Detour procedures

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Had a weird incident today... I was coming from a tutoring session on the BxM11 and the B/O announced that due to traffic on 5th Avenue, he was detouring from 69th street on and running via Lex. I have never heard of a bus going off of its regular route due to "traffic". It seemed as if he decided on his own that he was taking this detour. I thought that was something dispatch decided on, otherwise what is stopping all B/O's from making their own detours?

[GojiMet86]

Had a weird incident today... I was coming from a tutoring session on the BxM11 and the B/O announced that due to traffic on 5th Avenue, he was detouring from 69th street on and running via Lex. I have never heard of a bus going off of its regular route due to "traffic". It seemed as if he decided on his own that he was taking this detour. I thought that was something dispatch decided on, otherwise what is stopping all B/O's from making their own detours?

 

I've heard of that happening during the PBL days, where some buses would diverge from their regular route because of that.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Why is this in the photos thread??

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I posted with my phone. Please move this to the correct area. Thanks.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

What I found peculiar is that I've heard some B/O's say that they can't deviate from the route at all, esp. now with BusTime, so it's funny that he decided to detour because he didn't want to deal with the traffic.

[FamousNYLover]

It doesn't make it sense. Lex Av is heavily used as well.

[Turbo19]

More power to him I suppose. I'd be in support if it saves time.

 

Now, what the pressing issue here is that I thought you had photos for once, Via.

[SevenEleven]

You're only allowed to deviate off route if approved by dispatch or if the current conditions leave you no choice. If you get into an accident while on an unapproved detour, you can be terminated.

[QM1to6Ave]

Late at night or off peak afternoon I've had QM5/6 B/O's take the midtown tunnel and the LIE instead of the 59th street bridge without getting explicit permission, and one guy who would take the Grand Central to the LIE off peak heading into the city. That was the best, it saved so much time, but it's rare. One time the LIE was really backed up, so my B/O motioned to all the other EXP's behind him and we all used the LIE's lower level, which saved a ton of time. Again, this is usually the exception to the rule.

 

I remember it happening a lot more under Queens Surface. It's too bad they don't do it more often, there are so many routes these guys can use and most of them are very experienced, so they know which will save the most time. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Late at night or off peak afternoon I've had QM5/6 B/O's take the midtown tunnel and the LIE instead of the 59th street bridge without getting explicit permission, and one guy who would take the Grand Central to the LIE off peak heading into the city. That was the best, it saved so much time, but it's rare. One time the LIE was really backed up, so my B/O motioned to all the other EXP's behind him and we all used the LIE's lower level, which saved a ton of time. Again, this is usually the exception to the rule.

 

I remember it happening a lot more under Queens Surface. It's too bad they don't do it more often, there are so many routes these guys can use and most of them are very experienced, so they know which will save the most time. 

Yeah but a lot of the Bus express bus drivers do that.  That's usually ok, but this is different.  You can deviate if you're in between the drop-off and pick-up segments which is what you're referring to, but to do it during the drop-off segment is really risky.   It would be the equivalent of a QM5 or QM6 dropping off along 3rd Avenue when they're signed up for 6th Avenue. These buses serve certain segments of Midtown for a reason....

 

You're only allowed to deviate off route if approved by dispatch or if the current conditions leave you no choice. If you get into an accident while on an unapproved detour, you can be terminated.

That's what I thought.  This guy was clearing risking it.  There was a BxM1 next to us.  The BxM11 driver was making corresponding BxM11 drop-offs along Lex, but the BxM1 driver told him to make the corresponding stops that the BxM1 would make.  So for example, he dropped off at 58th and Lex but instead the BxM1 suggested that he drop off at 55th and Lex which is where the BxM1 drops off at. I actually didn't mind the detour as it saved me from having to take the cross-town bus to where I was going but for folks going west of 5th Avenue, that made their commutes much longer.

[B35 via Church]

I remember it happening a lot more under Queens Surface. It's too bad they don't do it more often, there are so many routes these guys can use and most of them are very experienced, so they know which will save the most time. 

Some coincidence.... I was gonna reply to GoJi's post saying this exact thing.....

 

I've been on my fair share of the PBL's whose op's "did their own thing" (so to speak), and more often than not, it was on QSC routes.....

It's one of the main reasons I'm iffy/hesitant about taking buses that are operated by private carriers.....

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Some coincidence.... I was gonna reply to GoJi's post saying this exact thing.....

