BUS - Random Thoughts Thread

[4P3607]

Just seen 4394 on the Q104. Tracker doesn't work but it has definitely hit service. 

[P3F]

On 12/29/2021 at 12:42 AM, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

I was looking at some old bus maps through the Brooklyn Public Library's Public Transit Map Collection (which BTW, has quite a few gems), and I glanced over at the September 1995 Brooklyn Bus Map. Interesting to seem some old service patterns there (like the B41 to DUMBO), but what caught my eye was actually on the Queens side of things, particularly the Q11 route.

There's the two branches to Old Howard Beach and Hamilton Beach, but it also apparently had two part time branches. One went to 157th Ave/Cross Bay Boulevard in Lindenwood (basically today's Q21), while the other was a northbound only (I'm guessing this may have been an AM rush branch) from 165th Avenue & Cross Bay Boulevard, bypassing most of Lindenwood. Does anyone have any information on when those two branches ran, service levels provided, and when they were discontinued? The wayback machine info doesn't seem to go far enough. 

Did the B68 ever actually go down Beach Walk? I always assumed that was a misprint.

What's with the B7's western terminal? It used to terminate at the Quentin Rd exit of Kings Highway station? I thought the extension always went to Coney Island Av.

Weird that they show the B100 on the map, but not the B103.

Edited January 11, 2022 by P3F

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

I'm just curious, has the MTA ever considered splitting long express routes into two segments? 

For example, during rush hour, the SIM1 runs between Eltingville and Downtown Houston Street. What would service and crowd control be like if they had a north and south variant? The SIM1A would run between Eltingville and say Ebbitts then non-stop to the city, and the SIM1B would run between Ebbitts and Fingerboard, then to the city, same in the PM. 

 

Or like the SIM6, the SIM6A would run between Eltingville and Ebbitts, then non-stop to the city, and then the SIM6B would run from Ebbitts to McClean, then to the city. 

 

How would service be with these patterns? Just curious not trying to propose anything.  

 

 

Also, fun fact. They found a way to make the information screens on the SI express routes not make announcements on the pickup section. They still continuously display the next stop and transfers, but after the last pick up stop, they then announce the first drop off. Amazing and logical! 

[Iron Valiant]

23 hours ago, Ultimategamer12c said:

As of today 4248 has hit service on the Q60.

17 hours ago, 4P3607 said:

Just seen 4394 on the Q104. Tracker doesn't work but it has definitely hit service. 

Has 3960, 3962, 3975, 4438, 4455 hit service?

[paulrivera]

On 1/9/2022 at 1:39 PM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Yeah, but I have been sitting in rows that I know have more legroom. The rows I normally take I have not tried, and I believe on the lines that I use, we have recently been getting new buses (some were pulled for one reason or another). In short, I have not been following the buses that closely, as I have been focusing on a bunch of other things that need to be fixed as well. As for the amount of seats, yeah 57 is what I have heard, and then the ones chained off. 

As for this whole debate about whether seats will be removed or not, I'll wait and see what happens. That is what I suggested. I was thanked for my suggestion and was told that fixing this problem was a top priority and I've left it up to the  to fix, with the understanding that they'll come to a reasonable resolution based on our discussions. Now if they don't that's another story.

I don't know why folks on here are having a pissing contest about the number of seats. The only reason I questioned the number was to try to determine where the lack of legroom was coming from. 

The headrests aren't all that either. I got a kink in my neck on one of the new Prevosts, but then again I've only ridden it once.

Next time I ride it I'll see if my first ride was a fluke or not.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

46 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

The headrests aren't all that either. I got a kink in my neck on one of the new Prevosts, but then again I've only ridden it once.

Next time I ride it I'll see if my first ride was a fluke or not.

I honestly have only taken about 10 rides on them, as they have been popping up more and more on the BxM1 and BxM2 and once I think I got one on the BxM18. I think the first three or so trips I took, I sat in one of the tight rows. Since then I've gone directly for the wheelchair seats, which have allowed me to sort of slouch down a bit for a little nap, but yes, it's a problem in part because of those damn seatbelts and it seems that the height of the backs is lower compared to say the MCI buses, hence the need to slouch.

Thursday afternoon I got one on the BxM2 after running some errands, and I was really hoping to get a wheelchair seat on the righthand side, since I had bags with me, but they were up, so that was the only reason I picked another row, but I didn't take any of the other rows I've taken before in hopes of more legroom. The row I got was ok; seemed to have a tad more room than what I expected.

