Random Thoughts Thread - Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE)

[MTA Orion Bus]

I was simply stating, after reading the thread on the other forum and from his previous posts here, PInePower complains about NICE and wants the MTA to return to Nassau as the contract carrier, but he constantly complained about LIB and still complains about LIRR.

In conclusion: The man will never be happy.

[Joel Up Front]

The scraps of pre-1988 MSBA I've found online tell me that loops like the N14 and 62 were once THE way for residents to get to their respective LIRR stations.  As Long Island became more and more suburban and people flocked to giant fin Chevrolets and Fords to get around, ridership on those lines shrunk.  Today, if you do manage to have a bus that takes you to an LIRR station that's actually close by, you just sort of hope you get there sometime before a train comes, even if it means you have to vault through the entire complex to get a ticket and board (Lynbrook station is a great example of this - buses stop too far away from the waiting room and TVM).

 

As it is now, seating at LIRR stations is relatively sparse - the idea today is that you get a ride and arrive a comfortable 5-10 minutes before the train - more than enough to get a coffee and a snack or a bagel before you board a train.  It's worse when your local station gets skipped often, like every station on the Main Line in Nassau County not named Mineola.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Did the n45 ever have Sunday service, prior to the n43 being created?

Edited January 10, 2016 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[Hound]

Did the n45 ever have Sunday service, prior to the n43 being created?

NO

[N6 Limited]

How many people will complain tomorrow and Tues that their eliminated bus route didn't show up?

[checkmatechamp13]

How many people will complain tomorrow and Tues that their eliminated bus route didn't show up?

 

I mean, even if they haven't heard all the stuff in the news (or even the B/Os telling everybody on Friday or Saturday), there's still the signs at the bus stops themselves. Still, there's always a few....

[MTA Orion Bus]

What a professional operation:

 

[DetSMART45]

^^^

Not surprising, not just for NICE.

 

I'd imagine many customers told operator, and the reaction was just a shrug of the shoulders -- i.e. "Not my problem."  Plus a healthy dose of attitude at every stop made when customers inquire about which bus/destination it was.  Too hard to pull ass off seat, walk outside and look, and then call dispatch.  Or put marker to paper and post route number in corner of windshield.

[FamousNYLover]

^^^

Not surprising, not just for NICE.

 

I'd imagine many customers told operator, and the reaction was just a shrug of the shoulders -- i.e. "Not my problem."  Plus a healthy dose of attitude at every stop made when customers inquire about which bus/destination it was.  Too hard to pull ass off seat, walk outside and look, and then call dispatch.  Or put marker to paper and post route number in corner of windshield.

 

What a professional operation:

IMG

 

 

I took 11:45am n20G Great Neck #1875 which had small paper sign indicating Flushing, Hicksville, Glen Cove, etc.

#1875 did not have sign working.

 

I also took 18:35 n20H Great Neck from Jericho Whole Food on #1927, no sign working and made to 7:40pm n20G Flushing #1839 connection, well as A1 Message was 6:53pm n21 Great Neck also made to same connection, resulting STANDING ROOM ONLY on n20G.

 

[Lordsaitamaboss]

How many people will complain tomorrow and Tues that their eliminated bus route didn't show up?

probably very few when taking the LIRR I've heard of people walking 30 or more minutes to the train station rather than use the bus in fact they didn't even know a bus ran where they lived well now that bus is gone oh well.

[Q113 LTD]

Any chance NICE plan on putting side ads soon on XN40's?

[MTA Orion Bus]

I had seen broken signs an uncountable amount of times before, I was just bored and decided to post the photo.

[DS4Ever]

You know im in accord with checkmate 13

 

Thescheduling of the n70/71/72 at night is off course

 

The last n70 departs Melville at 9:01pm and would arrive at itinerary (i chose Levittown as a sample) at 9:25pm

 

The Last n72 departs Babylon at 9:15pm andwould arrive itinerary at 9:45pm (20 minutes after n70 passed)

 

The last n71departs Sunrise Mall at 9:59pm and would arrive itinerary at. 10:20Pm (35 minutes after n72 passed)

 

Like i proposed the n72 should depart at 9:25pm not only to connect to the s40 but to have a coordinated scheduling. ..if the n72departs such timing tthen the scheduling would be as follow:

 

Itinerary Levittown

n70 9:25pm

n72 9:55pm (30 minutes after n70 passed)

n71 10:20pm (25 minutes after n72 passed)

 

The scheduling is all bad coordinated. ..NICE should fix this scheduling for the two reasons

 

And yes the next bus would be the n72 (from farmingdale at 11:pm (40minutes from last n71s)

 

Also that same last n72 from Babylon is the same one that would arrive at 8:56pm...so in the case it would depart the driver would have a rest of nearly half an hour so it would benefit the bus operator as well.

