BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[Via Garibaldi 8]

35 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

To expand on this, it’s just another way to waste MTA resources. Buses have carried air all week and if they really wanted to have a vaccine shuttle I don’t think the MTA should have provided service for it. They could have gotten some private company to do it with mini vans and etc.
The Q113/Q114 already go to York and both connect with the Q22 and  which serves Edgemere 

The B15 and B20 pass by the Pink Houses which can take people to the  which takes one walking distance from Medgar Evan’s. 

 

14 minutes ago, MysteriousBtrain said:

Not to even mention the MTA added a stop for the Q113/114 at York College so it would also serve the vaccine site.

It sounds like elected officials asked the  to do it, and so they did it. Those same elected officials help secure funding for the  so it works both ways. If the lines don't carry, they will be canned. These are areas that have been hit hard by the pandemic where apparently a lot of people don't have access to a car, so the idea is to make it easier for people to get the vaccine if they want to get it.

It's not always about how many riders are being carried, as the is providing a service to the public as a public agency. This is something I actually applaud, though it should've been better planned to ensure that people know about the service. Why should a private provider be expected to handle it? The  receives taxpayer dollars to provide service to the public and they have assisted in dire situations before. How many buses were sent to New Orleans when they had hurricanes down there?

[B35 via Church]

2 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

It seems like maps are on the fence about whether or not the part of Frankfort St before the Park Row ramp could also be considered Park Row.

Ulitmately, I don't know that it really matters, since there isn't a bus stop on Frankfort St itself, and the segment is what, barely a few hundred feet?

Probably.

My thing is, when I read his post, it came across as if he was indirectly conveying that buses are somehow now doing something other than what they currently do.... Misleading.

All he had to state in that original post is that he was comparing a 2001 map to the 2020 map....

1 hour ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

To expand on this, it’s just another way to waste MTA resources. Buses have carried air all week and if they really wanted to have a vaccine shuttle I don’t think the MTA should have provided service for it. They could have gotten some private company to do it with mini vans and etc.
The Q113/Q114 already go to York and both connect with the Q22 and  which serves Edgemere 

The B15 and B20 pass by the Pink Houses which can take people to the  which takes one walking distance from Medgar Evan’s. 

...or give b/o's more work (which was the first thing that came to my mind with these 2 routes, to be quite honest).

Although I get what you're saying, even though the MTA isn't the greatest (consistently anyway) in this department, it's still more difficult for a private carrier to market a new bus service....

[Future ENY OP]

2 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

To expand on this, it’s just another way to waste MTA resources. Buses have carried air all week and if they really wanted to have a vaccine shuttle I don’t think the MTA should have provided service for it. They could have gotten some private company to do it with mini vans and etc.
The Q113/Q114 already go to York and both connect with the Q22 and  which serves Edgemere 

The B15 and B20 pass by the Pink Houses which can take people to the  which takes one walking distance from Medgar Evers  

Also the B14 to a certain extent. At the back of the Postal Facility on Sheridan Avenue which is apart of the complex. 
 

Supposedly, more service is also to be added on the B49 which also serves the college. I get where your coming from @NewFlyer 230.  

However, this particular situation is coming from FEMA and the MTA to carry out the service. If it carries air. Let it. They are addressing an equity issue. However, it’s still not being addressed enough b/c officials are not telling their constituents there is a service that will send seniors direct to these locations. Let’s see what happens in week 2 with the service. 
 

[XcelsiorFan4964]

I’ve spotted New York’s new license plate on ‘s 2009 Orion VII Next Generation Hybrid Bus #4267 based out of the Manhattanville Depot, which means the Orange license plates are now getting replaced.

[Iron Valiant]

25 minutes ago, NYCTransitFannerBoy said:

I’ve spotted New York’s new license plate on ‘s 2009 Orion VII Next Generation Hybrid Bus #4267 based out of the Manhattanville Depot, which means the Orange license plates are now getting replaced.

Yes, there are a few NG Hybrids based out of Manhattanville Depot that have the upgraded license plates. Also, the new Prevosts are coming in with white license plates.

[MHV9218]

29 minutes ago, NYCTransitFannerBoy said:

I’ve spotted New York’s new license plate on ‘s 2009 Orion VII Next Generation Hybrid Bus #4267 based out of the Manhattanville Depot, which means the Orange license plates are now getting replaced.

 

1 minute ago, Snorunts said:

Yes, there are a few NG Hybrids based out of Manhattanville Depot that have the upgraded license plates. Also, the new Prevosts are coming in with white license plates.

Those might be some of the ex-SI NGs that arrived with missing or damaged plates. I don't think they're replacing plates across the system, just slowly transitioning with the new orders.

