Express bus driver ignoring passengers

[rr4567]

Like I wrote earlier it's all in the tone and delivery of the question. Most people can look at somebody and tell by their body language if even asking a question is warranted. I used to take the 129 home from Secaucus during the PM Rush and you see the driver's visually tense up when people would ask why they were late. I understood why they were late or AWOL so I never asked the question.

Now most of us here get why buses can be late so we never ask, but a lot of people don't know. Some ask just because they're wondering and others ask just to be asses. The ones asking would see the driver visibly agitated and just move on while the ones asking just to be asses would just continue on with their ramblings.

 

For me I like to be ontime. I was pissed because had the dispatcher been doing his job he would have told the mechs to be done with the bus before I got there or had another bus available for me to take. The fact that I left 35 minutes later than I normally would have put me in a position to hit traffic that I would not have hit if I left ontime. It's a cascading problem and I hate to have to try and fix issues that other people create.

I get how in your situation, you would dish out a not so favorable reply. With the passenger being rude, I don't see how they could expect to get a decent answer in reply, but are the people who ask in good faith also condemned to a bad reply?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Lol. Personally, I just don't say anything when a bus pulls up late, no matter how upset I am. It won't make the bus go back in time, so what's the point, is my thinking.  

 

One time when Bus time did not work and the last express bus of the night came in 20 minutes late. I told the B/O "boy am I glad to see you, the bus time thing didn't work and I got worried!" He looked completely perplexed lol. 

If I don't have any connections to make and I can track the bus on Bus Time, then quite frankly I'm cool if the B/O is late, but if I have other connections to make and that connection may be the last bus of the night and there's a risk of me being stranded or having to find another way home then yeah I'm going to ask because the fact of the matter is I need to make my connection, so if you can avoid a headache ahead of time it's nice if you can.  If we're talking about a difference of 2 - 3 hours in getting home then yeah it's worth asking.

 

I will say that's where Bus Time has been great because passengers are much less agitated if they know that the bus is late and they can see it as opposed to not knowing if the bus is coming or not.  It also allows people to make alternate plans too where as before you just had to hope and wait.  It's true with the trains too... I just notice this when people come down to the subway and see how long they have until the train comes.   They're in a much more calmer state.  This is why B/Os should support having Bus Time... Less confrontations...

[TheHat]

Sometimes you just have to let stuff go! Even before I became a driver I would never get on somebody's bus and ask they why they are late....in a way it isn't any of my business. Just accept the fact that the bus is late,pay your fare and have a seat. As a B/O I don't explain to people why I'm late (in fact I straight ignore those type of questions) because I find it just provoke more questions and if I late I don't have time for an extended conversation.....especially if I think the person isn't gonna understand it.

 

As far as your other statement...I think I'm a good B/O. But just because I am doesn't mean I am gonna sit back and let you dump on someone who's having problems out here. Sometimes those "bad apples" aren't as bad as they seem. I'll use my dad as an example...great driver, well liked on most of the lines he drives but put him on 13-Windsor Locks Exp or even worse...the 9-Unionville Exp and his attitude changes because the people on those lines forces his attitude to change. So to them he's a bad apple but they don't see the fact that their attitude is reason why he gets the way he gets. Now he has the seniority to avoid those lines so he does but not everybody has that luxury.....and this is where the fireworks start.

 

Quite frankly the drivers in Yonkers have the attitude they have because of the attitude of the passengers. I remember a story that The Hat recounted to me about him driving the BxM18 a couple years back on how a lady yelled at him for using the SpeakEasy to make his announcement. So tell me...somebody yelling at him for doing his job is suppose to make him feel all warm and fuzzy inside? You wouldn't put up with that so why should he? The only thing I can agree with you is that there needs to be more respect, get on the bus and act appropriately and you'll get it.

 

You're right I really don't care why he's late but I do care about getting to my destination as quickly as possible so that I can make my connections to get home.  Other than that I could care less why he's late.

 

As for your other point... Hmm... I bet he didn't say why she was yelling at him though?  You see I can understand why that passenger probably screamed at the B/O... I understand you guys take a lot of sh*t from the passengers, and I'm the first one to back up a B/O if he/she is being treated unfairly, and in fact have been pretty cool with a lot of B/O friends over the years (had a few guys I would ride around with here and there), but it works both ways. You have great passengers and great B/Os and sh*tty passengers and sh*tty B/Os... Now there have been times when I was sleeping or just sitting there and the B/O will come over the loud speaker announcing the stops but while he's probably trying to make sure he's audible, he is killing our ears or scaring the living day lights out of us if we were sleeping or something, so perhaps the lady had a long day and was wound tight and reacted.  Was it the best reaction? No, but there have been times when I've wanted to yell at a B/O for doing that esp. if you don't feel good and you've been working in the office for 12 hours.

 

Just like you have cranky passengers, you have cranky B/Os too.  You sound like my uncle... His motto is that anyone who gets on his bus is treated with respect so long as they give it.  Not all B/Os have this motto and you know what I'm saying is true.  There are the B/Os for example that give preferential treatment to the yentas in the front and everyone else who gets on gets the look of death or is made to feel like utter garbage.  In short, like I said, you have good apples and bad apples.  Now, for all of my stories, for the most part I really don't have any real issues with most B/Os out of Yonkers.  Most of them are very nice and accommodating, but the nasty ones have been some of the nastiest B/Os I've dealt with in all of my years of riding... Giving you looks like what are you doing on this bus for example... 

 

As for Riverdale passengers, we aren't any more pickier than any other express bus riders.  If anything we just simply refuse to receive poor service and so we complain.  My pet peeve is B/Os that come early or drive past my stop.  If that's the last bus of the night now my commute has just become a good two hours easily when I've already been waiting in the cold.  I'm not looking at it from a B/O passenger point of view, but just a service point of view and I'm sure you would be pissed too if that happened to you.  

