BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[Via Garibaldi 8]

25 minutes ago, JAzumah said:

It's science. The N95 masks provide a 45-60% reduction of the risk of getting COVID. That compares to 3% for cloth masks and around 11% for the blue masks. People who are immunocompromised can wear them and protect themselves in crowded spaces without the assistance of anyone else. At this point, the powers that be have enough info to help people reduce their risk on an individualized basis. I would recommend that the MTA monitor international best practices regarding current COVID mitigation and decouple from politicians that just want "visual symbols" of being vigilant.

The  was never that concerned about COVID. If they were, they would've given the workers masks and gloves from the beginning, which is what they were asking for.

Edited June 7, 2022 by Via Garibaldi 8

[JAzumah]

9 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

The  was never that concerned about COVID. If they were, they would've given the workers masks and gloves from the beginning, which is what they were asking for.

That is true, but the MTA was dissuaded from doing that by "public health experts" initially. I only give them 50/50 blame in the beginning.

[NewFlyer 230]

9 hours ago, JAzumah said:

The federal mask mandate is dead and buried. A court knocked it out in mid-April. Hence, the MTA was told to use the state law as justification for continuing the mandate.
 

It's science. The N95 masks provide a 45-60% reduction of the risk of getting COVID. That compares to 3% for cloth masks and around 11% for the blue masks. People who are immunocompromised can wear them and protect themselves in crowded spaces without the assistance of anyone else. At this point, the powers that be have enough info to help people reduce their risk on an individualized basis. I would recommend that the MTA monitor international best practices regarding current COVID mitigation and decouple from politicians that just want "visual symbols" of being vigilant.

It makes me wonder why they are holding onto it when they should just leave it up to people to choose what they want to do. It’s evident that most people don’t want to wear mask and I don’t think they should be forced to do so either. The people who still want to wear it can wear it for as long as they want. 

I remember a little over a month ago I was waiting for the Q25/Q34 at Archer Ave/153rd street towards Flushing and I see a Q25 LTD so I wave my hand to get the driver to stop. The driver looks at me and keeps driving. For a few seconds I was confused as to why he didn’t stop but I soon realized he didn’t stop because I forgot to put my mask on. I had a rough day that day and him skipping me at that stop honestly infuriated me because I ended up having to wait almost 15 minutes for the next bus (during the middle of rush hour) because the Q25/Q34 has a tendency to bunch up badly. Instances like that is why I say throw the mandate away because I feel the driver could have stopped and kindly tell me, hey man you need your mask. I am not like one of those super emotional people that get offended and want to beat someone up, but honestly that’s why you need a police presence on public transportation from time to time. 

[BreeddekalbL]

5 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

nd to get the driver to stop. The driver looks at me and keeps driving. For a few seconds I was confused as to why he didn’t stop but I soon realized he didn’t stop because I forgot to put my mask on. I had a rough day that day and him skipping me at that stop honestly infuriated me because I ended up having to wait almost 15 minutes for the next bus (during the middle of rush hour) because the Q25/Q34 has a tendency to bunch up badly. Instances like that is why I say throw the mandate away because I feel the driver could have stopped and kindly tell me, hey man you need your mask. I am not like one of those super emotional people that get offended and want to beat someone up, but honestly that’s why you need a police presence on public transportation from time to time. 

should have got his bus #

[trainfan22]

4832 got road called on the B42 this evening. Saw it OOS at a bus stop with the hood up and the maintenance truck behind it.

 

Crazy after all these years riding buses I never been on an bus that broke down due to powertrain issues, only kneel issues (RTS) and door problems (Nova artic). In the case of the kneel issue with the RTS the bus wasn't even removed from service, everybody had to get off cause the bus couldn't kneel back up with the passengers weight. once everybody got off the bus kneeled back up and everybody got back on and we went on our way.

[Lil 57]

I noticed that Castleton/Brighton has a WB S96 sign. When was that stop added. The S96 used to only stop at Brighton in the EB direction but not in the WB direction. (It did have an unofficial stop on bustime though.)

