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

[Lex]

56 minutes ago, Joel Powers said:

Because the state has an obligation to provide goods and services to the taxpayer.

And the county doesn't?

Again, if Nassau is unwilling (as opposed to unable) to pay for its own bus service, why should the contractor provide service, and why should the State pay instead?

[Mtatransit]

1 hour ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

I think the bigger issue was that it ran pretty much nonstop from Jamaica to Hempstead with no intermediate stops to generate turnover.

That was certainly an issue, buteven when they started to add stop (Elmont, NHP), people still got on at 169th versus getting on at 179th. NICE eventually realized this and have all the first stops on the n6x to be 169th St and last stops from Hempstead be 179th St, then they changed everything back to 165th term

1 hour ago, Joel Powers said:

Because the state has an obligation to provide goods and services to the taxpayer.

NICE/LIB already had a great deal. Most of its revenue came from the state. This is support from the state not seen in Suffolk and Westchester, where the county provides much more funding than Nassau and I am talking about 20-30 million vs Nassau's 2-6 million. It sends a really bad message to these counties that maybe they should cut funding as well if the states were to fully subsidize it

The only reason Nassau even provided 2 million dollars was because if they didn't provide the local match they would've received no funding from the state

Fact of the matter is NICE bus/LIB is obviously not high on the priority list when it comes to county services, and I am pretty sure 80% of Nassau County residents could care less if it were to shut down tomorrow hence why during every budget crisis their budgets are almost the first to get slashed

[Joel Powers]

On 4/12/2022 at 2:35 PM, Mtatransit said:

That was certainly an issue, buteven when they started to add stop (Elmont, NHP), people still got on at 169th versus getting on at 179th. NICE eventually realized this and have all the first stops on the n6x to be 169th St and last stops from Hempstead be 179th St, then they changed everything back to 165th term

NICE/LIB already had a great deal. Most of its revenue came from the state. This is support from the state not seen in Suffolk and Westchester, where the county provides much more funding than Nassau and I am talking about 20-30 million vs Nassau's 2-6 million. It sends a really bad message to these counties that maybe they should cut funding as well if the states were to fully subsidize it

The only reason Nassau even provided 2 million dollars was because if they didn't provide the local match they would've received no funding from the state

Fact of the matter is NICE bus/LIB is obviously not high on the priority list when it comes to county services, and I am pretty sure 80% of Nassau County residents could care less if it were to shut down tomorrow hence why during every budget crisis their budgets are almost the first to get slashed

Assuming the prices at the pump continues to go Northbound, I can see NICE's ridership going  up as well (along with MTA Long Island Railroad's).

[Joel Powers]

On 4/11/2022 at 10:50 AM, NewFlyer 230 said:

Yeah you are right and even on high ridership routes like the n4 and n6 service could be more frequent, but they are only given as much service as the budget allows. I really wish NICE could have ordered more XN60’s to have for those two routes because  they need them especially now when they are lacking the budget to have more frequent service. 
The n4 has seen more cuts than the n6, because most of its express “X” service has been cut and the evening and weekend frequencies have been reduced as well so buses are more crowded than before. 

Would be interesting to see what eventually will get number #2080 and up for future bus orders. With more new XN40s on the way, this will certainly compilate things.

[Joel Powers]

On 4/11/2022 at 7:44 PM, User said:

If you're going to keep leaving and coming back here (or being banned), please read the past posts that are made while you're gone. After all, most of the information posted to YouTube, including what you have shared, is taken from here.

With the above post, specifically read item #5 below please.

Who said I got it from here, if you would have taken the time to thoroughly read my post, I said "couple of FB sources". 

[Tom Meadow]

3 hours ago, Joel Powers said:

Who said I got it from here, if you would have taken the time to thoroughly read my post, I said "couple of FB sources". 

Hmm sounds like that charger dodger guy who was banned like 5 times with different accounts. Guy would post on here asking bout whatever happened to bus 1867 everytime under a different name.

[User]

8 hours ago, Joel Powers said:

Who said I got it from here, if you would have taken the time to thoroughly read my post, I said "couple of FB sources". 

Right, and I'm sure those "sources" have nothing to do with all the oddly specific information you ask for here, your previous bans from this forum under several different names, your consecutive replies in multiple threads and you trying to start an argument with me right here. It almost feels like you're working your way up to being banned from here again.

5 hours ago, Tom Meadow said:

Hmm sounds like that charger dodger guy who was banned like 5 times with different accounts. Guy would post on here asking bout whatever happened to bus 1867 everytime under a different name.

Then just report him again.

[trainfan22]

I rode an Gillig on the N22 yesterday and the bus is still very solid, these NICE Gilligs and the MTA C40s might be the best built buses in the Tri State right now.

