Also, what TA orders are coming up within the next 5 years?
Any information is greatly appreciated.
http://www.wmata.com/timetables/dc/S1-2-4.pdf
They have Somerset in the wrong place on the T2 schedule.
There are only subtle changes between this model and the 2002 model Orion Vs
1. Orange/Yellow LED destination sign
2. Larger rear destination sign
3. Updated Orion Bus Logo
4. Slightly different seat Grabrails
5. Reinforced Standee Bar joints
6. Slightly different placement of certain driver controls
I spoke with a driver who had it two days in a row and he said it had better accelaration then the rest of the 300s!
The Full order is for 67 Orion V CNG coaches. The Order is expected to be completed by June.
Numbers should be 396-463
In other news Orion V 646, has finished her career with LIB
Da Hui
Is #646 gonna be thrown in the garbage like the "New Looks" and "Old Looks" back in the days?
Or are they going to auction it off on eBay or somewhere?
Any information is greatly appreciated.
Da Hui
Any information ios greatly appreciated.
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Chuck Greene
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Chuck Greene
You KNOW that bus in the movie Swordfish is a Flyer D901 model.
Da Hui
Chuck Greene
ME SPEAKE ENGLISH!
Does that answer your question?
Why do you do THIS to yourself by posting a reply like that...?
You don't like it, BEAT IT!
Da Hui
"If I wanted attention, I'd" {snip}
Title your response, "Attention"?
"...attend a few bus gatherings and trips and do some magic tricks."
Begin your magic here and now. Disappear.
"...I wanna expand my knowledge of the bus world..."
Lurch out between parked cars in front of one, preferebly an MCI via Queens Blvd during the AM rush yelling "Abra Cadabra.. I command you to stop".
As for other bustalkers, I'm sorry, but not everyone knows everything about buses, and you guys know that, although you don't act like you do. Just be glad that he's willing to learn about some things about transit. I mean, I speak from personal experience. When I first started out with transit, all I knew were a few SEPTA/WMATA/Ride-On routes, and that some SEPTA buses were from a company called Neoplan. Actually, beforehand, and I told a few people this, I thought that the TA's actually manufactored their own buses (if you took a look at SEPTA, WMATA's, and Ride-On's fleets in the early 90's, plus took notice at the fact that I was just a kid back then, you would understand.) Now, thank goodness, I know a lot more, and I think that I post some useful stuff, don't I? Or, at least, I have something to say worth listening to. I mean, we are so quick to chew people out nowadays...please don't turn out to be stuck up jerks. I mean, we are busfans after all, and we are fans of the "lowest form of human transportation". Come on, let's give him another chance, okay? Let's not immediately shun him like we did to CDTA.
Therefore...here's another chance, Boogaloo. Just try doing some research - start with the little info you have - www.transitalk.info is a great site - it has so much on so many things!
~The original Neofan - remember when everyone used to hate these?
Besides, Boogaloo, asking "DUH!!" questions such as "how can I chase a bus" and "can buses really fly" make you look bad, as people have already questioned your intelligence. You're either trying to be smart with us (and failing) or there's that remote chance you have never heard such idiomatic expressions.
THE Quote of the year on BusTalk, all from the mouth of
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
And AcelaExpress2005, don't think ur the man here...ur not in charge of this board, you're in charge of YOUR board...when i'm there, THEN u can feel like the big man, but when you're here, don't even think about it...yeah, i seen ur posts...don't think I know?
By the way, I'm not flaming against you. Before you go around attacking people, you should learn who is helping you and who isn't. THAT, my friend, will help you with being overworked and such like that. I was just trying to be the mediator, but since I'm such a smart ass, I'll just keep my mouth shut.
By the way, do you think I go around searching old postings? Only when I need to find a certain thread that I want to reply to, or to find a certain website. I don't even know how to link.
Sorry for the inconvenience of me trying to help you - it won't happen again.
Ha, you should see the BS you have posted like how to chase a bus.
Please give me a break, I am only human.
Give us a break by not posting nonsense :-\.
Look at the bBS response that you gave me to my post...
..and the fact that you actually RESONDED to it...
-F.
I, too, will miss them. We need to photo-document these buses as soon as possible!
Speaking of which, don't forget the Private Lines as well, John:
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
The "Bus": Not Applicable
Corridor Transit: More applicable than The "Bus" but doesn't qualify still :p
Howard Transit: See above
Special note about ART: Last I heard, they were looking for a place to build a facility, at which time they would probably invest in something remotely bus-like.
Now for the real systems:
CUE: No word moving on the transit grapevine...their 30' Gilligs that replaced the Orion Is last year seem to be running like sewing machines...Fairfax City isn't the most hostile environment, so I guess Gilligs can survive pretty well there...the oldest buses they have are 1998s, so no replacements are due for quite a while, however they may add one or two to the fleet within the next 10 years...
DASH: Grapevine provided word of a potential of 14 new buses. Currently, no further information is available on this. Our GM has had such a stroke of bad luck this month that I've only seen her twice, and she has to get through me to get to her office! So I haven't been able to ask her. Now I'm going out on a limb here and I can hear it cracking, but three other agencies in the area are due to receive Orion VIIs in the coming years. Perhaps...?
Fairfax Connector: Contact from Herndon-Monroe P&R (grapevine) informed me that there are approximately 30 Orion VIIs being built for Fairfax Connector that will be split 50/50 to north and south County. The north county order is to replace 15 of the crappiest RTS buses (it must've been hard to choose which 15 are the worst) that were ordered in 1994 and have upwards of 450,000 miles on some units. I am pretty sure and scared that the south county order will replace the remaining Orion Is, which have seen more service this week than ever since 2001, when newer Orions began to replace them.
PRTC: 1C/Ballston has been too lazy to give us updates on their Gillig Advantage order of which word surfaced in October 2003. This order was to replace all of their mutated minivans, which will immediately be sold at auction with proceeds supporting the Little League Soccer Association... Perhaps reading this will make him realize his mistake and give him the push he needs to tell us WHAT'S GOING ON?! :p
Ride On: Orion VII second batch, possible New Flyers (is that still a rumor or fact?)