[N6 Limited]

^^^

Not surprising, not just for NICE.

 

I'd imagine many customers told operator, and the reaction was just a shrug of the shoulders -- i.e. "Not my problem."  Plus a healthy dose of attitude at every stop made when customers inquire about which bus/destination it was.  Too hard to pull ass off seat, walk outside and look, and then call dispatch.  Or put marker to paper and post route number in corner of windshield.

Wouldn't they be able to see that from the inside code selector thing?

[N6 Limited]

I also took 18:35 n20H Great Neck from Jericho Whole Food on #1927, no sign working and made to 7:40pm n20G Flushing #1839 connection, well as A1 Message was 6:53pm n21 Great Neck also made to same connection, resulting STANDING ROOM ONLY on n20G.

 

 

 

Standing room only on the N20G is no big deal since, the bus will be in Queens within 10 mins and will be drop-off only at that point.

[checkmatechamp13]

^^^

Not surprising, not just for NICE.

 

I'd imagine many customers told operator, and the reaction was just a shrug of the shoulders -- i.e. "Not my problem."  Plus a healthy dose of attitude at every stop made when customers inquire about which bus/destination it was.  Too hard to pull ass off seat, walk outside and look, and then call dispatch.  Or put marker to paper and post route number in corner of windshield.

 

Depending on the route, it might not be a big deal. I remember once on the n40, the sign was stuck as an n4, and the guy was going up Main Street and people were asking if he was an n4 when the n4 stops nowhere near there. (Now of course, if somebody needed the n41 or n43, it would be a valid question).

[GojiMet86]

I have a question regarding transfers. The other day, I headed out to Valley Stream on the N4. One fare was used from the subway and transferring to an outbound N4. Then I boarded the N4X at 5:04 PM back to Jamaica. So that's a second fare. But then I decided to ride a Foothill N22 out of Jamaica to the Queens/Nassau border. I assumed I was going to get a transfer, but instead I had to pay a third fare, and that was only at 6:17 PM. Now my friend pointed out that the N22 operator had reset the farebox or something like that. So was I supposed to have gotten a transfer?

[N6 Limited]

Post on Nice facebook tonight:

 

 

Nassau Inter-County Express / NICE Bus

2 hrs · 

‪#‎NICEALERT‬

n20H and and n21 buses are being detoured off of Northern Blvd. in both directions between Shelter Rock Road and Searingtown Road due to a serious car accident. Expect heavy delays

 

 

 

See, their split is being tested already

 

[checkmatechamp13]

I have a question regarding transfers. The other day, I headed out to Valley Stream on the N4. One fare was used from the subway and transferring to an outbound N4. Then I boarded the N4X at 5:04 PM back to Jamaica. So that's a second fare. But then I decided to ride a Foothill N22 out of Jamaica to the Queens/Nassau border. I assumed I was going to get a transfer, but instead I had to pay a third fare, and that was only at 6:17 PM. Now my friend pointed out that the N22 operator had reset the farebox or something like that. So was I supposed to have gotten a transfer?

 

From what I understand, they have this (rather stupid IMO, but it's been around since the LIB days) policy that transfers must be between routes that intersect. So even if you just had to walk a few blocks from the n4X to the n22, it doesn't count as a transfer.

Edited January 20, 2016 by checkmatechamp13

[FamousNYLover]

 

Post on Nice facebook tonight:

 

 

 

 

See, their split is being tested already

 

The n20G and n20H is not fast at all.

Today I helped out at Flushing for first with n20G/n20H/21 situation, then took Q44 SBS and LIRR to Freeport, then help on n19 Bus and 12:30pm n19 Sunrise Mall bus have been declined because of no crosstown bus on eastern Nassau County between North and South Shore. We arrived at Sunrise Mall at 13:04 and next S20 Babylon was 14:10. One passenger who wanted to go to Babylon was pissed, so he had to call his friend to pickup. 14:10 S20 Babylon driver had no idea about changes to n19 bus.

Sunrise Mall is less crowded because of no more n80/81 bus.

