BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[Jdog14]

2 hours ago, paulrivera said:

And that's why most Staten Island buses will never run better than 30 minute headways.

 

Ridership and resources also play into that. 

[aemoreira81]

23 hours ago, paulrivera said:

There’s undercover NYPD stopping people that are farebeating on the local Bx12 right now.

About damn time.

I’m also for deploying state troopers in the same capacity. Tolerate farebeating and Lord only knows what else is tolerated. With OMNY, there would also be the possibility of making the entire system proof of payment, allowing for fare checks on any route. This is done in Vancouver.

[paulrivera]

31 minutes ago, Jdog14 said:

 

Ridership and resources also play into that. 

True, but all the while they are low-key saying that farebeaters don't count as riders. If you have 90 people on a bus and 30 don't pay, most likely only the 60 that did pay are counted when it's time to adjust bus frequencies.

 

4 hours ago, Bay Ridge Express said:

Your "lesson" will hurt students that actually pay the fare also. Undercover patrol imo would be more effective, that is, if the cops actually did anything about it.

The war is just now starting. I think with the initial shock of actually seeing cops (especially undercover) pulling people off buses and giving them summonses will whip at least some into paying their fares. The key is not just having the NYPD or whoever just do a 2 week surge and then stop the efforts, it needs to be constant enforcement. You don't have to bring every Transit PD officer to every bus stop in NYC, but they need to have at least a few roaming around at random to keep people on their toes.

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

4 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Consider yourself lucky. On the express end, lots of OMNY readers have been broken or off and drivers have not been letting riders on. Myself and another leader of a Staten Island Express Bus Advocacy Group have been discussing this. I’ve been trying to inform folks and she has been dealing directly with the  and reps for the new payment system to answer rider questions about what to do when OMNY is down. Drivers that aren’t allowing riders in are being identified accordingly.

LOL are you serious?? When a MetroCard machine is OOS, they cover it up with transfers and everyone gets on for FREE, now because the OMNY thing is broken people get kicked off the bus? 🤣 Wish I was there. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

2 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

LOL are you serious?? When a MetroCard machine is OOS, they cover it up with transfers and everyone gets on for FREE, now because the OMNY thing is broken people get kicked off the bus? 🤣 Wish I was there. 

I wish I was lying. So you can’t pay with coins anymore and if you can’t get a Metrocard, how else are you supposed to pay? That’s the whole point of OMNY, and if it’s broken and that’s how the person planned to pay, then the ride should be free. The  needs to train their bus operators better.

[NewFlyer 230]

3 hours ago, paulrivera said:

The war is just now starting. I think with the initial shock of actually seeing cops (especially undercover) pulling people off buses and giving them summonses will whip at least some into paying their fares. The key is not just having the NYPD or whoever just do a 2 week surge and then stop the efforts, it needs to be constant enforcement. You don't have to bring every Transit PD officer to every bus stop in NYC, but they need to have at least a few roaming around at random to keep people on their toes.

Oh definitely I agree. That is definitely the problem I see with SBS routes. A new SBS route gets implemented, you have some enforcement in the beginning and then afterwards enforcement is rarely done. I ride the Q44 often and the last time that I’ve have seen any enforcement being done on that route was back in 2017 at Sutphin Blvd and Hillside heading towards Jamaica. 
The only way for people to get the message is if enforcement is done randomly and often enough where people will think to themselves that there is a chance that they will get caught. I would honestly love to see two undercover officers on a bus pull off a bunch of kids or adults who just slide in through the back doors without paying.

Some drivers are bold enough to say something to those who farebeat, but most stay quiet, because there are crazy people out there. 

[Around the Horn]

10 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Undercovers (on the subway) is what kept farebeating at very low levels during the 80's & the earlier part of the 90's... Now the only thing you see undercovers on the subway, are bums....

I'm all for deploying undercover cops on buses.... Shit's gotten way too out of hand (talking about skipping the fare in general, not just on the Bx12 route)..... I shouldn't have to feel like a f**kin' sucker when I engage in doing something called actually paying the fare....

The "Eagle Team" should have been undercovers to begin with.