 

 

While in Westchester those Bee Line XDE40s are rattle traps and Bee Lines maintenance is excellent. I can't recall ever riding a Bee Line Neoplan that rattled. Still like New Flyer buses more but I gotta give Gillig their props lol.

[Mtatransit]

According to the latest paddles it seems like n22x is coming back this summer, seems like it is rush hours only for now in both directions. Locals will continue to be split, express will skip Mineola IC

n54/55 will end at Amityville, wonder why they don't extend the n71/n80 out to Amityville as well at this point

Edited May 7, 2022 by Mtatransit

[checkmatechamp13]

8 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

According to the latest paddles it seems like n22x is coming back this summer, seems like it is rush hours only for now in both directions. Locals will continue to be split, express will skip Mineola IC

n54/55 will end at Amityville, wonder why they don't extend the n71/n80 out to Amityville as well at this point

Looks like it might have something to do with cycle time (especially on the n80). 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

3 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Looks like it might have something to do with cycle time (especially on the n80). 

That, and I don't see an extension to Amityville benefitting those route either way like it potentially would with the 54/55 (which is not insanely high to begin with). 

It used to be that the N71 was the only LIB route actually terminating at Sunrise Mall years ago IIRC (and everything else went to Amityville). The N80/N81 we're cut back sometime in the 2000s, and then the n54/n55 followed several years after the NICE takeover. 

[B35 via Church]

19 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

According to the latest paddles it seems like n22x is coming back this summer, seems like it is rush hours only for now in both directions. Locals will continue to be split, express will skip Mineola IC

Having to deal with the MTA's extreme hesitancy to be potentially progressive, I still commend NICE's ambitiousness in general - but at the same time, I have to call a spade a space.... It is that same ambitiousness that has effectively killed off a lot of the ridership that the n22 used to garner... Can't keep eliminating & resurrecting routes & expecting them to flourish, especially over a relatively short time period....

19 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

n54/55 will end at Amityville, wonder why they don't extend the n71/n80 out to Amityville as well at this point

At this point, I wonder why the n71 is still a thing, TBH.... Once upon a time, it was just as utilized as the Jerusalem routes for getting to/from Sunrise.... Those days are long gone now, as virtually nobody takes it (n71) over the n54/55 & it doesn't get much of anyone boarding along Hempstead Tpke. seeking Sunrise either... The Carmans rd. portion of the route by itself, is a non-starter... May as well get rid of it, along with the n72 (notation) & have more n70's during the day short turning at Conklin/110...

I don't have an opinion either way with running the n54/55 back over to Amityville... Something tells me it has to do with SCT's impending redesign, but whatever..... As far as the n80, instead of running it to Amityville, I would try my hand at changing the routing it takes b/w Hicksville & Sunrise a bit... The fact that it has shit level service is a huge deterrent, but I also think it's current routing, as straight as it is (for the most part) is a bit of a deterrent also, as far as spurring ridership growth...

[NewFlyer 230]

On 5/7/2022 at 2:23 AM, Mtatransit said:

According to the latest paddles it seems like n22x is coming back this summer, seems like it is rush hours only for now in both directions. Locals will continue to be split, express will skip Mineola IC

n54/55 will end at Amityville, wonder why they don't extend the n71/n80 out to Amityville as well at this point

It would have been cool if NICE restored some of the n4x service they got rid of during the pandemic because ridership on the n4 is bouncing back. NICE’s two highest ridership routes the n4 and n6 need more service in general but I know with a county that is paying relativity low prices to operate their transit system I know those resources have to be distributed across all the routes. 
I feel the n22x will end up getting cut again within the next 2 years and I’m being generous with that. 

[User]

On 5/7/2022 at 2:23 AM, Mtatransit said:

According to the latest paddles it seems like n22x is coming back this summer, seems like it is rush hours only for now in both directions. Locals will continue to be split, express will skip Mineola IC

n54/55 will end at Amityville, wonder why they don't extend the n71/n80 out to Amityville as well at this point

Did you not see the earlier post made here? Can the discussion be continued there please?

 

 

[N6 Limited]

When was the n16’s routing changed to serve Roosevelt Field first, then terminate at NCC? Was it to allow the n16 and n16x to interline?

Also, the n15 follows the n35’s (Clinton Rd) routing outside of rush hours. However, I just noticed on the schedule that many of their northbound trips between Hempstead and Roosevelt field are closely timed and essentially resembles bus bunching, is there a reasoning behind this? (Maybe to accommodate everyone from HTC and Clinton Rd if one bus gets full?

