make the appointment at the DMV.

Once i pass the permit...wheres a good cheap affordable school to learn to drive a bus? I am checking Ferrari Driving School but they seem expensive....anyone know a good place that wont charge an arm and a leg?

Are you planning to drive a bus elsewhere before an MTA opportunity is available?  Paying for driving school would make sense then. 

If you have experience in safely operating smaller motor vehicles, a good driving record and are not intimidated by the idea of operating a 40-foot or 60-foot bus, you should be Ok with the 10-day training.  Let the MTA pay you to practice for and take the DMV exam.

I believe the simple answer is that Westchester County was willing to do the work themselves to consolidate the private carriers under a public brand (Bee Line System), whereas Nassau County went to the MTA for help, which resulted in the creation of the Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority.  It would be interesting to know if the MTA did go to Westchester to see if they were interested in folding the Bee Line operations into the MSBA.