WMATA: Next order of "general service" buses will be arriving in...July says the website...we'll see...these 75 buses are gonna be CNG and will be shared by Bladensburg and Four Mile Run divisions. I think these are supposed to be New Flyers, but I'm not 1000% sure.
As usual, feel free to pick this apart and correct any errors.
WMATA: I dont know what you mean by "general service", but the next order of 175 CNG buses will be........Orion VIIs.
By "General Service" I mean..I guess the same as "General Purpose (GP)," buses that aren't specifically purchased for use on certain routes, as was the case with the Neos, Orion IIs, etc.
Let us not forget our friends in B-more who are will start received the first possible 43 of a rumored 230 New Flyer order. There is also a rumor that they might be replacing the 30 foot Flx's but no real word on that.
As for THE BUS. Umm, no comment though I overheard that they were supposed to get some form of passenger carrying vehicles in February, but there was a dispute between the government and Yellow-bellied transit.
The University of Maryland is also rumored to get some more Gilligs, New Look Terrapin should know about this.
Lastly of course we know about Frederick Transit's new Orion Vs, six of them to be exact with LEDs.
As crappy as some of Fairfax Connector's RTSs are they should ship those to THE BUS. A bad RTS is WAY better than an ODV anyday. Of course I would have to go over to THE BUS's garage to show them how to work the DAMN thing and that would take over 5 years, even with charts and graphs.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Jim D.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Da Hui
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
sorry havent been on-computer broken.
BIG AL
2. What bus is used on the TZX on saturday service?
3. Is it like an extra 40 Cents to get a transfer on TZX?
Thanks
Da Hui
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com
The best bus pic I've ever taken (IMO) is right here.
Feel free to share yours!
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Taken on the Otto Hirsch Brucken in Stuttgart, Germany
Enjoy
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
NYCMTA uses emergency flashers, too. BTW, does MBTA have any buses with LED emergency flashers? NYCMTA has LED emergency flashers on the 2003/2004 New Flyer D60HF Articulateds and the Orion VIIs.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Note: On the last pic, there is a little black spot on the top. Well that's the shadow of my finger near the lens :-P.
I hope you like them. Enjoy.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
That day back in December when a majority of us fans rode with Phil on the 720
... and of course, anything that is RTA
enjoy
© 2003-2004 Eddie A http://labusfan.net
What's the name of the garage there?
Any information is greatly appreciated.
Da Hui
At present Bee-Line (operated by Liberty Lines) has two garages in Westchester County. The main facility - and the largest - is at 475 Saw Mill River Rd in Yonkers. It takes up a big area between Saw Mill Rd and Nepperhan Avenue, near Lake Avenue. Routes 5, 8 and 30 go right past it. It's very busy, storing, fueling and cleaning about two-thirds of what (I think) is a 330 bus fleet. The facility also does both routine and heavy maintenance work on the buses. Anything needed, according to a news article I read a while back, from body work to engine rebuild. Libery Lines' corporate offices are also located there. A satelite facility was opened on the county-owned Grasslands Reservation - better known as the home of Westchester Medical Center - a few years back. This facility can store about 100 buses, does routine servicing and cleaning. It was opened to cut down on the deadheading of buses between Yonkers and northern Westchester routes.
BTW, Liberty Lines has a third yard and maintenance facility on the Yonkers riverfront, just north of the downtown Yonkers train station. This is for Liberty Lines Express. But recently I've noticed a couple dozen Bee-Line Flxs parked in the northeast corner of the yard, only it looks like they're on a dead line. Boo!!! Are they THAT old????
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
May 10: Pre-Proposal Conference: Forty Foot Transit and Suburban Bus Purchase
June 15: Proposals Due: Forty Foot Transit and Suburban Bus Purchase
Keep in mind, the lowest priced proposal is not necessarily the winning proposal. By law, NJT can include life-cycle costs (maintenance and operating expenses over 12 years) as part of the proposal. This gives Millennium (825 Nova-built RTSes) and Neoplan (the 85 artics in delivery now) the upper hand as both manufacturers have buses in the fleet already.
Personal preference would be Millennium - for the fleet consistency as much as any "fan" reason I could have. Most parts would be the same as the existing Novas, and the majority of the drivers would already be familiar with them, all but eliminating training time.
Stay tuned... the Metro Bs are officially about to be shown the door.
Yay.
Believe me, I don't think too many people down here will be sorry to see those buses retired (just so long as North Jersey doesn't get these new buses first and the South Jersey garages get the leftovers from the north).
David
David
Oh well, at least the RiverLINE's cars are the only thing working right down here.
But during peak times, when even in Westchester you get a lotta standees, it is so hard maneuvering down the aisle and so hard to find standing room on a 2-2 (where you're not bumping a seated rider with every lurch of the bus) that maybe we'd all be better off with a few less seats and more aisle room. This thought occurred to me since a) I've been doing a lot of standing on Bee-Line Orions recently and b) Saturday afternoon I found standing on a packed M16 RTS on 34th St was a whole lot easier.
Whadda ya think?
Peace,
ANDEE
Yuck, i never cared for this. The original SEPTA neoplans were close to being like this, I remember them mostly on the tripper days. The Gillig Advantange 30(or35 foot?) on PSTA does this(and it's a low floor). I don't like it.
If there's standing situations, i'd much rather have a 2-1.
Of course I have. The demo Grumman 870 for NYCTA had 2X2 seating.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
I've had the opportunity to operate the bus in passenger service. Speaking from an operational standpoint, I have mixed feelings.
The atmosphere and driver asthetics:
The driver's area isn't far removed from your basic Orion design. The rear-view mirror and destination sign keypad are both distant from the seated position. The rear-view mirror cannot be adjusted from the seated position and the sign entry is difficult to review over your left shoulder. The right-side mirror is your standard narrower rectangluar dual-electric. The wipers do not operate independently of one another. The farebox and radio are placed out-of-the-way for a change and do not inhibit right-side view thanks in-part to the low farebox platform and minimal pedestal. Just about all tell-tale panel indicators are in plain sight directly ahead, as opposed to under or to the right of the steering wheel. That's a plus. There's no safety-bar (grab bar) but there is a locking 'entry door'.
