BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[B35 via Church]

40 minutes ago, Q101viaSteinway said:

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.

It's simpler than that; bus drivers are simply less respected  

The hierarchy (or whatever you wanna call it) as far as respect, usually goes commercial airplane pilot, ship captain, train operator/motorman, bus driver, taxi driver, the guy that controls the horse & carriage that charges these suckers like $50 per quarter mile or some shit... lol...... Train conductor is somewhere between a t/o & a b/o..... Flight attendant is probably on par with a b/o....

Edited September 25, 2020 by B35 via Church

[QM1to6Ave]

8 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

It's simpler than that; bus drivers are simply less respected  

The hierarchy (or whatever you wanna call it) as far as respect, usually goes commercial airplane pilot, ship captain, train operator/motorman, bus driver, taxi driver, the guy that controls the horse & carriage that charges these suckers like $50 per quarter mile or some shit... lol...... Train conductor is somewhere between a t/o & a b/o..... Flight attendant is probably on par with a b/o....

Don't forget the pedicab operator a**holes

[R10 2952]

The B/O thing is a two-way street though; compared to C/Rs, I've witnessed plenty more drivers lose their cool over the P.A. than conductors.  Especially back in the old O5 and RTS days.

[B35 via Church]

2 hours ago, R10 2952 said:

The B/O thing is a two-way street though; compared to C/Rs, I've witnessed plenty more drivers lose their cool over the P.A. than conductors.  Especially back in the old O5 and RTS days.

Well hell, can you blame them? They're more public-facing....

5 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Don't forget the pedicab operator a**holes

Funny you mention that... I saw one of those dudes after coming off the B99 early this morning around W. 56th/7th on the walk back (haven't seen them dudes in months, before the fact)... Don't know wtf you expect to actually pick up around 4:30 in the morning... Bad enough they virtually don't pick up much of no one during the rest of the day anyway

[QM1to6Ave]

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

Well hell, can you blame them? They're more public-facing....

Funny you mention that... I saw one of those dudes after coming off the B99 early this morning around W. 56th/7th on the walk back (haven't seen them dudes in months, before the fact)... Don't know wtf you expect to actually pick up around 4:30 in the morning... Bad enough they virtually don't pick up much of no one during the rest of the day anyway

I'm convinced most of them are drug dealers 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

From the Brooklyn Bus Redesign Discussion Thread:

7 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Think I mentioned this before, but the Bx99 & M99 are constantly bunching... Whenever I randomly look on bustime here from home, or when I'm out & about in Manhattan during the overnight hours, I'm almost always seeing either of these routes within a minute or two of (sometimes literally right behind) each other..... I'm sorry, but that shit should not be consistently happening at damn 2,3,4 in the morning, especially on 20 min. (scheduled) headways.....

I can't speak about the M99, but I believe they're actually sending two buses on certain Bx99 trip instead of one. Last night I used the Bx99, and there was a bus 1 minute, 7 minutes, and 18 minutes away (consistent with what I was tracking on my phone). I also recall seeing on other occasions, the first bus towards Manhattan originating at it's regular time, and then a few minutes later, a bus ahead of that bus showing up at Burnside Avenue. Those two buses ended up traveling down 2nd Avenue together. They also did that when the route was running 40 footers, as I recall seeing two Bx99s operating the 1 AM trip to Woodlawn while walking along 10th Avenue one night. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So I was out last night, and here are some observations:

The QM17 last night was virtually non-existent. I only saw two trips being done, the 1:15 AM trip from Midtown to Far Rockaway, and the 3:00 AM trip from Far Rockaway. I was tracking the QM17 last night, and none of the other outbound trips were tracking. The 1:00 AM, 2:00 AM, and 4:00 AM trips did not run, and I'm not sure if the 5:00 AM trip ran or not.  I messaged the Twitter account to ask if the specific bus trip I wanted was operating, and they responded that that QM17 buses are operating with "extreme delays". However, buses not running are not "extreme delays", they're cancellations.  They used to specifically post what trips weren't running when they received info of it, now they're just putting up "may experience longer waits".  

I ended up taking the Q32 to Queens instead of the QM17. I was initially considering taking the Q32 to Woodside or Jackson Heights for the Q53, but I felt the Q32 would get to Woodside after the Q53 (and there was a Q60 crossing the river while we were at Queens Plaza).  I took the bus to 40th Street and transferred to the Q60. I managed to ride an XD60 artic on the Q60 for the first time (5372).  The Q32 was almost SRO, but the Q60 had like 3 other people besides me, and I believe nobody got on between 40th Street and Woodhaven Boulevard, so it was like an express ride.  

