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

[B35 via Church]

20 minutes ago, 40 to 241st said:

Why is the n20g and n20h two different routes why can’t they just be one route 

Runtime issues & budget cuts, to sum it up.

Even if they didn't want a slow local running b/w Flushing & Hicksville, I think they gave up on the n20x too easily.... In turn, they also cut the n21 back to LIRR Great Neck to dedicate the majority of the service b/w Flushing & Great Neck (a la the n20G)....

Result: n20G's are overcrowded as shit & the n20H crawls like shit.

The main issue riders have with the two services is the piss-poor xfer scenario (in terms of timeliness) between them at LIRR Great Neck... Too many times, EB n20H's pull out of LIRR Great Neck before the corresponding EB n20G can pull into LIRR Great Neck... It wouldn't be as bad if the n20H & the n20G had similar frequencies, but the fact of the matter is that the n20H has less service than the n20G... It's why you have riders doing all that scurrying over there at Northern/Middle Neck....

[N6 Limited]

On 7/23/2023 at 8:44 AM, B35 via Church said:

Result:. n20G's are overcrowded as shit & the n20H crawls like shit

 

It’s interesting because, 80-90% of the n20G route is in Queens.

[NY623]

Just a few random suggestions/observations from a casual passenger - 

I think Nice should get a few more articulated buses and also a few more mini buses

I think the N4 would really benefit from being run some of the time with articulated buses particularly on westbounds in the morning peak

Those N4 runs can get dangerously crowded 

And the mini buses could be used for less crowded routes such as the n19 and n80

I know they usually just use the older buses for the less priority routes but why waste a 40 footer when they could definitely be able to use minibuses on those routes especially for the later runs

Speaking of the n19 and n80 I think it may be beneficial to run the n19 on the weekends if nothing else in the summer months 

The reason being would be many people in the communities that the n19 serves are working class or students and are probably at work or school for a lot of the time the n19 runs during the week so running it on the weekends may give those people a chance to commute around town for shopping and whatnot

Same for the n80 - no real change in schedule just run the same schedule but on weekends and maybe even extend the route to wantagh being that many trains now terminate in wantagh 

I know NICE is notorious for not really coordinating with train arrivals/departures but again these are just suggestions 

[NewFlyer 230]

16 hours ago, NY623 said:

Just a few random suggestions/observations from a casual passenger - 

I think Nice should get a few more articulated buses and also a few more mini buses

I think the N4 would really benefit from being run some of the time with articulated buses particularly on westbounds in the morning peak

Those N4 runs can get dangerously crowded 

And the mini buses could be used for less crowded routes such as the n19 and n80

I know they usually just use the older buses for the less priority routes but why waste a 40 footer when they could definitely be able to use minibuses on those routes especially for the later runs

Speaking of the n19 and n80 I think it may be beneficial to run the n19 on the weekends if nothing else in the summer months 

The reason being would be many people in the communities that the n19 serves are working class or students and are probably at work or school for a lot of the time the n19 runs during the week so running it on the weekends may give those people a chance to commute around town for shopping and whatnot

Same for the n80 - no real change in schedule just run the same schedule but on weekends and maybe even extend the route to wantagh being that many trains now terminate in wantagh 

I know NICE is notorious for not really coordinating with train arrivals/departures but again these are just suggestions 

I agree with you with NICE needing to purchase more artic buses. I use the n4 everyday and it’s brutal taking the n4 to Jamaica during the PM rush. The bus 90% of the time is packed, and they also end up running late. NICE needs to get 25 more artics and run them on the n4 and n6. 
 

The n19 and n80 are victims of NICE’s cutting of service over the years. I don’t know if they will even be able to get the ridership back. Under Long Island Bus, Nassau was served much better. The N1 for example had PM service to Jamaica and ran 15 mins during rush hours, the N19 ran everyday and had service every 15-20 mins. The N73, N74, N8, N50, N51 (I know I’m forgetting a few routes) used to serve SE Nassau which now has barebones service.  There were tons of shuttle routes that served different communities and commercial areas like N62 and N94, then there was the N87 that went to Jones Beach. The MTA did a lot of cutting but it was made much worst under NICE. Now that I’m out in Nassau a bit more I wish the pre 2010 Nassau bus system was back. 