Driving the bus:
Accelleration is immediate. There's initial drive power but then just as immediately, seems to dissipate as the engine struggles to maintain minimal speed. Uphill operation was strenious, as the bus barely moved above 10 MPH on any upgrade, even with a minimal to light load. Level grade proved less-than-average accelleration. Downhill, the bus moved fine. A much better suspension than the RTS, but not quite as 'boaty' as your standard Orion. With less than 3000 miles on this particular HEV (6371), potholes and street damage were felt as the bus rattled but immediately recovered. The front doors are a bit faster than the RTS, but also include the safety lock preventing opening until the bus has stopped completely. Steering radius felt longer than the RTS and Orion, but the 'hard pull' felt more adequate than the RTS. That's also a plus. There is a bit more play in the HEV than both the standard Orion and RTS- something to get used to, as are the brakes. Immediate and abrupt stopping until I got the feel of it all.
Passenger Opinion:
A good majority seemed to enjoy the bus, although I'm guessing it's because they're new and different. Comments were both positive and negative, with a bulk of the negative comments being it seemed 'smaller' than the RTS. On the positive side, they liked the idea of having no steps to climb and the lower farebix to easily read their empty metrocards.
My opinion:
Eh. I'll let you know after they've 100,000 miles under their belts.
Any questions?
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Thanks Mom for your observation and analysis!
Ray
I haven't driven it in passenger service yet.
Bx31 # 7675
Bx31 # 1098
BIG AL
Why wouldn't it? It was delivered there new as opposed to having come from another depot (at least that's the impression I get from this thread), and even if it's just there for training it's probably gonna be there for a while, so why would it have any other decals?
BIG AL
According to UTC, MCH is supposed to get 6365-6429, and QV 6430-6494. I'm guessing that that's still the plan.
Other than Mother Hale and Queens Village no other depots have been assigned buses as yet.
Thank You
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Da Hui
Ray
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Da Hui
BIG AL
BIG AL
BIG AL
I understand QV has had the bus since last week, although this was the first I'd seen it.
BIG AL
:-)
Mark
B1-#8677-TMCRTS
Da Hui
Trevor
Let me know what y'all think. Enjoy.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Ray
P.S. Nice pic!
Allen Dicion
Toronto, Canada
www.transithub.net
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Enjoy!
Bx16 # 5271
Is tehre a standard where you're allowed to use clean air? Like the food industry governs how you may use the words low fat and fat free. If it's a hybrid bus, i assume some pollution is coming out.
I don't think there's an industry standard on the usage of the phrase, though.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
BTW, not to be a show-off, but in case no one knows yet, the Orion VIIs actually have LED reverser taillamps and I think they are the first buses in NYCT history to have LED reverser taillamps.
Is this right, Brooklyn67?
TIA.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
The top photo is best, offering a nice contrast between both Orion classes. What is the one of the left again: Orion II?
What is that route on the bus stop sign, which is associated with the "South Street Seaport" destination?
Picture below.
http://www.rgrta.com/FFfaqs.html
Pretty interesting?
*http://www.rgrta.com/BrochureMap.pdf - RGRTA is pushing too hard arent they?
http://www.rgrta.com/early_sum.pdf
http://www.rgrta.com/late_sum.pdf
Pic 2 - Santa Monica # 4801 & Metro # 7823. In the background, you can see a piece of Santa Monica # 4816 which is also on line 12. The guy in front was running late.
© Eddie A. 2004 http://labusfan.net
-MetroBus Lines 30, 31, and 305. Line 305 does not come into the transit center but rather stop nearside the intersection
-Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Lines 5, 7, Super 7, 12, and 13
© Eddie A. 2004 http://labusfan.net
GLI # 6959 was one of the 16 102DL3s that were leased to AutoBuses Latinos in Mid 2001 to Early 2002. Included in the list of leased units were GLI # 6200-6205 & 6955-6964. The AutoBuses Latinos logo remains on 6955-6964, and also the TVs that were installed on those 10 units. They peeled off the A.L. letterings on the 6200s a long time ago .... so I can only assume that maintenance is just a lil slow in getting to the 6900s
Look under my seller ID....sjh50
Also further down 91 just entering New Haven,I spotted some recently retired CT Transit MCI Classics sitting in a junkyard visible from the highway. There were about a dozen or so that I could see, I got a pic of the one that could be seen from the street. The bus I took the pic of was still in one piece, I don't know if they're going to be scrapped or just there awaiting sale.
I wish I knew how to post those pics here, but if anyone wants I can e-mail them to you.
Mark
JD
Anyways, If anyone seen the movie, the bus has a blue and yellow on white paint scehme. I was hoping that someone knew what TA it belonged to.
I had this idea for a while. What if NJT built a new, high capacity garage in the Middlesex County area? My plan called for a 200-300+ bus facility (perferably a multi-level garage). It would provide 16-17 frequent local service mostly in Union, Somerset & Middlesex Counties, 3 communter routes through Staten Island's South Shore, 2 coummuter routes in Morris County. Just think of the frequency and routes in Essex County serving Union and Middlesex Counties, (Contact me for a much detailed plan).
I know Academy has bus routes down there, but my plan would provide more frequent bus service.
Would bus service in that area survive? I need opinions.
MetroB
Thank you for that, I needed a very good laugh today. Now I gotta ask you, do you live in New Jersey? Do you live west of the mississippi? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then do you own a map? And finally if the answer to the prior question is yes, then can you tell north from south?
