Express Bus Advocacy Group

[trife86]

58 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Yeah left the depot... MAYBE... But then there are times when drivers don’t have a bus to make service or there aren’t enough drivers. OT is an ongoing thing on Staten Island. Been that way since I lived there. As you said they are always asking about OT on the radio, which never made sense to me. If they just hired so many drivers, how are they still in need of so much OT?

Well for when drivers thatare waiting for for express they will usually always make them want for a bus to come in. On the other hand local it's where some will get cut, each depot got a list for school trips which are OK to not send out if no availability.

 

And it's very common for dispatchers to have to call into maintenance to get a bus released even if it's only for one trip to make service. 

As far as why so much OT, not sure.... Maybe the TA has high hopes everyone wants OT but can't force people on it. They have the manpower if they add another trip in everyone's run, not that I want more work lol.

 

But I assume you know all this by now lol I don't try to talk about stuff I don't know.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

31 minutes ago, trife86 said:

Well for when drivers thatare waiting for for express they will usually always make them want for a bus to come in. On the other hand local it's where some will get cut, each depot got a list for school trips which are OK to not send out if no availability.

 

And it's very common for dispatchers to have to call into maintenance to get a bus released even if it's only for one trip to make service. 

As far as why so much OT, not sure.... Maybe the TA has high hopes everyone wants OT but can't force people on it. They have the manpower if they add another trip in everyone's run, not that I want more work lol.

 

But I assume you know all this by now lol I don't try to talk about stuff I don't know.

You got that right about some guys not wanting OT. They just want to work their time and get the hell out. I can say that after I’ve taken trips checking service, I can see why. These streets do a number on your body. My back starts to bother me after a while, even with the cushioned seats. Potholes galore...

The whole not sending out buses thing does not sit well with me because what happens is you have a bunch of lines where buses aren’t sent out and other lines take priority. Nothing new, but I don’t think it should happen. In my mind, if you have a bus on the schedule, this is service that exists and should run DAILY. Instead it is treated like optional service, so IF they have someone for it, they send out the bus. I told Road ops today about a 5:30 QM1 trip that has been missing for WEEKS. I told him point blank... I said I understand that there will be times when you can’t make service. Bus breaks down... No driver... All part of regular things that happen, but you haven’t had a 5:30pm QM1 trip for WEEKS at a time. How long is this going to go on? Additionally, I told asked him how are we as the public supposed to trust the agency to run more “frequent” service when they can’t even provide 7 PM rush hour only trips that run once every 30 minutes?!?! The room went quiet. LOL I got a well send the trips and we’ll look at it. LOL

[ViaWaterViaChurch]

32 minutes ago, 7-express said:

They need to find a way to get rid of all street parking during the afternoon rush hour on 59th from 5th Ave through to 2nd Ave.  Usually one side is blocked by Citi Bike or commercial parking and that just kills lane capacity.  That's the only way 59th will get some relief from the traffic madness.

59th really is a mess, there needs to be no standing signs from 3pm to 7pm for both sides of the street with heavy enforcement, maybe also no turns allowed on Lexington Avenue, but there definitely needs to be heavily enforced no standing zones from 5th to 3rd avenue.  Too often will trucks be unloading, or cars and t-cabs will be parked in these lanes that cause 3 lanes to go down to two or even sometimes 1 lane.   

It seems more and more lately that QM2/20 drivers are turning off 6th onto 57th and racing to Madison to turn left to make it to their Madison and 59th street pickup.  I have no problem with buses taking the lower level to go straight onto Northern Blvd, but without enforcement of no standing zones on 59th, these buses will continue to take a half hour or more to do the 6th avenue pick up adding to run times.  

[Via Garibaldi 8]

2 minutes ago, ViaWaterViaChurch said:

59th really is a mess, there needs to be no standing signs from 3pm to 7pm for both sides of the street with heavy enforcement, maybe also no turns allowed on Lexington Avenue, but there definitely needs to be heavily enforced no standing zones from 5th to 3rd avenue.  Too often will trucks be unloading, or cars and t-cabs will be parked in these lanes that cause 3 lanes to go down to two or even sometimes 1 lane.   

