NICE Planned Service/Schedule Changes

[NY1635]

The last known ridership survey done in 2016 done by NICE shows that the n15, n25, n31/32, n35, n40/41, n43, and n70/71/72 as the only inter Nassau routes with high ridership. The Elmont Flexi is the only route that has seen ridership increases over the past few years to warrant a newer fleet of mini-buses. The North Shore is too lightly populated with seniors and health care workers while the n19 is treated more as a work shuttle in the South Shore.

The one thing that hinders restoring the n27 is simply the lack of lights around Glen Cove Road and the Roslyn Viaduct which makes driving around impossible to do, along with whatever storm that mother nature decides to hurl at the North Shore.

[NY1635]

Due to a Curfew in Effect, the following changes happened last night to the Jamaica Flushing Routes:

n4 ending at Hook Creek Blvd and Merrick Road

n6 terminating at Hempstead Turnpike and Elmont

n20G running to 162 Street while avoiding Main at Roosvelt

n22/24 ending at Hillside Avenue and Little Neck Parkway

n31/32 now ending at Lawrence due to protests at 5pm in Far Rockaway

n33: now ending at Atlantic Beach due to a protest in Far Rockaway

It will start at 7:30 pm in accordance to the Curfew set in place by the Mayor today, which has been extended to June 7th

https://www.nicebus.com/Service-Alerts

Edited June 2, 2020 by NY1635
Link to Service Alerts

[FamousNYLover]

New updates now available for routes n4, n15, n22, and n24 effective September 6. 

By improving stop placement, we can improve the experience for nearly 33,000 passengers daily by saving between 7 and 10 minutes per trip on average!

On NICE’s busiest corridors, 3 out of every 4 riders use approximately 25 percent of current stops, leaving 75 percent of route stops lightly used. Industry standards and NICE’s own service standards recommend stops every 1/4 to 1/3 mile, however, some NICE stops are less than 1/10 mile apart – slowing down trips considerably. NICE is working to rebalance local stops systemwide, moving and consolidating stop locations to speed up your trip.

NICE's Bus Stop Rebalancing Program started with changes to n6 and n40/41 routes, and has already improved trip times by up to 12 percent. As NICE continues to rebalance stops across the network, we expect customer travel times to be up to 15 percent faster. You can also visit the not-for-profit TransitCenter to learn how bus stop balancing is helping speed up transit systems nationwide. 

Want to share thoughts about a specific stop? We want to hear from you. Riders are invited to leave us a comment about their route so we can determine the best changes, together. 

n4 • Freeport – Jamaica

The n4 is NICE's second busiest route, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers daily. Twelve out of 76 n4 stops account for 73 percent of weekday ridership. Stop Rebalancing will impact roughly 4 percent of current riders who will have an average walk of approximately 831 feet to the nearest stop. 

Currently, stops are placed an average of 997 feet apart in Nassau County, while NICE service standards recommend a spacing of roughly 1,320 feet (approx. 1/4 mile). 

Which stops are being moved or removed?

Stops impacted by the program are noted in the map above, running along Merrick Road between Cornwell Avenue in Valley Stream and Newton Boulevard in Freeport. Riders can identify affacted stops by customized stop signage at each location, directing them to the nearest available stop. Roughly 23 stops will be affected.

 

n6 • Hempstead – Jamaica- already started.

Roughly 75 percent of all n6 riders use just 25 out of the 116 local stops currently available on the n6 route. While service standards recommend stops every 1/4 mile, the n6 currently services bus stops less than 1/10 mile apart, slowing down trips on Nassau's busiest corridor. By improving stop placement, we can improve ridership on the n6 for nearly 9,000 passengers daily. Stop rebalancing is anticipated to speed up service on the n6 by 10 percent.

Which stops are being moved or removed?

Stops impacted by the program are noted in the map above, running along Hempstead Turnpike and Fulton Street between Belmont and Westminster. Riders can identify these stops by customized stop signage at each location, directing them to the nearest available stop. Some n1 stops will also be impacted. 

n15 • Roosevelt Field – Long Beach

The n15  is among NICE's top five busiest routes, carrying approximately 3,200 passengers daily, with 14 out of the routes 70 stops accounting for 74 percent of average weekday ridership.

