Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
BIG AL
Robert
NYCTA buses have run numbers, not block numbers. Someone can give a better explanation as to how those work. The run number on the bus above is "005", displayed in the lower left corner of the windshield as you look towards the bus. Systems with block numbers include Ride-On and WMATA, which also display them in the lower left corner of the windshield (or for Ride-On, in the side window of the HellDorados).
An unusual block number O:-)
A more standard Ride-On block
WMATA blocks indicate the division the bus comes from and the route.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Betta recognize...
And, for crying out loud, didn't u just come back to this board???
Don't start again...
Incognito
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enymova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I don't think their Artics are THAT bad! We'll see over time how this goes.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
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Man that was a tight turn for the Artic coming off of Fulton Street, I thought it wouldn't be able to come down the street because it was too big, looks like I was wrong.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Mark
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
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MV
MJQ
100St
MCH
WF
UP
FB
JG
FP
ENY
KB
126St
GH
Just put it like this buses from every depot in Brooklyn, Manhattan & Bronx ran the shuttle today.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Quill
Hale
Ulmer Park
Jackie Gleason
100th Street
Flatbush
Kingsbridge
Manhatthanville
West Farms
Fresh Pond
ENY
126 streeet
The Artic that was operating came from 100th street depot.
There was a O5 from hale
The rest were RTS's (Nova, TMC, GMC)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
I bet they were all from 126 and 100th right?
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
I only seen 5566 on the shuttle.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
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Are you crazy? She would of probably smacked flames out of me, lol.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
I agree 100%. If there was any way to filter or censor the profanities (and just the profanities), I'd be for it.
SmarTrip on Metrobus test routes in Maryland and the District
Routes*
A- 2,4,5,6,7,8,9, 42, 46, 48
C- 11,12,13,14,40
D- 12,13,14
E- 32
H- 8, 9
M- 6
P- 1,2,6,17,18,19
S- 35, 41
U- 5, 6
V- 5,7,8,9
W- 4, 13,14,15,17,19,54
30, 32, 34, 35, 36
90, 92, 93, 94, 96, 97
*Note: Not every bus on these routes will have the new farebox. Please be prepared to pay with cash or tokens. Get a paper transfer as you normally would.
IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!!!
As for DASH, through the sterilization chamber about 4 times, then hand scrubbing will highly effective disinfective soap and then through the chamber a couple of more times, those hands might not have been sterile, they can't take any chances.
But doesn't THE BUS have to shore up the place where the fareboxes go, their buses aren't that heavy duty and I can see fareboxes going through the floors of the ODVs and CAGVs on a regular basis. And on the CAGVs, they will have to knock the passenger capacity from 24 to 23 since those fareboxes would be too heavy to support that and 24 people. Some people in PG might be scared out of riding THE BUS when they try to put their pennies in and the bell goes off, some of them got warrants you know : P
I would probably guess that Fairfax Connector would steal theirs not realizing that they are getting them, so they can claim they got theirs before any of the metrobuses from FMR and Royal. Get it Fairfax Connector stealing fareboxes, taking WMATA routes in FFX county.
Full detour info is available at rideonbus.com
Had 353 twice, on the N22 and N15! And I got lucky enough to just make earlier connections than I had planned because the buses were running on time. Only about a little over 1 hour each way! Now thats what I like! The 600s and the 300s are mad fast. And the beach was beautiful and my nose cleared up! Poor #174 had a flat in RVC and was signed up as N15 Long Beach heading north very slowly on Centre avenue, with a tow truck following it.
Also saw plenty of Gilligs in Long Beach city transit. Apparently they have a route that runs to Point Lookout. One of these days I'll get around to riding it.
At that time, there was also a route called the N63. I can't remember whether this was just the current N33 or if N63 was the route number for one of the Long Beach loops.
For those who keep score, I saw LIB #115 going on the hook on Thursday night this week. It was probably operating on the N14 at the time -- but a fair number of Not In Service runs also use the stretch of Long Beach Road where I saw it at that time.
CG
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
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B15,B24,B39,B43,B48,B57,B61 & Q59.
David
MetroB
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
They are going only to Queens Village and Mother hale
This is as per offical MTA NYC Transit Committee October Report
Thank You
BIG AL
The only reference to the second group of HEV's is that they are supposed to be delivered by 2005 with no assignments as yet.
Since Orion is running late on deliveries of the first contract(delivery was suppose to begin in the 3rd quater of 2003) one wonders
if the second group will ever be delivered.
This is my own speculation
Thank You
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
JD
Gillig probably would not even submit a bid to NYCT, as they cater to smaller TAs. The biggest TA I imagine that runs Gilligs is the San Diego MTS family, and even they have gone exclusively with New Flyer since about 1993. (The Gilligs are from 1991.)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
IIRC, there was a dispute with New Flyer about a performance bond for the current articulated bus contract. That may be enough to discourage NYCT from going back to NFI. I've heard that other agencies have had this same issue with New Flyer, which still is not in the best of financial shape. All of this may explain why Boston's MBTA awarded a recent contract for diesel buses to Neoplan even though NFI submitted the lowest bid.
Realistically, the only way I see NYCT moving away from Orion is if the Orion VII's turn out to be a collosal bust. If the O7 is successful and OBI doesn't get too greedy and jack up the price, you can probably expect to see many more of them on the streets of New York City.
Jim D.
2003 ORION HYBRID
6365-6429 (65) MCH 6365 at MCH
6430-6494 (65) QV
6495-6559 (65) FP
6560-6624 (65) ENY
6625-6689 (65) To Be Announced
Last one hmmmm
David
No routes are "supposed" to go anywhere until and unless a Maspeth depot is actually built first. Until then, anything can (and probably will) happen.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
MetroB
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
When I arrived at Broadway Junction, I waited out a few buses, including some from West Farms, such as 8054 and 6118. During this time, I met up with the aforementioned three while waiting for an empty bus to come, they having already made at least one round trip, and MDT (Ozzy) having taken pictures of some artics out of KB and 100 Street. Eventually, after several buses passed by filling up quickly, the four of us boarded bus 9663. This bus, true to its Kingsbridge for, was a slow accelerator, but along Atlantic Avenue, it accelerated nicely. This bus had some issues turning onto Nevins Street from Fulton Street. (The next trip, which I describe later, did not attempt this difficult turn.) This trip was not too crowded going to Jay.
At Jay, we waited while I went to get some snacks and Ozzy went into the nearby Subway restaurant. We then walked up to Myrtle Avenue, beyond which the southbound buses were boarding, and if you want a mess, then you should have been here! Ozzy, Flatbush, SciGuy, and I boarded coach 9304. I sat beside Flatbush, with Ozzy sitting in the back row and SciGuy sitting in the window opposite from Flatbush and me. (I was on the left side of the bus, by the aisle). This bus became crowded very quickly, and more so because it was a platform bus. This bus, however, was filled with customers needing points east, and so few stops were made along the route, with the only difficulty being the turn from Tillary onto Flatbush, and from Fulton onto South Portland.
At this point, Ozzy and SciGuy left and I stayed on for a round trip. Flatbush took the next trip with me, because he needed to return home. He really wanted to ride an Orion V, and Flatbush and I boarded 252, which was rather empty. However, I was surprised when it went down Fulton instead of Atlantic. However, the bus was largely empty the entire way, and turned onto Lafayette onto Fulton instead of continuing down Fulton onto Nevins.
At this point, Flatbush went home, and I stayed at Jay, waiting for one of the three CNG Orion Vs to come. After letting many buses pass, and watching the madness of people trying to get to the airport lugging huge luggage up the staircase (a part time exit was the one nearest the loading area at Jay), I caught bus 591, which after repowering is now only 2 x 2 in the back, instead of 5 seats there. (591, unlike the other buses I rode, was a local bus.) (The engine compartment is similar to that of all other Orion 5s since 1995.) This bus had some people wanting to go to Hoyt Street (do people NOT read the posters; the way would be for one to ride the F to Carroll and then switch to the G train there), and then not too happy when informed that they would need to ride another shuttle bus going northbound (using subway lingo) to get to Hoyt. The traffic on Fulton was atrocious, especially between Franklin and Kingston. I photographed the bus when I got off.
What I saw, combined with what Flatbush noted while I was there:
WF: 8054, 446, 6118, 8183, 420, 9139
100: 5566
KB: 9663, 9692, 9695, 8876, 8838, 9677, 9675, 8861, 8885
FLA: 9420, 4214, 5088, 5107, 9384, 8404, 5118, 9428-9, 8073, 8334, 9405, 5081, 9425
ENY: 9068, 4987, 4999, 8104, 8908, 8096, 5023, 5210, 8693
GH: 196, 202
JG: 4682, 604, 594, 4649, 849, 4664, 4647, 4646, 4694, 591, 4650, 4664
MJQ: 9210, 9025, 8647, 9046, 8621, 9025, 8630
UP: 4861, 9314, 9321, 4860, 4771, 9096, 4786, 9304, 8687, 4790, 7524, 8681
MV: 5052, 5171, 5186, 5191-5193, 5131, 5054
FP: 5067, 8540, 8554, 4712, 8548, 8155
MCH: 249, 247, 6023, 252
126: 8484, 8468, 8466, 8496 (Orion-like bottom grille by engine area), 8459, 8237, 8486, 8217, 8213 (RTS 3? grille on the pork chop)
4963 B83 N/B
9663 RTS Express N/B
9304 RTS Express S/B
252 Orion Express N/B
591 Orion Local S/B
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
126: 8517, 8486
FP: 8559
MJQ: 9001
GH: 207
KB: 8886
FLA: 9428
WF: 6099, 6100
100th: 5545
ENY: 9071
I was on the A Express Artic #5566
BTW, I saw a guy at the corner of Jay & Fulton with a Camera.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
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O.Zamora
The Manhattanville Hill Billy
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
ENY: 4987,5023,8090,8096,8908,8927,8935,9041,9068
UP: 4786,4790,4860,4861,7524,8687,9081,9090,9096,9100,9304,9315,9321
FB: 4214,5081,5088,5107,5112,5118,5119,8032,8073,8334,8404,9384,9405,9420,9425,9428,9429
FP: 4712,4724,5067,8155,8548
JG: 591,594,604,849,4646,4647,4648,4649,4650,4651,4658,4664,4667,4668,4682,4694
126: 8237,8459,8466,8468,8484,8496
WF: 420,446,6083,6118,8054,8183
MV: 5054,5131,5171,5186,5191,5193
KB: 8838,8876,8885,9662,9663,9675,9676,9677,9695
MJQ: 8621,8630,8647,9046,9204,9210
100: 5566
GH: 196,202
MCH: 247,249,252,6023
For those who was there, if you thought this was bad wait until next week when it lasts the ENTIRE weekend!
O5 583 B68
NF 856 B75
RTS 4214 A SHUTTLE
RTS 9663 A SHUTTLE
RTS 9304 A SHUTTLE
O5 252 A SHUTTLE
RTS 4437 B41 LTD
NF 986 B8
MetroB
If you mean bus depots, in NYC there is Quill, East New York, and 100 Street which are multi-leveled. If you mean bus stations, then there is PABT and George Washington (around New York.)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
#8460 - B60
#8686 - B6
MetroB
#4861 - B82
#8689 - B4
MetroB
MetroB
Maybe the oddest thing was, except for me and another guy, none of the passengers (the Bee-Line supervisor and a Greenburgh cop counted 34) seemed in any hurry to get off the bus and continue their trip. But after what seemed like 45 minutes or so (I was surprised to realize later it had actually been less than 15) I finally asked the bus operator if I could please get off the bus. I explained I had an appointment, wasn’t hurt and hadn’t seen anything. He was nice. I could tell he wanted to say no, but instead he kinda hesitated and then said okay. BTW, over the next hour or so, as I went about my business, I was surprised to realize, though I hadn’t been physically hurt, I WAS shaken up, much more than I’d realized at first. It was a very odd experience. How often does the bus you're riding broad-side a car? It's a first for me!
In retrospect I think what happened was this. A car coming in the opposite direction had made a left into the Shopping Center entrance directly in front of the bus, accounting for the first bus brake application and the passengers gasping. And then, as the bus operator released the brakes, another car followed the first and didn't make it, winding up virtually welded to the Orion's front bumper.
Hey, it coulda been a whole lot worse!
1. Camp trip to Toronto. Apparently the driver of our bus fell alseep and the bus started drifting to the right(I cuda sworn I saw the bus next to us getting closer and closer), then we hit the other camp bus next to us. We pulled over. The mirror on the bus we hit had fallen off. We finally got it fixed somehow, I think tape, when the mirrors on our bus fell off! LOL. All in all, we lost about 2.5 hrs cuz of this stupid thing. BTW, it was Academy. lol.
2. N23 to Mineola. I wont state the drivers name. We just turned onto Warner Av. Made the Roslyn RR stop. Then we started going wen a plumbing van rear-ended us.
3. Same exact bus ride, still on my way to Mineola. Now on Willis av(only about 3 miles from the previous accident), a Semi stops short cuz the driver I guess just realizes he was supposed to turn right onto the LIE service rd. We rear ended him. He musta not felt it somehow, cuz he just drove off.
On the way home from Mineola, it was the same driver. Commin around a turn on Port Washington BLVD, just after Let There Be Bagels, some idiots who's parked opens his door. We swerve and just miss it. Bad day for that driver. We joke about it every time I'm on his bus though.
I can only wonder how the bus looked when he pulled in, and how that poor driver may have become the laughingstock of LI Bus. (Oh wait, the stock of buses is already something to laugh at, and then cry!)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Nah, Johnny Boy will always be the laughing stock of LIB. Laughing stock along with lots of other things, such as prick, asshole, and sellfish bastard. lol. The driver in these accidents though has redeemed himself quite a few times.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
BIG AL
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
BIG AL
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Why is this A shuttle happening? Is there something wrong with the (A) Line?
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Manhattanville: 8751, 8782, 8791, 8798
East New York: 8900, 8906, 8908-8909, 8911, 8915, 8917, 8920-8921, 8927-8928, 9030-9031, 9040, 9060, 9062, 9068
Jamaica: 8939, 8941, 8963, 8967, 8970, 8972, 9054, 9065, 9070
Micheal J. Quill: 8981, 8988, 8991, 9201, 9207, 9211, 9218, 9221, 9223
Ulmer Park: 9089, 9100-9101, 9105, 9176-9185
Fresh Pond: 9164, 9166-9167, 9169, 9171, 9173-9175
West Farms: 9111, 9113-9114, 9118
Gun Hill: 9229-9230, 9235-9237, 9243, 9246-9247, 9249
Enjoy!!!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
East New York: 8900, 8906, 8908-8909, 8911, 8915, 8917, 8920-8921, 8927-8928, 9030-9031, 9040, 9060, 9062, 9068
Jamaica: 8939, 8941, 8963, 8967, 8970, 8972, 9054, 9065, 9070
Micheal J. Quill: 8981, 8988, 8991, 9201, 9207, 9211, 9218, 9221, 9223
Ulmer Park: 9089, 9100-9101, 9105, 9107, 9176-9185
Fresh Pond: 9164, 9166-9167, 9169, 9171, 9173-9175
West Farms: 9111, 9113-9114, 9118
Gun Hill: 9229-9230, 9235-9237, 9243, 9246-9247, 9249
Enjoy!!!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
East New York: 8900, 8906, 8908-8909, 8911, 8915, 8917, 8920-8921, 8927-8928, 9030-9031, 9040, 9060, 9062, 9068
Jamaica: 8939, 8941, 8963, 8967, 8970, 8972, 9054, 9065, 9070
Micheal J. Quill: 8981, 8988, 8991, 9201, 9207, 9211, 9218, 9221, 9223
Ulmer Park: 9100-9101, 9105, 9107, 9176-9185
Fresh Pond: 9164, 9166-9167, 9169, 9171, 9173-9175
West Farms: 9111, 9113-9114, 9118
Gun Hill: 9229-9230, 9235-9237, 9243, 9246-9247, 9249
Enjoy!!!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
BIG AL
Manhattanville: 8751, 8782, 8791, 8798
East New York: 8900, 8906, 8908-8909, 8911, 8915, 8917, 8920-8921, 8927-8928, 9030-9031, 9040, 9060, 9062, 9068
Jamaica: 8939, 8941, 8963, 8967, 8970, 8972, 9054, 9056, 9065, 9070
Micheal J. Quill: 8981, 8988, 8991, 9201, 9207, 9211, 9218, 9221, 9223
Ulmer Park: 9100-9101, 9105, 9107, 9176-9185
Fresh Pond: 9164, 9166-9167, 9169, 9171, 9173-9175
West Farms: 9111, 9113-9114, 9118
Gun Hill: 9229-9230, 9235-9237, 9243, 9246-9247, 9249
Enjoy!!!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
B68-#7598-orion VII
B82-#8909-NOVABUS
Guess Jay will not be complaining anymore, but all of the old buses are getting dumped in MY neck of the woods! -)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Jay
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Where is this depot located?(I heard somewhere on Grand Av but where?)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
I'd just like to ask frontier to put a metro newspaper stand at the Plymouth Meeting Mall.
I know WMATA has several depots which also serve as sales outlets (4 Mile Run, Landover, Northern, Royal, Southeastern, and Western); SEPTA also has depots that double as sales outlets - Allegheny, Callowhill, Comly, and Southern. I don't think Frontier is a sales outlet, however in the past, I've seen public notices that indicated that tariff documents are available for inspection at the depot.
As far as anyone wanting to come in and photo the buses, our agency is pretty open -- if you are WITH an agency employee, it is okay. I have taken MANY bus fans on tours of our yards. The only thing we have to do is borrow a reflective safety vest for our guest and wear one ourselves. The particular yard I work at is laid out rather well, so there's plenty of room -- if a bus needs to be moved for a photo angle, I've done it for bus fans. The other twoyards we have are tight and busier so it's harder to reposition equipment for photos. (Plus it helps whenever we have some special piece of equipment at our yard I always photograph it and give otu base manager 8x10's....)
Does anyone know the Q-60 is exempt from this closure or has the terminal been moved during this closure?
There is nothing on the GBL website.
The only exception allowed is the Q 60 which proceeds west for about 300 feet to Second Avenue and, I suppose, any City Vehicles going into the old trolley terminal which now a storage facility.
I have just uploaded some pictures into a new album titled "MSBA" in transitgallery.com. Plenty of bus shots. The link is below:
Hopefully below is the link:
It was a dead link. It should be working now
Of course the N46/47/48/49 have had a variety of routings dating even back to when they were the N38A/38B/39C/39D.
CG
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I'm not sure which Gillig that is in the photo, but I do know that eventually MSBA had replaced curtain rollsigns with digital ones in BOTH the Gilligs and Orion Vs.
You got more OLD MSBA bus pics? I love the Grummans and Flxibles. I remember living on Wexford Terrace (a block north of Hillside Av) I would see those buses fly up and down Hillside Av dominating the N22, N22A and N24! Ah, the memories!!!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NASSAU COUNTY!!!!!!
Wayne
Wayne
B1-#9336-NOVABUS
B3-#4452-TMCRTS
Also, my html is not the best so the url is exactly as follows:
http://photos.transitgallery.com/Far-Rockaway-A-Train-Albums
Any of these still around, not operating of course, but in a museum or w/e?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Michael
Washington, DC
Also, my html is not the best so the url is EXACTLY as follows:
http://photos.transitgallery.com/Far-Rockaway-A-Train-Albums
That should take you straight to my page.
Enjoy
Not Found
The requested URL /css/embedded_style.css.default was not found on this server.
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
Take a close look, this is not a TA bus.
As you see, I have a little something for everyone.
Please enjoy and let me know what you think?
Thank you.
:-) Andrew
Thanks for the compliment.
Michael
Washington, DC
Michael
Washington, DC
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Well , I always wanted to ride the "K" bus , so I did it today.I rode the EL from 69th St., but I couldn't get any tokens , because the machines were out, so I had to ride to Frankford/Bridge to buy tokens and then walk back to Arrott terminal, the next EL stop down to catch the "K".
(I had a token to use at 69th St.) .(I hate paying $2.00 cash fare, it just irritates me.) Well, I walked down Frankford Ave, and had 7 minutes to spare, and a "K" turns the corner and leaves 7 minutes early! So me and a bunch of other angry passengers waited another 1/2 hour for the next one. That's a criminal offense, leaving early.
Your follower gets hammered! Where are the SEPTA supervisors when you need them!
Chuck Greene
Do we really want to know where they are, provided SEPTA even has them?
As for your token incident, sounds typical. You can hunt the post from June where I talk about having to walk to a whole other station just to get tokens.
Chuck Greene
No problems with most of the buses except for the N81 back to Hicksville. The bus is sitting there in the lot at Sunrise mall, and the operator doesnt actually enter the bus until 5:16pm, already 2 minutes behind scheduled departure. Then he sits there for another 5 minutes and doesnt actually show up until 5:21pm. When I board the bus smells like smoke, so I guess the guy was having a smoke in the bus on our time. We were supposed to arrive in Hicksville at 5:58pm, enough time to make the 6:04pm N22. But as one would know with LIB, 5 min is rarely enough to make a connection. And even though Mr.leave late drove like a maniac we got loaded up and slowed down, and arrived at 6:04pm to see the 22 pull away. Even though it only delayed me a little while (20 min) I am going to report that operator to the MTA.
Otherwise it was just another typical summer day. Oh, thats right, summer is over. Well it sure dont feel like it! At least there's a sea breeze so we get some relief at night! Only places with a/c in these off season heatwaves are the malls. None of the buses had any a/c on.
Following is yesterday's bus log
N35 ROOSEVELT FIELD #148
N27 GLEN COVE #387
N27 ROOSEVELT FIELD #184
N22 HICKSVILLE #197
Sounds like the people who evade the Delaware toll on I-95 by taking the last exit in Delaware, going through Newark, DE, and then entering 95 again in Elkton, MD, the first Maryland exit, just south of the toll booth. While it is legal and can save time if there is a long line at the toll booth, provided you take this detour when there is no backup, do you end up using more gas and not lose significant time? Though my source on this says that it is "nearly the same" (I don't argue with this person over gas milages and time savings, he will do anything to save a few cents and places no monetary value on his time), I have my doubts, and wonder if the money you spent for LIB trips to and from this Walmart caused you to spend just as much or more on the batteries.
Seems like a very selfish thing for QSC to do just to save some fuel.
Now, I think you most know that I have nothing to do with the Transportation dept., but it's my observation that passengers complain a lot about the A/C, so if it's a toss up as to wether or not they need to turn it on, it stays off. They can always open the window :-(
Do those the buses stay in a yard or a manhattan depot until the pm rush or do the buses go back to SI then come back to manhattan for pm rush service to SI?
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
Where is this from, and was it ever used?
Thanks
I think the bus you are referring to was a rebuilt from a wreck. Don't know the fleet number, but I saw that bus at the 2002 Bus Roadeo at Floyd Bennet Field. It was used to distribute a T-shirt and other goodies that each participant received.
The bus is probably used for events like that, sort of a mobile canteen type vehicle. It's not used in revenue service
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Wayne
Robert
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Robert
:-) Andrew
The 45Q is a bit more logical, they're 'short turn' 45s (no Bronx trip), serve New Rochelle HS and terminate in a slightly different residential area in what is (I think) the Quaker Ridge sect of northern New Rochelle. (Rob and Laura Petrie territory ;-D ) The 45Q also connects with the 63 Scarsdale-White Plains. This might be a holdover from routes once operated by a small private called Beechmont Bus Co. (BTW, the 63 was originally operated by a small private called Scarsdale Bus Co.)
Me, the big three of buses goes as follows.....
(1) GMC-RTS-04 (Houston Series 1901-2188): The G.O.A.T of buses. Nothing lasted longer under the most unfavorable circumstances of intense market competition, unprofitablility of bus manufacturing, ADA regulations, EPA regulations, and government funding and rules. The New Looks would never have survived under such conditions, they were bred in a time of no competition, when wheelchair patrons were a non-issue, and equipment was run off the wheels because the government wasn't giving money to replace them every 12 years. The RTS was the industry standard, a bus way ahead of it's time. Relaible, durable, and beautiful. It's only downfall, driver ergonomics. But, for anyone to say the RTS-04 and later models were anything less than spectacular is a blithering idiot, and I don't care if they are in the bus industry or not. Even the fiberglass Nova's can take a ton of punishment.
(2) Grumman-Flxible 870 (Houston Series 1600-1699): You will never hear me call this a good bus. You will however hear me call this bus a shitbox, crap, or overrated by nostalgic Flxible lovers. That being said, this bus was one of the most fun buses to ride, in fact more fun than the RTS. It's wild, leaning turns, jellyroll seats (in Houston), jerkyness, intense, loud rattling, hot rod posture, black girl backside and bouncyness, and raised exhaust are what makes this bus great. I miss riding these beasts, I do. 18 years in Houston, dogging it all the way.
(3) New Flyer D40LF (Houston Series 4000-4156): I HATE the ones we have made after the year 2000, but the 1996-1998 models give the venerable RTS an Grummans a run for their money. There is nothing, I repeat, NOTHING, like riding one of these babies, the DD Series 50, Allison B400, New Flyers on a fast line hearing that sweeeeeet sing song whine as it accelerates and especially when it de-accelerates. Like a forlong ghost. Beautiful. They are holding up extremely well too. They still have that Rubbing Alcohol smell I love so much. And that deep, throaty sound they make as they pull off. Wonderful. And to think, I used to HATE these things. What a fool I was. What a fool I was.
So, what will you all have fond memories of?
First and foremost I'll miss the Grumman 870/Flxible Metro. I enjoyed nearly all of the powertrain variations, but the DD 8V-71N/Allison V731 was the best music to my ears - not to mention the performance. Also nothing has the great Flxible lean and as you said the "Hot Rod" posture. I always referred to it as an aggressive stance. When I lived in NYC I was devestated when the TA withdrew the 870, but since I've been in the DC area I've been enjoying the WMATA and Baltimore MTA Flx Metro. It was a sad day for me when production ended since that meant the numbers of Metros would only decline.
A close second for me would be the GMC/GMDD New-Looks. I think these buses are the equivalent of the workhorse Redbird subway cars (R-26, 28, 29, 33, 36) being discussed on SubTalk.
I'd also miss some intercity buses specifically the Eagle 05, MCI MC7-9 and the 102D3.
I do think many buses (intercity and transit) are quite boring, but I've quickly growing fond of WMATA's C40LF. Haven't ridden NYCTA's that many times.
Wayne
The RTS-04 bus, that is a true passenger tank, as demonstrated when a Green Lines bus crashed earlier this year in South Jamaica. Even though the bus will have to be scrapped, only the front end was wrecked! Despite not being the cheapest bus on the market, it says something when a TA orders the same model for 18 straight years! Solid as a rock!
The Classics (NYCDOT, 1988-1989 and the three GMDD ones from 1984) are just as solid as the Classic! On the suburban models, the only drawback is that the aisle is so small, especially for a 102" bus. The ones which have been retired so far are finding a second life up in Canada.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
1.) The Orion I, one of the best buses ever built to my opinion. Though they may be 11 years old, they are still as solid and in mint condition as they were when they were brand new. I love their powerful powertrains such as the 6v92 with an Allison HT series, though they are very jerky, they are still very good strong running buses. And you can't forget that Genuine Orion I BOUNCE!
