Could holding buses at major stops help with bunching?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

As I understand it, the CBTC system on the and the future one on the can display a recommended speed for the trains to maintain decent spacing, and the subway system has a speed limit as well. If we could have a display like that installed on buses, perhaps we could suggest to bus drivers that they should speed up a little bit to catch up or slow down to widen a gap as necessary.

That idea is asinine to say the least. The subway only has to deal with train traffic most of the time, whereas bus service is much less predictable due to outside factors (i.e. traffic, etc.)

[bobtehpanda]

That idea is asinine to say the least. The subway only has to deal with train traffic most of the time, whereas bus service is much less predictable due to outside factors (i.e. traffic, etc.)

 

There's not really a functional difference between a human dispatcher holding a bus and a computer or human dispatcher in a control center telling a driver to try and slow down, and it's not as if there aren't ways to measure real-time traffic in a day and age where Google uses phones to detect large amounts of traffic congestion and displays it as public information. It might be impossible to tell a slow bus to go any faster, but it's definitely possible to tell a fast bus to slow down a bit.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

There's not really a functional difference between a human dispatcher holding a bus and a computer or human dispatcher in a control center telling a driver to try and slow down, and it's not as if there aren't ways to measure real-time traffic in a day and age where Google uses phones to detect large amounts of traffic congestion and displays it as public information. It might be impossible to tell a slow bus to go any faster, but it's definitely possible to tell a fast bus to slow down a bit.

Those are estimates at best. I'd feel more comfortable with a human dispatcher doing it, though I'd still question their competence.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

Just have the driver put up the "Next Bus Please" sign and only drop people off at stops.

 

That still punishes anybody who wants to board.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

That still punishes anybody who wants to board.

Too bad.  What do you propose to get buses back on schedule?  Changes need to be made. Too many buses are running LATE and it's a constant problem, even now that we're in the summer.  B/O's are literally afraid to be written up for running hot, so they constantly come late now.  I was on a BxM2 heading to the city where the guy was came late along Henry Hudson Parkway.  Eventually he arrived early at Kappock and Johnson, so at Tibbet and 230th we sat there for 5 minutes and he seemed to drag the line during the drop-off segment, which was quite annoying.  Coming back I was on a BxM2 that sat at 99th and Madison but not too long since he purposely came late to avoid being early.  Meanwhile there was a BxM11 that was clearly sitting there for some time from the looks of the passengers. 

[bobtehpanda]

Those are estimates at best. I'd feel more comfortable with a human dispatcher doing it, though I'd still question their competence.

 

And a human dispatcher is limited to what they can see with their vision and whatever BusTrek is going to tell them, but no congestion information for anything further up the route. It's not good to put all our eggs in one solution basket.

Too bad.  What do you propose to get buses back on schedule?  Changes need to be made. Too many buses are running LATE and it's a constant problem, even now that we're in the summer.  B/O's are literally afraid to be written up for running hot, so they constantly come late now.  I was on a BxM2 heading to the city where the guy was came late along Henry Hudson Parkway.  Eventually he arrived early at Kappock and Johnson, so at Tibbet and 230th we sat there for 5 minutes and he seemed to drag the line during the drop-off segment, which was quite annoying.  Coming back I was on a BxM2 that sat at 99th and Madison but not too long since he purposely came late to avoid being early.  Meanwhile there was a BxM11 that was clearly sitting there for some time from the looks of the passengers. 

 

To be fair, depending on how often a bus runs a late bus can be better than an early bus. Imagine showing up to an express bus stop two minutes ahead of time when the hourly bus showed up five minutes early.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

And a human dispatcher is limited to what they can see with their vision and whatever BusTrek is going to tell them, but no congestion information for anything further up the route. It's not good to put all our eggs in one solution basket.

 

 

To be fair, depending on how often a bus runs a late bus can be better than an early bus. Imagine showing up to an express bus stop two minutes ahead of time when the hourly bus showed up five minutes early.

That happened to me once with the last inbound bus on a weekday before. Luckily the other route was coming up about 12 minutes after, so I waited for that one.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

And a human dispatcher is limited to what they can see with their vision and whatever BusTrek is going to tell them, but no congestion information for anything further up the route. It's not good to put all our eggs in one solution basket.

 

To be fair, depending on how often a bus runs a late bus can be better than an early bus. Imagine showing up to an express bus stop two minutes ahead of time when the hourly bus showed up five minutes early.

It's happened to me a few times with the BxM2... Once the guy left the terminal early.  He was supposed to leave 30 after and was already at my stop before 30 after. I chased after him but it was too late.  Took me a good two hours to get home as I didn't want to backtrack to Grand Central for Metro-North.  Made sure I filed a complaint both times.

[B35 via Church]

To be fair, depending on how often a bus runs, a late bus can be better than an early bus.

Imagine showing up to an express bus stop two minutes ahead of time when the hourly bus showed up five minutes early.

This is EXACTLY what I bank on happening whenever I take the BM's (1-4) from Manhattan !

[Via Garibaldi 8]

This is EXACTLY what I bank on happening whenever I take the BM's (1-4) from Manhattan !

lol... When I could come in from Staten Island to transfer to the BM3, I would bank on one guy being late and sure enough... 30 minutes late no matter what. lol

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

This is EXACTLY what I bank on happening whenever I take the BM's (1-4) from Manhattan !

Going inbound on the BM5, I bank on that. The posted.schedule at my stop says bus arrives at :46, while for my bus, It often comes at :52 or after, so I nust wait for the hus at that time. Still gets to 57/3 on time though, which is good. I can't do that for the QM15 anymore though; bus is already on layover once I get to the stop as per the new schedule. I just better hope the guy doesn't leave early.

 

As for the BM1-4, sometimes they interline from another trip and that trip is late. I noticed that with the BM5. The first outbound does an inbound BM4 beforehand, and wheneve that's late, it messes up the depature of the outbound trip. Sometimes leaves up to 50 minutes late, which is just unacceptable. You could take the train and B83 and be into Starrett City faster than that. The other buses are worse, because they go back to along the traffic filled sections of their route, and since the BM1/2/3/4 all have the same routing up until Ocean Avenue, if any part of that section gets hit with traffic, bye bye schedule (the current schedules don't give enough time regardless, but w/e). I'm willing to also bet that the BM2 is the most delay prone, since it passes through the Junction and the outerlying streets in the vicinity as well.