BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[Daniel The Cool]

it not even about looks all Queens NYCT depos handle pretty much the toughest and most demanding line and the LFS does a much better job than the XD40's which are better for cities that don't get many people riding their buses probably could survive the downtown Manhattan routes because they really don't get too crowded.

I disagree with the Downtown routes in Manhattan not being crowded when some routes are.

Edited January 16, 2016 by Daniel The Cool

[DetSMART45]

That they are...that's what happens when they go the cheap route.

 

 

They sway because they're lightweight, a prime "feature" of the Xcelsiors to promote fuel efficiency. It definitely does make for an uncomfortable ride. Their suspensions aren't stiff either. They also way in certain wind speeds and certain speeds over 40mph.

Have to agree on the uncomfortable ride of the Xcelsiors.  All of SMART's fleet is Gilligs (mostly 2002-3 models) and rode some DDOT (Detroit) buses this week, which are majority New Flyers.  Caught an Xcelsior 40 and boy was it horrible over the potholes and road dips.  Even saw an XD60 coming the opposite way and noticed it "jump" and flex as driver went over a particularly nasty part of Woodward (due to all the M-1 Rail construction which has left all sorts of craters everywhere).

 

Got on #4190, an oldie 2005 D40 for a brief ride, and man that thing could accelerate, corner and had pretty low engine noise inside.  Operator was a "big boy" (could barely fit in the driver compartment and bus dipped when he got on), but man did he have a heavy foot and spectacular turn abilities -- and that bus responded.  Faster and quieter than the Gilligs I'm used to riding -- even the new hybrids SMART has been buying on the cheap.

 

Not impressed with the Xcelsiors over the old D40s.  NYC may be a good bus proving ground, but DDOT puts theirs through some pretty harsh treatment as well.  Don't have high hopes for these new buses coping with what DDOT and Detroit streets will be putting them through.

Edited January 16, 2016 by DetSMART45

[B46 via Utica]

Have to agree on the uncomfortable ride of the Xcelsiors. All of SMART's fleet is Gilligs (mostly 2002-3 models) and rode some DDOT (Detroit) buses this week, which are majority New Flyers. Caught an Xcelsior 40 and boy was it horrible over the potholes and road dips. Even saw an XD60 coming the opposite way and noticed it "jump" and flex as driver went over a particularly nasty part of Woodward (due to all the M-1 Rail construction which has left all sorts of craters everywhere).

 

Got on #4190, an oldie 2005 XD40 for a brief ride, and man that thing could accelerate, corner and had pretty low engine noise inside. Operator was a "big boy" (could barely fit in the driver compartment and bus dipped when he got on), but man did he have a heavy foot and spectacular turn abilities -- and that bus responded. Faster and quieter than the Gilligs I'm used to riding -- even the new hybrids SMART has been buying on the cheap.

 

Not impressed with the Xcelsiors over the old D40s. NYC may be a good bus proving ground, but DDOT puts theirs through some pretty harsh treatment as well. Don't have high hopes for these new buses coping with what DDOT and Detroit streets will be putting them through.

I like the Xcelsoirs they give me a comfortable ride it's just those potholes you need to look out for (they have me jump a couple inches from my seat sometimes) but with the C40LFs and the Orion VII Hybrids they're even worst the engine sounds great on the Xcelsiors. Edited January 16, 2016 by B46 via Utica

[Fresh Pond]

I like the Xcelsoirs they give me a comfortable ride it's just those potholes you need to look out for (they have me jump a couple inches from my seat sometimes) but with the C40LFs and the Orion VII Hybrids they're even worst the engine sounds great on the Xcelsiors.

The C40s, Xcelsiors, and the hybrids all use a different variation of the same Cummins engine.

 

Only difference is that the C40s use a gas-powered engine, the Xcelsiors use a diesel-powered engine, and the hybrids use a slightly smaller ISB (compared to the ISL) engine

Edited January 16, 2016 by Fresh Pond

[B35 via Church]

Not bad. You had a good driver. These days the B46 drivers drive like shit. Especially the female drivers. I'm not disrespecting in anyway. However, sometimes you could wish that the commute can be a bit faster instead of the molasses driving I've been observing as of late with Flatbush Depot drivers. Just my 2 cents.

 

Carry on.

Same shit that's happening on the B44 local.... I never remember the ride from the Junction to snyder av being as slow as it is now....

 

But as far as the B46, I can tell you right now that the ride from WBP to church av around 8pm (from WBP) has gotten significantly slower... It's to the point where I don't even wanna do the B32 - B46 anymore.... Bus powers on & picks up pax around 8:05-10 & I don't get to church most nights until 9:10-15....

 

side note: @ WBP, I'm tired of B46's pulling out of the lane the B44 now occupies (which, ironically, was the old B46 lane).... It would one thing if they picked up pax on the curb of the bus stop (under the shelter where B44 pax board at), but some buses actually wave on passengers as they're parked adjacent (to the left) of B44's... In other words, you're boarding on the street, between buses... That shit is dangerous & should never be allowed to happen - especially on a consistent basis....

