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Express Bus Advocacy Group


Via Garibaldi 8

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Latest announcements:

-After our speech last month before the (MTA) Board, today the (MTA) announced that Staten Island will receive 50 NEW express buses in 2020.  This should help to address service issues.

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/06/mta-hopes-replacement-busses-will-improve-si-commute-times.html?fbclid=IwAR1Al_SNCJIMqGaDISimKdL_tPM_EZFd9eaSfCFA8mToPhlGrqlkLY786Zc

That said, we will continue to press for that order to be expanded as needed.  When the new express buses come in, this could allow for the SIM23 and SIM24 to be taken over by the (MTA). @Union Tpke @WestFarms36

 

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5 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Latest announcements:

-After our speech last month before the (MTA) Board, today the (MTA) announced that Staten Island will receive 50 NEW express buses in 2020.  This should help to address service issues.

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/06/mta-hopes-replacement-busses-will-improve-si-commute-times.html?fbclid=IwAR1Al_SNCJIMqGaDISimKdL_tPM_EZFd9eaSfCFA8mToPhlGrqlkLY786Zc

That said, we will continue to press for that order to be expanded as needed.  When the new express buses come in, this could allow for the SIM23 and SIM24 to be taken over by the (MTA). @Union Tpke @WestFarms36

 

Damm a whole year for 50 express buses. Purely not enough. Maybe double the # would of been suffice. However, it’s a start. 

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2 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

That is just for Staten Island, not Citywide, but we will be continuing to push further, but yes it's a start.

Yeah, you should push for the SIM23 and SIM24 to be taken over by the (MTA) cuz its unacceptable how these issues spiral out of control, and the line starts dying off.

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4 minutes ago, WestFarms36 said:

Yeah, you should push for the SIM23 and SIM24 to be taken over by the (MTA) cuz its unacceptable how these issues spiral out of control, and the line starts dying off.

I'm not sure what the contractual obligations are to be honest, but yes, I agree.  I think that's something we'll watch carefully and see.  Just reminded me... I'm supposed to be speaking with a contact regarding the bus stop and bus shelter situation as well.

Edited by Via Garibaldi 8
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19 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I'm not sure what the contractual obligations are to be honest, but yes, I agree.  I think that's something we'll watch carefully and see.  Just reminded me... I'm supposed to be speaking with a contact regarding the bus stop and bus shelter situation as well.

Well according to Information their contract expires towards the end of this summer, so it be better off prioritizing this and pushing for it now in order to spark major change, because it be worse off being stuck with a contract and having to go through a long process and bureaucracy would later on become a roadblock.

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2 minutes ago, WestFarms36 said:

Well according to Information their contract expires towards the end of this summer, so it be better off prioritizing this and pushing for it now in order to spark major change, because it be worse off being stuck with a contract and having to go through a long process and bureaucracy would later on become a roadblock.

I don't think the (MTA) is any position to take over those routes this summer, not unless they get more buses from somewhere, which is highly doubtful.

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7 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I don't think the (MTA) is any position to take over those routes this summer, not unless they get more buses from somewhere, which is highly doubtful.

Yeah... That is a tough case. This type of operation should've been ceased a while ago, and I thought that with the Network redesign it would've been addressed. With the upcoming years the service will die off because as everything is upgrading, customers on the SIM23 and SIM24 are stuck behind, and it gives reason for them at the end of the day to stop using those routes. Hopefully in 2021 these 50 Buses can finally resolve this issue, but as mentioned this should be rooted from now in order to make sure the steps are taken to make sure this can truly happen. Hell... Who knows? It's probably cheaper for (MTA) to operate the routes themselves rather than give an unnecessarily high upfront cost to a private company.

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Wouldn't those 50 new express buses just be retiring old MCI's already running in Staten Island...? I would imagine this order will kill off the 4300s or bump them to MTA Bus to retire all those 2002 MCI's running there, and retire the 9 2002 units at YUK. SI is mostly new Prevosts and the service still sucks lol, I don't think the buses themselves are the problem here. 

 

 

 

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Just now, trainfan22 said:

Wouldn't those 50 new express buses just be retiring old MCI's already running in Staten Island...? I would imagine this order will kill off the 4300s or bump them to MTA Bus to retire all those 2002 MCI's running there, and retire the 9 2002 units at YUK. SI is mostly new Prevosts and the service still sucks lol, I don't think the buses themselves are the problem here. 

 

 

 

Actually the buses are part of the problem.  Either they don't have enough drivers or enough buses. These buses are desperately needed.  They should be able to retire the 2002 buses for sure and maybe some of the 2007 buses.

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1 minute ago, 7-express said:

Hopefully there will be some announcement in the future about new express buses for Queens to replace some of these mobile roach motels.

Yes, I will speak with my contact about this as we were supposed to have a conference call last week, but I was sick and had some other issues to tend to.

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53 minutes ago, WestFarms36 said:

Yeah... That is a tough case. This type of operation should've been ceased a while ago, and I thought that with the Network redesign it would've been addressed. With the upcoming years the service will die off because as everything is upgrading, customers on the SIM23 and SIM24 are stuck behind, and it gives reason for them at the end of the day to stop using those routes. Hopefully in 2021 these 50 Buses can finally resolve this issue, but as mentioned this should be rooted from now in order to make sure the steps are taken to make sure this can truly happen. Hell... Who knows? It's probably cheaper for (MTA) to operate the routes themselves rather than give an unnecessarily high upfront cost to a private company.