Currently, n15 stops within the county are spaced at an average of 798 feet, while NICE service standards recommend spacing of 1,320 feet (approx. 1/4 mile). Stop rebalancing is expected to speed up the n15 by 10 percent, affecting approximately 9 percent of passengers with an average walk of 532 feet. 

Which stops are being moved or removed?

Stops impacted by the program are noted in the map above, running along Woodfield Road in Hempstead to Hudson Street in Long Beach. Riders can identify affacted stops by customized stop signage at each location, directing them to the nearest available stop. Roughly 37 stops will be affected.

n22 • Hicksville/Mineola – Jamaica

The n22 is among NICE's top ten busiest routes, carrying approximately 5,400 passengers daily. Currently, n22 stops are spaced at an average of 869 feet, while NICE service standards recommend spacing of 1,320 feet (approx. 1/4 mile).

Stop rebalancing is expected to make n22 trips up to 10 minutes faster, affecting approximately 6 percent of passengers with an average walk of 580 feet. 

Which stops are being moved or removed?

Stops impacted by the program are noted in the map above, running along Old Country Road in Hicksville to Hillside Avenue in Queens. Riders can identify affected stops by customized stop signage at each location, directing them to the nearest available stop. Roughly 33 stops will be affected.

n24 • Hicksville/Roos. Field – Jamaica

The n24 is among NICE's top ten busiest routes, carrying approximately 4,000 passengers daily from Nassau into Queens. NICE is rebalancing these stops in phases, starting with the Nassau County portion. Currently, n24 stops within the county are spaced at an average of 904 feet, while NICE service standards recommend spacing of 1,320 feet (approx. 1/4 mile).

Stop rebalancing is expected to speed up the n24 by 10 percent, affecting approximately 13 percent of passengers with an average walk of 570 feet. Phase II Queens stops will be rebalanced at a later date. 

[Mtatransit]

https://www.nicebus.com/Service-Alerts

 

Effective September 6th 2020

the n22X is being eliminated and passengers are asked to use the n22 local for trips between Jamaica and Roosevelt Field instead.

Edited August 22, 2020 by Mtatransit

[B35 via Church]

3 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

https://www.nicebus.com/Service-Alerts

 

Effective September 6th 2020

the n22X is being eliminated and passengers are asked to use the n22 local for trips between Jamaica and Roosevelt Field instead.

After peeping that info FamousNYLover posted about 2 weeks or so ago (above your post), the first thing I said to myself is "yeah, the n22x is gone"..... The n22X makes local stops east of RFM anyway & the n22 local along Hillside, more often than not, is a de facto express... A lot of those quote-unquote intermediate stops b/w Cherry lane & Willis av don't see usage at all.....

Two things I didn't particularly care for about the n22x was the whole bypassing Mineola Intermodal bit (saves time, but at the expense of convenience) & the stopping at 1 Old Country road (the building).... Should've stopped at that Country Glen center (or whatever that little shopping area is called; it's the WB stop after RFM)... There's way more people waiting for buses there, then at 1 Old Country road....

[FamousNYLover]

On 8/22/2020 at 9:54 AM, B35 via Church said:

After peeping that info FamousNYLover posted about 2 weeks or so ago (above your post), the first thing I said to myself is "yeah, the n22x is gone"..... The n22X makes local stops east of RFM anyway & the n22 local along Hillside, more often than not, is a de facto express... A lot of those quote-unquote intermediate stops b/w Cherry lane & Willis av don't see usage at all.....

Two things I didn't particularly care for about the n22x was the whole bypassing Mineola Intermodal bit (saves time, but at the expense of convenience) & the stopping at 1 Old Country road (the building).... Should've stopped at that Country Glen center (or whatever that little shopping area is called; it's the WB stop after RFM)... There's way more people waiting for buses there, then at 1 Old Country road....

n22X used to stop inside Mineola Station and use Old country Rd/herrick Rd/Jericho turnpike to get to Hillside/New Hyde.

[jaf0519]

Fall schedules are up for NICE.

