BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[Lawrence St]

2 minutes ago, WestFarms36 said:

The Machines are still on, they Just display "Bx12 +SBS+ not running, use the Bx12 Local." The machines also do not accept payments during those hours... and for the Quarters machine, its just like the Parking meter during off hours.

You have a picture by any chance?

[WestFarms36]

Just now, Lawrence St said:

You have a picture by any chance?

Unfortunately I do not have a picture of the machines during off hours, but for the Quarter machines (If you don't live near an +SBS+ route that doesn't operate late night) Try a parking meter after rules are no longer in effect. In the case of the MetroCard Machines, they do display that message on a Black screen, and do not do any functions until the route starts running again at its scheduled time.

[Calvin]

If this wasn't mentioned: October 1st will be the first day of B82 Select Bus Service using the 2018 XD-40s (7663-7684: for now)

[trife86]

4 hours ago, Elmhurst said:

 

Oh, I should've clarified in the 1st post that I'm referring to anouncements like "Please no littering, smoking, radio playing, etc..." or "The fare is 2.75" or "Assaulting a bus operator is a felony".

Those are all automatically done, not sure if it's a timer or what but they just randomly play all day. Even if I wanted to stop those I don't think I could lol.

[Lawrence St]

6 minutes ago, trife86 said:

Those are all automatically done, not sure if it's a timer or what but they just randomly play all day. Even if I wanted to stop those I don't think I could lol.

They even play when the bus is off.

[BrooklynBus]

11 hours ago, trife86 said:

Those are all automatically done, not sure if it's a timer or what but they just randomly play all day. Even if I wanted to stop those I don't think I could lol.

Operators should be able to turn of the please exit through the rear when it makes no sense line when the bus is near the end of the route or is nearly empty. It is very annoying at those times and ignored anyway. 

Also, "bus is turning" is also annoying when the bus is just pulling out of a stop and not really turning. 

Edited September 21, 2018 by BrooklynBus

[trainfan22]

ENY hybrid 6614 crashed into an apartment building this morning, only one minor injury.

[JeremiahC99]

8 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

ENY hybrid 6614 crashed into an apartment building this morning, only one minor injury.

I believe it’s at Ralph Avenue and St. Marks Avenue. I wonder how much damage the bus sustained?

[Lawrence St]

That front end is gone.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

3 hours ago, BrooklynBus said:

Operators should be able to turn of the please exit through the rear when it makes no sense line when the bus is near the end of the route or is nearly empty. It is very annoying at those times and ignored anyway. 

Also, "bus is turning" is also annoying when the bus is just pulling out of a stop and not really turning. 

This drives me nuts. The new buses on the M79- do that even when the bus is just maneuvering around a parked car. "Caution, bus is turning. Caution, bus is turning".

[Future ENY OP]

2 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

ENY hybrid 6614 crashed into an apartment building this morning, only one minor injury.

SCRAP.  Not a way to start Friday Morning. I pray that the driver is okay 

[East New York]

21 hours ago, BrooklynBus said:

Yes, but how are they going to deactivate the machines on weekends? They would have to be able to do it remotely if that is even possible. Or will they just keep your money if you don't see a sign saying no weekend service or tell you to give the receipt to the local operator instead of paying a fare? 

Also, has anyone seen the new traffic congestion on the main road near Mr Sinai Hospital because of the unnecessary bus lanes, just as I predicted, with virtually no place to switch between the main road and service road making left or right turns very difficult for cars and trucks? 

See comment below.

21 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

Ah, also, is it true that one Staten Island route is operated by a private company?

That's the College Shuttle.

20 hours ago, Around the Horn said:

Holy shit the B82 is a disaster... I don't think I've been on a bus more packed.

Like there were standees wherever people could fit all the way from the front to the back and in both doorways... Hello artics!

I don't think I've ever been on it when it wasn't packed lol.

20 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

Also, @East New York can you make a thread for the new SIM network because its getting difficult following all of these topics.

Great idea. I'm on it.

