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


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I’m assuming this is a brand new thing, but I’m on XN40 1988 on the n4 and it flashes “JAMAICA” and then “LIMITED” which I assume represents the reduced stops it makes in Queens. There has been plenty of people waiting at stops that the n4 no longer stops at and they expect to get on or they flag the bus down. Therefore this must be an attempt to get the message across the the n4 makes a few stops. However there are still stop old stops that have the n4 sign still up so the DOT should get rid of them to avoid the confusion as well. 

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4 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Took the (eastern split of the) n24 earlier this week from Hicksville... Since when does the interior LED display spell out the turn-by-turn routing???

I like the progressive thinking, but I think this may be a bit too far....

I was just about to post this as well,

I saw L on Marie or something like that I was like what, then the announcement came. I first thought it was a feature in the clever device system for navigation 

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21 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

I was just about to post this as well,

I saw L on Marie or something like that I was like what, then the announcement came. I first thought it was a feature in the clever device system for navigation 

I haven't done a real good NICE fan in a minute, but I wonder how many routes this is being done on/for.... Or is it just the RFM - Hicksville n24 so far that it's being done on (as some sort of pilot/test or whatever)....

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On 12/31/2022 at 4:28 PM, Mtatransit said:

I was just about to post this as well,

I saw L on Marie or something like that I was like what, then the announcement came. I first thought it was a feature in the clever device system for navigation 

They Added it on the n1 and n27 as well.. A lot of the new operators been messing up on the n1 and n27... 

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I noticed on the Gillig’s while waiting for the n4 today, NICE tweaked the font on the destination signs. So the first letter is capitalized in the destination name but everything after that is lowercase. Therefore instead of the bus saying “n4 JAMAICA” it says “n4 Jamaica”. Interesting little tweak, I wonder why they did that.

The bus didn’t flash “Limited” like it did the other day while I was on the n4.

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12 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I noticed on the Gillig’s while waiting for the n4 today, NICE tweaked the font on the destination signs. So the first letter is capitalized in the destination name but everything after that is lowercase. Therefore instead of the bus saying “n4 JAMAICA” it says “n4 Jamaica”. Interesting little tweak, I wonder why they did that.

The bus didn’t flash “Limited” like it did the other day while I was on the n4.

Really? Cus someone Ik personally also told me something similar, I’ll be riding NICE tomorrow and I’ll see if any other routes got their sign changed.

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2 hours ago, MTABusTransitFanner said:

Really? Cus someone Ik personally also told me something similar, I’ll be riding NICE tomorrow and I’ll see if any other routes got their sign changed.

NICE is way more experimental than the MTA that’s for certain. I wonder why they are making all these changes? I like the all caps and still prefer to have a capital “N” instead of a lowercase “n”. The one thing I can’t wait for is the integration of OMNY with NICE bus. I still find it annoying how I have to fill up a metrocard just to use NICE especially since I have to transfer to the n4 from the Q25 or Q20/Q44. 

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On 12/31/2022 at 12:20 PM, B35 via Church said:

Took the (eastern split of the) n24 earlier this week from Hicksville... Since when does the interior LED display spell out the turn-by-turn routing???

I like the progressive thinking, but I think this may be a bit too far....

 

On 12/31/2022 at 4:28 PM, Mtatransit said:

I was just about to post this as well,

I saw L on Marie or something like that I was like what, then the announcement came. I first thought it was a feature in the clever device system for navigation 

There is video of this:

 

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Well speaking of these new signs, someone here said that they saw an n4 bus with Jamaica all lowercased. Not too long ago I was on Hempstead Tpke(along my home routes the n70/71/72) to get my glasses fixed, and I saw 2062 on a Hempstead bound n72 with Hempstead all lowercased, then I saw 2089 on a Farmingdale bound n72 and the eastbound sign said “n72 Republic Arpt” which makes no sense tbh because the n72 does not terminate at the Airport anymore, back in the MSBA days there were 4 other variants of the n72 being the N72B, N72C, N72F and N72G, the N72B and N72F terminated at Republic Airport. I have a video and post of the new n72 signs: 

 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm7H2a2PJqS/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= 

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On 1/1/2023 at 7:55 PM, I Run Trains said:

They Added it on the n1 and n27 as well.. A lot of the new operators been messing up on the n1 and n27... 