• N6X is back with artics 
• N4X is still suspended and will return in January 2021
• N16NCC suspended for Fall semester at NCC
• N16X is back, running between HTC and NCC via Hempstead Tpke/Oak St
• Since it wasn’t mentioned I guess the N16J isn’t returning either 
• N22 is being split at Mineola with free transfers being provided between branches
• N22X is suspended not eliminated, will be returning in January 2021
• N25 returning to regular route on 9/6 since LIRR construction has finished
• Plus other schedule changes

Really think they should remove the /41 from the N40/41 route. It is literally just the N40.

[B35 via Church]

How they're handling the n22 & n24 splits I think should be the other way around; n22's should be the route that's split at RFM during peak times & n24's should be the route split at Mineola during peak times.... The n22 carries more east of RFM & the n22 gets people between RFM & Queens much quicker than the n24.... The n24 has more intermediate ridership between Jamaica & Mineola; thus, is slower than the n22 between those two points.... Those n24's that run b/w RFM & Hicksville don't perform all that great, usage-wise...

As for the old n22x's route, I'm aware that it used to stop inside Mineola terminal & did the old shuffle through Herricks to get to/from Jamaica...

 

[MTA Bus]

The new schedule design isn't bad, i guess. I like the predictive crowding feature tho, but it might be a little confusing to read the timetable as a whole

 

https://www.nicebus.com/NICE/media/assets/n22-9-6-20-v1.pdf

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

They cut back on the last round trip in the AM on the n80. The 10:15 AM trip from Hicksville and the 10:56 AM trip from Sunrise Mall will be discontinued.

On the n57, they cut the PM loop service by an hour. The last trip from Great Neck RR is now at 6:10 PM. The 6:40 PM and 7:10 PM buses will be discontinued. The first two AM trips will be merged together. 

15 minutes ago, MTA Bus said:

The new schedule design isn't bad, i guess. I like the predictive crowding feature tho, but it might be a little confusing to read the timetable as a whole

 

https://www.nicebus.com/NICE/media/assets/n22-9-6-20-v1.pdf

I like the map design on this timetable more than before, but the timepoint information is tedious to read/reference, and the overall design is pretty bland IMO. 

[B35 via Church]

3 hours ago, MTA Bus said:

I like the predictive crowding feature tho...

AFAIC, it doesn't mean much of anything... Total waste of space & ink.

3 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

They cut back on the last round trip in the AM on the n80. The 10:15 AM trip from Hicksville and the 10:56 AM trip from Sunrise Mall will be discontinued.

They might as well do away with the n80; it's like chipping away at a pebble for sand at this point.

[FamousNYLover]

Quote

 

NEW FALL SCHEDULES EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 6TH

SERVICE UPDATES LISTED BELOW

This will be a different Fall then any of us have ever experienced before. The safety of our passengers and employees is the number one priority at NICE. As a result, we are adjusting our our timetables and service to make sure we have the right number of buses on the road, for our customers. We are constantly monitoring conditions so that we can continue to offer safe transportation. To ensure the health and safety of everyone on board our buses, masks are required at all times. 

Fall Highlights: 

• We resume with n6Xpress trips weekdays using articulated buses.
• n4Xpress trips will return in January.
• In order to help with on time performance, the n22 will be split into two legs (as we do with the n20G/H and the n24.) All n22 trips will begin/end at Mineola. If you need to travel east or west of Mineola, please use our free n22 transfer at the Mineola IC to pick up a n22 bus headed to Jamaica or Hicksville to continue on with your trip. n22Xpress trips are being suspended until January and will be run as local trips.
• With the closure of Nassau Community College, the n16NCC will be suspended for Fall semester.
• We have added weekday and Saturday trips on the n40/41.
• Construction on New Hyde Park Road has ended and the n25 will resume it's regular route up New Hyde Park starting of September 6th.

Please note our new printable timetables have been streamlined and simplified to show key timepoints along the route. All buses will make all stops as usual unless otherwise noted. 

 

 

[danielhg121]

8 hours ago, FamousNYLover said:

In order to help with on time performance, the n22 will be split into two legs (as we do with the n20G/H and the n24.)

