BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[Iron Valiant]

Have all the snow loans return to their original depots? Articulated buses started running again today.

[NBTA]

45 minutes ago, Snorunts said:

Have all the snow loans return to their original depots? Articulated buses started running again today.

Yes. Or most them did, I saw a bunch return via the Cross Bronx (QV/JAM) yesterday night.

Edited December 19, 2020 by NBTA

[B35 via Church]

2 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I don’t know how this happened but there are currently 7 Q25 buses back to back in Jamaica approaching the last stop. Then there is a massive gap in service. Surprisingly the bus that just came wasn’t too full, I managed to get a seat. I wonder if it’s a MTA bus time bug? 

7 back to back buses? How could you not get a seat... LMAO !

[MHV9218]

Just saw one of the Quill XD40s tear up its snow chains lol. I think it was 7579. That makes: 1 road call.

[NBTA]

3 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I don’t know how this happened but there are currently 7 Q25 buses back to back in Jamaica approaching the last stop. Then there is a massive gap in service. Surprisingly the bus that just came wasn’t too full, I managed to get a seat. I wonder if it’s a MTA bus time bug? 

Jesus, I bet that ain't the only line doing that (looks at you Q44 with a very mean face..)

[Lex]

3 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

Just saw one of the Quill XD40s tear up its snow chains lol. I think it was 7579. That makes: 1 road call.

Either that bus has freakish strength or something was wrong with the shoes. *shot*

[Via Garibaldi 8]

6 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I don’t know how this happened but there are currently 7 Q25 buses back to back in Jamaica approaching the last stop. Then there is a massive gap in service. Surprisingly the bus that just came wasn’t too full, I managed to get a seat. I wonder if it’s a MTA bus time bug? 

Lousy dispatching is what it is. Tonight I went on a rant to them. They left a bunch of BxM10 riders stranded last night. They didn't run the last bus. Told those riders to take the subway to the local bus. Some of them did just that. No local bus either. Now tonight, no 10:15pm bus in 20 degree weather. Next bus is 11:15pm. Unreal. Worst of all, last night they sent out the BxM6, which could've made the Morris Park stops, but they didn't bother combining anything. 

[NewFlyer 230]

19 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

7 back to back buses? How could you not get a seat... LMAO !

When I tracked the Q25 yesterday the 7 buses were all between Hillside Ave and Jamaica Ave/Sutphin Blvd. The next bus after that crowd was all the way at Kissena Blvd/ Holly Ave which is quite a gap in between buses during rush hour. That’s why I was surprised I found a seat because normally the bus should be crushloaded. I know a few people were talking about bus time bugs which is why I was thinking maybe it’s a bug.

 

18 hours ago, NBTA said:

Jesus, I bet that ain't the only line doing that (looks at you Q44 with a very mean face..)

I’m looking more at the Q58, because it is not hard to find 4-5 buses bunched up at a time on the route. 

 

15 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Lousy dispatching is what it is. Tonight I went on a rant to them. They left a bunch of BxM10 riders stranded last night. They didn't run the last bus. Told those riders to take the subway to the local bus. Some of them did just that. No local bus either. Now tonight, no 10:15pm bus in 20 degree weather. Next bus is 11:15pm. Unreal. Worst of all, last night they sent out the BxM6, which could've made the Morris Park stops, but they didn't bother combining anything. 

Maybe that’s what it is just poor dispatching. I wish bus time or the MTA could give notifications about a run cancellation. However I never see that happening because they know people would be on their butts about the cancellations. 

[B35 via Church]

11 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

When I tracked the Q25 yesterday the 7 buses were all between Hillside Ave and Jamaica Ave/Sutphin Blvd. The next bus after that crowd was all the way at Kissena Blvd/ Holly Ave which is quite a gap in between buses during rush hour. That’s why I was surprised I found a seat because normally the bus should be crushloaded. I know a few people were talking about bus time bugs which is why I was thinking maybe it’s a bug.