Edited January 17, 2016 by B35 via Church

[JubaionBx12+SBS]

Bx12 Select buses stop on the street at Pelham Bay consistently when there's bunching going on. Lead bus pulls in usually behind 2 NIS locals (one of which is butting into the eastbound SBS stop) and the trail bus or buses have no room to make the stop so they drop off passengers in the middle of the street and move on their way. The lead bus usually can't move out of the stop until the follower is done so it's a very messed up situation to observe when it happens.

[R188 7857]

I personally feel that the LFSA that run on the Q44 are worse on bumps than the XD40s. Sure, the XD40s are pretty damn bad on bumps. But damn, those LFSA cannot handle Main Street between 39 Av and 41 Av for sh*t without bouncing up and down like crazy. Personally, I think that if there was something that had the goods of the LFS (smooth ride, solid build quality) and the XD40 (good looks, more seats) it would be the 3G. 

Edited January 18, 2016 by R188 7857

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I personally feel that the LFSA that run on the Q44 are worse on bumps than the XD40s. Sure, the XD40s are pretty damn bad on bumps. But damn, those LFSA cannot handle Main Street between 39 Av and 41 Av for sh*t without bouncing up and down like crazy. Personally, I think that if there was something that had the goods of the LFS (smooth ride, solid build quality) and the XD40 (good looks, more seats) it would be the 3G. 

Forget about bouncing.  I FEEL E-V-E-R-Y D-A-M-N  B-U-M-P on those buses and as much as I like the fact that they're newer and thus tend to be cleaner, I can't tolerate riding them for long distances.  It seems as if the suspension is non-existent.

[Future ENY OP]

Same shit that's happening on the B44 local.... I never remember the ride from the Junction to snyder av being as slow as it is now....

 

But as far as the B46, I can tell you right now that the ride from WBP to church av around 8pm (from WBP) has gotten significantly slower... It's to the point where I don't even wanna do the B32 - B46 anymore.... Bus powers on & picks up pax around 8:05-10 & I don't get to church most nights until 9:10-15....

 

side note: @ WBP, I'm tired of B46's pulling out of the lane the B44 now occupies (which, ironically, was the old B46 lane).... It would one thing if they picked up pax on the curb of the bus stop (under the shelter where B44 pax board at), but some buses actually wave on passengers as they're parked adjacent (to the left) of B44's... In other words, you're boarding on the street, between buses... That shit is dangerous & should never be allowed to happen - especially on a consistent basis....

 

Oh, forget the B44 local. These buses come in 2-3 bunches from the Junction to church ave.

B44SBS+. You have some drivers who actually drive. While others I have no say

 

B46LTD has gotten so horrible especially the for mentioned times you are speaking about during the evening rush hour. (Dispatcher issues)

Now, I get the new rule of driving 25mph. To me buses should have to abide with that rule especially when you have bus lanes along Utica Avenue to Kings Plaza. I wonder how they will implement SBS46+ sometime next year with this nonsense. The average time from WBP to Church is supposed to be less than 1 hour.

[MysteriousBtrain]

I would put this in the bus order thread but I feel like this is a speculation of some sort. I don't really like speculating in the major bus movements and deleveries threads so I'm putting this here.

155 buses are expected in MTA bus soon, and it seems like the expansion is gonna scramble up the XD60 order now. Based on what I see, I believe the following amount of XD60s should be allowed on these lines (correct me if I'm not to acccurate):

JFK amount: 81 artics

Q10: 25 XD60s

Q6: 20 XD60s

Q52: 15 XD60s

Extra 21 are unknown at the moment.

BP amount: 46 artics

Q114: 15 XD60

Q113: 15 XD60

Q111: 16 XD60

LGA amount:28 artics

All for Q53

The only thing that makes me feel a little off on my thoughts is the JFK batch I made. I wonder if more can be added to these routes of those extra 21 can go to a different route. Any thoughts on my predictions?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I would put this in the bus order thread but I feel like this is a speculation of some sort. I don't really like speculating in the major bus movements and deleveries threads so I'm putting this here.

155 buses are expected in MTA bus soon, and it seems like the expansion is gonna scramble up the XD60 order now. Based on what I see, I believe the following amount of XD60s should be allowed on these lines (correct me if I'm not to acccurate):

JFK amount: 81 artics

Q10: 25 XD60s

Q6: 20 XD60s

Q52: 15 XD60s

Extra 21 are unknown at the moment.

BP amount: 46 artics

Q114: 15 XD60

Q113: 15 XD60

Q111: 16 XD60

LGA amount:28 artics

All for Q53

The only thing that makes me feel a little off on my thoughts is the JFK batch I made. I wonder if more can be added to these routes of those extra 21 can go to a different route. Any thoughts on my predictions?

