Bus service today VS Bus service back then

[IRT Bronx Express]

Since there's no thread about this subject...

 

Talk about what you remember about bus services in the past and how much it has changed overtime. (Bus fleets, route extensions, eliminated routes, etc.) :tup:

[Fresh Pond]

The era of the RTS was at its peak and (I still remember when the 8600s had the chrome rims)

[Forest Glen]

I'm not sure what the OP means. However, I miss the days of the PBL's and the RTS CNG's on the B103.

[IRT Bronx Express]

I'm not sure what the OP means.

You're right, I wasn't specific enough. Does it make sense now by any chance? (the beginning post)

[LRG]

S79 ran northbound on Forth Hamilton Parkway and southbound on Fourth Avenue. In September of 2009 the routing was flipped: northbound on Fourth Avenue and southbound on Fort Hamilton Parkway.

[EE Broadway Local]

I have more memories of buses in Jersey City, but as for New York City:

 

Fishbowls on the M10 (which ran the entire length of Eighth Avenue/CPW then) on CPW.

 

The M9 (until 1980) was operated by the Avenue B and East Broadway.

 

Queens, like Jersey City, was the home of private bus lines (or IBOAs). The TA operated routes and five companies also: Triborough Coach Corporation (which operated the Q33 in Jackson Heights); Jamaica Buses; Green Bus Lines; Queens Transit Corporation, and Steinway Transit (these last two would come together to form Queens/Steinway Transit in 1986 and Queens Surface in 1988).

 

Triborough Coach had a lower fare during middays, evenings, nights, weekends and holidays than during rush hours (which matched the TA fare).

 

In The Bronx, the BX35 used the underpass and stopped at the trolley station. Riders walked up to transfer to the 70(CC) or 70(D).

 

Three bus routes were unique: The M41 (Culture Loop I), B88 (Culture Loop II) and BX56 (Culture Loop III) were part of the special TA Culure Program.

 

Perhaps most well known were the M41 (blue) which made 22 culture stops around its' loop and operated 10am to 6pm Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays and B88 (fuschia) which made 29 culture stops around its' loop and operated 9am to 6pm Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

 

Service was every fifteen minutes, and for $1, you could get on and off at any of the culture stops as often as you liked.

 

Unique acronyms: MaBSTOA (Manhattan and The Bronx Surface Transportation Operating Authority) and MSBA (Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority).

 

My Mr. Jackie Gleason Depot was The Fifth Avenue Depot.

 

Bus Maps featured a large blue rectangle across the top. The borough name and Bus Map were in white. There was a silhouette of a bus below. The Manhattan Bus Map featured strip maps on the back.

 

Red Books (street guide published by Geographia) listed bus routes (TA operated) by borough in the 5 Boroughs edition. These included a route description.

 

Bus fare was exact change or a token.

[Ty24]

Back When LIB Had the Flxibles and Gillig Phantoms

plus they used to put bus wraps on the rear of the Orion V's

 

I remember seeing the RTS use to run the

M101,102,103 ,M10,M60, plus when some of the RTS had the top half of the front/back doors were black and when they had chrome rims

[Princelex]

Memories. My earliest memories are:

 

1. Seeing the Bx12 using Grumman Flixibles when I was 4 back in 1983.

 

2. In the late 80's/early 90's, you had no idea what was gonna come, was it an RTS, a Fishbowl or a Flixible New Look? That was way cool.

 

3. I remember being surprised to see these 4300's on the Bx9 in 1986 and then seeing 4700's on the M2 in 1987, I believe. I wasn't used to seeing all black inside the bus cause I thought the interior looked great in white.

 

4. In 1990, the 8000's came in and I was LOVING them! They rode like a charm and they had this distinct smell in them that I really liked. LOL

 

5. I remember when they tested Orion V's on the M1 in 1991 and I thought they were Metro Flixibles, then seeing them on the Bx1/Bx2 in 1993. LOL

 

6. By 1995, it was RTS heaven here in NYC. It seemed like every bus line had an RTS on it. Plus, the 8600's hit the M101/M102 and they were HOT! Between the interior lighting and what I now know as Alcoa rims, those buses were like no other RTS's I had ever seen before and I loved them.

 

7. I remember reading about the first of the Artics coming to NYC in the Daily News and really wanting to ride them, then I finally rode them in 1999 on the Bx1 and really enjoying the ride.

 

8. I remember when the 9100's hit Mother Hale in 1996 and they were the bomb.

 

That's my earliest memories from childhood till I was 18.

[FamousNYLover]

I remember there was Park Av bus stop for M27/M50, M31/M57, M66-M96, M98 SB at 120th St/Park Av, well as Q32 at 59th-60th Sts/Park Av.