Going back to the neck situation, quite a few people have complained about back or neck issues after riding these new express buses and I think that's also tied to the lack of legroom. With more legroom, it's more tolerable, but you also have to adjust the seatbelts. I've seen a few seats where they put the seatbelt behind the chair. You'll see what I mean next time you take one. It helps to avoid having them dig into your back.  Aside from the legroom and low backs, the seatbelts are the next biggest pain in the @ss.

Edited January 11, 2022 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Ultimategamer12c]

1 hour ago, Snorunts said:

Has 3960, 3962, 3975, 4438, 4455 hit service?

Not that Ik of if they did then some of there trackers are untraceable atm.

[Santana04]

29 minutes ago, Ultimategamer12c said:

Not that Ik of if they did then some of there trackers are untraceable atm.

 

1 hour ago, Snorunts said:

Has 3960, 3962, 3975, 4438, 4455 hit service?

4438 is on service the others i don't think they have go out yet

[checkmatechamp13]

2 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

I'm just curious, has the MTA ever considered splitting long express routes into two segments? 

For example, during rush hour, the SIM1 runs between Eltingville and Downtown Houston Street. What would service and crowd control be like if they had a north and south variant? The SIM1A would run between Eltingville and say Ebbitts then non-stop to the city, and the SIM1B would run between Ebbitts and Fingerboard, then to the city, same in the PM. 

Or like the SIM6, the SIM6A would run between Eltingville and Ebbitts, then non-stop to the city, and then the SIM6B would run from Ebbitts to McClean, then to the city. 

How would service be with these patterns? Just curious not trying to propose anything.  

They should split the SIM1 into a "New Dorp via Hylan" (a modified X3) and "Eltingville via Father Capodanno" (a modified X4) segment. The SIM7/9 should be modified to fit that pattern as well. (I'd say the same for the SIM10, except it's not as much of an issue considering the SIM6/10 take a lot of pressure off it)

The terminals of the SIM4 & SIM4X should be swapped during hours of SIM4X operation, and likewisr with the SIM8/8X.

[QM1to6Ave]

12 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

I'm just curious, has the MTA ever considered splitting long express routes into two segments? 

For example, during rush hour, the SIM1 runs between Eltingville and Downtown Houston Street. What would service and crowd control be like if they had a north and south variant? The SIM1A would run between Eltingville and say Ebbitts then non-stop to the city, and the SIM1B would run between Ebbitts and Fingerboard, then to the city, same in the PM. 

 

Or like the SIM6, the SIM6A would run between Eltingville and Ebbitts, then non-stop to the city, and then the SIM6B would run from Ebbitts to McClean, then to the city. 

 

How would service be with these patterns? Just curious not trying to propose anything.  

 

 

Also, fun fact. They found a way to make the information screens on the SI express routes not make announcements on the pickup section. They still continuously display the next stop and transfers, but after the last pick up stop, they then announce the first drop off. Amazing and logical! 

One of the Queens Bus Redesign suggestions basically had that, where the QM5 get split into to parts in Queens, sort of like how the QM1 is a shorter version of the 5/6.

 

I actually find it annoying when the first drop-off is announced after the last pick-up, since that can be a good 40 minutes before you get to the drop off, and if people are trying to sleep, it wakes them up. THe announcement should be, for example, right after exiting the QMT in Manhattan for a manhattan-bound trip from QUeens

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

19 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

They should split the SIM1 into a "New Dorp via Hylan" (a modified X3) and "Eltingville via Father Capodanno" (a modified X4) segment. The SIM7/9 should be modified to fit that pattern as well. (I'd say the same for the SIM10, except it's not as much of an issue considering the SIM6/10 take a lot of pressure off it)

The terminals of the SIM4 & SIM4X should be swapped during hours of SIM4X operation, and likewisr with the SIM8/8X.

 

9 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

One of the Queens Bus Redesign suggestions basically had that, where the QM5 get split into to parts in Queens, sort of like how the QM1 is a shorter version of the 5/6.

 

I actually find it annoying when the first drop-off is announced after the last pick-up, since that can be a good 40 minutes before you get to the drop off, and if people are trying to sleep, it wakes them up. THe announcement should be, for example, right after exiting the QMT in Manhattan for a manhattan-bound trip from QUeens

Service pattern like that would make sense, instead of having buses constantly filling up and leading to bunching. You can use the same service frequencies, just split them between the two branches. 

