BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[Lawrence St]

4 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

The M55 is a mess period.  They often times can't even make the full trips from South Ferry to 44th street. They short turn then sometimes before 23rd street, and then there's the lovely driver change before 34th street.  The route does see usage though, but it would be much better if they didn't have such nonsense going on.

I wanted the M6 to come back but noooooo

[Via Garibaldi 8]

8 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

I wanted the M6 to come back but noooooo

The M55 is a stupid route, and the sad part is they can't even manage it well.  I've used it twice in the past few weekends during periods when traffic shouldn't be too bad. Our bus went OOS around 21st street all of a sudden despite being signed up to go to 44th street. We had to all switch to another M55. I got off and didn't even bother.  Made a stop and took the M7 afterwards.  I took it again another time when I didn't feel like going down into the subway and that trip stopped at 31st street for a B/O change. I got off and walked the rest of the way. 

There are too many tourists on that route that really slows down service and EVERYBODY that boards has to ask a thousand questions. They don't know how to use the Metrocard, and even the regular riders have to be chatty when they board.  Does this bus go here and there and there?  It's ridiculous.  When this new payment system comes out, the  needs to go on an education blitz. Every other place I've lived, people know how to use the buses and they get on and the boarding process is 1-2-3.  Here it takes forever.  

Edited October 4, 2018 by Via Garibaldi 8

[trainfan22]

I have the worst luck with the B15, EVERY TIME I ride that got damn route from New Lots station it's always bunched up. Today I get off at New Lots and see on Justine that I just missed four bunched up B15 and the next bus was a half hour away, I said screw it and got back on the train.

 

 

Years ago when I got screwed by B15 bunching Justine didn't exist yet so I just stood there and waited..

[Via Garibaldi 8]

14 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

I have the worst luck with the B15, EVERY TIME I ride that got damn route from New Lots station it's always bunched up. Today I get off at New Lots and see on Justine that I just missed four bunched up B15 and the next bus was a half hour away, I said screw it and got back on the train.

 

 

Years ago when I got screwed by B15 bunching Justine didn't exist yet so I just stood there and waited..

You got that right, and it still doesn't. 

[East New York]

1 hour ago, trainfan22 said:

I have the worst luck with the B15, EVERY TIME I ride that got damn route from New Lots station it's always bunched up. Today I get off at New Lots and see on Justine that I just missed four bunched up B15 and the next bus was a half hour away, I said screw it and got back on the train.

That's my home line. Almost every run is leader/follower, and its gets bunched a lot due to traffic. This is why I recommend that anyone who uses BusTime get Bus Tracker for Android or Bus NYC for iOS. I like to use Bus NYC, and I track my bus well before I'm anywhere near it. 

For example, If I'm getting on an  from say Broadway Junction, I will check the details before I even get on the  train. I plan out my trips to the T because I don't like waiting for buses or trains. Here and there when "ghost runs" are out and not trackable is when things can get frustrating. You know there should be a bus coming but BusTime says the next is twice as far away. When that happens I just cheat and see if there's anything out not publically trackable.

However, since everyone can't do that, I recommend using BusTime in conjunction with Google Transit and you have a much greater chance of not having to wait for anything. At one time I would just go about my day and not check any schedules. Seemed like when I did it that way I missed the B15 at New Lots every single time. Now I can't remember the last time I waited. 

[paulrivera]

1 hour ago, East New York said:

For example, If I'm getting on an  from say Broadway Junction, I will check the details before I even get on the  train. I plan out my trips to the T because I don't like waiting for buses or trains. Here and there when "ghost runs" are out and not trackable is when things can get frustrating. You know there should be a bus coming but BusTime says the next is twice as far away. When that happens I just cheat and see if there's anything out not publically trackable.

Yea, like how a lot of times there would be an unscheduled deadhead and a bus can literally read “Not in Service” up until the bus is 1 block away from you, where the B/O flips the sign back to their regular route.

[Yankees4life]

3 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

You got that right, and it still doesn't. 

Didn't know that YouTuber turned herself into a Bus Tracker app

Yeah, that route needs help. Maybe get Limited service over there...

[Orion6025]

5 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

The M55 is a stupid route, and the sad part is they can't even manage it well. 

At least from a layman's POV, the M55 seems to have an adequate number of buses... But they all seem to magically bunch up around the 10s-40s at the terminal when heading uptown. Around downtown, they seem decent about managing the buses, occasionally turning them at chambers when they start bunching. That said all the bunching up north causes reliability issues and large gaps southbound since they seem to not try and patch the huge gaps by sending buses NIS halfway down but just send them out one by one roughly spaced out as most M55s should be...

Most M55s seem to carry a pretty crummy load from my observations

[trainfan22]

pic from a couple days ago of five Q58 buses bunched up! (Four in the pic, 5th one I was on)

 

Edited October 5, 2018 by trainfan22

[Via Garibaldi 8]

30 minutes ago, Orion6025 said:

At least from a layman's POV, the M55 seems to have an adequate number of buses... But they all seem to magically bunch up around the 10s-40s at the terminal when heading uptown. Around downtown, they seem decent about managing the buses, occasionally turning them at chambers when they start bunching. That said all the bunching up north causes reliability issues and large gaps southbound since they seem to not try and patch the huge gaps by sending buses NIS halfway down but just send them out one by one roughly spaced out as most M55s should be...