I don't buy this shit for a second. The N20G/H split has made me suffer for hours. When the line wasn't split at Great Neck, I never experienced a wait of more than 45 mins but I've experienced waits of up to 2 hrs and two buses passed us SRO. My transfer expired and they were waiving people through the back door. I wasn't putting up with that so I waited for the empty bus behind it. It's ridiculous that the waits were that long and we saw bunching occur as all the N20G's were making the left turn onto Middle Neck Rd. The fact that this happened on several occasions is glaring and everyone on line was contemplating getting an Uber. One woman was fed up after seeing the first bus flag us and threw herself in front of the second bus which swerved and hit the center median. Police were called to the scene but everything was resolved without issue. They should make it run like the Q66 with short-turns to Great Neck, not this half and half bs. Contrary to their belief, not everyone needs a pit stop at Great Neck. 

[Mtatransit]

On 9/2/2020 at 8:30 PM, B35 via Church said:

How they're handling the n22 & n24 splits I think should be the other way around; n22's should be the route that's split at RFM during peak times & n24's should be the route split at Mineola during peak times.... The n22 carries more east of RFM & the n22 gets people between RFM & Queens much quicker than the n24.... The n24 has more intermediate ridership between Jamaica & Mineola; thus, is slower than the n22 between those two points.... Those n24's that run b/w RFM & Hicksville don't perform all that great, usage-wise...

I agree here, most of n24's ridership is west of Mineola towards Jamaica particularly in the Floral Park/NHP area. That bus is MUCH slower than the 22 towards Jamaica. Also a pretty big portion of n24 ridership could also potentially take the Q36 as well but choose not to.

N22 on the other hand, I never understood why they has those short turns end at Mineola instead of converting all the 22A into n22 short turns at RFM instead. The only reason I could think of is to reduce duplication along Old County Rd. 

Right now, the n24's eastern portion is abit too frequent for the ridership it garner along Old Country Road. I do think that the eastern leg would perform better if it was changed to Mineola instead of RFM. I would also change the schedule to try to coordinate the schedule with the n22 to fill in some of the gap in the schedule instead of solely connecting with the n24s western portion, this way that bus would atleast capture some of the passengers between Mineola and RFM

On 9/3/2020 at 12:42 AM, B35 via Church said:

AFAIC, it doesn't mean much of anything... Total waste of space & ink.

It does however provide some ridership data per trip, NICE had before COVID, which I found quite interesting.

On 9/2/2020 at 9:28 PM, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

I like the map design on this timetable more than before, but the timepoint information is tedious to read/reference, and the overall design is pretty bland IMO. 

I can't stand the design at first, but now looking at it, I can deal with it. The maps and times are so much clearer, however I too found the time points extremely annoying, especially when it has nothing to so with the first letters of the intersection/location. 

[FamousNYLover]

13 hours ago, danielhg121 said:

I don't buy this shit for a second. The N20G/H split has made me suffer for hours. When the line wasn't split at Great Neck, I never experienced a wait of more than 45 mins but I've experienced waits of up to 2 hrs and two buses passed us SRO. My transfer expired and they were waiving people through the back door. I wasn't putting up with that so I waited for the empty bus behind it. It's ridiculous that the waits were that long and we saw bunching occur as all the N20G's were making the left turn onto Middle Neck Rd. The fact that this happened on several occasions is glaring and everyone on line was contemplating getting an Uber. One woman was fed up after seeing the first bus flag us and threw herself in front of the second bus which swerved and hit the center median. Police were called to the scene but everything was resolved without issue. They should make it run like the Q66 with short-turns to Great Neck, not this half and half bs. Contrary to their belief, not everyone needs a pit stop at Great Neck. 

Thats reason everytime I go to/from Jericho WF, I always prefer 8:17pm weekday n20H Great Neck, which becomes n20G at 9:20pm, but depends on bus driver, you have to get off to change at Great Neck Station. Some transdev drivers might let you stay on bus.

I don't agree with n22 split route because majority of n22 riders to/from Queens coming from RFM.