[B35 via Church]

1 hour ago, N6 Limited said:

When was the n16’s routing changed to serve Roosevelt Field first, then terminate at NCC? Was it to allow the n16 and n16x to interline?

Also, the n15 follows the n35’s (Clinton Rd) routing outside of rush hours. However, I just noticed on the schedule that many of their northbound trips between Hempstead and Roosevelt field are closely timed and essentially resembles bus bunching, is there a reasoning behind this? (Maybe to accommodate everyone from HTC and Clinton Rd if one bus gets full?

- The n16 started terminating at NCC in April of last year.

- I would fathom that those n15's run close (time wise) to those n35's, as those Westbury bound n35's often get slammed (which has long been the case)...

Edited May 14, 2022 by B35 via Church

[Mtatransit]

On 5/14/2022 at 12:05 AM, B35 via Church said:

- I would fathom that those n15's run close (time wise) to those n35's, as those Westbury bound n35's often get slammed (which has long been the case)...

Ironically NICE attempted to end all the n15 at HTC, because the justification was (or implied) that it was duplicative to the n35. It was stopped because a bunch of people didn't want to transfer at HTC because of perceived danger. Now they have almost every other trips ending at HTC, and they are not coordinated at all with the n35

On 5/13/2022 at 10:24 PM, N6 Limited said:

When was the n16’s routing changed to serve Roosevelt Field first, then terminate at NCC? Was it to allow the n16 and n16x to interline?

Also, the n15 follows the n35’s (Clinton Rd) routing outside of rush hours. However, I just noticed on the schedule that many of their northbound trips between Hempstead and Roosevelt field are closely timed and essentially resembles bus bunching, is there a reasoning behind this? (Maybe to accommodate everyone from HTC and Clinton Rd if one bus gets full?

I have a feeling it was to make the run time shorter so NICE can increase the frequency to every 30 minutes

[MTABusTransitFanner]

On 5/7/2022 at 2:23 AM, Mtatransit said:

According to the latest paddles it seems like n22x is coming back this summer, seems like it is rush hours only for now in both directions. Locals will continue to be split, express will skip Mineola IC

n54/55 will end at Amityville, wonder why they don't extend the n71/n80 out to Amityville as well at this point

One thing I would suggest for the n71 to increase the frequency on it, it runs every hour on both weekdays and weekends, it should run every 30 mins on weekdays, what do u think? As for the n80, I don’t see a point of it existing anymore cus barely that many people ride it, it would get a maximum of 7 people but on average it gets 3-5 passengers per trip. Ig ur idea of extending both routes to Amityville wouldn’t sound like a bad idea, for me I would only have a 1 ride seat to Amityville straight from my home lol

[NewFlyer 230]

NICE bus operators are literally the only ones who I see stop their bus mid route to get off and get something from the store. Two days in a row two different operators I had stopped to get a coffee. 

I do feel bad for these drivers especially the ones who operate the Queens-Nassau routes because they get very little time to rest and there have been times where I see a n4 for example drop off it’s passengers at Jamaica Center to then immediately go back into service towards Freeport.

[MTABusTransitFanner]

23 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

NICE bus operators are literally the only ones who I see stop their bus mid route to get off and get something from the store. Two days in a row two different operators I had stopped to get a coffee. 

I do feel bad for these drivers especially the ones who operate the Queens-Nassau routes because they get very little time to rest and there have been times where I see a n4 for example drop off it’s passengers at Jamaica Center to then immediately go back into service towards Freeport.

Oh yeah this reminds me of something interesting I witnessed back in Semptember last year, when I was riding bus 1990 on the n70 heading home from Hempstead. When we arrived at Hempstead Turnpike and East Meadow Avenue I saw the driver got off his bus to help a woman open her car hood cus she was struggling to get it open, this happened at a BP gas station

[Cait Sith]

To whomever that said that 1800 was scrapped...it's not.

 

 

[Lawrence St]

Did Transdev buy those four XN60's out of their own pocket or was it paid for by Nassau County?

[RailBus63]

13 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

Did Transdev buy those four XN60's out of their own pocket or was it paid for by Nassau County?

According to the FTA National Transit Database, all NICE buses were purchased with Federal funds and are owned by the county.

[MTABusTransitFanner]

On 7/19/2022 at 9:26 PM, Cait Sith said:

To whomever that said that 1800 was scrapped...it's not.

 

 

It was mistakenly mentioned as retired, it was actually OOS for a whole month due to maintenance fyi 

[Cait Sith]

3 hours ago, MTABusTransitFanner said:

It was mistakenly mentioned as retired, it was actually OOS for a whole month due to maintenance fyi 

This is why we don't jump to conclusions