First yes that story is true about the BxM18. Also had a passenger write a two page complaint about me making required ADA announcements on the BxM1. The pass. on the BxM3 openly mock me for the same (usually those who get off after Giles Pl.). VG8, Riverdale passengers are the most picky and snide people I've ever dealt with between driving a bus and w/ the NYPD Auxiliary. IN fact I'd rather be called out rather than have to answer a complaint weeks later filled w/ half truths that are believed soley b/c it is an Riverdale pass. Only to clear myself with regulations that I have more knowledge of than my superiors. I have yet only once in my carrer to have a pass. prohibited from my bus, guess whre they are from? The pass. started to harass me and ride my bus every day to do so even full round trips & why, because she thought I would get fired because of her letter about ADA announcements. A co-worker and busfan was assaulted by an old lady in Riverdale because she didn't get her way. My bus was held hostage on the BxM1, about 5 years ago at 239 St. Now with that said we are no longer in control of anything but the driving of our bus on the proscribed route. The tricks I learned at Liberty to save time and stay on time are subjected to automated violations from bustrek (The master system that BusTime uses). Even if I know better and can avoid traffic & delays, a computer will have a violaton electronically sent to the depot. Yonkers now barely can make service, today I had 2 defect buses on my run today, in the interest of making service I ate it (AM on the BxM18 no retarder & tag steering, trans slamming gears; PM frosted oper. window & aggressive retarder). Yonkers is down 2 buses below quota (No spares) So runs will start to be cancelled or delayed awaiting equip. I have been selected as a spec. op., what that menas I have enough knowledge and experince to find and deal with defect buses wilst keeping it in service. That would happen maybe twice a month in the past now its almost every day. The last thing I really need to hear it the beratement of passenger about my bus being late while if it were by the book the bus would NOT be ther at all. Now VG8 you must ahve been on my bus I have worked Riverdale steadly for better part of 8 years, you can't miss me I am the only B/O that wears the "Ralph Kramden" hat. I pride myself in providing the best service possible, on-time, quick, but safe. Too bad that according to the MTA that is not a part of my employement discription, except when they need someone to blame, just like its not the MTA that screwed the pass., it MUST be the B/O, not the CMO that keeps depots short of buses & ignores mech. issues because that keeps the budget down or the CTO that the B/O's are the problem thay are just sabotaging the MTA by being "money grubbing shitheads". Or Ops. planning that only sends traffic checkers on modified schedule or holiday weeks to gauge the service. It could never be the CTrainingO that honestly belives that B/O can "anticipate" all collisons or an incident is because the B/O must have antagonized it "they don't know how to act". This what goes on at the MTA. That is why some B/O's deal with it differently. I choose to take the high ground and educate & perform, but how long can one keep their wits w/ all that in their head, all while the MTA tries make one like me quit, and try they have', I've recorded this stuff and that is all that has kept me from being wrecked by these bastards. Hell they have denied me promotion twice, why? I was told by an GS this:" you know too much, and as long as I am here, you will never move up". Now I may sound disgruntled, but I have a relatively clean record, despite these attempts. BTW she said "why the f**k only you announce the goddamned stops, shut the f**k up an drive the bus you fat f**k and that hat is f**king retarded". I ignored her BTW. She called in a complaint and the MTA was ready to suspend me 15 days based on what she said, untill I palyed an audio recording of the incident. The same goes for the letter writer who was tapped harassing me, I played the the rcording and threatened the MTA that I would file a criminal complaint and get a restraning order, they allowed to deny her service (Riverdale passengers all). I learned in the NYPD CYA (cover your ass). A wolf never flees in the face of it's foe, I know the price I will pay for posting this. I've said my piece, do with it what you will.

[B35 via Church]

The things said in this thread on both sides of the spectrum (passenger side & b/o side) is why I generally don't say SHIT to people, initiating ANY type of conversation/potential confrontation..... I don't know how many times in my life I've been told that I'm the most cynical person they've ever met - and I don't lose sleep over it either.... Matter fact, I take it as a compliment because I do not have the word gullible or sucker written anywhere on my person..... Anyway, I'm not one for the arguing & the whole back and forth, offline..... To be honest, the commentary coming from the b/o side is a reason I typically don't like driving ppl. anywhere (this includes family members; a reason why me & another family member do not speak).... I generally feel uneasy driving other people around because you do not know people's temperment once they get in your vehicle... I have kicked a family member out of my car on more than one occasion (one story I told on this forum a while back, where I told my cousin & her friends to GTF out of my car in the middle of the PIP (palisades)... there have been 2 other instances which I do not want to bore anyone with right now, but this is not about me.....

 

I have to be honest here.... In all my years of riding buses (fantrips or for commutes), I find that passengers far more often than not that ask the b/o why they are late, are typically trying to incite (or look for) a response (usually verbal) from a b/o that'll piss them off even more.... Anything that passenger can further use as fodder against the b/o to get that person fired - all because they are late.... There's nothing a b/o can say in that moment that said passenger will deem as acceptable; a no-win situation.... And gender makes no difference in this, and there DOES exist this sense of immunity of passengers that feel that they can say & do whatever the hell they want to the b/o due to the notion that "the customer is always right"....

 

I'm not gonna paint b/o's out to be faultless either... And in saying that, none of this is about simply being late.... You do have drivers out there that take it out on passengers because they hate their jobs.... There have been times where I've had to bite my tongue over a snide ass remark that came from some b/o.... I'll give one example (speaking of palisades), there was a time on the #20 (rockland coaches) where I rode out to palisades mall.... I was the only person on the bus from pearl river town ctr. to palisades... The b/o asks if there's anyone left on the bus, I walk up closer to the front & say "yeah".... Asks where I'm going (with an attitude), I say palisades.... When he asked if there's anyone left, he was about to pull out a loosie.... Like I stopped him from smoking... Like I'm at fault for making him drive out to Palisades.... What he said was "You goin make me drive all the way out here guy" (I don't like that "guy" shit at all, first of all, that's a sign of disrespect)..... And when I got off, he was saying "come on, come on" (with the *shooing* off motion of top of it.... Throughout the ride, I did notice he was snapping off at other passengers too, but as long as he didn't snap off at me when I gave him the ticket back at PABT, w/e.......

 

Thing is, I wouldn't have given a shit if he went out for a smoke break - but I'll be damned if I'll be made out to be a villain because I want to ride out to the last stop.... and maybe a b/o here can shed light on this, because I have never understood this attitude that some b/o's exude when they realize they have to drive a passenger to the last stop (of a route that typically doesn't see much, if anyone, getting off at that stop).... Like a passenger is making them do extra work or something.....

 

Anyone can take from this what they will; I'm most certainly not playing the fence in any of this.... At the end of the day, people are still people with mouths to feed (including their own) & will stop at nothing to carry out their own self-interest(s)..... Period.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