[SevenEleven]

3 hours ago, Lil 57 said:

I noticed that Castleton/Brighton has a WB S96 sign. When was that stop added. The S96 used to only stop at Brighton in the EB direction but not in the WB direction. (It did have an unofficial stop on bustime though.)

Sometime after they made Lafayette on the 90 a stop. 

[BreeddekalbL]

Yo who seen this 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ceo87S1FgyF/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

And then the idiots are commenting saying you have to open the door

 

[Future ENY OP]

15 minutes ago, BreeddekalbL said:

Yo who seen this 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ceo87S1FgyF/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

And then the idiots are commenting saying you have to open the door

 

B15 driver did the right thing.. Driver didn't let them on and that's on protocol.  If you're not at the stop. The doors don't open.

[Calvin]

Soon but, the Bx18 will be the next bus route in NYCT that'll be a loop serving Morris Heights to and from E.170 St and Grand Concourse. Having a single terminal like the B74 and M35. Also, the Q70 Laguardia link. 

Edited June 12, 2022 by Calvin

[Eric B]

Don't know if this was mentioned anywhere, but I saw a couple of 9800's yesterday, and the from RGB sign was so bright! So now, they're able to get the intensity of bright monochrome LED's with RGB! (Now, if only they would  start using the multicolor capacity for routes. I hope they're just waiting until almost all signs are RGB, rather than never planning to use them except for SBS).

[MHV9218]

7596 running the FARE REQUIRED P/R code on the 55 today. Wonder how many buses still have that. 

[Theli11]

20 hours ago, Calvin said:

Soon but, the Bx18 will be the next bus route in NYCT that'll be a loop serving Morris Heights to and from E.170 St and Grand Concourse. Having a single terminal like the B74 and M35. Also, the Q70 Laguardia link. 

It's been a loop bus route for a while now. 

[Theli11]

On 6/3/2022 at 11:24 AM, IAlam said:

I've really never really been on the M14A along Avenue A and thought to myself "wow this bus is really crowded we need more service." That being said yes it is annoying that you often have to wait for multiple M14D's before an M14A comes along. But the way I see it is that it should be treated as different routes. Peoples opinions on how long they way change between 2 separate routes on the same path vs 2 branches of the same line. In the end they're both separate routes, but from my experience people typically treat 2 branches of the same route as one route and it makes people more impatient. 

 

On 6/3/2022 at 11:36 AM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I just took a look at the M14 schedule out of curiosity. They must cut some trips unofficially because there is no way that anyone should be waiting 40 minutes for that bus during the day, which I once experienced. The amount of M14D trips can be two or three for every one, but the M14A is still scheduled to run most of the day every ten minutes or less. I've experienced something similar with the M34 where there was no bus (the M34 runs poorly compared to the M34A) and I just decided to walk since I was only walking a handful of blocks. 

As someone who takes the M14 regularly, I don't think there's ever been a time where I was waiting longer than 10 minutes for the A or the D. Even before SBS service the M14 might've been slower (especially at Union Sq/4th Av) but never anything unbearable. Yes, there is more Ds then there are As but that's because more people live along Avenue C/D than people that live along Avenue A.  Even when I'm waiting for the M9 (which at times can take 20-30 minutes) at Essex/Delancey I usually decide to walk to the D on Columbia or Wait for the A and walk down 2 blocks. The only times I see the M14A crowded is in the morning going Westbound, outside of that there's not a crowd large enough that warrants you standing on the bus. The 14D on the other hand can be crowded til' 7 or 8 by the time it hits Avenue A

 

[IAlam]

27 minutes ago, Theli11 said:

 

