Summer 2018 Bus Changes

[Union Tpke]

Screen Shot 2018-05-18 at 6.35.17 PM by Union Turnpike, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2018-05-18 at 6.35.25 PM by Union Turnpike, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2018-05-18 at 6.35.31 PM by Union Turnpike, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2018-05-18 at 6.35.52 PM by Union Turnpike, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2018-05-18 at 6.36.28 PM by Union Turnpike, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2018-05-18 at 6.36.45 PM by Union Turnpike, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2018-05-18 at 6.37.05 PM by Union Turnpike, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2018-05-18 at 6.37.14 PM by Union Turnpike, on Flickr

Screen Shot 2018-05-18 at 6.37.46 PM by Union Turnpike, on Flickr

 

[Gotham Bus Co.]

I could easily see the union grieving those weekend increases. (More work on Saturday means fewer drivers off on Saturday.)

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

I've been saying for years now that the MTA needed to add service on the Q47. The Q47 is far more utilized than the Q38 yet it receives 30 minute headways all day, while the Q38 has 20 minute headways throughout the day. I know I wasn't wrong when I looked at those loading percentages.

Good for all the other routes listed getting service increases. Goes to show you how MTA bus doesn't give enough service (even worse than NYCT).

[limitednyc]

they are useing the savings from the 52/53 converion

[B35 via Church]

- The Q6 should have had amped up saturday service since the PBL takeover; long overdue.....

- As far as the Q8 increases, well Queens riders can thank the patronage on the Brooklyn end of the route (incl. usage in/out of the mall) - notice the time periods the increases are taking place..... Otherwise, those increases would not have been justified....

- Q29 change I have mixed views on.... From the north, those mid-afternoon trips do get slammed on Saturdays - but like 90 percent of that usage tanks out at QCM/north side of QB (lol)... Then again, they're taking away some service on saturday mornings too, so I suppose this change is worth it overall....

- The Q49... wth with this route? Every time I look around, it's gaining riders & service (no matter how slight)..... There's a reason you seldom, if ever, hear complaints about this route..... It caters to the market it does almost perfectly (IMO, a lot of it has to do w/ how unreliable the Q72 & the Q23 are, also).... The Q49 is, what the MTA hopes these routes like the Bx46, B32, and B84 will end up being over time....

- Actual (quality of) Q65 service on Sundays is embarrassing..... I'm looking at the current posted headways for each segment of the day & I'm surprised it's frequency is (supposed to be) that high; thought it was like 20 mins. all day.... Not all that uncommon to be waiting upwards of 1/2 an hour along 164th for a bus on Sundays & it's frustrating as f***.... Something in general anyway that has always bugged me when it comes to the Q25/Q65, is that the Q25 seems to be catered to more & the Q65 seems to get ignored... It's palpable to me.... The irony is, if you look at the MTA's own stats, the Q65 actually has more riders than the Q25.....

- Q101, I don't have an explanation for, nor a real opinion if those additions are worth it or not......

 

8 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

I've been saying for years now that the MTA needed to add service on the Q47. The Q47 is far more utilized than the Q38 yet it receives 30 minute headways all day, while the Q38 has 20 minute headways throughout the day. I know I wasn't wrong when I looked at those loading percentages.

Good for all the other routes listed getting service increases. Goes to show you how MTA bus doesn't give enough service (even worse than NYCT).

20 min headways on the Q38 on weekends... Lol, the Q38 used to get double the service of the Q47 before the 2010 cuts.... Of course, that was before the Q47 inherited riders from off the old colt Q45......

Coverage headways on the (current rendition of the) Q47 on weekends, is a relic of the individual weekend service levels of both routes that were combined to create it (Q45/old Q47).... {Personally, I think the route should be extended down to Myrtle (too bad layover space is the issue) & cut back to Astoria Blvd (which would actually result in a net savings).... Simply don't care for the turnaround scenario at Atlas, nor the fact that it ends there.... In terms of PPM, this would justify more service (compared to the current route), but that's neither here nor there}..... Anyway, while I don't think the route should be running on coverage headways, I don't think it should get much more service than the current weekend Q38 either..... So basically, I agree with what's being proposed (Q38 & the Q47 having the same amt. of service on weekends).....