19 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

Since when? When I used the Bx12 Local I still see the SBS machines on.

They are always on, just Out Of Service outside of SBS hours. There are only 2 SBS routes that have 24 hour service. so all the others are turned off when the buses aren't running.

6 hours ago, BrooklynBus said:

Operators should be able to turn of the please exit through the rear when it makes no sense line when the bus is near the end of the route or is nearly empty. It is very annoying at those times and ignored anyway. 

Also, "bus is turning" is also annoying when the bus is just pulling out of a stop and not really turning. 

Unfortunately doesn't work like that. There is no sensor that tells the bus how many people are on it. So it actually doesn't make sense to have an option where it can be turned off. The MTA wants to remind everyone to exit through the rear. If this was an option operators would forget to turn it back on or leave it off all together. 

Same with "Bus Is Turning."  The system is activated when the turn signals are activated. There is no way to separate that and even if there was I'm sure MTA won't spend the money on that type of technology. 

[BrooklynBus]

3 minutes ago, East New York said:

See comment below.

That's the College Shuttle.

I don't think I've ever been on it when it wasn't packed lol.

Great idea. I'm on it.

They are always on, just Out Of Service outside of SBS hours. There are only 2 SBS routes that have 24 hour service. so all the others are turned off when the buses aren't running.

Unfortunately doesn't work like that. There is no sensor that tells the bus how many people are on it. So it actually doesn't make sense to have an option where it can be turned off. The MTA wants to remind everyone to exit through the rear. If this was an option operators would forget to turn it back on or leave it off all together. 

Same with "Bus Is Turning."  The system is activated when the turn signals are activated. There is no way to separate that and even if there was I'm sure MTA won't spend the money on that type of technology. 

Well it's totally ridiculous that we should have to hear "caution Bus is turning" every time a bus pulls into or leaves a bus stop. Defeats the entire purpose of the warning. Also, ridiculous if you are near the back door and are about to get off and hear "step away from the door" because the bus is still moving at one mile per hour and hasn't completely stopped. 

[Jdog14]

1 hour ago, BrooklynBus said:

Well it's totally ridiculous that we should have to hear "caution Bus is turning" every time a bus pulls into or leaves a bus stop. Defeats the entire purpose of the warning. Also, ridiculous if you are near the back door and are about to get off and hear "step away from the door" because the bus is still moving at one mile per hour and hasn't completely stopped. 

 

It's better than having a pedestrian walk into the bus cause they didnt know it was turning lol

[East New York]

1 hour ago, BrooklynBus said:

Well it's totally ridiculous that we should have to hear "caution Bus is turning" every time a bus pulls into or leaves a bus stop. Defeats the entire purpose of the warning. Also, ridiculous if you are near the back door and are about to get off and hear "step away from the door" because the bus is still moving at one mile per hour and hasn't completely stopped. 

Lol. That's true. Maybe you should contact Clever and tell them they need to invent a system that knows when the bus is turning vs. merging.

The "Please Move Away From The Doors" absolutely needs to stay. Too many people throughout history have activated the rear door interlock by pushing or leaning on the rear door. Once that interlock is thrown

Personally I love that, and here in Brooklyn of someone stands in the rear door and that warning continues, people will yell at them.  Since that system has been put in place the only known interlock issues have happened with older buses. From and operational standpoint, and being a mechanic I would rather have that. I have told countless people over the years not to stand in the rear stepwell of RTS and Orion buses. The wheelchair lifts on those buses could engage the interlock as well

The rear interlock was engaged on my RTS and it's an issue I have to deal with now. The bus won't move unless I put it in bypass. The average MTA operator does not know how to bypass, and even if they did it's not safe, not good for the health of the bus, and probably wouldn't be allowed anyway. 

I still see people start pushing on the doors before the bus stops to this day. Thank God Vapor makes some really good doors or door assemblies and it's never been a major issue or happened often. All of our buses have them by the way. Old and new.