Took the to Lexington Ave-63rd Street to to see the supplemental service that was running on the M102. I could have thought that they ran buses every 30 minutes on weekends, but they run every 60 minutes. Either way, that trip didn't go to waste, as I finally managed to catch an SBS XD60 on the M15 Local. Quill usually sends their LFSAs to cover the M15 local trips they have, and rarely sends their XD60s. It would be interesting if an XE60 made it on there someday. Now that I have caught the M15 and M102 supplements, my main focus will now be catching the Q102 overnight service. 

On the Bx99, I ended up standing because the bus had no seats available. Took it to 5th Avenue, and almost all seats were still taken when I got off (a few got off at 61st, and others at Lexington Ave). There was another Bx99 two blocks down when I got off (at 86th Street, it was 6 minutes behind the bus I got on). The bus passed by, with a whopping 0 riders on. I know they're sending additional buses out, but like sending late bus like that doesn't really help. If they're going to send two buses, either send them together, or have a slightly earlier bus along with a bus within a few minutes of it. 

 

Edited September 27, 2020 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[checkmatechamp13]

@BM5 via Woodhaven Or just put a schedule that shows 10-15 minute headways around a particular timeframe. Just because the subway runs every 20 minutes overnight doesn't mean the replacement buses can't run more frequently.

[trainfan22]

WF and GH was on the shuttle today, when the shuttle went by ENY depot there's a sign outside the garage saying that the depot is being upgraded for artics, we already knew ENY the poster told us, just saying it's in progress...

 

 

Back to WF and GH working the shuttle, with the whole MTA Regional Bus ordeal how come MTA bus depots aren't used for subway shuttles more often? SC, JFK, BP are closer to the shuttle route than MTV, WF and GH which was on the shuttle this weekend. 

 

 

Same goes for the shuttle, the three NYCT depots cover the route with a random bus from BK here or there, but MTA Bus depots is no where to be found (from what I seen)

 

 

MTA Bus seem to work subway shuttles at random but not regularly.

 

Edited September 28, 2020 by trainfan22

[Future ENY OP]

49 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

WF and GH was on the shuttle today, when the shuttle went by ENY depot there's a sign outside the garage saying that the depot is being upgraded for artics, we already knew ENY the poster told us, just saying it's in progress...

 

 

Back to WF and GH working the shuttle, with the whole MTA Regional Bus ordeal how come MTA bus depots aren't used for subway shuttles more often? SC, JFK, BP are closer to the shuttle route than MTV, WF and GH which was on the shuttle this weekend. 

 

 

Same goes for the shuttle, the three NYCT depots cover the route with a random bus from BK here or there, but MTA Bus depots is no where to be found (from what I seen)

 

 

MTA Bus seem to work subway shuttles at random but not regularly.

 

I observed this yesterday also.. Lots of GH NG buses in Brooklyn for the shuttle yesterday. Really SC is the closest since the shuttle was from Rockaway Parkway to Broadway Junction. However, that's a good question.. 

[NewFlyer 230]

2 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

WF and GH was on the shuttle today, when the shuttle went by ENY depot there's a sign outside the garage saying that the depot is being upgraded for artics, we already knew ENY the poster told us, just saying it's in progress...

 

 

Back to WF and GH working the shuttle, with the whole MTA Regional Bus ordeal how come MTA bus depots aren't used for subway shuttles more often? SC, JFK, BP are closer to the shuttle route than MTV, WF and GH which was on the shuttle this weekend. 

 

 

Same goes for the shuttle, the three NYCT depots cover the route with a random bus from BK here or there, but MTA Bus depots is no where to be found (from what I seen)

 

 

MTA Bus seem to work subway shuttles at random but not regularly.

 

From what I saw BP and JFK has helped out with the  shuttle. 
If I had to take a guess as to why they don’t put more MTA buses on subway shuttle, I would suspect it has partially something to do with them not having subway codes like “E Jamaica CTR” and etc. From what I see MTA buses have the generic “subway shuttle” code. 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

10 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

@BM5 via Woodhaven Or just put a schedule that shows 10-15 minute headways around a particular timeframe. Just because the subway runs every 20 minutes overnight doesn't mean the replacement buses can't run more frequently.