 

I've been on my fair share of the PBL's whose op's "did their own thing" (so to speak), and more often than not, it was on QSC routes.....

It's one of the main reasons I'm iffy/hesitant about taking buses that are operated by private carriers.....

They still do their own thing to some extent... The thing that's shocking is that Yonkers esp. has eyes out there.  Sometimes they (dispatch) literally "lurk" and hide out.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Yeah but a lot of the Bus express bus drivers do that.  That's usually ok, but this is different.  You can deviate if you're in between the drop-off and pick-up segments which is what you're referring to, but to do it during the drop-off segment is really risky.   It would be the equivalent of a QM5 or QM6 dropping off along 3rd Avenue when they're signed up for 6th Avenue. These buses serve certain segments of Midtown for a reason....

 

 

I've had BM5's dropping off on 1st Avenue and picking up on Lex (I guess it was just on the driver's best thoughts), when they pick up on 5th and drop off on Madison. Now that's worse than a QM5/6 6 Avenue on 3 Avenue. However that happened because command center didn't contact the BO's. 

[B35 via Church]

They still do their own thing to some extent... The thing that's shocking is that Yonkers esp. has eyes out there.  Sometimes they (dispatch) literally "lurk" and hide out.

I'm quite sure they do.....

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

They still do their own thing to some extent... The thing that's shocking is that Yonkers esp. has eyes out there.  Sometimes they (dispatch) literally "lurk" and hide out.

Well they are a depot with no local lines, might as well put the attentions where most buses pass to see if they follow their path (express buses are actually the method that can easily lose riders, especially if buses are always doing something funky, or never on schedule, if the alternatives are frequent enough, but I mean, that's a problem with SC, even though it has both lcl/exp. You want all the people you can get, express buses serve only one general destination inbound, and it's very easy to lose riders, especially in Brooklyn and Queens, Bronx is alright with the service.). 

[QM1to6Ave]

Yeah but a lot of the Bus express bus drivers do that.  That's usually ok, but this is different.  You can deviate if you're in between the drop-off and pick-up segments which is what you're referring to, but to do it during the drop-off segment is really risky.   It would be the equivalent of a QM5 or QM6 dropping off along 3rd Avenue when they're signed up for 6th Avenue. These buses serve certain segments of Midtown for a reason....

 

I got it now. Yeah, that's weird. People would throw a fit if a B/O did that. After Sandy, when we had to come over the 59th Street bridge, some B/O's would make all the stops in reverse, some would go down to 34th and come back, and it was pretty disorganized, but no one could blame them in that case. 

[QM1to6Ave]

Some coincidence.... I was gonna reply to GoJi's post saying this exact thing.....

 

I've been on my fair share of the PBL's whose op's "did their own thing" (so to speak), and more often than not, it was on QSC routes.....

It's one of the main reasons I'm iffy/hesitant about taking buses that are operated by private carriers.....

Lol! The real problem was that the QM1/A on weekends was really unreliable for many years, and no one would pick up the phone in the dispatch center to tell you if a bus was just late or missing. It's gotten much better since the takeover. Also, now that there is a uniform, new fleet there are fewer breakdowns (though those MCI's still break down a little too often for my taste in the summer).

 

I share your feelings about private buses...I avoid Boltbus and all those buses as much as possible, even if I have to shell out more for Amtrak or whatever. 

They still do their own thing to some extent... The thing that's shocking is that Yonkers esp. has eyes out there.  Sometimes they (dispatch) literally "lurk" and hide out.

I've seen that on the QM1/5 as well, a dispatcher or whatever will hide out in plainclothes and note when a bus goes by, especially off peak. These guys look pretty suspicious and don't blend in well, and I wouldn't be shocked if they have had the cops called on them lol. 

[FamousNYLover]

I remember before X51 bus was cut, when I got on Viking X51, my first ride on X51 and Viking bus I never rode. This was day before Flushing Public Hearing. Friendly male B/O were talking who are going to public hearing and some of us did including me.

Instead off using Queens Blvd, he went via LIE to BQE to Grand Central Parkway.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Well I found out from a B/O buddy of mine that apparently this was an official detour because of the amount of traffic and delays on 5th Avenue, but there was nothing on the website about it and it seemed as if only select BxM11's were doing this because I saw another BxM11 on Bus Time on 5th Avenue below 69th street.  Must've been something Yonkers itself set up.