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

[User]

Reliability is worse than with the MTA. Has Veolia done more with less? Yes they have. But it comes at the expense of quality. Sure Veolia can schedule more service than , but there's a bigger chance that bus will show up late or not at all. I've seen stuff with NICE I never saw with LIB. Like today, n20 nearly 10 minutes early at Greenvale, guy just left without even looking at the schedule. And since it's a Sunday, anyone who didn't arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled time would have to wait an hour for the next bus. And they are hardly cleaned, the floors are covered with garbage and cans rolling all over the place. Thursday I arrived at Hicksville LIRR 2:24pm for the 2:29pm n20, but it never showed or left early. Then later on the n35 the driver "didn't feel" like stopping at NCC by the Tower, and made a left instead of a right. Then another winner tonight on the n35, talking to someone on a phone and running a steady red light on Post Ave. Sure if one reads the website and all the news blurbs it sounds hunky dory. But as a regular rider I've seen service that is less reliable than with the MTA. Of course the real blame lies with Nassau County, if had been properly funding bus service, would've been part of a regional bus network with the MTA. Veolia isn't bad per say, but they are able to provide more service with lower budgets by cutting labor and maintanance costs and this affects reliability. And that's a fact. Many of these new drivers would be more fit driving a cab or dollar van. Seriously how hard is it to remember to check your schedule??? And you're right, the BRU is useless because they haven't addressed the real serious issues that affect the majority of riders and instead nitpick small stuff. If they were serious about organizing, they'd update their FB, have a YT channel, and reach out to the riders at major transfer points and colleges (RF,NCC). Instead they're just a small group of people ranting about stuff instead of trying to form a movement. Are riders better off with Veolia/NICE than with under the given budget? Yes, most certainly. But, we'd have been truly better off had the County coughed up the reasonable amount of money the MTA wanted. We would've still had more service hours and better service quality. And don't say we don't have the money. If I were in Mangano's shoes I would've found the money. Certainly it's there among all the Range Rovers, X5s, and Escalade's I see daily.

The only thing you can really blame NICE/Veolia for are early buses where drivers should know when they're ahead of schedule and stop. Late buses is easily because of Nassau with unsyncronized lights and the fact that a bus priority system isn't in place yet. Buses not showing up is because NICE is low on drivers and what buses show up depends on the picks each driver takes. But thats not NICE's fault. NICE wants to hire, but nobody is applying because of the wage and the benefits that aren't that good. And what NICE offers to their employees isn't their fault because that depends on the money Nassau County provides.

 

Remember everyone, there is a difference between blaming Nassau County and blaming NICE/Veolia.

 

Also, had Nassau paid the what they wanted, we wouldn't see the expected service improvements that are happening now. The money the wanted was to run the system the way it was in 2011. For the time being, if Nassau can offer more for NICE employees to hire more drivers and implement a bus priority traffic system, we're in a much better state than with the . And that means a lot considering we're all fans of the here. Training, too, is something else to think about because the trains their drivers probably the best out of any other system in the country.

[Burrstone]

Buses not showing up is because NICE is low on drivers and what buses show up depends on the picks each driver takes. But thats not NICE's fault. NICE wants to hire, but nobody is applying because of the wage and the benefits that aren't that good. And what NICE offers to their employees isn't their fault because that depends on the money Nassau County provides.

 

 

What is nice paying drivers once they are out of training (to start) Atlantic Express pays around $14/$15 hour with benefits and around the $19 mark if they decline benefits, and according to a long term friend who works with EBT they pay School Bus drivers (and they have a big contract with the Massapequa school district) around the same but don't have a pay option to opt out of benefits. 

 

I'm told EBT drivers are paid the same for transit.  It is possible to get full time but they interline the drivers schedule with school/transit...  The driver will do transit/school in the morning or afternoon.  Lets say a driver will do a AM S1 roundtrip swap buses at the yard and do a school bus run (or vice versa), midday break off, then do the same thing in the afternoon.

 

EBT is also the company that took over Inter-County's SCT contract over...  From what I was told Inter County drivers lost their pay and seinority and had to start over.  People reported EBT employees bid the Inter County routes and got lost.

 

NICE offers fulltime, a good benefit package and seems to offer around the same pay as the other bigger companies in the area. 

 

I've heard some LIB drivers left NICE and went to EBT, I have no idea if tehy chose to leave but if you were making top pay or anything near it why would you leave by choice and make less, lose your senority and take whatever EBT has?  Seems odd...

 

I know, I know Hound represents the mass of pissed off drivers who hate nice (even all no one else has found this board).  If you can collect your pension I understand, collect it and work somewhere else if Veolia rubs you the wrong way, but if you can't collect your pension you're going to cut your pay in hald?  It doesn't make sense.  But I don't need to understand it...