The problem is that the additional buses do not appear to have a fixed schedule. It looks like they're placed on an as-needed basis or something. 

[EastFlatbushLarry]

7 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Back to WF and GH working the shuttle, with the whole MTA Regional Bus ordeal how come MTA bus depots aren't used for subway shuttles more often? SC, JFK, BP are closer to the shuttle route than MTV, WF and GH which was on the shuttle this weekend.

simple answer: hierarchy & history.

historically, the line/boro in which shuttle service was needed only went to that division's bus counterpart. the rules were relaxed over the years due to the struggle divisions had to make service within respective yards. the consolidation of OA & TA in 2002 made shuttle work coverage much easier, as well as alterations to queens division rules making it possible for other divisions to assist. changes on Staten Island also afforded their union members overtime on shuttles were once upon a time it wasn't allowed. finally, when bus company was formed, due to modifications in their respective contracts made them available to provide shuttle coverage with the stipulation that civil service yards (and MaBSTOA, which is municipal by legal definition, however civil service via parity & the consolidation pick of 2002) would be called well before them. meaning, that if queens division (by definition, TA Queens, civil service QV/CS/JA only) can't find operators who are on RDO to cover that shuttle, the next offer will be to Brooklyn Division (excluding SC) then MaBSTOA, specifically Bronx (excluding EC/YO) then Manhattan, then staten island, THEN finally bus company phones will ring. among bus company there's a hierarchy based on availability as well, with Far Rockaway & Yonkers not even being considered. from what I've seen, LG & CP are 1a & 1b in that regard (no particular order) imo it always seems as if LG & CP usually match each other, operator for operator, in regards to shuttle work. Spring Creek usually always has operators salivating for shuttle overtime. JFK, Baisley Park & Eastchester rarely get called for shuttles based on operator availability and the low number of spares available, so when they are on shuttle duty, they were pretty much called upon out of dire necessity. i must add, when I speak of operator availability for shuttles, i mean that the operators who volunteer for shuttle work are either on RDO, or worked earlier that day, and have cleared off of their regular run. shuttle work, much like the overnight subway closure coverage is covered on a volunteer basis. 

Edited September 28, 2020 by EastFlatbushLarry
apologies for the lengthy response. please feel free to correct any info provided.

[B35 via Church]

13 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

From the Brooklyn Bus Redesign Discussion Thread:

*quoted post*

I can't speak about the M99, but I believe they're actually sending two buses on certain Bx99 trip instead of one. Last night I used the Bx99, and there was a bus 1 minute, 7 minutes, and 18 minutes away (consistent with what I was tracking on my phone). I also recall seeing on other occasions, the first bus towards Manhattan originating at it's regular time, and then a few minutes later, a bus ahead of that bus showing up at Burnside Avenue. Those two buses ended up traveling down 2nd Avenue together. They also did that when the route was running 40 footers, as I recall seeing two Bx99s operating the 1 AM trip to Woodlawn while walking along 10th Avenue one night.

I believe the ongoing phenomenon is a combination of what you're saying & some of these b/o's are doing whatever they want - Much like 3rd shifters in a lot of workplaces do when they're given that freedom.....

Zero reason for me to have been on a dam crushloaded inbound M99 around 3:30/4am, with another trailing it within a handful of mins. or so the whole way through with only 2 or 3 people on it.... Majority of pax. that boarded that bus that day, expressed their frustrations at the b/o & I don't blame them one bit....

Even though I'm about equidistant from the NY/Church stop on the B99 & the Thatford/Hegeman stop of the M99, I just do the B99 much more often b/c there's less BS that goes on with the route (among other reasons)... While I have seen/experienced bunched B99's also, the occurrence is far more rare than the other two routes.... The last time I took the full Bx99 (after finally figuring out the first stop is actually at Charlton/Hudson (shared stop with the NB M20) → which is 2 blocks away from Spring/Hudson... Yeah it's due to construction, but still, the MTA's gotta update that; that's significant enough - and that construction over there's (Spring/Hudson) been ongoing for years - well before the Bx99's inauguration), some dude that was waiting for it at Houston/Hudson (on Hudson... which is where I stood waiting for about 15 mins., before opting to walk away from the guy) asked me if I knew when the bus was coming.... Said no, then he went on a bit of a rant about how he's been waiting for almost an hour (which I didn't believe, but w/e).... As soon as I commenced walking south, I said out loud "yeah, see this f***in shit... Look at this (while pointing at one of the buses)" - referring to SB Bx99's arriving ass-to-nose, short of at the light at Hudson (along Houston)... We both threw up our hands as soon as I made that (mini) rant of my own.... Smh.... It gets better though - the bus both of us ended up boarding that day (me at Charlton, him at Houston) wasn't either of those 2 buses!

