BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[B35 via Church]

26 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

Um, have you seen the ridership changes?

What does ridership changes have to do with the MTA pissing away more money to do two more separate studies that'll end up resorting in similar levels of asininity as the primary two damn studies? You sound like you actually have hope that this f***ing agency will wake up & smell the coffee.... More power to you, sucker

24 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

In speaking with the planners, there's a part of me that wonders if this was done on purpose to invoke outrage to keep them from cutting service or what.  I mean they were hellbent on having the BxM2 and BxM18 use the West Side Highway, so I asked them, I said well when are you guys going to meet with the DOT about an HOV lane for those buses because they'll be stuck in the same traffic as they are now on the Deegan? They hadn't even spoken with the DOT about that, yet they're making this proposal to have these buses use the West Side Highway... A plan that even they noted was contingent upon the DOT agreeing to allow those lines to use the West Side Highway. It's nuts when you think about it. 

But something else I may have mentioned before is, some of these routes, supposedly, they thought they would redesign them around traffic. I told them there is traffic all over the City. You're not going to redesign but routes around traffic. LOL Their attitude is they don't control the streets and layout of them (DOT does), so the next best thing they can do is redesign the routes to run along less congested corridors. Brilliant idea...  

Just like the MTA to put the cart before the horse that never had an ounce of brains in its head to begin with... It's just more proof that they do what they want.... It's just annoying when you have people (in general, not just regarding these redesigns) that try to be different for the sake of being different by throwing shit on a wall & hoping that it sticks - all under the guise of progression.....

Imagine what's going through the head of someone that had a light bulb go off in their head, that entails putting expresses along the Williamsburg Bridge & the West Side Highway.... You can't make this level of tomfoolery up..... The funny thing about that goofy shit is that the band-aid "solutions" they're presenting, are worse....

Edited November 24, 2020 by B35 via Church

[QM1to6Ave]

5 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

But wouldn't it make more sense to start from scratch because of the now-changed ridership patterns? Now would be a perfect time to do it so that as ridership grows, people can get used to it.

I know for sure the Queens redesign aint happening, with all those stupid ideas they had. The Bronx redesign in my opinion needed more work. There are some good ideas in it tho, like the Bx6SBS to Tumball Av but the split of the Bx15 was not good at all.

And what off peak ridership are you seeing, exactly?

Lots of off-peak on the QUeens Blvd expresses...especially the "tail peak" period or whatever it is called, from like 10 am-noon and 3-5 pm. Those buses are quite full, and they could benefit from shifting some of the now-emptier peak runs to the tail periods. 

Some days, though, I just can;t figure out why the same run has vastly different ridership levels...like when I take the same QM6 at around 7:30 am, some days there are 5 people on it, and some days there are 25 (and not holidays or whatever, regular old working days).

Though even today, I was hearing people on the bus saying that their business is going fully remote again next week with the rising covid cases, so it seems like we will see a ridership drop again, though unlikely to be as severe as it was back in April/May/June 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

The main bus schedules have been updated to include the enhanced overnight service, for the routes which have them. 

[Cait Sith]

5 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

The one that still baffles me about the Queens one is having areas like parts of Williamsburg be served by an express bus. For what!?!?!? They would destroy service for the people that need it like Middle Village and Glendale and serve areas that have subways already.  Just retarded. I was convinced that they had someone in their ear for these bus redesigns given who I saw at some of the workshops, and these people are VERY subway focused. 

As a Queens resident and as someone that's losing the X64 on Liberty Avenue, that was one thing that pissed me off....for what reason do those people need express service when they are a stones throw away from the Lower East Side....give me a f**king break.

[bobtehpanda]

5 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

But something else I may have mentioned before is, some of these routes, supposedly, they thought they would redesign them around traffic. I told them there is traffic all over the City. You're not going to redesign bus routes around traffic. LOL Their attitude is they don't control the streets and the layout of them (DOT does), so the next best thing they can do is redesign the routes to run along less congested corridors. Brilliant idea...  

My other thing is; who asked? Like at least for some of the other proposals for new express buses over the years people have actually voiced a desire for them (like the elusive Red Hook express bus via the BBT)

[B35 via Church]

4 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

The main bus schedules have been updated to include the enhanced overnight service, for the routes which have them. 

