BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[Via Garibaldi 8]

58 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

bus schedules are not accurate at all.

And they should be. They’ve almost completely disregarded previous audits about aligning their bus schedules with realistic times per BusTrek.

[Future ENY OP]

1 minute ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

And they should be. They’ve almost completely disregarded previous audits about aligning their bus schedules with realistic times per BusTrek.

That I agree with you. They need to have some form of accuracy so that service is excellent for all commuters.

[Around the Horn]

11 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

All I can say is that MJQ finds ways to place ads on their buses. I think the driver side of the bus is better than the passenger side on the newer XD40's for placing. Roof ads and driver side wraps do excellent with the Hybrids. The current roof ad campaign citywide is the Mount Sinai Health System and it seems to be working with current XD40's we have in Brooklyn, LFSA40's in Manhattan, Queens, BX and SI and hybrids citywide.

I do agree that the Manhattan division buses look nice with the matching roof ad. It feels complete. I could see them doing the same with XDE40s (with the roof ad on the battery shroud) . I could also see them putting roof top ads on articulates (if they cut the ad in two pieces to account for the bellows)

11 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

However, Philly, and DC which both have similar XD/XDE40 models and they are able to put placement of roof ads and driver side wraps on their buses. 

Since you mentioned SEPTA, I quite like how they handled the most recent PECO ad campaign (PECO is essentially the Philly equivalent of Con Ed). They're doing full size rear ads, side ads and roof ads on the same bus. 

 

 

Edited December 2, 2018 by Around the Horn

[Future ENY OP]

2 minutes ago, Around the Horn said:

I do agree that the Manhattan division buses look nice with the matching roof ad. It feels complete. I could see them doing the same with XDE40s (with the roof ad on the battery shroud) . I could also see them putting roof top ads on articulates (if they cut the ad in two pieces to account for the bellows)

Since you mentioned SEPTA, I quite like how they handled the most recent PECO ad campaign (PECO is essentially the Philly equivalent of Con Ed). They're doing full size rear ads, side ads and roof ads on the same bus. 

 

 

Yes, that is exactly correct. Now that's a great ad on Septa 3133.  (What section of Philly is that, by the way great picture).

I also agree that with Manhattan Division the buses look great with the matching ad with the roof ad. Hopefully something to see more with Brooklyn Division buses as it emulates similar to Manhattan. I can also see the Manhattan Division doing this with the XDE40's also and Brooklyn Division following suit thereafter.

 

[B35 via Church]

1 hour ago, Future ENY OP said:

(What section of Philly is that, by the way great picture).

North Philly... Being more specific, West Oak Lane... Feels like the NE Bronx in spots....
(FWIW, Philadelphia, period, varies block by block, instead of neighborhood by neighborhood)

4 hours ago, danielhg121 said:

Okay so I’m in the Q7 rn and the timetable says it’s to complete the entire trip in 28 minutes. Simply impossible. No matter how much the bus op floors it, he won’t make it to Euclid at 9:58, it’s 9:58 and we just turned onto Cross Bay Blvds. Goddamn. 

Not surprising; the Q7 is notorious for crawling..... You're not getting from the JFK Cargo area to Euclid subway in appx. 1/2 hour....

Edited December 2, 2018 by B35 via Church
tilde's look like minus signs on here for some reason....

[Via Garibaldi 8]

LMAO... So some of the drivers are starting to recognize me. Did two QM2 trips tonight, and the driver was freaking out. He apparently recognized me from taking QM5 trips from start to end. I often times don’t say anything but am typing away on the iPad so he thought I got on the wrong bus today.  I told him nope, monitoring service and taking down notes... 

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

5 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

North Philly... Being more specific, West Oak Lane... Feels like the NE Bronx in spots....
(FWIW, Philadelphia, period, varies block by block, instead of neighborhood by neighborhood)

 

Mann if this isn't straight facts, it's crazy actually. I took a visit to Temple University a couple times, you drive through the university, nice pretty buildings, glass buildings, academic centers, we made a right turn, went down two blocks, and it looks like a block from The Wire (Baltimore reference). Then I remember being somewhere in North Philly, where this strip kinds reminded me of 5th Ave near Downtown Brooklyn, with all the restaurants, etc, then we went up the block, and it just turns into complete slums. We're all like WTF. 

Funny thing is SEPTA doesn't have the fare beating problem like NYC does. 

[Orion6025]

Since when did the Bx6 local get artics? That line is crawling with them right now

[Brillant93]

9 minutes ago, Orion6025 said:

Since when did the Bx6 local get artics? That line is crawling with them right now

It was said in a meeting months ago the Bx6 local was going artic by January. The Bx36 was supposed to be going artic as well but I think it’s going to be partially or just for rush hour trips. 

[trainfan22]

 

 

On board video of one of the XDE40s with B.A.E hybrid drive over the WillyB.

Edited December 3, 2018 by trainfan22

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

It's been a minute since they've routed buses on Park Avenue in Midtown:

 

Service Change  Posted: 12/03/2018  5:34PM 
 

M50 buses are detoured because of NYPD activity on 50 St and 49 St between 8 Av and Park Av.

Detour is as follows:

Eastbound: Via 50 St, left on 8 Av, right on 57 St, right on Lexington Av, left on 50 St and regular route.

