Via Garibaldi 8

It's very simple. No one is complaining on the local bus side to initiate real change and have people held accountable. That is why I started my group. I got sick of having no bus service to get to work and having to scramble to get home after a long day in the office. If they can get away with not filling trips, they will, which is why I petitioned the City Comptroller for an audit on the express bus side, but they should he audited on the local bus side too. No one is checking to see that the figures that they release about service provided and on-time performance on the local bus side is even accurate. Meanwhile, they continue to cut on the operations side because the riding public on the local bus side either stops taking the bus or just takes it in stride.

Ok, when you pass by there again, let me know please. Thanks.

I was just asked about those BxM4 stops. Were you able to confirm if they are indeed removed?

LOL I just looked on Google maps. You're right. This is goof by DOT. I will put in a request tomorrow to have this corrected. With the Bronx local bus stops being removed, it may take a while between that and them restoring stops that they accidentally removed. UPDATE: Put in the request. Once they inspect the location, they'll provide an update with a turnaround time. May be a few months, as they have to create new signage.

This should be from, not form. Autocorrect...

Get me a photo and I can reach out to my DOT contact and see how soon it can be fixed. They were behind with creating signage, etc. due to COVID, but hopefully are catching up on these sorts of things. They recently fixed this signage that was missing information at 42nd & 6th for me.

Those are specs that the vendor can decide on I would imagine, which is fine, but if the screens are going to be used to display Stop Requested alerts, then they need to be programmed accordingly, which is really the issue. I see the same situation on every trip now, as I did going to and from Manhattan yesterday, as I got a new bus each way. The chime sound is not as loud and piercing as before (thankfully). All they need to do is have the Stop Requested displayed from the time someone rings the bell until the time the stop is made and that would stop the confusion. People sometimes hear the chime and then look to the screens to see if their request has registered because the average passenger does not know that the drivers have their own alert system (I didn't either), so naturally they're thinking ok, I just rung the bell, now it should display on the screen so that the driver knows. Then as I said, in some cases, the driver is not alerted despite the bell being rung and I'm not sure why that is either, so the easiest solution is to reprogram the screens. I'm sure they aren't going to stop production just for a bell and these are what we called change orders when I was in the construction industry that differ from what was agreed to in the base contract, so there can be added costs quickly if the scope of work differs considerably form what was originally agreed upon. This is how you have cost overruns on projects if the client (in this case the doesn't think things through properly).

You should post the actual source as in link and what page you got it from so that there is background info. https://new.mta.info/document/89781 I found something. My guess is that is part of the NYCT express bus order that originally slated 50 buses to go to Staten Island. With the taking over the SIM23 & SIM24, those 19 buses could be used to provide new buses to those lines and perhaps expand that service (which a number of riders have requested), or add service elsewhere on Staten Island or retire other fleet. Both lines received older fleet from Bus originally.

Not sure, but Prevost is ceasing to manufacture at that factory after this year. https://www.busandmotorcoachnews.com/prevost-to-end-new-york-manufacturing-operation/#:~:text=Prevost will end manufacturing commuter,Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

No idea, but I'm guessing the thought it was a good idea to have it this way. I'm on a new one now. It displays the mask reminder and alternates between other ads and the approaching stops.

Really?!? This is unbelievable, but I expect there will be more. Can you get me photos of these stops? That would be greatly appreciated, as people that use those stops will wonder what happened. If they remove any of the No Standing signs, there will be no way for bus operators to know those are actually still express bus stops. That happened to a lady this morning. She went to get her bus to find the stop removed going to work and coming home. From what I know they do, but doesn't mean people aren't missing their stop. What is happening with the passengers is they absolutely don't hear the chime when the stop is requested. As an example on my bus last week, someone rang the bell in Manhattan after the last pick-up. No one is paying attention to any bell then, as sometimes people ring it by accident. Turns out this lady wanted to get off in Manhattan (not a regular rider - been noticing people trying to take the express bus a few stops and then get off quite a bit lately) and I guess she didn't know that the next stop wasn't until 230th & Broadway, so we're going along after she went to up the front and asked. Now we're on the Deegan approaching the first drop-off stop. People start ringing the bell. Nothing is indicated on the screens that the stop was already requested and once you request the stop the first time, there is no chime or any noise to tell you after that, so now people are getting up frantically hitting the button thinking the bell is broken. I had observed all of this and just made a mental note since people had been complaining to me about it. The screens continued to play and display ads and everything but show that the stop had been requested. What's really annoying is they don't display anything until you are literally right at the stop. By then you could very easily miss your stop if the driver forgets. What happens is people get up and run to the front thinking their stop will be missed. Any bus that stops short... Forget it. People may go flying. I've seen this a lot lately where people and running up front with the bus still in motion, sometimes not holding on either. I got a response over the weekend that their tech folks would work on this to reprogram the screens. I have no idea how long that will take, but it is definitely needed. My concern is that one of them is leaving this week, but hopefully the work will continue to fix this mess across the system. Common sense isn't so common, that is that the minute someone requests a stop, the screens should display the alert and keep it up until the stop is made. As for the removal of bus stops, I expect more of them to be removed that are still actually stops, so if people could get me photos, that would be appreciated.

Yes, that's exactly what they are working on and what I requested. They have all of the information. Hopefully it'll be addressed soon. That and the cycling off of the screens like in this example. I got a bus the other day where the screens just went off even when the Stop Requested sign was hit and people had no idea what was going on, nor did the driver and it wasn't clear if the driver even knew that the stop was requested. In this photo, that's what happened and why the lady is standing up because she's afraid that her stop will be skipped. I think the screens came on right as the bus was approaching the stop. Here we are one block from the stop and they are still off. Ridiculous.

