BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[QM1to6Ave]

5 hours ago, Cait Sith said:

It would depend on the store owners if they want the machines or not. It's not like they can just walk in and be like "YO, WE ARE PUTTING METROCARD MACHINES IN HERE WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT".

Some stores used to sell both pay-per-ride and unlimited metrocards, I'm not sure if that still happens, but I know some locations for sure stopped selling metrocards altogether. The BP gas station on Atlantic/Van Wyck stopped selling Metrocards about a year or two ago.

I see them for sale in some candy stores in Queens still (PPRs, haven't seen unlimited). Yeah, it makes no sense for the MTA to pay rent, even for a few square feet, to put in a machine they would have to maintain in a store rather than just ship them some metrocards to sell

[R10 2952]

Corner stores in Queens selling pay-per-ride Metrocards, and station token booths actually selling tokens was basically how I got around as a youth back then LMAO.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

On 1/23/2022 at 5:13 PM, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

 

Yeah, when you means test the shit out of stuff and put all these (often unrealistic) requirements, you get stuff like that. In many instances, the administration costs end up eating up a good chunk of costs and/or makes the process slow for no reason. Then people wanna complain that such program as a whole is ineffective because it people don't wanna work and so, and it requires "a lot" of funding. I could go on and on, but that's a separate discussion. 

Going back to the Fair Fares side (and not just limited to that particular program), think about who sets the limits, the eligibility guidelines. More likely than not, it's gonna be someone who gets PAID and is out of touch with what people need (financially) to survive with just the basics. Like you're gonna tell me, that according to the eligibility guidelines, that a household of three that makes $23,030.01 is all of a sudden now gonna be able to afford everything and/or live lavishly, in New York?! LOL.

It's been shown that the more handouts you give, the more people aren't incentivized to better themselves. This is true not just here in US, but elsewhere. There absolutely should be low limits set, otherwise, you create a system where able-bodied ADULTS are just sitting on their @ss not working and expecting someone else to take care of them because why not? 

These sorts of programs should be for those who need it the most and they should be temporary in most cases until people can do better. I know some people out here that do what they to to make ends meet and put food on the table and they don't ask for handouts either. They go out and work however many jobs they need to to pay the bills. I have a ton of respect for those people because obviously living here is not cheap, but they're making their own way as best as they can. Quite frankly, if you can work around housing costs, you can get by fairly cheap on everything else. Having lived elsewhere, I find NYC prices very reasonable (excluding housing costs).

Food can be had cheap. A bus or subway ride is still cheap at $2.75. You can get a no-frills cell phone plan and low cost internet.

There are people out here that make it work on $25-30k a year. They have roommates and they do what they to.

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Missabassie]

I was on 6212 the other day (M15+SBS+) never noticed these oddball seats before.....

MTA NYCT Bus 6212 rear seats (Right) by Missabassie, on Flickr

MTA NYCT Bus 6212 rear seats (Left) by Missabassie, on Flickr

Edited January 26, 2022 by Missabassie

[Lil 57]

I was waiting for the SIM33C earlier today and right after getting off the S79 to wait at fingerboard, someone with a pickup truck blocks the s79 to make an attempt on letting some guy board the bus and once the guy who came out of the car to try to get the bus, the B/O refuses to open the door and drives off giving the guy who tried to block the bus instant karma.

[Calvin]

When the Q70 ran between Woodside-61 St to LGA Airport with the 1 terminal, 61st St Station on the 7 and LIRR, the Q33 ran from Roosevelt Terminal to the Airport but was scaled to end close to the Airport. Was it all done to reduce capacity at the LGA Airport or that the 82/83 Sts aren't needed for passengers going to the Airport?  

[NewFlyer 230]

10 minutes ago, Calvin said:

When the Q70 ran between Woodside-61 St to LGA Airport with the 1 terminal, 61st St Station on the 7 and LIRR, the Q33 ran from Roosevelt Terminal to the Airport but was scaled to end close to the Airport. Was it all done to reduce capacity at the LGA Airport or that the 82/83 Sts aren't needed for passengers going to the Airport?  