It seems more and more lately that QM2/20 drivers are turning off 6th onto 57th and racing to Madison to turn left to make it to their Madison and 59th street pickup.  I have no problem with buses taking the lower level to go straight onto Northern Blvd, but without enforcement of no standing zones on 59th, these buses will continue to take a half hour or more to do the 6th avenue pick up adding to run times.  

Oh they know the deal, and I listed the 59th street mess in my express bus network review and noticed on various trips that buses were across down 57th over to Madison and then turning on 59th. Much better than taking that mess on 59th. I told them today that they have to do something about that. It seems as if they don’t want to move them off of 59th, and if that’s the case then I told them they have to come up with some traffic mitigation plan ON 59th to address the problem.

[QM1to6Ave]

3 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

You got that right about some guys not wanting OT. They just want to work their time and get the hell out. I can say that after I’ve taken trips checking service, I can see why. These streets do a number on your body. My back starts to bother me after a while, even with the cushioned seats. Potholes galore...

The whole not sending out buses thing does not sit well with me because what happens is you have a bunch of lines where buses aren’t sent out and other lines take priority. Nothing new, but I don’t think it should happen. In my mind, if you have a bus on the schedule, this is service that exists and should run DAILY. Instead it is treated like optional service, so IF they have someone for it, they send out the bus. I told Road ops today about a 5:30 QM1 trip that has been missing for WEEKS. I told him point blank... I said I understand that there will be times when you can’t make service. Bus breaks down... No driver... All part of regular things that happen, but you haven’t had a 5:30pm QM1 trip for WEEKS at a time. How long is this going to go on? Additionally, I told asked him how are we as the public supposed to trust the agency to run more “frequent” service when they can’t even provide 7 PM rush hour only trips that run once every 30 minutes?!?! The room went quiet. LOL I got a well send the trips and we’ll look at it. LOL

Amazing work as usual!!! Great job! Really impressive to have gone from an idea for an advocacy group to a meeting with all these transportation big shots 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

2 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Amazing work as usual!!! Great job! Really impressive to have gone from an idea for an advocacy group to a meeting with all these transportation big shots 

Well as I said, I was shocked by having all of those people in the room because I wasn’t told we would have so many people there, so I walk by the conference room, and I’m like wait a minute is that the room because it was PACKED!! Then I come around to another door and I’m like WOW!! Everybody did their best to answer the questions. I had a long almost two-page agenda, and I’ll follow up with questions for the MTA and the DOT as well. Ali, the guy that helps me out, I can tell he was freaking out, so I basically did the speaking at that point because if I was taken back, I’m sure he had to be. With me I’ve dealt with speaking before large crowds and do it a lot, so I said ok fine, so this is the crowd, kept my eye on the agena and went through with the questions and comments that I had.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Via Garibaldi 8]

20 hours ago, trife86 said:

Interesting Cassella showed up but no other union heads....

Wrong name... Craig Cipriano... They look similar... Was told this morning that I mixed up the names!! LOL I saw a photo of Cassella but not one up close and both of them are bald with glasses. lol

Edited February 21, 2019 by Via Garibaldi 8

[7-express]

20 hours ago, ViaWaterViaChurch said:

59th really is a mess, there needs to be no standing signs from 3pm to 7pm for both sides of the street with heavy enforcement, maybe also no turns allowed on Lexington Avenue, but there definitely needs to be heavily enforced no standing zones from 5th to 3rd avenue.  Too often will trucks be unloading, or cars and t-cabs will be parked in these lanes that cause 3 lanes to go down to two or even sometimes 1 lane.   

It seems more and more lately that QM2/20 drivers are turning off 6th onto 57th and racing to Madison to turn left to make it to their Madison and 59th street pickup.  I have no problem with buses taking the lower level to go straight onto Northern Blvd, but without enforcement of no standing zones on 59th, these buses will continue to take a half hour or more to do the 6th avenue pick up adding to run times.  

They sometimes do but sometimes don't.  Today my normal QM20 driver who usually goes via 57th did not and took 59th.  Took three light cycles to make it across 5th alone.  59th between 5th and Park is usually the worst offender.  Today, there were multiple segments down to 1 lane due to multiple standing cars blocking the way.