------

There's a dispatcher that's often parked on the corner of Dekalb/Flatbush av. extension (right at the B38 WB stop)... Every time I take the inbound B99 or M99, I make it a habit to see if 1] the car or station wagon's there & 2] if dude's KTFO in it.... More often than not, he is.... I have only seen a b/o get spoken to once, and that was around the time of the B99's inauguration....

2 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

The problem is that the additional buses do not appear to have a fixed schedule. It looks like they're placed on an as-needed basis or something. 

They're not (on a fixed schedule), but what he's saying is that if there's a need for the extra service, place them into the schedule (instead of apparently having them run rogue).... While I don't agree with there being a need for Bx99 to intentionally run in bunches (or the extra service), I agree with Checkmate's premise - Incorporate those "as needed" buses into the schedule, where buses can run uniformly on lower headways (or at the very least, do a much better damn job at it).... There's nothing stopping them from doing that.

I'm not gonna bother trying to defend whatever practice that's having these buses bunching just about daily, the way they do on 2 out of these 3 routes..... You're out there probably just as much as I am, so you know first-hand there isn't remotely any traffic impeding the things....

Crazy how I can ride the full M20 (2 separate occasions) around the 3am hour, getting to S. Ferry in less than 35 minutes, but have waited for an M99 on more than 1 occasion for about that same amount of time....

[B35 via Church]

19 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

So I was out last night, and here are some observations:

The QM17 last night was virtually non-existent. I only saw two trips being done, the 1:15 AM trip from Midtown to Far Rockaway, and the 3:00 AM trip from Far Rockaway. I was tracking the QM17 last night, and none of the other outbound trips were tracking. The 1:00 AM, 2:00 AM, and 4:00 AM trips did not run, and I'm not sure if the 5:00 AM trip ran or not.  I messaged the Twitter account to ask if the specific bus trip I wanted was operating, and they responded that that QM17 buses are operating with "extreme delays". However, buses not running are not "extreme delays", they're cancellations.  They used to specifically post what trips weren't running when they received info of it, now they're just putting up "may experience longer waits".  

I ended up taking the Q32 to Queens instead of the QM17. I was initially considering taking the Q32 to Woodside or Jackson Heights for the Q53, but I felt the Q32 would get to Woodside after the Q53 (and there was a Q60 crossing the river while we were at Queens Plaza).  I took the bus to 40th Street and transferred to the Q60. I managed to ride an XD60 artic on the Q60 for the first time (5372).  The Q32 was almost SRO, but the Q60 had like 3 other people besides me, and I believe nobody got on between 40th Street and Woodhaven Boulevard, so it was like an express ride.  

Took the to Lexington Ave-63rd Street to to see the supplemental service that was running on the M102. I could have thought that they ran buses every 30 minutes on weekends, but they run every 60 minutes. Either way, that trip didn't go to waste, as I finally managed to catch an SBS XD60 on the M15 Local. Quill usually sends their LFSAs to cover the M15 local trips they have, and rarely sends their XD60s. It would be interesting if an XE60 made it on there someday. Now that I have caught the M15 and M102 supplements, my main focus will now be catching the Q102 overnight service. 

On the Bx99, I ended up standing because the bus had no seats available. Took it to 5th Avenue, and almost all seats were still taken when I got off (a few got off at 61st, and others at Lexington Ave). There was another Bx99 two blocks down when I got off (at 86th Street, it was 6 minutes behind the bus I got on). The bus passed by, with a whopping 0 riders on. I know they're sending additional buses out, but like sending late bus like that doesn't really help. If they're going to send two buses, either send them together, or have a slightly earlier bus along with a bus within a few minutes of it.

