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

[Amtrak7]

Didn't the 3G's enter service under NICE? Then why do they have MTA decals above the driver? ("Your vehicle your responsibility", senior half fare except for express buses, etc)

[Vistausss]

I like the voice on the older Clever Devices better. I'm not too crazy about the voice on the 3Gs.

 

Yeah, I've heard the voice in some of your on-board videos on the 3Gs. Not the worst voice I heard but it could be a little less robotic. And while they're at it, they should tweak the interval because most of the time it seemed like a stop was announced when the bus was almost in front of the bus stop. That's a little late.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Vistausss

[Turbo19]

Didn't the 3G's enter service under NICE? Then why do they have MTA decals above the driver? ("Your vehicle your responsibility", senior half fare except for express buses, etc)

I believe the interior specifications on the latter 1800's (3G's) were carried over from the original 1800's (NG's), which were of course specified to specs.

 

Make you wonder how the next fleet will look, doesn't it?

[Orion VII 4 Life]

I like the voice on the older Clever Devices better. I'm not too crazy about the voice on the 3Gs.

It's weird how it's so different compared to the voice on NJ Transit's buses, and they're both using the same system. Our voice sounds far less computerized, though the NICE voice isn't so bad (the old voice sounds much more computerized and unclear). The "stop requested" voice is the same, though our buses aren't doing that anymore (they make the "ding" noise they used to make when announcing a transfer point/entering a different down). 

 

We also have a much longer turn warning announcement compared to both the old and new systems at NICE. "Caution bus is turning, cuidado autobus whatever" lol

Edited June 21, 2013 by Orion VII 4 Life

[User]

Didn't the 3G's enter service under NICE? Then why do they have MTA decals above the driver? ("Your vehicle your responsibility", senior half fare except for express buses, etc)

 

Yeah, I've heard the voice in some of your on-board videos on the 3Gs. Not the worst voice I heard but it could be a little less robotic. And while they're at it, they should tweak the interval because most of the time it seemed like a stop was announced when the bus was almost in front of the bus stop. That's a little late.

My guess is, since the order was placed under the to deliver to Nassau County, the was in charge of the order, put it to their specs, gave Orion (or the county) the decals/stickers/accessories to install to the 3Gs. I'm surprised NICE kept some of those stickers on (especially when there really are no NICE "express" buses, the n6 and n22 don't count).

[Joel Up Front]

On the bustalk galleries, I found an old picture from 1975 of some New Looks laying over at Jones Beach.

 

Were the route numbers different back in the day?  When did the N40 go to Hicksville?

 

[User]

On the bustalk galleries, I found an old picture from 1975 of some New Looks laying over at Jones Beach.

 

Were the route numbers different back in the day?  When did the N40 go to Hicksville?

Yea, the bus route numbers/routes were almost all different. The N22A went to Jones Beach too (and look behind it is the N40):

 

Edited June 21, 2013 by Brett

[Orion VII 4 Life]

My guess is, since the order was placed under the to deliver to Nassau County, the was in charge of the order, put it to their specs, gave Orion (or the county) the decals/stickers/accessories to install to the 3Gs. I'm surprised NICE kept some of those stickers on (especially when there really are no NICE "express" buses, the n6 and n22 don't count).

Daimler likely had those stickers lying around considering how big a customer fhe MTA was. Obviously they were building a 100% MTA spec'd bus so they probably threw them on because of that, who knows fhe county might've requested those stickers because they're on the other buses. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up on the next order of buses (which will likely be MTA spec'd anyway), especially if they go with New Flyer or Nova where they already have those stickers/images of them.

[User]

Daimler likely had those stickers lying around considering how big a customer fhe MTA was. Obviously they were building a 100% MTA spec'd bus so they probably threw them on because of that, who knows fhe county might've requested those stickers because they're on the other buses. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up on the next order of buses (which will likely be MTA spec'd anyway), especially if they go with New Flyer or Nova where they already have those stickers/images of them.