First yes that story is true about the BxM18. Also had a passenger write a two page complaint about me making required ADA announcements on the BxM1. The pass. on the BxM3 openly mock me for the same (usually those who get off after Giles Pl.). VG8, Riverdale passengers are the most picky and snide people I've ever dealt with between driving a bus and w/ the NYPD Auxiliary. IN fact I'd rather be called out rather than have to answer a complaint weeks later filled w/ half truths that are believed soley b/c it is an Riverdale pass. Only to clear myself with regulations that I have more knowledge of than my superiors. I have yet only once in my carrer to have a pass. prohibited from my bus, guess whre they are from? The pass. started to harass me and ride my bus every day to do so even full round trips & why, because she thought I would get fired because of her letter about ADA announcements. A co-worker and busfan was assaulted by an old lady in Riverdale because she didn't get her way. My bus was held hostage on the BxM1, about 5 years ago at 239 St. Now with that said we are no longer in control of anything but the driving of our bus on the proscribed route. The tricks I learned at Liberty to save time and stay on time are subjected to automated violations from bustrek (The master system that BusTime uses). Even if I know better and can avoid traffic & delays, a computer will have a violaton electronically sent to the depot. Yonkers now barely can make service, today I had 2 defect buses on my run today, in the interest of making service I ate it (AM on the BxM18 no retarder & tag steering, trans slamming gears; PM frosted oper. window & aggressive retarder). Yonkers is down 2 buses below quota (No spares) So runs will start to be cancelled or delayed awaiting equip. I have been selected as a spec. op., what that menas I have enough knowledge and experince to find and deal with defect buses wilst keeping it in service. That would happen maybe twice a month in the past now its almost every day. The last thing I really need to hear it the beratement of passenger about my bus being late while if it were by the book the bus would NOT be ther at all. Now VG8 you must ahve been on my bus I have worked Riverdale steadly for better part of 8 years, you can't miss me I am the only B/O that wears the "Ralph Kramden" hat. I pride myself in providing the best service possible, on-time, quick, but safe. Too bad that according to the MTA that is not a part of my employement discription, except when they need someone to blame, just like its not the MTA that screwed the pass., it MUST be the B/O, not the CMO that keeps depots short of buses & ignores mech. issues because that keeps the budget down or the CTO that the B/O's are the problem thay are just sabotaging the MTA by being "money grubbing shitheads". Or Ops. planning that only sends traffic checkers on modified schedule or holiday weeks to gauge the service. It could never be the CTrainingO that honestly belives that B/O can "anticipate" all collisons or an incident is because the B/O must have antagonized it "they don't know how to act". This what goes on at the MTA. That is why some B/O's deal with it differently. I choose to take the high ground and educate & perform, but how long can one keep their wits w/ all that in their head, all while the MTA tries make one like me quit, and try they have', I've recorded this stuff and that is all that has kept me from being wrecked by these bastards. Hell they have denied me promotion twice, why? I was told by an GS this:" you know too much, and as long as I am here, you will never move up". Now I may sound disgruntled, but I have a relatively clean record, despite these attempts. BTW she said "why the f**k only you announce the goddamned stops, shut the f**k up an drive the bus you fat f**k and that hat is f**king retarded". I ignored her BTW. She called in a complaint and the MTA was ready to suspend me 15 days based on what she said, untill I palyed an audio recording of the incident. The same goes for the letter writer who was tapped harassing me, I played the the rcording and threatened the MTA that I would file a criminal complaint and get a restraning order, they allowed to deny her service (Riverdale passengers all). I learned in the NYPD CYA (cover your ass). A wolf never flees in the face of it's foe, I know the price I will pay for posting this. I've said my piece, do with it what you will.

lol... There aren't too many B/Os out of Yonkers that wear hats that I get so yeah, I probably have had you... Well it seems like your main gripe is the old ladies, which I'll admit can be a PITA, but I'm on the Riverdale express buses daily and I can only recall one or two times where passengers have been obnoxious (both old ladies).  I do recall old ladies once on a BxM1 to Riverdale and another one Manhattan bound to 34th street complaining about either the stops not being announced or them not knowing what stop they were coming up upon because they had vision problems and the other one just went on complaining about how the B/O is supposed to announce the stops. lol

 

I realize that can be a PITA but you can't paint all of us as being that obnoxious because for the most part most of us greet the B/Os, pay and sit down unless they look at us like we're aliens.  Also, the last time I was in an accident on the BxM1, it was the passengers (all of us) that were ready to help the B/O out and defend him if he were found guilty since the falling debris from the Broadway Bridge was not his fault.  Now I've had that guy since and I was thinking to myself when I saw him again oh nice to see him again and all, so he honks as if to say are you taking this bus (I think he was signed up as a BxM2) and I positioned myself as if to say yeah and then when he opens the door he sort gives off this air like I'm not supposed to be taking any other express buses besides the BxM1. lol So I didn't say anything.  I spoke when I got off at 63rd & Broadway (I usually keep it short and sweet with the ones I don't know and just say "thank you") and he just looks like I don't even exist.  He had made some comment on the BxM1 about him knowing his regulars so I guess because I'm a recent Riverdalian, and not one his regulars I'm an outcast.  Since then I've had him on the BxM2 for a while late nights on the weekends and I just stopped speaking because I hate that sort of air that some guys give off with the favorites B.S.  I last had him on a Riverdale bound BxM18 and now that he knows that I move around a bit I think he feels sort of bad but I'm like whatever.  If I'm an outcast I'm an outcast.  Now there's a few B/Os that I'm pretty cool with out of Yonkers... I talk to quite a few of them and actually as I've said before once you start talking to them you realize they're quite laid back, but as you've hinted at some of them are just tense because of all of the politics.  

 

I will say that the Riverdale express buses have to have the most drama out of any express buses I've ever used and some of that I feel is self fabricated.  My broker had actually told me this when I was getting my apt. here and said that his aunt had stopped taking the express bus because of it and I didn't believe it (in fact I chuckled at the time out of disbelief that there was that much drama) but I can see why now... However, a lot of the drama on those buses is created by either the passengers or some of the B/Os... In other words I find that the B/Os that are the least uptight and just make the best of it last the longest and are the easiest to deal with.  I mean hell, many of us have stressful jobs me included.  I'm constantly under the gun at work dealing with demanding clients and in fact in my field, most project managers burn out after a year from the constant grind... I've been at it this long because I never take anything personally.  People are going to be a-holes in life but I don't deem all of my clients as a-holes because of a few bad apples and unfortunately I think that happens more times than not.

 

At the end of the day, there are more of us that are for you guys than the a-holes that are against you.  Just remember that.

The things said in this thread on both sides of the spectrum (passenger side & b/o side) is why I generally don't say SHIT to people, initiating ANY type of conversation/potential confrontation..... I don't know how many times in my life I've been told that I'm the most cynical person they've ever met - and I don't lose sleep over it either.... Matter fact, I take it as a compliment because I do not have the word gullible or sucker written anywhere on my person..... Anyway, I'm not one for the arguing & the whole back and forth, offline..... To be honest, the commentary coming from the b/o side is a reason I typically don't like driving ppl. anywhere (this includes family members; a reason why me & another family member do not speak).... I generally feel uneasy driving other people around because you do not know people's temperment once they get in your vehicle... I have kicked a family member out of my car on more than one occasion (one story I told on this forum a while back, where I told my cousin & her friends to GTF out of my car in the middle of the PIP (palisades)... there have been 2 other instances which I do not want to bore anyone with right now, but this is not about me.....