[LGA Link N Train]

Don't young hate it when there's 2-3 buses in ONE stop and EVERYONE wants to bunch into the first bus and the other 2 buses remain empty, and the next bus that's supposed to arrive at the bus stop doesn't arrive for another 30 Minutes to and Hour?

[Lil 57]

1 minute ago, LaGuardia Link N Tra said:

Don't young hate it when there's 2-3 buses in ONE stop and EVERYONE wants to bunch into the first bus and the other 2 buses remain empty, and the next bus that's supposed to arrive at the bus stop doesn't arrive for another 30 Minutes to and Hour?

Yeah, It's also more stressful when 2 buses come at once, you hop in the first one, but the bus behind it passes you and gets to your destination 5-10 minutes before your bus gets there. Sometimes the B/O is driving so slow that the next bus comes flying by. 

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

19 minutes ago, Lil 57 said:

Yeah, It's also more stressful when 2 buses come at once, you hop in the first one, but the bus behind it passes you and gets to your destination 5-10 minutes before your bus gets there. Sometimes the B/O is driving so slow that the next bus comes flying by. 

See that's a Staten Island thing, they leap frog, which is the common sense thing to do, and I'm used to that. So when I ride the bus in Brooklyn. I tend to go for the second bus when the first one is extremely packed. But guess what, these Brooklyn drivers literally stay behind the first bus the entire time, and that's why you tend to see 3-4 buses coming at the same time because its like they refuse to pass each other unless they have no choice. Thats why people tend to cram onto the first bus. 

[Lil 57]

2 minutes ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

See that's a Staten Island thing, they leap frog, which is the common sense thing to do, and I'm used to that. So when I ride the bus in Brooklyn. I tend to go for the second bus when the first one is extremely packed. But guess what, these Brooklyn drivers literally stay behind the first bus the entire time, and that's why you tend to see 3-4 buses coming at the same time because its like they refuse to pass each other unless they have no choice. Thats why people tend to cram onto the first bus. 

Sometimes on SI there would be the 2nd bus passing the 1st late bus. And then the late bus would refuse to pass the 2nd bus and drive a little behind them. 

[East New York]

1 hour ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

See that's a Staten Island thing, they leap frog, which is the common sense thing to do, and I'm used to that. So when I ride the bus in Brooklyn. I tend to go for the second bus when the first one is extremely packed. But guess what, these Brooklyn drivers literally stay behind the first bus the entire time, and that's why you tend to see 3-4 buses coming at the same time because its like they refuse to pass each other unless they have no choice. Thats why people tend to cram onto the first bus. 

It's not a Staten Island thing. It's a MTA thing. We have a thing called a Leader/Follower system. A lot of people thing when 2 buses arrive at the same time it is because they are bunched. However more times than not this is not the case. As one bus leaves a terminal, another is scheduled directly in front or behind it. This is done on every MTA local route that has high ridership. 

Say the schedule says bus is due 5:02, and 2 buses come. The next scheduled bus may be at 5:09, and one of the 2 buses you just saw is not on a public schedule. On local routes with standard 40 foot buses, they can get packed to a standing load sometimes at the first stop. So with this system the leader and follower chase each other down the line easing the load off the other. So more than one bus may be scheduled internally, but show up as one on the schedule because it's guaranteed that one will be to capacity. Now that the B35 has gone articulated for example, a follower typically leaves a few minutes later now. This is used at rush hour for most routes, and other times during the day and evenings for heavy routes like the B6 and others.

You all ever notice how the operators blow the horn (usually 2 short beep beeps) when passing the other? This is a signal that either the leader or follower is passing. It's also a safely alert that a bus is passing.

Edited September 22, 2018 by East New York

[checkmatechamp13]

On 9/20/2018 at 9:01 PM, WestFarms36 said:

Unfortunately I do not have a picture of the machines during off hours, but for the Quarter machines (If you don't live near an +SBS+ route that doesn't operate late night) Try a parking meter after rules are no longer in effect. In the case of the MetroCard Machines, they do display that message on a Black screen, and do not do any functions until the route starts running again at its scheduled time.

