Why Do B/O's Drive So Slow Nowadays?

[Cait Sith]

So what are you saying? The MTA put out a mandate that operators on certain lines can go at 30+ mph but because of safety concerns some runs must operate under 20 mph?

 

Here's a perfect example. All the buses on Lexington and 3rd Avenues travel slow. I mean they CRAWL. On 3rd it's not so bad because it's 5 wide, but on Lexington it's excruciating, especially above 97th St because it's only 2 wide.

 

That's not exactly true about them crawling, I've been on 101s that have hauled ass through Lexington to get out of the traffic. You can't blame the operators for crawling at times when you have all these other moronic drivers cutting off the bus at random times along the way. Sometimes, the buses crawl because they tend to be early and sometimes bunch up, often times its just the scheduling especially on the part of BusTime where they are pretty much watched on what they do, how early they get to both ends of the terminals and other things that go on.

 

With all these new buses getting cameras and the fleet in general getting GPSs for MTA's BusTime program, it's neutering certain things along the way. It's their way of tracking if a bus is too early, too late, running hot or anything of that sort. Nowadays its strictly on the schedule.

 

But the whole point is that the operators are not meant for speed. They are to pick up and drop off passengers safely along the route as quickly and efficiently as they can.

[E For Erica]

The S53, if you're looking to get a fast ride on that route, you should ride it during the night. It usually flies then.

Well thank god I don't have night classes at CSI lol

[BrooklynBus]

I agree with you. Bus drivers are moving slow. They say its to stay on schedule...well mta should fix up the schedules to allow buses to move faster because having a bus move at 15mph holds up traffic. Some places the B/Os move but im not going to put them on the spot. Just need to know where to catch them.

It depends on the route, the time of day, and how accurately the schedule reflects real operating conditions. There are times and places where the schedule allows too much time. So the operator drives too slowly.

 

In other places such as where I am, there is not enough time in the schedule, so buses often skip stops where passengers are waiting although they have only five standees and there are no buses behind them, leaving passengers to wait as long as 30 minutes for a bus to stop. They schedules really have to be looked at more closely. I can see problems if traffic and the number of wheelchairs varies greatly on a daily basis preventing the schedule from having accurate running times. But not if there is little variation. Perhaps if there are days with unusually light traffic, buses should be allowed to run ahead of schedule to solve the slow bus problem.

[TeeLow]

That's not exactly true about them crawling, I've been on 101s that have hauled ass through Lexington to get out of the traffic. You can't blame the operators for crawling at times when you have all these other moronic drivers cutting off the bus at random times along the way. Sometimes, the buses crawl because they tend to be early and sometimes bunch up, often times its just the scheduling especially on the part of BusTime where they are pretty much watched on what they do, how early they get to both ends of the terminals and other things that go on.

With all these new buses getting cameras and the fleet in general getting GPSs for MTA's BusTime program, it's neutering certain things along the way. It's their way of tracking if a bus is too early, too late, running hot or anything of that sort. Nowadays its strictly on the schedule.

 

But the whole point is that the operators are not meant for speed. They are to pick up and drop off passengers safely along the route as quickly and efficiently as they can.

Thanks for an excellent explanation of why B/O's are driving slower. Except for the first couple of sentences in your first paragraph, you put several things into the equation that weren't relevant (or in existence) 4-5 years ago. BTW my intent was not meant to fault B/O's for how they drive. I never worked for Surface so of course I have no clue as to what makes up their work day. I simply noticed a difference in the traveling speeds on routes I frequented. Never intended to...throw anyone under the bus

[JFK Depot]

I wouldn't rule out crappy equipment... Scheduling and Safety of course are the main reasons but there is also crappy buses... I've been on Hybrids that at 30mph felt like they were crawling ( transit messed up those computers in a lot of the OG 07's 2nd and 3rd Generation )

Modifying the acceleration so that they don't jerk as much to save themselves on lawsuits from people falling/slipping off those back steps... Anybody who knows buses for real would know when TA got those Hybrids (65xx - 69xx and 35xx - 37xx) you couldn't run these down... Once they takeoff they were gone... A few of them are still like that but majority have been slowed down unfortunately

[Missabassie]

This seems to be the new trend in the city... I agree, it's excruciating to be aboard a limited stop bus that totally drags tha f**king line, it makes me feel like turning into gordon f**king ramsay and cussing a blue streak to get'im moving, but of course that will only get me trown out (or arrested).

This seems to be apart of bloomborg's nanny-state initiatives...

 

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[Lennyj17]

I agree with Manhattan Routes being slow as SH*T.... Especially any route that goes through Midtown, I've seen Greyline Tour Buses move faster down 7 Av than the M7/M20. 

 

In Qns its different story, most Q-Routes fly like bats outta hell. Except I have notice the Q44 moves a lot sloowwwwwerr since getting Artics. 