2.)The 870/Flxible Metro series, second behind the Orion I. I love their design with the square windows and the high raised rear ass ;-) I love them best with the old 6v92/V730 powertrain, talk about acoustics. And you can't forget their ultra-smooth suspension and Flixble trademark lean.
3.) The Orion V, although they still have a long ways to go, they are one of the best transit buses still being produced today. Solid, Comfortable, and POWERFUL, I will miss these beasts when they stop being produce and retired (a LONG ways from now).
The V8 Flxibles [53102-8-1-TNJ ,53096-8-1-TNJ,SEPTA,MSBA,WMATA, 45096-8-1-SEPTA]
the growl of these engines screamed POWER! On the SEPTA 45096's, they took off like rocket ships.
The V8 GMC Fishbowls [T8H5307, 5306 - WMATA, NYCDOT] The WMATA buses were the first time I rode a V8 Fishbowl, and the engine had a slightly different sound than the Flxes, but they screamed POWER also.
Flxible Metro post 1985. It seems that Flxible got its act together starting in 1985 and put together a solid bus. The ones with Cummins engines [L10, M11] are the best so far.
Neoplan AN440 - The best ones were the buses SEPTA got between 1982-85 [8285-8584/8601-8875/1301-25]. The engine had a deep roar. The 3000-3491 series had that light sound caused by the turbocharger.
Actually I think the buses to watch are the composites. If those NABIs hold up, that will be the future of heavy duty vehicle construction. See THIS ARTICLE from the July BusRide to read about the construction process. They are pretty much poured into and broken out of a mold.
I heard New Flyer was in the crapper over the relative failure of the Invero model. Is that true?
Mike
1)First and foremost the Flxible Metro, especially the WMATA 93's, 94's , 97s with the Cummins L-10 engines. I also like the 87s, and now I am a little more fond of them, now they are about to be bus history. That Flxible lean and raised rear are some of the things that go me hooked on this model.
2)The Flxible new looks, the 8Vs were the best, fast and enjoyable to ride, don't why a mass majority were retired early though.
3)The GM new looks also with the 8Vs, these were slightly faster than the Flxible 8Vs, I just wish they ran from Landover. I remember 6482(6V) had the coldest a/c, good to get that bus on a hot day.
4)I also would throw in the Orion VI, and if it is true they are not being made anymore, it would be a sad thing to hear.If not for the seating, I would really love them. The ones WMATA has are quick and nimble.
The 8700s (well, i rode an 8800 bus) are in great condition for their age as far as I can tell.
2) SEPTA Neoplans, of course! The best tranny/engine combo EVER! Long live 3107! It's so much fun to listen to. Also, I find myself thinking about the 8000 series Neoplans, which roared like a fire engine!
3) Ride-On's Orion Is. They made my fall in love with the 6v92TA engine with the Allison tranny. plus, they were my first new Ride-On bus, and I got to sit in the driver's seat when they were brand new!
4) Ride On's 2001-02 Orion Vs. They sound awesome with the EGR DD50s, and also are extremely fast with their Voith tranny, giving New Flyers a run for the money. Not to mention the fact that with the a/c on, they kinda sound like an Orion I when stopping (an added plus!). Also, the length of time the back door takes to close always makes me laugh.
5) Last, but not least, SEPTA's El Dorado Transmark REs. They are so much fun to ride! Some people may complain about the bounce (for those who don't know, think Orion I), but I love it! Plus, there is a good amount of leg room (of course, I'm talking about the back two forward facing rows). Besides, who would think that a 30ft bus that looks small for its size would have an engine that makes it sound like a big rig? Plus, it gave me that "El Dorado" phrase.
I can't imagine what SEPTA and WMATA would be like without those buses. Ride-On would be interesting to see, though.
- Early GMC New Look buses, particularly the TDH-5301’s and TDH-5302’s. I grew up riding the ex-Eastern Mass. 5301’s on the MBTA in the Boston area.
- The MBTA’s 1972 Flxible express buses (#7050-7099) with the 8V-71 engine. The fastest buses I can remember.
- The 30-foot versions of ‘real’ transit buses – everything from the ‘Baby Old Looks’ to the GMC and Flxible New Looks to the Orion I’s to the mini RTS and Orion V’s. They’re so cute!
- The RTS-06 with the 6V-92 series engines.
- The Orion V, especially with the 6V-92. It has a no-nonsense, ‘means business’ look and is hands down a better-looking coach than the high-floor buses from Gillig, NABI/Ikarus, Neoplan and New Flyer.
- The New Flyer low-floor – the most handsome low-floor bus to date.
All in all, I like most buses. There are a few I’m not crazy about, like the Gillig Phantom (the plainest of the ‘box’ buses, IMHO). And I just cannot stand the Nova LFS. But I’ve been a bus fan long enough to know that the buses you grow up with are like a person’s first love – you will never feel the same way about another bus. And yet I’ve still remained a bus fan in the 21 years since the old Eastern Mass 5302’s were retired, and over time have developed a real enthusiasm for many of the buses that have come on the scene during the past two decades.
GMC-RTS-04 (Houston Series 1901-2188): The G.O.A.T of buses. Nothing lasted longer under the most unfavorable circumstances of intense market competition, unprofitablility of bus manufacturing, ADA regulations, EPA regulations, and government funding and rules. The New Looks would never have survived under such conditions, they were bred in a time of no competition, when wheelchair patrons were a non-issue, and equipment was run off the wheels because the government wasn't giving money to replace them every 12 years.
You didn't think I was going to let you get away with such a remark about my New Look bus, did you? ;)
I don’t believe one can really compare the New Look to the RTS (and either of these to today’s new buses, for that matter) because each was so inextricably a product of its time. The RTS and the 870 ADB’s were seen for many years as overbuilt, ‘Cadillac’ buses by many in the transit industry, and this backlash led first to the sale of GM-Canada New Looks and Flyer buses in the U.S. and later to the success of Gillig, Orion, Neoplan and other builders of ‘standard buses’. Had the RTS been developed by GMC ten years later than it was, it probably would have been a more utilitarian bus. Most of today’s bus builders have eschewed the unique production methods developed by GMC and Grumman, and build their buses more or less similar to how the New Look buses were built.
Jim D.
1993 Volvo 940 with turbocharged engine
Of course, some slowpoke had to be in front of me on Democracy Boulevard. I wanted to see how fast I could go in Bucks Branch Park.
Oh and BTW, here is today's bus log, I'm sure you'll look forward to it. :-)
11/5/03
N22 JAMAICA #640
N27 GLEN COVE #190
N27 GLEN COVE #354 (10m late)
Sorry there arent anymore buses but a friend took me home from my appointment. I tell ya it poured though, they 25a closed east of Greenvale due to flooding (wonder what happened with the N20?). You really needed a Hummer tonight!
Secondly, after getting off of the BxM11 at Gun Hill Road, I caught DHF60 #5685 on the Bx41. The bus had Kingsbridge stickers, and had that new bus smell so much so that a little kid was complaining about the smell! Spoke to the B/O and she expressed he dislike of the buses because of the partition door that the buses came with.
Did DOB decide to give part of the order to KB after all? Maybe since they decided to up the order (according to previous posts), KB was re-allotted some of the new buses.
Thanks,
Brian
BxM11 #3019
Bx41 #5685
Brian
Wayne
Regards,
Kevin
Another thing I saw was yesterday, the D8(have been seeing this for the past couple of months on a constant basis), the A12 and the F14 with double headers. Like I said the D8 for the past couple of months I have seen one 30 footer following another, practically 95% of the time. At Landover Road and Firehouse Road in Dodge Park I saw two A15s about to head southbound on Landover Road, both Metro Bs of the 87/88 variety. Later yesterday, I saw one F14 heading towards Fed Ex field, and about 5 minutes later another F14 heading in the same direction. The first was a Metro D and the second F14 was an Orion VI.
Last yet another Orion V has been rehabbed and with the other two, it has been rehabbed with its Vultron sign still with it. This one was 4204. What is up with WMATA. Giving the unrehabbed ones the new signs and rehabbing others with the same Vultron signs. I think WMATA has a case of transit dyslexia. Last was seeing 8827 on the G8(I have no idea of which garage this one is in), followed by a C40LF 2306. This is not usual, because during school they add another G8 because of the children to take that bus to the high school near 11th street.
Wayne
Wayne
Now, you are questioning the TA decision to purchase raised platform buses, what about purchasing MCIs. Can you imagine them running on local routes in about another 20 years?
Wayne
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
B44 - #8423
B65 - #846
BIG AL
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
B1-#8681-TMC
B8-#4649-TMC
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Click here to see what went on Saturday.
I haven't been too fond of Mayor Street's overall performance, nor am I particularly fond of his prickly personality (which several members of the media have pointed out ad nausem). Many of his initiatives that have benefited some neighborhoods have come at the expense of other neighborhoods.
And that guarantee's that more like him will be mayor long after he's gone. Those initiatives will be "popular" in neighborhoods that they are focused on. The area's they decided to neglict and the crime just shifted towards will have all those citizens leave, therefore they can't vote him out, or anyone out of office. Then we'll have a new neighborhood for an anti-blight initiative after those demographics changed. The story will be the same, the area won't.
Besides the fact that crime hasn't actually gone down whatsoever, it's just moved into the neighborhoods with no police concentration, I wonder where the teachers and cops are going to live now? Thank you Rendell for ruining the only non-blighted neighborhoods.
MetroB
-I hate it when I'm running to catch a bus at a stop BEFORE an intersection, and then the bus pulls away from the stop while the light in front of it is RED, and then it just sits there at the red light, not letting anybody else on because it has already pulled 10 feet away from the curb. JUST LEAVE WHEN THE LIGHT IS GREEN! DON'T TEASE US, PLEASE!!
-I hate it when the bus has open seats, nobody is standing, and yet some jerk has to stand right up next to the driver and block the people getting on and off. And this person is NOT talking to the driver at all.
-I hate it when the bus pulls up to a major bus stop, and 35 people on the bus all try to get out through the front door, and even the people in the back walk all the way to the front. Then the 20 people waiting on line for the bus all have to wait for EVERYONE on the bus to slowly shuffle out the front door before we can think about boarding. Bus operators should open ONLY the back door at major bus stops, and force everyone out the back, so people can load at the same time people are unloading. This would really speed things up. The only people who the B/O would let out the front would be the elderly/handicapped, but they're usually in the minority, so it wouldn't take long for one or two of 'em to climb out the front.
Can anyone think of anymore?
Mike
P.S. As a transit bus driver I've never had to do this, but I understand.
Peace,
Kevin
When he was finished with business, he set the cup down on the floor, fized his pants zipper, turned around, and tripped over the cup, spilling it into the rear stepwell.
Clumsy, eh??
please tell me you are joking
I understand that you gotta go sometimes, but on a bus? That's just wrong...
So are houses in alleys (as you suggest)......
And trust me, until you've worked for years as a transit operator, you have NO idea what it's like to get stuck on a route where there are NO restrooms swithin easy reach of operators.
It's all too easy for bus FANS to say "it should be this way" or "it should be that way" but until you have WORKED in the transit industry for some time, you have absolutely NO idea what the REALITIES of transit are about.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I know I'm not a driver, and I have an idea about what it's like to work an 8 hour shift, and I know that it's not the best comparison at all (cashier compared to bus driver). Always be open to new ideas is what I say. I respect the drivers who actually walk up and down the aisles checking for stuff, including trash, and remember: just because something has been one way for so many years, doesn't mean things can't change.
You think the passengers don't try it too??????
Believe me, in 30 years of driving transit, Ihave seen it. There are times you have to concentrate on the road, and next thing you know, you look up to check theinterior of the bus, and some bum is pissing in the rear door while the bus is travelling down the road.
If you think it doesn't happen, climb out from under the rock you've been hiding under.
It's just proper bus ettiquete...
To get back to the original question - pet peeves - it's not exactly a pet peeve (since it doesn't happen that often) but it happened last night and it was annoying. The b/o of the M3 I was riding up Madison decided to play traffic cop. First, he got behind a delivery van pulling up to the curb (within feet of but not actually in the bus stop zone) and leaned on the horn until the van driver moved up. A couple blocks later he pulled up behind a cab in the curb lane and leaned on the horn the entire time the cabbie was discharging a passenger. Meanwhile us poor passengers had to sit and wait while other, more sensible bus operators barely slowed down as they swung around us.
1. To all the car drivers out there:
The "STOP HERE ON RED SIGNAL" sign is there for a reason! There have been many times a bus has been delayed because there were one or two cars between the sign (there's usually a line painted on the street that marks where you need to stop) and the intersecting street.
2. Don't double-park on single-lane one-way streets, where bus routes run. Dead giveaways for such streets are bus stops and one or more buses. It's ESPECIALLY bad if it's a truck that's double-parked on such a street. I've been on buses that have been stuck behind UPS trucks, garbage trucks, oil delivery trucks, etc. and it STINKS to be on a bus that's delayed by such an obstruction. I've also been on buses being operated by drivers who are smart enough to do something about it. I was on a Q104 bus on Queens Blvd. between 47th and 48th Streets. When the driver saw an oil truck blocking 47th Street (on the normal route), he signalled to the people waiting at the bus stop at 47th & Queens Blvd to get on the bus where it was. Once the bus was loaded, the bus continued straight on Queens Boulevard to 45th Street, and returned to the regular route at 47th Street and 43rd Avenue.
I was on another bus that was stuck behind a delivery truck. The bus was not too far from a bus stop, and, seeing that the bus would be stuck behind this truck for a while, opened the front door and let people off.
If the driver opens only the back door, then you've got people entering and exiting through the back door and nobody using hte front door (because it's still closed).
For a better idea, especially at busier stops, check the Q44/20 in Flushing: Bus operator pulls into stop, opens both doors to let people off, closes doors, pull up about 20 feet, then opens front door to let people on. There's actually a 2-minute allowance for that built into the schedule.
That would be the same as letting people exit from both doors, and then no one can get on at the same time.
In the suggestion I gave before, the driver wouldn't keep the front door closed the entire time people are getting off the back. One the traffic is moving toward the back, he can open the front door. Nobody's going to try and get on the back while people are trying to pile off. And the driver can watch out for that.
I'm ticked at B/O's who feel they need to play nice guy (or gal) and open the doors even though they're not at the bus stop or they let people off 'personally.' Last I knew, this wasn't a charter route, so quit the 'nice' stuff! I wait at a bus stop patientely and the last thing I need is some commuter getting their much later only to get a free hop on! Fair? I think not.
There's nothing like being a little courteous to a passenger who somehow got their timing off and would have otherwise missed their bus, or missed a connection because the driver did not let him/her off where there wasn't a stop.
MetroB
"Request a Stop
Bus customers who travel between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. can Request-a-Stop. Ask the bus operator to let you off anywhere along the route, even if it isnt a designated stop. The bus operator will comply as long as he or she thinks its a safe location. This bus will still make all regularly scheduled stops."
This is important, because there are many places in the suburbs where there are either no official bus stops anywhere nearby or there are unmarked bus stops.
MetroB
"Does anyone have change for a $20?" This is especially grating on in outer borough neighborhoods notably lacking in tourists. You should KNOW how it works by now: coins or metrocard!! Of course, this person usually gets away without paying at all by disappearing into a seat.
Some people also manage to cop a free ride by failing to have a working Metrocard after swiping five or six bad ones. The driver always seems to let it slide- more so if a woman passenger.
People who still don't know the right way to insert a Metrocard, but insert it the three wrong ways over and over. The driver will tell them to turn it over, and they do- but still the wrong way.
In general, people who still refuse to use a Metrocard, even though they're readily available even in areas most remote from a subway. They're the ones who drop the fare, one nickel or dime at a time, in the box- usually dropping a few on the floor in the process. "Wait a minute, I know I've got more change in here. [Sifts through pockets, extracting paper clips, coupons and medicine vials.] You don't take pennies any more, do you? The fare is TWO DOLLARS now? When did THAT happen?! Darn, I can't find the rest of it. Does anyone have change for a $20?"
"Does this go to [a very vague destination such as 'Northern Boulevard'; 'Queens'; or 'the store by the post office and the school']? Never is an address or intersection offered that might offer more information towards guidance to the right bus.
No matter how long the line is, the first person on it waits till he or she is in front of the fare box before looking for his or her fare. This is doubly applicable in bad weather.
People who tend to take the same bus every day, and engage in overtly cheery conversation- sometimes trying to drag you into it. If it's first thing in the morning, you might not be fully awake yet. If you're coming home from work or school, you might be tired and want to read the paper, or just relax.
People who are completely unaware you're supposed to ring the bell if you want the next stop. Some react with utter indignation when the driver passes theirs. ("Don't you make EVERY stop?") Others, in lieu of ringing the bell, will timidly notify the driver from wherever they're seated: "Uh, excuse me? Hello? Mister Bus Driver?"
People who think they know the route better than the driver. "Don't gimme that! The Q34 DOES go to College Point- I took it there yesterday! You don't know what you're talking about!"
Watch out for exploding cartoon cockroaches! :-)
-People putting Metrocards the wrong way or realizing it has no fares on it, causing unnecessary delays >:-(.
-You take the front [OK any] seat on a bus, the bus is basically empty & someone [that you don't know] has to sit RIGHT NEXT to you for whatever reason I don't know.
-Someone who has bad body odor. Enough said!
As for the MC issue, it's been a least a couple of years now. It's not hard to figure out your dips and swipes.
-While on his or her break between runs, the B/O smokes on the bus, with all the windows closed. Then when the passengers board, the bus smells like smoke.
Betcha that operator had a bad habit of lieaving late, then driving like hell to try and make up time, so he/she would get to his other break early....and was overheating the brakes.
"Weekday rush hour, evening and Saturday night service on Route 95 is made possible through funding by the Federal Transit Administration's Job Access and Reverse Commute Initiative"
So, what do SEPTA's budget problems have to do with the 95 peak hour Penn Square service? Are they using the funding for something else? If so, wouldn't that be illegal? Also, if they use funds for certain things for things they aren't intended for, i guess that would seal the fate of getting more trackless coaches in 2005-2006.
In this case, the funding is for the additional service, however the peak hour service is reportedly to fund the short-turn service to Conshohocken. The weekday evening and Saturday evening service covers service after 7:00pm between Penn Square and Gulph Mills. The cuts to peak hour Penn Square service were not part of the federal funding.
I'd have to double check some of my notes when I get home, but I think that's how it works.
http://photos.transitgallery.com/album101
Look at the bus on the top left corner. What type of Neoplan is that? Was that an old version of the AN430? Doesn't that exhaust pipe look like it's on the right side of the bus instead of the left?
Also, check out the interior pic on the right of it...what a bus interior? Was MSBA really going to get buses like these?! Wow, that would've been interesting and extremely amusing at the same time!
Jim D.
Probably. Avis and Hertz primarily operate Gillig Advantage low-floors these days, although Avis may still have some RTS-04's in their fleet. I haven't seen any of the little Neoplan buses in years.
Jim D.
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
I had used the B52 a few times from Myrtle to Wilson when I used to go to Ridgewood to see a friend over there
That was my first thought.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
If that bus going to do the B52, it should've made a turn at Palmetto St. and Seneca Av.
It's hard to tell from the picture, although the car does look suspiciously close to the corner. I hope, for the bus driver's sake, that there is a "No Parking Here to Corner" sign somewhere near the rear of that car!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
BIG AL
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
BIG AL
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
As for the numbers I mentioned above, what a difference a trip to Crosstown makes! 9030 was looking sad before the repaint, as was 9036! (In addition, ENY is installing Recaro (USA) driver seats on many more buses, following the lead of Queens Division in going Recaro, albeit some buses still get USSC driver seats, with a whole lot less back support than the Recaros.) At least 8908, 5206, 5215, and 5217 have Recaro driver seats, though there are probably many more now.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Yeah but they look in terrible condition, look like they been shot up.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Robert
The bus seen through the window of the one in front in the picture is the B38. I know my area well
MetroB
BIG AL
B1-#9323-NOVABUS
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
B44 Limited #5089
B44 Limited #9441
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
However, with 8088 now operating out of ENY, who knows what is going on?
Mark
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
B1-#8681-TMC
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
4600-4684.in 1987!
East New York: 8899-8900, 8906, 8908-8909, 8911, 8915, 8917, 8920-8921, 8927-8928, 9030-9031, 9040, 9060, 9062, 9068
Jamaica: 8939, 8941, 8963, 8967, 8970, 8972, 9054, 9056, 9065, 9070
Micheal J. Quill: 8981, 8988, 8991, 9201, 9207, 9211, 9218, 9221, 9223
Ulmer Park: 9100-9101, 9105, 9107, 9176-9185
Fresh Pond: 9164, 9166-9167, 9169, 9171, 9173-9175
West Farms: 9111, 9113-9114, 9118
Gun Hill: 9229-9230, 9235-9237, 9243, 9246-9247, 9249
Enjoy!!!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
Your attention to the smallest of details is quite disturbing.
Mark
Maybe it's a sign that I'm becoming less of a bus fan...I don't know
Nah it's just you can care less about raised destination signs, because I feel kinda the same way.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
BIG AL
Lord Kingsbridge
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
After a few months, it became like that. I don't thinks it is NABI's problem, but should be the passenger's fault....:(
Enjoy~
Plus, SEPTA 5532 and 5186...
Enjoy~
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
6919 returned to its long journey to San Franciso after a break in Ogallala, NE.
Enjoy~
technically speaking, GLI 6919 is a 102DL3. Im not sure at this time, but this unit might have spent some time at Americanos a while back.
the 6600s ( 6600-6619 ) are the only ones in the Greyhound fleet that are considered D4500s.
BC Transit leased a double decker bus to AC Transit in July 2003 to be evaluated on AC Transit's Transbay routes. The clip shows when the bus was entering Transbay Terminal in Downtown SF to begin its long journey to Fremont, CA. Please excuse our Cantonese conversation...lol
This clip shows the bus when returning to Downtwon San Francisco speeding on I-880.
This clip shows the bus while on the San Francisco Bay Bridge. Thank you to that friendly AC Transit Operator. :P
Enjoy~
Notice what happen to the Beatle...
Enjoy~
It has a new Cummins ISM engine with Voith D863.3.
Enjoy~
Brand new Gillig Phantom 35ft...
Enjoy~
However, what TA owns the bus in this pic?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Correct me if necessary.
AC Transit was training operators on 1009 right just before the Rapid Line was introduce. All AC's Van Hool coaches will be equipped with Cummins ISL and Voith D864.3 while the artics will have a 330HP version of ISL.
Enjoy~
I was very surprised to discover numberous cutaways and Dorados, for I thought this was the midvale depot. I saw a PCC car as well, and even some scratched trollies...one of them was mangled up completely, looking like one of the old non-PCC cars that PTC had, and I also saw what appeared to be one of the Red Arrow trollies. I even saw the historic fleet. I thought I saw an AM General, but I couldn't get a better look and it was dark outside anyway. What surprised me was that I saw 2 New Flyer HEV buses! Are they started to come in, or are they going on a tour around the SEPTA system? Why would this depot, which is definitely NOT Southern, have them?
Now, I saw a couple of LUCY Dorados pull in as I was waiting for the 23 home, as well as 4502. This HAS to be Germaantown. However, there were also a handful of full sized buses parked there, which included a couple of Neoplans and NABIs. What is this depot? Are the Germantown and Midvale depots combined together? (I didn't see any artics parked there).
On the way home I discovered something about the windows of the New Flyers. The inside panel is actually made out of plastic. I suspect that the overhauled NABIs have plastic interior window panels as well. That's probably why they look so filmly sometimes, and the windows don't clear as well as regular glass. It also explains the air bubbles too!
Another question...what is the story with 3316? I looked at my list of Neoplans that had the smooth shifting transmission, and 3316 was on the list. However, 3316, now a Midvale bus, kinda shifts like a normal 3000 Neoplan, but the transmission isn't working properly...the ratios seem to be messed up. Sometimes, it downshifts at a very odd time, and also jerks very hard when shifting gears. Did Frontier do something to this bus that wasn't the best thing? Where was 3316 located prior to Frontier?
I love the DKs, they are the most interesting NEoplans in the SEPTA fleet...they vary so much. I'll certainly miss them.
Midvale is at a completely different location - on Wissahickon Av between Hunting Park Av and the US 1/Roosevelt Expressway.
AFA the hyrbids, my guess is that it was to train the mechanics on the new braking system (which, IIRC, is different from the diesel Flyers). They are going to Southern...
I believe 3316 was at Southern before going to Frontier, though it may have been Midvale...
MetroB
Midvale (306)
Southern (211)
Callowhill (170)
Comly (166)
Frankford (154)
Red Arrow (128)
Frontier (104)
Allegheny (103)
For a while, Comly actually had more buses than Callowhill, at least up until the September schedule change. The number of buses at a particular depot tends to change from week to week, so this may very well change by next Sunday. But, for the most part, the order is usually the same.
When people stop riding.
MetroB
go to a lumber yard at 3 am to improve your home at discount prices!
(ya get the idea)
lol.
Unfortunately, the MTA can cut service to a certain extent without public hearings, while combining and streamlining routes is a political brouhaha.
Take the B69 for example. Who wants to rely on a bus that runs every 20 minutes? You are better off walking. So it gets few riders. So service is cut. So you get few riders. So service is cut. Etc.
Now let's say instead, that 8th Avenue and 9th Avenue (Prospect Park West) were made two way streets (like 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th and 3rd Avenues). The B69 could be eliminated. The B68, which has frequent service, could be run to Grand Army Plaza, with a transfer available to the frequent B41 for service Downtown. North of Grand Arny, the B67 could be run on the route of todays B69. B67 riders wanting a direct ride Downtown could switch to the B41, other riders would gain direct access to the library and Fulton Ferry.
More service for just about everyone.
Better connections.
Lower costs.
Politically impossible.
When will you realize that you should cut the # of silly & unusual questions?
The WhatMATA is the astonishment of seeing
1)NEXTBUS dedicated buses to the 38B on such routes as the 7A, 13, and other routes that these buses should not be on,
2)PIKE RIDE dedicated buses to the 16G, but seen on such routes as the 7 and 13 again and even the P6,
3)B30 dedicated buses to the B30, on such routes as the C18, F12, F13 and EVEN THE F4(somebody had to smoking something when someone pulled this bus out for this route),
4)Smartmover buses dedicated to the 14 route seen on such routes as the J3.
The WhyMATA comes in when the following happens,
Why would one decrease the Y8 service and try to put artics on it, only to have 40 footers seen most of the time.
I am sure other DC busfans can think of other Why and WhatMATAs
I am waiting to see the day when a GEORGE bus is seen on one of the
Arlington regular routes, seeing a CNG on a non-Bladnesburg run on a regular basis, an artic where it shouldn't be, such as the F12, F13, the 13.
-F.
