Suffolk County Draft Plan Released

[Mtatransit]

Very excited to see the schedules for these new route. SCT is putting a lot of extra money into the system with this redesign 

Even more excited to see the pulse operations at Brentwood/Wyandanch/Patchogue/Smith Haven Mall

[checkmatechamp13]

6 hours ago, Mtatransit said:

Very excited to see the schedules for these new route. SCT is putting a lot of extra money into the system with this redesign 

Even more excited to see the pulse operations at Brentwood/Wyandanch/Patchogue/Smith Haven Mall

Are you saying the published the schedules already? (I don't think in the original plan that Wyandanch was considered a pulse point...the ones in this plan are Amityville, Patchogue, Brentwood, Central Islip, Smith Haven, Riverhead, and Bay Shore for all routes except the S2)

17 hours ago, danielhg121 said:

The implementation date for the new SCT bus network is scheduled for October 1st. Oddly enough, I found out through NICEBus. lol

Do you have the link to the NICE page that shows it? (I figured it would be October 1st...the S92 schedule is listed as being effective until September 30th, 2023)

[B35 via Church]

9 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Are you saying the published the schedules already? (I don't think in the original plan that Wyandanch was considered a pulse point...the ones in this plan are Amityville, Patchogue, Brentwood, Central Islip, Smith Haven, Riverhead, and Bay Shore for all routes except the S2)

I got the sense he was just being anticipatory.

9 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Do you have the link to the NICE page that shows it? (I figured it would be October 1st...the S92 schedule is listed as being effective until September 30th, 2023)

Yeah, it's on the summer schedules page for 2023... Lol'd when I first saw it..... I'm not going to put 100% stock in it though, until I see some sort of confirmation from the horse's mouth....

[jaf0519]

On 7/4/2023 at 10:25 PM, checkmatechamp13 said:

I think @jaf0519 is correct. I believe they will also attempt to put some of the major corridors on the destination sign (e.g. "via Montauk Highway" for the 2 or "via Middle Country Road" for the 58) 

By any chance, would it work to take the 7A to Patchogue for the Montauk Branch? (You'd get to Jamaica about 9 minutes earlier compared to the Ronkonkoma Branch)

I could do this and have done it a couple of times, but 1) I can’t always leave work right away and usually would get to the bus stop after that 7A passes by, 2) at least at Ronkonkoma, the trains are roughly every 30 min, so if one is canceled, its better than an hour wait. There was one day the 5:31 PM train at Patchogue was canceled and if I went that way I would have gotten off the 7A at around 5:00 and would have had to wait for the 6:31 train. 3) Plus, a few times the 7A has been early and I have just barely made the 5:28 PM train, saving me close to 30 min, so overall I’d rather take my chances at Ronkonkoma.

[jaf0519]

On 7/6/2023 at 5:00 PM, The TransitMan said:

Yeah I kind of figured. It would be good to expand those destination signs.

Ouch! How early do you get to Ronkonkoma? I know the S63 has one trip to Patchogue via Holtsville, which leaves around 6:55? 

Yes. Let's see if they follow through because they went through he#/ adding "S40 via Middle Rd"

I get off the train at 6:40, so I could take the S63, but the couple of times I have taken it, it drops me off later than the schedule says, and the 7A has been very consistent for me, at worst being a minute or two late. 

[checkmatechamp13]

9 hours ago, jaf0519 said:

I get off the train at 6:40, so I could take the S63, but the couple of times I have taken it, it drops me off later than the schedule says, and the 7A has been very consistent for me, at worst being a minute or two late. 

Would the new system (assuming there is an S51 within a reasonable time of when your train arrives at Ronkonkoma) allow you to take the following train and sleep in a little bit longer in the morning, or would you still have to take the same train you do now?

[jaf0519]

38 minutes ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Would the new system (assuming there is an S51 within a reasonable time of when your train arrives at Ronkonkoma) allow you to take the following train and sleep in a little bit longer in the morning, or would you still have to take the same train you do now?

With a well timed S51 to/from Ronkonkoma, I could probably save 50 minutes in the morning and about an hour in the afternoon.

[checkmatechamp13]

The website has been updated: https://sct-bus.org/NewNetwork.html

I don't see the new schedules or stop lists posted yet, but hopefully they will be posted soon.

[checkmatechamp13]

Also there is a survey they published on Twitter regarding what their official motto should be: https://t.co/HS4MQSTpUp

Edited August 4, 2023 by checkmatechamp13

[Lex]

12 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Also there is a survey they published on Twitter regarding what their official motto should be: https://t.co/HS4MQSTpUp

And every one of them is cringeworthy...

[Gotham Bus Co.]

16 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Also there is a survey they published on Twitter regarding what their official motto should be: https://t.co/HS4MQSTpUp

 

I would add "Suffolking Good Service."  (Okay, I'll show myself out.)

[B35 via Church]

If this was their slogan, I would literally ride their buses every... single..... week....

We got two worrrds for ya - Suf-Folk !!!

[N6 Limited]

Is anyone planning to bus fan when the new network goes into service?

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

10 hours ago, N6 Limited said:

Is anyone planning to bus fan when the new network goes into service?

I think that the fact that a chunk of their fleet is now minibuses, it takes away from a lot of excitement / interest in the new network. 

[B35 via Church]

10 hours ago, N6 Limited said:

Is anyone planning to bus fan when the new network goes into service?