 

I have to be honest here.... In all my years of riding buses (fantrips or for commutes), I find that passengers far more often than not that ask the b/o why they are late, are typically trying to incite (or look for) a response (usually verbal) from a b/o that'll piss them off even more.... Anything that passenger can further use as fodder against the b/o to get that person fired - all because they are late.... There's nothing a b/o can say in that moment that said passenger will deem as acceptable; a no-win situation.... And gender makes no difference in this, and there DOES exist this sense of immunity of passengers that feel that they can say & do whatever the hell they want to the b/o due to the notion that "the customer is always right"....

 

I'm not gonna paint b/o's out to be faultless either... And in saying that, none of this is about simply being late.... You do have drivers out there that take it out on passengers because they hate their jobs.... There have been times where I've had to bite my tongue over a snide ass remark that came from some b/o.... I'll give one example (speaking of palisades), there was a time on the #20 (rockland coaches) where I rode out to palisades mall.... I was the only person on the bus from pearl river town ctr. to palisades... The b/o asks if there's anyone left on the bus, I walk up closer to the front & say "yeah".... Asks where I'm going (with an attitude), I say palisades.... When he asked if there's anyone left, he was about to pull out a loosie.... Like I stopped him from smoking... Like I'm at fault for making him drive out to Palisades.... What he said was "You goin make me drive all the way out here guy" (I don't like that "guy" shit at all, first of all, that's a sign of disrespect)..... And when I got off, he was saying "come on, come on" (with the *shooing* off motion of top of it.... Throughout the ride, I did notice he was snapping off at other passengers too, but as long as he didn't snap off at me when I gave him the ticket back at PABT, w/e.......

 

Thing is, I wouldn't have given a shit if he went out for a smoke break - but I'll be damned if I'll be made out to be a villain because I want to ride out to the last stop.... and maybe a b/o here can shed light on this, because I have never understood this attitude that some b/o's exude when they realize they have to drive a passenger to the last stop (of a route that typically doesn't see much, if anyone, getting off at that stop).... Like a passenger is making them do extra work or something.....

 

Anyone can take from this what they will; I'm most certainly not playing the fence in any of this.... At the end of the day, people are still people with mouths to feed (including their own) & will stop at nothing to carry out their own self-interest(s)..... Period.

lol... I don't think I've ever had that before.  What does peeve me is if they ask me where I'm getting off at and then I say where and then they start asking again when there's only like a few of us on the bus and I'm like all the way in the back and I'm yelling and they're pissed as if I'm ignoring them.  What I have had is the B/Os sort of staring at me if I'm getting off and they're in between a convo. if two of them are together giving the look like who is he. I just sort of look away like yeah f*ck you too if and when that happens so long as nothing verbal is said.  Only out of Yonkers have I experienced B/Os looking at me as if they were "shocked" that I was riding and literally looking at me with their eyes raised...  Never experienced that on an SI express bus before. I understand there aren't many young male riders for the most part but I mean really... I once was on a BxM2 in the morning and when me and another older middle aged guy got off I just looked at the B/O (female) and gave her the alien look like she usually gives us and didn't say anything and so did the other guy.  It was actually kind of funny because it was clear that both of us had spoke to her before and she would just look like she saw a ghost.   

[realizm]

Read all the posts and interesting points were brought up. Some brought up bus drivers with serious issues such as reverse/direct racist bias with certain passengers at the bus stops, and generally being rude in personality and just not a people person lacking social skils orr whatever. OK this is NYC and rudeness is a common problem with NYers.

But keep in mind too that many bus drivers do have time constraints and must see to it they are on scedule or else they can be penalized by the bus supervisors for it even get written up for not being on scedule and reaching destinations on time. Taking into consideration what BZ Giy mentioned about the timne involved just to get ready for the run and the attitudes of the passengers themnselves.

I'm assuming so also because a T/O said in an unrelated thread that the train crews don't waste time with stragglers on the platforms for this very reason, among other reasons which I will not get into. As far as issues related to bias and nasty attitudes this is a well known peoblem concerning taxi drivers.

Hey some people are simply not cut out for the job and, not for them and maybe should consider another line of work as two transit workers that posts here stated one time.

As an IT professional myself ( saying this for the record, for those who are not familiar with me as a regular here) this is a common problem too in my field as many help desk technicians have really bad issues with clients, treating them disrespectfully. On top of that they put emphasis on performing under stress in a deadline driven enviorment. I've seen techs get fired from complaints of bad attitudes from the clients we serve, racism, sexual harrassment, or not being able to meet deadlines.

Good customer interaction, putting aside racist attitudes, on the job and working well in a deadline driven enviorment under stress is a huge component of what makes a good employee straight across the board in many professions.
 

[TheHat]

VG8 I never said all, but you identified what I meant with the drama. The elderly don't take issue with me nor I with them, in fact they are happy to see me when they do. The drama covers all demographics on Riverdale express buses. This morning for example. I pull out w/ my bus after pre-triping and ready to do the 6:30 Wall St. and I get called back to the yard to get another bus. So the 6:30 ran @ 6:45 and I got my ass handed to me. Even though I explained calmly what happened a few decide to show ther ass. Some got off throughout Riverdale to catch the bus behind me the actual 6:45 BxM18. All said and done the other bus pulled all the tricks I would have and I stayed on regular route. I was only 30 secs. behind him all the way down to Wall Street. However what really grinds my gears is the guy that got on @ 252 St., after explaining to him I was sent back to the yard to get another bus and pulling back out,, he still says "15 min." I state that "if leave with a bus get halfway to Riverdale and have to go back to the depot, because the bus has a mechanical defect and may breakdown. Get another bus and head back to 261 St. that will incur a delay". His answer: "but 15 min.". For the most part the ones that stayed on my bus were apperciative of the trip. One elderly lady that sat in the front seat, told me "that was a great ride, thank you." So that made up for the rest of the comments I got when they boarded, most of them had a better attitude when they got off.  Now the reason we ask where pass. are getting off is if only few people are on the bus & the B/O knows where evryone is geting off there is no need to announce every stop and if all the pass. are only going to a portion of the route B/O's know they can skip some of the route, e.g.; N/B BxM1 via 207 St. 5 pass. board I ask where they are getting off, I'm told 230,239 246 & 259 Sts. Now that means I don't have to go through inwood, heck I can take the Deegan to 230 St. save about 10 min. there. The next stop would be 239 St., so I can go up Riverdale Ave. hill save another 6-7 mins. there. Also I can now just announce those stops or just stop at them. This is what we used to do at Liberty Lines to make up lateness or get uptown early. At night I used have 3 regulars on the 11:00 BxM1 found out their stops and ran fast down Lex., I used to do that trip in 40 min. I was talking to them during the course of the pick and found the all worked on 1st & 2nd Aves. So at that point I stayed on 2nd Ave. and dropped them off on 2nd (pre- 2Ave subway construction). Now the trip only took 33 min. They were happy I was happy to get a cup of coffee at 33rd St. and get a longer break before my last trip. Those days are gone with bustrek they'll hang me if I did any of those things even if makes the pass. trip quicker and better saves fuel & OT.  Now for B35's trip in Rockland I don't agree with how that B/O handled you going to the last stop, but probably he just wanted to go home/depot early, who doesn't want to get out of work early, but if it doesn't happen and the bus goes somewhere, I as a B/O expect to have to go there, it is the job I am paid for. I personally smoke, but I never smoke on my bus, I just wait to the end of the line, it's a bit of a reward for sucessfully completing another trip, even if it takes 3 hours to get there. However tell me what beats going back to the depot early or making record time on a trip, come on tell me