As far as service on the "MTA Bus" routes in general, well you have to remember that service levels were increased from what the PBL's provided (which was basically... shit)..... So, short of a bonanza, by default, those routes are going to pale in comparison to the NYCT routes, service-wise.....

[NewFlyer 230]

16 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

I've been saying for years now that the MTA needed to add service on the Q47. The Q47 is far more utilized than the Q38 yet it receives 30 minute headways all day, while the Q38 has 20 minute headways throughout the day. I know I wasn't wrong when I looked at those loading percentages.

Good for all the other routes listed getting service increases. Goes to show you how MTA bus doesn't give enough service (even worse than NYCT).

I feel like MTA bus routes barely get touched in comparison to NYCT routes. Just look at how LTD service is on the Q6, Q25 and Q65 from when LTD first started to now. They look very identical minus the few adjustments on the Q25 LTD. That route finally received two more late LTD in the morning. I’m sure ridership distribution is different now compared to 10 years ago but these schedules are barely touched. 

I wish the Q25 could get later LTD service in the evening until at least around 8pm. The Q17 and Q27 from Flushing has LTD service until 10pm while the Q25 LTD and Q65 LTD end around 6:30pm which is too early. Even weekend service on the Q25 can use some improvements because buses are crowded and bunch up which has been happening for years. 

The Q65 I’m happy that it’s seeing some type of improvement because it’s usually the one that is ignored in comparison to the Q25 and  the 65 performs the worst in terms of reliability. I feel bad for Q65 riders in the evening because it seems that in recent years the Q25 has gotten more reliable in the evening time compared to the Q65 which has gotten slightly worst. There definitely have been times in the evening where there were hugs gaps in Q65 service where a College Point bound bus is almost to Flushing and the next bus that is suppose to leave Jamaica is all the way up College Point still. 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

5 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

20 min headways on the Q38 on weekends... Lol, the Q38 used to get double the service of the Q47 before the 2010 cuts.... Of course, that was before the Q47 inherited riders from off the old colt Q45......

Coverage headways on the (current rendition of the) Q47 on weekends, is a relic of the individual weekend service levels of both routes that were combined to create it (Q45/old Q47).... {Personally, I think the route should be extended down to Myrtle (too bad layover space is the issue) & cut back to Astoria Blvd (which would actually result in a net savings).... Simply don't care for the turnaround scenario at Atlas, nor the fact that it ends there.... In terms of PPM, this would justify more service (compared to the current route), but that's neither here nor there}..... Anyway, while I don't think the route should be running on coverage headways, I don't think it should get much more service than the current weekend Q38 either..... So basically, I agree with what's being proposed (Q38 & the Q47 having the same amt. of service on weekends).....

As far as service on the "MTA Bus" routes in general, well you have to remember that service levels were increased from what the PBL's provided (which was basically... shit)..... So, short of a bonanza, by default, those routes are going to pale in comparison to the NYCT routes, service-wise.....

I don't have a problem with the 20 minute headways either (it's about time). However, not only does the Q47 have the former Q45 riders as part of its ridership, but since the bus now goes up 69 Street until Grand Avenue (and acts as a pseudo limited on 69th Street), I've been seeing more people get on those buses. I can't tell if ridership on the Q18 in Maspeth has gone down (since getting to 74th beats taking the Q18 to the  or the  , especially on weekends), but ridership on the Q47 in that area has gone up.

