Trainspotter Posted March 25, 2008 Share #1 Posted March 25, 2008 MTA is onboard with prepay plan BY PETE DONOHUE DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER March 25th 2008 E Fitz Smith/News A plan to speed up bus travel by having riders pay before boarding will be launched in June - but declining tax revenues may delay other promised transit upgrades, officials said Monday. The first Select Bus Service route will be between 207th St. and Broadway in northern Manhattan and Co-op City in the Bronx, Metropolitan Transportation Authority staffers said at a committee meeting at the authority's Madison Ave. headquarters. [float=right] Express Select Bus Service route will run between northern Manhattan and Co-op City in the Bronx. [/float]Helping to speed the trip, specially marked buses will have the technology to extend green lights at intersections on Fordham Road and 207th St. initially so they don't have to stop as often. Mayor Bloomberg's administration and the MTA hope to later expand the fast-track service to four other routes, including 34th St. in Manhattan. Bus-only lanes will be painted terra cotta for higher visibility and officials will seek "an extraordinary level of enforcement" by police to keep other vehicles out, according to a summary released by the MTA. Bus trips are significantly slowed by the time it takes riders to pay one by one while boarding. Select Bus riders will pay at curbside machines that give receipts before the bus arrives. Transit officials are developing an enforcement plan for the proof-of-payment scheme widely used in Europe and on the Hudson-Bergen light rail system in New Jersey. Buses also will have surveillance cameras to discourage fare evasion, according to the MTA document. The Bronx select bus route will replace the Bx12 Limited and have the same stops. The MTA has the funds to begin the select service on the Fordham Road corridor. Expanding the strategies elsewhere would require additional funds. The MTA and the Bloomberg administration have proposed generating such funding through congestion pricing - a new toll to drive below 60th St. in Manhattan. MTA officials, meanwhile, said they want to see how authority finances stand in June before they give the final authorization to its enhancement program," which includes new bus routes and more frequent subway and bus service on some lines. The program was put forth by officials last year as they pushed through fare hikes. On March 3, a day after the hikes hit subways and buses, MTA CEO Elliot Sander said the program could go forward. But revenues from four taxes on certain real-estate transactions the MTA receives came in $31 million below budget forecasts for this month - a 28% difference following a smaller drop last month, officials announced at an MTA committee meeting. "The budget remains balanced but these are very disturbing trends," Chief Financial Officer Gary Dellaverson said. The program includes 32 NYCTransit initiatives. About a dozen are scheduled to start in June with the others coming in the second half of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East New York Posted March 25, 2008 Share #2 Posted March 25, 2008 I may have to go up to the BX and check that out. I like the paint sceme too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo M 201 Posted March 25, 2008 Share #3 Posted March 25, 2008 I may have to go up to the BX and check that out. I like the paint sceme too! Same here. Too bad it starts in June. I was gonna get ready to go to the Bronx today but reading carefully, not even running yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'89 Liberty MCI Posted March 25, 2008 Share #4 Posted March 25, 2008 Wow, that's awesome. Can't wait until the summer, and I gotta go out and see that Quill Artic (5739) for myself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastman346 Posted March 25, 2008 Share #5 Posted March 25, 2008 Helping to speed the trip, specially marked buses will have the technology to extend green lights at intersections on Fordham Road and 207th St. initially so they don't have to stop as often. I think that is awesome. I would like to see that in action. Hopefully it won't be abused in any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KTrainExp Posted March 25, 2008 Share #6 Posted March 25, 2008 That bus looks friken sick! Love the paint schemes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Posted March 25, 2008 Share #7 Posted March 25, 2008 Who's going to be the first on this site to photograph this bus. We'll wait and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo M 201 Posted March 26, 2008 Share #8 Posted March 26, 2008 Who's going to be the first on this site to photograph this bus. We'll wait and see. I tried thursday but had bad luck trying to figure out what depot the bus was at. Two buddies of mine went friday morning for it after finding out what depot it was at but couldn't get to see it. If I had knew about press day being yesterday on this, I probably would've gone and taken shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOB2RTO Posted March 26, 2008 Share #9 Posted March 26, 2008 Who's going to be the first on this site to photograph this bus. We'll wait and see. I carry my camera, so if i ever see it, I might.... To the others: The scheme is great, just they need to get rid of the blue stipe. For me it gets in the way of the scheme...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo M 201 Posted March 26, 2008 Share #10 Posted March 26, 2008 I carry my camera, so if i ever see it, I might.... To the others: The scheme is great, just they need to get rid of the blue stipe. For me it gets in the way of the scheme...... Same thing I thought. Or just fade the color out abit on the stripe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATCOman Posted March 26, 2008 Share #11 Posted March 26, 2008 I like the scheme! It looks better than that boring white with a blue stripe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOB2RTO Posted March 27, 2008 Share #12 Posted March 27, 2008 I would never pick into Gun Hill to work that line. Show the driver a receipt, a joke. This is what will happen. Little enforcement of the prepay system, and customers saying they didn't have time to prepay, cause the bus showed up, as if another one ain't coming. This new system will be anally sodomized by the public. I gah-rohn-tea.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sebbieprops Posted March 30, 2008 Share #13 Posted March 30, 2008 I don't really like this new idea. I much prefer the current method of paying by MetroCard upon boarding the bus. It's true that the Bx12 is in need of more service, but this isn't the way to do it. Just increase the headways on th Bx12 and the Bx12 Limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pablo M 201 Posted March 31, 2008 Share #14 Posted March 31, 2008 I don't really like this new idea. I much prefer the current method of paying by MetroCard upon boarding the bus. It's true that the Bx12 is in need of more service, but this isn't the way to do it. Just increase the headways on th Bx12 and the Bx12 Limited. But actually, its more than just the new fare system set up for the service, but to test the new technology on the bus that can extend the signals when the bus is coming through. The MTA wants to really start up a BRT system already so they chose the Bx12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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