Official Nassau Inter-County Express Proposals and Ideas

[NY1635]

The n71 isquite a transitable route it would be in vain to scratch it just like that

 

The n48/49 should be extended to Oyster Bay and Syosset Respectively. ..after Hicksville have it access the Quad as a loop and afterwards separate to head towards Oyster Bay and Syosset

 

The n20 should revert to its original route. ..they should pace it up more in queens especially in the narrow Sanford avenue

 

What about the option to have the n71 travel down Route 110 instead of Carmans Road and moving it's terminal to Amityville LIRR? Would that improve the route? I think the n71 customers are coming from the Turnipike itself, and wouldn't mind it being eliminated if the n72 had enhanced service, or if NICE suggested using the n54/55 to get to Sunrise Mall from Hempstead.

[DS4Ever]

That works too for the n21 bound for locust valley

 

The n71 is quite a difficult scenario to analyze

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

What about the option to have the n71 travel down Route 110 instead of Carmans Road and moving it's terminal to Amityville LIRR? Would that improve the route? I think the n71 customers are coming from the Turnipike itself, and wouldn't mind it being eliminated if the n72 had enhanced service, or if NICE suggested using the n54/55 to get to Sunrise Mall from Hempstead.

However, it is there for coverage, and most riders left on that portion go to Sunrise Mall, and they mainly board in areas where there's no other feasible way to do so.

[Burrstone]

When the new map of the n19 was released I stated that NICE used the worst routing to and from the mall...  Cut right up Unqua, sunrise, mall, Unqua, Merrick, they did no reasearch just cut and kept Unqua.  Now the bus travels about 10 minutes without picking up dropping/off on Unqua and Sunrise (there might be a couple of people on off at Sunrise/Unqua intersection) on an already short route (30-35minutes). As I stated in the past their are many elderly and mentally disabled in an apartment complex on Carman Mill Rd.  First I would have cut the n19 before cleaning up wasted time on the n19/n54/55 getting to/from the mall.

 

Additionally you don't need the n54 and n55 in the mall every half hour, one should cut service to the mall, most of the connections can be caught at Amityville RR or right in front of the train station on W. Oak Street.    By having either the 54 or the 55 eliminate service to the mall you saving 4.33 hours per day (there are 52 round trip stops the n/54/55 makes to the mall, I estimate it takes 10 minutes to enter exit the, combined with re routing, getting the bus from Sunrise to Amityville Rail in a more efficient manor (10 min x 26 eliminated trips to the mall = 260 minutes / 60 = 4.33 hours per day freed up).

 

The n54/55 is such a mess it goes to the mall then goes to 110 (broadway) to make one stop (110 & Louden), then turns right onto 110/Broadway, make no stops, take a right on Sterling a block before the s1 does and then a left onto John St (the side of the Amityville RR station where the first and last stop is)...  WHY!?!  If someone wants to go by Brunswick hospital A0.  WALK the 5 minutes or so B) take the s1, s33, or the 1A.  Send the bus from the mall down 27A (Old Sunrise ) instead of turning onto County line like the n19 it would stay straight like the s20 (old Sunrise turns into W. John St at the County Line, and shortly the bus turns into Amityville RR).

 

If you want to get crazy and I know you guys like to get crazy have the n55 be the bus that skips the mall and have it cross Sunrise to continue down Broadway (Massapequa) which turns into Hicksville Rd (Rt 107), a left onto Merrick, Left onto Carmen Mill Rd. and a right onto 27A/W.John St. to get into Amityville RR and of the opposite for the return trip (we've solved our Carmen Mill Rd problem).  Actually, I'd have the n19 and n55 swap and route the n55 via Unqua while the n19 covers Carmen Mill Rd..

 

The s20 was great on behalf of Suffolk County, I love the routing of the s20 down Braodway/110 to Merrick, I wanted this for years, hopefully it increases service and stays if and when the n19 is restored. As far as it not covering Carmen Road, tough.  NICE made a choice and it is under no obligation to fix something for Nassau County residents when providing a service to it's residents, especially when it also faces a budget shortfall.