Not necessarily. Do not expect NICE to spec the buses to the anymore because they're expecting to be here for years, so they're gonna do what they see best. Hopefully, that means not getting the same seating the back which doesn't allow for a lot of room and getting seats that face the aisle like on the NG HEVs. Even if the bus isn't spec'd, they can still have a comparitive fleet that is good to maintain!

[FamousNYLover]

I organized the current March 31st schedule and June 23rd schedule.

n1: Arrival times are different.

n2/n8: Franklin Sq service discountinued. Cover has mistake and it still says FRANKLIN SQUARE, even serving area, which should be FLORAL PARK.

 

n4:

Sat trip to Jamaica leaves every 20 minutes from 5am to 7pm.

Sat trip to Freeport leaves every 20 min from 8:50am to 8:30pm.

 

n6 Sat: Minor

 

n15:

Weekday to RFM: County Seat Drive service, 6:05-8:45, 2:15-5:159pm. Runs every 10 min from 7:15am to 7:00pm.\; 10 min from 7:10 to 7:40pm.

Weekday to Lpng Beach: County Seat Drive service 7:24-9:24am, 2:39pm to 5:59pm.

15 min from 5:15am to 6pm.

Saturday to RFM 15 min from 9am to 4pm.

Saturday to Long Beach 15 min from 10:15am to 5:30pm.

 

Sun: 6:23 n15 Hempstead leaves Rocville Cetre Merrick Rd arrives 8:47 at Hempstead.

10:30/11:30 n15 Northbound ends at HTC at 11:06pm/12:05am

 

n19: Summer trip added and in yellow shade.

8:45am n19 out of Freeport Station due at Babylon Station at 9:47.

10:00am n19 out of Babylon Station due at Freeport Station at 11:05.

 

n20/n21: Just cover change.

 

n25: Weekday

To Great Neck: Leaves 5 minutes later from 5:00 to 8:00am.

To Lynbrook: Leaves 5 minutes later from 3:35pm to 5:35pm.

 

n26:

8:30am to Great Neck added.

 

n31/32: Weekday midday service extended to HTC.

 

n33:

To Far Rockaway: Every 30 min from 7:30am to 5:30pm, then an hour to 9:30pm.

To Long Beach: Every hour from 7 to 11am, then 30 minutes until 6pm, then hour to 9pm.

 

n35 trip from Westbury added at 2:35pm arrives Balwin Harbor at 3:40pm.

 

n40/41: Few minutes early/late than current schedule.

 

n43: Mostly reflect to school vacation. HTC trips ends when school closed.

 

n48/49: Saturday midday n48 service added.

 

n51: Few minutes early from current schedule.

 

n54/n55: Saturday, 7:00am n55 Hempstead leaves Jerusalem Av/Merrick Av arrives HTC at 7:18am.

 

n57/n58: AM Loop leaves few minutes early or late than current schedule.

n70/71/72: Properly reflect to school closing.

 

n78/79: Not so many changes.

[67thAve]

So the N31/32 now has better midday headways north of Lynbrook? Not sure if the ridership is there, but at least I get more frequent service.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

1739 was running with an open back panel yesterday. I wonder who's the genius that forgot to put it down...

[Turbo19]

1739 was running with an open back panel yesterday. I wonder who's the genius that forgot to put it down...

It could be intentional as well, perhaps to cool the engine?

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

It could be intentional as well, perhaps to cool the engine?

You call this intentional

 

IMG_20130623_132949 by joseart99, on Flickr

[Turbo19]

 

You call this intentional

 

IMG_20130623_132949 by joseart99, on Flickr

 

I would. If the shit is overheating I'd leave it open.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

I would. If the shit is overheating I'd leave it open.

The thing is, it was running through Hempstead, Front Street, and Hempstead Tpke like that. That's not a good scenario.

[Turbo19]

The thing is, it was running through Hempstead, Front Street, and Hempstead Tpke like that. That's not a good scenario.

That I do agree on. Could be a great liability to others.

 

 

Then still, if that's the only way I could get my bus too cool down to run, I'd just risk it.

[Burrstone]

It could be intentional as well, perhaps to cool the engine?

 

No.

 

I would. If the shit is overheating I'd leave it open.