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

Speeding?? 30mph is speeding?? Lmfaoo thats ridiculous

[Cait Sith]

This seems to be apart of bloomborg's nanny-state initiatives... Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

 

Not even close.

[Missabassie]

 

This seems to be apart of bloomborg's nanny-state initiatives... Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Not even close.

Believe it or not, that man influences far more than what those newshounds will (can) tell us...

 

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[Cait Sith]

Believe it or not, that man influences far more than what those newshounds will (can) tell us... Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk

 

The fact of the matter is, he has no say in how fast a bus goes. That's all in the DOT and the MTA.

 

Also, for what you said has absolutely nothing to do with that fact either. Again, its all based on scheduling and how things work. It has absolutely nothing to do with bitchberg's initiatives.

[Trainmaster5]

Speeding?? 30mph is speeding?? Lmfaoo thats ridiculous

What is the legal speed limit on NYC streets ? You know, the real speed limit unless otherwise posted like the signs say. Seems like most posters in this thread don't know. I think most B/Os are following rule #1. CYA. After all it'll be him/her written up or suspended and not we the riders. Just sayin'. Carry on.

[SoSpectacular]

Your best chance at getting drivers that know the limits/bounds of their vehicle is in the late hours of the night. Those guys will really fly. Got some excellent examples on recordings. Sometimes you get some fast moving drivers in the middle of the day...

 

 

 

What is the legal speed limit on NYC streets ? You know, the real speed limit unless otherwise posted like the signs say. Seems like most posters in this thread don't know. I think most B/Os are following rule #1. CYA. After all it'll be him/her written up or suspended and not we the riders. Just sayin'. Carry on.

 

 

Usually on the signs entering city limits that number is a flat 30 unless otherwise posted. On residential streets it becomes 25-ish, but you don't see those signs too often...

[bobtehpanda]

I agree with Manhattan Routes being slow as SH*T.... Especially any route that goes through Midtown, I've seen Greyline Tour Buses move faster down 7 Av than the M7/M20. 

 

In Qns its different story, most Q-Routes fly like bats outta hell. Except I have notice the Q44 moves a lot sloowwwwwerr since getting Artics. 

 

I assume it's because driving an artic has a whole lot less room for error than a 40-footer.

 

Usually on the signs entering city limits that number is a flat 30 unless otherwise posted. On residential streets it becomes 25-ish, but you don't see those signs too often...

 

The City is allowed to set speed limits at 25 MPH if the road is either a quarter or half mile away from a school (which in practice is most of the five boroughs).

 

This is actually what that whole speed limit law is about, but it only applies to one-way, one-lane roads; the really crappy ones where you shouldn't be going too fast on anyways since there's not enough room to pass a vehicle.

[Trainmaster5]

Your best chance at getting drivers that know the limits/bounds of their vehicle is in the late hours of the night. Those guys will really fly. Got some excellent examples on recordings. Sometimes you get some fast moving drivers in the middle of the day...

 

 

 

 

 

Usually on the signs entering city limits that number is a flat 30 unless otherwise posted. On residential streets it becomes 25-ish, but you don't see those signs too often...

You're entirely correct. The speed limit in New York City is 30 mph unless otherwise posted. The higher speed limits apply to parkways and expressways for the most part. If you see a B/O doing 40 mph on a city street or avenue he/she is speeding and risking a ticket, and/or a suspension or termination. I'm not sure if the Surface department is like RTO in the subways but running ahead of schedule is possibly asking for a write-up or some other form of discipline. What I'm saying is if the schedule gives you 65 minutes for a run that you can do in 55 minutes CYA and take your time. That's always been rule #1 throughout the TA. Let the schedule makers worry about the time alloted. Those who are complaining about your speed ain't gonna pay your bills. Carry on.

[SoSpectacular]

Correct. I've passed by consecutive bus stops only to see the time between stops being roughly 3-4 minutes when bus stops are usually 1.5-2 blocks away. That really hinders some drivers especially on lines where the  bus tends to make almost every stop. 3-4 minutes is a LOT of time to get to the next station, so yeah they can basically take their time.

[Eric B]

You're entirely correct. The speed limit in New York City is 30 mph unless otherwise posted. The higher speed limits apply to parkways and expressways for the most part. If you see a B/O doing 40 mph on a city street or avenue he/she is speeding and risking a ticket, and/or a suspension or termination. I'm not sure if the Surface department is like RTO in the subways but running ahead of schedule is possibly asking for a write-up or some other form of discipline. What I'm saying is if the schedule gives you 65 minutes for a run that you can do in 55 minutes CYA and take your time. That's always been rule #1 throughout the TA. Let the schedule makers worry about the time alloted. Those who are complaining about your speed ain't gonna pay your bills. Carry on.

