BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[Iron Valiant]

7 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

We can all agree that the Nova LFS/LFSA wear the new scheme the best. 

People, please don’t tell others what to agree on. Everyone has different opinions.

[Jdog14]

16 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

 

 

A question based on new observations....I'm not liking how these new buses, 0022, 9510 and 9560, are coming with these aisle facing individual seats on the left hand side of the low floor section of the bus. Why must they always correct what isn't broken?  

 

This might be to aid in rear door boarding. 

[trainfan22]

Man ever since the 6500/6600s been retired in the masses the BK division has been a mess going by that depot transfer thread. All the non CNG depots in BK are sending buses all over the borough.

 

 

Those 6500s must have been in bad shape mechanically for them to rush their retirement like this. I thought they would stick around considering one of them was photographed getting worked on at a vendor over the summer.

Edited November 3, 2020 by trainfan22

[Kingsbridgeviewer382]

3 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

Man ever since the 6500/6600s been retired in the masses the BK division has been a mess going by that depot transfer thread. All the non CNG depots in BK are sending buses all over the borough.

 

 

Those 6500s must have been in bad shape mechanically for them to rush their retirement like this. I thought they would stick around considering one of them was photographed getting worked on at a vendor over the summer.

I’m more surprised that the Brooklyn units lasted so long considering that Manhattanville’s units were scrapped pretty quickly along with the Gen 1 hybrids last year.

[Calvin]

I think Manhattanville got rid of the Gen II hybrids after they finished with the 1st Gen in addition is due to the overcrowding of buses at the depot. At that time, the LFS were being delivered to Kingsbridge and Gun Hill. 

[Shawn Williams]

7 minutes ago, Calvin said:

I think Manhattanville got rid of the Gen II hybrids after they finished with the 1st Gen in addition is due to the overcrowding of buses at the depot. At that time, the LFS were being delivered to Kingsbridge and Gun Hill. 

how come Manhattanville didnt get the 2019 diesels yet they had the 02-04 Orions

[Jdog14]

11 minutes ago, Shawn Williams said:

how come Manhattanville didnt get the 2019 diesels yet they had the 02-04 Orions

 

Because it is a hybrid depot (atleast for now) 

[EastFlatbushLarry]

2 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Those 6500s must have been in bad shape mechanically for them to rush their retirement like this. I thought they would stick around considering one of them was photographed getting worked on at a vendor over the summer.

you'd be surprised by the amount of miles those units (as a collective) amassed. iinm the approximate age of the oldest unit(s) are 16 years old. considering that a bulk of these units were the first to be utilized in brooklyn (aside from the slightly older 63xx's at QV/MV) they far exceeded expectations, all things considered.

Edited November 3, 2020 by EastFlatbushLarry

[NewFlyer 230]

1 hour ago, trainfan22 said:

Man ever since the 6500/6600s been retired in the masses the BK division has been a mess going by that depot transfer thread. All the non CNG depots in BK are sending buses all over the borough.

 

 

Those 6500s must have been in bad shape mechanically for them to rush their retirement like this. I thought they would stick around considering one of them was photographed getting worked on at a vendor over the summer.

I’m surprised too considering that the MTA is in a worst financial situation, but then again it would definitely be cheaper in the long run to get new buses in comparison to having to refurbish older units cause the maintenance cost is probably high for them at this point being 15 years old. 
It seems like the MTA had enough spare buses to go around because all they have done was shift around existing buses. I would imagine the spare factor being tight now but I don’t know. They are probably using the 65/6600 buses unit they have some type of issue and just retire them. 

I wonder how the MTA bus Orion VII’s are holding up? 

[danielhg121]

8 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I’m surprised too considering that the MTA is in a worst financial situation, but then again it would definitely be cheaper in the long run to get new buses in comparison to having to refurbish older units cause the maintenance cost is probably high for them at this point being 15 years old. 
It seems like the MTA had enough spare buses to go around because all they have done was shift around existing buses. I would imagine the spare factor being tight now but I don’t know. They are probably using the 65/6600 buses unit they have some type of issue and just retire them. 