After Babylon Public Library, I took 15:41pm Penn Station local train and when it passed Wantagh Station, I spotted someone waiting for n73/74 bus at Wantagh Av/Park Av. I gave my ticket already to LIRR conductor, so I knocked on LIRR Window politely there's no n73/74 bus and I was heading to Freeport to take n4X Jamaica back to city because I had meeting with Animal Rights Activist.

After meeting, I took LIRR back to Flushing, Q44SBS to 39th Av, then someone was waiting for n21 Glen Cove, but one hispanic had to give up because last n21 Glen Cove left Great Neck Station at 10:35pm, and 11:35 n20H Hicksville properly wouldn't make to n27 Glen Cove that schedule to get to Greenvale at 11:26pm.

Lots of n19 and n20/21 passengers are so pissed.

Edited January 20, 2016 by FamousNYLover

[checkmatechamp13]

After meeting, I took LIRR back to Flushing, Q44SBS to 39th Av, then someone was waiting for n21 Glen Cove, but one hispanic had to give up because last n21 Glen Cove left Great Neck Station at 10:35pm, and 11:35 n20H Hicksville properly wouldn't make to n27 Glen Cove that schedule to get to Greenvale at 11:26pm.

Lots of n19 and n20/21 passengers are so pissed.

 

There's an Oyster Bay train that gets to Greenvale at 12:10AM. Assuming that last bus was running on time, it would've gotten to Greenvale at 11:53, giving the passenger 17 minutes to leisurely walk over to the train station and buy a ticket home. 

 

Also, that 11:35 n20H is new. The last one used to be the 11:05 from Great Neck (I forget the exact time, but it was around 30 minutes earlier). And the n21 always ended fairly early (under NICE anyway, but even under LIB, I can't picture them running it much later than 10:35 from Great Neck)

[NY1635]

 

Post on Nice facebook tonight:

 

 

 

 

See, their split is being tested already

 

 

I heard that was some nasty accident at the the Americana shops. That might've caused the delay.

[Lordsaitamaboss]

 

Post on Nice facebook tonight:

 

 

 

 

See, their split is being tested already

 

Imagine the compounded delays that would result if it also had to deal with queens traffic too.

[Lordsaitamaboss]

The n20G and n20H is not fast at all.

Today I helped out at Flushing for first with n20G/n20H/21 situation, then took Q44 SBS and LIRR to Freeport, then help on n19 Bus and 12:30pm n19 Sunrise Mall bus have been declined because of no crosstown bus on eastern Nassau County between North and South Shore. We arrived at Sunrise Mall at 13:04 and next S20 Babylon was 14:10. One passenger who wanted to go to Babylon was pissed, so he had to call his friend to pickup. 14:10 S20 Babylon driver had no idea about changes to n19 bus.

Sunrise Mall is less crowded because of no more n80/81 bus.

After Babylon Public Library, I took 15:41pm Penn Station local train and when it passed Wantagh Station, I spotted someone waiting for n73/74 bus at Wantagh Av/Park Av. I gave my ticket already to LIRR conductor, so I knocked on LIRR Window politely there's no n73/74 bus and I was heading to Freeport to take n4X Jamaica back to city because I had meeting with Animal Rights Activist.

After meeting, I took LIRR back to Flushing, Q44SBS to 39th Av, then someone was waiting for n21 Glen Cove, but one hispanic had to give up because last n21 Glen Cove left Great Neck Station at 10:35pm, and 11:35 n20H Hicksville properly wouldn't make to n27 Glen Cove that schedule to get to Greenvale at 11:26pm.

Lots of n19 and n20/21 passengers are so pissed.

Sadly a lot of people are horribly misinformed this is what you get for not checking up or paying attention. Plus cut the crap N80/81 carried air most of the time very few used em south of hempstead turnpike you are basically making things up at this point and it is annoying. Most were 4 people including myself even peak ridership was a sad sight to behold then again N73/73 and 80/81 never had any major ridership generators since in the 90s many of the trip generators were closed and the ridership bases disappeared along with them. N19 in suffolk was in a word sad to watch now it's SCT's problem.

[MTA Orion Bus]

See, their split is being tested already

Because this whole setup is hilarious, right? Imagine if they split up your n6 and you had to wait somewhere in the middle of the route for some dumb amount of time with the promise your trip would be faster. Amazing how some people swallow that bulls**t. NICE sucks.

 

I heard that was some nasty accident at the the Americana shops. That might've caused the delay.

 

A woman was killed and her teenage daughter was injured late Tuesday, when they were struck by a vehicle while crossing a street in Manhasset, Long Island.

 

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/01/19/manhasset-fatal-accident/