As someone who takes the M14 regularly, I don't think there's ever been a time where I was waiting longer than 10 minutes for the A or the D. Even before SBS service the M14 might've been slower (especially at Union Sq/4th Av) but never anything unbearable. Yes, there is more Ds then there are As but that's because more people live along Avenue C/D than people that live along Avenue A.  Even when I'm waiting for the M9 (which at times can take 20-30 minutes) at Essex/Delancey I usually decide to walk to the D on Columbia or Wait for the A and walk down 2 blocks. The only times I see the M14A crowded is in the morning going Westbound, outside of that there's not a crowd large enough that warrants you standing on the bus. The 14D on the other hand can be crowded til' 7 or 8 by the time it hits Avenue A

 

Yeah that makes sense I generally only ride the M14 in the evening or late at night, normally the M14A is fairly empty but I've seen some M14D's pretty crowded at night. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

14 hours ago, Theli11 said:

 

As someone who takes the M14 regularly, I don't think there's ever been a time where I was waiting longer than 10 minutes for the A or the D. Even before SBS service the M14 might've been slower (especially at Union Sq/4th Av) but never anything unbearable. Yes, there is more Ds then there are As but that's because more people live along Avenue C/D than people that live along Avenue A.  Even when I'm waiting for the M9 (which at times can take 20-30 minutes) at Essex/Delancey I usually decide to walk to the D on Columbia or Wait for the A and walk down 2 blocks. The only times I see the M14A crowded is in the morning going Westbound, outside of that there's not a crowd large enough that warrants you standing on the bus. The 14D on the other hand can be crowded til' 7 or 8 by the time it hits Avenue A

 

Consider yourself lucky. I have used the M14 for well over 10 years and mainly along 14th St. The M14D is usually what arrives when I am waiting and I just get on since I can normally take whatever comes, but the M14A definitely has its moments, particularly during rush hour. Maybe with the bus only lanes along 14th St it has improved (it should have).

[danielhg121]

4132 got towed to ECH this morning. 

[trainfan22]

3920 is on the M42 rn, didn't know quill still had NGs.

[Kingsbridgeviewer382]

9 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

3920 is on the M42 rn, didn't know quill still had NGs.

They still have 5-6 of them left and are used fairly regularly.

[Q43LTD]

So all the TA OG's have been retired and the BC OG's are in the process of retiring? 

[NewFlyer 230]

I’m growing so tired of public transportation and just the lack of care for riders. It seems that everyone who has some of of authority position in a lot of these public transportation agencies are just focused on getting a check and that’s it. It’s just absurd that routes are allowed to run with huge gaps in service all the time and or no service is added where it’s really needed. Where is the compassion and the care for the riders.

Just last week, me and a bunch of folks at Sutphin Blvd/LIRR station waited a little over a half an hour for Q25 to make its run back up to College Point but you had 6 Q25/Q34’s go right out of service at Jamaica and I just don’t understand why dispatching couldn’t get a hold of one of those drivers and ask if they could for example do a Q25 LTD trip up to at least Flushing to close that half and hour gap. The Q25/Q34 has had reliability issues for as long as I can remember and the best the MTA can do in its redesign plan is eliminate a bunch of stops and make the Q25 go all the way to Laurelton via Merrick like it has any business there. 

 

Tonight (around 9:05pm) I waited about 40 minutes for the Q64 to come and what I don’t get once again is why can’t the schedule be modified to make sure these gaps are reduced. (Mind you a bus to Forest Hills is suppose to run every 10 minutes). Once we got to Forest Hills a 2nd Q64 shows up which is very infuriating. There are all these campaigns to get people using public transportation but the MTA certainly doesn’t give people much of a reason to ride public transportation especially the buses. It’s not fair that folks have to wait double and triple the time for a bus to show up and all you see is buses passing on the other side some being empty and then going right out of service. That’s why I would encourage those who have the resources to afford a car, get one because nothing beats having control over your own time. I understand you can’t always be fully prepared for situations but some of this issues with bus service has existed for years with no solution. 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

1 hour ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I’m growing so tired of public transportation and just the lack of care for riders. It seems that everyone who has some of of authority position in a lot of these public transportation agencies are just focused on getting a check and that’s it. It’s just absurd that routes are allowed to run with huge gaps in service all the time and or no service is added where it’s really needed. Where is the compassion and the care for the riders.