Took long enough.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

8 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

My other thing is; who asked? Like at least for some of the other proposals for new express buses over the years people have actually voiced a desire for them (like the elusive Red Hook express bus via the BBT)

Their answer was they wanted to provide service to new markets. lol I don't think people in Williamsburg move there to take the express bus. lol

[trainfan22]

6809 is parked in the scrap yard at ECH, so at least one of the ENY 6800s is scrap.

[B35 via Church]

So what's really good with NYSP Troop NYC doing checks on MTA buses over at GWB this morning (along Broadway, where the Bx3 does its first pickup) ?

[NBTA]

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

So what's really good with NYSP Troop NYC doing checks on MTA buses over at GWB this morning (along Broadway, where the Bx3 does its first pickup) ?

Probably for you know what.

[NewFlyer 230]

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

So what's really good with NYSP Troop NYC doing checks on MTA buses over at GWB this morning (along Broadway, where the Bx3 does its first pickup) ?

They were out here in Flushing yesterday at the Q44/Q20 stop at Main Street and 41st Ave. There were two NYSP troops standing there. I don’t know if they were checking for mask or tickets for the SBS because these guys were just there looking around. 

 

 

[B35 via Church]

30 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

They were out here in Flushing yesterday at the Q44/Q20 stop at Main Street and 41st Ave. There were two NYSP troops standing there. I don’t know if they were checking for mask or tickets for the SBS because these guys were just there looking around.

We got to GWB around 7am (I took the full M5 from 32nd)... There were 3 NYSP cars parked on the curbside of the SB direction of Broadway (nobody was in any of them).... Before I rode the elevator to catch the NJT bus (#178), I looked across the street & saw 4 troopers standing along the wall (all women), with 2 other troopers inside the Bx3 that was at the stop (both, men).... I didn't stay around to see what transpired though, as I had about 5 minutes to get a ticket & what not....

I personally think it's covid related (checking for non-mask wearers & what not).... Of course desperate times calls for desperate measures for some people, but I've never known 178th/Broadway to be a real hotbed for farebeating....

Edited November 25, 2020 by B35 via Church

[Iron Valiant]

How much more time do the 2017 Proterra/XE40s have left in service before leaving MTA?

[Future ENY OP]

4880 out of Ulmer Park was involved in a early morning accident on Bath Avenue. Bus sub stained damage in the rear section meanwhile vehicle involved suffered severe damage in the front area.  For now expect 4880 to be out of service for a while. 
 

Source: News 12 Bronx/Brooklyn. https://bronx.news12.com/citizen-app-video-shows-car-colliding-with-mta-bus-in-brooklyn

Edited November 29, 2020 by Future ENY OP

[Iron Valiant]

1 hour ago, Future ENY OP said:

4880 out of Ulmer Park was involved in a early morning accident on Bath Avenue. Bus sub stained damage in the rear section meanwhile vehicle involved suffered severe damage in the front area.  For now expect 4880 to be out of service for a while. 
 

Source: News 12 Bronx/Brooklyn. https://bronx.news12.com/citizen-app-video-shows-car-colliding-with-mta-bus-in-brooklyn

Has 4860 ever been brought back into service after that incident with the Verizon van?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

On 11/25/2020 at 4:11 PM, B35 via Church said:

So what's really good with NYSP Troop NYC doing checks on MTA buses over at GWB this morning (along Broadway, where the Bx3 does its first pickup) ?

 

On 11/25/2020 at 6:21 PM, NewFlyer 230 said:

They were out here in Flushing yesterday at the Q44/Q20 stop at Main Street and 41st Ave. There were two NYSP troops standing there. I don’t know if they were checking for mask or tickets for the SBS because these guys were just there looking around. 

 

 

 

On 11/25/2020 at 6:51 PM, B35 via Church said:

We got to GWB around 7am (I took the full M5 from 32nd)... There were 3 NYSP cars parked on the curbside of the SB direction of Broadway (nobody was in any of them).... Before I rode the elevator to catch the NJT bus (#178), I looked across the street & saw 4 troopers standing along the wall (all women), with 2 other troopers inside the Bx3 that was at the stop (both, men).... I didn't stay around to see what transpired though, as I had about 5 minutes to get a ticket & what not....

I personally think it's covid related (checking for non-mask wearers & what not).... Of course desperate times calls for desperate measures for some people, but I've never known 178th/Broadway to be a real hotbed for farebeating....