To further touch upon what was stated, Borough President just replied to my post online saying that they were working on it as I tagged him and other elected officials requesting that they work on this.

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2 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Latest announcements:

-After our speech last month before the (MTA) Board, today the (MTA) announced that Staten Island will receive 50 NEW express buses in 2020.  This should help to address service issues.

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/06/mta-hopes-replacement-busses-will-improve-si-commute-times.html?fbclid=IwAR1Al_SNCJIMqGaDISimKdL_tPM_EZFd9eaSfCFA8mToPhlGrqlkLY786Zc

That said, we will continue to press for that order to be expanded as needed.  When the new express buses come in, this could allow for the SIM23 and SIM24 to be taken over by the (MTA). @Union Tpke @WestFarms36

 

Great news. I have seen buses still with signs saying X23 and X24 in Midtown.

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I had gone to Eltingville TC a few days before the August changes to get some timetables and maps, and I spoke to one of the guys in there who had thought that the routes might have gone under MTA control in January. Was there any truth to what he said, or did things change?

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2 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

would imagine this order will kill off the 4300s or bump them to MTA Bus to retire all those 2002 MCI's running there, and retire the 9 2002 units at YUK

Yeah that’s what i heard too... All pre-CT MCI off the island to the eastchester scrapyard

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3 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Latest announcements:

-After our speech last month before the (MTA) Board, today the (MTA) announced that Staten Island will receive 50 NEW express buses in 2020.  This should help to address service issues.

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/06/mta-hopes-replacement-busses-will-improve-si-commute-times.html?fbclid=IwAR1Al_SNCJIMqGaDISimKdL_tPM_EZFd9eaSfCFA8mToPhlGrqlkLY786Zc

That said, we will continue to press for that order to be expanded as needed.  When the new express buses come in, this could allow for the SIM23 and SIM24 to be taken over by the (MTA). @Union Tpke @WestFarms36

 

IMHO, 50 doesn't even make a real dent at all.

Naturally, they'll start putting those in service for the retirements/scraps. Then add in the "spare" factor (shuffling the high mileage/'troublemaker' coaches around), and at the end of the day, 25 really hit the street. And as far as for "Staten Island only", oh that's a total pipe-dream given the financial situation overall.

As for "taking over" the Academy runs, that should have been part of the whole "overhaul" scheme anyways -- proving, once again, that the MTA does NOT listen to its customers, and does what it wants, with their big middle-finger flying high. R U Kidding me that "all of a sudden", those Academy customers' problems come to light, or was the MTA just doing the typical, "Sucks to be you" (similar to their utterly BRILLIANT "collaboration" across the city with DOT and the SBS crap) as part of the SI Express Bus program and shifting blame onto the EDC? The MTA is in NO WAY COMPETENT AT THIS POINT to take over those minimal trips, when they've caused havoc on all of their "fixed" routes covering Staten Island as a result of that program.

Edited by DetSMART45
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4 minutes ago, DetSMART45 said:

IMHO, 50 doesn't even make a real dent at all.

Naturally, they'll start putting those in service for the retirements/scraps. Then add in the "spare" factor (shuffling the high mileage/'troublemaker' coaches around), and at the end of the day, 25 really hit the street. And as far as for "Staten Island only", oh that's a total pipe-dream given the financial situation overall.

As for "taking over" the Academy runs, that should have been part of the whole "overhaul" scheme anyways -- proving, once again, that the MTA does NOT listen to its customers, and does what it wants, with their big middle-finger flying high. R U Kidding me that "all of a sudden", those Academy customers' problems come to light, or was the MTA just doing the typical, "Sucks to be you" (similar to their utterly BRILLIANT "collaboration" across the city with DOT and the SBS crap) as part of the SI Express Bus program and shifting blame onto the EDC? The MTA is in NO WAY COMPETENT AT THIS POINT to take over those minimal trips, when they've caused havoc on all of their "fixed" routes covering Staten Island as a result of that program.

Staten Island just received 300 new express buses from 2015-2017, so 50 more will go a long way. That's 350 new express buses in about 5 years.

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Just now, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Staten Island just received 300 new express buses from 2015-2017, so 50 more will go a long way. That's 350 new express buses in about 5 years.

Then that should mean all scheduled trips should be filled, and on a regular basis, because of the replacement ratio. Obviously not happening currently.

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1 minute ago, DetSMART45 said:

Then that should mean all scheduled trips should be filled, and on a regular basis, because of the replacement ratio. Obviously not happening currently.

No because they are currently short at times. That's where the 50 buses will help. They also need to hire more drivers though.

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1 hour ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Thanks to @SevenEleven for confirming that (MTA) Bus will also be receiving 257 new express buses in addition to the 50 for Staten Island.   Glad that this is proceeding accordingly!!

But are they using the 257 buses to retire all of the 500+ older buses for (MTA) bus? Or was that changed?

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41 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

WTF. That’s a crazy development. 

 How so? There's around 40 pre CT MCI's on SI, the 4300s are from 2004 (Hybrids from that same year are currently being retired) which is batch of 30 buses, and the rest are 2002 MCI's. After those are retired they will have roughly 10 extra buses for spares or service increases or whatever. 

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