Only way I see around this is for the city to bump up fines on critical corridors.  If you try standing on 59th Street, the fine should be doubled during the rush hour.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

More missing QM1 trips. I’m right in Bryant Park now seeing all of the express buses come by and there was no 7pm, and no 5:30 either. There was a QM6, but the QM5 to Glen Oaks is missing. I’m going to start recording these events and forwarding them to the Comptroller’s Office. That “missing QM5” was actually the Glen Oaks bus. Changed the sign later...

Edited February 22, 2019 by Via Garibaldi 8

[QM1to6Ave]

1 hour ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

More missing QM1 trips. I’m right in Bryant Park now seeing all of the express buses come by and there was no 7pm, and no 5:30 either. There was a QM6, but the QM5 to Glen Oaks is missing. I’m going to start recording these events and forwarding them to the Comptroller’s Office. That “missing QM5” was actually the Glen Oaks bus. Changed the sign later...

I didn't see the 6:30 either. Two packed QM5s come. I get on one, go all the way to the back row (with 5 seats), and some a**wipe sitting next to the window has bags covering TWO more seats. I move one of the bags over and the guy has the nerve to tell me I should have asked him to move the bag instead. I just ignored him like he didn't exist LOL. wasn't worth the argument with a moron. 

[Lil 57]

On 2/20/2019 at 8:27 PM, trife86 said:

On the other hand local it's where some will get cut, each depot got a list for school trips which are OK to not send out if no availability.

I remember during last March's snowstorm, they didn't send anything for my school's S57 tripper but Wagner's tripper got upgraded to an Express Bus. Meanwhile our school was forced onto the 3:20 PM bus and to make matters worse, the 2:50 PM bus broke down by the SIE. SMH.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Lil 57

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 hour ago, Lil 57 said:

I remember during last March's snowstorm, they didn't send anything for my school's S57 tripper but Wagner's tripper got upgraded to an Express Bus. Meanwhile our school was forced onto the 3:20 PM bus and to make matters worse, the 2:50 PM bus broke down by the SIE. SMH.

 

3 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

I didn't see the 6:30 either. Two packed QM5s come. I get on one, go all the way to the back row (with 5 seats), and some a**wipe sitting next to the window has bags covering TWO more seats. I move one of the bags over and the guy has the nerve to tell me I should have asked him to move the bag instead. I just ignored him like he didn't exist LOL. wasn't worth the argument with a moron. 

ThT sounds about right. I have a log for today on my office computer. I don’t care if my office looks like a tornado when I leave, I almost always keep a log. Basically, if memory serves me correctly, the 5:30, 6:30 and the 7 weee no-shows. I waited until 7:15 in Bryant Park and nothing came, and kept checking BusTime afterwards. Quite a few people have given up on that bus. They now use Uber...

1 hour ago, Lil 57 said:

I remember during last March's snowstorm, they didn't send anything for my school's S57 tripper but Wagner's tripper got upgraded to an Express Bus. Meanwhile our school was forced onto the 3:20 PM bus and to make matters worse, the 2:50 PM bus broke down by the SIE. SMH.

In the overall scheme of things, those trippers will go unfilled before most other things since it is supplemental service, and there isn’t any real revenue to be had.

[7-express]

One idea for QM service enhancement is to have a 20:00 QM20 bus.  Right now the last bus is at 19:30 before they shift to hourly headways while the QM2 maintains 20-30 min headways until 21:05.

I was on the 19:30 QM20 today and it was fairly populated with every row on both sides occupied with one passenger.  Seems like there's enough demand to have a 20:00 run and running 30 min headways until 20:30.  If they don't want to bring back the 00:00 QM2, they might as well reallocate it to helping the shoulder periods.

[checkmatechamp13]

On 2/12/2019 at 7:56 PM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

There’s no hoping. There’s been a 5:30pm trip literally a handful of times in WEEKS. No one is going to wait around for that bus or that 6:30pm trip either. I know my contact is going to say it’s a manpower problem but we had this conversation MONTHS ago. Either they have a bus but no driver, or drivers with no buses for them. The same crap goes on regularly on Staten Island, and now suddenly their planners and schedulers have become completely incompetent, so they can’t allot the proper run time. Right... More like they are trying to cut run times to the bone to cut back on costs. Cutting back on maintenance as well. Everybody that was in my meeting was more than competent, and quite a few of them were recently promoted, and none of them are new to the field.