1)NEXTBUS dedicated buses to the 38B on such routes as the 7A, 13, and other routes that these buses should not be on,
2)PIKE RIDE dedicated buses to the 16G, but seen on such routes as the 7 and 13 again and even the P6,
3)B30 dedicated buses to the B30, on such routes as the C18, F12, F13 and EVEN THE F4(somebody had to smoking something when someone pulled this bus out for this route),
4)Smartmover buses dedicated to the 14 route seen on such routes as the J3.
This may just be a guess, but depending on the time of day, assignments like those listed above may have a rational reason to them, such as they may be short on buses.
My thinking would be that if there weren't enough buses for the 7A and the only buses in the yard were the dedicated buses for the 38B AND there were enough NextBus equipped buses filling the 38B, I'd have to do the same thing.
If I'm off base here, let me know...
Here's an idea, but it probably make too much sense, or it may be impossible due to the fact that they may have to accept another city's specs, but maybe WMATA could add on an order of about 100 artics to the NYCT order of DHF60 artics from Flyer. Those 100 buses could easily be split 50 at Montgomery [for the J2, Q2 and Y8 lines] and 25 to Bladensburg [so the X2 will be all artic], and the remaining 25 to Northern [to make the 52/54, 70 and S2/4 all artic]. These artics along with the 44 NABI's and 21 Neoplans would be enough to run all of the designated lines with artics. Now having three types of artics would be a maintenance nightmare, but what else could you do? This system needs artics badly and this is probably the only way to get more of them at a reasonable price and relatively quickly.
Tell me what you think of this.
Mark De Loatch
mdlbigcat@comcast.net
DC Transit
-F.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
And don't be using no double negatives ;-)
Correct - they still build a diesel version as well.
JD
The battle has already been lost in NYC and beyond - like it or not, low-floor buses and light rail vehicles are here to stay. The advocacy groups for the disabled would scream bloody murder if someone tried to replace low-floor vehicles with a lift-equipped high-floor vehicle. At least Orion tried to maximize the passenger capacity of the VII.
Jim D.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
I hope they succeed, but there are only a few manufacturers who are still building high-floor buses (Orion, Neoplan and Gillig come to mind). Limited availability may force NJT's hand sooner or later.
JD
MetroB
MetroB
B68-#7627-Orion VII
B1-#9311-NOVABUS
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I`m looking forward to seeing the other Hybrids scooting around on Market St soon. I hear that other 5600 Hybrids are at Southern, or are at Germantown or Berridge Shops being prepared.
Thank you for your patience and understanding...
Incognito
Transportation Photographer
carlwal@hotmail.com
There are many of us who definitely appreciate the excellent content and photography on your website, and we look forward to having it up and running again as soon as it can be done.
Any update on when the Cleanairbus page will be up and running again? I really enjoyed your site and miss being able to go there.
Jim D.
I will let you know when the site will be back up, I assure you it won't be too long...
Incognito
The West Farms Kid
My site is still undergoing updates and changes to it, it will be some time before the site is back up and operational...I will possibly post an approximate date as to when the site should be back up...I can't promise a quick reboot of the site, so please, be patient, and thank you for your understanding...
Incognito
The West Farms Kid
Showcasing Mass Transit--The Cleanairbus Transit Page
N22 JAMAICA #143
N40 FREEPORT #166
N15 ROOSEVELT FIELD #358
N35 WESTBURY #352
Was waiting 30 minutes for an N15 along Washington ave in Garden City in the afternoon. The bus scheduled to come before it never came, must have broken down. The N15 that arrived was SRO but I managed to get a seat by old country rd.
While waiting for the bus at Roosevelt Field I saw another N27 to Glen Cove about 5 minutes after the 5:28 left. There must've been another breakdown or something. The bus I thought was the 5:28pm was probably the 4:53pm out of RF, because that b/o always does the 4:53pm. (which is the 3:25pm out of Glen Cove). The 2nd bus had maybe 4 people on it.
Yesterday didnt ride many buses, but here they are
N35 HEMPSTEAD #199
N27 GLEN COVE #309
4408-no rear route sign
4627-no rear route sign
8171-no rear route sign
8374-driver side window at the driver's area resembles NYCDOT specs
8496-engine grille resembles an Orion grille
8565, 8566-left side pork chop panel has openings like NYCDOT specs
9140-9149-Cummins ISM engines instead of DD series 50
9251-2, 9254-9-hard seats on a platform
9267-odd rear grille
9351-interior like a 1996 bus
9656-like the 1999 order (part of the 1997 order)
4900-1-non-LED destination signs
5101-5103, 5105-5124, 5205-49-TwinVision signs
146-Hard seats on a platform
220-TwinVision signs
244-Gold signs
247-TwinVision gold signs
416, 444-Only 1995 diesel Orions with top tailpipes
522-Balios signs
5635, 5672- -Gold signs all over
5268, 5374, 5378, 5400, 5419, 5428, 5430, 5458-9, 5508, and some others-Gold LED signs on front only
If I have forgotten any, please let me know. Thanks.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I wouldn't consider the 9250 series buses as oddballs as they are part of a fleet of buses that are undergoing a seat conversion.
BIG AL
BIG AL
9656 IS a 1999 Nova. It is a replacement bus for the original 1998 Nova, 9656, which was destroyed prior to making it to NYC. I'm not sure how it happened, maybe someone else can elaborate.
Mark
5145 (out of Jamaica) ---> Has no rear numberplate.
BIG AL
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
BIG AL
A J.G. Fan.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Also, I will be bringing my PG The Bus Strobe Light! w00t!
If you want schedules, go to Schedules, the NYCT, or LIB
Here's somethin that'll keep ya busy for a LOOONG time.
Go to the Port Authority Bus Terminal website and look up all the bus companies that serve it and where they go. I was up til after 1 am doin that last night, some pretty interesting companies actually, some I've never even heard of(like Suburban Transit and DeCamp).
I usually know the drivers I talk to and they know me, mostly cuz I'm a familiar face. I sometimes ask them how ridership is on certain lines, if anything new is being planned, stuff like that.
Advice: Don't bother the drivers. A lot of drivers are grouchy, but others are very nice. Don't ask a lot of questions(I kno that's hard for you to do)
Routes:
S,O,M,E,O,N,E,S,L,A,P,Y,O,U,R,M,O,M,F,O,R,B,U,Y,I,N,G,Y,OU,A,C,O,M,P,U,T,E,R.
Those were the routes that DeCamp has, CDTA.
S,O,M,E,O,N,E,S,L,A,P,Y,O,U,R,M,O,M,F,O,R,B,U,Y,I,N,G,Y,O,U,A,C,O,M,P,U,T,E,R,!,!,!,!,!,!
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Also, does Prevost still manufacture the X-L Mirage II? It looks like a very nice bus.
The 33 runs along West Passaic Av and Broad Street in Bloomfield then up Bloomfield Avenue from Bloomfield all the way up. It runs through Clifton, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Montclair, Cedar Grove, Verona, North Caldwell, Caldwell, West Caldwell
The 66 will return via Bloomfield Av, Roseland Av, Eagle Rock Av, Harrison Av and then crosses Bloomfield Av in Montclair, continues down Park Av to Valley Rd, to Grove St, then gets on Route 3. Starting in West Caldwell it hits Caldwell, Roseland, West Orange, Montclair, Upper Montclair, Montclair Heights (some trips stop at Montclair State University), Clifton, then express into the city, making a few pick-ups along the highway.
You can also do the same trip in opposite order (go out on the 66 return on the 33).
BIG AL
BIG AL
MetroB
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Bee-Line attributes financial pressures because of a drop in funding for the decision. They point out that ridership is usually down by 40% on Veteran's Day and that they "can't afford to run services for which there are insufficent passengers."
Mark
BIG AL
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Click on maps, then Manhattan bus map.
As promised I'm going to post what I saw when I went to Columbia University. I even got some pics too! Now without further interruptions...here we go!
100th St Depot:
#1010 - M101
#5537 - M101 (to 96th St from W 193rd St? Why would the M101 end at 96th St?)
#5541 - M101
#5573 - M101
126th St Depot:
#5595 - M15
Manhattanville Depot:
#8750 - M104 (pic)
#9499 - M4
#9489 - M4
#9494 - NIS (Not in Service)
#9524 - M104
#9517 - M4
#9619 - M11
#8771 - M4
#6352 - M104 (I FINALLY saw this bus up close and personal. Yeah, this bus sounds like it has a light engine with that DD30 series engine.)
#9515 - M11
#8252 - M4 (pic)
#8253 - M4
#9532 - M2
#5041 - M11 (repainted)
#5171 - M4
#5128 - M4 (repainted)
#5139 - NIS (repainted)
Mother Clara Hale Depot:
#6007 - M60
#6024 - M60
#6043 - M60
#6045 - M60 (repainted)
#6051 - M60 (pic)
West Farms Depot:
#447 - Bx15
#4835 - Bx15
#6064 - Bx15
#6071 - Bx15
#7634 - Bx15
#8039 - Bx15
Queens Village Depot:
#4910 - Q30
Kingsbridge Depot:
#8816 - M100
#8881 - M100
#8883 - M100
MTA Long Island Bus:
#300 - N25
Green Bus Lines:
#5545 - Q60
Queens Surface Corporation:
#414 - Q101
Well, that's that! Enjoy and if you have any questions...ask OR e-mail me!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
Manhattanville: 8750-8751, 8771, 8782, 8791, 8798
Kingsbridge: 8883
East New York: 8899-8900, 8906, 8908-8909, 8911, 8915, 8917, 8920-8921, 8927-8928, 9030-9031, 9040, 9060, 9062, 9068
Jamaica: 8939-8941, 8963, 8967, 8970, 8972, 9054, 9056, 9065, 9070
Micheal J. Quill: 8981, 8988, 8991, 9010, 9017, 9187, 9199, 9201, 9207, 9211, 9218, 9221, 9223
Ulmer Park: 9100-9101, 9105, 9107, 9176-9185
Fresh Pond: 9164, 9166-9167, 9169, 9171, 9173-9175
West Farms: 9111, 9113-9114, 9118
Gun Hill: 9229-9230, 9235-9237, 9243, 9246-9247, 9249
Enjoy!!!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
Depots Running A Shuttle:
Brooklyn: East New York, Jackie Gleason, Fresh Pond, Ulmer Park & Flatbush
Manhattan: 126th Street, Michael J. Quill, 100th Street & Manhattanville.
Bronx: West Farms, Gun Hill, Amsterdamn, Mother Clara Hale, & Kingbridge.
Queens: Casey Stengel & Jamaica
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
MetroB
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
MetroB
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
These photos are currently being hosted on my server, so enjoy!
Incognito - carlwal@hotmail.com
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Post back here with the bus numbers from while you were on the tracks.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
www.freewebs.com/tstanyc
I have to be short here as I have to run back out to pick up the young lady for dinner. Feel free to fill in the details. After Perry left we took Ride-On 5556 up to Gaithersburg and looked around (and nearly froze) at Ride-On's facility. Finally we got Montgomery's Orion V 2125 on the Q2 back to Silver Spring. Chris D and Chris G left transferred to the Y at Wheaton. Tristian, Fred, Ray and I continued on to Silver Spring, but that ride was a bit wild as this group of wild,rowdy and loud young girls boarded the bus. I had a bit of fun with them, but there were quite rude to some other passenger. I'd love to hear what the other gus thought. At Silver Spring '97 Gillig 5400 was arriving on the 15 so I bailed. Ray and Tristian boarded the Red line at Silver Spring and I think Ray hit the Micky D's. As always it was good hanging with you guys.
Wayne
"Look Ray, it's a Gillig!"
But to her defense, that one did have a lowered front end, a la a Metro. It was kinda cool to see a Gillig with a Flx trait. :)
-F.
-F.
Pam is getting there with the buses. She calls articulated buses, "catepillar buses" and I always get a good laugh at that one. And she always makes it a point to let me know when she's on a 'new subway' aka CAF cars.
-F.
FLXIBLE: Feels Like Xmas In Bus Lines Everywhere.
-F.
The first Flx Metro was rode was 9702 on the F4, then it was 9724 (F4) followed by 9717 (J2). Don't worry... I live here and can't seem to take my eyes off the Metro. It was the same when the new-looks were still here too. My girlfriend has a great sense of humor so she just makes harmless little jokes, but she likes that I have such a hobby.
Wayne
Wayne
We almost had Metro E 4011 if we were to catch that S4 at Silver Spring, but opted for the J2 since everyone was headed upcounty.
Go figure that we got the only Metro D's on the F4 while everything else were the Orion VI's. I wasn't complaining though. I can't get enough of the Flx riding.
-F.
Wayne
-F.
I could've gone for that. Sounds like the rest of your weekend here went well. Glad to hear that. Also - around DuPont Circle you'd see lots of buses from Western Division. Western Division doesn't have nay Metro-Ds. Only Bs and Es. You probably also saw some of those funky Orion IIs.
My dad always drove big vehicles (but no buses, go figure) and I had to at least learn even though it wasn't my career... and one thing I admire is a driver who handle his/her bus well and my girlfriend always seems to look at me with a smile as I watch the B/O. She's great.
Wayne
Another bus I saw in Silver Spring was 9380...a B that still sports her original colors. I was in LOVE when I saw this one!
-F.
Wayne
Speaking of the New Looks, they are my favorite bus of all time; in fact, my girlfriend got to ride our restored Pentran no. 621 at the Buseum (www.commonwealthcoach.com) and she LOVED it. She likes the styling and says that its 8V71 sounds like a REAL bus with power. :)
-F.
Washington DC suburbs...my favorite place to transitfan.
Please don't tell me you were doing Israeli dancing.
When we got to the station, Perry had to leave for a game, and it was then we noticed that it was freezing outside. We hopped onto Ride-On no. 5556, and what a ride it was. I had never heard an M11 mated to a Voith; WOW, what a sweet combo....I LOVE that sound! We rode that one to the Ride-On facility, and I got a glimpse of my favorite buses there...all four of them. These were the 5700-series Flxibles that were handed down by Baltimore MTA, the only 4 at Ride-On. They must really be running their CNG equipment; we were only 100 feet away from the facility, and I got a real buzz! Guess I'm too used to diesel.
From there, we waited for a good eternity for the Q2....which really keeps you awake in cold weather, let me tell you! That gave us a chance to see SEVERAL CNG-powered Orion Vs pull up...once again, sweet-sounding machines. Finally, WMATA Orion no. 2125 pulled up, and it was off to Silver Spring; we all parted by twos on that line. And oh yes, those lovely girls came back there with us; one was explicitly going into great details about her attributes and asked at least one of us about how we "liked it", and I think one of them sat on Ray's lap for a little bit...very open people, in more ways than one! (I'm taken, so I declined to partake of the goods.) Wayne had a lot of fun entertaining them until they got off (the bus, that is.) :) One girl even straddled the "prison toilet" beside us.
On that subject, my girlfriend had been at Smithsonian all day and anxiously awaited my return at Pentagon City, so Tristan rode with me on the Red Line back towards that way and showed me to the mall.
Guys, THANK you for showing me around the DC bus systems; I had a real blast, and feel that a good time was had by all!
Sincerely,
Fred Donaher
(flxible)
Good summary! We're glad you were able to make it. Too bad we couldn't ride more buses (and warmer weather). You definitely should look into joining us again. We always have a good time and I always look forward to our outings. The "Prison Toilet" you mentioned is not a DC area thing - it's something that's in place on Orion V's that are equipped with the DD S50 engine.
Those girls were quite loud. Although they were a bit rowdy, they were pretty much having fun like many teens do. It was very easy for me to tease them because I remember doing the same stuff - just not quite as loud. Basically my interaction with them was a little bit of battle-of-the-wits and then the other girl started the flirting stuff. That's when I decided to calm it down as even if I was available... they couldn't be any more than 18 years old. I didn't know one of them sat on Ray's lap. One girl had nearly fallen on me which is basically what started the whole thing. I had to rush off because my girlfriend was waiting so we could go out to dinner. We went to Mama Luchia where I told her about our day on the buses. She thought the part of the young ladies on the Q2 was funny.
Interesting enough my ride on Ride-On 15 #5400 there was some more of the same stuff, but I wasn't involved.
Glad you were able to join us and feel free to come along in the future. I'm guilty of not getting too much busfanning done lately. Between work, spending time with my girlfriend, errands, other friends (not interested in transit) I've been falling behind.
METRO: Makes Everyone Tired of Riding Orions.
I have to say that I like the Ride-On Orions better; at least they have a Voith behind them to make wonderful music. ESPECIALLY 5556 with the M11; now THAT was a SCREAMER!!! I LOVED riding that one.
-F.
-F.
Wayne
Jim D.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
MetroB
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Of course, that's just speculation from Philadelphia; you NYers would have a better grip on this than I would...
David
David
MTA
8603 - Quill
285 - Stengel
8480 - 126th Street
5042 - MV
8650 - Quill
9001 - Quill
238 - Hale
8660 - Quill
8990 - Quill
11/1/03(All times on 11/1 are PM)
1:05 5940 R46 F
1:20 2154 R62A 7
1:45 8655 Q32
2:04 5644 M15
2:22 8986 M14
5:44 8668 M8
6:07 5201 M5
6:55 548 QM1A
7:48 4920 Q46
11/2/03
9:42 AM 275 Q10
10:53 AM 3799 R32 E
11:30 AM 9525 M10
1:41 PM 5140 M10
3:22 PM 577 QM4
4:48 PM 1163 Q60
11/3/03
5:01 PM 5542 Q60
11/7/03(All times on 11/7 are PM)
4:07 576 Q20A
4:32 8008 Q54(Short Run)
I arrived at Wheaton station by car because the friggin R2 only comes every 70 some minutes and for me to get from my house to Wheaton is a damn long ride, so I just said F*** it.
I see Tristan (BusStalker) on the pay phone cause he lost cellphone. Odd though, the only member of the DC BusTalkers from DASH land gets here first;-)
Chris G (rideonrules) then arrives after about 10 minutes on his Y8 and then Perry (1C/Ballston) and Wayne (Planes, trains, autos) arrive. Ray (aznboy4305) arrives last on the C4. Apparently Fred (Flxible) had some delays getting in so we decided to head over to Bojangles in New Carrollton for some ghetto fried chicken and wait for Fred to come a bit closer to the DC area;-)
We ran across Wheaton station to catch a 2000 Orion V on the eastbound C4 to PG Plaza. On the bus we discussed various things like the DASH coloring book and drunks on Shuttle-UM;-)
We then caught a Flxible Metro-D on the eastbound F4 to New Carrollton. We rode this to a small shopping center near New Carrollton where we had KICK ASS Bojangles fried chicken (excep Ray, for some odd reason;-).
After this we rode another Metro-D on a westbound F4 which reached crush load pretty quickly. We rode this to Silver Spring, where Fred met up with us.
We spotted a 40 foot Flx from Shuttle-UM pulling out and Ray and Tristan ran after it like mad dogs;-)
After this we boarded yet another Metro-D on the westbound J2. We got some pretty good speeds through E-W Highway near Connecticut Ave.
We got off at Medical Center and boarded a Ride-On 2002 Orion V on the northbound 46 and I experienced the first of the most powerful DD50's I have rode in quite some time.
We then got off at Rockville and saw 4337, the fake me out rehabbed 1998 Orion V. Perry had to bail at this point to go to the Capitals game at MCI Center. The rest of us boarded a Ride-On 1998 Orion V on the northbound 59 and rode that to Shady Grove. At Shady Grove we walked toward Ride-On's Gaithersburg garage and Ray and Fred hit up the porta potties at a construction site nearby. One of them ended up stuck in the porta potty for some unknown reason;-)
After this we walked towards the garage and looked at what they had. After this we went up to the top level of the parking structure at Shady Grove and got elevated views of the Shady Grove Metrorail shops and Gaithersburg garage.
After this we decided to head back to Shady Grove and catch a Q2 out of there to head home. Nothing came for a long time, but we were teased by a slew of Ride-On's 1999 Orion V CNG's. Time kept ticking and the Q2 was late as F***. Then here comes the Q2 nearly back to back. We boarded a 2000 Orion V and there was a 1998 Orion V. Suffice to say the bus was standing room only leaving Shady Grove. Then it reaches Rockville;-) Can you say CRUSH LOAD AGAIN? This is why we think we should just call them
"Why?MATA"
from now on.
Also, we discussed the movie "The Bodyguyard" and 27 Chocolates while on the Q2;-)
Me and Chris G got off at Wheaton and Ray went back home on a Q2 I believe while Tristan and Ray got on the Metrorail to get home.
As usual, fill in the blanks or correct me.
Well here are some teaser photos :
After Chris and Chris got off at wheaton, the Q2 got even MORE crush loaded. 3 very interesting ladies (probably drunk) came onboard the bus and towards the back where we were. Obviously they were (very) loud and hyper, one of them tried sitting on top of the DD 50 engine cover and found herself to be screaming in pain on those bars, not seats. Then she hacked up some flane and spitted it on the engine cover, when the bus stopped, she flew off her "engine cover" seat and decided to sit on a stranger's lap. Her best friend was trying to convince her to sit on Waynes lap. "Main, he dont care, he probably get a hard on", after then they started flirting or something and one of the girls started dancing and trying to figure out how to use an MP3 player. The entire bus spilled out at Silver Spring station and the group splitted from there, Wayne left to take his 15 home, Tristan and FRED left to take the train into Virginia. And as for me, I went across the street to McDonald's, bought and ate a Double cheesburger, and bought and saved a McChicken sandwich for later. Then I rode a Rehabbed 9600 Orion V on the Q2 and man that thing was FAST and MUCH smoother compared to the other Orion Vs. I rode that to Rockvlle where I rode another 2002 Orion V on the 46 home. I ate my McChicken sandwhich while waiting for my 46 at Rockville.
http://photos.transitgallery.com/DC-Transit
Wayne, now he's one very lucky man! No one (of the four NY bustalkers who rode the A train shuttle last Saturday, I was one of them) got that lucky)! - ) Now Perry, he probably has more stories where that came from.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I had a great time seeing everyone though. Sorry I couldn't go up to Shady Grove with everyone, but having the three Flx Metro D's was nice and it was great to meet up with Fred (Flxible).
All in all I counted 8 buses that I rode on:
Orion VI 2003 (38B)
Orion V 2183 (S4)
Orion V 4362 (Q2)
Orion V 2119 (C4)
Flx Metro 9702 (F4)
Flx Metro 9724 (F4)
Flx Metro 9717 (J2)
Orion V 5623 (Ride On 46)
5 Metrorail trains, but I didn't pay any attention to the car numbers.
Hopefully, we can all do this again soon!
I am trying to plan a doozy of a bus trip, not working out right now, but I will find a way.
When I still lived in NYC I had met many young ladies on buses, but I didn't take it any further than some harmless flirting.
I think the topic of Oren's beloved (and departed) 27 did come up but, it didn't last too long. However, it was actually a bit humorous.
It was a nice trip, but most of us were not dressed warm enough.
Wayne
Was that taken at Silver Spring on Saturday?
-F.
And yes, they are abysmal. I can't tell you, the few times I've had the "opportunity" to ride an IBOA line, I couldn't beleive my eyes at how ass-backwards everything was. Like you said, the buses are poorly maintained, there's no set schedule, no route numbers, the drivers look sloppy and some don't even speak English - some are probably illegal aliens, it would not surprise me one bit - and the fares are curiously higher than NJ Transit.
I beleive that NJ Transit should come in and do a complete take over and reorganizing of those IBOA routes. Even if they contract the routes out to Academy or something - it'll still be tons better than what exists now!
Rant Overwith. Also Arguement Is not put in any order. Thanks
Considering how much NJT-related work Academy has picked up in recent years, I'm sure they'd be able to find some space.
BTW, does Bergen Av IBOA have dedicated garages (I know this was the case with S Orange Av IBOA; their facility was near the NEC just south of Penn Station/Newark)? If that's the case and Bergen Av IBOA is ultimately taken over, Academy (or whichever contractor takes over the line) could always take over the IBOA's garage facility.
The South Hudson Blvd had those old buses as late as 1989. It amazed me riding buses from the 1960's but to their credit, that line actually had electronic fare boxes before NJ Transit.
I loved those fishbowls. They were comfortable and had REAL seats with cushions. Riding on the Bergen Avenue today like like sitting on a hard piece of metal with a thin cushion! It's better than the 1980's when ALL the buses had HARD PLASTIC chairs!
Speaking of those fishbowls, the bus drivers used to RACE down a very narrow Bergen Avenue with those monsters! It was something else as they tried to beat each other to the station. It stopped when someone was killed.
The Grumann Flx buses came with shatter proof windows because people throw ROCKS and BRICKS at the buses. After about 5 years, these windows would become blury and scratched so you had to know your stop. Most of the buses in Hudson Country have gone back to a shatter proof glass wich is a much better improvment
MetroB
Someone must do something, these mom-and-pop bus operations have no place in city transit, also shouldn't the vans be illegal in NJ?
I did ride an RTS on the 31 from Livingston Mall about a year ago and it was in pretty decent shape then. Perhaps this line is still in better shape than what you've all said about the Jersey City non-NJT operators.
I can tell you horror stories you won't believe about that bus line from the robberies, fights, drugs, gambling, sex, vandalism etc ect. Having said that, the bus line has improved somewhat over the years. NO it is not anywhere near MTA standards but have put up with it for over 50 years.
The Bergen Avenue bus depot is located in city line right by the NJ Turnpike entrance. Unfortunatly, the condition of the bus depot is horrible and the buses are serviced poorly. Furthermore, there is not enough space at the terminal to house the buses overnight so many of them are fully exposed to the elements which leads to futher breakdowns.
NJ Transit does NOT want to take over this line as it goes through probably the toughest section of Jersey City. NJ Transit already has a bus line (NJ #87) that runs one block down from Bergen Avenue on Martin Luther King Drive.
I BLAME NJ Transit for NOT supporting the #87 making it a commuter line. To the Bergen Avenue Bus company's credit, they support that line like no other bus company in Jersey City. The Bergen Avenue's time schedule is not needed because a bus arrives ever 10 to 15 minutes or less. The buses do get bunched behind each other as a result of the thousands of passengers that jam into them every day. I happen to believe the Bergen Avenue bus company makes more money than ALL the other local bus companies. No other bus company in Jersey City offers this much service. No one.
In fact, the #87 during the weekend and weekday is so terrible, you're better off taking the Bergen Avenue any time of the day. The politics of race plays into this decision big time. Overall, NJ Transit only servies Hoboken by providing an incredible amount of service for those heading to New York City. For the most part, Martin Luther King drive has not received proper service since the trolley line back in the 1930s
As a result, the majority of residents in Jersey City are stuck taking the Bergen Avenue bus line. I will say this about this line. You do get used to the bad conditions after a while like dirty buses. On a positive note, the bus line did a tremendous job removing the criminal element.