[Around the Horn]

14 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

Oh definitely I agree. That is definitely the problem I see with SBS routes. A new SBS route gets implemented, you have some enforcement in the beginning and then afterwards enforcement is rarely done. I ride the Q44 often and the last time that I’ve have seen any enforcement being done on that route was back in 2017 at Sutphin Blvd and Hillside heading towards Jamaica. 

I would see them a lot in the afternoon at Union Turnpike

[Via Garibaldi 8]

4 hours ago, paulrivera said:

True, but all the while they are low-key saying that farebeaters don't count as riders. If you have 90 people on a bus and 30 don't pay, most likely only the 60 that did pay are counted when it's time to adjust bus frequencies.

 

The war is just now starting. I think with the initial shock of actually seeing cops (especially undercover) pulling people off buses and giving them summonses will whip at least some into paying their fares. The key is not just having the NYPD or whoever just do a 2 week surge and then stop the efforts, it needs to be constant enforcement. You don't have to bring every Transit PD officer to every bus stop in NYC, but they need to have at least a few roaming around at random to keep people on their toes.

What I think is cute is apparently every articulated bus is supposedly an “SBS bus”. Today I waited for the BxM1 at 86th and 3rd with my Whole Foods bags. A part of me didn’t want to because I knew what to expect but I said just wait here. Like clockwork, I saw people boarding through any door and not paying, some people with their Metrocards out as if they couldn’t bother to wait and pay at the front, so just get on and take a seat. This is what happens when you create a sense of entitlement. It’s disgusting.

[Lil 57]

Wonder if that 9 PM S44 from the ferry is going to turn into a S94 again today. I won't be there so if anyone sees an S94 tonight, let me know since you can't track the S94 on weekends.

Edited June 15, 2019 by Lil 57

[Orion6025]

The B7 has only three buses right now... Is that normal?? For a route that long with only three buses... That must lead to awful service levels.

[Lil 57]

7 minutes ago, Orion6025 said:

The B7 has only three buses right now... Is that normal?? For a route that long with only three buses... That must lead to awful service levels.

The route runs every 20-30 minutes at this time so that should be normal. Remember that there's also a detour on that route so that can have buses not appear on BusTime.

[B35 via Church]

1 hour ago, Orion6025 said:

The B7 has only three buses right now... Is that normal?? For a route that long with only three buses... That must lead to awful service levels.

Yep, sounds like the B7... awful service levels - for a route around my neck of the woods, much of nobody wants, or even needs.....

The riderbase that gets screwed that really needs the thing, are the riders further up the route....

2 hours ago, Around the Horn said:

The "Eagle Team" should have been undercovers to begin with.

There shouldn't have been an Eagle Team to begin with.... NYPD/MTA/joint operations should've never ditched undercover operations over the years (I stopped noticing the ones around Church av in the mid to late '90's.... Same with the ones that used to frequent Dekalb av & Hoyt st stations).....

AFAIC. those retired cops they cutely dubbed a faction for, exists to instill fear out of commuters (for the simple sake of doing so), much more than they are there to deter farebeating.... Bombarding buses like they're ready to trounce the riding public on some SWAT type shit... F*** a Eagle Team; I despise them with a seething passion...

 

Edited June 16, 2019 by B35 via Church

[NBTA]

2 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

Yep, sounds like the B7... awful service levels - for a route around my neck of the woods, much of nobody wants, or even needs.....

The riderbase that gets screwed that really needs the thing, are the riders further up the route....

The B4 is probably miles worse, I wish the B7 went to Kings Highway (B)(Q) Station full time, but I'm not always out there, so I wouldn't know if they need service like that.

Edited June 16, 2019 by NBTA

[B35 via Church]

4 minutes ago, NBTA said:

The B4 is probably miles worse, I wish the B7 went to Kings Highway (B)(Q) Station full time, but I'm not always out there, so I wouldn't know if they need service like that.

B7 in that area is largely supplemental.... Take the B7 away & it'd be like taking some BPH away from the B82....