The Q70 was created to provide a faster way to get to LGA. The Q33 is slowed down by traffic on Roosevelt Ave and 82nd/83rd street. 

[MTA Bus]

On 1/26/2022 at 4:24 PM, Missabassie said:

I was on 6212 the other day (M15+SBS+) never noticed these oddball seats before.....

MTA NYCT Bus 6212 rear seats (Right) by Missabassie, on Flickr

MTA NYCT Bus 6212 rear seats (Left) by Missabassie, on Flickr

That looks like the Gemini seats they have on 7110-7139, 7483.

[trainfan22]

Tomorrow's snow loans should be interesting now that we have XDE40s & Nova Hybrids in the fleet. I expect a lot of fanners out and about tomorrow getting footage of said snow loans. 

 

 

MTA twitter is being a tad bit dramatic urging people to stay home and not use the system during the storm. Based on the forecasts I saw for NYCT/MTA Bus service area I doubt this storm will cripple the system and force outright suspensions, will see I guess.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

19 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

MTA twitter is being a tad bit dramatic urging people to stay home and not use the system during the storm. Based on the forecasts I saw for NYCT/MTA Bus service area I doubt this storm will cripple the system and force outright suspensions, will see I guess.

I assume you have never been stuck and stranded in a snowstorm with no service from the . I have and it is something I won't forget. They know that they can have a difficult time providing service, so why chance it if you don't have to be out there? 

[trainfan22]

58 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I assume you have never been stuck and stranded in a snowstorm with no service from the . I have and it is something I won't forget. They know that they can have a difficult time providing service, so why chance it if you don't have to be out there? 

I got caught in one of those storms where they suspended all outdoor service (I live in Canarsie so Rockaway Parkway is my home station) so I had to walk home in a snow storm, from Liberty Ave on the to where I live. THAT storm was bad, this storm for NYC isn't gonna be as bad as that storm was.

 

From the most recent forecasts I saw NYC is getting 7 inches so they should be able to provide service safely without risking people getting stranded. Of course the buses might have delays.  LIRR is shutting down tomorrow which I agree with that considering Long Island is forecasted to get hit hard by the storm.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

55 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

I got caught in one of those storms where they suspended all outdoor service (I live in Canarsie so Rockaway Parkway is my home station) so I had to walk home in a snow storm, from Liberty Ave on the to where I live. THAT storm was bad, this storm for NYC isn't gonna be as bad as that storm was.

 

From the most recent forecasts I saw NYC is getting 7 inches so they should be able to provide service safely without risking people getting stranded. Of course the buses might have delays.  LIRR is shutting down tomorrow which I agree with that considering Long Island is forecasted to get hit hard by the storm.

Snowstorms are not always so predictable and this one they've been going back and forth on. It's also going to be quite cold with the wind. Let someone get stuck out there and they'll regret it. The one I got stuck in came out of nowhere. Wasn't supposed to be that bad either. I stayed in my office thinking all would be well and left at 6pm. Didn't get home until after midnight. Couldn't get a cab from the express bus (I took whatever came from the City and figured the short distance home wouldn't be a problem). Made my way to Victory Blvd. Got a bus to Clove Rd & Victory. No S53. I had to get on another bus along Victory Blvd, take that to the ferry and then take the S48. After four buses and almost six hours of travel, I walked in the door. Now I never risk it. Ran out of the office today at 5pm to make sure I was home before anything started and only went in because I had something to do in person and figured I'd do it today and work from home all next week.

Edited January 29, 2022 by Via Garibaldi 8

[bobtehpanda]

7 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Tomorrow's snow loans should be interesting now that we have XDE40s & Nova Hybrids in the fleet. I expect a lot of fanners out and about tomorrow getting footage of said snow loans. 

 

 

MTA twitter is being a tad bit dramatic urging people to stay home and not use the system during the storm. Based on the forecasts I saw for NYCT/MTA Bus service area I doubt this storm will cripple the system and force outright suspensions, will see I guess.

 

7 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I assume you have never been stuck and stranded in a snowstorm with no service from the . I have and it is something I won't forget. They know that they can have a difficult time providing service, so why chance it if you don't have to be out there? 