Yesterday early morning (9/27) after having rode the full B62 from Downtown Bklyn., I caught a Q60.... I was hoping for a Q66, but I pretty much had a *I'm taking whatever the f*** comes first* mindset (between the Q32, 60, or 66) - which is why I got on that Q60 (bus #5366)... News to me that they even had artics running on the Q60 (although I did see a couple 40-footers in the other direction, heading back towards Manhattan).... Anyway, there were 2 other people on it before I got on... About 3 or 4 other people total boarded, before I got off.... Long story short, when the bus hit 80th, all but one passenger was left on the bus.... 1 of the people that got off, went to catch the subway (we reached 80 rd. at 5:10am, so the subway just started passenger consumption for the morning or w/e)... The rest of us that got off (incl. myself), did so to catch the Q10...

I had really wanted to do the Q35-Q53-Q32-B99 back to Brooklyn, but I missed the Rockaway bound Q35 at the Junction, so that's why I ended up taking the B41 to the B62 (had to run for it too, as I saw heard the bus powering on from a distance).... So I ended up doing the B41-B62-Q60-Q10-B15 (full route, bolded) & walked from E. 98th, home... There weren't any B35's in sight around 7am at the terminal & since it was a nice breeze out, I just walked it.

The outbound Q32's I've been seeing and/or taking during the overnight hrs. have been pretty crowded... That last stop in Manhattan before it crosses the bridge is usually the heaviest; anywhere b/w like 3-7 people at a time.... Rest of the ride before the fact, is usually 1 person boarding here, one person boarding there, until the bus slowly starts to build a crowd....

Speaking of the M15, while petty/selfish, I started to get miffed, the last time I took it from Whitehall (either this past Tuesday or Wednesday).... Don't have my log in front of me, but it was a little after 4am, after having came off the M20... I was at the stop by myself, then all of a sudden, like 40 mf-ers came from the ferry & motioned towards the bus (it was on layover when I got there).... I honestly wasn't expecting that... Anyway, IDK where the b/o came from, but I guess when he saw all them dam people, he prolly said to himself, yeah, time to get tf outta here... I let a couple ppl. on before me, but I'm like there's no way in f*** I'm letting all y'all in ahead of me... I wasn't waiting there for long though, maybe about 5 mins. - so yeah, guess I lucked out....

You mention the Q102... I actually saw a Q102 (Astoria bound) yesterday morning - just as I was coming out of that corner store on 28th/Queens plz. south, I saw it making that right turn on 28th (if it helps, this was around 4:30 am).... The last thing I was thinking about after I got off that B62, was a Q102 though... lol.... Can't say I'm particularly interested in riding to RI during that time of day/night, and towards the Astoria PJ's in the opposite direction, I'm not too sure if the Q18's running overnight (is it?).....

There's a couple things I wanna knock off a bucket list, but most of these overnight excursions I've been doing, are rather whimsical... I'd like to compile a list of every route that now operate during the overnight hours, but I've been lazy as shit (which also explains the lack of a planned/itinerary)

Of course you still gotta be on your guard regardless, but I have to say though, that riding buses overnights within the city are actually a lot more tolerable now, than before the crisis...

[checkmatechamp13]

@B35 via Church The Q18 doesn't run overnight but (similar to the Bx11) it starts pretty early and ends pretty late. 4am - 1am out of Maspeth and 4:40am - 2am out of Astoria. (Sundays the last bus is actually 1:15am out of Maspeth)

Also similar to the Q40 which the MTA accidentally listed as running overnight.

Edited September 28, 2020 by checkmatechamp13

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Yesterday early morning (9/27) after having rode the full B62 from Downtown Bklyn., I caught a Q60.... I was hoping for a Q66, but I pretty much had a *I'm taking whatever the f*** comes first* mindset (between the Q32, 60, or 66) - which is why I got on that Q60 (bus #5366)... News to me that they even had artics running on the Q60 (although I did see a couple 40-footers in the other direction, heading back towards Manhattan).... Anyway, there were 2 other people on it before I got on... About 3 or 4 other people total boarded, before I got off.... Long story short, when the bus hit 80th, all but one passenger was left on the bus.... 1 of the people that got off, went to catch the subway (we reached 80 rd. at 5:10am, so the subway just started passenger consumption for the morning or w/e)... The rest of us that got off (incl. myself), did so to catch the Q10...

I had really wanted to do the Q35-Q53-Q32-B99 back to Brooklyn, but I missed the Rockaway bound Q35 at the Junction, so that's why I ended up taking the B41 to the B62 (had to run for it too, as I saw heard the bus powering on from a distance).... So I ended up doing the B41-B62-Q60-Q10-B15 (full route, bolded) & walked from E. 98th, home... There weren't any B35's in sight around 7am at the terminal & since it was a nice breeze out, I just walked it.