Oh, so you're saying you missed those 7 bunched buses in question..... Now your feeling of being surprised makes sense.

How long did you have to wait for that bus that you eventually got on?

23 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I’m looking more at the Q58, because it is not hard to find 4-5 buses bunched up at a time on the route.

True, but I suppose it depends how you look at it.... For the Q44 now to (still) be bunching at a comparable rate that the Q58 typically does, I'd say it says a little more about the Q44.... Of course, neither is something that should be happening, either way though.

[NewFlyer 230]

18 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Oh, so you're saying you missed those 7 bunched buses in question..... Now your feeling of being surprised makes sense.

How long did you have to wait for that bus that you eventually got on?

True, but I suppose it depends how you look at it.... For the Q44 now to (still) be bunching at a comparable rate that the Q58 typically does, I'd say it says a little more about the Q44.... Of course, neither is something that should be happening, either way though.

I waited about 10 minutes at the bus stop on Kissena Blvd & Jewel Ave. I tracked the bus when I got to the stop and the bus I would get on was at Kissena Blvd & Holly Ave while the 7 buses that were bunched was already in Jamaica between Hillside Ave and Jamaica Ave/ Sutphin Blvd before it turns onto Sutphin Blvd.

There was only one Q34 going southbound still up in Whitestone but there were three going northbound and it seemed to be running normal northbound.  
 

As far as the Q44, what’s the worst you’ve seen it bunch? Usually I see 2-3 buses together. I think the problem with the route is due to its length, traffic and I think overall it is doing too much. I was happy when I saw that the MTA was proposing to take it off of Union Street & Parsons Blvd because it will only make service more better for those going to the Bronx which is a good amount of people. I believe it is a change that should have been made once the route turned into an SBS route. Let the Q20 serve that part so it’s not that route that continues to be overshadowed by the Q44 because it is evident they slowed down the route to make the Q44 more attractive. 

[B35 via Church]

1 hour ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I waited about 10 minutes at the bus stop on Kissena Blvd & Jewel Ave. I tracked the bus when I got to the stop and the bus I would get on was at Kissena Blvd & Holly Ave while the 7 buses that were bunched was already in Jamaica between Hillside Ave and Jamaica Ave/ Sutphin Blvd before it turns onto Sutphin Blvd.

There was only one Q34 going southbound still up in Whitestone but there were three going northbound and it seemed to be running normal northbound.  
 

As far as the Q44, what’s the worst you’ve seen it bunch? Usually I see 2-3 buses together. I think the problem with the route is due to its length, traffic and I think overall it is doing too much. I was happy when I saw that the MTA was proposing to take it off of Union Street & Parsons Blvd because it will only make service more better for those going to the Bronx which is a good amount of people. I believe it is a change that should have been made once the route turned into an SBS route. Let the Q20 serve that part so it’s not that route that continues to be overshadowed by the Q44 because it is evident they slowed down the route to make the Q44 more attractive. 

Since the Q44's gotten articulated? Literally back to back, it was 3 (I've seen this happen a couple of times, including once in the Bronx).... IDK if you want to count this occurrence, but it could've been 4 (if not for 1 car between the first two buses & a Q20 b/w the 3rd & 4th bus... the 2nd & 3rd bus were ass-to-nose).... This was right at the light at Kissena/Main btw; NB direction....

Yeah, that part of the proposed QT44 I also concur with; it's something I've been mentioning should happen with the Q44, even before it became an SBS route.... The pattern I noticed was that folks were more willing to take Q20's when the Q44 was a LTD... Now that the Q44 is SBS, there's more of a reluctance in taking locals... The thing is that the phenomenon is not wholly organic - Even though the SBS makes less stops than LTD's do/did, the MTA takes away local service as a means to bolster the support/patronage of the SBS' (I prefer to call it forced)..... What you mention with the blatant slowing of the Q20 is also apparent, because I remember a point & time when Q20's would sometimes keep up w/ the Q44 along Main st (back when CS was O5 central... lol)... Now buses crawl like crazy & for a casual rider like me, more often than not, it makes the thing intolerable to ride b/w Flushing & Jamaica.... During the 90's, the Q20a used to be one of my favorite routes to fan too.

