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BUS - Random Thoughts Thread


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I had an incident last Saturday night waiting for the BxM2. About 5 or 6 of us were waiting at 46th & 6th and there was some sort of crew there repairing something or working on something. The bus was late because of some incident in the 40s (we could see sirens from where we were) and we were all thinking to hop in a yellow taxi and head up to 63rd street & Broadway where we would be sure to catch it in case it was on a detour. Anywho we couldn't find any info online or over the phone so we decided to wait a bit and then we saw some QM express buses coming from various directions. Once I saw those, I told the others it would be a good idea to wait because usually those buses come before the BxM2 does. Just when all of us had given up hope I saw a BxM2 turn off of 45th street and onto 6th Ave. He was in the furthest lane though at the light and I feared he would bypass us after having waited over 30 minutes which would've been a real slap in the face. The next one was due in about half an hour and I was tired, so I stepped out and waived like crazy because I refused to be bypassed. He saw me and then pulled over and stopped luckily.

 

With the Riverdale express bus drivers out of Yonkers, they are very strict about stopping at the bus stops, so if they bypass you, they may not stop at all. If they do, some of them are cranky because they're concerned about being seen picking up passengers outside of a bus stop. Meanwhile the SI express bus drivers are a bit more laid back and maybe understanding because they know the commute is long and the buses can screw up a lot. In my case though I'm still getting familiar with all of the B/Os out of Yonkers, but I'm getting used to the faces though and vice versa. With the SI drivers most of them knew me or have seen me so I could count the times that I was bypassed even if the bus was on detour. With the SI drivers though, some of them don't know the stops and I've witnessed plenty of them just blow right past stops, so I suspect that was a reason or as you said, they were all instructed to bypass the stop. In any event, the other reason why they're so strict out of Yonkers is because I get the feeling that they follow everything by the book and there's more supervision perhaps because they know folks in Riverdale will make a big stink (lol), whereas on SI folks usually just complain, but do nothing in terms of writing in, and there seems to be less supervision. Also seems to be a lot of new guys out of Yonkers for some reason.

 

How is it at Kingsbridge? I notice that when I'm waiting for the express bus, I'll see the Bx7 or Bx10 pull into the stop and they'll wait a bit to make sure that they don't leave early or leave anybody behind.

 

 

Kingsbridge is cool I've done the 7 and 10 on two separate occasions and they give you a lot of time so usually I would find myself waiting at 231st and Broadway for a train to pull in to load up and go up the hill (I was shocked that the back door was wide open and not a soul walked in the bus to beat fare...plus they all step up the steps on the NG without being told lmao). But of course not all of us do that as you've got some runners who leave all the work for the rookies but in my eyes it doesn't matter much I'm being paid to drive from point A to point B so all I worry about is the myself, the passengers and bus. If you worry about what everyone else is doing you'd go crazy lol

Edited by youngblaze
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No, Tuskegee, that's not okay.

 

IMG_0633.jpg

 

If I can see a layer of soot and filth that black, that's an issue. This was on 5560 which, I'll be honest, is absolutely in pathetic shape. The bus had no power and almost got stuck on the hill over 104th on Lex, ended up crawling over at full throttle at 3mph. The thing was the filthiest bus I've ever seen -- and I'm usually okay with dirt, but that stuff in that pic is not okay. And it stank, of vomit and urine, and it made the most horrible groaning and moaning noises on every gear change. I've always thought TU maintenance was slacking, this kinda thing is why.

Edited by MHV9218
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No, Tuskegee, that's not okay.

 

IMG_0633.jpg

 

If I can see a layer of soot and filth that black, that's an issue. This was on 5560 which, I'll be honest, is absolutely in pathetic shape. The bus had no power and almost got stuck on the hill over 104th on Lex, ended up crawling over at full throttle at 3mph. The thing was the filthiest bus I've ever seen -- and I'm usually okay with dirt, but that stuff in that pic is not okay. And it stank, of vomit and urine, and it made the most horrible groaning and moaning noises on every gear change. I've always thought TU maintenance was slacking, this kinda thing is why.