The outbound Q32's I've been seeing and/or taking during the overnight hrs. have been pretty crowded... That last stop in Manhattan before it crosses the bridge is usually the heaviest; anywhere b/w like 3-7 people at a time.... Rest of the ride before the fact, is usually 1 person boarding here, one person boarding there, until the bus slowly starts to build a crowd....

Usually from what I've seen, the inbound Q60s do decent at night once the bus hits Sunnyside, and the Q32 is more packed headed towards Queens. The reasoning behind it is likely because the Q60 tends to be more frequent than the Q32 at nights, so people will just get on the first thing that shows up and walk if needed (this is especially true on the buses just after 1 AM). The Q32  buses into Manhattan don't do too bad either, as there are a lot of people which also use the bus for Woodside and Jackson Heights.  

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Speaking of the M15, while petty/selfish, I started to get miffed, the last time I took it from Whitehall (either this past Tuesday or Wednesday).... Don't have my log in front of me, but it was a little after 4am, after having came off the M20... I was at the stop by myself, then all of a sudden, like 40 mf-ers came from the ferry & motioned towards the bus (it was on layover when I got there).... I honestly wasn't expecting that... Anyway, IDK where the b/o came from, but I guess when he saw all them dam people, he prolly said to himself, yeah, time to get tf outta here... I let a couple ppl. on before me, but I'm like there's no way in f*** I'm letting all y'all in ahead of me... I wasn't waiting there for long though, maybe about 5 mins. - so yeah, guess I lucked out....

I haven't gone all the way to South Ferry on the M15, but I've used it on the portion between 86th Street and 6th Street. The buses on the Upper East Side are generally not very full (I believe that most people in East Harlem are actually using the Bx99, but am not too sure about that). The bus usually doesn't make any stops between 86th Street and 61st Street, and then it starts filling up there. By the time it reaches 14th Street though, there's more riders on. I haven't used the M20 at night, but I feel like a lot less people are seeking M20s, especially with the B99 and M7 good chunks of the route. 

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

You mention the Q102... I actually saw a Q102 (Astoria bound) yesterday morning - just as I was coming out of that corner store on 28th/Queens plz. south, I saw it making that right turn on 28th (if it helps, this was around 4:30 am).... The last thing I was thinking about after I got off that B62, was a Q102 though... lol.... Can't say I'm particularly interested in riding to RI during that time of day/night, and towards the Astoria PJ's in the opposite direction, I'm not too sure if the Q18's running overnight (is it?).....

There's a couple things I wanna knock off a bucket list, but most of these overnight excursions I've been doing, are rather whimsical... I'd like to compile a list of every route that now operate during the overnight hours, but I've been lazy as shit (which also explains the lack of a planned/itinerary)

Of course you still gotta be on your guard regardless, but I have to say though, that riding buses overnights within the city are actually a lot more tolerable now, than before the crisis...

I'm just more interested in riding CNG buses on the Q102 since it's been a while since that last occurred (and even then, it wasn't on a regular basis). Although yeah, it's a PITA especially since the Q102 now operates every 30 minutes instead of every 20 minutes, and it's the only thing on both ends of the route after a certain hour (IIRC the tram stops operating at around 2:30). Like checkmate said earlier, the Q18 isn't an overnight route, but has a long span of service. It's just that period for 2 hours and 40 minutes between 2:00 AM and 4:40 AM where there's no Q18 service from Astoria. 

I've also been kinda lazy when it comes to traveling out overnights. Still wish I got the chance to ride the Bx4 when West Farms was running the overnight hours (prior to the Bx99, West Farms operated the Bx4 and the supplemental Bx40s). Now it's just standard Gun Hill buses. 

 

[B35 via Church]

2 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Usually from what I've seen, the inbound Q60s do decent at night once the bus hits Sunnyside, and the Q32 is more packed headed towards Queens. The reasoning behind it is likely because the Q60 tends to be more frequent than the Q32 at nights, so people will just get on the first thing that shows up and walk if needed (this is especially true on the buses just after 1 AM). The Q32 buses into Manhattan don't do too bad either, as there are a lot of people which also use the bus for Woodside and Jackson Heights. 

Hmm, guess I'll try that... Instead of taking the full Q66 from QBP, I'll get off at 82nd to do the full WB Q32.