Like someone said, the schedule makers then are the ones who need to do that adjusting. They must use some across the board running time, but traffic overnight or on Sunday morning is not going to be as slow as weekday rush hour. So they shouldn't make then go that slow when the road is clear.  

[Via Garibaldi 8]

They need to do more than just adding Bus Time.  They need to come up with some traffic initiatives because bus service this past month has been absolutely atrocious.  I tracked the last BxM18 this morning... That bus is supposed to be Downtown by 09:05 and it was still working its way down 5th Avenue from the Upper East Side.  In fact it was so slow that I took an express bus that comes almost a good 40 minutes after that bus and beat it getting to work.  Pretty pathetic.  Some of it is traffic and some drivers just don't know how to drive.

[FamousNYLover]

To me, fast drivers I got on following bus.

NYCT and MTA Bus

Brooklyn: B8, B24, B44 LCL, B44 SBS, B46, B61, B103, BM3 (when MTA still used ex-Command CNG Bus)

Bronx: Bx3, Bx7, Bx10, Bx11, Bx12 SBS, Bx13, Bx15, Bx17, Bx41 LTD/SBS

Manhattan: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7, M8, M10, M11, M15 SBS, M20, M60, M66, M72, M79, M86, M96, M106.

Queens: Q3, Q5, Q6, Q6 LTD, Q10, Q10 LTD, Q20A/B, Q23, Q24, Q25, Q25 LTD, Q27, Q27 LTD, Q30/31, Q33 (old one), Q35, Q44, Q47, Q48, Q50, Q52, Q53, Q54, Q56, Q60, Q66, Q70, Q72, QM15, QM24.

Staten Island:

S40, S46, S59, S61, S79 SBS, S89, S90,

 

NICE Bus (Veolia): 

n1, n2/8, n4, n4x, n6, n6x/, n14, n15, n16/17, n20/L/21, n22/A/L/X, n23, n24, n25, n26, n27, n31/32, n33, n35, n40/41, n43, n45, n46, n48/49, n50, n51, n54/55, n57/58, n62, n70/71/72, n73/74, n79, n80/81, n87, n88.

 

Bee-Line Buses:

Almost every Bee-Line buses are fast drivers except for #60/#61 bus.

[Olegkha]

B44 Local south 

From Ave D to Flatbush  3 blocks  we are given 10-14 minutes

Even with cluster F at Glenwood that is still 6-7 minutes too much

I constantly sit at Glenwood for 2-3 lights just to kill time

[bobtehpanda]

They need to do more than just adding Bus Time.  They need to come up with some traffic initiatives because bus service this past month has been absolutely atrocious.  I tracked the last BxM18 this morning... That bus is supposed to be Downtown by 09:05 and it was still working its way down 5th Avenue from the Upper East Side.  In fact it was so slow that I took an express bus that comes almost a good 40 minutes after that bus and beat it getting to work.  Pretty pathetic.  Some of it is traffic and some drivers just don't know how to drive.

 

Do the bus lanes on 5th and Madison actually work in your experience?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Do the bus lanes on 5th and Madison actually work in your experience?

Bus lanes where? I don't think there are any on either 5th or Madison to my knowledge.

[TeeLow]

Bus lanes where? I don't think there are any on either 5th or Madison to my knowledge.

On Madison Ave from 42nd St to 59th St there are two lanes for regular traffic to the left of a double white line. The right side is strictly for buses (and right turns) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (which is eff-ing insane). I've seen cops in cars and on foot and traffic agents enforcing this on Saturdays by handing out tickets. On 5th Ave there is a single bus lane in effect during the week. Not sure where the lane begins. Might be 79th St.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

On Madison Ave from 42nd St to 59th St there are two lanes for regular traffic to the left of a double white line. The right side is strictly for buses (and right turns) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (which is eff-ing insane). I've seen cops in cars and on foot and traffic agents enforcing this on Saturdays by handing out tickets. On 5th Ave there is a single bus lane in effect during the week. Not sure where the lane begins. Might be 79th St.

Pff.... You may be right... I've never paid attention to them because they don't seem to help traffic much, particularly on 5th...

[bobtehpanda]

On Madison Ave from 42nd St to 59th St there are two lanes for regular traffic to the left of a double white line. The right side is strictly for buses (and right turns) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (which is eff-ing insane). I've seen cops in cars and on foot and traffic agents enforcing this on Saturdays by handing out tickets. On 5th Ave there is a single bus lane in effect during the week. Not sure where the lane begins. Might be 79th St.

 

This is actually the first time I've heard of NYPD strictly enforcing a bus lane. A shame it's curbside, though.

 

In all fairness, there is heavy bus usage on the road. Most bus lanes in the city should be 16 hours a day, 5 days a week (with reduced hours on Sat and Sun)