I wonder how useful it really is though, som of the announcements were made after the bus has either already completed or in the progress of doing the turn
 

10 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

NICE is way more experimental than the MTA that’s for certain. I wonder why they are making all these changes? I like the all caps and still prefer to have a capital “N” instead of a lowercase “n”. The one thing I can’t wait for is the integration of OMNY with NICE bus. I still find it annoying how I have to fill up a metrocard just to use NICE especially since I have to transfer to the n4 from the Q25 or Q20/Q44. 

I can’t wait either. Not because I like using OMNY or what but NICE farebox are notoriously unreliable

Going on a bit of a rant now, but multiple times, the bus will either damage my card (happens way more often than in the city). Just a couple of days ago, I had a card that was working on the n70 suddenly not work on the n6. Operator looked at me like a farebeater lol

More often though is that I get charged twice for what is supposed to be a free transfer, especially on those split routes. Now NICE advertises a free transfer but in actuality I have always been charged for them. That includes the n20G/n20H which sometimes work sometimes doesn’t.

In fact just today I did a fan trip n24-n20H-n20G

Charged for n24, n20H and n20G, atleast I still received my free transfer on the subway

Usually I would have a spare Metrocard with $2 or $2.50 and pay the rest in coins so I can get a paper transfer but I just happen to not have that on me today. Lesson learned. Always get a paper transfer on NICE. No wonder why the person in front of me keep getting the wrong bus error as well

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13 hours ago, MTABusTransitFanner said:

Really? Cus someone Ik personally also told me something similar, I’ll be riding NICE tomorrow and I’ll see if any other routes got their sign changed.

n43 going to Roosevelt Field now displays n43 Roosevelt Fld in lower case

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15 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

NICE is way more experimental than the MTA that’s for certain. I wonder why they are making all these changes? I like the all caps and still prefer to have a capital “N” instead of a lowercase “n”. The one thing I can’t wait for is the integration of OMNY with NICE bus. I still find it annoying how I have to fill up a metrocard just to use NICE especially since I have to transfer to the n4 from the Q25 or Q20/Q44. 

Pretty sure the lowercase 'n' in their route notations has to do with branding... If you're smart, you try to do anything as an agency/organization, etc. to make yourself stand out.... I don't have a problem with that at all....

The frequency at which they alter how the destination signage (lettering/font changes) is displayed though, yeah - it's a bit much.....

The n4 I took yesterday morning read "Freeport" (only the F was uppercase).... The font face looks like something out of kindergarten class...

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On 1/4/2023 at 2:36 PM, hounddriver said:

Who came up with this idiotic route? Other than the stretch on Hemp. Tpke-there are no bus stops!

NICE created this route specifically for 2 high schools, the n75 is just a pilot route. On Hempstead Tpke they put n75 signs below the bus stops

Edited by MTABusTransitFanner
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I’m curious for whoever is active on the Nassau thread and uses NICE bus, to me it cools that currently NICE has three different types of fleets it uses. Of course the Orions are currently being retired so I would imagine the 3G’s themselves probably have another year left, but between the Orion VII NG/3G’s, the New Flyer XN40s and the Gillig BRT CNG’s which one is your favorite fleet?

 

For me I would have to say XN40’s just because I like the design and speed of those buses. I was a bit sad that New Flyer didn’t get the order for the fleet that would replace the 1800s but I’m sure the Gilligs will serve Nassau well. 
However the Gilligs are growing on me (I find the suspensions to be a little too stiff though). I always find it to be a treat whenever I catch and Orion on the n1, n4 or n6 because unfortunately I never had a reason to take Long Island Bus routes when the 1700/ low 1800s were brand new. Nowadays the remaining 1800s are beat including the 3G’s which were the first new fleet delivery to the brand new NICE bus at the time. 

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