Checking for people wearing masks. We've been telling people to wear their masks for this reason. They will give you a mask if you don't have one and ask you to put it on. If you don't comply, you will be pulled off.

[B35 via Church]

2 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Checking for people wearing masks. We've been telling people to wear their masks for this reason. They will give you a mask if you don't have one and ask you to put it on. If you don't comply, you will be pulled off.

Figured that be the reason.

------------------

Oh and by the way, NYSP wasn't over at GWB yesterday... I happened to take the M5 to the Bx3 (and other things afterwards, but irrelevant) & didn't see any sign of them....

Edited November 29, 2020 by B35 via Church

[danielhg121]

3 hours ago, Novabus 5000 said:

6792, 6806, 6807, 6820, 6841 off the roster from ENY. 

Sheesh, is it just me or the Gen II+ OG's are getting scrapped rather quickly.

[NewFlyer 230]

1 hour ago, danielhg121 said:

Sheesh, is it just me or the Gen II+ OG's are getting scrapped rather quickly.

No they are definitely leaving faster than what I expected. I thought the 06-07 Orion VII batch had at least another year or two in them. They just got rid of the 2005 Orion’s. I guess it’s time for me to get my last rides in before QV has theirs scrapped too.

Plus with these upcoming budget cuts coming up you never know, the MTA could cut enough service where they could get rid of them quicker. This is at least on the NYCT side of things, because the Orion VII’s dominate MTA bus. But with the Orion VII’s going out the rate that they are it just shows that no bus can truly match the durability and longevity of the RTS. 

[trainfan22]

I wonder if the Orion hybrids were diesel would they still be in service. Perhaps the TA was having trouble maintaining that hybrid powertrain hence their early demise.

[MHV9218]

They should not be scrapping 13-14 y/o buses on the verge of this budget disaster, imo...

If we get our money, then we can start slicing the fleet. I know the flipside argument is that diminished service would mean a diminished fleet, but they also want to cut down the maintenance regimen, so I dunno...don't love the look of this.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

36 minutes ago, MHV9218 said:

They should not be scrapping 13-14 y/o buses on the verge of this budget disaster, imo...

If we get our money, then we can start slicing the fleet. I know the flipside argument is that diminished service would mean a diminished fleet, but they also want to cut down the maintenance regimen, so I dunno...don't love the look of this.

You would say that regardless. The average paying customer wants new fleet whenever possible, especially if they are cleaner, have better AC, seating, signage and other amenities, etc., myself included. I hated those RTS buses and were glad to see them go. 

Edited December 1, 2020 by Via Garibaldi 8

[MHV9218]

6 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

You would say that regardless. The average paying customer wants new fleet whenever possible, especially if they are cleaner, have better AC, seating, signage and other amenities, etc., myself included. I hated those RTS buses and were glad to see them go. 

Thank you for, as usual, starting an argument for nothing. The average paying customer wants any bus to show up. Retiring a third of the fleet without knowing you'll being able to fund their replacements is a good way to leave people standing in the rain. The O7 OG fleet is in excellent shape with functional AC, signage as clear as any new bus, and passenger capacity arguably better than the new fleet. Most people on this site know this. Besides, the RTSes were 23 years old in the case of the 1996s. The O7s are 13. Not a good comparison.

Edited December 1, 2020 by MHV9218

[Via Garibaldi 8]

9 minutes ago, MHV9218 said:

Thank you for, as usual, starting an argument for nothing. The average paying customer wants any bus to show up. Retiring a third of the fleet without knowing you'll being able to fund their replacements is a good way to leave people standing in the rain. The O7 OG fleet is in excellent shape with functional AC, signage as clear as any new bus, and passenger capacity arguably better than the new fleet. Most people on this site know this. Besides, the RTSes were 23 years old in the case of the 1996s. The O7s are 13. Not a good comparison.

There is no argument. That's a fact, KingMHV9218. People do pay attention. They may not skip the bus unless it is in terrible shape, but if possible, yes, riders prefer newer buses. I have learned that when the topic has come up. I find it comical that you think this place with a small sampling of mainly transit fans is representative of how ALL passengers feel. Don't be ridiculous. I don't use local buses much these days, but I do know that 13 years old is a long time for any bus.

Edited December 1, 2020 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Lawrence St]

My lord do you two love arguing like a married couple...