[QM1to6Ave]

8 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Since the Q44's gotten articulated? Literally back to back, it was 3 (I've seen this happen a couple of times, including once in the Bronx).... IDK if you want to count this occurrence, but it could've been 4 (if not for 1 car between the first two buses & a Q20 b/w the 3rd & 4th bus... the 2nd & 3rd bus were ass-to-nose).... This was right at the light at Kissena/Main btw; NB direction....

Yeah, that part of the proposed QT44 I also concur with; it's something I've been mentioning should happen with the Q44, even before it became an SBS route.... The pattern I noticed was that folks were more willing to take Q20's when the Q44 was a LTD... Now that the Q44 is SBS, there's more of a reluctance in taking locals... The thing is that the phenomenon is not wholly organic - Even though the SBS makes less stops than LTD's do/did, the MTA takes away local service as a means to bolster the support/patronage of the SBS' (I prefer to call it forced)..... What you mention with the blatant slowing of the Q20 is also apparent, because I remember a point & time when Q20's would sometimes keep up w/ the Q44 along Main st (back when CS was O5 central... lol)... Now buses crawl like crazy & for a casual rider like me, more often than not, it makes the thing intolerable to ride b/w Flushing & Jamaica.... During the 90's, the Q20a used to be one of my favorite routes to fan too.

I've regularly seen 4 Q44's back-to-back by Union Tpke, usually going towards Jamaica (which makes sense). The bunching on that line is crazy

[MHV9218]

Saw 2926 out today. Somehow that bus is still labeled for NYCB, as it was when it was 7426, despite never crossing over at any point in its post-PBL service history (to my knowledge). 

[GojiMet86]

19 minutes ago, MHV9218 said:

Saw 2926 out today. Somehow that bus is still labeled for NYCB, as it was when it was 7426, despite never crossing over at any point in its post-PBL service history (to my knowledge). 

I actually caught it yesterday. I didn't realize it until I was flipping through my pics. I still can't believe they have it running. 2204 and 2209 are the oldest buses in the system now, and then come the 2800s and 2900s.

[+Young+]

This video might be of interest.

Happy Holidays!!

[Iron Valiant]

I've been wondering which came first.  3500 or 6690?

Edited December 25, 2020 by Snorunts

[Melbx15]

Soo I just passed 5441 on 125st  on the bx15 limited but on bus time it’s showing 5441 is in the Bronx going to 149st on the bx15 local and the tracker is moving when you refresh so maybe I’m going crazy lol anybody else experienced this 

[MHV9218]

2 hours ago, +Young+ said:

This video might be of interest.

Happy Holidays!!

Ughhh...this is hard one. Not directed at you, but just gets me thinking. I get as frustrated as anybody with the hazards of this e-bike drivers. It pisses me off when I'm walking, it pisses me off when I'm biking, and it pisses me off when I'm driving a commercial cutaway or box truck for my work. Obviously it's not the same magnitude as operating a bus, but the feeling that it's your responsibility with a company vehicle and you're mercy to the whims of people riding badly...it's not good.

