NICE Bus vision plan

[aemoreira81]

https://www.nicebus.com/NICE/media/nicebus-pdfs/Let-s-Go-V2-Final-May-2018.pdf 

 

Highlighted proposals:

Really doubling down on the remaining core network by increasing service levels to close to what they are in NYC. (The definition is 10 minutes peak, 15 at lower times.)

Current qualified routes: 4, 6, 20G/H, 22, 40/1, 48/9

To add (and also add more evening service): 1, 22, 24, 26, 31/2, 43, 70/1/2 (26 would become a full-time route)

24-hour service (introduced to): 22 or 24 (can't figure out which) and 43

Additional weekend service on: above plus restored on the 27 (Roslyn and points north)

Express bus service (within Nassau): Restored 20 express service, 24, Nassau HUB restoration from Mineola to the Coliseum.

Basically, all of the full-time routes are mentioned except for the 25, 58, and 54/5.

Express bus service to Lower Manhattan via Grand Central: 

* Hicksville via Roslyn and Great Neck

* Levittown

*Mineola

*Belmont Racetrack

Restoration of Able-Ride service to the entire county (including areas with no fixed-route bus service).

Flexi Shuttles:

* East Rockaway

* Elmont (already operating)

* Freeport

* Hicksville to Oyster Bay

* LIRR shuttles (Great Neck, Mineola, Hempstead, and West Hempstead

* Mercy Medical (already operating)

* Port Washington

---- Facts end here, my opinion continues on----

Since NICE doesn't have any over-the-road equipment or any equipment it could use to easily provide service to Lower Manhattan, what about contracting with NYC Transit or some other company (i.e., Academy, North Fork Express) for that out of Queens Village Depot if that is to be done? NICE would need to provide charging ports and Internet on whatever buses are used for the service.

I would also extend the Oyster Bay Flexi to Bayville, and extend the 21 and 27 deeper through Glen Cove.

There is also the issue of basically abandoning most of eastern Nassau, minus the small-bus services. I would expand the 79 and 80 as one route with midday and Saturday service as my one improvement east-county, plus restore the same on the 19 to Sunrise Mall...each hourly off-peak on small buses, and 30 minutes peak on the 79/80 combination.

[B35 via Church]

heh.... NICE being more pro-active with bus service than the MTA? Who would've thought....

Personally, if push came to shove, I'd institute a combined route for 24-7 service regarding those 2 routes - that is, the n24 west of Mineola & the n22 east of Mineola...

[Future ENY OP]

Honestly, as much as I hate Long Island. I don’t see this plan working. As indicated, NICE doesn’t have the proper equip to operate such express bus service nor the depot storage to do this. Last checked, the 2 Long Island depots belong to the . 

Why can’t the  retain back the Long Island routes with express bus service to Midtown via the Tunnel, but I cannot see these buses going via Lower Manhattan. Bad enough there’s traffic in Midtown and now you want more bottleneck traffic on 3rd Avenue getting into the tunnel back to the island  

I digress.......... 

[checkmatechamp13]

It might be better for the express buses to leave people off at say, 34th & 2nd (there's a lot of hospitals on the East Side with patients/employees. Maybe they could make a stop at 23rd & 1st as well), and then continue down via the FDR. It would be quicker than sitting in traffic trying to stop precisely by Grand Central, and then having to backtrack all the way back to the FDR. Also, it would be a different catchment area than the LIRR once East Side Access opens. 

And not for nothing, but if I had to commute to the Grand Central area from Long Island, I would probably take the LIRR to Hunterspoint Avenue and catch the train over there, so it would still probably be faster than their proposed express bus (though I suppose you can say the same thing about Downtown riders coming through Atlantic Terminal)

Nonetheless, I think it's good that they're trying to experiment with express bus service (hopefully with the $2.75 fare applied towards the express fare, like the NYCT/MTA Bus express buses)

[Cait Sith]

12 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

Honestly, as much as I hate Long Island. I don’t see this plan working. As indicated, NICE doesn’t have the proper equip to operate such express bus service nor the depot storage to do this. Last checked, the 2 Long Island depots belong to the . 

Why can’t the  retain back the Long Island routes with express bus service to Midtown via the Tunnel, but I cannot see these buses going via Lower Manhattan. Bad enough there’s traffic in Midtown and now you want more bottleneck traffic on 3rd Avenue getting into the tunnel back to the island  

I digress.......... 

That can change in a matter of years.

