BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[checkmatechamp13]

@B35 via Church On the express buses, supposedly "Seats Available" meant that less than half of the seats were taken, "Limited Seating" meant that 50-100% of the seats were taken, and "Standing Room Only" is self-explanatory lol.

But the problem is the MTA never bothered to directly publish that information on the website. Some of the admins of some express bus-related Facebook groups got the information from the MTA and shared it. But what can you expect? This is the same agency that thinks a screenshot of an email in a private Facebook group is an effective way to get the word out about 3-legged transfers. Or when they ran extra (early PM) SIM6/8/26 buses on the day before Thanksgiving and I was going out of my way to tag the riders of those routes because the MTA put it on their website a couple of hours before those trips actually ran.

Rant over lol

[Calvin]

2 hours ago, Snorunts said:

I’ve been noticing how the 2017s at Gun Hill (5468-5484) have also been having their brand +selectbusservice removed.

Maybe at this point that they have often been used on local routes that they'll have OMNY bases for the local routes. It's the farebox that gets covered or not. 

[NBTA]

The Bx36 is acting like it's pre-artic days, with a mixed bag of buses (XD40, XN40/60, LFSA, C40).

[Via Garibaldi 8]

4 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

@B35 via Church On the express buses, supposedly "Seats Available" meant that less than half of the seats were taken, "Limited Seating" meant that 50-100% of the seats were taken, and "Standing Room Only" is self-explanatory lol.

But the problem is the MTA never bothered to directly publish that information on the website. Some of the admins of some express bus-related Facebook groups got the information from the MTA and shared it. But what can you expect? This is the same agency that thinks a screenshot of an email in a private Facebook group is an effective way to get the word out about 3-legged transfers. Or when they ran extra (early PM) SIM6/8/26 buses on the day before Thanksgiving and I was going out of my way to tag the riders of those routes because the MTA put it on their website a couple of hours before those trips actually ran.

Rant over lol

The other thing they told us was they would no longer be using BusTime for seating information because it's too dated (supposedly), yet the other day, I saw a BM4 on BusTime with "Seats Available". I guess it was an error, but odd nevertheless. 

[Cait Sith]

23 was driver training between Eastchester Depot and Pelham Bay earlier today. Chances are it will hit service out of Eastchester pretty soon(don't ask when(if it happens), I'm not Nostradamus).

[Via Garibaldi 8]

30 minutes ago, Cait Sith said:

23 was driver training between Eastchester Depot and Pelham Bay earlier today. Chances are it will hit service out of Eastchester pretty soon(don't ask when(if it happens), I'm not Nostradamus).

Yeah that was noted as happening soon, and will likely happen once they finish with training. That's what happened over at Yonkers.

[Iron Valiant]

55 minutes ago, Cait Sith said:

23 was driver training between Eastchester Depot and Pelham Bay earlier today. Chances are it will hit service out of Eastchester pretty soon(don't ask when(if it happens), I'm not Nostradamus).

That would be interesting if it hit service on MTABC routes. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t think any MTABC depot ever used any Novabus LFS in the past.

[Cait Sith]

1 minute ago, Snorunts said:

That would be interesting if it hit service on MTABC routes. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t think any MTABC depot ever used any Novabus LFS in the past.

23 is the Prevost lol.

[Iron Valiant]

1 hour ago, Cait Sith said:

23 is the Prevost lol.

Oh lord, I feel dumb. 😂 I knew it would be too weird for Eastchester to be testing a Novabus.

[4 via Mosholu]

11 minutes ago, Snorunts said:

Oh lord, I feel dumb. 😂 I knew it would be too weird for Eastchester to be testing a Novabus.

That's completely okay.

[NewFlyer 230]

6 hours ago, Snorunts said:

Oh lord, I feel dumb. 😂 I knew it would be too weird for Eastchester to be testing a Novabus.

It’s not dumb at all. Before the first LFS’s hit service for the MTA back in 2011, the Novabus pilots tested out of JFK depot on the Q60. However the LFS’s never ended up going to MTA buses and instead New Flyer’s ended up going to various MTA bus depots. 