I read once that for many years the per capita spending of state resources in New Jersey was the LOWEST of ANY STATE IN THE UNITED STATES with two exceptions -Alabama and Mississippi. In the writer's opinion (in an article in the NY TIMES I believe) for a heavily industrialized, urban state like New Jersey to expend fewer dollars per resident than states such as South Dakota and Utah was not only incredible it bordered on criminal. Trouble was, the majority of Jerseyites were white, middle-class suburbanites and they didn't care what happened to the state's cities so long as their taxes didn't go up. For me, New Jersey always had a kinda 'South Africa' feel to it, but that's beginning to change to, thankfully.
Anyone have ridership information for Bergen Avenue IBOA?
South Orange Avenue IBOA (Independent Bus Company)
Lafayette & Greenville (Red and Tan)
If the situation is as bad as people say, then someone can just walk on and take over the route.
DC Transit
www.regionaltransitservice.com
The buses I saw, 95 to be exact. Enjoy!
FB: 4602,5086,5098,5107,8140,8333,8430,8443,9410,9417,9423,9432
FP: 5073,8011,8170,8535,8555,9461,9475,9575
UP: 8675,8686,8688,9085,9093,9184,9309,9324,9325
JG: 598,599,801,918,932,947,968,969,4650,4651,4660,4671,7615
ENY: 4982,8096,8347,8450,8694,8928,9057,9059
126: 8218,8219,8227,8247,8446,8451,8462,8467,8481,8488,8489,8512
CS: 230,262,298,306,310,551,564,570,654,660
JAM: 5151,5154,8940,8946,8955,8974,9070,9345,9542,9566
QV: 507,4907,4916,4928,8373,8379,8381,8392,8393,9294,9357
O5 591 B68
R46 5639 (F)
05 660 A SHUTTLE
RTS 5073 A SHUTTLE
RTS 5110 A SHUTTLE
RTS 9093 A SHUTTLE
O5 306 A SHUTTLE
RTS 9070 A SHUTTLE
R46 5801 (F)
O7 7608 B8
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Personally, I've taken some rides in those liveries, and I'll make sure not to do it again. Let's go MTA, buy the horrible private lines, improve them and end this never-ending mess.
Will you carry out on my invite to the Rider Diaries? Come on, we don't bite. :) BTW, don't rely on GP38's opinion on this. ;)
Follow the forum link and drop a line or two. I bet you can add some interesting discussion there.
MetroB
David
MetroB
Yes, it's generally based on an average, first of the full-route (end-to-end) times, then the component timepoint-to-timepoint times.
Of course, a special effort is made to filter out statistical "outliers" that might throw things off. For example, a string of 7's and 8's may also contain a single 15 (police activity? wheelchair problem?) or a single 2 (speed demon?) which would artificially inflate or deflate the average running time.
7038-M7(parked at PW track 4)
9634-M1(Parked at PW track 3)
9420-M1(parked at PW track 2)
N23-Mineola-332
N22-Jamaica-376
N41-Freeport-216
N24-Roosevelt Field Mall-307
N22-Hicksville-172
N41-Mineola-364
OOS-138(parked at HTC)
N6-Jamaica-167
N55-Sunrise Mall-359
N72-Farmingdale-367
N46/N47-380
N40-Mineola-152
N6-HTC-136
Villani bus lines-71
OOS-373
LIRR service-358(had N79 on back sign)
N71-HTC-143
N71-HTC-367
N71-HTC-367(wow, on this bus both ways, and saw once in between, wierd)
N15-Roosevelt Field Mall-314
OOS-270
N55-sunrise mall-359(second sighting of this bus)
N41-Freeport-184
N32-Far Rockaway-202
N40-Mineola-384
N6-HTC-144
N22-Jamaica-139
N23-Manorhaven-242
N27-Roosevelt Field Mall-373
N23-Mineola-338
N20-Hicksville-188
8772-M3(parked at PW track 2)
9634-M1(still parked at PW track 3, did this thing move at all today?)
9436-M1(parked at PW track 5)
9168-M1(parked at PW track 6)
11/9
N35 ROOSEVELT FIELD #173
N27 GLEN COVE #373
N20 HICKSVILLE #186
N22 JAMAICA #137
Bell was going off on its own on the N27, the driver stopped the bus and got up and yelled at the pax to stop ringing the bell if you're not going to get off. I however didnt see anyone of the 9 people that were on in contact with a stop strip, not even the sleeping bum by the rear door. I told the driver he just made a remark like he didnt believe me.
N20 was running 10 min late (not unusual for a Sunday) and another bum boarded at LIU, the very same bum that was yelling at everyone on that on N27 bus not too long ago. He never paid and the driver just let him get away with it, he was also standing at the front of the bus all the way to Hicksville blocking ppl from exiting. I was toward the back fortunately and stayed out of it.
NIMBYKiller is right though, Nassau is becoming urbanized and not in a good way. Positive urbanization would be mass transit expansion, office development and affordable apartment construction. It seems all Nassau is getting is more bums, gangstas, and traffic. :-o
Anyway here are some pics of Suffolk transit buses
An Orion V #9923 heading east on Rt.347 at Nicolls Rd
Another Orion V laying up near the (now vacant)Stern's end of the Smith Haven mall
A Gillig in new paint style by the bus stop at Smith Haven mall
No where else should there be any more construction. When I saw those pictures you posted of your trip to suffolk i was so glad to see atleast SOME open land, untouched.
It's been happening for years, it's called Urban Redevelopment. We've done here in Houston for years, and it's been done in other cities as well with verying degress of success.
>>>what builder in his right mind is going to erect such a building, and secondly,<<<
A builder that knows a slum or Section 8 housing can be razed and high rise condos can be built on that prized, ghetto land.
>>>what affluent person is going to purchase such a home<<<
Mmmmmm, let's see; Lawyers, Doctors, Trust Fund babies, Business Executives, the list goes on really.
Also, I've been here for three years, I obviously DO know where he lives, he does post about LONG ISLAND BUS, you know, the company YOU work for? Anyone with a bit of common sense could of deciphered this. Guess I give you too much credit Joe. Shame on ME, SHAAAAME ON MEEEE, lol.
So, why don't you bring your wrinkled tail out of New York and see the sights? I'm young, I have all the time in the world, you on the other hand, you're on borrowed time my friend. Maybe it'll open your eyes to things outside of the service area of your subpar employer. Urban Redevelopment is quite a sight to see. And it operates on the old phrase, money talks and bullshit walks, the ramblings of a 60 yeard old bus driver be damned.
Toodles Joe.
>>>After three years here, as you claim, you still haven't an ounce of maturity.<<<
Ah yes, this from a guy who constantly insults a passenger of his employer via an internet message board for voicing his opinion and regularly picks fights with teenagers. I have more maturity in one ass crumb than you have in your whole body, bub.
>>>And, youngster, I've been all around the world visiting other transit systems for over four decades<<<<
STOP THE PRESSES!!!!!! GIVE THIS MAN A NOBEL PRIZE RIGHT NOW!!!!! WORSHIP THIS MAN!!!!! HE HAS SEEN TRANSIT SYSTEMS ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!!!! Oddly enough, he still knows little to nothing about basic politics and economics. How odd is that?
>>>while it appears you're glued to Texas Bush territory and a fixation on Houston transit.<<<
Wow! How'd you know? :-) Was it my constant postings about Houston transit? Well, there certainly is no keeping things from YOUR sharp mind, Sherlock Siatta. (Psst. That was sarcasm by the way, just in case you're too old to remember. :-))
>>>I could teach you a thing or two about transit but you'd never really want to learn.<<<
No, more than likely you can teach me about making bigoted and sterotypical comments. I have no interest in that. I know enough about transit anyway.
>>>I still have the curse word book here if you're still interested; it appears to be something you'd deeply enjoy - you could learn to curse in many, many languages, not just English.<<<
That's okay. You need to read something to keep your feeble mind sharp. I don't want to deprive you of that. Thanks for the offer however, I'm very appreciative that you care for my enjoyment so much. I mean, why else would you post these little tirades for me to rip apart?
But seriously Joe, this is not SubTalk, a place you feared I'd "invade" in your oh-so-successful attempt to have me banned, so I'm going to end the correspondance here. No need to bring the board down because of our petty conflicts.
But, to keep it transit related; LI BUS sucks, because it has bad service, and bad buses. Should of kept the RTS, best buses EVER, no Fishbowl or Flx New Look could take an RTS. Not on your life. LI Bus's reliance on Orions just goes to show you what a third rate organization it is.
There, I'm through. With my little immature, street punk, cursing litle cute self.
Now, I'm going to make like a tree and go. (Buddy Lee reference for those who care)
I don't believe LI Bus ever had any RTS's, other than a few real old ones that it got 2nd hand from NYC Bus to plug a temporary bus shortage. Trumpeting the RTS with regard to a system that hardly had any of them doesn't make sense to me.
Umm, LI Bus they never had any original RTS's. Besides most of the fishbowls were hande me downs from NYCT.
MSBA inherited many, many fishbowls from the private Nassau County operators when it took over the lines in the early 1970's. Its first two orders for new buses were for fishbowls - 8 buses in the low 100 series and 800-849. It was much later on that MSBA wound up with several batches of NYCT fishbowls when it had temporary bus shortages, beginning with some 5301's and ending up with a number of Blitz rebuilds.
"there is very little reason to improve roads or rail service because the overall population density is not going to increase by any great percentage."
The current situation alone is enough to improve the transit system! the LIE is constantly backed up to no end, and the LIRR needs improvements, like the 3rd track on the main line. Also, wherever there is space to build, people will build unfortunately. You're being very narrow-minded
I only accused you of being narrow minded for saying the following:
"there is very little reason to improve roads or rail service"
Clearly, there is reason to do so. I'm glad there is no more room for road expansion. Road expansion promotes driving, which is why we have so many damn backups. The mass transit system however should definately be improved. New rail lines(and yes, there is room for more rail lines) can be built, and old ones need to be resurected. The Central is one of them. Also, a new whitestone line along the Whitestone Expressway, and then along the CIP to Fort Totten. There, to new rail lines serving new areas:
1. Middle Village, Meadowbrook, salisbury, levittown on the central
2. Whiteston, college point, fort totten on the new whitestone line.
The Port Jeff line could also be re-extended to Wading River and eventually Riverhead(as was originally planned).
The Manorville-Eastport line could be rebuilt, with only a portion being re-routed around the LI Game Farm. I'm pretty sure people going to the hamptons from MacArthur airport would appreciate it.
And the Oyster Bay-Rockaway Beach line. Re-construct the Mineola-CLP-WH ROW and fix the Y at Valley Stream, and place tracks below the A's elevated structure and there ya go. OB-Mineola-WH-Valley Stream-Far Rock-Rockaway Park.
Basically, if there are lots of people driving in a certain direction(which is why there are massive traffic back-ups), then more mass transit could be implemented.
Okay, this may be "immature" of me, but THAT, coming from YOU, is hilarious with a capital everything. Just thought I'd point that out. Okay, that's all from me folks. I'll be here all week. Tip your waitress and try the veal!
B1-#4452-TMC
B1-#8447-TMC
Quite a few Artics out there today, last chance (for now) to ride a Artic or O5 diesel in Brooklyn. I wonder what Round 3 brings this coming weekend :-P. I wonder if they would have to do a 7 shuttle bus eventually due to the installation of switches by 74 St and we could imagine what THAT would be like!
The buses I saw, 80. Enjoy!
ENY: 4543,8116,8693,8909,8911,9075
UP: 4497,91008.9181,9309,9318
FB: 5099,5103,5119,5120,8412,8439,9414
FP: 5062,8016,8133,9583
JG: 874,4647,4648,4649,4650,4660,4664,4667,4671
126: 8214,8217,8241,8247,8445,8473,8482,8483
KB: 8821,8862,8880,9666,9668,9672
MJQ: 8618,8623,8653,9017,9023,9223
100: 1018,5534,5535,5543,5549,5573,5582,5588
WF: 443,461,462,6057,6070,6076,8035,9138
MV: 5034,5042,5043,5195,5196,5198
GH: 184,186,188,205,206
MCH: 226,239,6027,6049
NF 904 B68
R46 5745 (F)
RTS 8880 A SHUTTLE
RTS 9181 A SHUTTLE
NF Artic 5582 A SHUTTLE
RTS 9023 A SHUTTLE
RTS 4650 A SHUTTLE
NF Artic 5549 A SHUTTLE
RTS 8030 B41
R68 2740 (Q)
See you guys Saturday night, see how the fun it is zooming down Atlantic Ave on a A shuttle bus.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
I will be there after 5 PM. Should be fun (as always) on what I have to say. :)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
B65 - C40LF #844
The fastest and most practical way between the cities is Tri-Rail, the commuter rail service which parallels I-95 in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties. If you're anywhere near central Miami, you can take Metrorail to the Tri-Rail Transfer Station, then catch Tri-Rail northbound. Connecting bus service is available at almost all stations to destinations of interest. Broward County Transit ("B-Line") operates bus service on major corridors in Broward County.
If you travel Tri-Rail, be sure to check the schedules first. The line shares tracks with freight traffic and it's still not double-tracked all the way, so headways can be odd.
If you really have time to kill and you're in for an adventure, you could take one of the Metrobuses up to Aventura Mall, and then transfer to a B-Line bus to continue into Broward.
You need to get to the B-Line Route 1 southbound to its last stop at Aventura Mall. From there, Miami/Dade has several routes going to downtown Miami. Probably the slowest, but arguably the most scenic, is the S Route, that gives you a great tour of Miami Beach (and uses NABI articulated equipment). I forget which route is the most direct - it could be the 3, but I think there is also a limited bus with limited service.
Yes, the limited service is the Biscayne MAX (line 93). It runs all day weekdays on a fairly good headway. This would be a better bet than the S which goes over to Miami Beach before ending up in downtown L. A. It is frequently delayed by traffic on Miami Beach, and the NABI artics (which were actually manufactured by NABI predecessor American Ikarus) are pieces of crap which break down frequently.
O.Zamora
Ultimate fan of Miami Dade Transit.
Tell me what you think of this.
Mark De Loatch
mdlbigcat@comcast.net
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Thanks, but we already know this.
JD
The 6:33am N22 to Jamaica was packed, standees all the way to the line. Emptied out quite a bit at Roosevelt Field. I've noticed the N22 has groups of ridership, between Hicksville and Roosevelt Field and between New Hyde Park and Jamaica (mostly commuters). As usual we made great time despite the loads.
I took a TZX bus from Tarrytown to the Palisades mall, this was an MCI 102A2. The 6v92 engine was a bit sluggish and jerky. Still I enjoyed the ride, and like the interior of these older coaches vs the new ones. Had a D4500 going back, pretty fast ride going along the expressways in Westchester. That alone makes the White Plains run a treat.
I was supposed to miss the 6:49pm N22A HICKSVILLE but it was running a little late so I made it at 179st. Pretty fast ride, one of the Cummins buses that ran pretty damn good flying down Hillside ave. Saw alot of Orions on the Q1 and Q3. By RF we were on schedule.
I took some pics of some buses today, a TOR MCI 102A2, a Bee Line Orion V, and the "Lot J" at Palisades. The mall needs to make that commuter lot alot more accessible!
http://www.cbscoaches.com/images/1845001.jpg
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?17687
The Fishbowls were okay but its the Old Looks that I miss. Like the former Fifth Avenue Coach buses that Westchester Street Transportation used to run. Not only did they have that All-Business look they sounded great!
Old Look 40-footers had 5100-series model numbers, while the same size New Look buses used the 5300-series.
One other tidbit - GM manufactured the 30-foot 'Baby Old Look' buses (model numbers 3501 and 3502) until 1969 because they didn't have a 30-foot version of the New Look bus until then.
Jim D.
http://www.cbscoaches.com/images/1845001.jpg
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?17687
I think both types were excellent buses, but I always liked the 'Old Look' better. They were slower, older technology, but who cares....they looked awesome inside and out....and besides...Ralph Kramden drove an 'Old Look'!!
The driver's MAIN job is to DRIVE SAFELY...in other words, WATCH THE ROAD!!!
That's the floor on an N20 I got on not that long ago at Hicksville. People threw the bus surveys on the floor and this nut material was all over the floor. Looks like a mini-elephant walked through there!
And I had trouble finding a suitable seat because there was soda stains all over them!
Drivers rarely enforce the no eating or drinking rules. Perhaps because they rarely have time for them, let alone breathe.
Most ops have only a few minutes for layover, and dont have enough time to clean up the bus. Besides, its not the job of the b/o to clean his bus. Most buses from the yard come out clean, but after a busload of passengers get messy.
Suffolk transit buses have garbage pails in the front of them near the stepwell. Maybe that's why they are cleaner?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Eating is permitted on all NYCT buses.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
If there is such a sign, it's a request, not a rule. Here are the rules.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Are you sure about that? Maybe the cleaning crew didn't get to it.
>>>and this nut material was all over the floor.<<<
Mmmmmm, I wonder if it was because of the Cummins vibrator? (Reference to a VERY old thread)
-F.
-F.
B65#879
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
David
The turn signals on the back of the bus were of different types. The one on the left was a traditional light bulb, and the one on the right was one of those new LED lights. (Both brake lights were LED's.)
What do you think of that?
Incognito
Transportation Photographer
The West Farms Kid
BIG AL
Hey how about doing what Metro-North and NJ Transit do when they run a Saturday schedule on a non-major holiday? They add service during the rush hours and call it a 'modified weekend schedule.'
Weird!!!
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
does anyone know where to get an HO gmc "New Look" (fishbowl)?
cause i'm an huge lover of this bus type.
thanks
-F.
in any scale................
ps: i'm just 16 so it's a little dificult to drive a bus :) (wanting to buy a real fishbowl when i'm old enough)
Those "Fishbowls" are nice...especially if you take it apart, strip the paint, and custom paint it to match whatever prototype you wish! I have done many.....and still have some available for painting. (When I paint them, they go on EBay....)
The bus is a good representation in terms of accuracy and dimensions. It is a non-airconditioned model.
The three liveries are: 1) - mentioned in the preceding post, 2) - silver, with blue and red body stripes and a greyhound dog on the sides 3)the same as # 2 but a aqua color instead of gray.
All three buses are signed as "Central Station" and the wheels extend out past the body. However, with the paucity of bus models and collectors, beggars can't be choosers. Be grateful that the quality is as good as it is.
-F.
If it were an LFS model though, I'm sure it'd be constantly breaking :)
but if you drop me a want too list I maybe we can make a deal..
as for the busses they look great but i'm making an 70's inspired new york subway system so i don't think I can use them. but if you give me a list I will look what I can do for you.
you guys are my hero's :)
but is there anyway to get some of these busses by the internet? cause I live (stil) outside the US (europe) :(
(For instance, I had to mail ONE Corgi 1/76 OOC bus to England, the postage was over $11.00!!!!!!!!)
-F.
-F.
Enjoy!
-F.
The probem is...the busmodel crowd is NOT as big as the manufacturers would like, so they don't sell enough of what they have made to keep production up, and design/tooling for future releases.
You'd be surprised how many of those Road Champs buses show up in places like the Goodwill Store, etc. In other words, many were just sold as toys, not to serious modellers. My wife has brought homw a good handful of them allunder a buck, and sure, they had scratches, etc., but I used them for custom paint jobs I've sold (some getting as much as $35.00 each!!!)
Started out by taking the B8 to the train station then I hopped on a R68A Q train to Avenue J then I hopped on the B6 LTD, 9184, which was my first ride on a ex-Fresh Pond bus in UP. So I ride that to Flatbush Av and I walk over to Nostrand Av and waited about 20 minutes only to see two Q35's come at about the same time :-\ so I get on 614 and the B/O is slow at first but once we're past Avenue U we go 45mph but then things get a little bozarre when the lights go out and the bus slows down so at first we thiught the bus lost power! Luckily it wasn't but it was a cool sight and the driver was pretty good then 227; the bus behind us, passed us and when we hit Newport Av he goes no more than 25mph all the way to B116 causing me to miss the Q53 by a block >:-(. I see the next 53 bus coming up, RTS 2817, and myself and another person gets on (I take the fornt seat) then we pick up 3 more passengers on Rockaway Beach Blvd. The bus sounded like it skipped the 2nd gear and went straight to 35-40mph every chance the B/O had and on Cross Bay Blvd we were flying down a empty road at 55mph & the engine was really roaring :-D.
So all is well until we hit Conduit Av when things tempers and pure stupidity! Seeing that there is construction in that area, it caused some lane shifts so this idiotic dumbass driving a Crown Victoria makes a sharp right turn out of the turning lane and the bus, going 25mph nearly RAN STRAIGHT INTO THE CAR and thank goodness the B/O's reflexes were quick & that there was no car to the right of us or it would of been a bad accident. If you only saw what the action was like, you would be SHOCKED! Then he turns to block the car that nearly cut us off, which was in the left lane and screamed & cursed at him and I thought they were going to go 1 on 1 LOL :-P. Everyone on the bus was OK so we proceed then we find out that 63 Drive was closed b/c of police activity leading us to take a major detour going straight down Woodhaven all the way to Queens Blvd, I shook the driver's hand told him thanks where I got off to catch the train to Jamaica. A few express trains pass by us then I get on the V train at Woodhaven Blvd and its all good but we get delayed at 67 Av for a couple of minutes due to a train in front, causing me to miss 2 E trains :-\.
Now a next R32 E arrives but the C/R says it is an E to 179 St but of course the train doesn't go via Hillside express [damnit] so I take it to Briarwood/Van Wyck to catch the Q44 and I hop on 292 and this is a real fast bus so I chill until Parsons Blvd where I get off to ride the Q4 for the first time. It was 7:35pm and I was had a feeling that I had just missed the last LTD bus so I get on local 5159 and its a pretty quick ride to Farmers Blvd where a Q3 is coming right away. At the light, I see what looks like the last Q4 LTD, 4581 and I just shook my head in laughter. So I get on 8950 and its a smooth [and moderate] ride to 179 St to catch the F train and I take it via Queens Blvd express to 34 St where I catch the Q diamond and finished my trip.
On a side note, they really need to take over the Green Lines ASAP, the service stinks! :-\
NF 877 B8
R68A 5176 (Q)
RTS 9184 B6 LTD
GBL RTS 614 Q35
TC RTS 2817 Q53
R46 5770 (V)
R32 3446 (E)
O5 292 Q44
RTS 5159 Q4
RTS 8950 Q3
R46 5694 (F)
R40 4277 Q Diamond
Today was a traffic nightmere, with extra shopping traffic in addition to the rush hour traffic. Buses were running late (except for the N35) because of "holiday" traffic around Roosevelt Field. Old Country rd was a parking lot, and Glen Cove rd was jammed up to the parkway. And the parkways werent moving. I didn't even want to venture into RF today. Good thing I had good b/o's today. On the N27 we turned from the lane going straight, both going northbound on Jericho and southbound turning onto Old Country. Also because the turnaround that the N35 uses was backed up we snuck in ahead of the cars. Yeah I know "some of you" may think it is wrong but lemme tell ya, in the transit business you have to know how to stay on time. We passed the N45 that left Roosevelt Field before us, and pretty much left it in the dust as that b/o was "too scardeycat" to make time. Good bus driver know how to "cool down" while running hot, as well as economize when running late. And in this county cars are like a disease that clogs the roads, so if you dont want to run 10-15 minutes late you have to bend the rules a little.
Anyway I was glad the 35 to Westbury came when it did, the N22 was nowhere in sight probably still sitting on Old Country which was a parking lot back to Mineola. There were gangstas fighting at the bus stop and I was glad to gt outta there. As usual mall security was nowhere in sight. They need a guard stationed there at all times.
The buses were just as crowded as they usually are except the N35 because NCC had no classes today. I'm glad I wasnt in Westchester today, those Bee Line buses are running on a Saturday schedule!
These next 2 months are gonna be a mess with the holiday crazies. Bahhh Humbug!
CG
In case you're wonderin what I was doin down there, my friend and I walked the old central ROW today. Well, part of it.
CG
Transport of Rockland, older MCI coach at Tarrytown
Bee Line Orion V, resting in Tarrytown
Should there be limited stop service on Hylan Blvd similar to Arthur
kill Rd and Richmond Rd? If the S74 and S76 has it why not the S78
Why is there overnight service to West Shore Plaza on the S46? Before the s46 used to terminate at Grandview and Forest after midnight ,why
the change?
Is it necessary to have S40 service overnight?
I agree there should be limited service on Hylan - the S88 it could be - they could do away with the short runs of the S78 to Richmond Avenue and make those the S88. There could also be the S99, limited of the S79, since there are times that that bus is EXTREMELY crowded.
The last 2 I can't help you, as I am not familiar with the north shore routes as much.
It probably is necessary since:
a)Its the only route out of St. George Ramp D in the nighttime
b)While the S46 & 48 also run east-west 24/7, the 40 is the only bus in the northernmost tip of SI that runs east-west 24/7
Not too sure about the S46 to West Shore though.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
BIG AL
Mark
Lord Kingsbridge
At the ferry terminal, there is a structure that looks like a airport tower. It's between ramps A and B (or is it B and C). Anyway, there are some panels on the side facing operators as they drive in. The panels (which can be illuminated) are
Roll Off
Castleton
Yukon
I figured out what Castleton and Yukon mean. What does roll off mean.
Thank you,
Michael
Washington, DC
Only 2 years to retirement
http://store.transitgallery.com/calendar.html
Last night, as I was getting out of work, I was busy dropping a letter in the mailbox. But in the background I heard this grumbling machine coming. I sounded like a louder version of the old style delivery trucks. Or the sound the UPS trucks make. Or fuel oil trucks.
It turns out when I turned around it was an Orion 7.
This is the third time I've seen one and they seem to make an awful lot of noise for something so new.
The CNG busses don't seem to make that much noise. The electric hybrids also. You knew they are coming because they give off this high pitched buzzing sound.
I was wondering if anyone else noticed this. Thanks.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
West Farms Kid II
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
West Farms Kid II
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
The 100St Neoplan Man
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
He seems to think that no one else can sit there! Anybody who wants to sit there can sit there, but if an elderly person wants the seat, they have the right to ask the person to get up, and by law, that person has to. It's the fault of the elderly, who upon boarding the bus, and seeing a teenager sitting in the front, will curse the teenager for sitting in her seat, and then wobble off to the middle, where a kind person will usually let her sit down. These seniors need to learn their rights, and start asking people to get up.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
David
I know what the signs on those seats say, but are they the correct signs? Is it truly mandatory that people give up those seats, as opposed to the ones behind and adjacent to the Operator, where passengers are asked but not required to give them up? Since those seats don't fold up to accommodate a wheelchair, I can't see why it would be required that "able-bodied" passengers give them up to a disabled person (and yes, I know that not all disabilities require the use of a wheelchair). I also don't recall any legislation or NYCT bulletin relating to this (though I must say that I don't see all bulletins).
David
What about that first row forward facing seats? Is that for the elderly as well as handicapped? Is there a law abut that too?
If your on crutches from breaking your ankle or 70 years old with a few bags of groceries, nobody has to legally give up a seat for you although if your forced to stand, the operator can make the determination that it would be unsafe to proceed and not move the bus until someone caves in and offers a seat up.
The front seats for seniors are courtesy seating and there is no law in PA, at least, requiring those seats be vacated for a senior even if the operator tells someone to move. It's just a courtesy suggestion which many people now think is a legal requirement.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Art Carney was a talented actor --- and comedian. Gonna miss him.