Not sure if you've rode the Q66 overnights in these past couple months, but I find it kinda funny that buses are practically empty for the most part, up until it hits the 80's & 90's (streets).... I shit you not, one time I did the full Q66 (about a month or so ago) where two people got off at Broadway - which had me being the only person on the bus up until 80th (I think that stop is, the one before 82nd)... about a handful of people got on....

.....Then we hit 82nd, another 7-10 people.... Kept getting 1 person here, 2 people there b/w 82nd (not inclusive) to 114th - and the next thing you know, I'm at the back of the bus, looking forward at a bunch of standees on a crowded bus, as we're heading towards Flushing.... I'm looking around in awe like, tf did this happen.....

2 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

I haven't gone all the way to South Ferry on the M15, but I've used it on the portion between 86th Street and 6th Street. The buses on the Upper East Side are generally not very full (I believe that most people in East Harlem are actually using the Bx99, but am not too sure about that). The bus usually doesn't make any stops between 86th Street and 61st Street, and then it starts filling up there. By the time it reaches 14th Street though, there's more riders on. I haven't used the M20 at night, but I feel like a lot less people are seeking M20s, especially with the B99 and M7 good chunks of the route.

SB M20 sees decent usage FWIW; the bulk of it is between 50th & 14th.... Basically, I'm finding that anyone on the bus south of 14th is pretty much taking it to South Ferry... Stragglers boarding between 14th & say Chambers, is rather rare.... BPC of course, is a god damn dead zone.... Anyway, last time I took the full SB M20, at its max., there was about 25 people or so on it.... Other times, it was closer to 15-20....

That's just the SB buses, but what I'm doubting, is that reciprocated usage for the NB buses - for reasons you've mentioned in that very last sentence.... Just about everyone's taking NB Bx99's over NB M20's up from the Hudson Sq. / West Village general region of the borough.... B99's seem to be more utilized along 8th over the M20 as well.... Oddly enough, the only time I've been seeing the M7 is when SB buses make that stop on 14th st/7th av....

Of the times I took the NB M15 after having gotten off the SB M20, I haven't taken it further than Allen/Grand (different reasons, each time)... Walked from there to the B99 (Mott/Canal stop) back to Brooklyn....

I'll get around to it, but I'd like to do the full (of each) M20 - M15 - M103 overnight... Not sure what to do after reaching Park Row though... Maybe take a SIM bus or something (haven't been to SI in months).... That, or walk up to Canal back for a Brooklyn bound B99 or M99....

2 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

I'm just more interested in riding CNG buses on the Q102 since it's been a while since that last occurred (and even then, it wasn't on a regular basis). Although yeah, it's a PITA especially since the Q102 now operates every 30 minutes instead of every 20 minutes, and it's the only thing on both ends of the route after a certain hour (IIRC the tram stops operating at around 2:30). Like checkmate said earlier, the Q18 isn't an overnight route, but has a long span of service. It's just that period for 2 hours and 40 minutes between 2:00 AM and 4:40 AM where there's no Q18 service from Astoria.

I've also been kinda lazy when it comes to traveling out overnights. Still wish I got the chance to ride the Bx4 when West Farms was running the overnight hours (prior to the Bx99, West Farms operated the Bx4 and the supplemental Bx40s). Now it's just standard Gun Hill buses.

I'm just interested in seeing how dead (or alive, enough) the areas the routes passes through are during that time of the night, as well as the patronage of said routes themselves....

As far as the Q18, cool.... That's good enough for me... Worst comes to worst, I'd have to walk from the projects to Astoria blvd subway for the M60... That, or the Q100 on 21st.... Of the times I've been around QBP, I haven't seen a Q100 yet (well in service anyway).... Coming in from Queens into Manhattan, you'd have a better chance at seeing one.... Have you?

I haven't been doing much of any Bronx fanning... The time I took the full Bx99 (which was the last trip of the night), I took the Bx16 to WPR for the inbound BxM11.... Before that, nada..... IDK what I'd even want to do overnights in the Bronx... I'd have to look at that overnight Bronx bus service map; hopefully they didn't take those overnight borough bus maps down too....

Edited September 28, 2020 by B35 via Church

[Around the Horn]

I happened to catch the M8 yesterday because it was less than 5 minutes away for once (also had pretty decent ridership), anyone know why/how 6739 has the same interior layout in the back as our now retired Orion 7 CNGs?

