Why don't NYC buses have automated stop announcements?

[Vistausss]

Lol, yeah, $iemens is really for bargain hunters although they do a good job once they collaborate with others except for street cars.

[bobtehpanda]

Lol, yeah, $iemens is really for bargain hunters although they do a good job once they collaborate with others except for street cars.

 

The Siemens conglomerate is better in some areas than they are in others (notably, their high-speed rail division is very good, and their signalling is time-tested and robust.)

 

The problem is that all the work Siemens has done here has usually gone to shit because conditions in New York are much harsher than they are in continental Europe (infrastructure in worse shape, more intensive use of equipment, no closing times to perform maintenance on all trains, buses, and stations, etc.) It's why there's a New York premium on everything. (That, and the contracting process is some byzantine mess that rules out every specific instance of corruption that the State has encountered in the past.)

[Orion VII 4 Life]

Lol, yeah, $iemens is really for bargain hunters although they do a good job once they collaborate with others except for street cars.

This Siemens smart bus system is a royal piece of shit. It royally failed out of 126th.

[aemoreira81]

What about Talking Bus offered by Digital Recorders? (This company also makes TwinVision signs.)

[Orion VII 4 Life]

What about Talking Bus offered by Digital Recorders? (This company also makes TwinVision signs.)

Bought by Clever Devices last year, like the old IVN2 they're only produced for current customers.

 

Clever makes the most sense for this one because we have their computers in all our buses ordered 2008+. They run the maintenance diagnostics program as well as the "please exit through the rear door" announcement and all the other announcements that have a clear voice (don't come through the radio) such as the "bus operators are protected by NYS law" one. We're pretty much already using the announcement product, just takes a few modifications and expansion to the rest of the fleet, which would be great for maintenance since it would expand the diagnostic system as well, and we're in business.

[Vistausss]

The Siemens conglomerate is better in some areas than they are in others (notably, their high-speed rail division is very good, and their signalling is time-tested and robust.)

 

The problem is that all the work Siemens has done here has usually gone to shit because conditions in New York are much harsher than they are in continental Europe (infrastructure in worse shape, more intensive use of equipment, no closing times to perform maintenance on all trains, buses, and stations, etc.) It's why there's a New York premium on everything. (That, and the contracting process is some byzantine mess that rules out every specific instance of corruption that the State has encountered in the past.)

 

LOL. There we go again. Unless you wanna travel here and see for yourself, take it from me that in some European countries (like mine or Belgium for example) the infrastructure isn't all that good either. In fact, Belgium has a railroad signaling system dating back to the 30s and it's not even automated!

Please dont start that discussion again, I know a bit more about this kind of stuff because I live in Europe and see public transport stuff every day in my country.

 

But I agree that Siemens is better in some areas than in others. But some of their divisions are really producing bullcrap. Their street cars division is the worst, their high-speed division is average in some areas and top notch in other areas, their signaling system is good and their normal railroad vehicles are only good when built in conjunction with Bombardier (like they did with the SLT).

 

Now let's get back on topic.

[brokecrazy]

Do you think the bus drivers would revolt with constant noise from announcements distracting them all day?

[Vistausss]

Do you think the bus drivers would revolt with constant noise from announcements distracting them all day?

 

I have yet to find one bus driver who gets disctracted by automated announcements.

[ChickenPotPie]

Do you think the bus drivers would revolt with constant noise from announcements distracting them all day?

No. Here in Boston, the ASA announces every single stop, even on the shorter routes that have stops on every block. With the "Assaulting a bus driver is a felony offense" announcements, the "Passengers and baby strollers have to share space on the bus" announcements, the "If you see something, say something" announcements, and the general manager's insatiable need to have every single rider know her name, it's an almost near constant stream of announcements. This has been going on for nearly a decade and there have been no uprisings by drivers or complaints from their union. I think they just tune it out after a while.

[Orion VII 4 Life]

Do you think the bus drivers would revolt with constant noise from announcements distracting them all day?

Not much to complain about when they're in basically every other city, sometimes calling out all the stops and the drivers don't complain there. We've also had them during several trial programs including on the M15 and M34. It also gives the driver one less thing to do, calling out the stops manually.

[Vistausss]

The only complaints I have heard in my city were about long-ass transfer announcements after a stop was announced. Therefore, they removed that part of the announcements years ago. But other than that, no one has a problem with 'em.

[bobtehpanda]

Do you think the bus drivers would revolt with constant noise from announcements distracting them all day?

 

Macao's bus drivers haven't protested against their system, and it spouts out announcements for individual stops in four languages (Cantonese, Mandarin, Portuguese, and English.)

 

So it probably isn't that bad after a while.

[Turbo19]

Do you think the bus drivers would revolt with constant noise from announcements distracting them all day?

I don't see why, especially with the speakers being centralized in the passenger area of the vehicle. Up front it's slightly quieter on most models.

[Vistausss]

I don't see why, especially with the speakers being centralized in the passenger area of the vehicle. Up front it's slightly quieter on most models.

 

Indeed. Only exception is at NICE on buses with Clever Devices when the front door opens (theres a speaker above the front door telling which route it is when the door opens).

[Orion VII 4 Life]

Indeed. Only exception is at NICE on buses with Clever Devices when the front door opens (theres a speaker above the front door telling which route it is when the door opens).

Most Clever installations do the front door announcements, but they can actually be pretty quiet. I think on the NICE 3Gs they actually play on an interior speaker as well which is why they're so loud. Really seems to depend on the bus model, most buses don't play the door announcement inside, and the typical exterior speaker plays the announcement clearly at just the right volume so that it isn't heard inside, you also got some (cough MCI) that are mumbled and quiet.

[161 New York]

I have yet to find one bus driver who gets disctracted by automated announcements.

 

Maybe not distracted, annoyed definitely! ... Caution bus is turning .Cuidado autobus .... 

[Culver]

Having read through this thread, I gather they're coming eventually once all the BusTime and internal bus tracking stuff is all set up and there's less old buses to retrofit. I rarely venture out to the boonies, but the announcements were a little on the annoying side on the O7 CNG out in Nassau the few times I've been on them. It was the volume in the back, really. Turn it down just a bit from that volume level and it would be very nice.

[Vistausss]

 

Maybe not distracted, annoyed definitely! ... Caution bus is turning .Cuidado autobus .... 

 

Yeah, well, I wasnt talking about those announcements because not all buses have those announcements.