On Staten Island they had the opposite problem: Too much runtime. They copy-pasted pieces of the old schedules (which I'm sure you've heard me mention before) and that includes the runtime. So when people were complaining "we're not saving time with fewer stops" a lot of it was because operators were holding at stops or driving slowly to avoid running early.

I'm sure you saw my SIM8X post....the EXACT SAME running time as the regular SIM8 even though it skips 8 stops and runs nonstop from the mall to Lamberts Lane. (Actually it might be worse because I think the SIM8 stop is the stop before Westport Street)

There's a few others I brought up (all the "via NJ" routes after 7pm tend to either drag the line or run hot within Manhattan)

On 2/16/2019 at 11:46 PM, Lil 57 said:

Isn't this just a copy-paste of the MLK schedules. The SIM1C also runs every 30 minutes most of the day. Worse than Sunday service.

Yes it is.

On 2/18/2019 at 10:31 AM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Yeah the only place they published it was in BusTime:

How's that for transparency?  We told our QM20 riders about it in the group using other apps which had the times published, otherwise we wouldn't have known when they were running.

Things published in BusTime are usually also published in the Trip Planner (and often Google Transit but not always)

[7-express]

Got a report from my friend last night around 2230.  SIM1C bunching and having to take a SRO bus all the way back home.  Pretty absurd for that hour of the night.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

51 minutes ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

On Staten Island they had the opposite problem: Too much runtime. They copy-pasted pieces of the old schedules (which I'm sure you've heard me mention before) and that includes the runtime. So when people were complaining "we're not saving time with fewer stops" a lot of it was because operators were holding at stops or driving slowly to avoid running early.

I'm sure you saw my SIM8X post....the EXACT SAME running time as the regular SIM8 even though it skips 8 stops and runs nonstop from the mall to Lamberts Lane. (Actually it might be worse because I think the SIM8 stop is the stop before Westport Street)

There's a few others I brought up (all the "via NJ" routes after 7pm tend to either drag the line or run hot within Manhattan)

Yes it is.

Things published in BusTime are usually also published in the Trip Planner (and often Google Transit but not always)

Craig Cipriano who is under Darryl Irick sat directly across from me in my meeting. We had a discussion about BusTime. He asked that I advise express bus riders to use BusTime for their trips, and I always use BusTime (desktop version). We both agree that it’s the most accurate and even I said that in the meeting to him. If people want to use other apps, they are free to do so, but that’s what is recommended for tracking anyway. The other apps can have mistakes or may not be updated that often for planning trips and so on.

Sarah Wyss and I chatted about an X14 revival and where it could begin. I told her have it start on Forest and then run it with the SIM35. She was wondering if we want it to run from Port Richmond. I also told Craig that we want the X18 back. That SIM30 branch is not working.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Via Garibaldi 8]

12 minutes ago, 7-express said:

Got a report from my friend last night around 2230.  SIM1C bunching and having to take a SRO bus all the way back home.  Pretty absurd for that hour of the night.

I’ve been taking trips today. Two QM2 trips and two QM15 trips. All right on-time and the drivers are hauling @ss. Mark Holmes and I had a conversation about the QMs and their run times. I told him we want those schedules revised with realistic run times per that 2015 express bus audit. If they don’t start fixing this mess the next step is another audit until they get this service where it should be. They have been running this “premium service” like a joke. No performance metrics to speak of. Craig Cipriano noted to me that they were coming out with one for every express bus line. 

An hour and a half and I gave it to them. Road ops... They got hell about the QM1 and the missing trips especially that 5:30 trip.

[trife86]

23 minutes ago, 7-express said:

Got a report from my friend last night around 2230.  SIM1C bunching and having to take a SRO bus all the way back home.  Pretty absurd for that hour of the night.

Don't think it's a issue of bunching between that time and about 0100hrs A LOT of people get out of work in midtown, alot more so than expected. Every time i did a 1x between 2300-2400 even with a 5 or 10 minute headway I'd have a full load.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

3 hours ago, trife86 said:

Don't think it's a issue of bunching between that time and about 0100hrs A LOT of people get out of work in midtown, alot more so than expected. Every time i did a 1x between 2300-2400 even with a 5 or 10 minute headway I'd have a full load.