Gradually, eventually....

I've never been a proponent of riding some new route{s} when they first come out anyway....

27 minutes ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

I think that the fact that a chunk of their fleet is now minibuses, it takes away from a lot of excitement / interest in the new network. 

Quite frankly, I'm (more) concerned about the morale of the drivers when this new network goes into effect.... With the current system right now, well let's just say Rome is burning & London Bridge has fallen...... Too many missing (or extremely late) trips, drivers taking longer layovers than normal, the general disposition of drivers being more negative than positive - IME's anyway.... The feeling is more of a *let me get this done with, so I can go home*, than it is a (genuine) *can I help you*..... This may be extreme, but I'll say it anyway - I'd go as far as to say that it doesn't even feel like a public bus system anymore out there.... I started feeling like this since 2020/21..... My interest level in SCT has taken a flat out nosedive in those past 2-3 years or so - this is coming from someone that used to be high on SCT too....

For all we've been saying about the redesigns for the boroughs, while I wouldn't say excited, I'm still intrigued on how (bad) things are going to pan out...

[N6 Limited]

On 8/18/2023 at 10:53 AM, B35 via Church said:

Gradually, eventually....

I've never been a proponent of riding some new route{s} when they first come out anyway....

Is it due to the possible service issues that could arise?

[B35 via Church]

20 hours ago, N6 Limited said:

Is it due to the possible service issues that could arise?

Actually, no.

What it is, is basically two-fold...... I don't want to run into any news reporters asking me questions about my "commute" when I'm out 'fanning .....The main reason though, is - Passenger befuddlement.

Lucky you if you've never had to put up with it, but confused passengers (for what ever the reason) always tend to gravitate towards me with their frantic, panicky dispositions... I despise when people outwardly exude that type of energy..... You try to help these people - However, when you end up giving them an answer they don't want to hear, they start raising their voice at you & shit.... T'hell with that....

 

....and now that I say that, come to think of it, that's actually another reason why I refrain from bustituting,

Edited September 6, 2023 by B35 via Church

[N6 Limited]

On 8/18/2023 at 9:37 AM, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

I think that the fact that a chunk of their fleet is now minibuses, it takes away from a lot of excitement / interest in the new network.

 

Which (types of) routes are they planning to run them on?

[checkmatechamp13]

The new system start is going to be delayed (it won't start October 1st) but is still expected to be sometime before the end of the year.

[jaf0519]

2 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

The new system start is going to be delayed (it won't start October 1st) but is still expected to be sometime before the end of the year.

Where did you hear this? I was looking forward to my commute getting shorter next month 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

On 9/14/2023 at 11:51 PM, N6 Limited said:

 

Which (types of) routes are they planning to run them on?

Well we don't know for sure. However if they're scattered across the system on many routes like the 2A/2B, 6A, 7A, 7B, S20, S25, S29, S42, S56, S57, S59, S68 (with even some appearances on routes like the S58), expect their successors to also use them, and some more. Those buses are gonna have to be used somewhere if the routes they're currently used on get cut. 

15 hours ago, jaf0519 said:

Where did you hear this? I was looking forward to my commute getting shorter next month 

The lack of communication from SCT's part should be evident that it wasn't gonna happen. They don't have anything up besides the map, which shows many different route paths / deviations than what was on their final plan. 

[The TransitMan]

On 9/23/2023 at 1:05 PM, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Well we don't know for sure. However if they're scattered across the system on many routes like the 2A/2B, 6A, 7A, 7B, S20, S25, S29, S42, S56, S57, S59, S68 (with even some appearances on routes like the S58), expect their successors to also use them, and some more. Those buses are gonna have to be used somewhere if the routes they're currently used on get cut. 

The lack of communication from SCT's part should be evident that it wasn't gonna happen. They don't have anything up besides the map, which shows many different route paths / deviations than what was on their final plan. 

This would also explain wikipedia not updating their page on Suffolk Transit. Like the MTA bus pages, they displayed the REDESIGN routes for the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn...even Express.  All they did was mention that Suffolk Transit redesign will take place on October 1st. So I agree, something wasn't right with the communication on their website.

[checkmatechamp13]

3 hours ago, The TransitMan said:

This would also explain wikipedia not updating their page on Suffolk Transit. Like the MTA bus pages, they displayed the REDESIGN routes for the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn...even Express.  All they did was mention that Suffolk Transit redesign will take place on October 1st. So I agree, something wasn't right with the communication on their website.

Wikipedia is updated by anyone, usually us transit fans not by the agency itself. But yes, unfortunately it will be a delayed start to the new system.

[The TransitMan]

6 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Wikipedia is updated by anyone, usually us transit fans not by the agency itself. But yes, unfortunately it will be a delayed start to the new system.

I'm aware of that. I was just saying in general...and according to customer service at Suffolk Transit, it COULD be the end of October when the new system kicks off.

[B35 via Church]

There's something to be said about these transit agencies that come out with these redesigned networks, to then go dead silent after a relatively significant amount of time.....

I'll say this much.... I'm all for progression & doing away with antiquity.... At the same time, my problem with these redesigns all of a sudden, is that they very much appear to be happening as part of a trend, more-so than them being done to (attempt to) enhance the commuter's commute/commuting experience.... Yeah yeah, covid, but this is what happens when you're reactive, instead of proactive; scurrying around like roaches when the light comes on, in a whimsical attempt to massively scale back on operating costs...