[B35 via Church]

....Now for B35's trip in Rockland I don't agree with how that B/O handled you going to the last stop, but probably he just wanted to go home/depot early, who doesn't want to get out of work early, but if it doesn't happen and the bus goes somewhere, I as a B/O expect to have to go there, it is the job I am paid for. I personally smoke, but I never smoke on my bus, I just wait to the end of the line, it's a bit of a reward for sucessfully completing another trip, even if it takes 3 hours to get there. However tell me what beats going back to the depot early or making record time on a trip, come on tell me

 

To answer that question, I don't have a problem w/ wanting to leave work early.... Hell, I can't count how many times a b/o (I'm not just talking about NYC b/o's either) has actually asked me if he (matter fact, every case it'd happen, it was a male driver... I have never had a female driver do this) could drop me off at a particular stop or intersection (well short of where I was getting off at btw) b/c he likely wanted to get back to the garage early or w/e.... I don't mind walking at all, so it's no sweat off my back - figuratively, of course.... I'm not one to make anyone's job difficult, be it bellhops, the guy mopping the floor at mickey d's, the kid delivering chinese food on his bike, some cashier (although a lot of those chicks be disgruntled & attitudinal as HELL), or the dude/chick bagging groceries at your local supermarket.... I generally don't like dealing with people anyway & I don't like confrontation because I know what I'm capable of.... Far too many situations I've had to suppress shit when I deal with people out here in the real world.... Your average jackass makes you wanna haul off & kick the living shit out of him/her (before they try you first) - One the main reasons I could not be a b/o or any other job that deals w/ face to face interaction w/ the general public on a daily basis.... Seclusion in the workplace works best for me....

 

At the same token though, any other b/o's out here that's like that particular rockland coaches driver can spare me the attitude because I have to get where I have to go on your bus that happens to be the last stop on/of a 2 hour trip (RC #20 from PABT to Palisades mall is 2 hours)....

 

Now if I'm sitting there trying to persuade a b/o that he/she should go somewhere off route, then I can understand the attitude....

(it's usually old ladies that I notice that try to have a b/o take them a few blocks past a terminal to their destination....)

 

.....And with that, let me GTFOH because it's time for lunch & I'm getting calls every min. since  the past 10 mins from my "lunch crew" (as I call em... you know how women are)..

 

Thanks for shedding light on that question though man.....

[Via Garibaldi 8]

VG8 I never said all, but you identified what I meant with the drama. The elderly don't take issue with me nor I with them, in fact they are happy to see me when they do. The drama covers all demographics on Riverdale express buses. This morning for example. I pull out w/ my bus after pre-triping and ready to do the 6:30 Wall St. and I get called back to the yard to get another bus. So the 6:30 ran @ 6:45 and I got my ass handed to me. Even though I explained calmly what happened a few decide to show ther ass. Some got off throughout Riverdale to catch the bus behind me the actual 6:45 BxM18. All said and done the other bus pulled all the tricks I would have and I stayed on regular route. I was only 30 secs. behind him all the way down to Wall Street. However what really grinds my gears is the guy that got on @ 252 St., after explaining to him I was sent back to the yard to get another bus and pulling back out,, he still says "15 min." I state that "if leave with a bus get halfway to Riverdale and have to go back to the depot, because the bus has a mechanical defect and may breakdown. Get another bus and head back to 261 St. that will incur a delay". His answer: "but 15 min.". For the most part the ones that stayed on my bus were apperciative of the trip. One elderly lady that sat in the front seat, told me "that was a great ride, thank you." So that made up for the rest of the comments I got when they boarded, most of them had a better attitude when they got off.  Now the reason we ask where pass. are getting off is if only few people are on the bus & the B/O knows where evryone is geting off there is no need to announce every stop and if all the pass. are only going to a portion of the route B/O's know they can skip some of the route, e.g.; N/B BxM1 via 207 St. 5 pass. board I ask where they are getting off, I'm told 230,239 246 & 259 Sts. Now that means I don't have to go through inwood, heck I can take the Deegan to 230 St. save about 10 min. there. The next stop would be 239 St., so I can go up Riverdale Ave. hill save another 6-7 mins. there. Also I can now just announce those stops or just stop at them. This is what we used to do at Liberty Lines to make up lateness or get uptown early. At night I used have 3 regulars on the 11:00 BxM1 found out their stops and ran fast down Lex., I used to do that trip in 40 min. I was talking to them during the course of the pick and found the all worked on 1st & 2nd Aves. So at that point I stayed on 2nd Ave. and dropped them off on 2nd (pre- 2Ave subway construction). Now the trip only took 33 min. They were happy I was happy to get a cup of coffee at 33rd St. and get a longer break before my last trip. Those days are gone with bustrek they'll hang me if I did any of those things even if makes the pass. trip quicker and better saves fuel & OT.  Now for B35's trip in Rockland I don't agree with how that B/O handled you going to the last stop, but probably he just wanted to go home/depot early, who doesn't want to get out of work early, but if it doesn't happen and the bus goes somewhere, I as a B/O expect to have to go there, it is the job I am paid for. I personally smoke, but I never smoke on my bus, I just wait to the end of the line, it's a bit of a reward for sucessfully completing another trip, even if it takes 3 hours to get there. However tell me what beats going back to the depot early or making record time on a trip, come on tell me

As for asking for the destinations of the passengers, yeah I know all about that... Been riding express buses for 7 years now, so I almost expect it when I get on lightly used runs... Some of them actually will try to guess which stop if they pick me up regularly. lol

 