[Mtatransit]

4 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

The n19 and n80 are victims of NICE’s cutting of service over the years. I don’t know if they will even be able to get the ridership back. Under Long Island Bus, Nassau was served much better. The N1 for example had PM service to Jamaica and ran 15 mins during rush hours, the N19 ran everyday and had service every 15-20 mins. The N73, N74, N8, N50, N51 (I know I’m forgetting a few routes) used to serve SE Nassau which now has barebones service.  There were tons of shuttle routes that served different communities and commercial areas like N62 and N94, then there was the N87 that went to Jones Beach. The MTA did a lot of cutting but it was made much worst under NICE. Now that I’m out in Nassau a bit more I wish the pre 2010 Nassau bus system was back. 

Unfortunately that is the results of a reduced budget. The local Nassau fund was 9.1 million in 2011 down from 13 million in 2010. This is on top of the 26 million MTA subsidies. NICE received 5 million from Nassau County in 2021. The lowest it received was 2.1 million from Nassau in 2016.  So in 9 years what NICE receive is consistently still less than what the MTA got, without regard to inflation

I do not blame NICE for cutting service. The money is simply not there. In 2011 MTA threatened to cut half the system (including N73/74,8,50,51,62,54,55,78,79,19 as well as the entire n1, and weekend n25/16), which will leave the system with even lesser service than today with the eventual goal of completely shutting down the system in 2012 had they not receive the 25 million dollars.

People keep mentioning the MTA provided better service, but they had more money to work with. If NICE got the amount the MTA got in 2011, the service will be miles above what the MTA will provide 

Edited August 18, 2023 by Mtatransit

[NewFlyer 230]

6 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

Unfortunately that is the results of a reduced budget. The local Nassau fund was 9.1 million in 2011 down from 13 million in 2010. This is on top of the 26 million MTA subsidies. NICE received 5 million from Nassau County in 2021. The lowest it received was 2.1 million from Nassau in 2016.  So in 9 years what NICE receive is consistently still less than what the MTA got, without regard to inflation

I do not blame NICE for cutting service. The money is simply not there. In 2011 MTA threatened to cut half the system (including N73/74,8,50,51,62,54,55,78,79,19 as well as the entire n1, and weekend n25/16), which will leave the system with even lesser service than today with the eventual goal of completely shutting down the system in 2012 had they not receive the 25 million dollars.

People keep mentioning the MTA provided better service, but they had more money to work with. If NICE got the amount the MTA got in 2011, the service will be miles above what the MTA will provide 

What I will say about NICE is despite having a smaller budget to work with they are trying to different things to somewhat improve the quality of service whether it’s changing up the destination signs to display rail connects, the mobile app and that new ride share service that is suppose to be a modern version of the N36. The MTA is slow to adopt new things but I’m glad the MTA gets enough funding so I’m not riding on hot buses all the time and the service is plentiful. 
I wonder how the system would be if NICE received 25 million. They probably meant to purchase more artics but don’t have the funds to.

[IAlam]

1 hour ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

What I will say about NICE is despite having a smaller budget to work with they are trying to different things to somewhat improve the quality of service whether it’s changing up the destination signs to display rail connects, the mobile app and that new ride share service that is suppose to be a modern version of the N36. The MTA is slow to adopt new things but I’m glad the MTA gets enough funding so I’m not riding on hot buses all the time and the service is plentiful. 
I wonder how the system would be if NICE received 25 million. They probably meant to purchase more artics but don’t have the funds to.

While that may be true, NICE's constant shuffling of service basically drove off a lot of ridership as a bus/trip that you'd rely on now has almost no guarantee to exist after the next schedule change. It's very easy to lose ridership but it's extremely difficult to gain it back. Between the massive budget cuts from Nassau County and the constant changes made by NICE, you basically end up with a bunch of disgruntled riders. Those people put in the time, money, and effort to get their licenses and cars and once they make that investment, they're not looking back.

 

[B35 via Church]

NICE does it, yet again...

While not exactly good news for passengers, at least they're displaying the news on the destination signage that the fare's going up to $2.90... Noticed it the other day, when I was on the n25, as a Jamaica bound n22 passed by.... The whole sequence went like

n22 Jamaica <next frame> new fare 8.20.23 <next frame> $2.90

[IAlam]

On 8/18/2023 at 6:00 PM, B35 via Church said:

NICE does it, yet again...

While not exactly good news for passengers, at least they're displaying the news on the destination signage that the fare's going up to $2.90... Noticed it the other day, when I was on the n25, as a Jamaica bound n22 passed by.... The whole sequence went like

n22 Jamaica <next frame> new fare 8.20.23 <next frame> $2.90

Yeah, I noticed it for the last week or so they're doing a better job getting the word out IMO. I guess one of the few good things they're capable of is keeping their displays up to date.