 

Even all I don't rely on buses I was curious and tried the service, I feel bad for those who have to rely to rely on it.  For starters I took the s20 from Sunrise Mall to 110 and Merrick with the intentions of meeting a friend in front of the bar there.  The driver was under the impression "no sign, no bus stop, no stop bus..."  I told him there was too a stop sighting the online pdf on their site.  I ask if

i can get off before the corner.  No.  I ask where I can get off, by the high school.  WTF are you kidding me?  I get upset and he lets me off across from the Audi/VW dealership.  Now I have to cross a little side street and Merrick Rd during rush hour.  

 

There are no signs from the Amityville HS, all the way up 110 until it turns.  So if you get on/off the bus in this part of the route and a jerk who can't even speak English, you might have the bus fly by or not get let off until they see a sign.  I contacted SCT and they told me they aware of no signs on this part of the route.  I asked when they would and I was told "it's a low priority, there are much more important things ahead of this on 'the list." 

 

The schedule is so confusing.  If you are at Sunrise Mall a bus will come and say "S20 BABYLON RR" so is it going via 110/John St or Via 110 Montauk Hwy?  You have ti ask the driver.  From my experience the driver doesn't speak enough English to understand you or tell you where he is going/  I'm not kidding, I don't know what is going on at EBT that they are hiring drivers with such bad English skills that they cannot communicate in English..  I really wonder how they got their CDL not being able to understand or speak English. 

 

They really should have numbered the new loop the S19, it would have been been so much less confusing.  

 

The drivers also don't know the names of the roads.  Out of the 3 times I took the s20 one driver didn't know Broadway was 110, "Are you going down broadway?"  Looks puzzled, I say 110, "oh yes, 110."  One didn't know the exact opposite.  I asked the same question and he said "no 110, broadway."  2 out of the 3 drivers didn't know it's Merrick Rd in Amityville not Montauk HWY.  After I asked if they were going down Broadway/110 I said "....to Merrick, right."  One driver said "Montauk HWY, you have to take the Nassau bus for Merrick, Rd...."  The other driver said almost the same thing but when I said "it's Merrick in Amityville..." He replied "It's Montauk in Suffolk in Suffolk..." to which I replied I replied "Except for Amityville, where it's Merrick..."  He laughed at me and told me I was wrong.  I'm just amused because maybe one day he'll read a road sign...."

 

The S20 also comes at the oddest times.  One bus unloads and the driver tells me "I'm early, I'm scheduled at 15 passed whenever (I forget) but there is no Sunrise Mall to Babylon RR Mall S20 a 15 past anything on the schedule for either loop.  I go up 110 a lot and noticed an off schedule S20 at almost the same place like clock work every morning, I'm wondering if they have a different schedule than they released? 

[checkmatechamp13]

Maybe for the the service at :15 past the hour, they have some sort of internal schedule, where the driver (on the counterclockwise "Babylon Railroad Loop") arrives at :05 and leaves at :15. It's the only thing I can think of as to why they give all buses 10 minutes to get between Sunrise & Amityville LIRR, when it only takes about 5 minutes. Maybe 7 if the driver is crawling.

[DS4Ever]

You probably mean united stateanEnglish since all English is the same except the spelling difference from north America (excluding Canada) and British (worldwide except the Philippines Palau Micronesia and Marshall islands) ...the thing is to have better ears and resintax what they are saying. ..

 

I remember last month boarded a s58 bus and a Chinese man was the driver and when the central communicated him how long was to make it to the mall (smith haven) not clearly but understandable he said "I be at mall in 10 minutes"

 

More badly is not speaking it at all after all understanding English and reading is fairly easy for a non English speaker is the speaking part where many non native Englishsspeaker tend to suffer. ..reason why Hispanics always say they dont speakEnglish since they clearly say no speak English

[mac5689]

 

 

The S20 also comes at the oddest times.  One bus unloads and the driver tells me "I'm early, I'm scheduled at 15 passed whenever (I forget) but there is no Sunrise Mall to Babylon RR Mall S20 a 15 past anything on the schedule for either loop.  I go up 110 a lot and noticed an off schedule S20 at almost the same place like clock work every morning, I'm wondering if they have a different schedule than they released? 