As for the late situation and the 15 mins response... LOL Typical Riverdale passenger...   Sorry but you and I know that express bus riders in general get peeved when their buses are late, regardless of the reason, but this is esp. true of Riverdale riders in the morning, so you're in a no win situation there in most cases. lol  Some of the looks they've given the drivers... lol... I was on a BxM1 that was late one morning mainly because of traffic on Lex, which was a just a killer that morning (it's usually not too bad on Lex) and I felt so bad for the female B/O... I was the only one that spoke when I got off and I kind of looked at her like Christ, I feel for ya... My thing is if you're late okay fine, but don't sit around hanging around at stops like you're waiting for more people when the bus is already a good 10 - 15 mins late... If you make an effort to get back on schedule I can live with that.  I mean things happen and I usually leave extra time for delays and such anyway (about 30 minutes is usually sufficient), but if the trip is supposed to take an hour and I get there in almost an hour and 40 mins because the guy is dragging the line (not because of traffic) then I'll get annoyed. You kinda get a feel for what is happening when as I'm sure you know.  I don't like wild driving either, but at least at a decent speed that's not like 2 mph. There's one B/O that does the BxM2 in the morning that I had to stop taking because he takes over an hour and 20 minutes to do a run that other B/Os have done in 50 minutes. LOL I swear one morning he let me off at Broadway and 63rd and I outwalked the bus from there to Columbus Circle.  He was just sitting there doing God knows what at the lights, which were green but he was just driving sooo slow.  Very nice guy but I pray that he doesn't start getting the BxM1 Super Expresses in the morning because I would have to take an earlier bus or switch over to the BxM2.  He scared me one morning though... Martin Luther King Jr. day... I was working that day, so I got my usual BxM1 Super Express and the bus rolls in and I'm like wait a minute doesn't he usually do the BxM2?? I'm like OMG this is gonna be a loonnngggg trip, but luckily there was no traffic so I still made it on time, but he is definitely one that doesn't take any shortcuts, so he'll go right to the Major Deegan and will sit in traffic when he can take an alternate route and he's definitely an old timer too.

 

As for staying on the route on Bus Time, I don't know how true that is because there are still some B/Os that go off of the route. I'm sure for example you can still take the Harlem River Drive if say you're a BxM2, BxM18 or Super Express BxM1 instead of the Major Deegan since that tends to be backed up a lot.  I know the B/Os I get still do that.  They should keep that in place too.

 

Oh one other question... Is maintenance slipping or are there just too many MCIs getting into accidents or what? There was a Riverdale bound BxM2 a few weeks ago whose signage was not working.  He pulled into 63rd and Broadway and we were all looking like is he in service or what because his bus was on Bus Time. Once I saw passengers on the bus I got on and he put up 2 fingers as if to say BxM2, but another man still questioned him anyway to make sure and once he confirmed that it was a BxM2 verbally, then he said (the passenger) well there's no sign up there, in a snooty sort of tone, as if to say how are you operating the bus without the signage as if we're supposed to know what bus it is? lol I thought about it and he could've taken the bus OOS. If anything maybe a sign would've helped but not if he didn't have anything handy... not much else he could've done.

 

Just asking though because there was the BxM1 that I was on that had the destination part of the windshield smashed last year in that accident by the Broadway Bridge, and then that BxM18 that was wrecked on Madison recently and our buses are starting to get up there in age so rehabs are gonna be needed for some of them.  I think they rehab them when they're around 8 years old or so no? Do you know if they're going to be able to salvage that BxM18 or will it be scrapped?

[Quill Depot]

Longer posts have a higher tendency for people to scroll right past. Make your point short, clear, yet cohesive and above-par.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Longer posts have a higher tendency for people to scroll right past. Make your point short, clear, yet cohesive and above-par.

lol... I'm not shortening my posts... Besides this is a conversation amongst several of us anyway... Those who can't read long posts just won't read them.  

[rr4567]

Longer posts have a higher tendency for people to scroll right past. Make your point short, clear, yet cohesive and above-par.

And the people who scroll past are the ones too lazy to use their eyes

[TheHat]

As for asking for the destinations of the passengers, yeah I know all about that... Been riding express buses for 7 years now, so I almost expect it when I get on lightly used runs... Some of them actually will try to guess which stop if they pick me up regularly. lol

 

As for the late situation and the 15 mins response... LOL Typical Riverdale passenger...   Sorry but you and I know that express bus riders in general get peeved when their buses are late, regardless of the reason, but this is esp. true of Riverdale riders in the morning, so you're in a no win situation there in most cases. lol  Some of the looks they've given the drivers... lol... I was on a BxM1 that was late one morning mainly because of traffic on Lex, which was a just a killer that morning (it's usually not too bad on Lex) and I felt so bad for the female B/O... I was the only one that spoke when I got off and I kind of looked at her like Christ, I feel for ya... My thing is if you're late okay fine, but don't sit around hanging around at stops like you're waiting for more people when the bus is already a good 10 - 15 mins late... If you make an effort to get back on schedule I can live with that.  I mean things happen and I usually leave extra time for delays and such anyway (about 30 minutes is usually sufficient), but if the trip is supposed to take an hour and I get there in almost an hour and 40 mins because the guy is dragging the line (not because of traffic) then I'll get annoyed. You kinda get a feel for what is happening when as I'm sure you know.  I don't like wild driving either, but at least at a decent speed that's not like 2 mph. There's one B/O that does the BxM2 in the morning that I had to stop taking because he takes over an hour and 20 minutes to do a run that other B/Os have done in 50 minutes. LOL I swear one morning he let me off at Broadway and 63rd and I outwalked the bus from there to Columbus Circle.  He was just sitting there doing God knows what at the lights, which were green but he was just driving sooo slow.  Very nice guy but I pray that he doesn't start getting the BxM1 Super Expresses in the morning because I would have to take an earlier bus or switch over to the BxM2.  He scared me one morning though... Martin Luther King Jr. day... I was working that day, so I got my usual BxM1 Super Express and the bus rolls in and I'm like wait a minute doesn't he usually do the BxM2?? I'm like OMG this is gonna be a loonnngggg trip, but luckily there was no traffic so I still made it on time, but he is definitely one that doesn't take any shortcuts, so he'll go right to the Major Deegan and will sit in traffic when he can take an alternate route and he's definitely an old timer too.

 

As for staying on the route on Bus Time, I don't know how true that is because there are still some B/Os that go off of the route. I'm sure for example you can still take the Harlem River Drive if say you're a BxM2, BxM18 or Super Express BxM1 instead of the Major Deegan since that tends to be backed up a lot.  I know the B/Os I get still do that.  They should keep that in place too.

 

Oh one other question... Is maintenance slipping or are there just too many MCIs getting into accidents or what? There was a Riverdale bound BxM2 a few weeks ago whose signage was not working.  He pulled into 63rd and Broadway and we were all looking like is he in service or what because his bus was on Bus Time. Once I saw passengers on the bus I got on and he put up 2 fingers as if to say BxM2, but another man still questioned him anyway to make sure and once he confirmed that it was a BxM2 verbally, then he said (the passenger) well there's no sign up there, in a snooty sort of tone, as if to say how are you operating the bus without the signage as if we're supposed to know what bus it is? lol I thought about it and he could've taken the bus OOS. If anything maybe a sign would've helped but not if he didn't have anything handy... not much else he could've done.

 

Just asking though because there was the BxM1 that I was on that had the destination part of the windshield smashed last year in that accident by the Broadway Bridge, and then that BxM18 that was wrecked on Madison recently and our buses are starting to get up there in age so rehabs are gonna be needed for some of them.  I think they rehab them when they're around 8 years old or so no? Do you know if they're going to be able to salvage that BxM18 or will it be scrapped?