If so, you'd look at your map, and clearly see that Middlesex County is NOWHERE near the area generally respected to be South Jersey, which is generally respected to be Burlington, Camden, Atlantic, Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem, and Cape May counties, as well as possibly Ocean and Monmouth Counties, depending upon who you ask. Of these counties it is primarily the counties of Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester which suffer from neglect by NJT. All three counties have areas with population densities that more than warrent the kind of frequent bus service seen in North Jersey, but which recieve a pittance of that service in crowded hand-me-down buses from the Northern Jersey depots.
Adding service and building a new garage in Monmouth, Middlesex or Ocean counties would do absolutely nothing to improve the situation here in the TRUE south jersey. Indeed I find it mildly offensive that you claim that your plan would help South Jersey, when in fact all you're doing is pushing another North Jersey transit improvement (the NJT 2020 map shows like 25 for North Jersey, 5 for south jersey, I think you guys have had enough).
True transit improvements for South Jersey would come in the form of collector buses for the ACL, SNJLRT and PATCO. Also truely new (preferably Low Floor Artic) buses would be nice as well, but used North Jersey buses would be ok. I know Franklin and Egg Harbor township depots need to shape up, the Metro Bs out of Egg Harbor are disgusting, the windows are so scratched you feel as if it's a bathroom with privacy windows. As a whole the service is unreliable, with long headways and torturously winding routes. Buses on the routes actually utilized are frequently over-crowded, however headways never seem to change, nor will we ever see an artic down here. SJNLRTS is Trenton's peace offering to us, however it's easy to note that it's somewhat self-serving, and also more than a little bit of a consolation prize, compared to the transit improvements being lauded on North Jersey.
In short, South Jersey service sucks because Newark doesn't give a crap about us, and we need more of everything.
MetroB
Here are some of the things we need down here:
1]A FULL TIME 7 days a week bus route on Route 73.
My idea: a bus from Frankford Terminal to Lindenwold PATCO over the Betsy Ross Bridge, connecting at the Palmyra RiverLINE Station , down Rt. 73, over to Moorestown Mall, then down 73, Evesham Rd, White Horse Rd to Lindenwold.
2]Get rid of Burlink [Cutaway Transit] and run some REAL bus service from Beverly-Edgewater Park to Willingboro, to Burlington Center mall
3]Improve the PATCO feeder bus service. Make Rush hour headways 30 minutes or less, make off peak hedways no longer than hourly, and institure timed transfer at stations with more than one route serving the station [case in point: Haddonfield].
4] Re-route the long distance buses off Broadway [401, 402, 408, 410]
and run them express from Camden to Woodbury. Create a local route on Broadway [411/412] and run that line with 30 minute headways [alternatring between the 411 Woodbury, and 412 Glassboro], along with the other B'way buses in Camden.
5]Split the 400 and 403 lines. These bus routes are too long and are too prone to massive delays. I would split the 400 into a Philly-Blackwood local service, and a Philly-Sicklerville Express to Deptford Mall run. On the 403, I would split the line into a Philly-Lindenwold PATCO route, and a Echelon Mall-Lindenwold PATCO-Erial-Cross Keys common service.
6]Last, but not least, get articulated [or 45 footers] on the 551 and the 553. These buses are the most crowded lines [outside of the 400] in South Jersey. The 551 really gets bad in the Summer, with all of the vacationers and day trippers going to AC.
SOUTH JERSEY IS CAMDEN, BURLINGTON, GLOUCESTER, SALEM, CUMBERLAND, ATLATIC, CAPE MAY, AND MERCER COUNTY, WITH A LITTLE SLICE OF OCEAN COUNTY THROWN IN.
BETTER GET A MAP OF NEW JERSEY, AND TRY TO LOCATE THE FOLLOWING CITIES:
TRENTON (The State Capital)
CAMDEN (Hint, dumbass- LOOK FOR PHILLY)
ATLANTIC CITY (Ask Donald Trump where that city is)
I bet your asinine self cannot locate CAPE MAY on a map.
LEARN GEOGRAPHY FOR A FRIGGIN' CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Second of all I know Jersey very well and I really don't appreciate the outrageous comments you made in my response. I have lived in Jersey for all of my life (14 years old). It was a title error that I neglected to fix and I'm sorry if it confused anyone.
I would really like an apology for the outrageous comments you made. Even though I made a honest error I should be able to get the same respect just as everybody else here on this board. Thank You
MetroB
MetroB
Astro Eastern Bus Company(they had Florida service)
Express Bus service(several NJ destinations)
Vanessa Express(several NJ destinations)
What happened with these guys? Did they get bought by competitors(Coach USA, Greyhound, etc)?
This is mere speculation on my part, but I suspect the two NJ destination companies operate van service along Route 4 to Paterson. At one time, the van operations dropped off and picked up outside the GWBridge bus station but, perhaps, these two are now operating from within the terminal.
http://www.simon.com/mall/event_details.aspx?ID=114&EID=13501
The phone number listed is different from the one on the GWB site though. Why not give them a call and ask what they do?
CG
I did a search on AJ.com, which brought up another carrier, Spanish Transportation. Is this just a van service for the Fort Washington area?
I was talking more in public transit terms, but I completely agree...now, if only I could ride one of those - that and the J/E series coaches...
The 1996 NABI's has the same looking seats, LED interior display, inside outside voice, GPS tracker, GPS for the voices, something gong on with the stop request bell, etc, and according to the Daily News/Inqurier in 1996, that was state of the art(2 separate articles).
How long something stays state of the art, I don't know, but it's still not commonplace stuff yet for some reason.
I dunno what hick buses you have down in Florida, but the NFIs, Neoplan Artics and all other SEPTA buses bought after 1996 now have all the features you describe. Even the crappy little Eldorado buses have that stuff (cept the comfortable seats).
OK, I'll just tell you. The left side has 3 lights, and the right side has 4!
MetroB
From my own observations, many of the 1995 RTS's (2601-2775) have been rehabbed. Lately, I think I've seen more rehabbed than not, so it is possible more than half have been done. From the outside, you can tell by the brightness of the destination signs, the rehabbed buses having much brighter signs. On the inside, the rehabbed buses have cloth seats with the same NJT pattern as on the new Cruisers.