 

The S20 on the Babylon RR loop arrives at Babylon RR @ :15 past the hour four different times during the day, Maybe that's what the driver meant?

 

My guess to the off schedule S20 would be, depending on when the bus is scheduled to be at/near the spot, is that the driver doesn't really care about being on time or late. 

[mac5689]

I remember last month boarded a s58 bus and a Chinese man was the driver and when the central communicated him how long was to make it to the mall (smith haven) not clearly but understandable he said "I be at mall in 10 minutes"

 

 

It's Dispatch. There is no such thing as central communication or at least not in the sense of of a system wide dispatch center.

 

To my knowledge each each SBC depot has their own dispatchers, though it could be possibly they have transit dispatchers only at Bay Shore and Ronkonkoma Yards.   (Back in the day before SBC had a Coram yard, Ronkonkoma yard based drivers used the term 'Pond Road')

[DS4Ever]

Youre wrong my friend the SCT radioing is countywide so a s92 driver. (Sunrise Yard at Greenport) can radioo a s66 bus ddriver. (Ronkonkoma yard)...and i can confirm that because lastt mmonth i was on the s92 bounded to East Hampton. And i was toconnect to the s66departing. At 2pm...he radio the s66 to wait for transferring passenger .(including me)

[mac5689]

Youre wrong my friend the SCT radioing is countywide so a s92 driver. (Sunrise Yard at Greenport) can radioo a s66 bus ddriver. (Ronkonkoma yard)...and i can confirm that because lastt mmonth i was on the s92 bounded to East Hampton. And i was toconnect to the s66departing. At 2pm...he radio the s66 to wait for transferring passenger .(including me)

The S92 driver probably called his dispatcher to radio or call SBC to tell the S66 to wait.

 

Unless the driver changed his radio's frequency to talk to the other driver, there is no county radio dispatch for driver of one company to call a driver of another company.

 

I'be been on buses to where a route was given a hold order to wait for a bus from a diffrently company and that order has come either the dispatcher or once from another company operated route that meet up with the roure. One time a driver of the first S62 was told to wait by the dispatch for an S92, and I remember it clearly because the dispatcher incorrectly said the wrong route, instead of saying S92 the dispatcher said S96.

 

There is a radio frequency for dispatchers to call each other.

 

All dispatchers are company employees that work at a company depot.

 

The only thing that is County wide is the Info phone number which is manned by department of public works personall.

 

Even the people who handle the SCAT resivations are employees of SBC (Wgo happen to be the only company with the contract to operate SCAT)

 

Also there is no one radio frequency of Suffolk Transit. Each company has their own frequency on the county's trucked system. If a driver knew the frequency for SBC and knew how to change his radio's frequency then that could explain the possible bus to bus transmission.

[DS4Ever]

I would assume the radio frequency was changed to bus driver since I also experienced a s58 to connect to theLAST s66 to Patchogue. ..if i were not to tell the s58 beyond calverton (6:47pm) i waa going to miss that s66 ...it reached tanger At 6:51 and finally Riverhead C.C. at 6:57pm ..so the s66 left 7 minutes late but made it to Patchogue at 8:10pm...that bus driver was anxious to leave home since he bypassed some passengers

[checkmatechamp13]

...that bus driver was anxious to leave home since he bypassed some passengers

 

That's messed up to do that to passengers when you know you're the last bus of the night. Heck, even during the daytime, when you're running on hourly headways, that's still unacceptable. 

[mac5689]

I would assume the radio frequency was changed to bus driver since I also experienced a s58 to connect to theLAST s66 to Patchogue. ..if i were not to tell the s58 beyond calverton (6:47pm) i waa going to miss that s66 ...it reached tanger At 6:51 and finally Riverhead C.C. at 6:57pm ..so the s66 left 7 minutes late but made it to Patchogue at 8:10pm...that bus driver was anxious to leave home since he bypassed some passengers

 

The S58 radioing the S66 is possible and is no problem because they are both operated by SBC and have the same radio frequency.  So the S58 driver just has to say "Eastbound S58 to the Westbound S66 leaving Riverhead or Riverhead County Center." or something to that effect since I believe each driver does it their own way, in your case it probably would be like'Eastbound S58 to the last S66 leaving Riverhead County Center." 