 

No.

 

That I do agree on. Could be a great liability to others.

 

Yes!

 

 

Then still, if that's the only way I could get my bus too cool down to run, I'd just risk it.

 

Oh god no, again you just start talking about things you have no idea about!!!  You are not a trained bus driver, you are not trained to drive any commercial motor vehicle that is why you say this!  That is a terrible idea, you NEVER (knowingly) drive with something open that should be closed.

 

In the scenario you described where it was the only way to cool your bus down you wouldn't risk it.  No.  You would STOP and wait for the bus to cool down and then go, or don't go at all.  You wouldn't risk it to cool down the bus.

 

[PinePower]

 

You call this intentional

 

IMG_20130623_132949 by joseart99, on Flickr

 

 

It is possible he didn't see it. I remember seeing a b/o back in the LIB days with a 1700 on the n88 with the back cover open too. Even at Suffolk Transit I saw it recently on their Orion VII's, which lead me to believe the engine cover has a habit of coming up on its own. Of course it's possible they left it open to cool an overheated engine. They did do this at LIB on occasion.

 

NJT needs to do this with some of those CL's, particularly 7185 which I'm sure isn't doing too well lately.

Edited June 25, 2013 by PinePower

[Turbo19]

No.

 

 

No.

 

Yes!

 

 

 

Oh god no, again you just start talking about things you have no idea about!!!  You are not a trained bus driver, you are not trained to drive any commercial motor vehicle that is why you say this!  That is a terrible idea, you NEVER (knowingly) drive with something open that should be closed.

 

In the scenario you described where it was the only way to cool your bus down you wouldn't risk it.  No.  You would STOP and wait for the bus to cool down and then go, or don't go at all.  You wouldn't risk it to cool down the bus.

 

Here we go pushing the issue once more.

 

Let us be honest here. The position of bus operator is not as prestigious as it used to be, and that is not only there at Nassau Inter County Express, but across the county as well. The bottom line is that anyone who somehow procured a Class B CDL can be behind one of these Orion Vii's, considering they meet the basic eligibility requirements.

 

At this point you may ask where I'm getting at. What I'm trying to say is this "bus driver training" you speak of is generally a misnomer. What many were educated on in the past is no longer being taught. Really in this point in time most transit agencies need someone to just get on the road.

 

As such, many bus operators day after day are made to make their best judgement without the support of anyone else. That's evidenced here by the picture of #1768. In fact in Nassau County alone on any given day there are many more examples of having to rely only on judgement.

 

And I'm going to tell you this, if I were in that scenario I'd keep operating the route, mainly for two reasons.

 

Reason 1: If I decided to continue operating the bus, I'd at the very least be making service, which in turn would lead to the satisfaction of passengers as they would reach their destinations or make their transfers. In addition, by choosing to operate the bus I wouldn't be placing an excess amount of passengers with my "follower" (the trip behind me) which could lead to potential bunching and delays further down the line. I'd call it in near my terminus, but I couldn't get a replacement for whatever reason I'd just keep on driving.

 

Reason 2: If I decided to stop operating the bus, I'd be at the mercy of my passengers. I'm sure many would chew me out for asking them to wait for a replacement (yeah right) or the next trip, and in my opinion their complaints would be justified. This would delay their arrival to their destinations on the route or cause them to miss a transfer. In addition, this would place my passengers on my "follower" which would likely delay him/her down the line on the trip, and possibly compromise the route's entire schedule.

 

I'm sure we are still not in agreement but that's quick judgement for you.

[Burrstone]

Here we go pushing the issue once more.

 

Let us be honest here. The position of bus operator is not as prestigious as it used to be, and that is not only there at Nassau Inter County Express, but across the county as well. 

 

No, never said it was, but it takes training you don't have.

 

 

The bottom line is that anyone who somehow procured a Class B CDL can be behind one of these Orion Vii's, considering they meet the basic eligibility requirements.

 

The bottom line is you haven't received any CDL training or bus driving training so you shouldn't talk about it because you don't know,  You haven't been through the training and have no experience driving any buses so you shouldn't be talking about "what I would do" because you have no idea!  ..but you continue to tak...