Acela
TAMPA - The public transit agencies in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties have struck a deal that will allow frequent bus riders to purchase a bus pass that works on both systems.
Beginning Oct. 1, riders can pay $85 for a 31-day unlimited ride pass. The board of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority approved the program Monday. Leaders of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority gave their blessing last week.
The agencies have pledged to try the program for at least a year. Further regional cooperation might follow, HARTline spokesman Ed Crawford said.
``We want to see if there's a market there,'' he said. ``You'd pay more for market research.''
Joe Humphrey <
------------------------
Yea, none of you care, but it could've been a big deal to me.
Only problem is, those cross-bay expresses don't run on weekends, 300x is made for park and ride...and I'd rather have a day pass since I work in the in the same county. :(
I guess it's not going to be a "flash" card that goes half price on the 15th of the month. That I would've bought(before I was stuck working business days taht is).
I'm assuming the pass is good on both PSTA express, and HARTline expresses too.
Gimme a daypass!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6728&item=2477203163&rd=1
It looks like it still has its 126th Street decal on it.
It looks like it still has its 126th Street decal on it.
Also saw 4262 rehabbed. Boy they must do Orions fast saw this one only 3 weeks ago.
J3 SLVR SPGS
J3 STATION
SLVR SPGS is one of the most undescriptive readings I have ever seen on a bus destination sign. Somehow, they can fit the word "MONTGOMERY" and the reading "HAVE A NICE DAY" on those signs without breaking it up, why can't they do the same for SILVER SPRING?
All the Western buses still have their old signs...
Notorious on the PRTC D4500s when they first started rolling
L2 CHEVY
L2 CHASE CIR
L2 GOOD MORNING
instead of
L2 CHEVY
L2 CHASE CIR
GOOD MORNING
J3 SLVR SPRGS
J3 GOOD EVENING
So if they can adjust the font, they should be able to show the route number and the P/R message at the same time.
Of course DelDOT's signs are programmed the best in my opinion they say almost everywhere they are going. For instance if the a DelDOT bus was on the A12, it would read:
A12 CAPITAL PLAZA
A12 LANDOVER STA
A12 PG HOSPITAL
Instead of A12-Capital Plaza or A12 Capital Plaza, then A12 via Landover Station.
My hope is WMATA does what Ride-On did. When the 2001-2002 Orion Vs first came in, they did not stack text and the messages were extremely slow to flip. For example, on a code red day, the TwinVisions would go through this sequence:
46 MONTGOMERY
46 COLLEGE/
46 ROCKVILLE
CODE RED
RIDE FREE
and it took forever. Then, starting with the reprogramming of the 47 signs to say VIA MONTGOMERY MALL stacked and shortly after, everything else, the signs came to their current readings, though for some routes, the sign says MONT. MALL and some say MONTGOMERY MALL.
Another interesting thing about the Ride-On TwinVisions is that on the 33 and 36 "via" readings, they leave off the route number:
36 BETHESDA
VIA HILLANDALE ROAD
33 GLENMONT
VIA MEDICAL CTR
Michael
Washington, DC
Keep up the good work!
I'll have to get you guys a tour of the place once we get all our new buses in!
Metro Direct to Potomac Mills to Cross County Connector then Metro Direct to West Falls Church.
Jeff Mills fanatic W
Further information is greatly appreciated.
Further information is greatly appreciated.
Peace,
ANDEE
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
BIG AL
The train was built here in town by Norfolk and Western Railway (now Norfolk Southern) and was one of the railroad's last steamers. It used to go on excursions but has sadly been sitting in the Virginia Museum of Transportation as a stationary exhibit for almost 10 years. More sadly, the Grummans went on to a less attractive paint scheme and were retired in 1994 to make us an all-Gillig fleet.
Come to think of it, I should try to snap a pic of that photo and post it here. It's a BEAUTIFUL shot for bus and train fans.
-F.
Can I get a hint on why the food court is so good to railfans?
The Advantages should be rolling in around October from what I understand.
Starting at 8am at Greenbelt:
8am B30 arrive at BWI 8:30am
LRS to Patapsco(light rail shuttle)
9:00am MTA 17 arrive back at BWI at 9:36
9:39 am Howard Transit Red Express arrive at Arundel Mills 9:53am
small break
10:34am Corridor Transit Route J arrive at Laurel Centre Mall at 10:53am
11:00am Corridor Transit Route G Arrive at College park at 11:34am
11:40am THE BUS 17 arrive at Langley Park around 12:06pm
12:10pm Ride On 15, arrive at Silver Spring around 12:29pm
12:34 S4 arrive downtown around 1:16pm
lunch
Starting again from Farragut Square:
1:46 38B arrive at Ballston at 2:28
3:20 ART 52, arrive at East Falls Church 3:45
4:00pm George 26E arrive back at EFC around 4:17
Metrorail to Vienna
4:50 CUE Green 1, arrive at GMU 5:22
5:39pm 17A to Landmark arrive at 6:26pm
6:35pm DASH AT5 arrive at Van Dorn 6:48
7:07pm Fairfax Connector 109, arrive at Springfield Franconia 7:28
Last trip is 7:30pm PRTC Metro Direct and arrive back at Springfield at 8:25pm.
Of course trip times and intinerary might change. The date for the trip is July 1st. Hope you can come. We might try to get a quick trip on the U of MD shuttle.
MetroB
Rust In Peace 3000-3131.
Give the last rites to 3132-3251.
GET YOUR LAST RIDES ON THESE BABIES SOON!
3200...it was awesome taking you back to my old school when I visited, and it was great seeing you with that bilevel sign, which then became LED...
3201...you were quite the screamin neo...you too, 3298, along with 3036, etc.
It's very sad to have to say goodbye to all of these buses...I only saw one DK the other day...I think it was 3008.
All in all, as many people bash against the 23 for it being dieselized, I am thankful it was...if it wasn't, I would have never been able to ride those DKs to the end of their lives...