 Not only that. People on the island, especially teenagers or young adults tend to hangout in groups together and ride the express bus. When that happens, the buses can be slammed.

[QM1to6Ave]

Same deal with the QMs...surprisingly heavy passenger loads at 10, 11, 12 at night. And the and are slammed at those times too...I used to take the back to Queens around 8 pm years ago because I always got a seat, no problem. Now, forget about it. 

[Calvin]

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/02/express-bus-riders-to-be-able-to-see-real-time-seat-availability-through-app.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=statenislandadvance_sf&fbclid=IwAR1-ED87a5rb0nnUAZ0ULO-4TSPaED10_4Yq8-fUPywSLF-NsVY3TFD9Fa0

Soon, SIM routes can be tracked for seat availability 

[Italianstallion]

On 2/20/2019 at 9:19 PM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Oh they know the deal, and I listed the 59th street mess in my express bus network review and noticed on various trips that buses were across down 57th over to Madison and then turning on 59th. Much better than taking that mess on 59th. I told them today that they have to do something about that. It seems as if they don’t want to move them off of 59th, and if that’s the case then I told them they have to come up with some traffic mitigation plan ON 59th to address the problem.

Did you know that about 15  or 20 years ago there was a time when most express buses over the Queensboro Bridge went east on 57th all the way to Second Ave., and then turned left - north - on Second Ave. for the 2 blocks to get to the bridge? How was this possible? They instituted a contraflow lane on the east side of Second Ave. between 57th and 59th Streets, going north, for buses only. I suppose they got rid of the lane because it slowed down southbound traffic. But perhaps your group could look into this again as a possible solution.

 

EDIT -it was actually in 1979. Here's an article. Don't know when it was discontinued.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/30/archives/reversetraffic-lane-speeding-buses-to-queens-reverse-lane-is.html

 

 

Edited February 24, 2019 by Italianstallion

[checkmatechamp13]

9 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Sarah Wyss and I chatted about an X14 revival and where it could begin. I told her have it start on Forest and then run it with the SIM35. She was wondering if we want it to run from Port Richmond. I also told Craig that we want the X18 back. That SIM30 branch is not working.

It could just take the eastern half of the SIM30 along Forest & Victory like the old X16 and then have the SIM30 start at Jewett and just serve Port Richmond & Mariners Harbor/Graniteville. That way people in the West Brighton/Randall Manor area don't have to backtrack through the whole island to reach the Goethals Bridge.

Only thing is it doesn't serve that area around Martling Avenue but if they can improve the schedule of both halves of the SIM30 split so that it ends later in the AM and starts earlier in the PM then it would be a good tradeoff IMO (because otherwise you know how they've been with restorations....they give back one route like the SIM11 and then they make cuts to a completely unrelated aspect of the SIM10....I can picture them doing the same with the SIM3 if you're not careful which is probably why she asked if you would run the X14 to Port Richmond....but just because you dodged that doesn't mean you're in the clear because one of the main aspects of the redesign on the North Shore was to beef up the X42 corridor and part of that includes diverting X14 riders to that area)

Edited February 24, 2019 by checkmatechamp13

[QM1to6Ave]

2 hours ago, Calvin said:

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/02/express-bus-riders-to-be-able-to-see-real-time-seat-availability-through-app.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=statenislandadvance_sf&fbclid=IwAR1-ED87a5rb0nnUAZ0ULO-4TSPaED10_4Yq8-fUPywSLF-NsVY3TFD9Fa0

Soon, SIM routes can be tracked for seat availability 

Let's hope the MTA tracks the data as well so it is clear which runs get packed regularly

Though shouldn't the MTA be able to tell how many total riders are on each run based upon farebox data?

 I even wonder if there is a way to combine GPS data with the timestamp of when a metrocard is put into the farebox to determine how many people get on at each stop? 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

3 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Let's hope the MTA tracks the data as well so it is clear which runs get packed regularly

Though shouldn't the MTA be able to tell how many total riders are on each run based upon farebox data?

 I even wonder if there is a way to combine GPS data with the timestamp of when a metrocard is put into the farebox to determine how many people get on at each stop? 

Apparently not. They can see how many people swipped but not where exactly. That’s my understanding, hence the need for checkers to see where people get on and off at.