Anyway, neither is all that reliable, but I'd have to say the B4 is more useful for more people than the B7 is.... B4 has steadily gotten better over the years (B4 under Ulmer Park, now that shit was 1:1 comparable with today's B7... LOL.), while the B7, at best, has remained relatively stagnant....  Have the MTA add more service on both routes (to where they'd be equal) & I can practically guarantee there'll be less B4's carrying air than there would be B7's....

[trainfan22]

Finally rode the BX6 to the last stop in Hunts Point, ridership is pretty high at the first stop in Hunts Point considering its in the middle of nowhere. Seen parts of the BX I never seen before (Only rode the BX6 between Hunts Point  station and the Manhattan Terminal in the past) . Came across an XN60 with an screeching fan belt, its like their paying homeage to the O.G's the D60HF which were notorious for screeching fan belts haha

[Calvin]

Looking at Old Fulton St and Water St.  Seeing it as a two way street by the Bridge. When the buses leave during the past festival, all the cars got to make that U-turn.

 

Also, Surf Av by Stillwell Av, the streets were restored (happened a while back). The streets, however, the two way has a higher elevation (or a small hill) than it has before. 

Edited June 16, 2019 by Calvin

[paulrivera]

4 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Yep, sounds like the B7... awful service levels - for a route around my neck of the woods, much of nobody wants, or even needs.....

The riderbase that gets screwed that really needs the thing, are the riders further up the route....

There shouldn't have been an Eagle Team to begin with.... NYPD/MTA/joint operations should've never ditched undercover operations over the years (I stopped noticing the ones around Church av in the mid to late '90's.... Same with the ones that used to frequent Dekalb av & Hoyt st stations).....

AFAIC. those retired cops they cutely dubbed a faction for, exists to instill fear out of commuters (for the simple sake of doing so), much more than they are there to deter farebeating.... Bombarding buses like they're ready to trounce the riding public on some SWAT type shit... F*** a Eagle Team; I despise them with a seething passion...

 

90% of B/O’s tend to haul major ass with their buses when they know the Eagle team is active, so they’re actually good for something.

The only thing is they don’t issue as many summonses because they can and do use more “discretion”. For instance you’ll never see them writing up a ticket to a minor.

[checkmatechamp13]

On 6/15/2019 at 11:19 AM, paulrivera said:

And that's why most Staten Island buses will never run better than 30 minute headways.

The S79 runs every 10-12 minutes or better the whole day. Matter of fact most routes run every 15 minutes or better for at least part of the day

[B35 via Church]

On 6/15/2019 at 8:08 AM, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

THIS RIGHT HERE...

It's so bad on some Staten Island routes I feel like a kiss ass to the MTA for paying to take the bus. 

Exactly how I feel whenever I see the rampant farebeating on the corner of Utica & Church (B35 and the B46) everyday.....

Sometimes when I'm coming from the corner store & I see an oncoming B35, I just stand there with the Jason Terry face (you know the gif... lol) watching people of all ages freely board the bus.....

On 6/15/2019 at 8:17 AM, NBTA said:

I'm not down there too often, but whenever I get on the S79, there's at least 10+ people who don't pay between Eltingville Station and the Mall...in either direction.

...and in my experiences, at least 10 of them would board at the SIR station..... If the SIR is "free", why shouldn't the rest of public transit be...

smh....

On 6/15/2019 at 8:22 AM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Shocker... lol Staten Island’s fare beating problems are almost as bad as areas of the Bronx. The local buses esp. have always been bad, and the lines hat run through PJ areas. lol

The rest of the city has caught up to how overt SI's are when it comes to farebeating; look at the b/o & walk right on by..... Some still give the sob story, but there in an increase in the amt. of people that don't even do that anymore....

This is a citywide culture that's spreading like wildfire & this entitlement better be curbed quick....

On 6/15/2019 at 8:51 AM, Lil 57 said:

And it shouldn't be this way. Sometimes out of 15-20 people boarding the S79, I'm the only one that pays. The majority of these fare beaters are teens do I think that until they start paying, school trippers should be cut. That would especially hurt the South shore with S55/56 service being reduced from every 10 minutes to every 30 minutes. But that should reach them a lesson. If you don't want to pay for the bus, we aren't going to pay for your school trippers.