Edited September 22, 2020 by NewFlyer 230

[paulrivera]

12 hours ago, Snorunts said:

Oh lord, I feel dumb. 😂 I knew it would be too weird for Eastchester to be testing a Novabus.

At least you were in the right ballpark 😆 ,  Nova and Prevost are the same company

[trainfan22]

3457 ECH to SC....? I just seen it driving down Flatlands Ave signed up as the BXM9, at first I thought it was an deadheading SC driver doing a codebreak. But it looked like it was being driven by an mechanic and it still had ECH stickers.

[Calvin]

I've noticed XD-40 7152 on the B3 (today) and 7328 on the B49 (few days ago) have the slide thru shield installed. The curtains were removed on the drivers cab. 

Edited September 22, 2020 by Calvin

[NBTA]

The 53/54XXs gotta be some of the best sounding "new buses" we have in NYC. 5388 is one of the more unique ones as well.

[Jdog14]

4 minutes ago, NBTA said:

The 53/54XXs gotta be some of the best sounding "new buses" we have in NYC. 5388 is one of the more unique ones as well.

I feel like some of the best sounding ones are the 2019 XD60s (although they are slow)

[NBTA]

19 minutes ago, Jdog14 said:

I feel like some of the best sounding ones are the 2019 XD60s (although they are slow)

I do agree with this as well.

Off topic, but there's an LFS running on the Q20, 8410 to be specific.

Edited September 23, 2020 by NBTA
It's an E Shuttle acting as a Q20.

[NBTA]

4876 is on the E Shuttle, same with another UP bus, but it's blue and I can't really see the #.

[NBTA]

So some of the E shuttle buses has this code:

Q20||HILLSIDE AVENUE F||VIA SUTPHIN BLVD

[SoSpectacular]

On 9/20/2020 at 1:03 PM, B35 via Church said:

 

Yeah, CTtransit, generally speaking, makes no secret of which trips interline, and not just on the schedules.... I've taken the (then) route #11 & route #41 in Stamford, where b/o's would flat out state that "if you need the 11, stay on the bus" (if it's a WB #41, in this case) upon reaching McKinney.... I've been told that NICE is basically doing the exact opposite with the n22 & n24, kicking people off the bus, full knowing that same bus & b/o is going to do the other segment of the route.... Not tryna be funny, but sometimes I would CTFU when I used to wait for the LIRR coming home, to hear pax. cursing out n22 drivers that short turned at Mineola..... B/o's of those late n40/41's in the afternoon used to get cursed out too.... Loud enough for you to clearly hear them across the tracks....

I dislike getting turned short when I have a moderate load and my follower is lagging behind, even though I clearly make an announcement after a call I'll still get the angry/pissed off riders.

"This shit happens every time!"
*Teeth sucking*
"Can I get a transfer??"

[B35 via Church]

13 minutes ago, SoSpectacular said:

I dislike getting turned short when I have a moderate load and my follower is lagging behind, even though I clearly make an announcement after a call I'll still get the angry/pissed off riders.

"This shit happens every time!"
*Teeth sucking*
"Can I get a transfer??"

For whatever the reason, I find that the riding public is more receptive to a c/r's announcement than they are a b/o's announcement.... It may as well be white noise to most bus riders IMO... Perfect example of this is when a b/o announces a detour.... B/o commences deviating off course due to (whatever); a parade, police activity, construction, etc... Whilst mid-route along the deviated course, then all of a sudden, a passenger starts copping all sorts of attitudes.... Experienced this so many times & I'm like, didn't you just hear him/her make the announcement.... I understand that nobody likes their commute getting interrupted/exacerbated, but I find that FAR too many people utilize public transportation with unrealistic expectations....

The situation with the n22 & n24 is that trips on both those routes have been split throughout most of the day (the first & last couple trips of the day still do the full gambit b/w Jamaica & Hicksville)..... n22's run b/w Jamaica & Mineola, then there are n22's that run b/w Mineola & Hicksville..... Same idea for the n24, except for the split point is RFM (Roosevelt Field mall)..... So what I was speaking on with the n22 in that last post, were of pax. cursing the b/o out for/along/on a scheduled short turn trip (in this case, the Jamaica - Mineola trips).... I laugh because these idiots commence cursing out the drivers, full knowing the bus is a short turn trip.