-Dan
And yes, Art Carney will be missed.
Michael
Washington, DC
Michael
Hey and wasn't Gotham really supposed to be Fifth Avenue Coach?
Peace,
ANDEE
B35
BX9
Q32-figures-with traffic on the 59th st bridge and Queens Blvd and 34th Street and Madison Av.
S62/S92-College of Staten Island-need i say more?
M14,M42,M23(the SLOWEST-all artics),M66 and M31(especially during am rush hours on York Avenue-that block is crowded).
I don't think there is a way to imporve the service-though how would u improve the s62/S92-Victory Boulevard is a main artery in Staten Island-there is little to do.
any opinions?
B1-#9077-NOVABUS
B70-#4651-TMC
Wayne
I'd also like another organization study transit patterns as well. I appreciate the effort NYPIRG and the Straphangers are doing to get this data out though comparing it to another report would be much more reasonable.
It's not enough to simply identify a problem. A truly thorough analysis should also develop and evaluate options for solving the problem; this would include, for each option,
(1) a full analysis of the monetary and social benefits;
(2) a full analysis of the monetary and social costs including construction impacts;
(3) a timetable for implementation; and
(4) funding sources.
Anything less is merely an Enquirer-type exercise in headline-grabbing.
The big trouble spots on the Q32 are:
1. From Penn Station, Manhattan to Skillman Avenue, Queens; both directions.
2. Roosevelt Avenue east of the BQE.
3. Northbound, making the 3-lane cross from the bus stop at 46th St & Queens Blvd to the left-hand lane for the turn onto Roosevelt Avenue.
"We saw more not in service buses than in service buses"
WELL YOU THINK BUSES COME FROM NOWHERE?!
"Only 20 of the 28 scheduled buses actually stopped at our test bus stop"
BUSES DO NOT STOP AT EVERY F*CKING STOP!
But we all know why Fox 5 is doing it: RATINGS, RATINGS, RATINGS!!!!
JD
I'm not surprised. Typical Fox hit-and-run reporting. I suppose it's too much to expect that they actually interview WMATA officials and let them try to explain the slow performance of those routes. Nah, it's much more fun to beat up on the big, bad public agency that carelessly treats its poor, innocent customers.
Jim D.
Besides, a schedule is based on average running time. It's NOT reasonable to expect a bus to arrive exactly on schedule. If a bus arrives within 5 minutes of its scheduled arrival or passing time, the driver is doing a good job.
Michael
Washington, DC
If anyone has not yet noticed, we are talking about Fox 5 DC, WTTG, not the other Fox 5 more people here watch.
Your "investigation" is a disgrace to Metrobus passengers and employees alike. I am outraged that you chose two of the longest routes in the system to base your experiment on, and then did not seem to make any consideration or mention of that.
I am outraged that your organization did not do any "investigation" as to *why* the late buses were actually late.
I am outraged that you only asked one person who actually knows more about the system than what time the schedule says the bus is supposed to show up.
WMATA has a fleet of almost/over 1,500 buses that serve hundreds of routes, and possibly a million stops. With all that responsibility, it is IMPOSSIBLE to keep everything running perfectly, and that is not even taking outside factors into consideration, such as traffic and weather. The 70 line runs on Georgia Avenue, and the 30 line runs on Wisconsin Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, and many other of DC's MOST CONGESTED STREETS, but no mention was made of that. I found it interesting that you did not try to maybe follow a bus in the route from beginning to end to see what can actually happen.
Your statement that buses are supposed to wait at each stop to make sure they aren't early is obsurd! 99% of the time, car drivers, obviously like those responsible for this report, park where they aren't supposed to, leaving no place for a bus to wait. Would you expect a bus on one of Washington's most congested streets to just sit and wait until its scheduled departure has come??? It would not fly too well with even more people than are "annoyed" by late arrivals.
There was also no mention of the public transit industry's almost universal COMMON SENSE rule, Arrive at your stop at least 5 minutes early! I do not think any sane commuter would cut things to the very second the bus is scheduled to arrive.
I question your "source" of information on some early and/or late arrivals. You mentioned bunching, but how did you know which bus was late and which was on time? A bus that departed "4 minutes early" could quite possibly be a bus that is 16 minutes late (assuming a scheduled headway of 20 minutes).
The "68% late" figure you came up with is in NO WAY representative of the service that WMATA provides! I ride and support WMATA *DAILY*, but I am merely a passenger. I am, however, a customer service agent for Alexandria, VA's DASH bus system, and I have to explain late arrivals on a daily basis. We try to run our buses on time but it is never 100% doable. The only thing that can be done to get buses on time is to just completely eliminate the presence of cars, which..ain't happening.
Further discussion of your "investigation" is taking place at http://talk.nycsubway.org/perl/read?bustalk=92322. While this is just a transit fan site, hence biased, you may stand to learn something for your next story on area transit.
A. More out of service buses were seen in the investigation than in service buses.
Buses have to go somewhere after they finish their runs. They would not purposely go out of service to spite the riders! They must deadhead back to a garage due to either scheduling or a lessening of service due to the end of rush hour.
B. You reported that only 20 of the 28 buses stopped at your bus stop
Buses are not supposed to stop at every stop.
C. You chose the 30 and 70 lines to do the investigation. Those routes are the longest, most crowded and packed routes that WMATA runs. A round trip is about 2 hours on those routes. It is VERY hard to keep on schedule with such a long route. So then you might ask why would the trip take so long in the first place of not because of length? Very simple.
The traffic in the Wisconsin Avenue corridor in Northeast DC and Georgetown is very heavy. The traffic along Georgia Ave is also very heavy. Since when was a bus supposed to wade through tons of traffic in downtown DC and still be on time? Also, both routes are known for having passengers board and alight at nearly every stop. WMATA cannot help it if the passengers choose to get on or off the bus at nearly every stop. The chances of a bus being late on these routes is very great, but not because of incompetence. You should ride one of these routes from start to end one day and you will see exactly what I am talking about.
D. Your report about buses leaving early is also sketchy. What happens if a bus is really late (due to the conditions stated above)? Late enough that it nearly coincides with the time of arrival for the next bus after it? That should have been addressed in the report.
The investigation also failed to question why the buses were late. If you did, then the reasons stated above will surely arise.
Also, it will be a VERY bad idea to have out of service buses randomly pick people up. There is no route number or sign to go by, which will confuse passengers. Also, it will slow down the deadheading driver. Not every out of service bus goes back to the garage. Some have to deadhead to another bus stop to start another route. If a deadheading bus had to pick up passengers, the driver would be late arriving at another starting point to start his new route.
The bottom line is, you unfairly bashed WMATA on the results of two routes which you know will make WMATA or any transit agency look bad. If you want WMATA to run on time, then I guess nearly all the traffic along the 30 and 70 routes would have to be eliminated, along with forcing passengers to not get off the bus where they want. Remember that WMATA is a HUGE transit agency. Not everything will happen perfectly in a transit agency with hundreds of routes, thousands of buses and millions of stops. The daily lives of everyday people who use and do not use WMATA affect lateness, not incompetence, as this report seems to point out.
-F.
In any event, Flxible, I have a copy of it that I can get to you somehow.
There were a couple Flxes shown as "NOT IN SERVICE"
I believe the entire NJ portion of the 129 is in the first zone, so that the fare should be $2.10 one way. You can double-check in the NJTransit website by creating an itinerary, which would then give you the fare.
NJT 2 to Secaucus Plaza
NJT 190 to PABT
I put Secaucus Transfer Station as my starting point and PABT as my end point and put it for 11/15/2003
Mark
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Mark
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I get 192 twice on the N22, with a different operator each time! Fortunately the traffic situation was pretty good today, no major delays. Going back on the N20 to Hicksville we were starting to slow down alot on rt.107 I was worried the engine was gonna stall, but then I looked out the front window and saw the fog! You couldn't see more than a bus length or two ahead.
The fog fortunately started to break up a bit when I got home.
Wayne
Post here if you are interested.
/me shines up the brass knuckles
-F.
Manhattanville Hill Billy
The bus that temporarily broke down was 7043. If I'm not mistaken, 4004 is a diesel-electric hybrid and doesn't run on CNG.
Robert
There are some GM Fishbowls in HO scale, RTS's in HO scale, Eagle 15's inHO scale, and some Corgi Old Looks and Neoplan double-deckers in 1/50 scale.
Best way to see all the stuff is look under seller "sjh50".
There are panels that can be illuminated. They read
Roll Off
Yukon
Castleton
What does roll off mean?
4200/4300/4400s are the current breaking news with the newly spotted rehabbed buses. They originally had DD 50s and Allisons and the rehabbed buses currently still hold their original powertrain
2100/2200s are just too damn new to be rehabbed
Wayne
B1-#9318-NOVABUS
In other news, there will be public hearings on the possible restructuring of the 22 line. Service to and from Ballston to Shirlington would remain the same with reroute between Shirlington and the Pentagon. The part between Pentagon City and Arna Valley/Avalon Bay area would be replaced by a proposed new ART route. Another ART route would be proposed to replace the part between the Ballston Station and East Falls Church Station via N. Quincey Street, Military Road, Glebe Road, Williamsburg Street and Sycamore Street. The part of the 22 that runs in Alexandria near Park Fairfax and East Falls Church Station and seven Corners would be discontinued but still would be served by 10B, 23A&C, and the 25 for Park Fairfax and 1B&Z, 4A&S and George 26A&B for the discontinued parts between EFC and 7 Corners.
I would be very surprised if the N7 discontinuation doesn't meet opposition again but this might be Metro's best chance to get rid of it.
In Brooklyn- B23
In Queens- Q79, Q67 comes close though.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Incognito
Transportation Photographer
cleanairbus@yahoo.com
Bronx: Bx18 -- 480,216
Brooklyn: B71 -- 214,796
Manhattan: Lenox Shuttle -- 13,224
(all right -- that's a part-time route)
Grand/Canal Shuttle -- 143,237
(all right -- that's a temporary route)
M18 -- 257,630 (there!)
Queens: Q79 -- 185,088
Staten Island: S60 -- 69,685
As for express routes:
Brooklyn: X29 -- 214,908 (X25 is run by Brooklyn but it operates solely in Manhattan)
Manhattan: X25 -- 10,351; X26 -- 66,225
Queens/Bronx: X32 -- 40,892 (yeah, it's the only Queens/Bronx route)
Queens/Manhattan: X64 -- 166,027
Staten Island: X20 -- 28,689
There are also two routes designed for special events, X80 and X81. They run only when the events are happening. They're the two lowest-use express routes NYCT has, but they don't operate regularly so I'm not counting them. In case anyone's interested: X80 -- 6,099; X81 -- 2,069.
David
2002 Borough Ridership Comparison
Brooklyn -- 241, 627, 065
Manhattan -- 192, 834, 132
Bronx -- 169, 867, 760
Queens -- 118, 212, 741
Staten Island -- 39, 648, 528
2002 Route Miles
Staten Island -- 822
Brooklyn -- 520
Queens -- 309
Bronx -- 255
Manhattan -- 203
Total -- 2,109
Just some facts I thought I'd share...
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
David
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
David
David
Where
did
you
read
it
of
ad
how?
David
David
David
Thanks a bunch David! :)
David
Sorry.
David
David
David
Brooklyn-B23
Manhattan-M18
Queens-M79 [DOT-Q67 & Q103]
Bronx-Bx20
Staten Island-S67 (maybe)
Express-X13
The B23 has more customers on weekends than the B100.
I agree with the B103 but we both left out that joke from GBL, the Q21.
Good issue to debate, now when are you gonna get your computer fixed?
If NYCT takes over Command, the first order of business will be to merge the B2 in the current route with the eastern (Old Mill Basin) portion of the B100. So the B2 will not go to Kings Plaza and be rerouted to Strickland Ave. Big plus, the B2 runs late on Sundays as opposed to the B100 which ends at 8 PM.
Why are you (all of you who are doing it) posting your OPINIONS as to the least-used route in each borough, when I already posted FACTUAL information as to the least-used route in each borough?
David
MetroB
MetroB
MetroB
Incognito
Transportation Photographer
BIG AL
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I remember back in the 80's when the TA were taking delivery of the last 200 Grumman 870 (Those with lifts were delivered last after the A-Frame repairs). Many went into service without radios, antennas and license plates.
Wayne
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
West Farms Kid II
7661 is at West Farms also - saw it in service on Wednesday. Sounds logical for 7660 to wind up there.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Just speculation on my part...
Incognito
Transportation Photographer
STILL the West Farms Kid
Bx41 # 5477
Bx31 # 1097
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
The Jackie Gleason Guy
B44 Limited - Nova #5090
B65 Local - Orion 7 #7648
I've been listening to the bus sounds and it has come to my conclusion that San Francisco MUNI Neoplan USA AN440A #8227 and Neoplan USA AN440A #8327 are the best bus sounds on that site!!! Nice cummins ISM engines! When you listen to #8227 at the 0:41 to the 0:51 mark, you'll hear the bus in netual (as if the driver has his foot on both pedals) and then around the 0:51-0:52 mark, the bus takes off like a rocket (well, at least the engine). Good engine! I wish the MTA NYCT has cummins engines in their buses...oh that's right, they did! By the way, are the Orion 07.501 Hybrids suppose to have some kind of Cummins ISM engine? That's what I hear BUT I figured I would check here first. ALl I know is that these will not have DD50 Series Engines!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF SAN FRANCICSO!!!!!!
Hi, it's nice that you like the sound of Cummins. I'm always a fan of ISM, M11, L10 as well as DD50, DD60, and occasionally the Silver Series 6V92. I've never got deeply interested in 671, 6V71 or 8V71, maybe because I didn't grow up with those engines...lol. But it is nice to hear them as a remembrance and I understand how they are loved by others.
Ooops, I got to far...back to 8227 and 8327. Both clips were recorded at night because the ridership is lower and the street won't be too crowded that the bus can't even go beyond the 2nd gear. Also, because SF has a hilly landscape, that's why you can hear the neutral sound when the bus is going down the hill and the roar of ISM when going up.
Anyway, here are some new clips that I made recently.
This is Dennis Dragon bus with Cummins M11 and Voith D863.3. I'm sure Flxible fans are familiar with this sound to a 1990 Flxible Metro with Cummins LT10 and Voith D863.3.
DA82
This is Dennis Trident bus with Cummins ISM and Voith D864.3. It sounds similar to the open top Coach USA buses in NY.
1204
Another Dragon bus but with Cummins LT10 and Voith D863.3
739
Enjoy~
BTW, isn't NY's O7 Hybrid powered by Cummins ISL and Allison EP40 or Detroit Diesel Series 40?
Regards,
Stephen
PS. NA Transit is switching servers and the site will be down for quite some time. Sorry for the inconvenience.
The links don't work.
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!
Since we are on the subject of Neoplan + Cummins, I might as well add this onto the server...
This is a Neoplan Centroliner made by Neoplan in Germany. It has a Cummins M11 and ZF 5HP590. Without the program sound of ZF, it sounds similar to Allison B400R when accelerating. But the "chi" sound from the retarder of Allison B400R is absence in ZF...
6010.mp3
There will be new sounds from Pittsburgh, Pilly, Miami, and DC in the very near future and all of them (including the newly posted) will in mp3.
Enjoy~
Of course any bus engine sound varies but not limited to engine location, transmission, road condition, operator's driving habbits, my recording location and passenger cooperation (It is hard to record sound from crowded routes)....lol
Regards,
Here's what's out there so far:
HO scale GM Fishbowls (NYC, two "greyhouhd" type liveries)
HO scale RTS's (NYCTA and Los Angeles RTD)
Road Champs Flxible Metro's (NYCTA, NJT, AC Transit)
Various Wiking HO scale types
Corgi New Haven and NE Transportation Old Looks
S Scale MCI M-8
Three different Neoplan double deckers
Bachmann Greyhound Bus station in HO scale, partiatlly finished
Matchbox MCI 102EL3 Renaissance
More to come.
Look under seller "sjh50".
Tickets for the game are sold out, but they are all over eBay. If you choose to buy them, be careful not to get student tickets as you must have a Tech ID. If anyone wants to, we can also ride around on the Valley Metro system here in Roanoke (if you can stand Gilligs...LOL.) They have a mix of power combos if nothing else, and I will talk to the guys at CC&T and see if we can ride some of our museum fleet. The running fleet includes an 8V71-powered Flx New Look, a Grumman 870, a 3302 "Baby Fishbowl", and an RTS-06. We also have other buses in restoration, including an ex-WMATA AMG.
Please respond if any of you might be interested; BusTalkers outside the DC area are also invited. Hope to hear from you soon!
-Fred
Glad you enjoyed our outing. As usual we had a good time that sudden Siberian Express put a damper on things. Thanks for the invitation. I'd be happy to take a trip down there. I imagine the other DC Bus/Subtalkers may be interested. I just need advance notice as I'm often busy outside of work.
Wayne
-F.
-Fred
-F.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
B44 Local #7506
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Peace
David
11/14/2003
N27 GLEN COVE #378
N27 HEMPSTEAD #347
N22 HICKSVILLE #189
11.13.2003
N78 MINEOLA #155
N22 HICKSVILLE #656
Sorry
my
space
does't
work.
MetroB
Robert
Robert
Durig
rushhours
every
20
offpeak
every
30
eve.
every
60.
What
would
the
usual
ridership
for
each
time
period?
David
Let's assume, however, that we are talking about a 'typical' bus route that travels from a residential area to downtown and connects with other routes there. As a rule, ridership will be highest during rush hours when people use public transit to go to and from work. The next highest ridership period will be middays, due to the elderly and other transit-dependent people making trips to medical appointments and shopping. Saturdays would be third busiest due to shopping trips. Evenings and Sundays would be slowest, although there will probably be a mini peak during the middle of the day on Sunday.
Hope this helps.
Jim D.
Yes, but you'd still have to physically count bodies on the bus to know what those "higher than normal levels of ridership" are.
True - I was just trying to provide a general idea of typical ridership patterns found on most bus systems.
Jim D.
Now
how
about
contributing
useful
information
to
this
board?
(My spacebar does work, as indicated by this sentence, what was done above was to spite CDTA!)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
BIG
AL
BTW
CDTA,
Did
you
get
your
space
bar
fixed
yet
?
I
Told
you
to
give
your
Keyboard
to
the
nearest
bus
operator
but
you
did
not
listen.
you
better
listen
to
everything
i
say
from
now
on.
11/9/03
10:55 AM R46 F(Forgot the #)
11:26 AM 6015 M7
1:40 PM 5039 M10
3:58 PM 557 QM1A
4:50 PM 4902 Q46
11/10/03(All times on 11/10 are PM only)
3:42 3494 R32 E
7:57 5608 R46 F
8:01 5531 Q60
11/11/03
9:25 AM 5535 Q10
2:45 PM 603 QM21
3:11 PM 7440 R142A 6
4:12 PM 4400 R40S N
4:56 PM 560 QM1
5:40 PM 4940 Q46
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
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AcelaExpress2005 - R160
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B20#8553
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Lord Kingsbridge
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
1)The numbers between where the older NF Artics end and the MCIs begin
2)If the Remans are fully withdrawn from service you can use 7000-7559
3)There are extra numbers higher than where the 1998 Novas leave off
4)If the pre-1990 buses are retired, that really opens up a lot of possibilities
5)Finally, I believe there is about a 150-number block open between where the latest NF Artic order will end and the 6xxx Orion Vs
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Peace,
Kevin
BIG AL
David
No kidding!
With all due respect to the bus drivers who post here, something like this has to be taken with a huge grain of salt. If you work in any sort of large organization, you'll come across no end of people at the lower rungs of the ladder who claim to have the scoop on "what's really going on", and they're usually far off the mark. Think about it - why would Command hold operational buses out of service for six weeks - it would be easy enough to get a few token repaints or reassigned NYCT buses on the Command routes after January 1st.
Also, does NYCT have enough spare buses to instantly do away with all of the DOT buses that lack wheelchair lifts? I've read enough posts on this board about a looming bus shortage to doubt that this is the case, unless NYCT's answer is to use 18-year-old RTS buses to replace 16-year old Classic buses. The press and rider advocacy groups would have a field day with that one - 'TA BRING IN 'JUNK' BUSES FOR BROOKLYN ROUTES'.
Jim D.
B1-#3962-GMCRTSII-04
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Oh man is that going to be chaos or what :-0.
I spoke to my high sources that i know and who attended the meeting which basically was the entire management of the Department of Buses
I am now quoting what they told me " They do not know what is going on"
By the way i have to acknowledge David who works for Operations Planning and contributes to this board. He does indeed bring any proposed changes that are posted here to Operations Planning because some of his bosses told me so and that do indeed look at them
Lets all thank David for doing so.
David-Please e mail me BarryLv11510@yahoo.com as i would like to e mail something that was told to me.
Thank You
Suddenly, the scenario that I think will play out goes from a 33% to 70% chance of happening. This is not a good thing for those riders. I suggest that every franchise bus rider on here begin a campaign to save your line. Maybe CONSTANT pressure on the issue instead of giving out Pokey awards might actually do some good.
The MTA could just PROPOSE to charge a franchise surcharge on the transferred lines, just like they did in the Rockaways when they picked up the LIRR line. That would aggravate lots of people, but they would either eat it to keep their buses or somebody comes up with money to stop it.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Based upon your sourc's statement, there is going to be no significant change except for the livery of the buses. What about union problems? What cost savings will there be? Is the state or city going to pay for the new buses to replace the junk that some of the Cooper Companies (and Command is one of those companies) have become?
Based on a rumor spread by a B68 b/o, you guys have renumbered buses and routes, changed the name of the Command facility, and made the garage a part of Queens Division. This is truly laughable. If Command were to be part of the MTA come January, it would the biggest thing going on in Ops Planning (where I happen to work), so I think I would know. The MTA Chairman, the TA President, the DOT Commissioner, the VP of DOB and the ATU may also have gottem wind of it as well.
I would love to see the MTA takeover all of the DOT routes. What bus fan wouldn't? But please use some common sense when someone posts something like this.
Mark
It also makes no since. Specifically in this case the Command fleet uses a brand new nycDOT depot complete with CNG facility. nycDOT is going to want to sell that depot to the TA or charge them to use it (unless they are in the white elephant collecting business). Well, I'm not going to go on with the other obvious facts, other then, the union is going to have something to say about their member's jobs.
Add to this ... what would a lowly bus driver know unless he/she was related to someone ?
If you posted this as a prank, well I'm writing Santa that you should get coal in your stocking this year.
1)Put them on the N11,13-might get somemore passengers if they see comfortable seats.
2)Put them on the J5, and I don't know put the artics that run on that route on say the Y8.
3)Other highway routes, B21,22, C11,13, C28, 12, 20, 17A,B
4)Y8, hey if they are going to put 40 footers on that route instead of artics, give those riders one less thing to complain about(well the ones that are sitting anyway)
5)Put them on the B30 and increase its frequency, that would work, it is about time they did attempt to increase it's frequency.
6)5A, the B30 of the west, increase frequency (to Herndon P&R, every 30 minutes), put luggage racks and they are set.
7)J4, sitting in traffic on University Boulevard would be easier when there are better seats.
8)Here is the best idea of them all BRING BACK THE 14 AND LOWER THE FARE TO 1.20, THAT WILL GET THE CHEAPEST OF CHEAP INTO THAT BUS!!!!!
That was just a few ideas anyone can think of others.
Hey I been trying to forget English class since I graduated high school in the early 90s, please don't remind me.
"They run there all the time as it is." is not specific enough.
Wow, I am pissing my pants in fear just thinking of the horrible nature of this prank.
P.S. You shoulda been with us during our excursion today out to Riverdale;-)
-F.
Manhattan- M15
Bronx - Bx12 should be near the top if not already
As of 2002:
Local
Bronx: Bx1/Bx2 -- 13,736,163 (#5 in system)
Brooklyn: B46 -- 16,230,854 (#2)
Manhattan: M15 -- 19,855,804 (#1)
Queens: Q44/Q20 -- 11,751,234 (#11)
Staten Island: S48/S98 -- 2,645,969 (#100)
Express
Brooklyn: X28/X38 -- 1,158,691 (#4)
Manhattan: X90 -- 159,186 (#27)
Queens: X63 -- 234,805 (#19)
Staten Island: X1 -- 1,831,488 (#1) (Note: this is ONLY the X1 -- not X2, X3, X4, and the rest of the X1 "family")
David
David
#1 - M15 -- 19.9 Annual Ridership (Millions)
#2 - B46 -- 16.2 Annual Ridership (Millions)
#3 - B44 -- 14.8 Annual Ridership (Millions)
#4 - B41 -- 14.5 Annual Ridership (Millions)
#5 - Bx1/2 -- 13.7 Annual Ridership (Millions)
#6 - B35 -- 13.5 Annual Ridership (Millions)
#7 - Bx12 -- 13.2 Annual Ridership (Millions)
#8 - M14 -- 13.0 Annual Ridership (Millions)
#9 - M101 -- 12.8 Annual Ridership (Millions)
#10 - B6 -- 12.3 Annual Ridership (Millions)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
The trip to Staten island wasn't bad last night. In fact, kudos to Yukon for FINALLY clearing the windows of scratches. Both buses i had were clear windows-i'm impressed. The only thing i did notice was Orion V #121 at Yukon depot could use a repaint-other than that not bad. Also, Yukon is getting back the s44/S94,S59 and S74/S84(though this one i don't know why) and losing the X22 and X30 in January. Though getting the S44 and S59 makes sense because they end at the Depot-the S74 doesn't. It will be interesting to see what Orion Buses Yukon gets(hopefully #475-#504).
The one thing I like about Staten Island is the good bus service during the weekends. I live just across the hudson in Bayonne and can tell you the horrible bus service we have on a Sunday.
This would
1.Boost the Bx14's ridership, thus improving service
2.Relieve the Bx36 and Bx39, which can sometimes do no shows at Westchester Avenue
3. Slightly relieve the Bx5 bus in some areas
4. Somewhat relieve the Bx22 for some
Possible routings
1. Normal Bx14 route down until Hugh Grant Circle, then right on Hugh Grant Circle, right on Cross Bronx Expressway Service Road(East 177th Street), left on White Plains Road, right turn on Lafayette Avenue(opposite of Bx5 and Bx36 turn), left turn on Soundview Avenue, left turn on Randall Avenue, left turn on Havemeyer Avenue, right turn on Seward Avenue, right turn on Zerega Avenue, stop at Home Depot.
Return trip, straight on Zerega, right on Randall Avenue, right, on Soundview Avenue, right on Lafayette Avenue, left on White Plains Road, right on Westchester Avenue into Hugh Grant Circle(like old Bx36 routing), then into normal Bx14 route
2. Same as #1 except Bx14 continues down White Plains Road after Lafayette Avenue, and turns on Randall Avenue instead of going to Soundview. Return trip would make a right turn on White Plains Road and then turn on Hugh Grant Circle.
