BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[S78 via Hylan]

Since it's old news, no point in posting this in the bus moves thread.*

 

Saw 9613 and 9383 on Nostrand av both with FB stickers.

 

Yesterday had problems with 3519's farebox. I had a 30 day unlimited and kept dipping the card in the box, but it still had that read error sign. Being in Queens I wasn't waiting another 20 min for the next bus to show and just got on. This is not fare beating, I used the unlimited on the other buses and had no problems including today. That same ride, 3 other people had read errors as well.

 

That's happened to me before. I think the fareboxes should be cleaned more often.

[Blitz]

Why do LFSA's have the addition to the roof in the front bus the LFS's don't??

[Grand Concourse]

That's happened to me before. I think the fareboxes should be cleaned more often.

Yeah, it was the first time in a while I had that bad a problem with an unlimited. That kinda has me wondering about how would I prove to a cop or whatever that I didn't farebeat. I paid for the card and can prove it at a MC reader.

[LRG]

Since it's old news, no point in posting this in the bus moves thread.*

 

Saw 9613 and 9383 on Nostrand av both with FB stickers.

 

Yesterday had problems with 3519's farebox. I had a 30 day unlimited and kept dipping the card in the box, but it still had that read error sign. Being in Queens I wasn't waiting another 20 min for the next bus to show and just got on. This is not fare beating, I used the unlimited on the other buses and had no problems including today. That same ride, 3 other people had read errors as well.

 

The driver is supposed to let you on after two read error attempts. Some will give you a hard time but if they have no control over the farebox not being able to pick up the fare then they really shoudn't throw a fit.

 

I remember I had a card with $5.50 and was taking the X10 to Manhattan from CSI...the driver tried everything in his power for the fare to pick up off my card but the box kept on saying read error. He let me on eventually but I could tell he wasn't all too happy about it though.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

The driver is supposed to let you on after two read error attempts. Some will give you a hard time but if they have no control over the farebox not being able to pick up the fare then they really shoudn't throw a fit.

 

Is that a rule or...? Years ago I had a real prick B/O on the X1. Young black guy who thought he was a real wise @ss... I dipped my card twice and he had the nerve to tell me to use another card. I had another card on me (which at the time was $41.00 a piece) but refused outright and told him so verbally and kept dipping until it accepted my Unlimited Express Bus Plus card. Shut him up real fast. Friggin prick. :mad:

Edited February 8, 2012 by Via Garibaldi 8
Typo

[MHV9218]

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

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Sorry, which one was the "friggin prick" in this story? I get confused.

 

I know it's very confusing. Look in the mirror and you'll find the answer very quickly.

[MHV9218]

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

[Via Garibaldi 8]

 

lol... I fully endorse the above response. :cool:

[Threxx]

lol... I fully endorse the above response. :cool:

 

About your bus driver story... some of them are like that. Because they drive the bus they think they are above every one else. :mad: I saw this guy try to pay with change on a B60, and he had $2.40 (had $2.15 + a quarter, not a dime to make $2.25) The bus driver threatened to kick him off unless he OVERPAID. Guy started to tell him off (someone gave him the dime.) saying "you wanted to be a big lawyer, but you are stuck as a bus driver" (not dissing bus drivers or anything.) Guy was a prick though.

[Acela Express]

Is that a rule or...? Years ago I had a real prick B/O on the X1. Young black guy who thought he was a real wise @ss... I dipped my card twice and he had the nerve to tell me to use another card. I had another card on me (which at the time was $41.00 a piece) but refused outright and told him so verbally and kept dipping until it accepted my Unlimited Express Bus Plus card. Shut him up real fast. Friggin prick. :mad:

He was a prick because your card didn't work and asked you to use another one?

 

Really? :tdown:

[Threxx]

He was a prick because your card didn't work and asked you to use another one?

 

Really? :tdown:

 

Aren't you guys supposed to let us on if the card dosen't work?

[Acela Express]

Aren't you guys supposed to let us on if the card dosen't work?