Edited September 6, 2020 by FamousNYLover

[FamousNYLover]

23 hours ago, danielhg121 said:

I don't buy this shit for a second. The N20G/H split has made me suffer for hours. When the line wasn't split at Great Neck, I never experienced a wait of more than 45 mins but I've experienced waits of up to 2 hrs and two buses passed us SRO. My transfer expired and they were waiving people through the back door. I wasn't putting up with that so I waited for the empty bus behind it. It's ridiculous that the waits were that long and we saw bunching occur as all the N20G's were making the left turn onto Middle Neck Rd. The fact that this happened on several occasions is glaring and everyone on line was contemplating getting an Uber. One woman was fed up after seeing the first bus flag us and threw herself in front of the second bus which swerved and hit the center median. Police were called to the scene but everything was resolved without issue. They should make it run like the Q66 with short-turns to Great Neck, not this half and half bs. Contrary to their belief, not everyone needs a pit stop at Great Neck. 

I taken many n24 bus during weekday pre-split and after split, sometimes n24 bus misses connection at RFM.

That's reason why some n20G and n20H bus passengers always get off at Northern Blvd/Middle Neck Rd.

[B35 via Church]

On 9/5/2020 at 11:00 PM, danielhg121 said:

I don't buy this shit for a second. The N20G/H split has made me suffer for hours. When the line wasn't split at Great Neck, I never experienced a wait of more than 45 mins but I've experienced waits of up to 2 hrs and two buses passed us SRO. My transfer expired and they were waiving people through the back door. I wasn't putting up with that so I waited for the empty bus behind it. It's ridiculous that the waits were that long and we saw bunching occur as all the N20G's were making the left turn onto Middle Neck Rd. The fact that this happened on several occasions is glaring and everyone on line was contemplating getting an Uber. One woman was fed up after seeing the first bus flag us and threw herself in front of the second bus which swerved and hit the center median. Police were called to the scene but everything was resolved without issue. They should make it run like the Q66 with short-turns to Great Neck, not this half and half bs. Contrary to their belief, not everyone needs a pit stop at Great Neck. 

Neither do I, and the scenario FamousNYLover explained is all too common; riders from either n20 split getting off at Northern/Middle Neck rd. to catch the opposite split they need (instead of taking it to LIRR Great Neck itself).... That shit wasn't about no OTP, it was about curtailing overall service b/w Flushing & points east of Great Neck... It's exactly why they cut the n21 back to LIRR Great Neck also.

n20 should've never been split... At the worst, they could've short turned some trips throughout the day at LIRR Great Neck.... They've completely underestimated how many ppl. take n20's in Queens that are riding well past Great Neck.

On 9/6/2020 at 5:35 AM, Mtatransit said:

I agree here, most of n24's ridership is west of Mineola towards Jamaica particularly in the Floral Park/NHP area. That bus is MUCH slower than the 22 towards Jamaica. Also a pretty big portion of n24 ridership could also potentially take the Q36 as well but choose not to.

N22 on the other hand, I never understood why they has those short turns end at Mineola instead of converting all the 22A into n22 short turns at RFM instead. The only reason I could think of is to reduce duplication along Old County Rd. 

Right now, the n24's eastern portion is abit too frequent for the ridership it garner along Old Country Road. I do think that the eastern leg would perform better if it was changed to Mineola instead of RFM. I would also change the schedule to try to coordinate the schedule with the n22 to fill in some of the gap in the schedule instead of solely connecting with the n24s western portion, this way that bus would atleast capture some of the passengers between Mineola and RFM

No question that an eastern split of the n24 would perform better if it ran b/w Mineola & Hicksville (compared to between RFM & Hicksville), being that the demand is as high as it is for RFM itself (whether it be for the actual mall or for access to other connecting bus routes)... Of those that are seeking other bus routes from off the (western split of the) n24, few are xferring to the eastern split of the n24....

As for the n22, funny how they did away with the n22L (being that it never served RFM), the n22a (being that it never served MIC), and now the n22x (that served both RFM & MIC)..... AFAIC, the n22x should've been a limited variant of the n22 from end to end (meaning, making "limited" stops between Hicksville & 165th) & not just a combination of the local routing east of RFM & an express, west of RFM.... The n22L was easily the worst of all the "lettered" variants.