 

Traffic is probably lighter during the last run which is how it was able to make up the seven minutes. However normally when I see the Westbound S66 (going to Patchouge) the bus is normally on time or a few minutes early; that one isn't really late. Heading to Patchouge it's normally late by like 5 minutes are so or at least when it goes by where I live. 

[DS4Ever]

Trust me checkmate i know that driver he's not a swell guy...remember him driving last September a morning 10am s62 from Hauppauge to Riverhead he even was kind of upset to let in a female passenger with a electric scooter. And wasted nearly 5 minutes of running time for a small situation that in final he let her onboard and put the scooter as if were a wheelchair. ..still he manage to make it Riverhead at 11:57am ontime the s92 to the Hampton (i won't acknowledge he even radioed )...also to top it all out on that LAST s66 to Patchogue he didn't help a woman ALONE with a Baby enter the stroller sbd stayed there much like a statue. ..this lead to a small altercation (verbally not physically) between the driver and the passenger whom helped the woman board in Mastic. ..that s66 made Patchogue at 8:10pm (in that time the terminus was adjacent to the courthouse)

 

Well mac5689 you're right although i can remember the s58 saying to the s66 and i quote. " s58 to the 66"..."66"..."i have a couple of transfers be there in two minutes. .."10-4"..."66 to the 58 are you close to make it"...58 to the 66 be there in 30 seconds"

 

I can remember as if was yesterday these priceless dialogues

[mac5689]

Well mac5689 you're right although i can remember the s58 saying to the s66 and i quote. " s58 to the 66"..."66"..."i have a couple of transfers be there in two minutes. .."10-4"..."66 to the 58 are you close to make it"...58 to the 66 be there in 30 seconds"

I can remember as if was yesterday these priceless dialogues

Yeah probalem the driver's preference to say it the way they did, or being that one or both were the last bus, the drivers didn'the bother with 'Westbound' and 'Eastbound'. Normally when I rode the buses when I was younger and ride then now it was always during the day when there are are possibly one or more buses running on a route or heading in the say directions. Very rarely do I or have I ever ridden the last bus of a route.

[checkmatechamp13]

Trust me checkmate i know that driver he's not a swell guy...remember him driving last September a morning 10am s62 from Hauppauge to Riverhead he even was kind of upset to let in a female passenger with a electric scooter. And wasted nearly 5 minutes of running time for a small situation that in final he let her onboard and put the scooter as if were a wheelchair. ..still he manage to make it Riverhead at 11:57am ontime the s92 to the Hampton (i won't acknowledge he even radioed )...also to top it all out on that LAST s66 to Patchogue he didn't help a woman ALONE with a Baby enter the stroller sbd stayed there much like a statue. ..this lead to a small altercation (verbally not physically) between the driver and the passenger whom helped the woman board in Mastic. ..that s66 made Patchogue at 8:10pm (in that time the terminus was adjacent to the courthouse)

 

So the buses don't start at the LIRR station anymore?

 

As for the driver, you should report him. Suffolk Transit doesn't have an email address, but they have a phone number (631)-852-5200 that you can call between 8am and 4:30pm to file complaints.

[mac5689]

So the buses don't start at the LIRR station anymore?

 

 

 

All the Patchouge buses start/end at the Railroad Station now. They added back the District Court stop a few weeks after, as the stop before the Railroad Station. (Except for the 7A and 7B, although I had heard they were suppose to have the stop added)

 

I think the move of adding the Railroad as the last stop because of the switch to GPS, since Patchouge Railroad Station probably looks better on the sign than Patchouge 6th District Court. Since the Destination signs seemed to be more detailed to the location with the change over to the GPS system. (Heard the 10A destination sign on both the Orion VII and Gillig Phantom reads 10 Southampton College instead of the old 10A Southampton.)

[Burrstone]

That's funny, speaking of destination signs, I see more EBT run buses than anything and it seems like none of the destination signs on the gillig phantom's work and about 1/4 of the destination signs on the 2010 orion's don't work or have some issue.  I wonder what;s up with that...