 

 

LOL... I don't know why you're so shocked... Those buses out of TU are some of the dirtiest in the city... The seats are all worn out and the buses just stink generally. I usually take the M101 a few stops to transfer to the BxM1 and I just stand and watch where I walk. That's why it made no sense for them to order buses with that soft material when they know they're not going to clean it.

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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MTA doesnt care, I mean example those Orion V CNG's or Orion V's from NYCT those seats have been on those buses since 1999 and they haven't replaced those seats yet. Isn't that a health concern. What if a little kid puts their hand on the seat or drops food and puts their hand in their mouth. They get sick and the next person who sits there gets their clothes dirty as well.

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I wish the MTA would put new bus stop sign up for ALL the MTA buses. I hate when a person who doesnt know the area or a senior asks the bus driver where the bus goes and the other bus route connections along the route and has to hold us all up. Those old signs just say the route and thats it no guide a ride or where its going. Even the bus maps are not very detailed. NYCT has all the connecting bus routes and MTA bus don't.

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Yeah I was talking in general terms. This may be the first time that all of them passed by but it isn't the first time that some of them have bypassed the stop apparently from what you wrote. Now that I made a stink about that BxM18 stop and the guy who waits with me talked to some folks, there is this one chick on the bus that I take telling the B/Os where to stop if they've never done the run before, so that's good. Clearly the word got out after I made such a stink because I've seen her usually when I'm going to the city late at night or whatever, but now she's been on the BxM18 regularly almost every day, unless they already know the run. B) She did mention that the run sheet has been like that for a while though.

 

 

Well yeah, there are always some that do because it helps speed up everybody's trips overall. There's no point in having both buses stop there (and get stuck behind each other because it's a narrow street) when you could have one bus bypass it and make it faster for the people on that bus. The thing is that like you said, it was all of them who passed the stop. I think there are supposed to be 5 trippers (overkill IMO), but 4 passed and I wasn't about to wait for the 5th one so I just jumped on the S46 and that was that.

 

And in any case, I've noticed the past few days that AM buses have been showing up at times when they aren't scheduled to. Either they're very late or they added extra service. I hope it's the latter.

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Well yeah, there are always some that do because it helps speed up everybody's trips overall. There's no point in having both buses stop there (and get stuck behind each other because it's a narrow street) when you could have one bus bypass it and make it faster for the people on that bus. The thing is that like you said, it was all of them who passed the stop. I think there are supposed to be 5 trippers (overkill IMO), but 4 passed and I wasn't about to wait for the 5th one so I just jumped on the S46 and that was that.

 

And in any case, I've noticed the past few days that AM buses have been showing up at times when they aren't scheduled to. Either they're very late or they added extra service. I hope it's the latter.

 

 

Yeah, sometimes they throw extra buses on... Not sure why but they do. They used to have extra S48s.... They would run them from say Richmond Avenue and they were relatively empty, so I would love to get those because we'd get to the ferry quickly. This is going back a ways of course before I started taking the express bus.

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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I totally agree those 'velvet seats' should've all been replaced with the hard plastic ones. thank god the new 40' Lf buses are hard plastic.

I wish the MTA would put new bus stop sign up for ALL the MTA buses. I hate when a person who doesnt know the area or a senior asks the bus driver where the bus goes and the other bus route connections along the route and has to hold us all up. Those old signs just say the route and thats it no guide a ride or where its going. Even the bus maps are not very detailed. NYCT has all the connecting bus routes and MTA bus don't.

 

There's a bunch of now abandoned bus stops in Brooklyn with the poles being wasted. I've always wondered why there were whole segments of Queens without the similar bus poles. Edited by Grand Concourse
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Yeah, sometimes they throw extra buses on... Not sure why but they do. They used to have extra S48s.... They would run them from say Richmond Avenue and they were relatively empty, so I would love to get those because we'd get to the ferry quickly. This is going back a ways of course before I started taking the express bus.