Judging by the poor quality of some of the new local buses currently out and about who knows what will happen.  I don't ride the local buses much these days so I don't have much to add at the moment.

[Cait Sith]

I personally feel that the LFSA that run on the Q44 are worse on bumps than the XD40s. Sure, the XD40s are pretty damn bad on bumps. But damn, those LFSA cannot handle Main Street between 39 Av and 41 Av for sh*t without bouncing up and down like crazy. Personally, I think that if there was something that had the goods of the LFS (smooth ride, solid build quality) and the XD40 (good looks, more seats) it would be the 3G. 

Can't put fault on just one bus model...every bus takes those bumps horribly along that part of the line.

[S78 via Hylan]

Judging by the poor quality of some of the new local buses currently out and about who knows what will happen. I don't ride the local buses much these days so I don't have much to add at the moment.

The newer LFS seems to ride smoother and handle the roads very well. Edited January 18, 2016 by S78 via Hylan

[MysteriousBtrain]

Never mind, ignore

Edited January 18, 2016 by MysteriousBtrain

[MysteriousBtrain]

Judging by the poor quality of some of the new local buses currently out and about who knows what will happen. I don't ride the local buses much these days so I don't have much to add at the moment.

What I mean in this case is how many artics should one see on a route at most, and which routes could use the extra 21 buses I left over in my predictions.

Or if it's easier, how many buses do these routes use in the rush now at the moment.

Edited January 18, 2016 by MysteriousBtrain

[Cait Sith]

5233 now has orange signs. Saw it on 34th. Looks like they're resuming the sign changes.

[IAlam]

I personally feel that the LFSA that run on the Q44 are worse on bumps than the XD40s. Sure, the XD40s are pretty damn bad on bumps. But damn, those LFSA cannot handle Main Street between 39 Av and 41 Av for sh*t without bouncing up and down like crazy. Personally, I think that if there was something that had the goods of the LFS (smooth ride, solid build quality) and the XD40 (good looks, more seats) it would be the 3G. 

LFS has more capacity than XD40's 

 

Out of all the buses the old LFS with the back windows usually have the best ride quality of the the new generation of buses (XD40's, LFS, 3G, C40LF) idk about the new LFS because I haven't been on enough of them 

[Cait Sith]

LFS has more capacity than XD40's 

 

Out of all the buses the old LFS with the back windows usually have the best ride quality of the the new generation of buses (XD40's, LFS, 3G, C40LF) idk about the new LFS because I haven't been on enough of them 

 

Seating capacity, I think the Xcelsior has 1 more seat over the LFS. Standing capacity, I think they're about the same.

[Fresh Pond]

Xcelsiors have 40

Novas have 39

[DetSMART45]

How often does MTA wash the buses?  Always impressed how sharp they seem to look when forum members post their pics.  Around here, even in summer, ours look like they must do it by hand with one guy and a hose -- meaning it's a rarity to see some shine to them.

[Blitz]

How often does MTA wash the buses? Always impressed how sharp they seem to look when forum members post their pics. Around here, even in summer, ours look like they must do it by hand with one guy and a hose -- meaning it's a rarity to see some shine to them.

As long as a bus comes in for fuel, it gets washed. Some buses in some depots (express buses) get fueled every other day, so they get washed every other day.

[NewFlyer 230]

As long as a bus comes in for fuel, it gets washed. Some buses in some depots (express buses) get fueled every other day, so they get washed every other day.

How often are the interiors cleaned.

I like how sometimes I can get on a bus from Jamaica Depot and you can smell the soap and sometimes the floor still may be wet.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

How often are the interiors cleaned.

I like how sometimes I can get on a bus from Jamaica Depot and you can smell the soap and sometimes the floor still may be wet.

That's what I want to know. Some depots RARELY clean the inside of the buses and other depots clearly clean them regularly.  What drives me nuts is seeing buses where they put this coating on the floors which basically locks in all of the dirt from the times that they never mopped the floor.  Disgusting.  It's like is that hard to get a mop and mop out the express buses?  I think JFK/Far Rockaway never clean their express buses.  Eastchester has started to slide a bit too, as has Spring Creek.  The only depot that still does a good job is Yonkers Depot.  Best maintenance overall. Buses are usually clean (inside and out) and kept up.

[Fresh Pond]

How often are the interiors cleaned.

I like how sometimes I can get on a bus from Jamaica Depot and you can smell the soap and sometimes the floor still may be wet.

Every day.

 

Everything is done (refuel, farebox probing, sweeping/mopping of floor, oils & fluids refilled) in one spot, then the bus gets washed and parked.

[B46 via Utica]

Every day.

Everything is done (refuel, farebox probing, sweeping/mopping of floor, oils & fluids refilled) in one spot, then the bus gets washed and parked.

 

That's funny I just rode an Orion VII Hybrid on the Q112 today with ink all over the seats and a broken back door which the B/O got up out of her seat and tried to fix (It was a little funny actually)