I wonder how the MTA bus Orion VII’s are holding up? 

I do wonder what the process to get a bus scrapped is. Does a senior maintenance supervisor or superintendent sign off on it or someone from DOB has to go check out the bus and fill out the paperwork for it? I imagine it's partly depot's discretion as well. 

Edited November 3, 2020 by danielhg121

[Calvin]

So, West Farms doesn't have the XD-40s in their standard fleet anymore, either b/c of the 2005-06 VII retirement or that the standard fleet has enough CNGs for service. Most I've seen out of there is the Bx11, Bx21 and Bx35 (before the artic conversion).

Edited November 3, 2020 by Calvin

[NewFlyer 230]

2 hours ago, Calvin said:

So, West Farms doesn't have the XD-40s in their standard fleet anymore, either b/c of the 2005-06 VII retirement or that the standard fleet has enough CNGs for service. Most I've seen out of there is the Bx11, Bx21 and Bx35 (before the artic conversion).

I thought the rest of those XD40s would go to Jamaica because several of them that WF had ended up going there. Then they left them with only 6 of them I believe. No big deal since the XN40’s are very similar but I figured it would be a matter of time before they get moved.

[danielhg121]

Just curious why is 324 at Eastchester?

[Calvin]

I wonder with Flatbush depot losing local buses have either to lend ENY/FP a hand for the shortage or making room for the Articlated buses so, there won't be a lot sitting outside of the depot or by Avenue N (Fillmore Av, as well). 

Edited November 4, 2020 by Calvin

[Lawrence St]

Maybe I didn't know this, but since when did  do full bus wraps?? 

[Future ENY OP]

10 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

Maybe I didn't know this, but since when did  do full bus wraps?? 

That’s a rear wrap first off and 2nd the practice stopped around in 2013/2014. 
 

Edit: Yes.  bus did utilize full wraps during their days of the private bus consolidation 

Edited November 4, 2020 by Future ENY OP

[Lawrence St]

Just now, Future ENY OP said:

That’s a rear wrap first off and 2nd the practice stopped around in 2013/2014. 

No it isnt, it's a full wrap minus the front.

[trainfan22]

12 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

Maybe I didn't know this, but since when did  do full bus wraps?? 

I know the PBL did full wraps... perhaps that photo was taken right after the takeover and the MTA didn't bother to remove the wrap right away.

[Cait Sith]

Last night was the first time in who knows how long that I've seen PACKED M8s.....people were taking it to 5th Avenue to go over to Washington Square Park last night. Seeing packed M8s f**ked me up last night, I thought the D/F was out lmfao.

[Future ENY OP]

13 minutes ago, Cait Sith said:

Last night was the first time in who knows how long that I've seen PACKED M8s.....people were taking it to 5th Avenue to go over to Washington Square Park last night. Seeing packed M8s f**ked me up last night, I thought the D/F was out lmfao.

You might see more of those 2nite. Another scheduled protest there this evening. Also, that same group blocked 7th Avenue South towards Varick Street- NYC board of Elections office. 

[B35 via Church]

19 minutes ago, Cait Sith said:

Last night was the first time in who knows how long that I've seen PACKED M8s.....people were taking it to 5th Avenue to go over to Washington Square Park last night. Seeing packed M8s f**ked me up last night, I thought the D/F was out lmfao.

Only packed M8's I've ever seen, were on the Metro North...

[Cait Sith]

20 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

Only packed M8's I've ever seen, were on the Metro North...

The very last time I can recall seeing packed M8s was back in 2015.....4th of July. That one day of the year is probably the only time I've seen that line packed.

[B35 via Church]

40 minutes ago, Cait Sith said:

The very last time I can recall seeing packed M8s was back in 2015.....4th of July. That one day of the year is probably the only time I've seen that line packed.

I used to work about two blocks away from the terminal on west st, in front of that bike shop (or whatever's over there now)... Only people in the morning you'd see on them (due EB) were old people & mothers with their child/ren..... Around lunchtime, it ranged from carrying literally nobody, to maybe 2 or 3 elderly people... That's it.