What you're more speaking to, is an unscheduled short turn - and as a passenger, I actually dread when that happens too, because I find that pax. are more volatile when that happens.... Happened enough times on the B12, where buses, mid-route, would turn into a trip ending at New York av..... Like you said, (them old ass ladies) sucking their teeth, the can I get a xfer & all that good stuff..... I was on a B12 one time, where this dude threw whatever he was eating (looked like a piece of a sandwich from my vantage point) in the b/o's direction, but it didn't hit him.... Even though I get off before NY av, I still got off that bus b/c the b/o got up to confront the dude (this was at Utica).... Luckily for me, a dollar van (well, minibus) was already at the corner, so I hopped in that mahf***a & went about my business....

Being that I know the bus system within NYC, and buses are frequent enough (all things considered) I never really panic/fret when I'm on a bus that short turns unexpectedly.... When I'm in other jurisdictions/states however, I'm like, oh great - now how am I gonna parlay/spare the rest of this itinerary & excursion.....

[4P3607]

I'm aboard 6532 and there's a paper sign on the Driver's cab reading "NIGHT CAR" in big letters. Any idea what this means?

[NBTA]

If you want a nice promotional bus, take the Q8 lmao

[Future ENY OP]

 

It appears that the  is slowly getting back to it’s ad and wrap blitz.

New wrap alerts:  Manhattan Division, Staten Island Division (EXP), Ulmer Park (EXP), Flatbush, Gleason, Grand, Fresh Pond  and  bus divisions  

 

[Q101viaSteinway]

On 9/24/2020 at 1:21 AM, B35 via Church said:

For whatever the reason, I find that the riding public is more receptive to a c/r's announcement than they are a b/o's announcement.... It may as well be white noise to most bus riders IMO... Perfect example of this is when a b/o announces a detour.... B/o commences deviating off course due to (whatever); a parade, police activity, construction, etc... Whilst mid-route along the deviated course, then all of a sudden, a passenger starts copping all sorts of attitudes.... Experienced this so many times & I'm like, didn't you just hear him/her make the announcement.... I understand that nobody likes their commute getting interrupted/exacerbated, but I find that FAR too many people utilize public transportation with unrealistic expectations....

The situation with the n22 & n24 is that trips on both those routes have been split throughout most of the day (the first & last couple trips of the day still do the full gambit b/w Jamaica & Hicksville)..... n22's run b/w Jamaica & Mineola, then there are n22's that run b/w Mineola & Hicksville..... Same idea for the n24, except for the split point is RFM (Roosevelt Field mall)..... So what I was speaking on with the n22 in that last post, were of pax. cursing the b/o out for/along/on a scheduled short turn trip (in this case, the Jamaica - Mineola trips).... I laugh because these idiots commence cursing out the drivers, full knowing the bus is a short turn trip.

What you're more speaking to, is an unscheduled short turn - and as a passenger, I actually dread when that happens too, because I find that pax. are more volatile when that happens.... Happened enough times on the B12, where buses, mid-route, would turn into a trip ending at New York av..... Like you said, (them old ass ladies) sucking their teeth, the can I get a xfer & all that good stuff..... I was on a B12 one time, where this dude threw whatever he was eating (looked like a piece of a sandwich from my vantage point) in the b/o's direction, but it didn't hit him.... Even though I get off before NY av, I still got off that bus b/c the b/o got up to confront the dude (this was at Utica).... Luckily for me, a dollar van (well, minibus) was already at the corner, so I hopped in that mahf***a & went about my business....

Being that I know the bus system within NYC, and buses are frequent enough (all things considered) I never really panic/fret when I'm on a bus that short turns unexpectedly.... When I'm in other jurisdictions/states however, I'm like, oh great - now how am I gonna parlay/spare the rest of this itinerary & excursion.....

I think that the reason why ppl are more receptive to a c/r's announcement is that the public thinks that all c/r's do is make announcements and open/close the door, while the b/o actually drives the bus and can take other routes that are not authorized without management's permission.