Most M55s seem to carry a pretty crummy load from my observations

It depends. The ones that I've been on generally get a seated load.  What deters people from riding is it ending at 44th street, which makes no sense, and the constant turning around and having to wait for another M55 to continue the commute.  Given the fact the bus only goes from 44th to South Ferry, having to turn them around at Chamber is absurd.  When I get on, I expect the bus to go to 44th street, not be turned elsewhere.  If we were talking about a longer route I could understand.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Via Garibaldi 8

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

44 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

pic from a couple days ago of five Q58 buses bunched up! (Four in the pic, 5th one I was on)

That to me is normal, I've seen it plenty of times. In fact, two weeks ago, there were 6-7 buses all going to Flushing together after a gap in service. The Q58 just does way too much, and with the traffic it deals for almost the entirety of its route, it's no wonder why this happens.

[paulrivera]

Theres an artic numbered 128? How long has that been a thing?

[Orion6025]

35 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

Theres an artic numbered 128? How long has that been a thing?

Only in thr past week or so have they been renumbering more D60s

--

110 (M103), 112 (M101), 116 (Bx22), 117-118, 121-122 are all now trackable for those who want to go chase them.

[Future ENY OP]

Some observations this week:

1) Noticing more buses on the B65. I'm guessing the service increases are beginning or have begun.

2) Brooklyn Division getting driver side window wraps placed on buses + Exterior roof ads on the NG's, OG's

3) JG slapping ads on their XN40's and XN60's + FB with their XD40's for SBS+ and Grand Avenue with XDE40 9500 has a side ad.

 

[S78 via Hylan]

2 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

Some observations this week:

1) Noticing more buses on the B65. I'm guessing the service increases are beginning or have begun.

 

That route along with the B17 received increases, but the updated schedule for the latter is not yet online.

[trainfan22]

A GA RTS is out and about today... 4946 is on the B32 right now. With all these subway shuttles I guess it's all buses on deck to make service this weekend.

[Future ENY OP]

7 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

A GA RTS is out and about today... 4946 is on the B32 right now. With all these subway shuttles I guess it's all buses on deck to make service this weekend.

5178 is also out today. Saw that bus parked at WBP earlier today.

[Around the Horn]

Well this was a nice surprise

[Calvin]

Boarding the BM3 today from Emmons Av/Bedford Av up to 34 St/Madison Av, all the seats were filled on the bus (that's passengers) *that was  the 10:20AM to Midtown-57 St. 

Edited October 7, 2018 by Calvin

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

2 hours ago, Around the Horn said:

Well this was a nice surprise

*Pic*

Likely the extra M34 bus service the MTA said they would provide.

 

However, now that it's nighttime, they're signing the buses up as 'SUBWAY SHUTTLE' , and going from 12th Avenue straight to 8th Avenue, and then end at 7th Avenue. There's less than a handful of M34s on the entire route, making local stops. Nice one MTA.

[Coney Island Av]

2 hours ago, Around the Horn said:

Well this was a nice surprise

Did these run after Comic Con or before?

If it ran either during and/or after, then I might catch it tomorrow after the bus festival.

[Lawrence St]

4 hours ago, Around the Horn said:

Well this was a nice surprise

SAY WHAT

[Lawrence St]

1 hour ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Likely the extra M34 bus service the MTA said they would provide.

 

However, now that it's nighttime, they're signing the buses up as 'SUBWAY SHUTTLE' , and going from 12th Avenue straight to 8th Avenue, and then end at 7th Avenue. There's less than a handful of M34s on the entire route, making local stops. Nice one MTA.

This is what happens when theh don't plan right. They could've had the shuttle run between 34th and 42nd during the festival and do the work after, but noooooo. They did the same thing with the car show.

[Cait Sith]

16 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Likely the extra M34 bus service the MTA said they would provide.

 

However, now that it's nighttime, they're signing the buses up as 'SUBWAY SHUTTLE' , and going from 12th Avenue straight to 8th Avenue, and then end at 7th Avenue. There's less than a handful of M34s on the entire route, making local stops. Nice one MTA.

I was out there last night while working, as I had to ride the M34 a couple of times to/from drop-off locations. It wasn't that bad tbh.

The bulk of the crowd did get off at 7th Avenue. 6th Avenue going East didn't look all that crowded. All of the artics were packed until 7th Avenue, which makes sense because the bulk of the Comic-Con ridership came from Penn Station itself. I saw some of those direct M34s from 12th to 7th and the ones signed up as Subway Shuttles. They were p a c k e d and you'd see most of the crowd spill into Penn Station.

I get why they did that, East Side definitely wasn't all that busy on the line. Normally, it's usually 4 buses on the M34+ at night, so it shouldn't be all that surprising at how the East Side was handled. Plus, there were loads of traffic on the East Side due to a portion of Lexington Avenue being closed off for some local event, and Con-Ed construction on Madison Avenue forcing traffic to go on 3rd Avenue.

I'd say they did a pretty good job handling the comic-con madness.

[mine248]

Does anyone know the code for the M55 and D to Grand/W4? I’m at the bus fest and there is a chance that 9500 that’s at the event might get the sigh scroll treatment.