I read on trab's site that they were planning on moving the remaining EBs to Southern? I hope not...they did kill 3414 after all..maybe comly would be a better place, but I'd rather them stay at Midvale.
On a better note, more Fords are dissapearing and the Champions have moved in to Germantown - just saw 2089 returning back to home base along with 4504 yesterday.
I just hope these replacements are worth it...
Mark
-HARTline Flxible Metro magnet
-1995 Virginia Transit Roadeo lapel pin
-DASH Token w/embossed Orion I illustration
-23 Year Safe Driver pin
-Gillig coffee mug
-RTS Slopeback Micro Machine
The latter is a Buy It Now item; that deal gives you free shipping, and a second micro RTS for free. Happy Bidding!
Sincerely,
Fred Donaher
eBay ID: flxible
Ebay ID: caseystengel
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Here's a picture I took....
enjoy!
Dave
I own a Metro 35096 of that year (build date 2/90) that is formerly from Huntington, WV and it still has the slanted interior A/C panel. However, our local transit museum has a Metro 35096 (same year, but built 8/90) has a rear A/C panel that is straight at a 90-degree angle. However, the outside rear panel is still 85 degree slanted like my Huntington bus. Is mine a B, and the Richmond a C?
Please let me know so I will be informed. Any input is welcome!
-Fred
METRO B (1987-1991):
Again take your average METRO design, slanted rear exterior. However around 1989 they began offering a 90 degree interior wall to adapt to a change in a Carrier HVAC design. Also the newer Bigger Sliding Operators window began use.
METRO C (1992 ONLY):
METRO B like EXCEPT, the use of roof mount HVAC started as per customer request. The use of the thicker framed Excel Windows began and also the use of the newer driver's stanchion/partion and the loss of the driver's platform began. Also new ergonomic side drivers control panel began use.
METRO D (Late 1992-1994):
Start of the newer 90 Degree Rear Bulkhead, lengthening of driver's area, more use of the roof monuted HVAC system even though the rear mount was still offered. Newer back door glass which was more streamlined with the base of the Excel Windows.
METRO E (1995-End Of Production):
Twin to the METRO D except no use of Roof Mounted HVACs.
Hope This Helps
Regards,
Trevor Logan
www.transitalk.info
Q88 service resumes regular route (via 94th Street -> 57th Avenue -> 92nd Street) on May 16th.
Queens Blvd, before the Burger King and in front of that community center place?
Yeah, there was a route change, due to construction at Queens Center Mall (There is now a bridge over 92nd Street connecting the original mall with the newly opened mall expansion). Westbound buses took the following route:
On H. Harding to Junction
Left on Junction
Right on 62 Dr
Right on Queens Blvd. Stop at 62 Dr
Stop on Queens Blvd @ 59 Av in front of Woodhaven Blvd subway entrance
(Later changed to on 59 Avenue in front of the McDonald's.
Relay
Eastbound: Start mid-block 59 Av between Queens Blvd & 92 St
Straight on 59 Av past 92 St to regular route.
Yes, this did lead to buses in both directions (to Queens Village and to Queens Boulevard) to run south along Junction Boulevard under the Long Island Expressway.
And yes, that picture is near the Burger King and the Community Center Place. It's actually in front of the AT&T building at 62nd Drive.
Bx31 # 1104
Bx31 # 1097
Bx31 # 7687
Bx41 # 5691
Bx31 # 7687
Da Hui
WHY does it matter? The passengers don't care about bus number sequencing - all they want is a bus.
The real question is: Should 7722 be kept out of service until 7691 through 7721 are on the property? The real answer is: No!
B1-#9316-NOVABUS
B64-#9310-NOVABUS
by the way, did see #9228 on the B3.
BIG AL
Here's a interior photo taken by ryan lock
I see that you were able to catch an Acela express train that "walked right into the picture" in the background. :-)
Yes, the powetrain is Cummmins C8.3 to Allison B400R. Something also tells me that all of the buses that each regional TA has in Connecticut (D35LFs and D40LFs, as well as the CT Transit units) were actually bought from one single big purchase by ConnDOT, with the buses being assigned to the various outfits.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
How do you get to Trumbull? Through Long Island first!
I hopped on the L 5701 (?) and took that to Chestnut Hill, where I decided to take the 77. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a Neoplan, but fortunately, it turned out to be a Neo suburbo (3374)! It was nice and comfy - it felt like riding a Victory route. Surprisingly, the bus filled up, but it was the most tedious bus ride ever - stop and go for an hour! The good thing is that I saw my first 80 bus which was operating an overhaul (7215) with the "black" bellows - hot! Also, I saw 70 buses in service - what a NABI route!
At Roosevelt Mall, I missed a 1, missed a 14, but caught the 20 a minute later (5583?) back to Frankford.
I was hoping to get a trackless, but of course, they were still dieselized. However, I saw 846 parked at the terminal, looking as ancient as ever! I liked the new LED signs at each berth of the terminal, as well as that big metal box with schedules and for change - the bathroom looks like crap because of the vandals, though.
I saw two ZFers (5766 and 5753) and I was going to take the 8 back to Olney, but I was in a ZFer mood, so I took the 25, which operated 5753, back to Penns Landing.
On the way, I saw an artic on the 54, and discovered that the 89 ran from Midvale (it was operating ZFer 5715).
once in philly, I decided to try out the river line, so I took the MFL to 8th st to get the PATCO across the river, my first time...
More details next time...stay tuned for part 2. See why NJT made me oh so bitter.
Now, as I walked back form the terminal, refusing to wait for hte next train out, I hoped to catch a bus back to the Trans. Center (I was hoping I could use my ticket, because I have no idea WHAT NJT's fares are). Let me just say I didn't see ONE bus stop ANYWHERE! I saw one bus that stopped at the light, but I didn't see a bus stop to get on it, and then another bus flew by me on the left hand side of the street...I was rather irritated. Those were the only two buses nearby I saw, and both were RTSs...
