New Jersey Transit - Random Thoughts Thread

[BreeddekalbL]

15 hours ago, 553 Bridgeton said:

Look at Fairview nabis and that’ll answer your question. Those 5200s are beyond trash. I’m surprised they are even in service. 

 

15 hours ago, go25 said:

Lol or Market Street

Wonder if during the rfp they find out it's cheaper to just by all new buses then rehab the newer nabis im sure either nova or nf could them some discounts 

[go25]

10 hours ago, BreeddekalbL said:

 

Wonder if during the rfp they find out it's cheaper to just by all new buses then rehab the newer nabis im sure either nova or nf could them some discounts 

I don't think NovaBus is gonna bid, NJT bus is all New Flyer 

[BreeddekalbL]

58 minutes ago, go25 said:

I don't think NovaBus is gonna bid, NJT bus is all New Flyer 

Ok if thats the case just order a whole fleet renewal cause it would be easier for parts commonalities etc 

[B35 via Church]

On 8/24/2022 at 8:49 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

I'm looking into it as a commute, but yikes...$8.20 per trip and the bus runs once per hour...and on top of that you have to buy the tickets at specific locations (you can't just pay on the bus). Looks like I'll be sticking to rail-based methods of getting to work lol (NLR to PATH or bus to NJT at Newark Broad)

That is what I mean when I say gimmick-like.... For wherever around the DeCamp's #44 you'd need to get to, Decamp wouldn't have even been on my mind, let alone falling in the *maybe* column as far as options are concerned if I were in that situation (commuting purposes)....

On 8/25/2022 at 2:25 AM, 46Dover said:

Funny you mentioned my former employer.  They run buses every 2 hours on weekends now so whenever I go chill out on gate 207 on Sunday afternoons, I see people that missed the 5pm bus thinking there’s going to be a 6pm only to find out (after me breaking them the bad news) that they have to wait another  2 hours for the next bus.

Another recent example of this is the reconstituted schedules on the weekday means the last bus for the 78 or 80 side leaves at 6:30 pm.  Again, I lounge out on 207 and some guy comes up (complete with 35 zone ticket) asking me when the bus to New Providence leaves. I tell him the last bus already left (not knowing about the fiasco at Penn Station). He insists there are more buses by showing me his Google (🤦‍♂️) schedule which shows the old 7:00 and 8:00 schedule.  Poor bastard was magically wishing for buses to appear out of thin air.  I finally had to send for the Lakeland dispatcher to break the bad news to him and another guy trying to go to Summit.  They would’ve been best served by taking the 126 to Hoboken and getting connections there but all hail the great Google schedule,  leading folks off a cliff one unfortunate soul at a time

I get that it's easy to get lax/comfortable when you've grown accustomed to a certain commute... At the same time, it never ceases to amaze me that you have as many people that are so irresponsible with their commutes - and then want to argue you down when you don't tell them the answer that they want to hear.... I tell you, I'm growing tired of people as of late asking me for directions, they shove a phone in my face, I tell them how to get there, then the same phone is shoved in my face again (as if to say, but it's saying I should do this instead)... I generally don't mind helping people with directions, but nowadays, I've been on a "I don't know, sorry" type of vibe..... If you're going to be all in on technology, don't waste my time asking me for shit.... Go pester someone else for fake reassurance....

[checkmatechamp13]

@B35 via Church 

So I'll be moving out to Upper Roseville (though most listings put it down as North Newark. I wonder if that's just a generic term used for anything in the North Ward outside of Forest Hill or if that's just another term for Upper Roseville specifically). But yeah one of the big selling points of that neighborhood is access to the light rail, not the bus (the main area I hear Decamp associated with is Montclair, though even then I'd probably just stick with the regular NJT bus and rail services)

Yeah it would be nice if NJT took over those DeCamp routes. I could definitely see decent demand for direct service to Manhattan from the areas they serve. I suppose the #44 would be a slightly less busy version of the #107 (meaning serving North Ward vs South Ward) and I could see an NJT run version of the #44 having more usage than the present-day #108.