I think that's the rule, but not sure how express operators are told to handle those situations, ya know. I usually will ask you to wipe the magnetic strip and try again, and if it's still unreadable, I let you pass through and just hit F5 - technically it is a 'farebeat'. There's some folks who's cards are damaged and they know we'll (most of us at least) let them on after those two tries.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

About your bus driver story... some of them are like that. Because they drive the bus they think they are above every one else. :mad: I saw this guy try to pay with change on a B60, and he had $2.40 (had $2.15 + a quarter, not a dime to make $2.25) The bus driver threatened to kick him off unless he OVERPAID. Guy started to tell him off (someone gave him the dime.) saying "you wanted to be a big lawyer, but you are stuck as a bus driver" (not dissing bus drivers or anything.) Guy was a prick though.

 

Well I've had the hardest time w/black B/Os to be honest. They have serious attitudes and I give it right back to them. I refuse to be disrespected for no reason. I had a problem with my card on the BM3 and I get on it gave me a read error and the B/O starts being a smart @ss asking me where I'm going and all of this as if I can't afford the express bus or something. You know when you're young and successful some of them get pissed, so I ignored him but on another occasion I got on another BM3 back to the city that was late and had a wise guy. He was almost 30 minutes late and I asked why he was so late seeing that no one was on the bus and he said well if you'd get on then I wouldn't be late and boy did I rip into him.

 

Me and him were there going at it for a good 10 minutes and we were exchanging every profanity in the book until finally I got the best of him and threw a remark that really stung I guess and then added now shut up and drive. It took me almost half the trip to get settled down (I was boiling mad (the Sicilian temper in me :eek:)) and when I walked off at my stop there on 23rd and Park I could tell he knew the next time he saw me he wouldn't be a wise guy.

 

He was a prick because your card didn't work and asked you to use another one?

 

Really? :tdown:

 

That wasn't the whole story. It's the way he did it trying to be a wise guy. Like I said, some B/Os that drive the express buses can be pricks when they see young folks riding as if we're not allowed to use the express bus since I guess we're not supposed to be able to afford it. There's a way to do anything and some B/Os are rude and wise guys. He didn't even give me a chance to continue to try to dip before he was eager for me to use another card. I mean hell of course he doesn't care that I've paid $82.00 for two cards, so yeah why not dip a new Unlimited card? The card was only two days into it's usage period if that, so why should I use another $41.00 Unlimited card for? The card DID take on the third dip and I had no other problems with the card after that. If anything it was the dirty farebox that was the problem and not my card.

 

Let me be very clear... There are some very cool B/Os that I have a lot of respect for. They're courteous, professional and patient. I give respect when I receive it. My uncle is a B/O and he plays by the same rules. As long as the passengers are respectful and courteous then so is he.

Edited February 8, 2012 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Gorgor]

I know what you mean by that.

 

Years back when I was young and was still in school downtown, I used to take the express bus. There was this one time when an X90 and M31 pulled into the stop at the same time and I was the first person to get on the express. The driver put up his hand and said "wrong bus, kid, try the one behind." Apparently I wasn't the typical older white guy in a suit and tie with a briefcase and he thought that something was wrong, but I just ignored him and paid the fare.

 

A couple of other times there were drivers who were nice and just wanted to make sure I was on the right bus by saying "going downtown, right?"

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I know what you mean by that.

 

Years back when I was young and was still in school downtown, I used to take the express bus. There was this one time when an X90 and M31 pulled into the stop at the same time and I was the first person to get on the express. The driver put up his hand and said "wrong bus, kid, try the one behind." Apparently I wasn't the typical older white guy in a suit and tie with a briefcase and he thought that something was wrong, but I just ignored him and paid the fare.

 

A couple of other times there were drivers who were nice and just wanted to make sure I was on the right bus by saying "going downtown, right?"

 

That's exactly what I'm talking about and it's completely inexcusable. I started taking the express bus when I was 24 and I still remember the first bus ride I had. He was a veteran driving the X16 and it was the first bus of the morning (06:45 to be exact). I spoke to the B/O when I got off and he snubbed me because apparently I was too young to be riding the express bus. Now I see this guy some 6 years later on the X12 and he's always speaking "Take care buddy". I'm sure he remembers me on the X16 and also when he used to drive the X14. Funny how things work isn't it...