Just last week, me and a bunch of folks at Sutphin Blvd/LIRR station waited a little over a half an hour for Q25 to make its run back up to College Point but you had 6 Q25/Q34’s go right out of service at Jamaica and I just don’t understand why dispatching couldn’t get a hold of one of those drivers and ask if they could for example do a Q25 LTD trip up to at least Flushing to close that half and hour gap. The Q25/Q34 has had reliability issues for as long as I can remember and the best the MTA can do in its redesign plan is eliminate a bunch of stops and make the Q25 go all the way to Laurelton via Merrick like it has any business there. 

 

Tonight (around 9:05pm) I waited about 40 minutes for the Q64 to come and what I don’t get once again is why can’t the schedule be modified to make sure these gaps are reduced. (Mind you a bus to Forest Hills is suppose to run every 10 minutes). Once we got to Forest Hills a 2nd Q64 shows up which is very infuriating. There are all these campaigns to get people using public transportation but the MTA certainly doesn’t give people much of a reason to ride public transportation especially the buses. It’s not fair that folks have to wait double and triple the time for a bus to show up and all you see is buses passing on the other side some being empty and then going right out of service. That’s why I would encourage those who have the resources to afford a car, get one because nothing beats having control over your own time. I understand you can’t always be fully prepared for situations but some of this issues with bus service has existed for years with no solution. 

The other thing that pisses me off is the ghost buses on bustime. I've asked through Twitter and a lot of times on whether buses are operating in service as they don't show up on bustime, and when I don't get a response that it's cancelled, they respond that the bus operator doing the trip is not regularly assigned to the trip, so it's not showing up. Something regarding how they set up the system which BTW is ridiculous, especially as temperatures are getting hotter. Nobody is going to want to deal with said situations when the temperatures are in the high 80s and 90s, and when the headways are over 10 minutes. I have to be playing guessing games if a scheduled trip is a no-show, especially since they don't post anything for the local lines.

Very few times do they actually post anything for the local lines on their twitter page or their website. The one time I remember cancellations posted was one where they cancelled almost all Q110 service for several hours due to a lack of operators. Otherwise, if your bus is running every 30 minutes but one bus operator is out and there's no replacement, have fun waiting for the next bus (and with no notice either). Anytime I see that shit where a scheduled bus is not on bustime after checking for a few minutes, I either wait for the next bus (if I'm at home only) or use some other route if possible, even if it requires more transfers. I'm not relying on it being a ghost bus in this weather. Hell for me it's already hot when it hits the 70s, I can't stand the 80s and the 90s are brutal. Give me 20 degree and 30 degree weather, and I can deal with it and tolerate it. 

(Sidenote: I remember getting a large sprite from McDonald's on Thanksgiving Day in the morning a few years back - I forget what year it was, maybe 2017, but it IIRC the temperatures were unusually low, like in the low 20s/ high teens. Some dude saw that when I was walking about and was like "seriously?")

Edited June 16, 2022 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[Via Garibaldi 8]

10 minutes ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

The other thing that pisses me off is the ghost buses on bustime. I've asked through Twitter and a lot of times on whether buses are operating in service as they don't show up on bustime, and when I don't get a response that it's cancelled, they respond that the bus operator doing the trip is not regularly assigned to the trip, so it's not showing up. Something regarding how they set up the system which BTW is ridiculous, especially as temperatures are getting hotter. Nobody is going to want to deal with said situations when the temperatures are in the high 80s and 90s, and when the headways are over 10 minutes. I have to be playing guessing games if a scheduled trip is a no-show, especially since they don't post anything for the local lines. Very few times do they actually do that, the one time I remember seeing it was because they cancelled almost all Q110 service within a 2-3 hour period. 

Anytime I see that shit, I either wait at home for the next bus, or use an alternate route if I'm going home, even if it requires more transfers, I am not waiting for a bus that potentially may never show up. Hell for me it's already hot when it hits the 70s, I can't stand the 80s and the 90s are brutal. I can deal with 20 and 30 degree weather. 