 

 

 

..also to top it all out on that LAST s66 to Patchogue he didn't help a woman ALONE with a Baby enter the stroller sbd stayed there much like a statue. ..this lead to a small altercation (verbally not physically) between the driver and the passenger whom helped the woman board in Mastic. .

 

 

I don't know what SCT's policy is on the issue but if a driver helps someone with a stroller and the driver slips/falls or hand slips off the stroller and something happens the driver and the county is now responsible.  I have seen many drivers not help with a stroller and if I'm riding the bus or walking up the subway stairs I don't help with strollers because I'm putting myself in the situation of being liable if anything happens.  NICE and SCT make it clear that even with able ride that even someone in a wheelchair CANNOT be helped by the driver, they must get themselves on and off a bus.  If it's that way for someone in a WHEELCHAIR why should it be any different for a women with a stroller?

[DS4Ever]

I guess that is the policy but i would say he was so anxious to return back to the garage since he was the last run the pressure to hurry up made the poor lady be nervous

 

I always say for starters it can be difficult to put a bike in those racks as I be terrorized the bike would fall out and be crushed

 

I kinda like the New announcers and LED bus stops inside the bus similar to NICE but would miss the very famous. STOP REQUESTED that was unique

[mac5689]

That's funny, speaking of destination signs, I see more EBT run buses than anything and it seems like none of the destination signs on the gillig phantom's work and about 1/4 of the destination signs on the 2010 orion's don't work or have some issue.  I wonder what;s up with that...

 

 

I don't know what SCT's policy is on the issue but if a driver helps someone with a stroller and the driver slips/falls or hand slips off the stroller and something happens the driver and the county is now responsible.  I have seen many drivers not help with a stroller and if I'm riding the bus or walking up the subway stairs I don't help with strollers because I'm putting myself in the situation of being liable if anything happens.  NICE and SCT make it clear that even with able ride that even someone in a wheelchair CANNOT be helped by the driver, they must get themselves on and off a bus.  If it's that way for someone in a WHEELCHAIR why should it be any different for a women with a stroller?

 

 

Most likely the new signs are having problems. assuming that all the buses you've seen have them. Heard from someone who works for one of the companies, the new signs have slight problems. Like when the driver trys to type in the code for 'No Passengers' or 'Not In Service' the destination sign instead reads a sign for the S110. Someone recently saw 1015 heading to replace 1010 somewhere in the Hamptons and 1015's sign read 'S110 Farmingdale' 

 

I'm not sure about the procedure for helping someone with a stroller. I have never seen a driver help a woman with a stroller getting on or off the bus. As far as I know a driver isn't suppose to leave their seat unless they are strapping a wheelchair passenger into the wheelchair position.

 

I think more drivers probably would like it if the person came aboard the bus with the stroller already folded up, since it saves the time of having to yell out "I can't move the bus until you fold up the stroller."

[mac5689]

I guess that is the policy but i would say he was so anxious to return back to the garage since he was the last run the pressure to hurry up made the poor lady be nervous

 

 

 

My guess would be that the driver was anxious maybe because he doesn't like driving at night or maybe he doesn't like driving through some of those neighborhoods along the route at night. I mean it's not like some of the places along the S66 route are know for having a good reputations.

[checkmatechamp13]

My guess would be that the driver was anxious maybe because he doesn't like driving at night or maybe he doesn't like driving through some of those neighborhoods along the route at night. I mean it's not like some of the places along the S66 route are know for having a good reputations.

 

It's part of the job. He's lucky he's not doing some of the routes here in NYC, or even a route like the n40/41 at night. 

[mac5689]

It's part of the job. He's lucky he's not doing some of the routes here in NYC, or even a route like the n40/41 at night. 

 

That was just my guess. Though just because it's part of his job doesn't mean that the driver has to be comfortable driving at night or driving though neighborhoods that could be unsafe.

[NY1635]

Would the n54 or n55 do better if either route used Merrick Road and Carman Mill Road to enter the Mall instead of Sunrise Highway?

[Hound]

Would the n54 or n55 do better if either route used Merrick Road and Carman Mill Road to enter the Mall instead of Sunrise Highway?

No-but the N19 would.