It could always be worse. Here we shut down after a half inch of accumulation.

To be fair, it's because most of the city is on massive hills, so you get scenes like this: 

There's a bus that wipes out at 2:50.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

4 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

 

It could always be worse. Here we shut down after a half inch of accumulation.

To be fair, it's because most of the city is on massive hills, so you get scenes like this: 

There's a bus that wipes out at 2:50.

We have massive hills here too, but today a lot of places in my area closed. No point in having people run out on a Saturday.  It doesn't look too bad out, but I'm just going to trust the view from my living room. Don't miss having to spend hours shoveling either.

[B35 via Church]

11 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Tomorrow's snow loans should be interesting now that we have XDE40s & Nova Hybrids in the fleet. I expect a lot of fanners out and about tomorrow getting footage of said snow loans. 

MTA twitter is being a tad bit dramatic urging people to stay home and not use the system during the storm. Based on the forecasts I saw for NYCT/MTA Bus service area I doubt this storm will cripple the system and force outright suspensions, will see I guess.

Yeah, society's done got pussified.... Any thought of snow falling from the sky nowadays & it's this big scare...  Even at the job yesterday, people were all like, "are they goin let us out early today".... I look out my window & I don't see shit on the ground & damn near microscopic flakes falling from the sky, at around 1pm or so... I just smh at the concern levels being expressed....

Speaking of scares, I personally find the fear mongering the Weather Channel does particularly disgusting.... You watch that channel enough (whenever the potential for some impending [rain, snow, whatever] storm of some sort looms) & the glee that emanates from the reporters/newscasters on there... Quite sickening.... It's as if they a] want these storms to happen & b] tragedies to occur, due to them.... Sunny skies, or cloudy skies with no chance for rain makes for slow news days, I suppose....

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

Yeah, society's done got pussified.... Any thought of snow falling from the sky nowadays & it's this big scare...  Even at the job yesterday, people were all like, "are they goin let us out early today".... I look out my window & I don't see shit on the ground & damn near microscopic flakes falling from the sky, at around 1pm or so... I just smh at the concern levels being expressed....

Speaking of scares, I personally find the fear mongering the Weather Channel does particularly disgusting.... You watch that channel enough (whenever the potential for some impending [rain, snow, whatever] storm of some sort looms) & the glee that emanates from the reporters/newscasters on there... Quite sickening.... It's as if they a] want these storms to happen & b] tragedies to occur, due to them.... Sunny skies, or cloudy skies with no chance for rain makes for slow news days, I suppose....

I think a lot of that has to do with people being dependent on the . They will yank service like that now. After being stranded once on Staten Island, I called myself going to my office pre-pandemic from Riverdale. Waited for almost two hours trying to get in. Nothing. Walked back home dried out, went back out late morning. No announcements or anything either. When the s*** hits the fan, it's every man for themselves. Different if you are driving.

[NewFlyer 230]

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Yeah, society's done got pussified.... Any thought of snow falling from the sky nowadays & it's this big scare...  Even at the job yesterday, people were all like, "are they goin let us out early today".... I look out my window & I don't see shit on the ground & damn near microscopic flakes falling from the sky, at around 1pm or so... I just smh at the concern levels being expressed....

 

I agree with especially with the very first thing you said. Even when it comes to the subways, people always make it sound like it’s 1981 and 1982 NYC when homicides and all sorts of other crimes were out of control. What we see today is nowhere near how it used to be and it just shows the weakened state of our society and its people. We do have tons of homeless and mentally disabled in the subways which is an issue that certainly needs to be addressed, but our politicians don’t seem to care because the issue has only gotten worst. Even with all the homeless the subways are still relatively safe and I used to take the subway 5-6 days in a week up until last month almost any time of the day depending on what I was doing. I never felt like I was in great danger like mainstream media always likes to project. 
 

 

Speaking of the snow storm the bus routes near me are still running. Luckily I didn’t have to go to work because the n4 is completely suspended as well as the LIRR so I would have been stranded unless I made my way over to the Q5/Q85. 

