Official MTA BusTime Discussion

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Perhaps you should report it yourself.

lol... Believe me I write in A LOT, so I do report it.  

[paulrivera]

Drivers don't help out because they tend to get on TA's bad side for passing the lead bus. Dumb rule imo but it is the way it is.

 

Bus operations in NYC hardly make sense anyway; buses coming 3 at a time, stopping at green lights, running past red lights, running either 40 in a 30 mph zone or 15 in a 35 are the way of the land. Oh, and so are students getting on through the back door and people trying to pay less than $2.50 in coins, but BusTime will only help (maybe) with the bunching and with customers waiting habits, but that's about it.

[Amtrak7]

Another tweak is to identify if the bus is local or limited. If the bus is limited, only the limited stops should be shown.

 

That's already done. If I plug in M2, which is running LTD at this time of day, and click on a bus, "next stops" only gives me the LTD stops.

[Amtrak7]

The MTA should focus less on schedule adherence and more on headway maintenance. Above a certain service level, headway maintenance becomes more important.

 

They made this decision for subways a while back. Do you think service has improved? (not a rhetorical question)

[Via Garibaldi 8]

That's already done. If I plug in M2, which is running LTD at this time of day, and click on a bus, "next stops" only gives me the LTD stops.

No it doesn't.  I just plugged in M2 and it gives me all of the stops.  If you click on a bus, then yes you only get the limited stops, but otherwise you get all of the stops shown.  Then you have to click on the stop in order to see that the M2 doesn't stop on a certain stop.

[Amtrak7]

No it doesn't.  I just plugged in M2 and it gives me all of the stops.

 

I see what you mean, that's something that should be fixed (local stops grayed out?).

 

I was referring to the list of stops that comes up when you click on a bus icon, which is LTD.

[Jsunflyguy]

Drivers don't help out because they tend to get on TA's bad side for passing the lead bus. Dumb rule imo but it is the way it is.

 

 

but passing the lead bus is how you avoid picking up passengers. The only alternative is hanging back so most passengers board the lead bus.

[aemoreira81]

Some buses don't have BusTime installed, but where every bus has it installed (in Manhattan, 0060 and the handful of 1999 D60s don't have them or it's not functioning), dispatchers should use the tools to monitor buses remotely and if need be, short-turn buses (placing passengers on other buses if need be), or put them in place (that is, have a bus deadhead to where it should be) on the fly.

[BrooklynBus]

Looked it up on the web and nothing came up. Maybe you have the title wrong.

Looked it up on the web and nothing came up. Maybe you have the title wrong.

It's an Apple app available from the app store. It's listed as BusBus NYC. And when it cones up it says "Live Bus Map". There are several others also, but this is the only one that seems to work. I get a blank map with the others. It clearly shows directions, better than bus time, and when you touch the bus it shows the bus number. You can zoom as much as you want. Sometimes it freezes though. You can pick a route or see them all.

[BrooklynBus]

There is an Apple app called BusBus NYC that works with my IPad. You can pick one route or view all bus routes at omce. Some times it freezes though. There are several others but they don't seem to work.

[lupojohn]

It's an Apple app available from the app store. It's listed as BusBus NYC. And when it cones up it says "Live Bus Map". There are several others also, but this is the only one that seems to work. I get a blank map with the others. It clearly shows directions, better than bus time, and when you touch the bus it shows the bus number. You can zoom as much as you want. Sometimes it freezes though. You can pick a route or see them all.

 

Link, please?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I see what you mean, that's something that should be fixed (local stops grayed out?).

 

I was referring to the list of stops that comes up when you click on a bus icon, which is LTD.

Yeah that is only on a per bus basis... They must be banking on actual New Yorkers using this and not say tourists... I will say that I was in talks with the Bus Time team from the beginning and they've done a stellar job.  The Manhattan set up must've been the most challenging by far, but I can Queens and Brooklyn being headaches as well, especially the QM express buses.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Drivers don't help out because they tend to get on TA's bad side for passing the lead bus. Dumb rule imo but it is the way it is.

 

Bus operations in NYC hardly make sense anyway; buses coming 3 at a time, stopping at green lights, running past red lights, running either 40 in a 30 mph zone or 15 in a 35 are the way of the land. Oh, and so are students getting on through the back door and people trying to pay less than $2.50 in coins, but BusTime will only help (maybe) with the bunching and with customers waiting habits, but that's about it.

lol... Actually my uncle always said what gets you on TA's bad side (particularly with dispatch) is coming early, since he worked in Manhattan.  There are certain lines where this is a big no no because folks complain a lot, so you hang back, but generally speaking I would think they would want B/O's to help each other if the leader is running really late, this way they keep the loads somewhat even and the lead guy has a chance of getting back on schedule, but those M5's that I see running in packs, it seems as if they like to hang back and let the lead guy get slammed and do absolutely nothing to help out.  I'm still waiting for a response to my complaint about the horrible bunching and gaps in service on the M5 because sometimes the waits are up to 40 minutes when three buses are scheduled and that's due to 3 or 4 M5's running in a pack.  