[B35 via Church]

I remember the days when service on flatlands wasn't iffy...

I remember the B5...and the B50 !

Especially the buses in the 80's, man I miss those...

As a youngin runnin to the back to look out the fishbowls...

I remember service on the Bronx 40 was crazy retarded

'til they came out the woodwork w/ those f**in artics...

regardless, to its demise, and much to my surprise...

no more ulmer park expresses on the FDR drive...

confusion's been diluted, the ending of suffix-es

what is this... service split - the QM8, 7, 5, and 6?

I remember when the Q19 barely past junction...

now it's gotten useful with an extension out to flushing

what's this about the B23 replaced by commuter vans?

shit, I wish they take the Q54 off cooper av !

cause atlas park mall's mad small; no need for 3 bus routes

when out in little neck, there's NO full-time service in front of anyone's house

brooklyn borough, seen some of the strangest changes

manifested in a couple coupled combinations...

I remember when the B62 ended right at box st

now it's back, as a split of a route that crosses OVER it to queens

redeemed by the B-43 !

the 40 was underused, 78 was unreliable...

now the fused route terminates... 'longside a hospital

runnin out of steam, 3rd av - not the place to be....

M98 truncate, Bx55 cuts... B37, yup - left the scene

thanks to the recent cuts, service was left shitty...

What the f**k did they do to gun hill's routes out in co-op city ?!?!?!?!

 

 

This is a good thread, from a smart dude....

for now, I'm through...

might mess around and do a part deux....

[Q43LTD]

Ah, let's see. The Q26 and 42 ran 7 days a week. The Q86 was a shuttle. Private bus service dominated parts of Queens. The Q15 had an overnight routing. The Q46 stopped at Lakeville Rd. More to come

[Joel Up Front]

I wish I had gotten over my fear of the MTA and public transit here as a young one.

 

I only remember seeing N4s a lot and today it's one of my favorite routes as it runs not too far from home.

[FamousNYLover]

I remember nice New York Bus Service BxM9 B/O gave me ride on GMC Fishbowl from Mad Av/26th St to 3rd Av/87th St (when I was living in Manhattan) when I had $4 bills and even thought it was only pickup.

 

I also remember I took Liberty Line on BxM1 Fishbowl from Inwood-207th St to Lex Av-42nd St.

 

I also remember I think I took Triboro Coach on Q53, Q102, well as maybe Green Line on Q35?

[Fresh Pond]

While growing up in Fort Greene my window overlooked the B54 bus stop on Myrtle Av & S. Portland Av. From my younger years I was first exposed to Fresh Pond buses back when the 4300s were there. The destination sign always said...

 

DWNTWN BKLYN

JAY ST

MYRTLE

 

When I moved back to Brooklyn in my later years on Greene Av, I remember when the 4900s were first delivered brand new. I always hoped I would catch it every time my mother and me went downtown on the B52

[BusmansHoliday]

I remember in the 70's the fare was half price on weekends. You paid the full fare when you got on and received a transfer valid for the whole weekend and good on any route.

[gtNovaBusRTS9369]

I remember taking a NYCTA GMC RTS on the Q83 to my grandparents house. Then there was Green Lines GMC RTS on the Q9. Plus the Novas (RTS) were fresh & new. Then one day I rode a NovaBus RTS on the Q24. Plus there was no Hybrids to waste money on.Good times :cool:

[w8Hou]

I can tell you this... If you compare year 2000 and 2010, a 10 year difference. We have more better service back then at that time with cheaper fares then today. Plus, lots of variety of buses that are NOT in the same blue and white crappy scheme colors.

[KNIGHTRIDER3:16]

I was on Fishbowls and Grummans on the M15 and could still remember when we hit A bump you would here the change jingle and the seats banng banng

The Paper Transfers was Hot ,I think my fav color transfers was Orange

[Santa Fe via Willow]

Some Staten Island bus paleotransitology:

 

SI buses used to have R before the route number.

 

The s40/(90) used to be the 1.

 

The deceased s42 used to be the 5/101.

 

The s44/(94) used to be the 102.

 

The s46/(96) used to be the 3.

 

The s48/(98) used to be the 107.

 

The s51 used to be the 2.

 

The s52 used to be the 104.

 

The s53 used to be the 7.

 

The s54 used to be the 110.

 

The s55 & s56 used to be the 115.

 

The s57, between New Dorp & Victory Blvd, used to be the 111.

 

The s59 used to be the 4.

 

The deceased s60 used to be the 6s.

 

The s61/(91), between Bradley Ave & the Ferry, used to be the 111.

 

The s62/(92) used to be the 112.

 

The s66 used to be the 6.

 

The deceased (s67)'s former identity prior to being Unicronned I have to relook up.