Having said that, you're never going to get me angry at the below-minimum wage immigrant workers who ride e-bikes in NYC. It's just not going to happen. I get angry at the companies who created this – the DoorDashes and Ubers of the world, who broke apart the relatively stable delivery industry and turned everybody into a worker-contractor (not unlike Uber, Lyft) without any guaranteed salary or protections, and then incentivized increasingly risky and reckless riding styles just so these guys can scrape $10-15 an hour. That's the problem here. And then these companies increased the route sizing of their 'contractors,' so that where delivery riders could previously cover 20-30 block ranges on foot, now the routes can cover 70-80 blocks. That's why everybody got an e-bike...you never saw stuff like this back in the day, and it's not like delivery is a new invention. So these guys are the symptom of a larger problem, which is the destruction of stable industries by these vulture capitalists like Uber and DoorDash, and the governments/civilians that go along with it. Why do you think Uber drivers drive so badly? It's because they're incentivized to drive like maniacs, as much as they can, without breaks, and to stop wherever in the street just so the customer rates them higher. Cabbies may have been risky, but they were nothing like this. Uber broke that industry, drove a lot of hard-working guys into poverty and in some cases to suicide. 

The e-bikes, it's the same story. If you want to really stop the reckless riding, the answer is not policing these guys. You can vote with your feet. Call up restaurants direct, don't go through DoorDash or these places that siphon off part of the meal. Tip your delivery guy in cash, so he keeps it, not through the app. Avoid patronizing the apps if you can, and look for places that employ their own delivery workers. We, the consumers, helped create this problem by going along with these awful companies like Uber and Caviar and Doordash. Places who are public on the stock market worth hundreds of billions of dollars (Uber's market cap is $100b depending on the day) but refusing to pay their workers a living wage. So vote with your feet. Don't fall for BS like the Prop 22 that Uber passed in California, allowing a loophole for them to treat employees as contractors and not pay them a fair salary. Once these guys are treated like humans, paid fairly, with dignity, the risk-taking behavior that frustrates all of us will no longer exist. I can't blame them for it, nor should other people.  

Edited December 25, 2020 by MHV9218

[Lawrence St]

2 hours ago, +Young+ said:

This video might be of interest.

Happy Holidays!!

I was about to comment on the issue.

Bikes, especially lately, have been unbelievably reckless and put other drivers and bus operators in danger simply because they can't follow the rules of the road.

Just yesterday, a bike cut off an M15-SBS out of nowhere and had the bus driver not seen it in time, he would've hit the bike. Its becoming an issue and it needs to be addressed, NOW. Why are we spending all this $$$$ to create bike lanes only for bikes not to use them???

[Via Garibaldi 8]

38 minutes ago, MHV9218 said:

Ughhh...this is hard one. Not directed at you, but just gets me thinking. I get as frustrated as anybody with the hazards of this e-bike drivers. It pisses me off when I'm walking, it pisses me off when I'm biking, and it pisses me off when I'm driving a commercial cutaway or box truck for my work. Obviously it's not the same magnitude as operating a bus, but the feeling that it's your responsibility with a company vehicle and you're mercy to the whims of people riding badly...it's not good.

Having said that, you're never going to get me angry at the below-minimum wage immigrant workers who ride e-bikes in NYC. It's just not going to happen. I get angry at the companies who created this – the DoorDashes and Ubers of the world, who broke apart the relatively stable delivery industry and turned everybody into a worker-contractor (not unlike Uber, Lyft) without any guaranteed salary or protections, and then incentivized increasingly risky and reckless riding styles just so these guys can scrape $10-15 an hour. That's the problem here. And then these companies increased the route sizing of their 'contractors,' so that where delivery riders could previously cover 20-30 block ranges on foot, now the routes can cover 70-80 blocks. That's why everybody got an e-bike...you never saw stuff like this back in the day, and it's not like delivery is a new invention. So these guys are the symptom of a larger problem, which is the destruction of stable industries by these vulture capitalists like Uber and DoorDash, and the governments/civilians that go along with it. Why do you think Uber drivers drive so badly? It's because they're incentivized to drive like maniacs, as much as they can, without breaks, and to stop wherever in the street just so the customer rates them higher. Cabbies may have been risky, but they were nothing like this. Uber broke that industry, drove a lot of hard-working guys into poverty and in some cases to suicide. 