 

The MTA should focus less on schedule adherence and more on headway maintenance. Above a certain service level, headway maintenance becomes more important.

 

Keep in mind, however, that the MTA's job is not exactly made easier by traffic or unbalanced loading patterns on its bus routes. The M15 just went haywire after that fire on the Queensboro back in the summer.

I disagree with that to an extent.  That should only be the case if you have a schedule where buses are so frequent that they're coming every 4 - 6 minutes like with the M15SBS or even say the X1 at times. In those cases then I agree with the idea of maintaining headway maintenance because if you don't, everything falls apart and you've got packed sardine can buses and then totally empty ones, but on lines where buses run every 15 - 60 minutes, then the schedule should be strictly enforced.  In other words, if a bus is scheduled once an hour or every 15 or 30 minutes, there is no reason why that bus should be early because the next guy/gal gets slammed and then usually becomes extremely late making it difficult for him/her to get back on schedule, which usually means he short turns to do so leaving a big gap in service.

[lupojohn]

Yeah that is only on a per bus basis... They must be banking on actual New Yorkers using this and not say tourists... I will say that I was in talks with the Bus Time team from the beginning and they've done a stellar job.  The Manhattan set up must've been the most challenging by far, but I can Queens and Brooklyn being headaches as well, especially the QM express buses.

Can any of us talk to the BusTime team or is that for the privileged few?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Can any of us talk to the BusTime team or is that for the privileged few?

lol... I don't know to be honest.  I used to speak with them directly via e-mail when the program first started about various issues and they were really great in getting back to me, but you may get a response from the folks that generally answer complaints from the as opposed to folks from MTA Bus Time since they're probably busier now with them having to oversee Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island.  =

[lupojohn]

I had an idea: why not make the symbol on each LTD bus route purple like the stop signs are?

[nycmaps]

I don't mind linking to a competing product:

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/busbus-nyc/id568911309

[lupojohn]

I don't mind linking to a competing product:

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/busbus-nyc/id568911309

Yours seems better because its available for Android users like me and since more people use Android products, I think yours could be a smashing success.

[NYSubwayBuff]

Is there any more Bus Time coming to Brooklyn? Last time I checked there was only 2 routes

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

Check out my advanced Bustime

 

[Fresh Pond]

That's SchedNYC...i use that too on occasion

 

 

..earlier this afternoon

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

Damnn...i guess its popular...

 

Anyways...an MCI on the Bx23?? Lol

[bobtehpanda]

I've always found it annoying how a lot of very good transit apps are platform specific, like KickMap.

 

I've also found it annoying in cases where very good transit apps become abandonware. Please don't let this become abandonware

[bobtehpanda]

lol... Actually my uncle always said what gets you on TA's bad side (particularly with dispatch) is coming early, since he worked in Manhattan.  There are certain lines where this is a big no no because folks complain a lot, so you hang back, but generally speaking I would think they would want B/O's to help each other if the leader is running really late, this way they keep the loads somewhat even and the lead guy has a chance of getting back on schedule, but those M5's that I see running in packs, it seems as if they like to hang back and let the lead guy get slammed and do absolutely nothing to help out.  I'm still waiting for a response to my complaint about the horrible bunching and gaps in service on the M5 because sometimes the waits are up to 40 minutes when three buses are scheduled and that's due to 3 or 4 M5's running in a pack.  

 

I disagree with that to an extent.  That should only be the case if you have a schedule where buses are so frequent that they're coming every 4 - 6 minutes like with the M15SBS or even say the X1 at times. In those cases then I agree with the idea of maintaining headway maintenance because if you don't, everything falls apart and you've got packed sardine can buses and then totally empty ones, but on lines where buses run every 15 - 60 minutes, then the schedule should be strictly enforced.  In other words, if a bus is scheduled once an hour or every 15 or 30 minutes, there is no reason why that bus should be early because the next guy/gal gets slammed and then usually becomes extremely late making it difficult for him/her to get back on schedule, which usually means he short turns to do so leaving a big gap in service.

 

I'm of the opinion that headway maintenance is important on lines with better than 10-minute headways - otherwise, schedule maintenance is important (especially with buses with hourly departures).

 

Is there any more Bus Time coming to Brooklyn? Last time I checked there was only 2 routes

 

Sometime before April 2013.

 

Brooklyn and Queens probably got them last because they would be the most complex - it's not uncommon to see Brooklyn equipment in Queens and vice versa, and many Queens and Brooklyn routes extend into the other borough.

[N6 Limited]

Wouldn't it be cool if it was say later in the evening, and you're on the bus, I'll give routes to make it clearer.

 

You're on as Southbound B46, You take a look at bustime on your smartphone and see a B35 approaching the Utica Ave. The app knows you're on the B46 bus because of GPS and so it will take your transfer request as legit. You press on the B35 bus icon and select "transfer request". the B35 B/O gets a verbal notification "Transfer desired from southbound B46"

 

The B35 B/O waits at Utica for a min so that the transfer can be made, the B46 is visible and the next B35 bus is in an hour and so it is really useful and appreciated.

 

You think that would be possible?