 

The s74/(84) used to be the 113.

 

The s76/(86) used to be the 117.

 

The s78 used to be the 103.

 

The s79 is a descendant of the 103.

 

In the early 1990s there was an s72 that began/ended from the start/end of Fr Cap Blvd in Midland Beach.

 

There was also a 109 route similar to the 74 & 76.

 

The x1 used to be the Original x13.

 

The Original x8 went to/from Downtown Brooklyn.

 

There was an Original x30 back in the early 1990s that covered some areas on or near Arden Ave.

 

Look around SI, cement rectangular fossils of former bus stops are around. Like on Richmond Ave itself in front of the Mall.

 

I'll recheck some of this info.

[MHV9218]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[IRT Bronx Express]

Here's what I remember:

 

*The Bx41 was a long route from Wakefield to Mott Haven before its cutback to The Hub last decade. In addition, it didn't travel to Nereid Avenue like it used to.

*The Bx26 used to go to Fordham Center full time and Bedford Park rush hours before September 2000.

*The Bx25 was a weekday morning rush hour only service in 2000. PM rush hour service was later added in 2002 or 2003.

*The Bx36 went around the Hugh Grant Circle before its elimination in 2000. (downtown only)

*I remember seeing outdated Bx55 maps at bus stops dating back to 1989. When the Bx55 no longer ran to Yankee Stadium, the maps were not corrected until last decade. I always thought that the 161 Street branch was The Hub (lol)

*Weird bus routing in Bedford Park... looks like Bedford Park Blvd, between Paul and Jerome, was closed if not one bus crossed there in 1999.

*The Bx42 was truncated back and forth at Throgs Neck. (David Ave, Emerson Ave, Balcom Avenue)

*The Bx40 used to travel at Lawton Avenue to and from Throgs Neck.

*The Bx31 used to go to Woodlawn/Webster Avenue.

*The Bx17 used to serve Port Morris with the Bx33.

*The Bx13 was truncated to Yankee Stadium, then extended, then truncated, then extended only for the morning rush hours.

*The Bx12 was a weekday only limited service.

*The Bx16 was a branched route. One went to Ropes Avenue or Mundy Lane. Then last decade, Mundy Lane was part time. In 2004, some buses that terminated at Mundy Lane continued to Ropes Avenue. In addition, trips to Ropes Avenue via Baychester was part time in 2006. Both branches were combined in 2008.

*The Bx55 was a 24-hour service. All day, it used to go to Williamsbridge, but it only went to Fordham during the night. Around 2002, late night service was eliminated. July 2004 arrived, and Williamsbridge service was a weekday only service. Now, the Bx55 serves only weekdays.

*The Bx2 had a 165 Street/Melrose Avenue branch and used to terminate at the Hub. That branch was eliminated and the bus traveled down to 149th via GC and extended to Mott Haven.

*The Bx1 used to terminate at 138th/GC before its extension to Mott Haven.

 

How do I know this? Bus maps.

[Q43LTD]

Some Staten Island bus paleotransitology:

 

SI buses used to have R before the route number.

 

The s40/(90) used to be the 1.

 

The deceased s42 used to be the 5/101.

 

The s44/(94) used to be the 102.

 

The s46/(96) used to be the 3.

 

The s48/(98) used to be the 107.

 

The s51 used to be the 2.

 

The s52 used to be the 104.

 

The s53 used to be the 7.

 

The s54 used to be the 110.

 

The s55 & s56 used to be the 115.

 

The s57, between New Dorp & Victory Blvd, used to be the 111.

 

The s59 used to be the 4.

 

The deceased s60 used to be the 6s.

 

The s61/(91), between Bradley Ave & the Ferry, used to be the 111.

 

The s62/(92) used to be the 112.

 

The s66 used to be the 6.

 

The deceased (s67)'s former identity prior to being Unicronned I have to relook up.

 

The s74/(84) used to be the 113.

 

The s76/(86) used to be the 117.

 

The s78 used to be the 103.

 

The s79 is a descendant of the 103.

 

In the early 1990s there was an s72 that began/ended from the start/end of Fr Cap Blvd in Midland Beach.

 

There was also a 109 route similar to the 74 & 76.

 

The x1 used to be the Original x13.

 

The Original x8 went to/from Downtown Brooklyn.

 

There was an Original x30 back in the early 1990s that covered some areas on or near Arden Ave.

 

Look around SI, cement rectangular fossils of former bus stops are around. Like on Richmond Ave itself in front of the Mall.

 

I'll recheck some of this info.

The S42 still exists.

[Hound]

The S67 was the 106.

[Hound]

There was also a 105 that I believe ran on Guyon Ave. Dont remember the full routing.