Edited March 7, 2021 by MHV9218

[A Former New Yorker]

How many people are actually taking the B98V/Q98V. I'm assuming ridership might increase over time but would it prevent those routes from being another B91/B92

[QM1to6Ave]

6 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

Also the B14 to a certain extent. At the back of the Postal Facility on Sheridan Avenue which is apart of the complex. 
 

Supposedly, more service is also to be added on the B49 which also serves the college. I get where your coming from @NewFlyer 230.  

However, this particular situation is coming from FEMA and the MTA to carry out the service. If it carries air. Let it. They are addressing an equity issue. However, it’s still not being addressed enough b/c officials are not telling their constituents there is a service that will send seniors direct to these locations. Let’s see what happens in week 2 with the service. 
 

I agree, I  think the advertising should be handled by local politicians working with local senior groups, political groups, etc rather than the MTA, since this is not meant to be a new money-making route for the MTA long-term. Like when they groups do voting drives to set up rides for the elderly to polling places. The city also developed a deal with Curb to bring seniors to vaccine appointments via taxis, but it is incredibly poorly advertised (I don't even know if it is still happening because it was so badly advertised). Maybe once we get more vaccine supply with the J&J vaccine, and there are more appointments, more advertising will follow.  Maybe.  

[Future ENY OP]

1 minute ago, QM1to6Ave said:

I agree, I  think the advertising should be handled by local politicians working with local senior groups, political groups, etc rather than the MTA, since this is not meant to be a new money-making route for the MTA long-term. Like when they groups do voting drives to set up rides for the elderly to polling places. The city also developed a deal with Curb to bring seniors to vaccine appointments via taxis, but it is incredibly poorly advertised (I don't even know if it is still happening because it was so badly advertised). Maybe once we get more vaccine supply with the J&J vaccine, and there are more appointments, more advertising will follow.  Maybe.  

There are so many equity issues citywide I don't think the city is doing it's part to address that. Although, all the vaccine centers are now operating at 24 hours but issues still remain. Prime example look what happened in Sunset Park and Bathgate, Bronx.

[QM1to6Ave]

53 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

There are so many equity issues citywide I don't think the city is doing it's part to address that. Although, all the vaccine centers are now operating at 24 hours but issues still remain. Prime example look what happened in Sunset Park and Bathgate, Bronx.

It's a continued failure on all levels of government, from the very top to the very bottom. The pandemic really highlights for me how poorly our system works to adapt to disasters, especially sustained ones without a clear endpoint

[Via Garibaldi 8]

12 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

It's a continued failure on all levels of government, from the very top to the very bottom. The pandemic really highlights for me how poorly our system works to adapt to disasters, especially sustained ones without a clear endpoint

Worst of all, the people that really need the vaccines in some areas can't get them because people are coming from outside of the City to get doses. I think it's important that those buses keep running and that the word is put out by the elected officials and the City does more to get more appointments open. 

[Lex]

Well, I'd say the vaccine route advertisement improved a bit, seeing that the maps were finally updated to reflect their existence. Sadly, the stops aren't shown...

[ItsDavid]

I thought about something again, remember in 2009, when they ran NGs on Baisley Park and the never accepted the NGs nor 1996 RTSes and only got Bee-Line Orion Vs. Since the entire local standard fleet is OGs, do you think they'll take the displaced NGs or any new buses coming to phase out any, cause I made a joke about BP taking the scraps of ECH since they hated new buses...

[MeeP15-9112]

9 hours ago, ItsDavid said:

I thought about something again, remember in 2009, when they ran NGs on Baisley Park and the never accepted the NGs nor 1996 RTSes and only got Bee-Line Orion Vs. Since the entire local standard fleet is OGs, do you think they'll take the displaced NGs or any new buses coming to phase out any, cause I made a joke about BP taking the scraps of ECH since they hated new buses...

Only time will tell.

I do think, however, that Baisley would just raid ECH’s scrap yard lol - theres a plethora of Old Gens waiting to be sent off, and BP’s current standard fleet is all OGs as well.

[ItsDavid]

8 hours ago, MeeP15-9112 said:

Only time will tell.

I do think, however, that Baisley would just raid ECH’s scrap yard lol - theres a plethora of Old Gens waiting to be sent off, and BP’s current standard fleet is all OGs as well.

lmao yea, but I suppose it will take the buses

[paulrivera]

When the mall closes at 8:

[Via Garibaldi 8]

4 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

When the mall closes at 8:

That is nuts. I thought about taking the M34 today. Opted for an Uber instead. Screw that. Packed local buses and never ending stabbings, platform pushing and so on on the subway. Is 50 really bad though? I assume that's an artic. I don't know how many people those buses hold?