3. Same as #2 except Bx14 turns on Seward Avenue instead of Randall Avenue. Return trip would be right on Randall Avenue, right on Havemeyer Avenue, left on Seward Avenue, right on White Plains Road, than same as #1 and #2 return trips
4. Same as #1, #2, #3 until Lafayette Avenue, then turn left with the Bx5 and Bx36. Bx14 will go straight down Lafayette Avenue and make a right on Zerega Avenue(Bx5 turns on Castle Hill Avenue so it is not a complete duplication) until reaching the YMCA at the Bx22's last stop. Return trip, up Zerega Avenue, left on Lafayette Avenue, right on White Plains Road, turn on Hugh Grant Circle
Why not just extend the Bx36 or reroute the Bx22? They're already nearby.
Bx36 is not that close to Zerega(although closer than the Bx14) to begin with and it is already too long.
True. A study would have to be done of the potential benefit (access to a community store and employer) and disbenefit (thru riders taken out of their way). Compare with the Q27 through Queensborough College.
[Bx36 is not that close to Zerega(although closer than the Bx14) to begin with and it is already too long.]
Yes, but the Bx36 serves more neighborhoods that are likely to supply the store with employees. Compare with the B15 versus other Brooklyn routes that could have been extended to JFK Airport.
Yes, I agree. Since the Bx36 crosses the Bronx and passes through nothing but densely populated areas I can easily see employees taking the Bx36. I think the Bx22 would also bring lots of employees.
Wayne
Bx37(new bus) could run a similar route to the Bx36 with a few differences and run to the Home Depot 7am-10pm
If the entire 2 way Zerega Avenue(below Westchester Av) ever needed an N/S bus I would use the Bx31(to Westchester Avenue, then with the Bx4 to Westchester Square), but that will make the route even longer
Wayne
8820, 417, 436, 5033, 5038, 1011, 5531, 5596, 5593, 5555, 5565, 1020, 8825, 9325, 8556, 943, 9052, 9442, 8442, 201, 117, 6119, 5450, 6069, 5125, 5055, 5151, 9447, & 9585.
Depots Running the shuttle:
126th Street
Jackie Gleason
Manhattanville
West Farms
Gun Hill
Casey Stengel
Jamaica
Flatbush
Fresh Pond
East New York
Ulmer Park
Queens Village
Michael J. Quill
100th Street
Here are some pics:
Don't Laugh...LOL...I wasn't really concentrating on good pics because I was in a rush.
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
High Resolution: (1248x960) = 40 pictures
Low Resolution: (640x480) = 160 pictures
AVI Movies
High Resolution: (640x480) = 30 seconds/10fps
Low Resolution: (304x240 = 120 seconds/10fps
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Don't you want to stress quality over quantity?
Purchase more and or larger flash ram.
I have 2 32 meg flash ram cards for my old Kodak DC210 camera. Each card will hold roughly 120 high resolution images.
Don't you want to stress quality over quantity?
Shoot all pictures with highest resolution. Download from camera and archive on hard drive and or CDR in either TIFF or uncompressed JPG format. Use the software that came with the camera or other off the shelf image processing software to compress and or resize for web publishing. "Only manipulate copies of the original images."
Images from my camera in highest resolution are 1162 X 864 and are save in uncompressed JPG format and range in size from 100 KB to 460 KB. After resizing to 600 X 450 and compressing to roughly 60% the files range in size from 25 KB to 60 KB. In my opinion this is the best compromise for publishing to the web. If you still want to publish the images at the highest resolution you can still apply JPG compression to reduce the download time by as much as half.
John
This evening I got CS -146 with the new hard seats on q32.
Always nice to get oddballs.
Triboro
1184 (3 Times)
2822
2068
688
685
670 - Best heat I ever felt on a bus -- Lucky it was cold out or it
would have been BAD - Must be something wrtong with it
considering Triboro is involved - Bus is a piece of junk.
Detroit Diesel Series 60, DDEC IV, Diesel, 320 HP. Cummins M11-310 E, Diesel, 330 HP. CNG/LNG optional
I want to know...are the SEPTA AN460's the only Neoplan Artics with a Series 50. Were they custom built for SEPTA? or are they oddballs?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Which TA's have D50s in NEo artics that are fast? I haven't heard of any. I know Huston has DD50s, but RTS2150 says they are slow as well.
I did see an Orion I about to go into service on the AT7 at Landmark. I hope luck will be on the Orion Is side and they are kept around for a while.
Knowing how backwards FMR is, they just might do it so they can run them on the Pike Ride;-)
Geez, since August and it is Mid November and they are entering service. That is different than THE BUS. They just roll them off of the truck and right into service, they can't program the signs, and they assume they work, hey they are new aren't they.
Also, they are parked inside, which is off-limits on the weekends thanks to OC Dan.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Just as long as nobody hijacks two buses to re-enact the "K.I.T.T. Vs. K.A.R.R." battle from Knight Rider, things should be fine. :)
-F.
Speaking of Orions, I like them OK, but I sure did get burnt out on them in DC, especially at Capitol Hill. Give me a Flx over those any day! Thankfully, there were plenty of 4000s at Dupont Circle.
-F.
Then, on the way back to the restaurant, I saw a 2001 Orion V from Western go by, so the person who I was walking with said "there is your bus" but I pointed out the sign was most definately not orange. But a nice try on his part.
I'll return to the Metro on a more regular basis this week. Somehow, I doubt anything other than 5620 was running on the 37 in the morning anyway, and I don't really miss trips on the Orion Is in the afternoon, though I did see 5423 on an afternoon block one day this past week.
*sobs* I miss the sound and aura of the 6V92!
I was thining with the "nopower" nickname that they couldn't move.
Want to see buses that don't move? Ride SEPTA...:(
Wayne
So yesterday, My Girlfriend, her mother, and I decided to take the chinatown bus to New York because they wanted to do shopping and I wanted a taste of the subway.
We arrived at Rockvile, MD to ride Eastern's only extended trip that starts from Rockville, then picks up people at DC, then proceeds to NY. Our bus was a Prevost H3-40 #889(ex-Pacific Western), and it was sitting there at the shopping center parking lot overnight. I've noticed that the frontmost left wheel was a white steel stock wheel while all the other wheels were Alcoas. The driver arrived in his car, parked it, and started up the bus. I noticed that the missing Alcoa was in the luggage bay under the bus. He boarded all the people at Rockville, and got started. We proceeded down to Chinatown of DC where we picked up the majority of the people. After everyone was boarded at DC, he walked throughout the bus and collected fare from everyone in their seats. (conductor style). When everyone was settled, we proceeded on to New York. The driving was (very) fast but not reckless. The driver seemed pretty solid, knew what he was doing, and used all appropiate driving methods (signals, timing, etc.) We shot by so many other buses that I've decided to keep a list of the other buses that we passed along the way.
Eyre D4500
White E4500
Greyhound DL3
CoachUsa DL3
New World T21
White C2045
Dillon D4500
We arrived at New York at around 11:00 AM and we were let off at 33rd and 6th ave. There, we shopped and rode the subway (boy did the G.O. pissed us BAD)
Just to give you a preview, Eastern's 1:30AM trip from DC to NY (Dina MarcoPolo) is the same bus that makes the return trip at 5:00 PM from NY to DC. And their 6:00 AM trip from DC to NY (Prevost H3-40) is the same bus that makes the return trip at 6:00 PM from NY to DC to Rockville.
When our day was over, we walked through the chinatown to head back towards the chinatown bus "terminal", Along the way, we saw Eastern's 5:00 PM trip (Dina) pull off and started to head towards the Holland tunnel. I wait there for our Eastern 6:00 trip (which I knew was going to be Prevost #889) while I witnessed a New Century C2045 and a Today Travel/Paragon E4500 (Today Travel signs on the front of the bus, but Paragon painted on the side of the bus.) boarding for their 6:00 PM trips. A Today Travel "agent" approached me and asked me if I had a ticket. I showed her my Eastern ticket and she replied with "Alright , get on board" and pointed at the Today Travel E4500. I protested and Argued that that was not our bus and not our company. She said that they were taking Eastern passengers. So I got on the bus and asked the driver, he said that Eastern's 6:00PM bus was having problems and wasn't gonna be available for their trip so Today Travel is taking Eastern's passengers, but they weren't making the extended trip to Rockville. So we boarded the luxurious (looking) E4500 and got settled while the ticket agent came onboard and trying to figure out how to read these Eastern tickets that we had, while the driver was backing the bus up to allow space for a Panda C2045 to "dock" (parallel park) at the "terminal".
So Far, I am an Eastern passenger, riding a Today Travel trip, using Paragon's bus. At 6:00, we started up and departed. We crawled through downtown rush hour traffic while watching the Italian Job (the volume was a bit too loud for peaceful sleep). When we finally emerged from the Holland tunnel into Jersey City, we saw Eastern's 5:00 PM bus (Dina) sitting on the shoulder with it's flashers on. Our bus pulled over next to the Dina where they transferred all the Eastern passengers from the Dina to our Today Travel trip (with a Paragon bus). The Eastern driver came on board our bus to watch the people board and he exclaimed to the Today Travel driver "Wow, niceass bus. Thanks a lot, have a safe trip", and he got off and returned to his Dina. Our E4500 started up and we went on our way to DC. The driver was moderately fast but not aggressive at all. We took a rest stop at the Maryland House for about 15 minutes. And the backup driver continued the rest of the trip to DC. We arrived at our "terminal" in DC at around 10 PM. Everyone started to get off the bus and we were amongst the last ones to leave. When we got off, our 6:00PM Eastern Driver was at the door to greet the people getting off the bus. "Rockville, Rockville!" and points behind the E4500, and behold, the H3-40 #889 was there pulled up behind the E4500. So all the Rockville passengers transferred from the Today Travel/Paragon E4500 to the Eastern H3-40. The Eastern H3-40 continued the rest of our extended trip to Rockville, Maryland. When we arrived at Rockville, I noticed that the front left wheel got it's Alcoa back, which was probably why the bus couldn't make the trip in the first place in NY.
All in All, Today Travel took Eastern's passengers and tickets, and used Paragon's Bus. While making way for a Panda C2045.
So, as the media claims, Where's the violence and the buswar?
They seem to work as a team altogether than the fierce compitetion that the media's been claiming.
As you are also noticing, the system is expanding. There is now more dollars for everyone, and you may see more extended and/or multi-stop runs in the future, as these companies learn how to make consistent money like Greyhound does.
"If we keep fighting each other, we're gonna keep undercutting each other, thus running each other out of business. And besides, we have a bigger, more common enemy to worry about (Grehyhound/Peter Pan) who seriously aims to put ALL of us out of business. We're already popular enough, so we won't have to worry about going under due to lack of profits, so let's stop fighting each other and worry about the company that could put all of us out of business at one time"
I think it's the other way around, who's lowering their fare to meet the compitetor's fare? ;-)
www.abbottbus.com
-F.
-F.
Oh lord, are we still playing on these stereotyped images that oriental women are "mystical"?
Due to issues over dispatching our PikeRide buses on to routes that are not part of PikeRide, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has decided to add several more lines to the PikeRide brand name of services. PikeRide buses will now have a better chance of showing up on a PikeRide line, and the benefits of PikeRide can now be shared by the entire region. The following routes will now be part of the PikeRide program:
(J11, J12, J13, J14, J15)
Marlboro Pike Line
(R27)
Little Falls Parkway Pike-Atlantic Ocean Line
(Z1, Z4)
Glenmont-Silver Spring Line
(Z11, Z13)
Greencastle-Briggs Chaney Express Line
(Z17, Z7)
Calverton Express Line
(Z2)
Colesville Road Line
(Z29, Z9)
Laurel-Burtonsville Express Line
(Z3, Z5)
Colesville Fairland Express Line
(Z8)
Fairland Line
(T6)
Rockville Pike Line
Ride-On routes 42 and 46 will be discontinued
(16A, 16B, 16D, 16F, 16J, 16L)
Columbia Pike Line
(16G, 16H, 16K, 16W)
Columbia Heights West - Pentagon City Line
(16L)
Annandale-Skyline City-Pentagon Line
(16Y)
Columbia Pike-Farragut Square Line
In addition, SmartMover is being expanded to the J1, J3, J8, and J9 routes, and the U Street-Adams Morgan Link Shuttle now includes the E6, N6, and N8.
Please note that we are not liable if you are late because you saw a PikeRide bus not operating on one of the routes listed above and decided not to board, or a regular MetroBus pulls up on a PikeRide route and you decide not to board. Also, if the bus is a 1997 Orion V, there is no guarentee you will be able to identify the bus since its destination sign is very likely to not work at all, no matter what route the bus is on. And finally, the R27 does not have any established bus stops because they mysteriously disappeared sometime in September. You will have to wait until the stops are restored before boarding the bus, which will offer express service on Atlantic Ocean and Little Falls Parkway Pikes to the Bahamas.
R2
Riggs Road Pike-Calverton Blvd Pike Line
It also includes additional stops in Shanandale Drive Pike to increase the ridership on this route.
We can also have the R27 head south on Wisconsin Avenue Pike to Friendship Heights, east on Western Avenue, north on Connecticut Avenue, east on East West Hwy Pike to Wayne Avenue Pike. From there it could head south on Flower Avenue Pike and then east on Piney Branch Road Pike and south on University Blvd Pike towards the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue Pike. and VOILA! A successful crosstown Pike Ride route!!!
24/Huntingdon Pike Line: Frankford Terminal to Bethayres and Southampton
27/Ridge Pike Line: Center City to Plymouth Meeting Mall
92/Phoenixville Pike Line: West Chester to Exton Square Mall
93/Pottstown-Ridge Pike Line: Norristown to Pottstown
94/Bethlehem Pike Line: Chestnut Hill to Montgomery Mall (that's the Montgomery Mall in Montgomery Twp, MontCo, Pa., not the Montgomery Mall in Maryland; though I'd love to see what the fares would be for a combined SEPTA/DART/MTA/RideOn/WMATA through fare between Montgomery County, Pa. and Montgomery County, Md.)
99/DeKalb Pike Line: Norristown to King of Prussia, Phoenixville, and Royersford
104/West Chester Pike Line (I wouldn't mind seeing an Orion VI as opposed to some of the slowest Neos in SEPTA, which somehow end up at Red Arrow)
109, 110, or 111/Baltimore Pike Lines: 69 St Terminal to Chester via Springfield Mall (109), PSU-DelCo/Granite Run Mall via Springfield Mall and Media (110), or Chadds Ford/Concordville via US 1 Bypass (111)
114/Chester Pike Line: Darby to Boothwyn via Chester
DART 2/Concord Pike Line: Downtown Wilmington to Concord Mall and Brandywine Town Center
Yes, I am being ridiculous, and no I don't care... =P
Robert
Robert
I have a lot of questions about unions and I was hoping anyone can help me out. How do the contracts work (as in when do they go in effect, approval process, getting provisions, etc.)? Since the TA is dealing with different unions, what can the TA do without getting permission from those unions or breaking the contracts (for example, switching a route from Queens to the Bronx, etc)?
How many union reps are placed in a depot and what are their primary duties? Do they work well with the TA managers? If a union goes on strike, is a B/O within that union still allowed to work or does that B/O get penalized from his union? Isn't it possible for the TA to get a contract that has a "no stirke" claus if there is a disagreement between the two sides (I think NJT has an arrangement that pervents the union to go on strike)? Can a B/O work without a union? Are there any differences with NJ Transit? I am sorry there are numerous questions. I would like if you can answer the ones you know. Any information will be appreciated. Thanks!
MetroB
On page 35, there's an item called FY99 bus Garage under the list of capital lease obligations. I just wanted to know, what bus garage was built in 1998 or 1999. Thanks!
MetroB
MetroB
Just saw a commercial while watching football on FOX that involves a bunch of people falling over creating a domino effect. The chain goes into what I thought was a GM New Look and continues at the next bus stop with someone falling out the back door and continuing the chain. Interesting..
Chuck Greene
A new auto purchase will set me back $7,000.00 dollars per year and that's every year until I sell the vehicle. There's no need to get this drastic. I don't live in LI but this is what I would do if I did.
1. Mail-Order heavy packages - All my heavy gifts are being delivered to my front door by UPS. No need to carry heavy packages on buses anymore. Furthermore, I can Ebay and save substantial by not paying retail. I can always get good buys on the net but you must do this NOW!
2. Shop after work - Light Christmas shopping should be done after work so you benefit from excellant rush hour service.
3. Use bicycle - I'm doing a lot of my Christmas shopping on Bicycle this year. The saddle bags and handlebars serve me very well thank you. Last night, I went to the movies at the mall and noticed NO buses providing service. Guess what? The only people still at the mall were ones who had cars to take them home. All the bus users had all gone home because was NO bus service for them. It's this kind of discrimination that forces people to buy cars. All the non-motorists were on buses except me. My bicycle was parked right by the door waiting for my return. It's like having a bus service at my disposal 24/7.
A Gillig and an Orion waiting at a bus stop at the Port Jefferson station shopping center
The advisories don't mention Rockaway. Are buses stopping there? I got off at Franklin.
MetroB
"ar" is right. NYCT uses HASTUS by Giro to build trip sheets and then runs, and the schedules are printed using a home-grown application that interfaces with HASTUS (a new version of HASTUS is being phased in -- it will be used without the home-grown program). What gets into Excel is a comma-delimited ASCII file derived from the home-grown program.
David
"What gets into Excel is a comma-delimited ASCII file derived from the home-grown program." Can you please clarify?
MetroB
The data in the home-grown program can be ported to Excel as ASCII code with commas, which Excel can then turn into columns of numbers and/or text. What it boils down to is, every time Excel sees a comma, it moves over and puts the next information it sees into another column.
David
MetroB
JONN
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
If not, what was that number ?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
MetroB
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
After the Iggles game, I had to run out to Media, and my schedule was pretty tight.
Caught the 104 (5406 - I think this was 4215 block, but the sign read "SEPTA CHARTER" and the block read 4715) at 4:12pm. Got to 69 St and was able to catch the 102 to Clifton-Aldan, then the R3 to Elwyn (long story, no time to explain).
Getting back, I saw that the R3 left Elwyn at 6:22pm, getting into Swarthmore at 6:31pm; 4 minutes later, a 109 would arrive to get me into 69 St to catch the 7:07pm 104 to West Chester.
So far...
104 West Chester to 69 St ... check
102 69 St to Clifton-Aldan ... check
R3 Clifton-Aldan to Elwyn ... a couple minutes late, but manageable
R3 Elwyn to Swarthmore ... check
109 Swarthmore to 69 St ... OOPS...
For starters, the 109 which was supposed to have arrived at 6:35pm arrived 5 minutes late (5595/4400 block). And of all the drivers I had to get, I got stuck with one of the slowest drivers I think I've ever riden with (put it this way, he wouldn't have lasted too long on the 104 with his slow driving). We were supposed to arrive at 69 St at 7:04pm; we didn't get in unti 7:16pm. Which meant a hour long wait for the next 104, which kinda dampened my mood (I wanted to get back to West Chester in time to catch Cowboys v. Patriots in the "Battle of the Bills").
On a brighter note, I did get an extra hour of bus spotting on the El Shuttle (future post forthcoming).
Had 5589 (4219 block) for the 8:12pm return. Nothing really noteworthy, except for a lot of West Chester University students returning to campus (SEPTA should consider running a couple of Friday PM from WCU to 69 St and Sunday PM extras from 69 St to WCU, but that would be asking too much).
The buses I saw. Spotted 102 buses. Enjoy!
ENY: 4872,4983,8095,8097,8691,8692,8695,9069
UP: 4787,7533,8684,9097,9098,9295,9314,9320
FB: 4602,4620,5088,5110,8156,8403,8414,8415,9382,9384,9385,9417,9445,9455
FP: 5055,8013,8131,8534,8553,9464,9480,9592
JG: 834,934,4646,4647,4648,4650,4658,4664,4667,4668,7584
126: 8222,8225,8442,8472,8482,8484,8499,8514
KB: 5430,5451,8820,8825,8828,8849,8886,9672,9682
WF: 417,421,436,449,6057,8069,9138
MCH: 215,225,226,234,239,249,255,6013
GH: 177,182,189
MV: 5034,5038,5125,5134,5135,5139,5170,5193,5183,5193,5195,5199,5204
100: 1002,1009,1014,1026,5593,5596
NF 874 B8
R68 2772 (Q)
RTS 9441 B41
O5 449 A SHUTTLE
RTS 4872 A SHUTTLE
NF Artic 1026 A SHUTTLE
RTS 9480 A SHUTTLE
RTS 9390 B41 LTD
NF 869 B8
A Train Shuttle Observation (Final Weekend)
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But what would it be doing there? The location would indicate it just finished its route on the Q46. But why head further east? Was there an LIRR bus shuttle that was somehow using NYCT buses? Could the driver have been heading for a diner or restaurant he particularly liked? Could he get in trouble if he were to have an accident that far out of his jurisdiction?
Very strange indeed.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
B1-#4769-TMCRTS
B64-#4774-TMCRTS
Peace
David
Notes: Another mess at Roosevelt Field this morning. The N22 arrives 8 min late. Then after coming over the parkway bridge we are diverted to the right. They're doing road work on Ring Road (what a time to do it, in the middle of the rush). We go all the way around the mall on the north side. It was backed up and as usual, no one was directing traffic. We cut in front of several other buses stuck in the right lane in traffic.We come into the bus stop by way buses from the south do. We then go to the right and go the way we came, except with no way back to East Gate, we made a left out of the main entrance on Old Country road. Now I know why the bus driver was yelling across the street when we going down East Gate toward Roosevelt Field. Those people will be waiting awhile since no buses can access East Gate coming out of RF. There were no signs of this diverson anywhere.
We were making alot of pickups/dropoffs in Nassau and dropoffs in Queens the whole way to Jamaica. Reminded me of the N21 today! Also the traffic lights were all out of sync on Hillside ave. Probably the timing was never fixed from those storm related outages last week.
I had Flxible Metros both ways on the 171, that's not all that unusual. I almost NEVER see anything but Metros on the 171. I remember when I'd occasionally see an MCI or Nova.
The ride back from 179st was much smoother. Bus ran on time the whole way back.
One bus sat in the intersection of fordham and valentine for 4 minutes trying to turn. Incredible....
IZZY!!! Atleast that's what Kevin(N23) tells me. Either the N20 or the N21, I always forget. Hey, did they swap him wit Johnny Boy. What does Johnny Boy look like?, cuz we got this real craby bus driver now that non of the passengers or drivers like. This guy took Izzy's place.
Kevin says Izzy is doin the mornin shift. I hope I see him sometime soon. Oh, and yea, he does live in Port Washington.
Callowhill sent almost all NABIs for the shuttle, though a New Flyer did sneak in during the later part of the day (these were 9800-9819 blocks, though the highest I saw was 9816)
Southern sent 5400 and 5600 New Flyers (7820-7849 blocks, highest seen was 9832)
Allegheny sent 4 artics (4850-4853), 2 each during the AM and PM sequences
After 7:00pm, Midvale sent a few buses, mostly 40-ft Neos, with 5703 slipped in as well.
This is not a complete list, but here are some of the buses used yesterday (bus number/block number):
Callowhill:
5263/9801; 5045/9802; 5270/9804; 5019/9807; 5021/9808; 5271/9809; 5438/9812; 5001/9813; 5274/9815
Southern:
5629/7820; 5472/7821; 5494/7824; 5490/7826; 5626/7828; 5484/7829; 5617/7832
Allegheny:
7154/4850; 7189/4851; 7161/4852; 7167/4853
Midvale:
5703/4978 (plus two Neoplan 40-ft buses - 3459 and a 329x, didn't write them down, sorry)
B12#9071
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
It should read, "There are no B12 bus stop signage in either direction in that location."
B12#4958
And this is coming from you?
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
BIG AL
BIG AL
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
David
MetroB
-Adam M.
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam M.
(enynova5205@aol.com)
No, that's a 1986 model. But the RTS junk always seems to find SI.
David
If a switch is to be made then would it make sense to move the x-2,x-3 and x-9 to Castleton.
I am not that familar with Staten Island so any one with information on this move can help with the logic please let me know.
Thank You
Castleton Depot--S40/90,S42,S46/96,S48/98,S51,S52,S53/93,S54,S57,S60,S62/92,S66/67,S76/86,S78,
X10/11,X12/42,X13,X14,X16,X18,X20,X22,X30,X31.
Yukon Depot--S44/94,S55/56,S59,S61/91,S74/84,S79,X1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,X15,X17/19.
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David
Have you heard on when construction will begin on the Maspeth Bus Depot & will it open in 2005 & what have you heard on what bus routres might be assigned to Maspeth when it opens.
Also, I don't have a brother that works out of Yukon Bus Depot, sorry to break the news to you.
It is also confusing to others to change a topic when the new topic name has NOTHING to do with the direction of the ongoing conversation. To ask a new question, please do us all a favor and start a NEW topic instead of hijacking an old one.
As to "Busfan" not having a brother who works out of Yukon, he must have been promoted or transferred unless I'm making a HUGE mistake as to "Busfan"'s identity, which I'm pretty sure I'm not...
David
BIG AL
MetroB
David
My living room, except on alternate rainy Thursdays in August.
The point of my previous post ("anything can happen....") was that there still many degrees of uncertainty with respect to the Maspeth facility. As soon as anything definite is announced, it'll show up here. Beyond that, any talk is purely speculative.
David
MetroB
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If it IS true, I wonder what (transit-related) can be done with the property.
David
MetroB
MetroB
I believe Conrail has been sold or in the process of being sold as David has pointed out.
Also in the November TA Sub Committee Report there was some contracts being placed for bids on the Maspeth Depot property
Thank You
BIG AL
Thank You
1. The question includes a plural subject (X63 and X64), so the verb should be plural ("are").
2. It's spelled "January."
3. A question should end with a question mark (?).
4. No, the X63 and X64 are not going to Queens Village Depot this January.
Folks, this isn't a schoolyard. Please do us a favor and stay away from the curse words on here. They add nothing at all to the conversation and make the writer look juvenile.
David
Often the writer is. I remain steadfast behind my belief that a person who resorts to constant use of profanity is showing ignorance due to his or her lack of vocabulary and good diction. There is no reason we must use certain 4-letter words in every single post.
BIG AL
Garbage in, Garbage out.
Peace
David
Wayne
By the way I will post preliminary intinerary on the NEW YEAR'S EVE B-W bus trip within the next couple of weeks.
Also if you are doing a THE BUS trip do the Southern routes also. One would be to take the 32 from Naylor Road to Clinton and then take the 30 to Branch Ave, just a suggestion, nothing special with these two routes.
what do you think?>
There simply isn't that large of a market, contrary to what anyone in here would think, to support a good quality publication. It takes lots of time, effort, and expense. In other words, the price would be outrageous, nobody would be able to afford it, and it would not stay in business.
Wayne
Wayne
National Bus Trader is probably the closest to a fan mag of all the industry publications, followed by Bus Ride.
Of course, the number 1 true fan magazine was Bob Redden's International Bus Xollector. Because Bob took no industry advertising outside of model builders, he was free to be very candid in his opinions of the industry, and his predictions came true way more often than not. You younger folks have the internet, but IBC and Ed Stauss' Bus W#orld gave us adults an honest history lesson.