Bustrek just went into effect this week and violations will be coming in soon. As for detour routing, the BCC will issue detours via the radio and if lets say I'm doing an BxM18 and the BCC detour Deegan units to the drive and I stay on the Deegan, bustrek will issue a violation. Now for maint. these buses are starting to show their age, they do a 4-6 yr. upgrade, but the powertrains have an extended 7 yr. warranty. Yonkers has severe wear because of the hills we have on routes and out of the depot. As 3182 thats repairable. The slow B/O's you speak of are doing their job just the way the MTA wants them to, I very serious in saying that, those B/O's are textbook in the MTA's eyes.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Bustrek just went into effect this week and violations will be coming in soon. As for detour routing, the BCC will issue detours via the radio and if lets say I'm doing an BxM18 and the BCC detour Deegan units to the drive and I stay on the Deegan, bustrek will issue a violation. Now for maint. these buses are starting to show their age, they do a 4-6 yr. upgrade, but the powertrains have an extended 7 yr. warranty. Yonkers has severe wear because of the hills we have on routes and out of the depot. As 3182 thats repairable. The slow B/O's you speak of are doing their job just the way the MTA wants them to, I very serious in saying that, those B/O's are textbook in the MTA's eyes.

Lovely... So I guess we can forget about not getting stuck in traffic now...   As for the slow B/Os that's insane... There is no way they can make the schedules driving like that when they take almost double the time... I would have to give myself almost two hours to get to work (and I'm not kidding) which would be the case with the BxM2. That one guy I spoke about took two hours to get home to Riverdale from Midtown one afternoon when I left the early and got him and usually takes an hour and 20 minutes from Riverdale to West Midtown.  Granted it was snowing so that's understandable, but keep in mind that when I use the BxM18 I can get to Riverdale (Henry Hudson Parkway area near Fieldston) in 30 minutes from Midtown.

[B35 via Church]

If I cared enough to, I would sit here & complain that via's beloved BxM18 I decided to ride from one end to the other, was 13 mins. late getting to 263rd st (I'm not giving the bus number nor which outbound trip it was).... Not sure where the driver lost time b/c I dozed off after the last pickup stop & woke up when we was around 246th..... Don't think I ever seen so many buses on layover up there all at once around 263rd - 4 on the same side at mt. st. vincent and 3 across the street.... When we got to 261st, I saw a Bx7 signed as ending at Isham st - which is news to me, didn't know isham was a short turn terminal on the route.... Anyway, Since the Bx7 & the Bx10 are both out of KB, there's no way to tell how many of em were 7's & how many were 10's.... The Bx10 I did take afterwards did get to 205th relatively quickly though, which was surprising....

 

On a side note, they really need more buses/service on those QV expresses.... passed by an x68 around 34th st & it was SRO already... No way anyone along 57th st that needed the x68 boarded that bus.... What was funny was, when I said "dayum", I didn't realize how loud I said it b/c I had my headphones on... some hispanic chick that was about 2 rows behind me kept lookin at me funny there-afterwards...

[titanium ally]

Sometimes passengers need to pay attention when the bus is approaching. too many times people are texting or have their head down in their ipod ...iphone as the bus in coming, and some bus stops are shared with the local so an operator will slow down and look to see who wants the express.  If your head is down in your phone well he or she might think your waiting on the local and keep it moving. "not saying its right but it can happen"

[Gotham Bus Co.]

I remember the first time I rode the BxM2. I was waiting at West 261 St for the driver to pull up to the actual stop before realizing I had to go to him. When I got on, he told me that in the future, I should wait at a distance from the actual stop when waiting for the express bus. Otherwise, he would have assumed I was waiting for the Bx7 or 10. Were you waiting at the actual stop, or some distance back? If it was the former, the driver might have assumed you were waiting for one of the local buses. I remember VG8 mentioned some express bus rider doing the same.

 

That is bogus. If the "BxM2" sign is on the actual bus stop pole, then it's appropriate to wait at the actual bus stop.

[MHV9218]

Went and read through this whole thread. I think the moral of the story here is, like with the rest of the city, keep your head down and you'll have fewer problems. Does it piss me off when I wait an hour in the cold for an M2 cause three runs haven't showed up? Yeah. Do I take it out on the op? No, cause 99% of the time it's not his fault. There's this old woman who I often see at the stop and we tend to bitch  to each other about the service when the wait's that bad, and every time she'll make a snide-ass remark to the op. That just accomplishes jacksh!t. Nobody, on either end of the deal, likes being late. But where do you blame then? You can trace it to the broken buses, so you trace that to the CMF, but is it really the maintenance guy's fault? Not really, it's that the MTA doesn't have enough maintenance workers and as such things are rushed. Trace that back...is that Darryl Irick's fault directly? No, he's just trying to make due with the money they've got. So it all works down to money -- and whose fault is that? A big red arrow goes right to Giuliani and Pataki who turned their noses up on the MTA years ago (during a surplus, no less) and nobody in Albany has wanted to spend any money since. Long post, I guess, but well, all that anger that the woman TheHat dealt with or the woman I see yell at the M2 ops or god-knows-who, all that anger that they have should be directly squared at Albany. Hell, to take the time to write a letter? Don't go and write a letter to the operator, who's pretty much at the bottom of the food chain and gets blamed the most, write that letter to your rep, Assemblyman, etc. That's the only way you start to fix this problem.

[qjtransitmaster]

And the people who scroll past are the ones too lazy to use their eyes

Like many people on here LOL.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Went and read through this whole thread. I think the moral of the story here is, like with the rest of the city, keep your head down and you'll have fewer problems. Does it piss me off when I wait an hour in the cold for an M2 cause three runs haven't showed up? Yeah. Do I take it out on the op? No, cause 99% of the time it's not his fault. There's this old woman who I often see at the stop and we tend to bitch  to each other about the service when the wait's that bad, and every time she'll make a snide-ass remark to the op. That just accomplishes jacksh!t. Nobody, on either end of the deal, likes being late. But where do you blame then? You can trace it to the broken buses, so you trace that to the CMF, but is it really the maintenance guy's fault? Not really, it's that the MTA doesn't have enough maintenance workers and as such things are rushed. Trace that back...is that Darryl Irick's fault directly? No, he's just trying to make due with the money they've got. So it all works down to money -- and whose fault is that? A big red arrow goes right to Giuliani and Pataki who turned their noses up on the MTA years ago (during a surplus, no less) and nobody in Albany has wanted to spend any money since. Long post, I guess, but well, all that anger that the woman TheHat dealt with or the woman I see yell at the M2 ops or god-knows-who, all that anger that they have should be directly squared at Albany. Hell, to take the time to write a letter? Don't go and write a letter to the operator, who's pretty much at the bottom of the food chain and gets blamed the most, write that letter to your rep, Assemblyman, etc. That's the only way you start to fix this problem.