 

I know people woork for Atlantic Express if they have a spouse (or are former military, retired etc) because the have health coverage and make a lot of money declining benefits, plus they get summers off with unemployment paying top rate of $405 a week! 

 

IMHO now that this is not a job with pension and a job where you can bank some serious cash with over time, it has become just an "average job" competing with other "average jobs" in the area.  IMHO, people don't want to deal with the shit (traffic a sshole drivers, a ss hole passengers etc) when the they make the same somewhere else. 

 

Just posting for people to comare starting pay and benefits not to start an argument....

[N6 Limited]

And don't say we don't have the money. If I were in Mangano's shoes I would've found the money. Certainly it's there among all the Range Rovers, X5s, and Escalade's I see daily.

 

Just because you see these expensive cars doesn't mean the owners can afford them.

[Joel Up Front]

The ones that do end up crashing them.

 

I'm glad the NGs/3Gs have Thermo Kings.  It might seem like they either make the bus too hot or too cold, but wait until we get weeks of weather like this after May.

[User]

NICE does not offer full time to new drivers. Seniority is where you choose to work full time. New drivers fresh out of training have that maximum of 25 hours a week, get no benefits, and you're getting $15 an hour. Anything else, you have to be working there for a while before you get anything more. You're not even guaranteed to be eventually promoted to full time. NICE doesn't know how long you'll be a part timer because of the $$$ situation.

[Vistausss]

The added running time is what leads to buses running early as you saw.

 

Yeah, adding running time seems totally hot in 2013. They did it in my town too even though the buses all drive on seperate bus lanes. But in Nassau County it at least makes sense as long as they watch the schedule at major timing points like PinePower said.

[User]

Anyone ever see the Adelphi University wraps on the Orion Vs? Wasn't done recently because this video shows 1542 that was auctioned off, but I never saw that ad wrap:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB0kO8D4cFo

[Joel Up Front]

Even up to the arrival of the 3G's the wraps were rare.  I remember last spring wraps were on just about every Orion V.

[Burrstone]

What happened to the coca cola wraps?  Did they take the wrap(s) off or did they scrap that bus?

[User]

What happened to the coca cola wraps?  Did they take the wrap(s) off or did they scrap that bus?

I know the wraps were on some of the 1600s, so they weren't scrapped. Not sure if the Coke wraps are still on or if they've been replaced or were taken off. I don't see Vs too often on Northern Blvd.

[Amtrak7]

Anyone ever see the Adelphi University wraps on the Orion Vs? Wasn't done recently because this video shows 1542 that was auctioned off, but I never saw that ad wrap:

 

In the comments the uploader says the video is a week old. How is that possible?

[Vistausss]

In the comments the uploader says the video is a week old. How is that possible?

 

The uploader is known on this forums as "Via White Plains Road" and the questionaire is Brett himself lol.

[User]

Unless the buses are being renumbered again by NICE, 1542 was one of the first buses auctioned off by NICE at the beginning of last year. It never operated under NICE and just sat in the Mitchel Field lot at LIB.

[Burrstone]

Unless the buses are being renumbered again by NICE, 1542 was one of the first buses auctioned off by NICE at the beginning of last year. It never operated under NICE and just sat in the Mitchel Field lot at LIB.

 

I assumed this was recorded at a way earlier time and just uploaded recently.  Now this is even odder because if the video is recent, regisitered under NICE (nice decals and gold plates), and you say the bus was never used under NICE just LIB and auctioned off.  What would NICE gain by renumbering the V's, you'd think 1500's would be renumbered 1600's if anything to keep 1400's (able ride), 1600 (Orion V's), 1700's, 1800's.  Unless of course they numbered the buses 15xx they plan on getting rid of soon, and renumber other V's they plan on keeping in the 1600's.  Just seems like a major pain in the ass to renumber for no real gain...

 

It seems we have a mystery on our hands, you've got my attention.

[Burrstone]

 I just searched youtube quick and their is evidence of 1542 in service on 1/5/12 (4 days after NICE started service, so it did see service NICE service and was registered under NICE):

 

 

There are also a couple of videos where 1542 was in service 3 months ago...

[User]

Here's the thread where 1542 was auctioned off, and I'm sure I double checked those lists: http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/topic/35849-retired-nice-buses/

 

I can't seem to find the old auction pages because they seem to be hidden or removed, but if you read through the thread, the buses were sitting on the side of Mitchel Field under LIB and not in service at the time.

 

What I'm thinking now is that the auction didn't go as planned (maybe non-paying bidder or NICE decided to keep the buses at the end), and NICE probably kept the bus. However, none of us were informed if that happened. AGAIN, I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED.

 

As it is, we don't know if each auction goes through successfully and the bidder pays and the bus is out of NICE. We can really just assume that until its officially off NICE property.

Edited April 13, 2013 by Brett

[Burrstone]

Yea I remember seeing 1542 on the list and as you noticed it doesn't seem auctions international archives the auctions that far back.