 

 

Yeah, I've seen some S48s starting from Richmond Avenue. I see them laying over further up along Morningstar Road, and then they go down Morningstar and make the first stop at Forest & Richmond. I didn't check the schedule, so I'm not sure whether they were extras of they were scheduled like that.

 

I don't know how it is in the morning, but going back in the afternoon, the buses to Richmond Avenue are generally faster than those to Arlington, because at the local stops, you have fewer people getting on since the bus doesn't go where they want to go.

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I tell you people are so stupid.... I went to pick up lunch at my Belgian spot in the 50s off of Madison and then took the M4 back to my office down 5th. We get to the 49th street stop and I'm standing in the back door area. This lady wants to get off and sees the driver open the front door, so she automatically assumes that the back door is open and asks me to push it open. The thing is several people wanted to get off apparently, but no one actually pushed the "STOP REQUESTED" sign, so the driver just opened the front door to let new passengers on the bus. I tell her that the back door is not open and she says "Well why is the front door open?" I tell her that just because the front door is open doesn't mean the back door is open and that if she wants the stop she needs to request it, so of course now the driver has closed the front door and she pushes the button to request the stop, but he has already made the stop so he doesn't open either door. She's looking around thinking that the back door should be open now because she requested the stop but it isn't of course for the reason I mentioned before, so now she passes through a ton of people to be let off in the front. As she gets off and makes her way by the back door outside, she looks in my direction and shakes her head like it is my fault. I looked at her like she was an idiot because clearly she has no clue of how anything works, or maybe she just thought I was supposed to be her personal chaffeur and yell out for the back door.... Think again... <_< You're the one who needs to get off not me. :lol:

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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I went to the Transit Museum last week and saw interesting bus patterns portrayed on the 1967 Bronx Bus map.

 

*No buses went around Co-op City, the Bx26/28 at that time terminated at Edson Av.

*The Bx17 traveled at 187 St to and from Fordham Plaza instead of Fordham Rd.

*The Bx18 used to terminate near the McDonalds at Claremont Pkwy/Webster.

*The Bx40 terminated at Bruckner Bl/Balcom Av.

*There were Bx6/A/B/C buses from Westchester Sq to Throgs Neck, Edgewater Pk, Locust Point, or Ft Schuyler.

*The M100's northern terminal was W. 239 St/Riverdale.

*The Bx16 traveled at Webster Av between 238 St and Gun Hill Rd.

 

That's all I can remember.

Edited by IRT Bronx Express
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I tell you people are so stupid.... I went to pick up lunch at my Belgian spot in the 50s off of Madison and then took the M4 back to my office down 5th. We get to the 49th street stop and I'm standing in the back door area. This lady wants to get off and sees the driver open the front door, so she automatically assumes that the back door is open and asks me to push it open. The thing is several people wanted to get off apparently, but no one actually pushed the "STOP REQUESTED" sign, so the driver just opened the front door to let new passengers on the bus. I tell her that the back door is not open and she says "Well why is the front door open?" I tell her that just because the front door is open doesn't mean the back door is open and that if she wants the stop she needs to request it, so of course now the driver has closed the front door and she pushes the button to request the stop, but he has already made the stop so he doesn't open either door. She's looking around thinking that the back door should be open now because she requested the stop but it isn't of course for the reason I mentioned before, so now she passes through a ton of people to be let off in the front. As she gets off and makes her way by the back door outside, she looks in my direction and shakes her head like it is my fault. I looked at her like she was an idiot because clearly she has no clue of how anything works, or maybe she just thought I was supposed to be her personal chaffeur and yell out for the back door.... Think again... <_< You're the one who needs to get off not me. :lol:

 

 

You coulda just said 'back door' or something. No reason to make someone else's day worse just so you feel like the smartest person in the room.

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You coulda just said 'back door' or something. No reason to make someone else's day worse just so you feel like the smartest person in the room.