They can order the proper coaches needed. They can go with suburban versions of the XN40 and XN60s for fleet uniformity, or order OTR CNG coaches. MCI is currently the only one that offers CNG coaches, so they could very well get D4500CT CNGs if needed. You're assuming that their express bus service will be frequent. It's too early to assume such things because we don't even know how the service and its frequency will be. I can't see them getting that many buses for the services planned, probably 20-25 at most.

As for space, they technically do have the space. If they didn't, they wouldn't have ordered artics, or are looking into ordering more. Mitchell Field is a pretty large facility, and they are still using Rockville Centre to some capacity.

As for that last bolded tidbit....well, it's obvious, Nassau County didn't want to pay up, and that has been explained probably over a million times on this forum.

Ever since Mangano left, things have been looking up for NICE Bus. It's almost guaranteed that none of these ideas would've come out to light if Mangano was still in office, so I have some hope that NICE Bus will be better. Hell, their new app completely floors the MTA's app and NJT's app.

[RailBus63]

I wouldn't be surprised if NICE contracted out the actual operation of the express routes - it would certainly help to avoid the depot space issue.

[aemoreira81]

7 hours ago, RailBus63 said:

I wouldn't be surprised if NICE contracted out the actual operation of the express routes - it would certainly help to avoid the depot space issue.

I almost certainly see that as a separate contract...possibly WE Transportation or Trans Group (Educational Bus Transportation) or any of the other school bus companies in Nassau could be invited to bid. If it were up to me, I'd also put up a small bus contract for eastern Nassau County with that bid too, along with the east county Flexis.

I agree with B35 via Church that none of this would have been considered if Ed Mangano was still county executive (once he was unseated, Transdev put its logo over his name on the buses, and they have not put Laura Curran's name on them).

[RtrainBlues]

All of these ideas are great EXCEPT the service to Manhattan.  Express buses are a big money loser for the MTA and will prove the same for NICE. 

However, within Nassau County, the introduction of more express routes & higher frequency of these routes is very smart.  For example, it's ridiculous to have an N24 stop EVERY SINGLE BLOCK in parts of Queens.  Wastes the driver's time and money.  Hopefully the N24x will just stop at Queens railroad stations, then New Hyde Park,  Mineola, Roosevelt Field, and Hicksville.  Would be so much quicker!  Love the idea of a Nassau Hub service too (Mineola, Roosevelt Field, Colisseum).

[B35 via Church]

Alright, I'm in the middle of reading this PDF, and I find something a little troubling...

Quote

Currently, only the N6 & N4 feature express service. NICE would add new express service on to the N16, N22, N20, and N24. NICE would also add new express service on Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, NICE would create a new express route connecting Mineola LIRR with the new Coliseum Hub project.

 

[checkmatechamp13]

On 7/22/2018 at 5:37 PM, B35 via Church said:

Alright, I'm in the middle of reading this PDF, and I find something a little troubling...

Is it the fact that they would consider a reincarnation of the N20 Limited to be "new", or the fact that they're creating an express route on what would essentially be a shuttle? 

[B35 via Church]

3 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Is it the fact that they would consider a reincarnation of the N20 Limited to be "new", or the fact that they're creating an express route on what would essentially be a shuttle? 

Given that the n4 & the n6 are the only routes with express service, I suppose we as readers are to interpret that as the old n20 (Flushing - Hicksville) getting an express variant.....

if the n22x doesn't exist, then neither does the n20G/n20H (have them tell it) - which is funny because the n22x was created before the n4x....

 

 

[FamousNYLover]

I think n20X will be great idea because n20 riders really want n20L back.

For suggestion, my proposal for n20X,

Flushing-bound- Hicksville Station, Broadway Mall, Columbia Drive, SUNY Old Westbury, CW Post, NYIT (outside), Glen Cove Rd, Museum Drive, Pt Washington Blvd, Plandome Rd, Manhassett Medical Center, Schenk Av, Middle Neck Rd, Buttonwood Rd, Glenwood St, Bell Blvd, Francis Lewis Blvd, Sanford Av/Parson Blvd, Flushing-Main St.

Hicksville-bound: Flushing-Main St, Sanford Av/Parsons Blvd, Francis Lewis Blvd, Bell Blvd, City Line, Middle Neck Rd, Schenk Av, Manhasett Medical Center, Plandome Rd,, Searingtown Rd, Museum Drive, Glen Cove Rd, NYIT (outside), CW Post, SUNY Old Westbury, Broadway Mall, Hicksville Station.

[RES2773]

Sorry, I'm incredibly late to this, but I am so happy they are planning on reintroducing weekend service on the 27. The users of the line have really suffered without it.