 

I see what you're saying, although I don't think the screens are that loud. The announcements trigger after you leave a stop, so they coded the screens to announce only after the last pick up. For the Vianova screens, they perform two announcements for each stop "Next Stop", and "This Is". What you are proposing is basically getting rid of the "Next Stop" announcement for the first drop off stop, and only keeping the "This Is" portion. Then while in the drop off segment, it'll play both the "Next Stop" and "This is" for each stop. 

 

I will talk to someone I know to see if they can program that. I already put in a request to decrease the refresh distance on the Vianova screens. They announce the next stop too late and the arriving stop too early and in a city with congestion and stops with close proximity, you have to request the next stop before it can play the next stop announcement because if you wait, you'll probably miss your stop on a local bus (especially in SI). 

 

 

Edited January 12, 2022 by XcelsiorBoii4888

[Ultimategamer12c]

4119 is operating on the Q64 as of today.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

10 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

I actually find it annoying when the first drop-off is announced after the last pick-up, since that can be a good 40 minutes before you get to the drop off, and if people are trying to sleep, it wakes them up. THe announcement should be, for example, right after exiting the QMT in Manhattan for a manhattan-bound trip from QUeens

The announcements were tweaked to only announce the stops after the drop-off several weeks ago, following a number of complaints from passengers and bus operators alike. The current setup is actually a good thing, especially if you are on a bus with different branches. For example, a lot of people jump on BxM1 buses that skip Inwood, then get pissed and demand to be let off because they're on the wrong bus. Usually, on the older buses where there aren't automated announcements, the drivers will make an announcement at the last pick-up that this bus does not serve Inwood, and if you want to get off in Inwood, please get off here and wait for the next Inwood bus (usually buses alternate between Inwood and Riverdale). As the bus approaches the first drop-off, an announcement is then made about the first stop.

I like this a lot better than before, where every stop was announced, even the pick-ups. Totally unnecessary. Myself and another advocate I work with have worked with the  to tweak the number of automated announcements over the last few years, along with the volume levels, though I did not make any comments about this latest tweak, but the  is in a number of commuter groups. They have become much more active in trying to see what passenger complaints are, be it buses or subways, and have been more proactive in some cases.

Edited January 12, 2022 by Via Garibaldi 8

[QM1to6Ave]

4 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

The announcements were tweaked to only announce the stops after the drop-off several weeks ago, following a number of complaints from passengers and bus operators alike. The current setup is actually a good thing, especially if you are on a bus with different branches. For example, a lot of people jump on BxM1 buses that skip Inwood, then get pissed and demand to be let off because they're on the wrong bus. Usually, on the older buses where there aren't automated announcements, the drivers will make an announcement at the last pick-up that this bus does not serve Inwood, and if you want to get off in Inwood, please get off here and wait for the next Inwood bus (usually buses alternate between Inwood and Riverdale). As the bus approaches the first drop-off, an announcement is then made about the first stop.

I like this a lot better than before, where every stop was announced, even the pick-ups. Totally unnecessary. Myself and another advocate I work with have worked with the  to tweak the number of automated announcements over the last few years, along with the volume levels, though I did not make any comments about this latest tweak, but the  is in a number of commuter groups. They have become much more active in trying to see what passenger complaints are, be it buses or subways, and have been more proactive in some cases.

From what I've seen, the announcements aren't triggered until the bus is already pulled out of the last stop, so that might be too late for someone who realizes they are on the wrong bus LOL, if the B/O doesn't want to pull over and let them off (which they technically aren't supposed to do anyway)

[Via Garibaldi 8]

13 minutes ago, QM1to6Ave said:

From what I've seen, the announcements aren't triggered until the bus is already pulled out of the last stop, so that might be too late for someone who realizes they are on the wrong bus LOL, if the B/O doesn't want to pull over and let them off (which they technically aren't supposed to do anyway)

True. It's indeed based on the GPS, but I have never seen a driver not pull over if a person is on the wrong bus. They may get annoyed about it, but they always pull over if they can.

[trainfan22]

There was an shooting ON a BX39 bus earlier, no one was hit so no one was hurt, 5791 was the unit.

[biGC323232]

15 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

There was an shooting ON a BX39 bus earlier, no one was hit so no one was hurt, 5791 was the unit.

Saw that on the news this morning...Just unbelievible....