 

 

No I didn't have to do anything. I was nice and explained to her what she needed to do. She was at fault for not requesting the stop. Not my problem. Furthermore her attitude pretty much sealed my decision to not help her further. She's getting off, but it's my "job" to make sure she gets off? Please.

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I do agree that the woman should've yelled 'back door' first. If her voice wasn't loud enough, then you could've yelled that to get the b/o's attention. But if she seems like the type that opens the doors and lets it slam in your face, I will say (figuratively) 'f. u.' and not help her. I've seen types like that at least twice in my life and both times I barely had time to catch the door before it slammed me in the face.

 

If I had a taser and it wasn't a crime to use it... Damn sob's.

Edited by Grand Concourse
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I just realized something (Well, I've always known about it, but this is the first time I realized it was worth mentioning), but they space out the S46 trippers going towards St. George better than the S44 and S46 trippers to the SI Mall and Mariners' Harbor. Going towards St. George, they just fill up and go (and stop at both stops by the school), but going outbound, they always leave at the same time, and either bypass the second stop or stop at it and get stuck behind each other.

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You coulda just said 'back door' or something. No reason to make someone else's day worse just so you feel like the smartest person in the room.

 

 

I thought I was the only one lol. Hey curious question .... How does the S.B.S. work ?? Can I swipe my card @ the back door or do I have to board thru the front. I want to know what's the bug deal

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No I didn't have to do anything. I was nice and explained to her what she needed to do. She was at fault for not requesting the stop. Not my problem. Furthermore her attitude pretty much sealed my decision to not help her further. She's getting off, but it's my "job" to make sure she gets off? Please.

 

 

If you would've called back door she wouldn't look @ you like that and she would've felt like the Moron she is. As well as hoped the B/O dissabled the tape on the door. so she got to push her way out lol

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If you would've called back door she wouldn't look @ you like that and she would've felt like the Moron she is. As well as hoped the B/O dissabled the tape on the door. so she got to push her way out lol

 

 

The fact is several people got off at the stop through the front door, but apparently NO ONE actually requested the stop, which was the main problem to begin with, so if she really wanted the stop she should've pushed the damn button from the get go. The B/O acted as if he was surprised because there are usually a lot of folks that get off there so he just opened the front door since he had folks waiting to be picked up there anyway, otherwise I don't think he would've stopped at all. Apparently she was the only one that wanted to get off through the back. Like I said, had her disposition been better I probably would've yelled out for her.

 

Anywho, once I answered her question as to why I couldn't open the back door and explained to her what she needed to do and she got an attitude about it like it was my fault, I said to myself, well let the b*tch get off at the next stop. Even after I told her that she needed to request the stop she stood there looking around like she didn't know what was going on and THEN she requests the stop when the driver is damn there ready to pull off. That's why you're better off not helping people because you give them the correct information and then they want to blame you for the problem like it's your fault. What it came down to is she wanted me to hold her damn hand like she's a baby or something. <_< Like I said she's getting off not me, so it's her responsibility to request the stop.

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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Just when I thought 9594 was the worse, here comes 5173 I had yesterday afternoon.

That bus has no take off power whatsoever. That shit gave me a headache the way it "tried" moving...

 

Sounds like you were punching it ... repeatedly. You know how many of those old New Flyers do that now. B/O's litterally stomp on the pedal just so it can do nothing lol

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I thought I was the only one lol. Hey curious question .... How does the S.B.S. work ?? Can I swipe my card @ the back door or do I have to board thru the front. I want to know what's the bug deal

 

You use those machines at the bus stop by pressing the start button, inserting the card, and then take the receipt and then board the bus from any door.

Just when I thought 9594 was the worse, here comes 5173 I had yesterday afternoon.

That bus has no take off power whatsoever. That shit gave me a headache the way it "tried" moving...

 

Have you gotten 9594 yet? I last saw it in the repair bay, so not sure if they solved the problem with that bus.
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