Westbound: Via 49 St, right on Park Av, left on 57 St, left on 7 Av, right on 49 St and regular route.

All corresponding stops will be made.

[Lil 57]

31 minutes ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

It's been a minute since they've routed buses on Park Avenue in Midtown:

I always wonder why Park Ave doesn't have a bus route.

[MysteriousBtrain]

4 minutes ago, Lil 57 said:

I always wonder why Park Ave doesn't have a bus route.

North of Grand Central? Nah that's rich people land. The one area in Manhattan likely to yell NIMBY I believe.

South had the M1 until 2010.

[Orion6025]

15 minutes ago, Lil 57 said:

I always wonder why Park Ave doesn't have a bus route.

Not every road needs a bus route, especially with the high frequencies of the 5th/Madison and 3rd/Lex pairings. Furthermore, the rich folks on Park Avenue aren't unlikely to ride a local bus with all their black escalades and the like. And there isn't any other area of northern Manhattan to tie into some trunk route into midtown so there isn't much for a Park avenue bus to do beyond shuttle people up and down park ave and like I've just said, that's unlikely to happen...

[Future ENY OP]

10 minutes ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

North of Grand Central? Nah that's rich people land. The one area in Manhattan likely to yell NIMBY I believe.

South had the M1 until 2010.

Park Avenue South from 25th-37th streets was a rap in 2010. (M1)

[Via Garibaldi 8]

43 minutes ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

North of Grand Central? Nah that's rich people land. The one area in Manhattan likely to yell NIMBY I believe.

South had the M1 until 2010.

 

49 minutes ago, Lil 57 said:

I always wonder why Park Ave doesn't have a bus route.

 

44 minutes ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

North of Grand Central? Nah that's rich people land. The one area in Manhattan likely to yell NIMBY I believe.

South had the M1 until 2010.

MysteriousBTrain is correct. 5th, Park and Madison is old money. The residents on 5th Avenue are the reason subways were never built in 5th on the Upper East Side. Lexington Avenue was where the subway was located and the area wasn’t considered as desirable by those with money. The people on 5th preferred bus service and fought vehemently to keep it that way. 

Quote

“The Fifth Avenue Association (whose members had fought billboards, bootblacks, parking lots, projecting signs–even funeral parlors), and the absence of els or subways. To provide a genteel alternative for rapid transit, the Fifth Avenue Transportation Company was established in 1885, using horse-drawn omnibuses until 1907, followed by the fondly remembered double-deck buses. Once upon a time even the traffic lights were special:bronze standards with neo-Grec Mercury atop, subsidized by the Fifth Avenue Association concerned with style.”

Source: https://untappedcities.com/2014/07/14/where-the-subway-wont-go-a-brief-transit-history-of-fifth-avenue-new-york-city/

[danielhg121]

When do the vintage buses start and stop running usually? Thanks!

Edited December 4, 2018 by danielhg121

[Lawrence St]

Is 8504 still the only new smart LFS?

[QM1to6Ave]

DOT should keep the HOV lane open longer each morning on the LIE. Even at 12 pm, the LIE to the QMT is often backed up past Maurice Avenue, while the Eastbound side has low volume. The "truck only" lane as you get close to the tunnel helps speed the EXP buses a bit, but the HOV lane would be better

[trainfan22]

Rode a XD40 on a WF route today, I like the fact that WF has both XD40s and XN40s. I do wonder if it causes confusion when it comes to fueling the buses at the depot though, as they mostly look the same with minor differences that the average transit employee wouldn't care about. Not saying that's a bad thing, if I wasn't a buff I wouldn't notice or care about the differences between the XN and XD40s.

[Melbx15]

2 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Rode a XD40 on a WF route today, I like the fact that WF has both XD40s and XN40s. I do wonder if it causes confusion when it comes to fueling the buses at the depot though, as they mostly look the same with minor differences that the average transit employee wouldn't care about. Not saying that's a bad thing, if I wasn't a buff I wouldn't notice or care about the differences between the XN and XD40s.

The bus numbers for the XN40’s are three digits as the XD40’s are 4 digits if I was fueling a bus I would look at the bus number and there’s CNG stickers around the bus I would look for those too, there’s quite a few differences 

Edited December 7, 2018 by Melbx15

[SevenEleven]

4 minutes ago, Melbx15 said:

The bus numbers for the XN40’s are three digits as the XD40’s are 4 digits if I was fueling a bus I would look at the bus number and there’s CNG stickers around the bus I would look for those too, there’s quite a few differences 

Also, I think the nozzles are different between the two. 

[Jdog14]

2 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Rode a XD40 on a WF route today, I like the fact that WF has both XD40s and XN40s. I do wonder if it causes confusion when it comes to fueling the buses at the depot though, as they mostly look the same with minor differences that the average transit employee wouldn't care about. Not saying that's a bad thing, if I wasn't a buff I wouldn't notice or care about the differences between the XN and XD40s.

 

The XN40s stick out being a full roofed bus where as the diesels are half. 

[QM1to6Ave]

49 minutes ago, SevenEleven said:

Also, I think the nozzles are different between the two. 

Even with different nozzles, I know sone dumb dumbs who ruined their cars by pitting diesel in their combustion sedans lol

[B35 via Church]

Is it true that a flat tire goes down on a b/o's record as an accident???

Can't win for losing, I swear....