The Q38 does work too, but mostly on the northern portion (Eliot Avenue and LeFrak City Portions). The Penelope Avenue section is rather light, except for a few periods in the day. Nighttime ridership can be handled by the coverage headways it receives, whereas the Q47's are packed into the night while on coverage headways. Another thing is, the Q38 feeds into the  at Metropolitan and at Woodhaven, so either station can be used, which disperses the loads on the buses. With the Q47, you don't hit a subway station going north until 69 Street on the  , and the Roosevelt Avenue on the  and the QBL, so there's bound to be more people per bus at a certain point.

[EastFlatbushLarry]

On 5/18/2018 at 7:26 PM, Gotham Bus Co. said:

I could easily see the union grieving those weekend increases. (More work on Saturday means fewer drivers off on Saturday.)

that is not necessarily true. just because they increase service on Saturdays in those depots, doesn't mean that the friday/Saturday, saturday/sunday RDO's automatically disappear into thin air. that makes no sense. all this means is that there will be more overtime available on Saturdays or that operators who would probably be on the extra list waiting for a run to open up will now have a Saturday assignment. increasing service for one day cannot eliminate 2 RDO's on a run board.  the union(s) involved should/would welcome more work for their constituents, even if it's for one day out of the week

[EastFlatbushLarry]

9 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

The Q17 and Q27 from Flushing has LTD service until 10pm while the Q25 LTD and Q65 LTD end around 6:30pm which is too early. Even weekend service on the Q25 can use some improvements because buses are crowded and bunch up which has been happening for years. 

amen. 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

On 5/19/2018 at 10:04 PM, EastFlatbushLarry said:

that is not necessarily true. just because they increase service on Saturdays in those depots, doesn't mean that the friday/Saturday, saturday/sunday RDO's automatically disappear into thin air. that makes no sense. all this means is that there will be more overtime available on Saturdays or that operators who would probably be on the extra list waiting for a run to open up will now have a Saturday assignment. increasing service for one day cannot eliminate 2 RDO's on a run board.  the union(s) involved should/would welcome more work for their constituents, even if it's for one day out of the week

I would think so, but at Yonkers it seems like they don't want to work on Sundays. The has cut FIVE trips on Sundays. A round trip on the BxM1, one round trip on the BxM3 and a Midtown trip on the BxM4.  I haven't been pleased with any of the cuts, but the BxM1 cut has annoyed me to no end. 

[EastFlatbushLarry]

2 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I would think so, but at Yonkers it seems like they don't want to work on Sundays. The has cut FIVE trips on Sundays. A round trip on the BxM1, one round trip on the BxM3 and a Midtown trip on the BxM4.  I haven't been pleased with any of the cuts, but the BxM1 cut has annoyed me to no end. 

well, I'll bet money that the local 100 up there at yonkers is none too happy about losing sunday work, considering how much work they have in that depot overall. that's not the union cutting service. that's definitely management feeling as if, for whatever odd reason, those trips aren't necessary. i don't know the headways offhand, but depending on the headways and how many passengers a run picks up to/from is when management gets chop happy

[BreeddekalbL]

Shouldn't ltd service go till atleast 10pm depending on the route?

 

[paulrivera]

On 5/19/2018 at 12:20 PM, NewFlyer 230 said:

I feel like MTA bus routes barely get touched in comparison to NYCT routes.

The city provides a subsidy to operate BC routes. It does give routes some leeway before runs get cut, but sometimes it takes a while to get runs added (but the latter is in general, both bus and subway.)

[Via Garibaldi 8]

11 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

The city provides a subsidy to operate BC routes. It does give routes some leeway before runs get cut, but sometimes it takes a while to get runs added (but the latter is in general, both bus and subway.)

The good news with Bus is that when the 2010 cuts came, most of them occurred with NYCT routes.  

[checkmatechamp13]

7 hours ago, BreeddekalbL said:

Shouldn't ltd service go till atleast 10pm depending on the route?

 

That's way too vague. There's limited-stop routes that run past 10pm, and there's routes that run rush hours only, so it already depends on the route.