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BUS - Random Thoughts Thread


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Since the MTA typically retires buses around the 15 year mark, and the oldest artic's in the system are around 10 years old, the TA won't have to order new artic's for a while.

 

The 1200s sound good but man the A/C units on those buses is horrid. They was like this when they ran on the M15 so it's not GH/KB maintenance as to why the A/C sucks on those buses. 1200s were a downgrade from the D60s in that regard.

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The Express buses are filling up consistently now. I've noticed that on many of the buses, besides for the first two rows that are chained off, which gives 6 feet between BO and passengers, another 3 or 4 rows are often either roped off with tape or folded up. This was fine until now, but we need as.many rows opened as possible. No need for more than 2 rows to be chained off. plus, half the express BOs don't wear masks which is ridiculous. 

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2 minutes ago, Snorunts said:

I heard recently in one of MTA’s updates that OMNY should be installed on all buses by the end of the year.

Yep. If I remember correctly the timeline should be:

  • December 2020 Subway and Buses are expected to be done throughout the city, except for the SIM23/24 
  • February 2021 Physical OMNY Card expected to begin sales at places like Walgreens, supermarkets (basically non-subway places you can buy a Metrocard now) which I think was supposed to coincide with the expansion of OMNY to Long Island Railroad and Metro North. Don’t know exactly how that would work. I would assume similar to London’s Oyster card system for their commuter railroads with the city
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3 hours ago, jaf0519 said:

Yep. If I remember correctly the timeline should be:

  • December 2020 Subway and Buses are expected to be done throughout the city, except for the SIM23/24 
  • February 2021 Physical OMNY Card expected to begin sales at places like Walgreens, supermarkets (basically non-subway places you can buy a Metrocard now) which I think was supposed to coincide with the expansion of OMNY to Long Island Railroad and Metro North. Don’t know exactly how that would work. I would assume similar to London’s Oyster card system for their commuter railroads with the city

wait, so MetroCards should be gone by 2022 right? I remember something like that being said.

 

side note, are there plans to create more Brooklyn - Manhattan overnight service/make the B99 permanent?

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1 hour ago, B61In2002 said:

wait, so MetroCards should be gone by 2022 right? I remember something like that being said.

 

side note, are there plans to create more Brooklyn - Manhattan overnight service/make the B99 permanent?

2023 would be when the Metrocard would retire. The extra time is to give people enough time to switch over.

No clue about the overnight service, but since the governor said that the intention is to bring back 24/7 service once they don’t need to fully clean the subway cars each day, I would imagine any new routes like the B99 that cover subway lines would but cut once that happens. If it keeps the subways clean, I would like the MTA to use overnight buses like the B99 to replace the subways. They wouldn’t mirror the subways entirely, and some subway lines may have several overnight lines covering portions, but I would have them be $2.75 instead of free like the subway shuttles, but with an additional free transfer to another subway shuttle overnight bus. But I cannot imagine that happening.

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2 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

Saw 7306 (I think) heading uptown on 8th with a few B/Os. Is FB staging some buses at Quill earlier in the day before the B99s start each night, or was that just a one-off?

I didn't even think they were staging them. The ones I saw were straight deadheads from Flatbush since the first night.

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6 hours ago, B61In2002 said:

side note, are there plans to create more Brooklyn - Manhattan overnight service/make the B99 permanent?

I think there could be some interesting additions to go along with the B99 (including in other boroughs), especially in Inwood/Kingsbridge.

Edited by Bay Ridge Express
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Took the opportunity to ride the whole B99 this time (and yes, they finally have the actual destination signage for the "B99").....

  • Manhattan bound buses read: "Columbus Circle || via 8th av" (separate frames)
  • Brooklyn bound buses read: "Midwood(1st frame)|| "Nostrand av (top line, 2nd frame) Avenue H (bottom line, 2nd frame)"

Anyway, I took the first trip of the night → #7644, from 1:12am to 2:00am on the dot.... At the Junction, there were 9 people waiting for a bus on that side of the street (myself included).... The B11 pulled up first, nobody got on.... about 5 mins later, a B41 pulled up - 6 out of the 9 people boarded (it appeared as if some of those people would've taken the B99 if the bus powered on/pulled up before the fact, but *shrugs*).... about 3 mins. after the B41 left, our b/o pulled up, and the rest of us 3 boarded the B99....

We rode nonstop until we hit Dekalb, when some dude in a white button down shirt motioned for the b/o to open the front door.... He counted the number of people on the bus (which was still the 3 of us that got on at the Junction) & we eventually left).... Both dudes got off at Canal/Broadway... At Wooster st (which isn't a stop), the b/o was nice enough to pick up some chick that was running for the bus.... Right before the bus turns onto 6th av (at that point, I was the only other passenger), said chick walks over to me & asked if this was the bus going to Brooklyn.... Told her, verbatim "Other direction" (while shaking my head no & pointing in the opposite direction)... She rings the bell & gets off at the next stop, 6th/Thompson.....

After that, one person boarded at Waverly & two other people boarded at W. 40th.... All 4 of us got off at the last stop.

All in all, pretty smooth ride from end to end...

7 hours ago, Cait Sith said:

I didn't even think they were staging them. The ones I saw were straight deadheads from Flatbush since the first night.

Bus I took was a DH.

When I got off the NB Q35 & as I was walking over to Flatbush/Nostrand, there was a bus right on the corner (in front of the B41/B99 bus stop pole)... I thought that was going to be our guy - but out of the blue, a bus (the bus I eventually got on, #7644) comes flying down Flatbush av. out of nowhere with the B99 Columbus Circle signage displayed.... Briefly parked at the B11 pickup stop & powered the bus off for a bit.... That was around 1am, so he took a break or whatever, until it was time to begin the trip....

As for that other bus on the corner, I couldn't tell you what route that was.... It was still powered off by time we pulled out....

Edited by B35 via Church
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21 hours ago, Snorunts said:

I heard recently in one of MTA’s updates that OMNY should be installed on all buses by the end of the year.

How do they plan to prevent fare evasion by just entering through rear doors without paying with OMNY?

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3 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Maybe by hiring more people for the Eagle Team to check people's cards and see who tapped on.

How will that work? Will they have readers that can scan credit cards, phones, watches, and OMNY cards to verify the payment? 

What would it show them on their screens? 

Edited by XcelsiorBoii4888
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6 minutes ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

How will that work? Will they have readers that can scan credit cards, phones, watches, and OMNY cards to verify the payment? 

What would it show them on their screens? 

It'll probably be similar to what LIRR/MNRR has now with the ticket scanners.

In Seattle, they use similar technology with the Orca Cards, the screens tend to show confirmation of payment and when you paid. It also shows if the card is invalid, has no money, ect.

Edited by Cait Sith
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