The e-bikes, it's the same story. If you want to really stop the reckless riding, the answer is not policing these guys. You can vote with your feet. Call up restaurants direct, don't go through DoorDash or these places that siphon off part of the meal. Tip your delivery guy in cash, so he keeps it, not through the app. Avoid patronizing the apps if you can, and look for places that employ their own delivery workers. We, the consumers, helped create this problem by going along with these awful companies like Uber and Caviar and Doordash. Places who are public on the stock market worth hundreds of billions of dollars (Uber's market cap is $100b depending on the day) but refusing to pay their workers a living wage. So vote with your feet. Don't fall for BS like the Prop 22 that Uber passed in California, allowing a loophole for them to treat employees as contractors and not pay them a fair salary. Once these guys are treated like humans, paid fairly, with dignity, the risk-taking behavior that frustrates all of us will no longer exist. I can't blame them for it, nor should other people.  

Recklessness is recklessness, and the people using bikes (delivery guys) and others are increasingly reckless. Never OK to excuse such behavior. The City is the one that agreed to allow e-bikes, and they have done NOTHING to ensure that they are used safely. Increasingly, I see more and more people riding their bikes on the damn sidewalk at high speeds with no care in the world.

Wages are another matter entirely. Publicly traded companies like Uber are beholden to their investors and shareholders, and that's true for any publicly traded company.

Edited December 25, 2020 by Via Garibaldi 8

[SoSpectacular]

There has been one too many times where I've seen cyclists ride out into busy intersections where they DON'T have the light and nothing gets done about it! I've seen cars stop short of hitting, I've had to re-direct my bus pulling into far-side stops to account for someone who decided to ignore the red. Not sure as to what exactly happened yesterday evening but from where the bike and the bus ended up at I am fairly certain someone most likely lost control of their bicycle.

[Lawrence St]

5 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Recklessness is recklessness, and the people using bikes (delivery guys) and others are increasingly reckless. Never OK to excuse such behavior. The City is the one that agreed to allow e-bikes, and they have done NOTHING to ensure that they are used safely. Increasingly, I see more and more people riding their bikes on the damn sidewalk at high speeds with no care in the world.

Wages are another matter entirely. Public companies like Uber are beholden to their investors and shareholders, and that's true for any publicly traded company.

The only thing the city did was shutdown Revel after those accidents and told them to fix their safety equipment, IIRC. Other then that, nothing has been done!

Its like our leaders are scared to say anything about bikes in the first place.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Just now, Lawrence St said:

The only thing the city did was shutdown Revel after those accidents and told them to fix their safety equipment, IIRC. Other then that, nothing has been done!

Its like our leaders are scared to say anything about bikes in the first place.

I think they are oblivious at the moment. I have almost been hit numerous times by these damn e-bikes flying down the sidewalk, or coming from various directions and not following any sort of rules.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

7 minutes ago, SoSpectacular said:

There has been one too many times where I've seen cyclists ride out into busy intersections where they DON'T have the light and nothing gets done about it! I've seen cars stop short of hitting, I've had to re-direct my bus pulling into far-side stops to account for someone who decided to ignore the red. Not sure as to what exactly happened yesterday evening but from where the bike and the bus ended up at I am fairly certain someone most likely lost control of their bicycle.

I have been speaking up loudly about this problem in the latest DOT meetings we've been having about new bus lanes being implemented and how all of these e-bikes are using the bus lanes and the issues arising. The DOT needs to be looking at this closely and carefully. We are due for another meeting in January I believe, and I will raise the issue again with the DOT and the  reps. That said, the bus operators should be speaking up and the union that supposedly represents the drivers should be as well. So much for representation.

[+Young+]

12 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

That said, the bus operators should be speaking up and the union that "supposedly" represents the drivers should be as well. So much for representation.

Amen! My apologies for briefly going off-topic, however why do you think all of these videos were created to begin with? Even if you at a few others, which are at least an hour long, it should say something to begin with.

Happy Holidays!!

Edited December 25, 2020 by +Young+
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