[B35 via Church]

9 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I think a lot of that has to do with people being dependent on the . They will yank service like that now. After being stranded once on Staten Island, I called myself going to my office pre-pandemic from Riverdale. Waited for almost two hours trying to get in. Nothing. Walked back home dried out, went back out late morning. No announcements or anything either. When the s*** hits the fan, it's every man for themselves. Different if you are driving.

For commuters, absolutely it's a dependency on the de facto monopoly..... Quite honestly though, I think this trend of threatening to, or actually/eventually scale back on, or even shut down service at the drop of the hat the MTA has been on when it comes to snow, has to do with lawsuit prevention & budget "balancing".... In other words, they're opportunistically using weather as an advantage, as a means to save a buck.... I mean I get it, but their whole act of caring about riders' safety & well being (with this whole, stay home bit) isn't spoofing me at all...

7 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I agree with especially with the very first thing you said. Even when it comes to the subways, people always make it sound like it’s 1981 and 1982 NYC when homicides and all sorts of other crimes were out of control. What we see today is nowhere near how it used to be and it just shows the weakened state of our society and its people. We do have tons of homeless and mentally disabled in the subways which is an issue that certainly needs to be addressed, but our politicians don’t seem to care because the issue has only gotten worst. Even with all the homeless the subways are still relatively safe and I used to take the subway 5-6 days in a week up until last month almost any time of the day depending on what I was doing. I never felt like I was in great danger like mainstream media always likes to project.

Fear mongering.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

9 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

For commuters, absolutely it's a dependency on the de facto monopoly..... Quite honestly though, I think this trend of threatening to, or actually/eventually scale back on, or even shut down service at the drop of the hat the MTA has been on when it comes to snow, has to do with lawsuit prevention & budget "balancing".... In other words, they're opportunistically using weather as an advantage, as a means to save a buck.... I mean I get it, but their whole act of caring about riders' safety & well being (with this whole, stay home bit) isn't spoofing me at all...

That's pretty much what it is. Same story with NJTransit too. Everyone in my office pre-pandemic, we all keep the  website open and NJTransit too. The people that work in New Jersey eventually just worked at our New Jersey offices when it snowed or worked from home, so we started saying what's up with that? So now anytime it snows, we close early. lol

[bobtehpanda]

6 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Speaking of scares, I personally find the fear mongering the Weather Channel does particularly disgusting.... You watch that channel enough (whenever the potential for some impending [rain, snow, whatever] storm of some sort looms) & the glee that emanates from the reporters/newscasters on there... Quite sickening.... It's as if they a] want these storms to happen & b] tragedies to occur, due to them.... Sunny skies, or cloudy skies with no chance for rain makes for slow news days, I suppose....

Most TV, not even just the Weather Channel, have gone with "if it bleeds it leads" because the media has been bleeding money since the internet took their ad money. And the Internet's not that much better.

At this point, pretty much the only safe news is NPR, because they don't take ad money.

[paulrivera]

Last BxM4 leaves the Bronx at 6pm and Manhattan at 7:45pm for today.

I'm sure no one's riding the BxM4, but an epic oof nonetheless.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 hour ago, paulrivera said:

Last BxM4 leaves the Bronx at 6pm and Manhattan at 7:45pm for today.

I'm sure no one's riding the BxM4, but an epic oof nonetheless.

Yonkers Depot has been dealing with driver shortages off and on, but today is definitely weather related. It can be hard to reach the depot given where some guys live. Some drivers live out on Staten Island. In any event, people shouldn't be out in this mess unless necessary.

[R10 2952]

@B35 via Church@NewFlyer 230  Pretty much nailed it, boils down to the effect media manipulation has on society (fearmongering to increase ratings), and definitely liability issues (a bunch of shysters just waiting to file a lawsuit the moment any type of organization makes a good-faith mistake).

It's why I can't stand local TV news, and personal injury lawyers ambulance-chasers, in that order.

[MHV9218]

Didn't expect Quill to get SI LFSes for a weekend snowstorm. Surprising.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

There's also one Orion VII 3G out there, on the M23. IDK if SI sent more of them out there. Kinda strange only one was sent, but hey, whatever makes service.

Edited January 30, 2022 by BM5 via Woodhaven