Do they start working say, 15 minutes before the SBS starts running so people have time to buy their tickets?

[Lil 57]

On 9/20/2018 at 9:01 PM, WestFarms36 said:

Unfortunately I do not have a picture of the machines during off hours, but for the Quarter machines (If you don't live near an +SBS+ route that doesn't operate late night) Try a parking meter after rules are no longer in effect. In the case of the MetroCard Machines, they do display that message on a Black screen, and do not do any functions until the route starts running again at its scheduled time.

I found a video of the M15 SBS machines not working during the late nights.

All credit goes to Brlanmercy1022 for making this video.

 

Edited September 22, 2018 by Lil 57

[NewFlyer 230]

4 hours ago, East New York said:

It's not a Staten Island thing. It's a MTA thing. We have a thing called a Leader/Follower system. A lot of people thing when 2 buses arrive at the same time it is because they are bunched. However more times than not this is not the case. As one bus leaves a terminal, another is scheduled directly in front or behind it. This is done on every MTA local route that has high ridership. 

Say the schedule says bus is due 5:02, and 2 buses come. The next scheduled bus may be at 5:09, and one of the 2 buses you just saw is not on a public schedule. On local routes with standard 40 foot buses, they can get packed to a standing load sometimes at the first stop. So with this system the leader and follower chase each other down the line easing the load off the other. So more than one bus may be scheduled internally, but show up as one on the schedule because it's guaranteed that one will be to capacity. Now that the B35 has gone articulated for example, a follower typically leaves a few minutes later now. This is used at rush hour for most routes, and other times during the day and evenings for heavy routes like the B6 and others.

You all ever notice how the operators blow the horn (usually 2 short beep beeps) when passing the other? This is a signal that either the leader or follower is passing. It's also a safely alert that a bus is passing.

Hmm this definitely explains why I always see two buses back to back on the Q25 primarily on Saturdays (and other routes) . I always figured it had something to do with capacity, however I used to think that the MTA did it because those routes had the ridership for artic buses but since the depots didn’t have them, that was a temporary solution. But yeah this makes a lot of sense now.

Just one question though, if a route has scheduled runs at 5:02 and 5:10 and the 5:02 run has 2 buses set to run couldn’t a solution to that be to have the route run more frequently? So instead now you have one run at 5:02, 5:06 and 5:10 which would eliminate having two buses leaving at the same time. I know with NYC traffic and stop dwelling may cause the runs to end up bunched together anyways. 

[B35 via Church]

4 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

Hmm this definitely explains why I always see two buses back to back on the Q25 primarily on Saturdays (and other routes) . I always figured it had something to do with capacity, however I used to think that the MTA did it because those routes had the ridership for artic buses but since the depots didn’t have them, that was a temporary solution. But yeah this makes a lot of sense now.

Just one question though, if a route has scheduled runs at 5:02 and 5:10 and the 5:02 run has 2 buses set to run couldn’t a solution to that be to have the route run more frequently? So instead now you have one run at 5:02, 5:06 and 5:10 which would eliminate having two buses leaving at the same time. I know with NYC traffic and stop dwelling may cause the runs to end up bunched together anyways. 

You just answered your own question with that last statement....

What you're inquiring about, has been a reality of mine for decades in my neck of the woods w/ the B35 - not only did buses run more frequently, but buses were scheduled to leave (EB, for example) McDonald av at/around the same time the trips coming from Sunset Park (the LTD's) were scheduled to arrive at McDonald.... Knowing this, I would ALWAYS wait it out for the local; didn't care if LTD's came 2-3 at a time; all them dam LTD's would be packed.... By time buses would hit, say, Church av , buses would arrive in packs of 3-6 within a 5 minute span (during the rush, that is)....

Now with the artic conversion, obviously buses aren't that plentiful (anymore) - which of course, is by design.....

[GojiMet86]

Is that why there always seemed to be two Q69 bunched on Sundays, all day? They weren't scheduled like that.