I would sometimes try to take it to get to that domino's pizza along W. 8th (b/w 5th av & MacDougal), but of course there would be some jackass DHL, FedEx, or some other dam box truck double parking on W. 10th, blocking shit up before the bus could even get to 7th av... It got to the point where it was like, why tf do I even keep trying....

But yeah, aside from some super rare occurrence, you're not going to see crowds on that route.... On the western end, most are too busy walking to the & on the eastern end of the route, the M14 & M9 are KING's (although the M8 is still more utilized on the east side, compared to the west side).... I don't bother taking crosstown buses in Manhattan in general, so I'm probably one of the best people to point out that the M8, even from end to end, is the easiest crosstown route to walk...

To be honest with you, I'm actually surprised that there would be whole crowds taking it to Washington Sq. park - Yet, be some of the same people walking clear from Columbus Circle to City Hall (and beyond) to protest.... Go figure.

2 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

You might see more of those 2nite. Another scheduled protest there this evening. Also, that same group blocked 7th Avenue South towards Varick Street- NYC board of Elections office. 

What else is new, there's always some dam protest or something another at Washington Sq. park....

I remember reading a question on city data, where it was asked, name the top 5 places that you hate to be around (or something to that effect... don't remember the exact verbiage).... Right away, I said out loud "Union Square" & Washington Square Park !!

(.....then the other 3 I had to think about... lol)

[Cait Sith]

8 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

I used to work about two blocks away from the terminal on west st, in front of that bike shop (or whatever's over there now)... Only people in the morning you'd see on them (due EB) were old people & mothers with their child/ren..... Around lunchtime, it ranged from carrying literally nobody, to maybe 2 or 3 elderly people... That's it.

I would sometimes try to take it to get to that domino's pizza along W. 8th (b/w 5th av & MacDougal), but of course there would be some jackass DHL, FedEx, or some other dam box truck double parking on W. 10th, blocking shit up before the bus could even get to 7th av... It got to the point where it was like, why tf do I even keep trying....

But yeah, aside from some super rare occurrence, you're not going to see crowds on that route.... On the western end, most are too busy walking to the & on the eastern end of the route, the M14 & M9 are KING's (although the M8 is still more utilized on the east side, compared to the west side).... I don't bother taking crosstown buses in Manhattan in general, so I'm probably one of the best people to point out that the M8, even from end to end, is the easiest crosstown route to walk...

To be honest with you, I'm actually surprised that there would be whole crowds taking it to Washington Sq. park - Yet, be some of the same people walking clear from Columbus Circle to City Hall (and beyond) to protest.... Go figure.

What else is new, there's always some dam protest or something another at Washington Sq. park....

I remember reading a question on city data, where it was asked, name the top 5 places that you hate to be around (or something to that effect... don't remember the exact verbiage).... Right away, I said out loud "Union Square" & Washington Square Park !!

(.....then the other 3 I had to think about... lol)

It's interesting that you say that because prior to the 2010 cuts, the M9 was never really herald as such in that part of Manhattan.

Most people(when I lived in the LES) always took the M14A over the M9 strictly because of Avenue B, but if the M9 showed up first, they'd get on it. Avenue B was a traffic nightmare especially during the PM Rush Hour, and Avenue B ridership was nowhere near as good as A or C(which makes cutting Avenue B from the route altogether justifiable). From LES going South, the route wasn't so bad either, it carried a decent amount of folk and would always pick up a decent chunk of riders at Whitehall Terminal.

Looking at the route now, if we leave out the route north of 14th, ridership on the M9 actually went up to the point where it gained some more trips on the schedule(not much, but its noticeable).

I also learned over time, that the residents of the LES and Alphabet City wanted the M9 out of Avenue B way before the 2010 cuts, some folks wanted the M21 and M9 to run in unison along Avenue C, but Jay Walder had different plans.
 

[trainfan22]

Theres a hybrid (4220) on the B15! First time in a while I seen an hybrid on the B15, it seems like recently ENY tries to keep the route 100% XD40. BTW 4220 is the only hybrid on the route.