Edited March 10, 2021 by Via Garibaldi 8

[paulrivera]

36 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

That is nuts. I thought about taking the M34 today. Opted for an Uber instead. Screw that. Packed local buses and never ending stabbings, platform pushing and so on on the subway. Is 50 really bad though? I assume that's an artic. I don't know how many people those buses hold?

50’s actually a light day on the Bx12 pre-Covid (these buses used to carry 80-90 people on a regular basis)

Artics have between 50-60 seats so assuming folks are only using every other seat, there might be as many as 20 people standing throughout the bus.

It only takes one standee standing in front of the doors for boarding/deboarding to start getting problematic, so having one person at each door along with up to 18 other standees definitely won’t be a fun trip these days.

Edited March 10, 2021 by paulrivera

[NBTA]

On 3/7/2021 at 6:18 PM, NYCTransitFannerBoy said:

I’ve spotted New York’s new license plate on ‘s 2009 Orion VII Next Generation Hybrid Bus #4267 based out of the Manhattanville Depot, which means the Orange license plates are now getting replaced.

Not just the NGs, I’ve seen the Novas in the Bronx without license plates, they could be getting renewed like how @MHV9218 said.

 

On 3/7/2021 at 9:18 PM, A Former New Yorker said:

How many people are actually taking the B98V/Q98V. I'm assuming ridership might increase over time but would it prevent those routes from being another B91/B92

I would assume it’ll start off slow. I predict both bus lines to actually eventually be more useful than just a vaccine bus line. But only time will tell.

 

I thought I posted this like two days ago, but I guess it’s still here. Lol

[QM1to6Ave]

Buses keep getting more and more crowded every week, with the timing of full buses expanding to later and later. Interestingly, still seems like relatively few people are coming into the city for traditional rush hour times, at least in terms of express bus ridership. 

[NBTA]

5 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Buses keep getting more and more crowded every week, with the timing of full buses expanding to later and later. Interestingly, still seems like relatively few people are coming into the city for traditional rush hour times, at least in terms of express bus ridership. 

I’ve ridden and seen some of the overnight buses in the Bronx, and I can tell you, it seems like the hours of crowded buses is between 4AM, and 1AM now. It used to be about 6AM to about 10:30PM. Now, all of a sudden, everyone gotta take the bus. Lol

[QM1to6Ave]

9 hours ago, NBTA said:

I’ve ridden and seen some of the overnight buses in the Bronx, and I can tell you, it seems like the hours of crowded buses is between 4AM, and 1AM now. It used to be about 6AM to about 10:30PM. Now, all of a sudden, everyone gotta take the bus. Lol

Ha! Wow, that's gotta be quite a sight

[R10 2952]

On 3/7/2021 at 8:43 PM, QM1to6Ave said:

It's a continued failure on all levels of government, from the very top to the very bottom. The pandemic really highlights for me how poorly our system works to adapt to disasters, especially sustained ones without a clear endpoint

For me personally, it's exposed what a joke the whole dual federal-state system is, a medieval patchwork of different local governments all doing their own thing.  Federalism has long outlived it's usefulness.

Modern-day France, Spain, Austria, England all have unitary (centralized) governments, and none of those places are dictatorships.  All healthy democracies, with better standards of living than us to boot.  They get shit done.

Edited March 10, 2021 by R10 2952

[trainfan22]

9560 is on the B42, I rode it, I don't go out of my way to chase pliot buses anymore but I live along the B42 and well if a pliot bus is running on a route I need at an particular time, why not ride it?

 

 

Bus is nice, bus sounds better than I expected, it feels a little louder on the interior than 9500 - 9510, but I could be imagining that. Siding back doors but still has the annoying "please step away from the doors" sensor. Some riders thought the bus broke down when the engine shut off at idle, not knowing that the bus is programmed to do that to save fuel.

 

 

7090 was on layover at Rockaway Parkway terminal, kinda funny as everyone was going crazy over that bus in 2014 and now nobody cares about 7090.

[MHV9218]

15 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Bus is nice, bus sounds better than I expected, it feels a little louder on the interior than 9500 - 9510, but I could be imagining that. Siding back doors but still has the annoying "please step away from the doors" sensor. Some riders thought the bus broke down when the engine shut off at idle, not knowing that the bus is programmed to do that to save fuel.

Lmao, you remind me of the old GMCs running back in 2001-2002. Those buses would also shut down at idle, except that wasn't about saving fuel! Had to wait for the whoosh of the air starter and all the interior lights to go on and off, and then you'd to cross your fingers...