[NewFlyer 230]

It’s seem to me that NICE has worked on their Orions VII’s because I’ve been catching them a bit more often on trips that are usually XD40s and they seem to run a bit better than what I remembered. A lot of XN40s don’t have working AC so perhaps that can explain the Orion’s popping up more often. I just got off 1811 on the n4 and it ran good and the air worked and it was nice and cool for a 12 year old bus. 

[NewFlyer 230]

NICE has now upgraded the back destination signs on its buses to show the bus route and an abbreviation of where the bus is going.
For example the back with say “n4 FPT” to show the bus goes to Freeport and the “FPT” is in smaller text. 

[B35 via Church]

38 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

NICE has now upgraded the back destination signs on its buses to show the bus route and an abbreviation of where the bus is going.
For example the back with say “n4 FPT” to show the bus goes to Freeport and the “FPT” is in smaller text. 

So that's what that is... From a distance, I was trying to make out what it said, but I was too far away....

That's the biggest gripe I have with NJT's MCI's; no back-of-the-bus signage at all.

 

[Kingsbridgeviewer382]

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

So that's what that is... From a distance, I was trying to make out what it said, but I was too far away....

That's the biggest gripe I have with NJT's MCI's; no back-of-the-bus signage at all.

 

The only time they tried to use them (In recent memory) was with the MCI's the MTA rejected in 2008 and the 2015 CNG's at Howell, but they eventually got rid of them.

[B35 via Church]

38 minutes ago, Kingsbridgeviewer382 said:

The only time they tried to use them (In recent memory) was with the MCI's the MTA rejected in 2008 and the 2015 CNG's at Howell, but they eventually got rid of them.

Now that you mention it, yes, I do remember that.

Shout out to our own @Cait Sith for this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mw6yMl59Ipk

Edited September 4, 2023 by B35 via Church
not sure why it's not embedding, but w/e...

[Travis Mcnonald]

On 8/29/2023 at 10:37 PM, NewFlyer 230 said:

It’s seem to me that NICE has worked on their Orions VII’s because I’ve been catching them a bit more often on trips that are usually XD40s and they seem to run a bit better than what I remembered. A lot of XN40s don’t have working AC so perhaps that can explain the Orion’s popping up more often. I just got off 1811 on the n4 and it ran good and the air worked and it was nice and cool for a 12 year old bus. 

Enjoy them while you can as the they are likely done after 1st quarter 2024.

 

Anyway, anyone know why the n20G is not showing on Transsee? It's been like that for months now.

[IAlam]

9 hours ago, Travis Mcnonald said:

Enjoy them while you can as the they are likely done after 1st quarter 2024.

 

Anyway, anyone know why the n20G is not showing on Transsee? It's been like that for months now.

https://www.transsee.ca/stoplist?a=nice&r=n20G seems fine to me

 

[Travis Mcnonald]

1 hour ago, IAlam said:

https://www.transsee.ca/stoplist?a=nice&r=n20G seems fine to me

 

It never shows any buses on there. Instead, the old "n20" sign would be displayed.

[doconnor]

I have fixed the problem with n20G on TransSee.

Edited October 7, 2023 by doconnor
More detail

[trainfan22]

Did the XE40 ever enter passenger service? It was delivered months ago.

Edited November 20, 2023 by trainfan22

[RSMG106]

5 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Did the XE40 ever enter passenger service? It was delivered months ago.

2080 is still in testing as of now.

[MTABusTransitFanner]

On 11/20/2023 at 11:13 PM, RSMG106 said:

2080 is still in testing as of now.

Speaking of 2080, it has officially entered passenger service, doing so on the n4X Express, switching to the n43 next 

[Q44 SBS]

Credit goes to MTA Bus Transit Fanner

 

[danielhg121]

Damn. The scheme looks really nice on the XE40. Seems like the bus can really takeoff too. 

[Lex]

22 hours ago, danielhg121 said:

Damn. The scheme looks really nice on the XE40. Seems like the bus can really takeoff too. 

Electric motors are good for that.

[MTABusTransitFanner]

On 11/25/2023 at 7:21 PM, Q44 SBS said:

Credit goes to MTA Bus Transit Fanner

 

Thx for resharing! I didn’t notice u reshared it here lol