What a load of BS.... Pataki and Giuliani have been out of office for years now, yet somehow you manage to include them.  Let's talk about who is in office now...  I also think it is BS that somehow no one is to blame at the .  Somehow the fact that they've been shown to have bloated budgets isn't a problem huh... Their cost to run service in general compared to other transit systems is abysmal.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

That is bogus. If the "BxM2" sign is on the actual bus stop pole, then it's appropriate to wait at the actual bus stop.

Not at all... The problem is there is simply not enough space to have so many bus stops, esp. along most of the Henry Hudson Parkway because the streets are very narrow, so they have several buses stopping at one stop and then the riders make their own little areas and lines for the stops.  This makes things more organized and helps out the drivers in the process, otherwise it would be chaos. In Riverdale, you have three express buses (BxM1, BxM2 and BxM18), the Hudson Rail Link shuttle buses and two or three local buses (Bx7, Bx10 and Bx20) in some cases stopping at the same stops, so it can be quite a bit... Usually at most stops, the express bus riders make their own lines along with the MetroNorth Hudson Rail Link riders and then local bus folks just do whatever.  

 

Now I usually know where to stand for most of the express buses I take but if I don't I'll just ask and get confirmation for which line is which.  The BM express bus lines to me can be the most confusing because they actually make separate lines but it isn't clear who is waiting for which bus unless you're a regular then you can tell which people are waiting for which bus.  I'd say the X63 - X68 buses have the same confusing set up.

If I cared enough to, I would sit here & complain that via's beloved BxM18 I decided to ride from one end to the other, was 13 mins. late getting to 263rd st (I'm not giving the bus number nor which outbound trip it was).... Not sure where the driver lost time b/c I dozed off after the last pickup stop & woke up when we was around 246th..... Don't think I ever seen so many buses on layover up there all at once around 263rd - 4 on the same side at mt. st. vincent and 3 across the street.... When we got to 261st, I saw a Bx7 signed as ending at Isham st - which is news to me, didn't know isham was a short turn terminal on the route.... Anyway, Since the Bx7 & the Bx10 are both out of KB, there's no way to tell how many of em were 7's & how many were 10's.... The Bx10 I did take afterwards did get to 205th relatively quickly though, which was surprising....

 

On a side note, they really need more buses/service on those QV expresses.... passed by an x68 around 34th st & it was SRO already... No way anyone along 57th st that needed the x68 boarded that bus.... What was funny was, when I said "dayum", I didn't realize how loud I said it b/c I had my headphones on... some hispanic chick that was about 2 rows behind me kept lookin at me funny there-afterwards...

lol... I've used just about every afternoon Riverdale BxM18 and there are some runs that used to be really late before Bus Time esp. I remember I was at the first stop for the first BxM18... Waited over 30 minutes and then the late one comes followed by the next one that was due.  They alternated stops and that late bus basically never made up the time. The problem is a combination of slow drivers and buses caught in traffic deadheading Downtown to pick up.  There are two female B/Os (one Latina, the hot Boricua one that I like and another one that I believe is white)... They are probably two of the slowest B/Os out of Yonkers but the white one... God... Came late and then it took OVER AN HOUR to get to Riverale!!! I said are you f*cking kidding me?!?!?!? I asked another guy when I got off if it normally took him that long on that bus to get home and he said yeah, she's slow...   Well that's the last time I ever took that run. If I get a run with a slow B/O I will just stop using that run altogether until the new pick comes in because she was so slow that the next BxM18 was right behind us when we got off.

 

However, I've been tracking several BxM18's now with Bus Time and few of the problematic runs have been better, esp. since they changed drivers... Actually even before this pick the ones that I've taken have been better, but now we have regular drivers on most runs that know the runs... I guess with the amount of complaints they had to switch things up because I was writing in like crazy.  That's a great service to have and I refuse to see that route turn into sh*t because of bad service.

 

As for the Bx7, yes Isham St. is a short turn on the route. It's basically the equivalent of the 231st street Bx10's that you see... Riverdale shuttles to the station, but the thing is usually the Bx7 and Bx10 short turned buses run right along with the regular runs, so they'll run in twos. I imagine folks made a stink about bus bunching on both routes, so they provide those short turned buses to ensure that folks can get to the station, otherwise the crowds do build up.

[QM1to6Ave]

On this general topic, I've noticed fewer and fewer CP B/O's going on alternate routes. There used to be a few guys on the QM1/5/6 that would take the Grand Central to the LIE instead of Queens Blvd, and some guys would even take the Van Wyck to the LIE. On the way back to Queens, though, B/O's still tend to take the LIE or even use the midtown tunnel, especially late at night. Back when it was Queens Surface, the B/O's did this all the time. 

[N4 Via Merrick Rd]

It's not the first time I see or hear about a B/O skipping stops..... And IT IS annoying.

[qjtransitmaster]

On this general topic, I've noticed fewer and fewer CP B/O's going on alternate routes. There used to be a few guys on the QM1/5/6 that would take the Grand Central to the LIE instead of Queens Blvd, and some guys would even take the Van Wyck to the LIE. On the way back to Queens, though, B/O's still tend to take the LIE or even use the midtown tunnel, especially late at night. Back when it was Queens Surface, the B/O's did this all the time. 

They still do. When I used QM5 2 weeks ago at night the operator used the LIE to main street then union tpk. They definitely still do it more often that you would think. Sadly not at rush hour which is why I just use trains LIRR or subway to local bus.

[KNIGHTRIDER3:16]

FINALLYYY. ..I've come back to kick the science. .

Hmmm where do i start, Well jabroni its been a long time sailor boy. .and i can see you've still got questions about the ops having their rules n regulations about operating A BUS, We are Captains of the ship and you will do and go where ever we go, If not please take the next bus. ...this goes for anybody who has questions for your Capt. ...Now as far as buses flagging stops, I don't condone that but perhaps there are reasons for this. ..ONLY THE BUS OP KNOWS. ..QM1ave. ..you've rode on my bus so you know my style. ..don't start nothing, Wont be nothing n you will end up at your destination safe and sound. ...Yes there are some a holes behind the wheel but we all don't wanna play 20questions either so pay your fare, Comb your hair n everything should be fine. ...P.S.Make sure you stand in the correct place in the stand and wave. ...you want us to know you want US. ..there.could be 5other exp and local buses that stop there. ...i await y'all replies to this post

 

Quarter pounder you gotta realize our routes are designed to save.time during rush hours but that s the key word. ..RUSH HOURS, L.i.R.R. Is A better bet if you can afford it.

If any op gets caught off route that may be 20 days in the street but hey US at CP are rebels (myself included )