I wouldn't go as far as saying an honest history lesson. Both were rather interesting magazines but as far as Bus World went, even under Stauss, many articles on transit systems and manufacturers had glaring errors and key omissions.
The various articles in BW on Pittsburgh's system (which I am very familiar with) sounded more like they were run by PAT's public relations department prior to publishing than a 100% honest assessment of the operation.
The same goes for the Eagle Special published by BW. Very interesting and complete but once you got into the then current operations period using Eagle 10's, it turned into more of a press release for Eagle than a historical article.
The Eagle Special was sponsored by Eagle, and was actually included with Eagle sales brochures, so I consider that a special exception.
BW was still better under Stauss than MAK, errors and all. Bob Redden wasn't flawless either (he made it clear he wasn't a model number freak with GM Old Looks; he once said he didn't care how many rivets they had), but having met Mr. Redden on a couple of occasions, he is as straightforward and genuine as anyone I've ever met in any field. Sure, there were occasions where the caption said one thing and the picture was obviously something else, or things like that. But if you took the two magazines as a whole, you would have learned enough of the industry and its history to SPOT those errors and chuckle over them.
The various articles in BW on Pittsburgh's system (which I am very familiar with) sounded more like they were run by PAT's public relations department prior to publishing than a 100% honest assessment of the operation.
I think there's a fine line to walk when writing for and/or publishing a fan magazine. Being critical and 'calling it like I see it' is honorable, but such behavior will also probably make it much more difficult to gain access to transit personnel and facilities in the future.
If there ever really was a crossover professional/fan market for a bus-oriented magazine in this country like 'Bus World', it was probably obliterated by the Internet. Bus World was neat in that it provided news and photos from places you rarely if ever visited. Now, there is a plethora of bus fan sites on the Net and photos from most major transit operators can be easily found.
Jim D.
Overall though, the accurate history representation of PAT from the early days through the 80's (as far as it's been written so far) hasn't effected the AMCAP's relationship with PAT and in some ways strengthened it. While there are some things mentioned that PAT's administration would rather be forgotten, even some in administration have admitted to me that the story needs to be told, warts and all.
As far as the fan perspective, many probably don't care about the problems encountered in a transit system and want just what Bus World provided (100% positive overviews) but to truly understand why systems do what they do, you have to see the entire picture.
I believe it's important to be honest and fair, both about the good side and the not-so-good side of public transit. Many times we can be critical, probably because we care so much about the vital role that transit plays and want to see it done right, but we shouldn't neglect to acknowledge the successes as well. I would think that those who work in transit wouldn't mind intelligent criticism from a writer if that person also shows a willingness to give credit where credit is due.
As far as the fan perspective, many probably don't care about the problems encountered in a transit system and want just what Bus World provided (100% positive overviews) but to truly understand why systems do what they do, you have to see the entire picture.
That's too bad, because I love reading behind-the-scenes articles on almost any topic. It's really difficult to find such coverage on transit issues, especially buses. Most of the fan publications focus on the buses and what routes they run on. There are some interesting trade articles and reports on the internet, however.
Jim
Exactly. That's how the history articles I researched and wrote up for the AMCAP site are written, showing both the positive and negatives so that the person who reads it and knows little about the system comes away with a better insight on how things were in the past and are currently done. Many times, a good management decision 20 or more years in the past answers the question of why things are screwed up today.
I do admit I am having a hard time writing up the 90's era and current era histories without being overly critical of the operation but there were many positives that were done which can help balance out the rediculousness of the "Gold Standard" that is occurring at PAT now. The same people in PAT's administration that told me the history needed to be told were in fact surprised that the articles that I came up with weren't just a complaint list (they know me well. LOL) but a good overall assessment of the operation over the years.
Of the Bus Worlds I don't have but wish I did were the two ones done in the 80s on both WMATA and Ride On.
-F.
National Bus Trader is very good. However, I like to describe it as a fan/trade magazine. Alot of it is geared for the industry.
The best bus fan magazine is Motor Coach Age and Motor Coach Today published by the Motor Bus Society. Rosters, photos and lots of history.
-F.
Wayne
-Fred
The point I'm trying to make is that if the UK can support a well-produced bus magazine, surely the much more populous US can?
Look at the amount and quality of the scalemodels available. There are hardly any in the USA compared to the amount and quality available in the UK.
I think a lot of it has to do with public attitude. In the USA, buses are basically looked down upon by much of the general public. Most people do all their travel by car....so they have no use for buses. The UK, being a smaller country with cities much closer lends itself to bus transportation.
You are also correct in your point about the layout of the UK and its cities lending themselves to bus operation, particularly the larger cities, most of which are compact and have populations dense enough to support large-scale bus ops. However, with the the exception of within London and a couple of other notable cities (Oxford for example), buses are most definitely looked down upon. To most, they are the method of last resort - which is, of course, totally wrong, bus that is undoubtedly the case. Very few people in the UK actually choose to travel by bus - most have no alternative.
Remember the good old days, when buses were run for 18 to 20 years? Very rare now. The old London double-deckers date back to the 1950s and are rehabbed every 10-15 years.
Even on our continent, that is the case with Toronto; TTC does the same with their Fishbowls, and still run models dating back to 1975. We could really learn a lot from our neighbors.
-F.
Even on our continent, that is the case with Toronto; TTC does the same with their Fishbowls, and still run models dating back to 1975. We could really learn a lot from our neighbors.
Any 1970's-era New Looks that survived the 1980's would have been forced out of service by the ADA - after 1990, all new or rebuilt buses had to be fully accessible.
JD
-F.
Canada is a different story. No ADA there, and the operators have a history of squeezing every mile out of their older buses. On top of this, I believe the provinces cut transit subsidies in the 1990's, leaving agencies unable to retire some older buses even if they wanted to. Had those subsidies still been in place, I doubt the TTC New Looks would still be running today.
Jim D.
-F.
-F.
If anyone wants to be a part of this effort, shoot me an IM @ TECsBrain (AIM, Yahoo), 71600079 (ICQ), or tristancunn@hotmail.com (MSN) -- or via email to tristan@colloquis.net.
Right now, we have a lot of people who want to take pictures -- I don't know how far we can go with photography as a basis because of the expense of color printing -- what we need is people who can commit to maybe ~5 hours a month plus a monthly brainstorm meeting at the beginning of the month and a status meeting at the middle, each of which would probably last no more than one hour each.
Many think that they don't have a lot of time, but I am currently working on a mock-up that will show how little work can be done by one person working collaboratively to make a great piece of work. More info in the days ahead.
Btw, if anyone knows how to get a good deal on printing, lemme know!
JD
A lot of people must agree with me; back issues are selling for quite a pretty penny on eBay. Sound anything like Bus World? :)
-F.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Wayne
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Bx31 6104
Bx41 1071
Bx31 7659,7643, and 1093
Bx41 5687 & 5694
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In Philly, Allegheney is a depot with only ARTIC buses assigned to it.
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By the way, the fact that Brooklyn provides the largest share of surface revenue doesn't necessarily mean that Brooklyn needs artics more than any other borough. The determination as to whether or not artics are appropriate needs to be made on a route by route basis. I'm not saying that Brooklyn doesn't need artics, but it's flawed reasoning to say that Brooklyn needs artics more than any other borough simply because it provides the most revenue.
BX31-6098
BX41-5495
Why is that?
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Lets say the Q44 were to move to the MaBSTOA division at WF, chances are something would have to go or be split up from WF since the 44 is a heavily used route but I don't know how much runs it has.
The #44 in NYCT seems to carry alot of weight on the lines, B44, S44 & Q44....8-)
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B44 Limited Nova #9393
B44 Local Nova #9401
This ruling i recall was made in 1995 when the Q-32 was split between the TA and the OA
Thank You
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B1-#9299-NOVABUS
B64-#4677-TMC
-The Fresh Pond Guy
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B44 Limited Nova #5101
B65 Local C40LF #891
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True, but reason they should never go there is because of the routes, and the way Ridgwood's streets are.
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B1-#8687-TMC
B8-#7613-Orion VII
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This is my opinion. Not whats going to happen.
FLA: B41,B44,B46, and maybe the B49
UP: B6
ENY: B12,B25,B42,B45,B82
FP: B38
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
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-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
What u think
#8686 - B1
#9086 - B6
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however .... the MTA and the ATU are under binding arbitration. Theyve agreed to everything except for the health care. I think they have 90 days to reach an agreement
Bus Fares are free until this sunday
Passengers with October 2003 passes may use them until December 25, 2003
Passengers that do not have Oct 2003 passes may still buy the November passes and use them until 12-25-03
Expect it to cause delays. Saw 2 N22's back to back on Maple av in Westbury today. The first a packed Cummins running 30 min late and the next a 300 series with seats.
As to why the mall picked this time of year to do this work, and failed to give advance warning to the MTA or its shoppers is beyond me. Today they have a portion of Ring Road torn up. It could be awhile, they took 1 month just to resurface the bus stop driveway.
4200 - 1997
4201 - 1998
4202-4252 - 1998
4200s - 53
4300 - 1997
4301-4349 - 1998
4300 - 50
4400-4454 - 1998
4400s - 55
4500 - 1998
4501-4589 - 1998
4500s - 90
4600 - 1999
4601-4644 - 1999
4642-4731 - 1999
4732-4742 - 2000
46/4700s - 143
4800-4909 - 2000
4800s - 110
5500 - 2001
5501-5544 - 2002
5500s - 45
5600 - 2001
5601-5644 - 2002
5600s - 45
There was also a 5700 that was built in 2002 but apparently never delivered.
By my count (and not counting 5700), that's 591 Novas delivered to Dallas between 1997-2002 (the 488 bus order, by my count, comes out to 501). I have to wonder if the 5500s and 5600s were part of a separate order placed by Dallas on top of the 4200-4900 series.
BTW, we anxiously await an update...
Interesting stuff.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
There is, though, one place on a bus where I will NOT sit, even if it's the only seats available on the bus.
It's on the Green Lines Orion V's: the row of seats directly behind the rear doors. Can somebody say, "LACK OF LEG ROOM"?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Some of the unpurchased WMATA Orion V's wound up with Coach USA (Red and Tan Tours) in Newark Airport service. Some wound up in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport service. I suspect others are, likewise, scattered around.
Don't mose TA's just have perimieter seating behind the back door?
SUGGESTION: Do you think it makes sense that on the typical NYCT RTS that they take that single seat just forward of the rear door and make a copy of it on either or both sides of the back row as opposed to having that row of five, two of which have severely restricted leg room. Bus capacity could probably increase by one or two more people as generally a standee takes up less area than a seated person.
New Flyer, a writer in the NEW YORKER (I think it was Adam Gopnik) said sitting in that lone seat ahead of the rear door on an RTS always feels to him as if he's sitting in a Dunce Seat!
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
I guess RTSs are just odd...
Well, I found one on Friday as I was getting off the Q88 bus to Queens Center Mall (the bus number was 614), I noticed writing on the panel above the driver's side windshield: "FB # 614." I did a double take and checked the number that is on the farebox, and, yes, the number on the farebox was 614, as was the bus's number. Is that weird or what?
-F.
You can use a paint called "Accuflex" if you can still even get it).
I used it extensively on the Delrin plastic handrails on HO and N scale locomotive models; Delrin ordinarily would make any other paint flake off the moment it was touched, after the paint dried, as the paint didn't "bite" into it.
Seriously, I doubt if custom painting those sponge-based bus models will turn out anywhere decent, nomatter what anyone's modelling skills are. I, myself wouldn't even try it....
-F.
I second the motion to extend it to Hempstead, but not via Franklin Avenue (which is already well served by the N25). I would route the N8 south on Franklin Avenue from Dutch Broadway (so that it passes in front of Franklin General Hospital), then up Cornwall Avenue to either Dogwood Avenue to Nassau Blvd. or Hempstead Avenue to Nassau Blvd. From Nassau Blvd, the N8 could then go east on Hempstead Turnpike to Hempstead Terminal. (A possible alternative to Hempstead is to continue the route up Nassau Blvd. past Hempstead Turnpike, to Adelphi University. Perhaps it could even continue on to Mineola.)
www.regionaltransitservice.com
NYCTA PA1660 - PA1858
MABSTOA PA2580 - PA2704
In their later days they dropped the PA from the buses.
Wayne
www.regionaltransitservice.com
BIG AL
Click here to see the parts
http://www.nimcobus.com/catalog/
Three different varieties of the HO scale GM fishbowls.
Two different varieties of the HO scale RTS-II's
Three different varieties of O scale Neoplan double-decks.
Various HO scale Wiking buses, artics, tour, transit.
O Scale Corgi GM old looks and new looks
Bachmann bus station, partially assembled
Some Raod Champs Flxible Metro's (more to come in coming weeks)
Go to EBay and click "search", then search by seller.
My seller ID is "sjh50".
Thanks!!!
Wayne
Eventually, DASH and Ride-On will have to allow ads or raise fares/cut service. If that was a choice, then the ads come on.
As far as DASH goes, there are some things we can cut here and there before we have to stumble onto advertising. Also, remember that in some places, advertising on public vehicles is prohibited...after what happened to Charles Moose and his book deal, I am inclined to believe that this is the case in Montgomery County -- he was to make a profit from work that he performed for the county, which is illegal according to their law (no, this doesn't mean he can't get paid more than it costs him to live).
I did seen a FFX Connector Orion V on the 401 this PM with an add on it right after I mentioned not seeing one.
I read that article and they also said subway tunnels also.
I just thought of something interesting, new places where WMATA would put ads to make money:
BUS STOPS
EVERY WINDOW OF ALL THEIR BUSES. not one ad for one side, but one ad per window on every bus
BUS DRIVERS
BUS SEATS
BUS TIRES
SUBWAY POLES, in and outside of the stations
TELEPHONES
BUS GARAGES
METRO HEADQUARTERS
SUBWAY STATION ESCALATORS
THE SIDEWALKS OUTSIDE OF METRO STATIONS, BUS DEPOTS
I could think of others bus I can't think of any more.
And they should do what came up back when the economy was cool -- "sell" stations..."Next station is AOL 9.0/U Street/African American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo, doors opening left side"
like I said before, I don't know how Ride-On could incorporate ads into the current scheme. It might have to repaint their buses a new way, and all i have to say is, look what happened to SEPTA's scheme (gulp!)
Eventually, DASH and Ride-On will have to allow ads or raise fares/cut service. If that was a choice, then the ads come on.
Image URL: http://busstalker.tecsbrain.org/photos/WMATAd.gif
And of course let's not forget advertising on headsigns and Cleverboxes.
And it ticks. Tickticktickticktick, at about 4-6Hz.
What's this box for, and what's the ticking noise all about?
Mark
The ticking I'm talking about comes from that contraption I described constantly, not just when the rear door is open or its green light is on.
Mark
Mark
All of MTA's Brooklyn-Manhattan express routes use that tunnel.
It was just sitting there with passsengers discharged onto BX9 108(3?) and BX22 5366.
KB really needs to take care of their buses. It's not like we're talking about 20 year old RTS' here. These buses are 4 YEARS OLD!!!!!!
That's how our RTS's are done here in Orange County, CA.
Anyone know anything about the bus "3761" on NYPD Blue??? Is it real, or is it....???
Sounds like "3761" may have been a fake NYC Transit bus, but since I haven't watched Blue since Jimmy Smits left, I couldn't really answer that.
FWIW, though, I do recall some of the earlier opening montages which showed an NJ Transit MC-9A at the PABT...
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
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BIG AL
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BIG AL
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
BIG AL
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The only three that I am aware that may have been any good (not counting those that were sold to other TAs as used buses) were 3256 and 3257, which IIRC, both wound up in JG and then ENY. However, wasn't the 1983 purchase of buses just plain bad as a group?
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
They were awful and looked very disgusting, take 3076 for example [remember that?]. Its no wonder that at least half of them never got repainted, since some did recieve the overhaul in 1992.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
B44 Limited Nova #5079
B44 Limited Nova #9417
Bx41-5437 then went out of service so I got 5692!
Bx31-8081
1983 GMC RTS - #3160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
Wayne
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BIG AL
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BIG AL
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BIG AL
Oh You wrong AL, LMAO! But I ain't mad at ya! Do you work at the yard between 3:30 pm and 5:00 pm? If so you probably didn't like the driver who was driving 4747 yesterday I believe on the B38 downtown brooklyn..
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BIG AL
LMAO! They look just about the same...
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-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
MetroB
MetroB
BTW, I saw 4747 downtown brooklyn today on the B26, I think it was run 006, not sure.
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B52 Nova #9604
B65 C40LF #839
B52
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If the Orion7's do make it to FP, I hope they get pushed out.
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As for which series I prefer, the order goes like this:
1. 1996 RTS's
2. 1998 RTS's
3. 1999 RTS's
BIG AL
LOL....I noticed that....Well atleast the Flatbush 9400s from GH, they were dirty and bashed up, but Flatbush repainted all of them and now they look fresh like they actually originated from FB 8-)
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#9625 releaved @ 110 #5034 - M3
#5582 - M101
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BIG AL
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I'm sure the 8400's in ENY didn't go there looking "nice" when they left JG. ENY Nova #5205 can tell me their condition.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
AcelaExpress2005 - R160
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Why do drivers piss in the bus and then want us to stand there? We paid out fare, why are we thought of as such animals by B/O's?
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Queens Village Depot Supt. Tim Sweeney was on scene and ordered a Queens Village Depot bus operator from his regular scheduled tour to complete a trip on the N24.
Any comments?
1. Did the B/O knew the N24 route? Does he know which way in and out of Roosevelt Field? This should be addressed first and if the B/O didn't feel comfortable with the unexpected run, he should say NO!
2. Did he have time to contact a TWU rep or Shop Steward at QV depot before he made the run? If the answer to either question was no then the run should not have been made.
3. Suppose in the unlikely even the B/O gets lost or misses a turn in the Nassau County portion of the route (e.g he misses making a loop around Old Country Road to the bus stops outside Mineola LIRR station), does he face disciplinary action?
4. If he took the job (as he had no choice) and is injured in NYC, will NYCT lynch him for driving a bus (even under a supervisory order) outside NYC limits?
Question 2: NO (the probie probably didn't know his rights anyway.)
Question 3: NO (he had no formal training on the route. Route is not a contractual route. No disciplinary charges possible.)
Question 4: NO (if he had an accident or was injured, only the GS would face disciplinary charges for ordering the worker to make the trip)
BIG AL
Does he know which way in and out of Roosevelt Field?
No.
2. Did he have time to contact a TWU rep or Shop Steward at QV depot before he made the run?
Queens Village is an ATU shop, not a TWU shop. There is no union on the premesis after 8PM. 4PM in many cases. The trip was ordered around 9PM. The answer is No.
3. Suppose in the unlikely even the B/O gets lost or misses a turn in the Nassau County portion of the route (e.g he misses making a loop around Old Country Road to the bus stops outside Mineola LIRR station), does he face disciplinary action?
No.
4. If he took the job (as he had no choice) and is injured in NYC, will NYCT lynch him for driving a bus (even under a supervisory order) outside NYC limits?
No, however I disagree with Big Al in that had this operator had an accident, they wouldn't find reason to discipline him. He would still be faced with whether the accident was preventable or not. The excuse "I shouldn't have been there in the first place" hasn't worked yet. It wouldn't now.
BIG AL
The only paralell I can draw is if a Red Arrow operator (UTU 1594) was at Chester and ordered by his control center to cover a run on the 37 (TWU 234 out of Southern) if a Southern bus breaks down along PA 291 near Chester. Granted, it might make sense from a dispatching perspective, but at the same time, I don't think I would blame the Red Arrow operator for covering work from another union. Nor could I blame the TWU for filing a grievance because an operator from another union covered "their work" - and TWU would probably be justified in their complaint.
Yet, it's not unusual for a Frontier bus to end up covering a 123 run between King of Prussia and 69 St if a Red Arrow bus breaks down at King of Prussia before making its return trip. I saw that happen a couple times in the past, but that's very rare.
I'm sure there are a lot of examples at NJ Transit with it's various union locals (TWU at Fairview; ATU at other garages, but different locals at each garage(s)).
MetroB
How bout that for fraternity!
That's very unusual. I'm surprised that TWU doesn't pitch a fit about an ATU operator covering an LI Bus run.
Maybe they have? One way to find out.. ask TWU Local 252:
http://www.twulocal252.org/ContactUs.htm
On the flip side, I can kinda understand what the Supt. was thinking,
Yes, he wants a promotion.. or to keep is already cushy location!
but that does seem odd that a NYC Transit supervisor can order an NYCT operator to cover an LIB run, even though it's the same oversight agency (MTA of NY).
Indeed.
Robert
Isn't that sad?
It's sort of like at my job. I'm an IT professional, but I've covered the front desk to our office suite and phones for a few minutes when needed. I understand that it's not my job, but I don't see anything wrong with giving a helping hand.
Just my opinion, but again I'm not a transit employee or even a union member.
Wayne
1) I'm pretty sure that the QV B/O knew the potential hazards in terms of a possible complaint from TWU. Kudos to him for helping the passengers.
2) That supervisor must be looking for a promotion...lol. That type of thinking keeps the bus system running under all conditions and usually is displayed only by the people at the top.
3) If TWU says nothing, it may lead to a stronger set of unions. After all, if TWU and ATU understand that a common cause is on the table, they could work as one union to protect their employees and provide better service. Of course, such a relationship has to start on the road.
All in all, a nice gesture from the QV B/O and the QV Supervisor.
Several things:
1) I'm pretty sure that the QV B/O knew the potential hazards in terms of a possible complaint from TWU. Kudos to him for helping the passengers.
He's a probie. I don't think he knew anything of the kind. I'm trying to find out more on this.
3) If TWU says nothing, it may lead to a stronger set of unions. After all, if TWU and ATU understand that a common cause is on the table, they could work as one union to protect their employees and provide better service. Of course, such a relationship has to start on the road.
He violated my contract and the contract of LIB. Do you believe the MTA is, or would be as sympathetic when one of their employees violate the contract, regardless of the "greater good"?
In other words, if I have 15 people on my bus that need to make a train at 4PM and I get them there in time to make that train, 12 minutes ahead of schedule, is that ok?
All in all, a nice gesture from the QV B/O and the QV Supervisor.
It was an order. The QV Supt was acting outside of his authority.
I have heard about the iron curtain at NYCT and I believe it. However, a political animal does not have to play by the rules...it simply has them changed or ignored. Not to mention that if the QV N24 got into a collision along the route, any possible MTA penalties would have likely resulted in a PR firestorm, since Nassau County would like to see only a blue stripe on those buses (it means they don't pay...teehee).
BTW, I'm very surprised that ATU 1056 was planning to cross lines. Local 726 was not going to even crank up a single bus. Even some of the independent carriers were only going to pick up from a lot or two on the Island, even though they have the right to go anywhere. That is a substantial fracture that may well lead to Regional Bus with the franchise bus employees. Especially since Long Island Bus is also TWU. You guys may end up trapped in the middle at JAM and QV...heh.
Maybe the MTA got a waiver for its buses. (As far as New Jersey is concerned, I do not believe that there is an OFFICIAL plate as there is in NY State.
LI Bus is TWU, but Local 252, as opposed to Local 100. Also, was ATU 1179 (GBL and Command) planning to cross lines, or would it have gone with 726? Similarly, were the TWU 100 drivers at the other NYCDOT outfits willing to strike with their NYCT brethren (even though they themselves had gone on strike just 17 months earlier?)
I know NJ buses (and taxicabs) have "OMNIBUS". In the DC area WMATA operates (and base) buses in DC, VA and MD and their plates do not have BUS on them.
Wayne
You know more about interstate bus regulations than I, so I'll take your word for it. As far as NYCT is concerned, we "technically" run only local in-state service (yes, I know all about the NJ corridor, etc., but we don't service the state nor pick-up/discharge there).
One consideration to always bear in mind is that NYCT is a city agency, run by the state with subsidy coming from the federal, state and local levels. Therefore, they are an all-encompassing entity of "do what they please, when they please, and answer to nobody".
If you want to get technical, we are not allowed to operate any bus without a valid copy of the NYS DMV registration. Nor operate on any parkway without proper permits. How many buses do you believe contain both these documents?
I have heard about the iron curtain at NYCT and I believe it. However, a political animal does not have to play by the rules...it simply has them changed or ignored.
Exactly. However they are not simply a political animal. They are a governing animal as well. An animal that also has it's own police force with a greater jurisdiction than the NYPD.
Not to mention that if the QV N24 got into a collision along the route, any possible MTA penalties would have likely resulted in a PR firestorm, since Nassau County would like to see only a blue stripe on those buses (it means they don't pay...teehee).
I wish it were me.. If I actually decided to make that trip, which I wouldn't.. but if I had, you would know about it. It would make the 11 o'clock. That's a fact. I may have lost my air on the Meadowbrook, pulled into someone's driveway in Dix Hills, or whatever other interesting tidbit went thropugh my mind at the time...
BTW, I'm very surprised that ATU 1056 was planning to cross lines. Local 726 was not going to even crank up a single bus.
That's because ATU Local 726 is a real union with real leadership. They had no problem with trashing their depot GM's car. Get the point? On the other hand, our FORMER president was too busy with his personal affairs and such to get caught up in any union business...
You guys may end up trapped in the middle at JAM and QV...heh.
I fully expect to lose the ATU completely. No big deal.
This driver didn't even know where Freeport was. Bottom Line was that all the passengers helped him along the trip and i recall even helping the driver get back to Queens
Thank You
When i lived on Long Island and during a LIRR strike i recall going to Jamaica to board an N-4 bus and because of shortages some TA buses from Jamaica Depot were pressed into service on the N-4
An agreement between mamanement(s) and union(s) were negotiated. There were no such discussions in this case. In any event, a strike situation constitutes an emergency situation as an overflow to other affected agencies. One disabled LIB bus is not a NYCT emergency.
Actually, he's a General Superintendent assigned to Queens Road Control (which happens to have its office in a trailer behind QV Depot).
Blah, blah, blah.. with the disbanding of the under-supt titles, there's no difference. And you know it. So why bother?
BIG AL
I don't have any information regarding the bus delivery. We were supposed to receive them 2 years ago :-)
Nobody knows anything in this depot.
Regarding Sweeny.. he's a NYCT manager, not a LIB manager. He doesn't have the authority to enact and declare an "emergency situation" when it pertains to agencies outside NYCT. The fact that LIB lost service is not indicitive of a NYCT emergency, hence lies outside his scope of authority. He violated the contract.
Personally, I would have refused his instructions citing safety concerns (operating in an unknown county on an unknown line where I have never been trained in safe operation) and let him write whatever he wanted to write and deal with it (filing contrary charges against him) at arbitration.
The operator he selected is on probation.. 'nuff said there.
But don't get me wrong, people- it isn't that I _wouldn't want_ to help out LIB or their customers. That's not the issue. The issue is how NYCT runs their agency and how they treat their employees that _is_ the issue.
