MTA moves to retire all Orion V & CNG buses immediately, Accelerate delivery & defer others

[trainfan22]

I hope that some RTS will be replacing the orions when the XD40s and LFS start coming in quickly. It would be awesome to see more Bronx depots other than WF in the Bronx with these buses.

I agree, same goes for CS and the SI depots. Its crazy as years ago I could have ridden an RTS on the S79 but for some reason I decided not to, and rode the S53 into SI on an Orion V. It was my early days of busfanning and I had no idea RTSs would leave SI shorty there after.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I agree, same goes for CS and the SI depots. Its crazy as years ago I could have ridden an RTS on the S79 but for some reason I decided not to, and rode the S53 into SI on an Orion V. It was my early days of busfanning and I had no idea RTSs would leave SI shorty there after.

Those RTSs that Yukon had certainly weren't the norm.  They had a few of them mainly because their other buses were literally falling apart.  They really beat those Orions into the ground.

[BxM4Woodlawn]

I would say the RTS is, been here for almost 30 years, but it's your opinion

RTSs are as well. They, along with the Orion V's (diesel and CNG) are the best sounding buses in the system IMO

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

The Orion V really needs to leave, I could care less whether they're scrapped. They've been here for a while.

[NewFlyer 230]

The Orion V really needs to leave, I could care less whether they're scrapped. They've been here for a while.

I think the same way as you. Time for all the old crap to retire. Several RTS especially the 1996s have problems with their lifts. I was almost late to school one morning because the lift would not go back up. Another morning the bus in front of us at the stop trapped us in so our driver had to back up to get around the RTS. The Orion V's just look horrible on the inside. The ceilings are cracking the walls are breaking. I can't wait to ride the new XD40s and the newer LFS's I like more than the old ones.

[Fresh Pond]

RTSs are as well. They, along with the Orion V's (diesel and CNG) are the best sounding buses in the system IMO

It's not always about the sound as they (the MTA) could care less about that. It's about what can stand up to the amount of torture we put our buses through.

 

The RTS with its easy maintenance, stainless steel frame, and parts commodity made it the choice of bus for not only us, but other companies nationwide. That and the New Looks (fishbowls) are pretty much the buses associated with NYC since we had them for 30+ years and can be seen in almost every movie with an NYC setting.

 

The Orion V we only had for about 20 or so years but they still proved their worth. But their frames are more or less rusting through since it isn't stainless steel.

[Ty24]

I have a question. Are all of the remaining Nova LFS coming in without the rear window? Sorry if this has been asked.

[Fresh Pond]

I have a question. Are all of the remaining Nova LFS coming in without the rear window? Sorry if this has been asked.

Yes

[trife86]

Those RTSs that Yukon had certainly weren't the norm. They had a few of them mainly because their other buses were literally falling apart. They really beat those Orions into the ground.

Why is Yukon always to blame. All operators and all diff depots will always drive the same?

 

But yes many days over the last few weeks I been seeing Orion's out of service painted on windshield saying level 4 and 5 chassis or frame crack

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Why is Yukon always to blame. All operators and all diff depots will always drive the same?

 

But yes many days over the last few weeks I been seeing Orion's out of service painted on windshield saying level 4 and 5 chassis or frame crack

Because Yukon has HORRIBLE maintenance combined with operators that don't care if they bang into whatever they bang into.  That's one reason why Yukon is always in need of new buses.  The should ensure that ALL depots have the same level of maintenance across the board, but unfortunately, that isn't the case. Some depots have stellar maintenance and those that do have to pick up the slack for the depots that don't.  Yonkers for example constantly takes in MCIs from other depots and repairs them because there are backlogs of buses that need repair.  Then you have depots that have to loan their buses to other depots.  One big mess... 

[Culver]

The S79 and express lines are a bus torture chamber because of Steuben Street alone. For many years Narrows Road (much better now since new pavement) and Hylan (repaved a few years ago but now slowly returning to that status) were also wrecking grounds for buses. Pretty much anything assigned to those lines is going to get destroyed within a few years due to the awful condition of the pavement.

[Grand Concourse]

I don't care for the O5, but I'm glad for the most part they were at SI instead of the RTSs toward the end. The roads and the then just 2 depots meant buses in shoddy condition. The 9500s RTSs that came back from SI to Brooklyn around 2007 were terrible. SI had to borrow buses from other depots because they couldn't keep up on their maintenance. I'm gonna guess it should be better now with a 3rd depot to help take off the burden of the other 2, but the roads ...