They don't pay, regardless.... Fiscally, these teens aren't losing squat, so the mindset is, why should they have to deal with the hassle of dipping a (student) metrocard? As Art Carney/Ed Norton would put it, Nothin from nothin leaves nothin.....

I don't want to make out like I'm defending this shit (and I'm not), but taking away trippers for most schoolkids in this city isn't a punishment... At worst, it's an inconvenience (instead of the bus being right in front of (or alongside) school grounds, they then would have to do w/e amount of walking to catch the bus they need - to (not pay) on that one too).....

On 6/15/2019 at 1:58 PM, aemoreira81 said:

I’m also for deploying state troopers in the same capacity. Tolerate farebeating and Lord only knows what else is tolerated.....

State troopers might be a bit much; the rest of the state of New York might want to have a word with you about that....

Your second point though (even though we transit enthusiasts stop at nothing to point out the BS that surrounds & is initiated by this very agency), is still underrated....

14 hours ago, paulrivera said:

90% of B/O’s tend to haul major ass with their buses when they know the Eagle team is active, so they’re actually good for something....

Well hell, I wouldn't wanna deal with them either!

[Lil 57]

9 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

I don't want to make out like I'm defending this shit (and I'm not), but taking away trippers for most schoolkids in this city isn't a punishment... At worst, it's an inconvenience (instead of the bus being right in front of (or alongside) school grounds, they then would have to do w/e amount of walking to catch the bus they need - to (not pay) on that one too).....

Kinda depends on the route. While it might not be an inconvenience for S79 riders, S55/56 riders would have only a third of service left. So those people would feel more pain. (IMO, I would only count paying customers as riders, so when the service cuts come around, those lines with high fare beating would have service cut.)

[Future ENY OP]

7 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

State troopers might be a bit much; the rest of the state of New York might want to have a word with you about that....

Your second point though (even though we transit enthusiasts stop at nothing to point out the BS that surrounds & is initiated by this very agency), is still underrated....

Well hell, I wouldn't wanna deal with them either!

There’s a ad out right now for fare evasion on the subways with a joint effort of  police, Port Authority Police and NYPD. Obviously for the latter 2 those would be Manhattan and Queens properties that the  and PA has in conjunction with the trains. 

State police is a bit out of reach and I agree B35. However, if you are in the juridisction of The Bronx where state PD loves to hang out to catch speeders it may not be too far out of reach.  (requiring some form of Albany assistance and gov says ok u may have undercover state pd on buses) 

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

33 minutes ago, Lil 57 said:

Kinda depends on the route. While it might not be an inconvenience for S79 riders, S55/56 riders would have only a third of service left. So those people would feel more pain. (IMO, I would only count paying customers as riders, so when the service cuts come around, those lines with high fare beating would have service cut.)

I hope that's the case with the S52. GET RID OF IT!! 95% of people don't pay...

They really should just increase S42 service, and then either merge another route or create another route on the south shore end of the route and be done with it. 

 

[Calvin]

2018-2019 XD-40 structure list (7851-7905 TBD)

Jamaica: 7484-7507, 7699-7705, 7753-7778, 7835-7838 = 61

Grand Av: 7520-7530, 7725-7733, 7821-7834 = 34

Fresh Pond: 7508-7519, 7706-7723, 7738-7752 , 7802-7820 = 65

Flatbush: 7615-7662 (48 for B46+)

East New York: 7663-7684 (22 for B82+) + 7685-7693, 7779-7784 (7785-7787) 7788-7801 - 29/32 = 54

Michael J Quill: 7572 (at Jamaica for now), 7573-7614 (43)

Ulmer Park: 7531-7545, 7552-7567, 7839-7848 (41)

West Farms: 7546-7551, 7568-7571, 7694-7698, 7734-7737, *7849-7850 = 21

 

 

Edited June 17, 2019 by Calvin

[LegoBrickBreaker101]

Someone earlier asked for a pic of one of the new updated signs on the 2015 LFS'. Here's a clip of one of the updated signs on LFS #8483 on the Q36 Limited (Timestamp is 2:50 in the video). The LFS' have started getting this update since at least early April.