If they ran their agency differently and treated their employees with even minimal respect, I'd have done it without concern. But the fact remains- they dole out discipline (warranted, or NOT) as if it were sprinkles on ice cream. Any time I can give them back "the shaft", or in this case, the finger, I'm there.
John,
That bus wouldn't be in service at NYCT, but not because of asthetics. Because it poses a significant safety hazard to the public by exposing the engine compartment, and by insecure panels that could dislodge at any time where NYCT would be LIBEL for damages should anyone become injured. Remember, it's all about lawsuits.. not safety.
Man I wish this MTA Bus thing would happen already! It'd be nice to see some buses other than boxes with tanks on top of them! Plus see Mitchell and RVC leave the world of 3rd world bus depots.
I certainly would not want someone driving the route who has not been properly trained on how to do so. You may think that "a bus is a bus and the route is fairly simple"; but alas, that certainly isn't the case. Given that NYCT and LIB are basically two different worlds, I think the expectation that an operator would "fill in as needed" is not only unreasonable and unsafe, but sets a dangerous precedent.
Probationary operator or not, if I were a bus operator, I certainly would not have agreed to drive a route that I was not trained or familiar with. I am sure the operator who took this run did not even have any sort of written breakdown of where the route goes, listing turns, stops and notable trouble spots.
Regards,
Mark Valera
What unions are in each depot and what are the significant differences between them? In this case, who actually has the authority to issue that kind of order? What are managerial positions in each depot and their duties (Unions and NYCT)? Wouldn't Road Control handle the problem and the Road Control Officer? Who actually gave this order and what are his duties? Since there are the ATU and TWU, if the Transit Workers went on strike, whould it be the whole city, including privates, or certain areas?
What is it like working at NYCT? I mean by is the anomosity between the B/Os, mechanics, etc. and management really there? Can anyone share their expriences with any kind of injustice with NYCT management?
I trying to get a sense of how the unions and NYCT management is setup and their relationship with each other
Please respond, Thanks!
MetroB
What unions are in each depot and what are the significant differences between them? In this case, who actually has the authority to issue that kind of order? What are managerial positions in each depot and their duties (Unions and NYCT)? Wouldn't Road Control handle the problem and the Road Control Officer? Who actually gave this order and what are his duties? Since there are the ATU and TWU, if the Transit Workers went on strike, whould it be the whole city, including privates, or certain areas?
What is it like working at NYCT? I mean by is the anomosity between the B/Os, mechanics, etc. and management really there? Can anyone share their expriences with any kind of injustice with NYCT management?
I trying to get a sense of how the unions and NYCT management is setup and their relationship with each other
Please respond, Thanks!
MetroB
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AcelaExpress2005 - R160
Yesterday .... Just #281 on N22 JAMAICA
Busy day today. First the portion of Ring Road between Nordstrom and the bus stop is still torn up. But for some reason the mall decided to open it to traffic. It was more or less a dirt road. Some buses were going down that when they saw it was open, but supervision ordered buses to continue to detour around the mall in a circle because it was unsafe. Most ops are quite annoyed at this work, and yes, I'm not the only one who thinks NJ malls are much better.
Later on in Greenvale I saw an N23 to Manorhaven heading north on Glen Cove Rd and making a left onto 25a, must've been a detour to yet another fallen tree or power line. And then a few minutes after that I saw bus #288 getting towed down Glen Cove Rd! Man I was glad I had the camera with me! Pics will be coming soon!
"What do you need a tank for?"
YOU NEED A TANK TO SURVIVE
-Sadly the reality of today's roads
There's no question a Hummer would come in handy right about now:
The bus stop
Your mall entrance...inviting...isnt it?
Poor 379, already has a hole in it
Tis the time of the year, busy!
And lastly, Greenvale
N23 in Greenvale, waiting to make left turn on 25a
Poor 288 is in tow. Sure have been seeing the S50s breakin down more lately. Well they're still faster than a Cummins, as long as they're working
But I like to see the movie for the old style bus that the Russians use to get to Bloomies.
I remember taking those busses on Liberty Lines in the early 80's as a kid with my family. I remember those busses even had a restroom on them. Although sitting in the back was highly not recommended because of the fumes. Both the bus exhaust - and the other kind. :-)
I guess they retrofitted clear windows for the movie so that you can catch the expression of the people's faces after they see Robin Williams defect. I remember those busses with the dark tinted windows.
And you have to admit, it was a nice plug for Liberty Lines. There is no mistaking their name. I always wondered why that was done. Usually, a movie studio leases a non descript bus or uses a generic name. Wait a minute - now I get it - LIBERTY lines. Defection, freedom, liberty --- VERY clever. :-)
Still, it is funny that they used an actual name of a bus service and even kept its livery. I wonder how much Liberty wanted to get paid to have them use their name in the movie.....
Just my two pennies.
If you notice any buses used as part of the story line you can always see in or out of the vehicle.
Case in point: Watch the opening scene of Sex in the City where Sarah Jessica Parker gets splashed by an RTS while an ad for her column is on the outside of the vehicle. Notice how clearly you can see the passengers who all seem to be staring straight ahead and not looking out of a window.
1]You can faintly see it, but these buses have a fleet number - 5500
2]The buses are still in the original Neoplan Paint scheme of the 80's, except the black trim in the window area is a greyish scheme instead of black. Also, the white bottom and the striping goes across both the front and rear doors.
3]There are two GLARING errors on the bus. First, on the rear, there are no provisions for rear tail lights. You may have to stencil or paint them on. Second, on the front, the S logo is BACKWARDS.
4] The "17 Penns Landing" route is still on the bus.
When I will get home, I will take pictures of the bus, and post it on my BUS-O-RAMA and PHillyAreaTRansit Yahoo! sites and on the Philadelphia Transit Vehicles MSN site. I give anyone full permission to download it and repost on this site, since I do not know how to post pictures on this site.
The buses are on sale at the Transit Museum Store at 1234 Market St.
They probably painted some of their NJT buses to match the septa scheme. They don't have the little light pieces for th taillights.
THIS IS AMAZING...this bus is more accurate schemewise than the other ones ( except for the 5500 designation) with the GREY trim instead of black.
The logo is backwards? Are you serious? MAybe it's like for the ambulances...people who look back in their mirrors can see a SEPTA bus is behind them!
I have to get downtown immediately...the question is, when?
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Nearly all the buses in London, both in the central business district
and even in the suburbs, are double-decker for a logical reason.
Streets in London date back hundreds of years and are quite narrow.
Double decker buses have a smaller, more narrow base, so they can
get through, while still carrying a large number of passengers.
Older double decker buses required two people to operate and about
a fifth of the fleet are these older buses, used mostly during rush
hours and middays on the heaviest traveled routes. A driver sits in a
small compartment in front and has no contact with the passengers.
Passengers enter through the back of the bus. There's no door. It's open at all times and when you board you don’t have to pay right away. For a short ride you stay downstairs. For a longer ride or if you’re youthful, you climb the narrow, winding staircase to get to the top deck. A conductor must, every few stops, go through
the bus and see if everyone has a valid fare. Many riders have
weekly, monthly or annual passes; most are also valid on the
Underground. If you need a single ride or round trip bus ticket, you
must use pay machines near each bus stop in the Central London district. Outside Central London, you pay the conductor and he issues you a ticket. With these older double deckers, you can jump off or on
a bus, even if it’s only slowed down due to traffic. You don’t have to wait for a bus stop. When a bus does pause at a bus stop, the
conductor rings a bell to let the driver know he can proceed.
The newer double-deckers only need a driver. Passengers must
enter at the front and either flash their ticket or, outside Central
London, they can buy a ticket from the driver. Drivers have little
computers which print tickets and dispense change. Not easy since
drivers are also coping with traffic. Newer double deckers have their
staircases in the center of the vehicle.
About a fifth of the stock are just conventional buses, not
double-deckers, only used on the least-traveled routes. And several
bus routes are now covered by articulated buses. This I don’t
understand, since London streets are so narrow and most bus routes
make numerous turns. Articulated buses only recently hit the streets
of London so they’re undergoing a bit of a test on certain routes. In
the Central London core, you may enter an articulated bus from any
of three doors. You don’t have to show the driver your ticket but are
subject to a fine if a transit worker asks you to produce your ticket
and you don’t have one.
Most London buses have no-step entrances. You cannot sit where
the front two wheels are, although above those wheels are flat,
carpeted places to put luggage or groceries on. Seats in the back
rise up so you can sit above the rear wheels. London is far ahead of
NYC in not forcing older riders to climb three big steps to enter
a bus. Even the older double deckers have only a small step to get
into the lower passenger compartment. But remember due to
London’s narrow streets, you really can’t have many standees in any
bus due to the narrow aisles. Standees are not permitted on the
upper deck of a double decker.
Here’s another way London buses differ from NYC. Since London
streets are NOT arranged on a grid, the bus routes are also NOT on a
grid. There’s no such thing as an M79 bus shuttling from East 79th
St. and East End Avenue to West 79th St. and Riverside Drive... or
the M101, M102 and M103 covering Lexington/Third Avenues, only
diverging once you get to Harlem in the north or the Lower East Side
to the south.
A typical stretch of major street in Central London may have 8 or
more bus lines, some routes separating every five or six blocks,
going in many directions. (London Road near Waterloo Station has a
record 20 bus lines.) So if you live on W. 86 Street but it was in a
section of London, you’d likely have numerous lines stopping on your
street, one heading for the East Side, one for Harlem, one for
Midtown, one for Queens and one for the Bronx. Unlike most cities
with a subway system, London bus routes do not fan out from
various stations along each tube line. The Underground doesn’t act
as much of a feeder system to buses in the suburbs. London doesn’t
have a Flushing at the end of the 7 line or a Jamaica at the end of
the E, F, J and Z lines, where dozens of bus routes depart to help
riders continue their journeys to neighborhoods not served by
subway lines.
Because the tube doesn’t run from 12:30 to 6am, there are a large
number of night bus routes (designated with the letter N before their
numbers). In NYC, most overnight buses run every 40 to 60 minutes
(while subway lines run every 20 minutes in the early hours). But
because there’s no tube service, some London buses run as
frequently as every 15 minutes overnight and most run every
half-hour. Night bus routes usually follow the same roads as their
daytime counterparts, although some may be extended in the
suburbs to also serve passengers that might normally take another
line or tube route.
London’s buses are operated as they have been since the days of
horse-drawn carriages... by about 10 independent contractors.
There are a dizzying number of fares for buses and the tube
determined by zones and what ticket or pass you possess. That
differs with NYC’s pay one price Metrocard whether you take a bus
five blocks or take a subway and bus between Far Rockaway and
Rivervale. If you only want to take a bus in the central London district, you only pay 70p. That's a little over a dollar. And on a long trip, you might be able to save a dollar or two if you use a bus instead of the Underground.
Some bus shelters have electronic signs telling you which bus routes
will soon be arriving and how long you will wait for the next bus.
Many Underground stations have that too... and I can’t wait for NYC
to get this feature. The website for Transport for London is
www.tfl.co.uk and that includes a computerized Journey Planner in
which you can type in any two addresses in London and its suburbs.
In an instant the Journey Planner will tell you which tube, bus and
rail lines to take, where to transfer and how many minutes you’ll
need for your trip. It even estimates how many minutes will be
needed to transfer from one line to another in a given tube station.
Summing up, I have just one complaint that may be a bit unpleasant
to report. All buses and tube cars have upholstered cushioned seats.
Yes, that’s very comfortable compared with NYC’s hard plastic seats
on subways and buses. But I wonder if anyone is cleaning those
cloth-covered seats on a regular basis?
Weren't the buses all run by London Transport at one time, and then privatized in the 1980's and 1990's?
JD
Weren't the buses all run by London Transport at one time, and then privatized in the 1980's and 1990's?
That is correct, not to mention that Transport for London is the entity that contracts out the bus routes. Much like what NJ Transit does with Community Coach, Academy and Connex nowadays.
Incidentally, London IIRC had double-deck trams (streetcars) before the buses; if I am not mistaken, Manhattan had double-decker buses running on 5th Avenue long before London had Leyland Titans or AEC Regents/Routemasters…
After being in London for nearly two weeks, I have to say I’m very impressed with the bus system. While the tubes (subways) are not as good as NYC, London has a better bus system than we do
I don’t know about that, especially relating ot the fare structure (not unified with the Tube incidentally)…certainly, there is no flat fare, which can lead to rapid confusion for new users, not to mention that there are no free or reduced-fare transfers between bus routes.
Most London buses have no-step entrances. You cannot sit where the front two wheels are, although above those wheels are flat, carpeted places to put luggage or groceries on. Seats in the back rise up so you can sit above the rear wheels. London is far ahead of NYC in not forcing older riders to climb three big steps to enter a bus
Looks like you missed the era of the Leyland Atlanteans, which had at least two steps up to the lower-deck seating area. Also, NYC does have low-floor buses, BTW, plus wheelchair lifts on high-floor buses that passengers unable to get on the bus despite the kneeling feature can avail of.
With these older double deckers, you can jump off or on a bus, even if it’s only slowed down due to traffic. You don’t have to wait for a bus stop
That is false and illegal. I do not recommend anyone doing that. Wait for a regular bus stop, or at least a location where the bus is stopped in traffic adjacent to a sidewalk—and even then, make sure you have the conductor’s OK beforehand.
And several bus routes are now covered by articulated buses. This I don’t
understand, since London streets are so narrow and most bus routes make numerous turns
One reason is that Leyland is out of the bus-building business, and newer buses built by Alexander, Volvo, M-A-N, Daf, and other builders have longer wheelbases that cannot handle the tight turns. Another reason is that artics can actually make tighter turns than double-deckers—note that the turning radius is governed by the wheelbase of the front part of the bus, not the entire bus.
Articulated buses only recently hit the streets of London so they’re undergoing a bit of a test on certain routes. In the Central London core, you may enter an articulated bus from any of three doors. You don’t have to show the driver your ticket but are subject to a fine if a transit worker asks you to produce your ticket and you don’t have one
Sounds like they are trying out POP on the articulated buses. Anything to cut the conductors’ jobs—however, that means that conductors have to be upgraded to fill the ranks of the many inspectors necessary to keep POP running smoothly.
Here’s another way London buses differ from NYC. Since London streets are NOT arranged on a grid, the bus routes are also NOT on a grid. There’s no such thing as an M79 bus shuttling from East 79th St. and East End Avenue to West 79th St. and Riverside Drive... or the M101, M102 and M103 covering Lexington/Third Avenues, only diverging once you get to Harlem in the north or the Lower East Side to the south
No offense, but I think that you are underestimating the intelligence of your audience—do you really have to state the obvious? Since grid building started with Mahattan in general and is less than two centuries old, such a thing can be taken for granted…not to mention that London dates back to the days of the Romans, when it was called Londinium and that city-building back then was more or less radial away from the regent’s palace as well as determined by the curvature of the river (the Thames in London’s case, being quite winding due to London being far inland).
London’s buses are operated as they have been since the days of horse-drawn carriages...by about 10 independent contractors
This is false, as noted in another reply. For several decades, the routes were government-operated, via London Transport. Private contract operation came about during the 1990s and has actually complicated things to a greater degree. Also, during the days of horses and carriages, there were no buses for the most part in London, but trams.
Some bus shelters have electronic signs telling you which bus routes will soon be arriving and how long you will wait for the next bus. Many Underground stations have that too...and I can’t wait for NYC to get this feature
That would be another excuse for the MTA to raise fares, you know. Not to mention that passengers will complain if inaccurate information appears on the display.
All buses and tube cars have upholstered cushioned seats. Yes, that’s very comfortable compared with NYC’s hard plastic seats on subways and buses. But I wonder if anyone is cleaning those cloth-covered seats on a regular basis?
Do you really have to wonder, when to determine such a thing you merely have to look at the seats?
Today the first thing I saw today due to a detour I had to take today saw 4267 approaching on the F14 and I noticed something odd. For one, one of its back doors had been replaced but not painted, so it was grey along with the a couple of skirt panels near that back door so it looks odd, an odd sight to see. After leaving work I saw another bus broken down on northbound I-395 don't know which garage it came from, so I don't know the number. ATTENTION PLEASE COULD SOMEONE FIX THE ANTENNA ON 2342, because its front destination sign was doing the flips, it was flipping from top to bottom. Lastly I saw a double header on the F1, seeing both 30 footer 3933 and repower 9643.
-f.
I think every time I get on a bus I either get into a conversation with a girl, asked for directions or the occasional compliment. Of course I'm not about to become unfaithful, but I think it's cool that they seem to often come my way.
Wayne
Click Here to Access the Gallery
Here are two teaser photos. Sorry if it takes awhile to load, but TransitGallery isn't being nice to me right now; it won't let me resize images at all right now:-(
-F.
Did you take that shot yesterday? I saw 6791 on the Rhode Island Ave route yesterday afternoon when I was in College Park.
Wayne
Actually I interviewed at UMD in '99, but their salaries well below the market.
-F.
-F.
BTW, both Baltimores sold for a healthy price, as did the WMATA 9301.
-Fred
www.regionaltransitservice.com
http://talk.nycsubway.org/perl/read?bustalk=92944
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Thank You
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MetroB
nyct has ordered 3 lifts to be installed at the eny cmf to handle articulated buses.
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They are installing lifts to handle Artics, currently ENY can't handle them right now nor any other Brooklyn Depot...
I wonder if Flatbush gets the lifts installed there how many Artics would it be able to accomadate.
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Metrobuses have been breaking down more frequently, getting in more accidents and, in some cases, not starting up at all over the last 12 months, leaving passengers waiting at bus stops throughout the region.
Metro officials said that several factors are driving down reliability of the 1,450 Metrobuses in its fleet and that the problems will probably continue through the winter, when harsh weather typically hurts mechanical performance. Metrobuses carry nearly as many passengers as the rail system; riders took an average of 533,000 daily bus trips last month.
One major problem sidelining buses is a new filter being installed on diesel buses that is designed to catch particulate matter, or soot, that pollutes the air and causes respiratory problems. The filters, made by Detroit Diesel, are clogging prematurely and causing engines to shut down, said Phillip C. Wallace, Metro's general superintendent for bus maintenance.
When the filter clogs, the bus must be taken out of service for about a day while the filter is cleaned or a new filter is installed, Wallace said. About 300 of 900 diesel buses have been fitted with the filters. Metro has stopped installing them until the filter manufacturer fixes the problem, Wallace said.
Metro also has been pulling buses from service to install new radios, upgrade hydraulic systems and replace leaking hoses. While that work is being done, those buses are replaced on their routes by 17-year-old buses that have been "pulled out of mothballs" and have a tendency to break down, Wallace said.
Meanwhile, Metro has endured a "massive" turnover of mechanics, who perform the major repairs, and shifters, who perform daily maintenance such as replenishing fluids, Wallace said. As a result, work crews are relatively inexperienced and mechanical work takes longer, he said.
The result is that increasingly, Metrobuses never make it out of the garage to serve their scheduled route and roadside calls for mechanical help are made from an operator in a broken-down bus. In addition, buses are traveling 5,040 miles between breakdowns; the agency's goal is to have buses travel 6,300 miles between breakdowns. Wallace said he doesn't expect any improvement in the mechanical performance of the bus fleet until the spring
Accidents involving Metrobuses are becoming more frequent. The agency's goal is an accident rate no higher than 3.4 for every 100,000 miles of service. But the rate has been increasing steadily since May, reaching 5.4 accidents per 100,000 miles last month.
A management task force is trying to determine why Metrobus drivers are having more accidents.
One reason offered by managers is the inexperience of bus operators. About 41 percent of bus operators have less than three years' experience. That group accounts for 58 percent of the accidents, said Jack Requa, Metro's chief operating officer for buses.
Tangee C. Mobley, Metro's general superintendent of bus transportation, said that the agency is expanding training for new operators and is looking at a range of issues -- where accidents occur, at what time of day, on which lines -- to better understand the problem and find ways to reduce accidents.
The rail system faces some reliability problems, said Lem Proctor, Metro's chief operating officer for rail. The transit system continues to have difficulties with its newest rail cars, the Spanish-made CAF cars. CAF's work has been marred by balky software, assembly plant problems and other difficulties that have delayed delivery of 192 rail cars by nearly two years. Metro has 178 of the rail cars and expects the remainder by February, Proctor said.
The CAF cars, distinctive for their red, white and blue interiors, are plagued by chronic problems with doors, brakes and automatic train control. On any given day, about 30 percent of the cars are sidelined because of those problems.
The cars are not meeting Metro's reliability standards, which call for rail cars to travel 72,000 between breakdowns. The CAF cars are running about 40,000 miles between breakdowns, Proctor said.
As a result, Proctor said, Metro has put on hold a plan to add seven trains during peak hours on the Red Line, which is the heaviest-traveled Metro line.
From what I think Ray told me, DD has ironed out the problem with the pollution reducing EGR valves on their new DD50's, so hopefully this is true.
A management task force is trying to determine why Metrobus drivers are having more accidents.
I wanna say lack of competent drivers, but bad automobile drivers could also play a big factor. Proper driver training could also come into question. And if not that, then WMATA should hire a certain Drivin Genuis;-)
The rail system faces some reliability problems, said Lem Proctor, Metro's chief operating officer for rail. The transit system continues to have difficulties with its newest rail cars, the Spanish-made CAF cars. CAF's work has been marred by balky software, assembly plant problems and other difficulties that have delayed delivery of 192 rail cars by nearly two years. Metro has 178 of the rail cars and expects the remainder by February, Proctor said.
From what I remember, the CAF cars were jointly built with a company based out of Baltimore, and although this may not be true of all joint projects, take a look at the R68's. They were built by a joint effort by Westinghouse and Amrail Industries. The lack of coordination and failure to have one central plant caused the R68's to be problematic, way more so than the R68A's, which were built only by Kawasaki. Hopefully the upcoming Alstom order for WMATA isn't marred by their recent finance problems.
Well, here is another article from the Diamondback that pretty much echoes a bigger problem: WMATA's dire need for more funding:
http://www.inform.umd.edu/News/Diamondback/archives/2003/11/12/news3.html
In the terms of funding, if WMATA was only in one state, funding would have been easier in terms of a authority that would raise taxes just for transit, but since you have to deal with 8 jurisdictions and two states and DC who don't want a such authority, HELL, they fight over simple funding issues, that won't happen and that might kill WMATA. With such funding, WMATA might not have the problems they are having now. And WMATA can't keep raising fares, they will drive too many people to there cars and that won't be good for anyone.
Draw your won conclusions, please.
Draw your won conclusions, please.
Clock Ticks As City Tries To Negotiate Deal On "Private Buses"
NOVEMBER 21ST, 2003
The clock is ticking as the city tries to negotiate a new deal on private bus lines.
The current agreement with seven companies expires at the end of the year. The mayor has been pushing the MTA to take over the lines, saying it would save the city $100 million, but there's no deal yet.
On Friday morning, Brooklyn Borough president Marty Markowitz told NY1 the Mayor could reach an agreement if he wants to.
¡°All we're saying is get it done,¡± said Markowitz. ¡°Get it resolved before the end of the year. And if they want to get it done. He was able to take over the Board of Ed. He made it the Department of Ed. He got the governor to move on it. Get this done. It's a snap.¡±
More than 100,000 riders use the buses each day to get to work.
-Adam
(enynova5205@aol.com)
"DOH!"
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BTW the bus I normally see on that trip to 64 St is usually a 95xx Series Nova RTS but today it was 8520 that covered it
Busy day today. In the morning the Ring Road detour was in effect, but we had a good b/o and a well functioning Cummins (#159), took off like a rocket ship flying through Queens.
Then later I got on the S53 at Bay Ridge. This is one slow, crowded route. Seems to run abit more infrequently compared to the S79. This was an Orion V hard seater. Took it Clove Rd and Victory Blvd, where I got the S61 to the New Springville/SI Mall area. Man this old delapidated RTS was the worst I've ever seen, this #8308 POS rode awful and was so dirty inside. All the seats in the back were just covered in dirt. This bus is worse than anything we have at LI Bus. Those old RTS's at Yukon are garbage, even with the series 50 it sounded just awful. Couldn't wait to get off of that thing.
After the mall I took an S59 to Eltingville, this was an Orion V with the felt seats (#6244). Was pretty fast but man this bus was dirty. All scratched up too. The SI division really has a scratchitti problem. But from the looks around SI, there's grafitti EVERYWHERE. By the mall, on the fences along Hylan, I dont remember seeing so much grafitti anywhere before.
I took an express bus, the x1 back to Manhattan. Its just a little faster along Hylan blvd vs the local buses. At least this bus was clean. It seems SI seems to focus on their MCI OTR buses and neglect the transits. Anyway we finally got moving along the Gowanus, but after the Battery tunnel and on the beginning of 6th we hit awful traffic. Apparently the traffic was backing up from the Holland onto area streets. North of there we were OK until around 34th where I got off, more traffic. With all the traffic express buses really dont save any time, they are just more comfortable. The R to 86th and the S79 seem to be the fastest way between Manhattan and SI without dealing with the Bumferry.
Manhattan really needs some plan to get single occupant vehicles out of the CBD's. I can see since the ban was lifted things have gotten worse. Congestion pricing is really the answer.
Anyway going back my bus was on time but the bus before it, an N22 short run to Roosevelt Field which was supposed to leave 179st at 7:13pm didn't show until 7:30pm and alot of people were pissed.
My bus was right behind it and thus we "dragged the line" a bit but we were fairly empty until Roosevelt Field.
Look like they finally paved that portion of Ring Road. But who knows what the mall will do next?
Well I hope that this is the asssignment for artics for WF. But I doubt it would happen. If that happens the Q44 would get split Orion service from CS and artic service from WF. With the 1998 artics coming in now 39 of them plus 5779-5835. But these are the correct assignments
5684-5715 (32)KB
5716-5746 (31)WF
5747-5778 (32) MJQ
5779-5812 (34) CS
5813-5835 (23) OHS
This is how WF will likely turn out
160 Orion 7 CNG, 70Artics,66 1999 Orion V=296 buses. ThatOrion V number might be cut down to 30/31 range. I dont see WF with 97 artics
WF can hold 307-330 buses, but do they really need all of those buses, manybe the Q44 would be spilt if that happens.
Queens Pride
7031 Q2
5163 Q77
5755 Q44
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Quill only has 58 artics right now. They had 72 + 5510-5525+ a remodeled 5407 that looks like a 2003.
But when 100st open they gave up 1000-1028. The M86 is leaving, but they are gaining at least 2 more artic routes. M14 is a heavy route, ever rode that? M42 is also a heavy route. They have 1029-1069, 5407, 5510-5525. now but it makes sense that they get some more artics if they are getting another artic route. Plus the Q44 might not be all artic, or if it is they will have to have some spare buses left over, so dont be surprised if you see them on rush hour heavy routes in CS. Isnt some Q44 tied in with other runs for other routes just like the M15, 116, M31. We will see.
MJQ do need artics because the M14 would be converted to a Artic Line and if the M14 still got converted to a artic line but MJQ did not get extra artics for the M14, The cut in service for the M14 would be 2x worse
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Case Closed!
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