It kinda threw me off because to my knowledge the other units at Quill all have the longitudinal seats in the back.

[1train2255railfan]

44 minutes ago, Around the Horn said:

I happened to catch the M8 yesterday because it was less than 5 minutes away for once (also had pretty decent ridership), anyone know why/how 6739 has the same interior layout in the back as our now retired Orion 7 CNGs?

It kinda threw me off because to my knowledge the other units at Quill all have the longitudinal seats in the back.

That is strange. As far as I know, the ones in Manhattanville also have the seating that 6739 has as well. Therefore, I always thought it was a spec for buses up to around 6728 or so

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

On 9/28/2020 at 3:49 PM, B35 via Church said:

Hmm, guess I'll try that... Instead of taking the full Q66 from QBP, I'll get off at 82nd to do the full WB Q32.

Not sure if you've rode the Q66 overnights in these past couple months, but I find it kinda funny that buses are practically empty for the most part, up until it hits the 80's & 90's (streets).... I shit you not, one time I did the full Q66 (about a month or so ago) where two people got off at Broadway - which had me being the only person on the bus up until 80th (I think that stop is, the one before 82nd)... about a handful of people got on....

.....Then we hit 82nd, another 7-10 people.... Kept getting 1 person here, 2 people there b/w 82nd (not inclusive) to 114th - and the next thing you know, I'm at the back of the bus, looking forward at a bunch of standees on a crowded bus, as we're heading towards Flushing.... I'm looking around in awe like, tf did this happen.....

I haven't been on the overnight trips, but I have been on the buses just before midnight (when the buses were free), and the section between Jackson Heights and Flushing tend to be heavy, so that's not too surprising. Buses left crushloaded from Flushing, and then by the time it got to the 70s, it was only SRO. What's surprising is Q66 buses getting crushloaded like that at that time. 

On 9/28/2020 at 3:49 PM, B35 via Church said:

I'm just interested in seeing how dead (or alive, enough) the areas the routes passes through are during that time of the night, as well as the patronage of said routes themselves....

As far as the Q18, cool.... That's good enough for me... Worst comes to worst, I'd have to walk from the projects to Astoria blvd subway for the M60... That, or the Q100 on 21st.... Of the times I've been around QBP, I haven't seen a Q100 yet (well in service anyway).... Coming in from Queens into Manhattan, you'd have a better chance at seeing one.... Have you?

I haven't been doing much of any Bronx fanning... The time I took the full Bx99 (which was the last trip of the night), I took the Bx16 to WPR for the inbound BxM11.... Before that, nada..... IDK what I'd even want to do overnights in the Bronx... I'd have to look at that overnight Bronx bus service map; hopefully they didn't take those overnight borough bus maps down too....

The Q100 still runs hourly, so it honestly depends on the bus and time it arrives Queens Plaza. I haven't seen one, on the instances I've taken the local buses across the bridge.

[NewFlyer 230]

57 minutes ago, Around the Horn said:

I happened to catch the M8 yesterday because it was less than 5 minutes away for once (also had pretty decent ridership), anyone know why/how 6739 has the same interior layout in the back as our now retired Orion 7 CNGs?

It kinda threw me off because to my knowledge the other units at Quill all have the longitudinal seats in the back.

A lot of the 3500’s have that style seating in the back too. I’m guessing only the 2007 models have the longitudinal seating in the back and all the 2004-2006 models have the forward facing seats. 

[trainfan22]

Seems like every OG hybrid that came before ENY batch of 67/6800 buses has those two forward facing seats in the rear. It probably was simply an spec change by the MTA. 

 

 

The changeover happened somewhere in the 6700s, not sure which exact bus it was though as I rarely ride MCH 40ft routes and whenever I do, I always get an NG.

Edited September 29, 2020 by trainfan22

[Q43LTD]

I think it was 6750 for TA and 3550 for BC

[Calvin]

Question: Does the Q48 starts it trip to Flushing-Main St before entering the LGA terminal or that the last stop is inside one of the terminals? Same with the Q72 to Rego Park

Edited September 30, 2020 by Calvin

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

21 minutes ago, Calvin said:

Question: Does the Q48 starts it trip to Flushing-Main St before entering the LGA terminal or that the last stop is inside one of the terminals? Same with the Q72 to Rego Park

Neither, it loops through LGA and goes back to Flushing.