[checkmatechamp13]

Quite frankly low floors are far better in terms of boarding and certainly for wheelchairs too. I see the time saved on lines like the M1, M2 and M3. The only think that sucked was the layout but that's better now too with the newer buses, allowing you more room to stand and such. I love the new NOVAS on the M14. Such a big improvement with the 3 doors.

 

Maybe they save a little bit in terms of boarding since you don't have to climb the stairs, but even then the time saved is minimal. Like I said, for wheelchairs they should take into consideration how many wheelchair passengers actually use that route. I mean for instance on the S46, I don't recall ever seeing a wheelchair passenger onboard (I mean, there could've been one or two times that I forgot about, but offhand I don't ever recall seeing a wheelchair passenger). But maybe on some of the Manhattan routes (the ones that QJT calls "a nursing home on wheels") they work well (especially since those routes probably don't get a whole lot of usage anyway, so the extra standing space doesn't make a difference)

 

In any case, last night on the S53 I saw a bus that had the outside of an Orion 7, but the seating layout was like the new NOVA buses. So what's the name of the model (I'm not good with bus types)?

 

That's happened to me before. I think the fareboxes should be cleaned more often.

 

Sometimes it's a problem with the MetroCard itself. I remember a few times my Student MetroCard didn't work because there was a small crease, so I wiped it on my shirt and and it worked. And once it was raining, and the MetroCard got wet (I think it was just because my hands were wet) and I did the same thing: I wiped it and it worked.

 

Yeah, it was the first time in a while I had that bad a problem with an unlimited. That kinda has me wondering about how would I prove to a cop or whatever that I didn't farebeat. I paid for the card and can prove it at a MC reader.

 

Even if there were to be some sort of crackdown, I doubt a cop would give you a hard time. All you have to do is show the "Read Error" sign and they'd probably let you go.

 

Well I've had the hardest time w/black B/Os to be honest. They have serious attitudes and I give it right back to them.

 

 

Maybe it's just me, but I've actually had more bad experiences (and seen B/Os who were rude to other passengers) with White B/Os than Black ones.

 

Years back when I was young and was still in school downtown, I used to take the express bus. There was this one time when an X90 and M31 pulled into the stop at the same time and I was the first person to get on the express. The driver put up his hand and said "wrong bus, kid, try the one behind." Apparently I wasn't the typical older white guy in a suit and tie with a briefcase and he thought that something was wrong, but I just ignored him and paid the fare.

 

 

Well, to me, that's not really an attitude. He was probably just surprised that a teenager was taking the express bus by himself, and that was the first thing he came to mind.

 

In any case, yesterday, the B/O on the S46 I caught kept covering up the farebox yesterday. I'm not sure if it was because it was all students at the stops we passed or if it was broken. I saw a regular passenger get on at but I got off at that stop so I don't know if she covered the farebox or not. The sign said "Not in Service", so there's a chance the farebox was just broken. On a side note, I thought that run was supposed to go to the West Shore Plaza, but she said the last stop was Forest Avenue.

 

Today, she had it signed up correctly (though she was terminating at Forest Avenue again) but the farebox didn't beep when I dipped in my MetroCard (it just displayed "Student OK"). It had a lot of schoolkids, so maybe it was a tripper that just happened to come a few minutes ahead of the normal run.

[MHV9218]

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

[Via Garibaldi 8]

This is why you come off as, ooh, a racist and an elitist? Something like that.

 

Well you can call it whatever you want but it's the truth. On the other hand I had some very courteous black B/Os on the BM3. This one guy always takes a short cut to get me to my stop on Emmons so as to not waste time making stops further down since no one else is on the bus.