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

Question, where does the Q24, Q30 and Q31 stop along Archer Ave heading east? 

 

BusTime currently shows for the Q24:

ARCHER AV/149 ST (Google Maps showed it was a stop as of 2017, but as of 2018 it is removed)

ARCHER AV/158 ST (Google Maps showed that it stopped here as of 2019 but as of 2020 the plaque on the pole is gone)

BusTime currently shows for the Q30/Q31:

ARCHER AV/149 ST (Google Maps showed it was a stop as of 2017, but as of 2018 it is removed)

ARCHER AV/158 ST (Google Maps showed that they stopped here as of 2018 but as of 2019 the plaques on the pole are gone)

ARCHER AV/GUY BREWER BL (showed that they stopped here as of 2018 but as of 2019 the plaques on the pole are gone)

ARCHER AV/168 ST (showed that they stopped here as of 2018 but as of 2019 the plaques on the pole are gone)

 

For the Q24 is it only Suphin Blvd, and then 160st, Guy Brewer, Merrick Bl? 

And for the Q30/31, is it only Suphin Blvd, and then no stops until Jamaica Av/168st? 

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by XcelsiorBoii4888

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

2 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

Question, where does the Q24, Q30 and Q31 stop along Archer Ave heading east? 

 

BusTime currently shows for the Q24:

ARCHER AV/149 ST (Google Maps showed it was a stop as of 2017, but as of 2018 it is removed)

ARCHER AV/158 ST (Google Maps showed that it stopped here as of 2019 but as of 2020 the plaque on the pole is gone)

BusTime currently shows for the Q30/Q31:

ARCHER AV/149 ST (Google Maps showed it was a stop as of 2017, but as of 2018 it is removed)

ARCHER AV/158 ST (Google Maps showed that they stopped here as of 2018 but as of 2019 the plaques on the pole are gone)

ARCHER AV/GUY BREWER BL (showed that they stopped here as of 2018 but as of 2019 the plaques on the pole are gone)

ARCHER AV/168 ST (showed that they stopped here as of 2018 but as of 2019 the plaques on the pole are gone)

 

For the Q24 is it only Sutphin Blvd, and then 160st, Guy Brewer, Merrick Bl? 

And for the Q30/31, is it only Sutphin Blvd, and then no stops until Jamaica Av/168st? 

 

Thanks to amazing YouTube video coverage, I figured it out. 

Q24 stops are now: 

Archer Av/Sutphin Blvd (confirmed) 

Archer Av/149 St (removed)

Archer Av/158 St (confirmed)

Archer Av/Guy R Brewer Blvd (confirmed)

Archer Av/160 St (confirmed)

Archer Av/Merrick Blvd (confirmed)

 

Q30/31 stops are now:

Archer Av/Sutphin Blvd (confirmed)

Archer Av/149 St (removed)

Archer Av/158 St (confirmed)

Archer Av/Guy R Brewer (confirmed)

Archer Av/168 St (confirmed)

 

 

[Lawrence St]

If anyone here drives a bus in Manhattan, can you tell me what it's like?

I hear stories about how Lex & 3rd Av are a mess, especially with the delivery bikes all over the place. Any pointers?

[NewFlyer 230]

6 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

If anyone here drives a bus in Manhattan, can you tell me what it's like?

I hear stories about how Lex & 3rd Av are a mess, especially with the delivery bikes all over the place. Any pointers?

I would hate to drive around in Manhattan in general. I’m surprised we haven’t heard about tons of people being badly hurt and killed by those delivery bike guys. They can be so reckless whether it’s driving on the wrong side, cutting in and out of traffic and not obeying traffic signs. 

[Lawrence St]

1 hour ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I would hate to drive around in Manhattan in general. I’m surprised we haven’t heard about tons of people being badly hurt and killed by those delivery bike guys. They can be so reckless whether it’s driving on the wrong side, cutting in and out of traffic and not obeying traffic signs. 

That’s unfortunately what I’m worried about. 

[Lil 57]

Earlier today there was an NG on the M102.

[Iron Valiant]

Just now, Lil 57 said:

Earlier today there was an NG on the M102.

I noticed a few 40 foot buses running on the M101/M102/M103.

[trainfan22]

Got lucky and caught my second ride ever on an XE60, those buses are so smooth, it's like the bus is gliding on air... 

 

 

Smoothest running bus I think I ever been on.