[B35 via Church]

10 minutes ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

@B35 via Church 

So I'll be moving out to Upper Roseville (though most listings put it down as North Newark. I wonder if that's just a generic term used for anything in the North Ward outside of Forest Hill or if that's just another term for Upper Roseville specifically). But yeah one of the big selling points of that neighborhood is access to the light rail, not the bus (the main area I hear Decamp associated with is Montclair, though even then I'd probably just stick with the regular NJT bus and rail services)

Yeah it would be nice if NJT took over those DeCamp routes. I could definitely see decent demand for direct service to Manhattan from the areas they serve. I suppose the #44 would be a slightly less busy version of the #107 (meaning serving North Ward vs South Ward) and I could see an NJT run version of the #44 having more usage than the present-day #108.

North Newark & the north ward is the same thing; Forest Hill isn't excluded from it.... Furthermore (and you'll obviously find this out over the course of time), I'm not so sure that anyone nowadays literally makes a reference to living in, or otherwise going to a "Lower Roseville" or "Upper Roseville" anymore.... As for DeCamp, yeah, their HQ is in Montclair itself & you won't catch much of its residents dead on an NJT bus....

Go on google reviews & you'll see a couple people stating that NJT should take over DeCamp - especially after how gimmicky it's gotten.... Even when they were thriving, I was more or less indifferent to DeCamp (I'm more disappointed in Lakeland, but that's neither here nor there)....

With your comparisons at the end there, the major difference b/w the NJT #107 & DeCamp's #44 respective stints within Newark is that the latter would heavily have to rely on demand for NYC (even if NJT were to take it over), whereas the former has a pretty significant amount of intrastate patronage.... So based on that, I still see the #107 b/w the airport & Weequahic doing significantly better than the #44.... The #108 OTOH, I agree, as (while the Ironbound is still a part of Newark) it serves too little of Newark after serving Newark-Penn....

[Silk City Transit]

On 8/25/2022 at 2:25 AM, 46Dover said:

Funny you mentioned my former employer.  They run buses every 2 hours on weekends now so whenever I go chill out on gate 207 on Sunday afternoons, I see people that missed the 5pm bus thinking there’s going to be a 6pm only to find out (after me breaking them the bad news) that they have to wait another  2 hours for the next bus.

Another recent example of this is the reconstituted schedules on the weekday means the last bus for the 78 or 80 side leaves at 6:30 pm.  Again, I lounge out on 207 and some guy comes up (complete with 35 zone ticket) asking me when the bus to New Providence leaves. I tell him the last bus already left (not knowing about the fiasco at Penn Station). He insists there are more buses by showing me his Google (🤦‍♂️) schedule which shows the old 7:00 and 8:00 schedule.  Poor bastard was magically wishing for buses to appear out of thin air.  I finally had to send for the Lakeland dispatcher to break the bad news to him and another guy trying to go to Summit.  They would’ve been best served by taking the 126 to Hoboken and getting connections there but all hail the great Google schedule,  leading folks off a cliff one unfortunate soul at a time

"But the app said!!"

Yes, I understand the app said.  But I'm here, in real life, telling you.

 "BUT THE APP SAID!!!!!!"😒🤦

[46Dover]

2 hours ago, Silk City Transit said:

On 8/25/2022 at 2:25 AM, 46Dover said:

"But the app said!!"

Yes, I understand the app said.  But I'm here, in real life, telling you.

 "BUT THE APP SAID!!!!!!"😒🤦

... returns with the obligatory “F*** THE APP!!!” 🤬🤬🤬

[46Dover]

10 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Go on google reviews & you'll see a couple people stating that NJT should take over DeCamp - especially after how gimmicky it's gotten.... Even when they were thriving, I was more or less indifferent to DeCamp (I'm more disappointed in Lakeland, but that's neither here nor there)....

Lakeland’s local fares:  1 zone $4.00, 2 zones $5.00, 3 zones: $6.00.   I didn’t think to check if they went up with the recent NYC fare increase 
 

One of the more interesting things that happened in pre COVID pandemic days was that DeCamp’s Union was in tatters, so Lakeland’s Union (ATU 1614) voted to take in DeCamp (along with Paratransit entities from Hunterdon County, Warren County, and Easton Coach in Pennsylvania).  It was a pretty enormous Union, but Covid hit and everything was decimated.  Things were so bad (to include half the drivers outright leaving after having been laid off or retiring) that the leaders of the 1614, a majority Lakeland leadership, resigned their positions (the president was in charge for over 10 years) and replaced by the DeCamp drivers.  