 

Like I said, I give respect when I get it regardless of color, so you can enjoy that comment of yours if it makes you feel any better. LOL

 

 

Maybe they save a little bit in terms of boarding since you don't have to climb the stairs, but even then the time saved is minimal. Like I said, for wheelchairs they should take into consideration how many wheelchair passengers actually use that route. I mean for instance on the S46, I don't recall ever seeing a wheelchair passenger onboard (I mean, there could've been one or two times that I forgot about, but offhand I don't ever recall seeing a wheelchair passenger). But maybe on some of the Manhattan routes (the ones that QJT calls "a nursing home on wheels") they work well (especially since those routes probably don't get a whole lot of usage anyway, so the extra standing space doesn't make a difference)

 

In any case, last night on the S53 I saw a bus that had the outside of an Orion 7, but the seating layout was like the new NOVA buses. So what's the name of the model (I'm not good with bus types)?

 

I guess they're 3Gs but in any event yeah, I like the layout of those buses better. They allow for more standing room in the aisle.

 

 

Maybe it's just me, but I've actually had more bad experiences (and seen B/Os who were rude to other passengers) with White B/Os than Black ones.

 

Overall, I usually have decent experiences with white B/Os although a few of them have been pricks too, but they were just pricks in general. More like they're miserable and hate their job types. Last week I was waiting for an X10 and the B/O almost blew by the stop and I had my hand out like dude WTF? This is a stop!! :mad: I was pissed because I would've had to have waited another 20 mins for the next X10 plus I would've missed my connection to the S54, the last S54 of the night. Instead of him just apologizing, he has to start cracking jokes talking about it's a good thing that you can dance bro. I whirled around and called him a ******* idiot which is exactly what he was. The joke was unnecessary and he could've just apologized and left it at that. Then he goes "whatever" and I'm like yeah "whatever".

 

Well, to me, that's not really an attitude. He was probably just surprised that a teenager was taking the express bus by himself, and that was the first thing he came to mind.

 

It most certainly is an attitude. That's another "express bus" code because most riders are middle aged folks. Believe me, plenty of folks (riders included) get jealous when they see a successful young person because they wish it was them. There is nothing that sucks more than to be successful but old. Being young AND successful is a beautiful thing. :cool:

Edited February 9, 2012 by Via Garibaldi 8

[LRG]

@checkmate, those are Xcelsiors (4800-series).

[Fresh Pond]

Fter riding them 3Gs back to back last night (7044 on the B1 and 7055 on the B3), I found out that the only seats I can fit in are the double forward facing seats on the lower level on the bus and the very back row. Every other seat, my legs are cramped and its very uncomfortable, ESPICALLY those seats that are higher than the others.

 

Sucks being tall sometimes...

[Joel Up Front]

 

 

 

I guess they're 3Gs but in any event yeah, I like the layout of those buses better. They allow for more standing room in the aisle.

 

 

 

I whirled around and called him a ******* idiot which is exactly what he was. The joke was unnecessary and he could've just apologized and left it at that. Then he goes "whatever" and I'm like yeah "whatever".

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, this is why no one likes you.

[LRG]

Fter riding them 3Gs back to back last night (7044 on the B1 and 7055 on the B3), I found out that the only seats I can fit in are the double forward facing seats on the lower level on the bus and the very back row. Every other seat, my legs are cramped and its very uncomfortable, ESPICALLY those seats that are higher than the others.

 

Sucks being tall sometimes...

 

I wish the Orion Third Gens had the U-Shaped seating in the back like the Next Gens.

[Threxx]

Yeah, this is why no one likes you.

 

And this is why this thread will descend into a war! The driver was a bit rude, but the comment above wasn't necessary. Now, to end all of this, let's be nice, stop using swears and talk about something a bit more pleasant.

[Joel Up Front]

This isn't kinder-friggin-garten, it's a forum... and I don't see "forum moderator" under your name. Nothing's pleasant about a governor that's subtly hostile to his own state's transportation agency, the economy not recovering at all but the government thinks two people getting hired is "progress;" some bull that is! since 2008, more people offing themselves in the subway, service cuts, management having their heads up their collective ass(es) farther than usual, a weak currency, inflation, high gas prices, and everyone being in debt, and no political correctness or making it "kid-friendly," so to speak, will make it any better than it is now. So can the meta-moderating.