[Mtatransit]

NICE Schedule Change

 

Jan 10 2021 service changes

 

Some highlights I noticed.

n22- Apparently all weekday trips now split at Mineola. On Saturday AM I think there is a reduction in trips from Hicksville and increase in trips from Mineola. Times are also less clockface, but it seems like an overall reduction for the route on Saturday all other times except AM.

more n26 trips. This route has improved tremondously under NICE from the three trips MTA operated

No more short turns at Lynbrook for n31/32, I thought NICE eliminated most of these short turnsbut apparently not.

n32 will no longer loop into NCC (prob for this semester)

n58 will now layover at Merchants Academy, buses will terminate at merchant academy (they will loop towards "the end of Kings Point Rd" either before or once leaving MMA.

 

n22 timetable (cause NICE linked the wrong page)

https://www.nicebus.com/getattachment/Passenger-Information/Winter2021/n22-1-5-21-(1).pdf.aspx

Edited January 6, 2021 by Mtatransit

[danielhg121]

1 hour ago, Mtatransit said:

NICE Schedule Change

n32 will no longer loop into NCC (prob for this semester)

 

n35*

[Mtatransit]

NICE Bus is offering direct n88 artic service to Jones Beach from Hempstead Transit Center on the weekend starting in June. Service will stop outside of HTC

It looks like service will operate along the n40 route making no stops between Hempstead and Freeport. It should be more successful than the old n87 because there is more passenger demand from Hempstead to Freeport

https://www.nicebus.com/NICE/media/assets/img/n33-88-6-3-21_1.pdf

https://www.nicebus.com/Passenger-Information/Jones-Beach

[Orion Was Here]

12 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

NICE Bus is offering direct n88 artic service to Jones Beach from Hempstead Transit Center on the weekend starting in June. Service will stop outside of HTC

It looks like service will operate along the n40 route making no stops between Hempstead and Freeport. It should be more successful than the old n87 because there is more passenger demand from Hempstead to Freeport

https://www.nicebus.com/NICE/media/assets/img/n33-88-6-3-21_1.pdf

https://www.nicebus.com/Passenger-Information/Jones-Beach

This is really good

[N6 Limited]

On 8/11/2020 at 12:06 PM, FamousNYLover said:

New updates now available for routes n4, n15, n22, and n24 effective September 6. 

By improving stop placement, we can improve the experience for nearly 33,000 passengers daily by saving between 7 and 10 minutes per trip on average!

On NICE’s busiest corridors, 3 out of every 4 riders use approximately 25 percent of current stops, leaving 75 percent of route stops lightly used. Industry standards and NICE’s own service standards recommend stops every 1/4 to 1/3 mile, however, some NICE stops are less than 1/10 mile apart – slowing down trips considerably. NICE is working to rebalance local stops systemwide, moving and consolidating stop locations to speed up your trip.

NICE's Bus Stop Rebalancing Program started with changes to n6 and n40/41 routes, and has already improved trip times by up to 12 percent. As NICE continues to rebalance stops across the network, we expect customer travel times to be up to 15 percent faster. You can also visit the not-for-profit TransitCenter to learn how bus stop balancing is helping speed up transit systems nationwide. 

Want to share thoughts about a specific stop? We want to hear from you. Riders are invited to leave us a comment about their route so we can determine the best changes, together. 

 

Have they removed the stops from announcements? I would imagine that to be confusing if they haven’t.

On 6/3/2021 at 8:54 PM, Mtatransit said:

NICE Bus is offering direct n88 artic service to Jones Beach from Hempstead Transit Center on the weekend starting in June. Service will stop outside of HTC

It looks like service will operate along the n40 route making no stops between Hempstead and Freeport. It should be more successful than the old n87 because there is more passenger demand from Hempstead to Freeport

https://www.nicebus.com/NICE/media/assets/img/n33-88-6-3-21_1.pdf

https://www.nicebus.com/Passenger-Information/Jones-Beach

It’s Interesting that it’s non stop between Hempstead and Freeport, while the map indicates Jerusalem Ave as a transfer point.

[FamousNYLover]

I agree. It will relieve crowds on n40/41 bus, but I wonder if Jones Beach goers will be inform?

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

22 hours ago, FamousNYLover said:

I agree. It will relieve crowds on n40/41 bus, but I wonder if Jones Beach goers will be inform?

I'm personally more curious about how many riders would use it between Hempstead and Freeport.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

Is there a difference any more between N40 and N41? The route paths look identical on NICE's web site.