[BreeddekalbL]

19 hours ago, Silk City Transit said:

"But the app said!!"

Yes, I understand the app said.  But I'm here, in real life, telling you.

 "BUT THE APP SAID!!!!!!"😒🤦

 

16 hours ago, 46Dover said:

... returns with the obligatory “F*** THE APP!!!” 🤬🤬🤬

Lmao they think the app is gospel 

[checkmatechamp13]

20 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

North Newark & the north ward is the same thing; Forest Hill isn't excluded from it.... Furthermore (and you'll obviously find this out over the course of time), I'm not so sure that anyone nowadays literally makes a reference to living in, or otherwise going to a "Lower Roseville" or "Upper Roseville" anymore.... As for DeCamp, yeah, their HQ is in Montclair itself & you won't catch much of its residents dead on an NJT bus....

Go on google reviews & you'll see a couple people stating that NJT should take over DeCamp - especially after how gimmicky it's gotten.... Even when they were thriving, I was more or less indifferent to DeCamp (I'm more disappointed in Lakeland, but that's neither here nor there)....

With your comparisons at the end there, the major difference b/w the NJT #107 & DeCamp's #44 respective stints within Newark is that the latter would heavily have to rely on demand for NYC (even if NJT were to take it over), whereas the former has a pretty significant amount of intrastate patronage.... So based on that, I still see the #107 b/w the airport & Weequahic doing significantly better than the #44.... The #108 OTOH, I agree, as (while the Ironbound is still a part of Newark) it serves too little of Newark after serving Newark-Penn....

I figured Forest Hill would be the type of area that realtors would emphasize considering its reputation as the most affluent section of Newark (e.g. If you were to refer to Riverdale as North Bronx or something like that). When you say that they don't use the terms Upper/Lower Roseville, do you mean that residents of that area just generally say "Roseville" or that they just say North Ward/North Newark?

For the #44, do you think having it stop in Union City would boost ridership? (Yeah, the current intrastate portion is mostly residential neighborhoods, without any major transfer points or shopping centers along the route, with the exception of maybe Bloomfield itself (and even then, it stops just short of Bloomfield Avenue). During rush hour, most trips should bypass Union City because of the availability of the bus lane (maybe have some extra trips that only run Bloomfield - Union City) but off-peak, I think it should stop there.

[JAzumah]

On 8/25/2022 at 2:25 AM, 46Dover said:

Funny you mentioned my former employer.

I am just happy that they survived. It was really dicey for a few months.

 

On 8/24/2022 at 8:08 PM, B35 via Church said:

DeCamp is definitely in operation, but I'm not sure what's going on as far as when buses are running are concerned.... I refrain from services that appear to operate rogue-like/gimmick-like...

A big chunk of their market wants to work from home. They may not be ok again until 2024.

[B35 via Church]

9 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

I figured Forest Hill would be the type of area that realtors would emphasize considering its reputation as the most affluent section of Newark (e.g. If you were to refer to Riverdale as North Bronx or something like that). When you say that they don't use the terms Upper/Lower Roseville, do you mean that residents of that area just generally say "Roseville" or that they just say North Ward/North Newark?

The way you framed that 2nd sentence made it sound like you thought Forest Hill was excluded from being in the North Ward/North Newark.... That's what I was speaking to.... I don't bother with what REA's/realtors may (or do) claim, because they are known to stretch the truth (lie) to go about ultimately getting a buyer.... But yes, they do separate Forest Hill from the rest of the north ward....

9 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

For the #44, do you think having it stop in Union City would boost ridership? (Yeah, the current intrastate portion is mostly residential neighborhoods, without any major transfer points or shopping centers along the route, with the exception of maybe Bloomfield itself (and even then, it stops just short of Bloomfield Avenue). During rush hour, most trips should bypass Union City because of the availability of the bus lane (maybe have some extra trips that only run Bloomfield - Union City) but off-peak, I think it should stop there.

I'm not seeing where the demand would come from (off other routes that serve Union City, or from Union City residents themselves) that would want most the areas along DeCamp's #44, so no....