I was more than happy to return to SEPTA land with my free rides, but was angry to find out that the Gallery closes at 8:00. Of course, I was hungry and needed to use the facilities, so I had to go to the Greyhound station to do that...but the food is way overpriced.
I got on 7193 on the 33...my oh my, that bus is fast (for a big neo). It was a fun ride. After finding the only store in Philly that was open selling food, a 7 Eleven, I hopped on the 27 back home, hoping that I would get back to the mall in time for the 95. It was close, but we beat that little Champion, 2084.
More adventures for tomorrow...
Well, the 77 was detoured to Rices Mill Rd due to something going on Glenside Ave. Therefore, it ran down on of those neighborhood streets where you have to swerve around traffic and everything.
Also, the 27 artic I rode was very fast on the highway, flying by cars and whatnot (except for those 80mph speeders). A nice ride that helped me catch my Champion.
B7-#5227-NOVABUS
B100-#4978-TMCRTS-ex NYC bus #8398
David
As far as this "anything can, will, might happen" nonsense, "anything" cannot happen. There are contractual agreements, civil service law and current legislation that prevent "anything" or "everything" from happening. Sit tight, folks.
Thank you.
There are a few things that are characteristic of MTA NYCT operations. These things will not change and therefore, one can define broad parameters in which events will take place. I am also of the belief that anything cannot happen, although a lot CAN happen.
TWU Local 100 (as well as the other unions) would be wise to make sure that they go about this process the right way. It is one thing to ensure a minimum amount of work as well as fair work rules. However, the drivers nor any union own their routes and Local 100 will break itself if it barks up that tree. I don't believe that drivers care what route they operate as long as it is close to home and they are receiving quality pay and benefits. The takeover deck is clearly stacked against the unions, since the MTA and New York City has boxed the unions involved into a 60-day period of digging for details.
One interesting detail: MTA workers can't strike (technically), but private workers can. If the MTA is to honor existing agreements until new ones can be negotiated, wouldn't that allow this new division to strike pending a new agreement?
Actually, "technically" we can strike. "Legally" we cannot :-) We may be speaking more about that in the near future. Perhaps not. After all, anything can happen...
If the MTA is to honor existing agreements until new ones can be negotiated, wouldn't that allow this new division to strike pending a new agreement?
Good question. Too involved for me to answer without some research. IIRC, when OA was involved in the strike talks of contracts last, they too were issued the restraining order under the Guiliani administration. As an extended arm of a state agency run by the city, not withstanding non-civil-service status entitlements, they too were to conform to the mandate or face penalty (or so it was declared/observed without judicial review). I don't see how this situation would differ. I could be wrong. I don't know.
I agree that it would be in the best interest of DOT and the "privates" for NYCT to scrape off the company and DOT information from the buses on Day 1 (and it probably will happen) and replace it with MTA/NYCT logos, but that doesn't require repainting the bus, at least not at the outset. Eventually, I would wager, the oldest buses will be replaced with buses delivered in the NYCT scheme and those not being replaced immediately will be painted into the NYCT scheme over a period of months or even years.
David
David, please. We haven't had a negotiated contract since 1994. All contracts since 1994 have been MOU addendum to the 1994 base. When you speak of MOU, please remember that NO MOU can violate civil service law, contradict current legislation or create disparity between conjoining entities. Enough.
Secondly, this notion of "anything can happen" couldn't be further from reality based in part by what I'd stated above, in addition to the fact that every involved union has taken a stance against much of the platform outline disclosed by the MTA thus far. This includes the entire concept of Regional Bus itself.
So please. While it's true that there are (what seem to appear to us) an infinite number of possibilities, simply passing off the notion that "anything can happen" based on the fact that the MTA wishes it so is ludicrous. I'm telling you here and now, this is one hand they had better think twice about before they present a situation in which they cannot control.
I agree that it would be in the best interest of DOT and the "privates" for NYCT to scrape off the company and DOT information from the buses on Day 1 (and it probably will happen) and replace it with MTA/NYCT logos, but that doesn't require repainting the bus, at least not at the outset.
I don't believe I indicated that buses would be painted at all. I believe I stated that all buses would eventually be striped in blue, preferably as soon as practical.
Eventually, I would wager, the oldest buses will be replaced with buses delivered in the NYCT scheme and those not being replaced immediately will be painted into the NYCT scheme over a period of months or even years.
Interim/immedtaite plans call for adhesive blue striping.
As for adhesive blue stripes, it sounds plausible to me -- doesn't mean it will happen. Was the blue striping mentioned on an official NYCT memorandum?
David
What's the point of that? The passengers won't care which buses are owned by NYCT and which ones are owned by DOT but leased to NYCT. All they want is a bus. Having different buses painted differently based solely on who used to run them (presumably at all times and at all costs) is, at best, a silly and confusing waste of money.
A different take on the current paint scheme would be okay. I don't exactly want them to keep the old colors (at least not anymore.)
Beyond that, what about the buses that cross borough lines? What color would the Q44 be painted, or the B24, or the M60? What about the Q32, which has Queens Division buses and Manhattan Division buses?
"New York City Transit Authority" has become simply, and most generically, "New York City Bus".
I was also wondering, does the rule that applis to national companies like Greyhound, that they have to keep the livery of buses acquired in a takeover for 5 years? In practice, Greyhound simply retained the number of buses in the old liveries, painting former Trailways Eagles like Greyounds, but then having to paint a number of their old MC-9's as Trailways. In '92, when I went down to Key West, you had a bunch of these 7000's Eagles, that were then painted yellow, from some Texas company that was bought out.
So I was wondering if they would begin swapping the buses between current MTS and the privates, so you could see Classics on the Manhattan express routes out of Quill, for example. Already, some old RTS's are supposed to go to the former DOT garages.
What eventually happened after the MABSTOA takeover was:
-All 5th Ave. and Surface buses that were retained were repainted in TA colors (took at least two years).
-One Surface Garage, 126th St., became a TA garage.
-One 5th Ave. garage, 76th St//Northern Blvd. in Jackson Heights, was not retained.
