Joel Up Front

It's getting worse out there, isn't it? If NICE is ever forbidden from operating in Queens, GG ridership...

I'd rather see a NICE bus actually perform on time consistently than see it 20 minutes late in that orange paint.

I thought it only applied to IE, not Firefox... well, at least now my Awesome Bar isn't filled with crap.

The n1 isn't that busy a route on the weekends. A lot of people from Queens get rides from friends and family or take dollar vans anyway to and from the mall, as opposed to just taking the n1 to Hempstead Turnpike (LOL) and transferring to the n6.

Thanks, CCleaner, for deleting every last bit of my history and internet cookies.

1) Steep hills 2) Stop-and-go traffic conditions are sometimes more hectic than they'd be on the South Shore (typically, South Shore roads have a second lane or shoulder if there's room to get around an obstacle; up north, not so much), so more stress on a bus and drivetrain 3) Crappy maintenance *ahem* 4) I heard something that ZF transmissions (i.e. Buses in the Bronx) can help buses climb hills far better than Allison transmissions can, but that's a 5-year-old rumor

Because we can't all have Manhattan levels of service and accessibility, can we? Is the idea of space and places being spread out so foreign to Manhattanites?

I have. Too bad I'm still stuck with the bus until I can get a car for myself.

One of the later Orion Vs broke down (16x3, I think it was 73) broke down on me 8 times on the N24 on my first day of classes. This made me stop taking buses to Hicksville entirely. This seemed like the engine overheating because the transmission itself seemed to be fine but there was this distinct high-pitched whine coming from the dashboard almost constantly. 1) Just before Nassau Terminal Road 2) BEFORE Chaminade 3) Stop after Chaminade 4) Stop just before the Mineola Boulevard overpass over the Main Line 5) Right ON the overpass itself - this one took a good 5 minutes. When we got to the Intermodal Center, the driver tried to plead with the dispatcher and other NICE personnel to give him another bus. An N22 came in behind and people went for that instead, even though that was an NG and was already SRO. 6) On the Ring Road into RFM. It was about to make the turn (that would bring it past the gate) when it broke down as the light turned red. When the bus turned back on, it was able to limp into the bay where there was a sizeable crowd. The N22 that I saw at Mineola came in right behind this bus, and that was still SRO. The driver turned the bus off a second time to give the engine a break and told the people waiting to take the N22 instead. I was about to get out when the driver reached through the window and turned the engine back on. At this point, I couldn't wait to get off. 7) On the Ring Road out, I heard the transmission just stop whirring and the engine died again. Luckily there was little traffic. 8) Just before the turn onto Old Country Road, it gave out yet again. I was only headed to the Best Buy to get some headphones (and I wanted to get off) so I was lucky that it was able to limp there. The next n24 that I took to get to the station was just about on time. What worried me was that almost an hour later, I saw that the driver of the first n24 had just finished his run and was waiting to turn onto Route 106. I had never been on a bus that had broken down that many times before...

I wouldn't have come back if not for the fact that my road test was a month ago and I was nervous for it. I passed but only have a car on the weekends so I just go to the NICE forum to see how hilariously bad things get.

Just a photo op, that's all they were there for. Inutiles...

How long have the buses in and around Nassau been equipped with button shifters?

Playing a video game on a bus is fun. When you're on one and have enough time to clear over 40% of the game before you reach the end of your trip, you have to consider: "Is this worth wasting hours of my life on every day?"

If any bus waited for traffic to let up, they'd be stuck there for days. This is common practice even in Manhattan and the busier parts of the outer boroughs...

Or maybe the Smug Hipster Douchebag needs HIS license revoked so he can get to experience what it's like to be stuck on a bus.

Why does a driver care so much about these buses? All I got from it when I saw the report was "smug hipster douchebag thinks he's better than you." Never saw anything about driving style, never saw anything about NICE drivers until now.

NICE drivers have been doing that since they started here. People already have to wait for a bus for 15-30 minutes, what more is paying your fare and getting stuck trying to wait for traffic to let you back in? The drivers who DO show courtesy for buses get harassed all the time.

I've noticed with the 3G's (and I think one of the '09 NGs) that drivers can open the front AND rear doors but how do they do it?

I use crosswalks when I can, even when I venture to Manhattan. I don't feel safe walking in a crowd that didn't wait for the walk signal. Speaking of driving, my dad has already gotten two tickets this month, the latter from one of the infamous speed cameras that have popped up all over Nassau. This worries me... I really need to find a job now, so I can get a car and drive myself around and pay for myself. I've been driving around on the weekends and I feel a lot more comfortable now, but I essentially only have a car on the weekends...

As much as people rag on him, they have to keep in mind that English isn't his first language.

What a great success "Car-Free Day" on LI was. Roads were just as packed as they were and the buses? I've stated my opinion already, I don't need to say it again.

Even if there were dispatchers, buses would still be late.

After almost a year, someone managed to subtitle Susume! Denpa Shonen's Hitchhike episode...

"Car-Free Day" on LI is coming up. I can't believe people would try to advocate that here.