[Q101 E Midtown]

15 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

I figured Forest Hill would be the type of area that realtors would emphasize considering its reputation as the most affluent section of Newark (e.g. If you were to refer to Riverdale as North Bronx or something like that). When you say that they don't use the terms Upper/Lower Roseville, do you mean that residents of that area just generally say "Roseville" or that they just say North Ward/North Newark?

For the #44, do you think having it stop in Union City would boost ridership? (Yeah, the current intrastate portion is mostly residential neighborhoods, without any major transfer points or shopping centers along the route, with the exception of maybe Bloomfield itself (and even then, it stops just short of Bloomfield Avenue). During rush hour, most trips should bypass Union City because of the availability of the bus lane (maybe have some extra trips that only run Bloomfield - Union City) but off-peak, I think it should stop there.

That could be an idea for the 66/66R, since it already has off peak trips serving Montclair State University. If I'm not mistaken, the 191 doesn't go to Union City during the week. 

[46Dover]

3 hours ago, Q101 E Midtown said:

. If I'm not mistaken, the 191 doesn't go to Union City during the week. 

Weekends.  It’s the 192 that runs to UC Mon-Fri

[checkmatechamp13]

12 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

I'm not seeing where the demand would come from (off other routes that serve Union City, or from Union City residents themselves) that would want most the areas along DeCamp's #44, so no....

My thinking was residents of Bloomfield, North Newark, Belleville, and Kearny heading out to Union City. 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

7 hours ago, Q101 E Midtown said:

That could be an idea for the 66/66R, since it already has off peak trips serving Montclair State University. If I'm not mistaken, the 191 doesn't go to Union City during the week. 

Yes it skips it, but I don't really see a need for Montclair - Union City service. Highly doubt anyone in Montclair is seeking Union City, and vice-versa.

Way I see it, the 191/195 serve Union City on weekends over the 192 more or less for anyone seeking the commerical spots (Clifton Commons, Willowbrook Mall) where there's more ridership potential. The 192 isn't needed since it doesn't head anywhere Union City residents are going to further west on its route that the 191/195 don't do faster and more direct and Union City - PABT is already covered by a bunch of other routes.

[jass]

No buses for fright fest this year????

https://www.njtransit.com/sixflags

[46Dover]

So I got a little nosey and checked out the bridge closure that closed Kingsland St in Nutley (Clifton Commons) and detoured the 13 and the 192/199.  Bridge still has a lot of work that needs to be done along with some concrete pipes laying around.  Took a drive around to see if buses could’ve used the Commons as a detour only to find out that the Main Ave exit is a one way opposite Kingsland and there is a weight limit off said bridge.  Apparently the travel gods knew I was coming and decided to have an overturned truck on the Main Ave exit ramp off Route 3 East 😮.   So I guess the bridge closure will extend into September when completion was scheduled for July

[553 Bridgeton]

14 hours ago, jass said:

No buses for fright fest this year????

https://www.njtransit.com/sixflags

If you read the whole thing it says through sept 5th and again for fright fest.

[Lawrence St]

20909 is out, hit a tree while on the 119.

[B35 via Church]

On 8/28/2022 at 6:27 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

When you say that they don't use the terms Upper/Lower Roseville, do you mean that residents of that area just generally say "Roseville" or that they just say North Ward/North Newark?

Just realized I missed this question (before I left that morning)...

I should've included "Roseville" in that (although you will hear Roseville more than Upper/Lower Roseville), but I was saying that they refer to their area as either North Newark or the North Ward.... I find, the former a little moreso than the latter.....

On 8/29/2022 at 5:03 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

My thinking was residents of Bloomfield, North Newark, Belleville, and Kearny heading out to Union City. 

Then that would even lessen the chance of garnering near enough patronage.

[553 Bridgeton]

Oradell currently on the 319 21363 to help with the extra 9 buses today.

I don’t know about Fairview and Wayne.

[46Dover]

1 hour ago, 553 Bridgeton said:

Oradell currently on the 319 21363 to help with the extra 9 buses today.

I don’t know about Fairview and Wayne.

Good lord....

[553 Bridgeton]

6 hours ago, 46Dover said:

Good lord....

Wayne 20034 is on its way down now.

Edited September 2, 2022 by 553 Bridgeton