(Sidenote: I remember getting a large sprite from McDonald's on Thanksgiving Day in the morning a few years back - I forget what year it was, maybe 2017, but it IIRC the temperatures were unusually low, like in the low 20s/ high teens. Some dude saw that when I was walking about and was like "seriously?")

The only reason they post anything for the express lines is because myself and another advocate I work with have been on their case to do so, and you are correct, they don't post anything for the local buses with any regularity. What amazes me is you have Riders Alliance, Transportation Alternatives, etc. NONE of those so called "advocacy groups" focus on the day-to-day issues for the local bus riders. Damn shame...

There are a lot of ghost buses on the local lines, but no one to report such issues to get them fixed. Those are all things I focus on with my group. 

[Calvin]

7 hours ago, Q43LTD said:

So all the TA OG's have been retired and the BC OG's are in the process of retiring? 

There's approximately 10 old gens out of Queens Village. However, they are mostly used during the rush hour. The MTA Bus old gens are in retiring process. They are just waiting for confirmed arrivals out of NYCT depots like Manhattanville, Casey Stengel or Queens Village etc. 

Edited June 16, 2022 by Calvin

[SoSpectacular]

4 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I’m growing so tired of public transportation and just the lack of care for riders. It seems that everyone who has some of of authority position in a lot of these public transportation agencies are just focused on getting a check and that’s it. It’s just absurd that routes are allowed to run with huge gaps in service all the time and or no service is added where it’s really needed. Where is the compassion and the care for the riders.

Just last week, me and a bunch of folks at Sutphin Blvd/LIRR station waited a little over a half an hour for Q25 to make its run back up to College Point but you had 6 Q25/Q34’s go right out of service at Jamaica and I just don’t understand why dispatching couldn’t get a hold of one of those drivers and ask if they could for example do a Q25 LTD trip up to at least Flushing to close that half and hour gap. The Q25/Q34 has had reliability issues for as long as I can remember and the best the MTA can do in its redesign plan is eliminate a bunch of stops and make the Q25 go all the way to Laurelton via Merrick like it has any business there. 

 

Tonight (around 9:05pm) I waited about 40 minutes for the Q64 to come and what I don’t get once again is why can’t the schedule be modified to make sure these gaps are reduced. (Mind you a bus to Forest Hills is suppose to run every 10 minutes). Once we got to Forest Hills a 2nd Q64 shows up which is very infuriating. There are all these campaigns to get people using public transportation but the MTA certainly doesn’t give people much of a reason to ride public transportation especially the buses. It’s not fair that folks have to wait double and triple the time for a bus to show up and all you see is buses passing on the other side some being empty and then going right out of service. That’s why I would encourage those who have the resources to afford a car, get one because nothing beats having control over your own time. I understand you can’t always be fully prepared for situations but some of this issues with bus service has existed for years with no solution. 

Mind you, yes there are open runs/trips on the daily still and I see new students in every week it seems. Those who are done for the day or going on break can be asked to provide extra service but they are not obligated to. Not everyone wants to spend any extra time behind the wheel, epseically if they have to come back in the next day. Keep in mind that there are regulations as to how much we are allowed to drive daily/spend behind the wheel and the required 8 hours off between shifts. Dispatch also has to take precauton in readjusting buses that are late, but after a certain time in the day there aren't many "eyes" keeping up with the system.

Also, the Q64 is a pretty short line. Few drivers making many repeat trips. What probably happened was one of the buses ran behind and their follower was basically riding their coat tails. Traffic is also a big issue in buses being able to stay on time. As the roads are continually reconfigured for less car traffic, the decreased space isn't sufficient for current day traffic. Unfortunately the intended effect of making people drive less doesn't seem to be working... NYC drivers are pretty stubborn when it comes to personal vehicles... Resilient too. I stopped driving in to work most days because of it.