 

As for RTSs, i dunno why everyone keep saying they are all getting replaced by this current order, I don't see the 5000s going yet. Even the 9600s to a degree, I could see some of them staying. Yes i know the order includes mta bus, but they also have some really old RTSs and some of their hybrids seems shot. If anything I could see more nyct RTSs being bumped over.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

The S79 and express lines are a bus torture chamber because of Steuben Street alone. For many years Narrows Road (much better now since new pavement) and Hylan (repaved a few years ago but now slowly returning to that status) were also wrecking grounds for buses. Pretty much anything assigned to those lines is going to get destroyed within a few years due to the awful condition of the pavement.

 

 

I don't care for the O5, but I'm glad for the most part they were at SI instead of the RTSs toward the end. The roads and the then just 2 depots meant buses in shoddy condition. The 9500s RTSs that came back from SI to Brooklyn around 2007 were terrible. SI had to borrow buses from other depots because they couldn't keep up on their maintenance. I'm gonna guess it should be better now with a 3rd depot to help take off the burden of the other 2, but the roads ...

 

As for RTSs, i dunno why everyone keep saying they are all getting replaced by this current order, I don't see the 5000s going yet. Even the 9600s to a degree, I could see some of them staying. Yes i know the order includes mta bus, but they also have some really old RTSs and some of their hybrids seems shot. If anything I could see more nyct RTSs being bumped over.

The roads on Staten Island were really atrocious circa 2009 - 2011 but since then things have improved a bit.  The policiticans decided to work aggressively to mitigate the problem and allocated more funding for paving and to get a second paving crew on Staten Island.  There has been A LOT of paving work since because I can remember when Hylan Blvd was a nightmare.  I also remember the headache when it was repaved.  Same deal with Forest Avenue.  In fact Forest Avenue needs to repaved yet again and it was redone around 2008 or so.  LOL... I'm having flashbacks of when they were doing this sewer project on Clove Rd and had the roads all torn up.  The street was in such poor condition that when I got car service from the express bus, the drivers would apologize profusely fearing that I would not tip because the havoc they caused my back when they hit all of those craters and potholes.  Those roads must've destroyed tons of shocks and rims.  In fact SILive did numerous stories about the mounting car expenses that folks had across the island.  I once was driven home by some friends and the road was so terrible that it was embarassing.  Something out of a third world country...

 

With better road conditions and the opening of Charleston, things are a little better, but not by much.  Meredith Depot has the worse buses around. I was appalled by how disgusting the bus was when I took the X12 a few months ago and did a return trip on the X10.  You know it's really bad when you feel skeeved out sitting on an express bus.  That's usually the feeling I get when I think about sitting down on the subway. lol

[Grand Concourse]

Good to know about the road improvements.

I thought Meredith was just a 'parking lot' for the express buses and the buses were maintained by the other 3. I dunno much about the SI depots.

[Cait Sith]

Good to know about the road improvements.

I thought Meredith was just a 'parking lot' for the express buses and the buses were maintained by the other 3. I dunno much about the SI depots.

 

That was the case when Hurricane Sandy basically destroyed the city. Sometimes, buses that do trippers also stay at the depots based on the routes they're on.

[MTA Dude]

Are they really retireing the CNG's? Yay! I hate those buses.

 

I also hate hybrids of the old and new, like the Orion VII 1st Gen. The 2nd Gen is okay...

[Orion VII 4 Life]

The Orion VII CNGs. The C40s are here to stay

[MTA Dude]

Wait, what about the Orion VII Gen-II?

[Fresh Pond]

Wait, what about the Orion VII Gen-II?

The order to replace the oldest of the first CNGs go out next year, so there's plenty of time

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I hope the newer buses jerk less.  No matter how you hold on, you get thrown about on those older hybrids.

[MTA Dude]

I hope the newer buses jerk less.  No matter how you hold on, you get thrown about on those older hybrids.

 

Yup. They were probably responsible for that last incident where I ate something that I've been eating for like a month already and then vomited. Because of those Orion VIIs, the Q64 just went from 4.9 starts to 3.5.

 

BTW a couple weeks ago, the buses were chained, and that Q64 Orion VII ride was as bumpy as shit...

[MCI D4000 81994]

Any chance they would send RTS back to Staten Island for now so they can kill off the Orion Vs? The older RTSs being retired I think are in better shape than the younger Orion Vs.

[S78 via Hylan]

That's highly unlikely since each SI depot is due to receive the newer Novas next year and/or later this year.

[MysteriousBtrain]

Any chance they would send RTS back to Staten Island for now so they can kill off the Orion Vs? The older RTSs being retired I think are in better shape than the younger Orion Vs.

Not a chance, especially since the start of the LFS order is literally around the corner.

[East New York]

Not a chance, especially since the start of the LFS order is literally around the corner.

 

It's highly unlikely that the RTS will make a comeback in SI, but that was also said about ECH depot, and now it's all RTS again. With the Nova order now behind schedule, anything is possible.