 

 

What I'm thinking now is that the auction didn't go as planned (maybe non-paying bidder or NICE decided to keep the buses at the end), and NICE probably kept the bus. However, none of us were informed if that happened. AGAIN, I'M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED.

 

As it is, we don't know if each auction goes through successfully and the bidder pays and the bus is out of NICE. We can really just assume that until its officially off NICE property.

 

As we have all seen the buses put out for auction are usually stripped of useful parts and in very poor condition.  I'm sure it's possible that a bidder defaulted but if they did would NICE pay the expense to rebuild a bus in such poor condition to make it suitable for service?  I think the far more likely scenario is that 1542 on the sales list was a mistake or typo?

[PinePower]

Despite the 40 degree temps today, only 1 bus out of 4 I took had the heat on (and they were all 1800s). These new guys just put the driver's heat on and that's it. This was a problem under too but worse with NICE. Nothing more annoying than waiting out in the raw cold only to get on a cool, damp bus with fogged up windows. These stupid b/o's that shut off the HVAC need to be reported.

[qjtransitmaster]

Despite the 40 degree temps today, only 1 bus out of 4 I took had the heat on (and they were all 1800s). These new guys just put the driver's heat on and that's it. This was a problem under too but worse with NICE. Nothing more annoying than waiting out in the raw cold only to get on a cool, damp bus with fogged up windows. These stupid b/o's that shut off the HVAC need to be reported.

damn you are unlucky.

[Burrstone]

Despite the 40 degree temps today, only 1 bus out of 4 I took had the heat on (and they were all 1800s). These new guys just put the driver's heat on and that's it. This was a problem under too but worse with NICE. Nothing more annoying than waiting out in the raw cold only to get on a cool, damp bus with fogged up windows. These stupid b/o's that shut off the HVAC need to be reported.

 

Maybe you can just ask them to turn/off the heat?  If they have their own heat maybe they don't realize that the passeneger area has gotten uncomfortable?

[PinePower]

Maybe you can just ask them to turn/off the heat?  If they have their own heat maybe they don't realize that the passeneger area has gotten uncomfortable?

 

I shouldn't have to. It wasnt that unbearable so I didn't. I just dont understand what the big deal is with climate control, they seem to have it mastered elsewhere but in Nassau its like riding a school bus. And it's only gotten worse, these new drivers they have out there are just bad. Most of 'em dont even know how to stop the bus properly, slamming on the brakes so everyone had to hold on to their seats (as cans and bottles roll on the floor). Maybe the climate control is turned off to save fuel, I wouldn't put it past 'em. I'm sorry man I'm just not seeing any improvement, if anything everytime I set foot on NICE it feels like a ghetto on wheels. 

Edited April 14, 2013 by PinePower

[Vistausss]

I don't even see why it's seperated. Here, all the buses that have climate control the climate control is controlled for the whole bus, no separate one for the driver.

[User]

Shoulda posted this photo weeks ago when I took it. The new fare sticker on the 1700s (Notice how the Vs have different new stickers because of the ownership of the buses):

 

[Joel Up Front]

"Why don't I see an Orion V anymore?"

I took an N20L home rather than taking the shuttle, just for the sake of doing so, and got off for the N25.  Orion V 1624 pulled up not even 5 minutes after I got to the stop.  Right before the LIE underpass, the bus started beeping and the engine stalled.  This was right after it passed 1823 which had broken down and required a dispatcher to come, and all this was going on while an N25 waiting to get onto Community Drive saw all this.  The bus operator started the bus back up and was able to get to at least the first stop on Union Turnpike before stalling again.  I heard the starter but the engine didn't turn over, so the B/O tried again and started it up.  This time it was able to limp downhill and towards Hillside Avenue and down the rest of the line.  Then again, it was a 13 year old bus and the transmission sounded like it wanted to give while I haven't seen any issues with any NG I've been on since last November.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Joel Up Front

[PinePower]

"Why don't I see an Orion V anymore?"

 

I took an N20L home rather than taking the shuttle, just for the sake of doing so, and got off for the N25.  Orion V 1624 pulled up not even 5 minutes after I got to the stop.  Right before the LIE underpass, the bus started beeping and the engine stalled.  This was right after it passed 1823 which had broken down and required a dispatcher to come, and all this was going on while an N25 waiting to get onto Community Drive saw all this.  The bus operator started the bus back up and was able to get to at least the first stop on Union Turnpike before stalling again.  I heard the starter but the engine didn't turn over, so the B/O tried again and started it up.  This time it was able to limp downhill and towards Hillside Avenue and down the rest of the line.  Then again, it was a 13 year old bus and the transmission sounded like it wanted to give while I haven't seen any issues with any NG I've been on since last November.

 

NICE maintenance right there! I can't wait for summer!