It was brought to my attention this morning that at least two bus stops in The Bronx have been totally removed that should not have been. A number of local bus stops were slated to be removed because of the Bronx Local Bus Redesign, but that has nothing to do with Bronx Express bus service. Given that there are hundreds of Bronx local bus stops slated to be removed by the DOT at the request of the , I want to make sure that no other commuters wake up and walk over to their stop, only to find it gone and cars parked where the stop should remain, which is what happened to some commuters earlier today. If you encounter this issue, please provide the bus stop and route and also confirm if this is the case in both directions. So far the following the stops have been noted: -BxM8: City Island Av & Cross Av (removed in both directions because of the Bx29 bus stop removal) Additionally, multiple commuters have complained about the new express buses and the Stop Requested issues. The Stop Requested bell was removed on the new express buses and the screens are supposed to display that information, but are either cycling off or cycling through ads and not showing the Stop Requested alert, leading to passengers missing their stop. The has been alerted and is currently working to fix this tech issue across all of the new express buses. To my knowledge, is not an issue for any of the older express buses.

They'll find the money somewhere. Too much money involved for it not to happen, trust me.

Well with the Capital Plan, the funding for each plan from my understanding is allocated in advance, and the funding sources vary depending on the project. For example, there is funding from the Feds for some aspects of these projects, and then City & State funding, but yes, there are still a number of questions to be answered and many details to iron out.

Another driver out on Staten Island was caught doing this. Not sure if it was the same driver or not, but during rush hours, I've been getting complaints about this one driver not making any pick-ups stops along 23rd St on the SIM10. This is the second time I have heard of such an incident. Occasionally dispatch may have drivers skip stops to get back on schedule, but some drivers are taking it upon themselves now to just do as they please on quite a few lines. Previously, it was a bus operator that pointed it out to a passenger and said, "Look at this guy". This leads to other buses being packed as in standing room only and tons of complaints from riders, and rightfully so. The issue is sometimes passengers aren't even aware because the drivers change their signage to "NOT IN SERVICE" or skip parts of the route, then go into service further along the route, so you have to really be paying attention. I told you about that QM6 driver a few years ago. I would get him every Sunday morning, either at 36th & 6th or 42nd & 6th. Well one Sunday I'm waiting at 42nd & 6th and I see a bus with CP stickers on it with a NOT IN SERVICE sign up around the time that this guy should be at my stop, so I make a mental note of bus# (I actually still remember the # - 3214, as he always had that bus) keep BusTime open in desktop mode to see if anything pops up because nothing is coming and now I'm going to be late because the QM6 is only once an hour, so now I'm pissed because I have to re-arrange everything including my pick-up from the express bus, so suddenly I see the bus on BusTime, the same number on 57th St by 3rd Av. He had skipped all of the stops. I took screenshots immediately and reached out with all of the details. Next week I got him again and I didn't say anything because I know he had been read the riot act. He kept looking around trying to figure out who it was that complained. I got off at Chevy Chase and Union Turnpike and again said nothing. That's the way I do it now. Keep my phone out and take photos if necessary and send them in with my complaint, this way they can't deny what happened.

Please. You'd have a valid point if it was MNRR, but the difference in upkeep between the LIRR and MNRR is night and day. I'm sure the return of the torn seats with duct tape will return. Never rode one before, but I've seen plenty of them in service with people complaining. The times I have used the LIRR, I wasn't that impressed with the condition of the trains either.

Mugged? Many of the people getting attacked, shot, etc. on the subway are not flashing any expensive items. We have too many mentally ill people using the system. Until that is addressed, I don't expect much to improve underground.

You are both correct. On the one hand, some people have stopped taking the subway (myself included) because of the crime issues down below. On the other hand, because of inflation and high gas prices, some people have resorted to taking public transit again. How many people will come back to the subway remains to be seen, but I do know that the express buses I've been on have been more crowded each week. The local buses too when I have used them in Manhattan.

Unreal. A damn shame that an essential worker can't get to work.

Oh I actually have had a number of instances where I was overcharged, even during days that I was not traveling. lol Riddle me that one. That's why I immediately bought an OMNY card as soon as I could find one because I didn't want my other cards linked to OMNY. Since I got an OMNY card, I've had an issue once where I was charged $2.75 for an express bus ride. The route was "Other", and it screwed up my ride history to where I couldn't see my what I was charged and for what lines. Took about three weeks for them to fix it and numerous follow-ups, but I've had no other issues with the card aside from that and I've been using it since October 2021. Previously I had to cancel my other cards because they could not figure out why I was incurring random charges.

I will say that the times that the farebox was set wrong or broken, I usually had an express bus pass, so I rarely got a break. I get far more breaks now that I am using OMNY, since I pay per ride.

Ahhh. I misunderstood. I haven't used a Metrocard in several months, but I can't recall ever being charged $2.75 when I did for the express.

The driver has nothing to do with it. That's not set by them. I've had the same thing where I was either charged $2.75 or not charged at all. That's an OMNY bug. That doesn't include all of the times that the OMNY reader is broken.

Listen, historically speaking, that's what happens. Summertime, you're going to have women being checked out. I get it, but as I said, when it comes to picking up passengers, everyone should be treated the same. Unfortunately that has never been the case. I'm just tired of seeing it.