 

I try to be patient with you because you don't seem like a bad guy but you continue to want to talk about situations you have no idea about.  No, bus driver may not be a prestigious position but you have no idea what it takes or the shit any CDL driver has to go through but you continue to talk about it.  This is not pretend time, why do any of us care what you would've done in the position of B/O when you have no CDL or training?  You can't say what you'd do in the situation because you have no idea!

Edited June 25, 2013 by Burrstone

[Turbo19]

No, never said it was, but it takes training you don't have.

 

 

 

The bottom line is you haven't received any CDL training or bus driving training so you shouldn't talk about it because you don't know,  You haven't been through the training and have no experience driving any buses so you shouldn't be talking about "what I would do" because you have no idea!  ..but you continue to tak...

 

I try to be patient with you because you don't seem like a bad guy but you continue to want to talk about situations you have no idea about.  No, bus driver may not be a prestigious position but you have no idea what it takes or the shit any CDL driver has to go through but you continue to talk about it.  This is not pretend time, why do any of us care what you would've done in the position of B/O when you have no CDL or training?  You can't say what you'd do in the situation because you have no idea!

I didn't want to move the discussion, but you continue to antagonize and pay no respect to peoples opinions.

 

I'm sorry, last time I checked this was a public transportation discussion board where members could speak their opinions on all matters, whether they are qualified to do so or not. Before you claim people don't want my opinion, I've never seen anyone else on this board pitch complaints about me like you have.

 

Let me ask you this, have you assumed the position of bus operator at any transit agency within North America? Do you utilize public transit services on a daily basis?

 

If you answered no to any of those I could easily argue that you are oblivious to what goes down while on the line. It's a fast paced environment, nothing like delivering buses.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Turbo19

[VWM]

I'm tempted to take the n88 to JB but there's 2 Problems:

A) n51 -> n19 -> n88 is $10.00 round trip (NICE went to $2.50, right?)

B) not taking my bike (call it prejudice, but not taking a chance)

C) a bit too far to walk from Merrick to Freeport LIRR.

 

Guess i'll just take the car...

[Turbo19]

I'm tempted to take the n88 to JB but there's 2 Problems:

A) n51 -> n19 -> n88 is $10.00 round trip (NICE went to $2.50, right?)

B) not taking my bike (call it prejudice, but not taking a chance)

C) a bit too far to walk from Merrick to Freeport LIRR.

 

Guess i'll just take the car...

How feasible would the N50 to Hicksville and a transfer to the N87 to JB be for you?

[Burrstone]

I didn't want to move the discussion, but you continue to antagonize and pay no respect to peoples opinions.

 

I'm sorry, last time I checked this was a public transportation discussion board where members could speak their opinions on all matters, whether they are qualified to do so or not. Before you claim people don't want my opinion, I've never seen anyone else on this board pitch complaints about me like you have.

 

Let me ask you this, have you assumed the position of bus operator at any transit agency within North America? Do you utilize public transit services on a daily basis?

 

If you answered no to any of those I could easily argue that you are oblivious to what goes down while on the line. It's a fast paced environment, nothing like delivering buses.

 

It's obvious you know what I do...  But you know nothing about delivering buses or operating transit bus so you have no idea what I do or did before this.  But you want to talk about how delivering buses is nothing like be a B/O, no it's it not but again you have no idea what what you are talking about but want to give me shit about it.

 

You, and a lot of people have no idea what i have to deal with with on a daily basis.

 

 

Let me ask you this, have you assumed the position of bus operator at any transit agency within North America? Do you utilize public transit services on a daily basis?

 

If you answered no to any of those I could easily argue that you are oblivious to what goes down while on the line. It's a fast paced environment, nothing like delivering buses.

 

 

 

LMAO the person with NO CDL,bus driving training, or experience wants to tell me I don't know what its like to be a transit bus operator because I deliver buses.  HAHAHAHA!  Are you for real!?!  The same person who said what they would've done in the situation as a B/O?  What a joke!