Because 5th Ave. and Surface Transit had different seniority lists and garages, the first big change was the merging of garage assignments and seniority lists (about a year later, in 1963).
A big difference this time will be that there will be many opportunities for route mergers and modifications in Queens.
A big problem is that logistically speaking, Jamaica Depot is falling apart at the seams and is already running over-capacity. Both QV and CS have limited real estate to expand upon, but the problem of dual-union under one house poses huge problems.
Also what are the air pollution (EPA) considerations from all the auto fumes seeping into the building for the cleaners, mechanics and office people to inhale.
Lastly and most importantly HOW MUCH DINERO TO BUILD THE DAMN THING ?
There shouldn't be any problem. Any Classic built for U.S. service after 1990 is lift-equipped. Rochester's Regional Transit Service operates suburban Classics equipped with lifts.
Jim D.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Thats my opinion
Thank You
With respect to "anything can happen", unless the Coopers, specifically Jerome permit the MTA to operate from their depots by coming to an agreement, "it ain't gonna happen".
I'm confident, once the Coopers see a number within their ballpark, they'll gladly give up the locations in favor of piles of green. I'm not so confident that the MTA will offer that number anytime soon, however. We'll see. This agency is notoriously known for their 11th hour decisions and agreements.
Back in the 70's SEPTA had two sets of 200 series and 300 series vehicles. The CTD 200 series [201-65] were the Brill Trackless Trolleys, and the 300 series [301-43] were the Marmon Herrington Trolleys. The Red Arrow 200's were 200-211 Fishbowls, and the 300's were the 1972 Flxible 40 footers [300-24], and 35 footers [335-359](Originally Flxible delivered 10 40 footers 325-34. They were swapped with 6285-6294 because that group had soft seats, and the 325-34 buses had hard seats. Those 325-34 buses were re-numbered 6285-94, but the ex-6200's simply had their 6 removed, and the buses lived their days as 285-94). Getting back on track, SEPTA had those two duplicate numbers until 1980, when the Brill/Marmon trackless trolleys were replaced by the AM General Trolleys.
Will the MTA have two or three different sets of fleet numbers? Will they try to fir the bus numbers in their current scheme somehow by using numbers series vacated by retired buses? Will these buses be grouped by manufacturer [RTS, Orion, MCI Classics, Fishbowls]?
2) There are just over 1200 buses involved. They fit nicely in the 2000 and low 3000 series.
3) A much more pressing question is where will these buses sleep?
Not really, since 2000-2209 and 2705-2924 are used by MCI coaches.
Group the MCI Classics in this number group [2501-2799]
Group the RTS in this series [3000-3500- mostly all of the RTS buses built since 1990. Any RTS buses built before '90 should be scrapped, and replaced with existing TA buses]
Group the Orions in the 1201-1800 series with the non-CNG buses in the 1200 series, and the CNG buses starting with 1301-1800.
MSBA is also under the MTA umbrella. It's all Orion V, and every one of their bus numbers is duplicated by an NYCTA Orion V. If a new "QuSTOA" agency is being created to handle the privates, as has been rumored here, it can have its own numbering system, too.
Or, they could be squeezed into missing blocks in the TA numbering scheme, or five digit numbers, or letters...
O_o
David
We shall see!
With some gaps for retired or transferred buses,
357-380: Command 1985 RTSes & Queens Surface 1993 RTSes
421-481: Command Classics & Queens Surface Orions
517-530, 568-581: Jamaica 1985-6 RTSes & Queens Surface Orions
602-608: Jamaica Classics & Green 1986 RTSes
640-655: Green & Triboro 1985-6 RTSes
701-716: Green Classics & Triboro 1986 RTSes
719-722: Green Orions & Triboro 1986 RTSes
3001-3071: Liberty Lines Classics & Triboro Orions
(Agreement between New York City and MTA)
• Express and local bus service the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn currently provided by the private operators will be transferred to the MTA by July 1. 2004. The existing franchise agreements with the private operators expire on June 30, 2004.
• The MTA will be responsible for all aspects of service delivery. The City will pay the MTA the difference between the actual cost of operation, and all revenues, including subsidies, fares and advertising. This arrangement will allow the City to gain the advantage of all efficiencies generated by the consolidation while insuring that the remainder of the MTA’ s customers do not shoulder the subsidized portion of the costs of operation. The City and MTA commit that the same service standards applicable Citywide will be used to adjust service to these neighborhoods subject to the availability of equipment and personnel.
• The City will lease all its bus-related assets to the MTA including approximately 440 new buses that are currently being purchased and the two bus depots that are owned by the City. At the City’s request, the MTA will propose an amendment to its 2000-2004 Capital Plan to set aside a $322.5 million reserve that will be funded from monies currently allocated to the La Guardia subway extension but no longer slated for this project. This reserve will be utilized for the costs associated with additional fleet replacement, facilities and other necessary capital improvements for the assumed service.
• To ensure a seamless transition of service — the City will begin immediate efforts to negotiate “wind-down” agreements with the existing private operators and a joint City/MTA Task Force will be established to address legal and operational concerns. The City will be responsible for providing any additional assets necessary for the successful assumption of service to the MTA. The MTA will work jointly with the City to facilitate these issues and make best efforts to develop alternative solutions where feasible.
• The MTA will assume all union employees and will honor existing collective bargaining agreements and collective bargaining obligations until new agreements are negotiated. To effect this, the parties plan to meet with the unions in the near future.
• The MTA does not assume any preexisting liabilities, such as worker’s compensation, tort claims, environmental remediation and pension obligations. Any severance or other obligations created by virtue of the assumption of the service or the cessation of service by the private operators will not be borne by the MTA. MTA and the City will work cooperatively to insure that any such liabilities and obligations are mitigated to the maximum extent practicable.
• As part of this overall agreement, the City will support the MTA Capital Plan Amendments, including the accelerated purchase of new Metro North Railroad cars; provided however, the preexisting split between the Transit Authority and the Commuter Railroads will be restored in the MTA’s next capital program by allocating the costs of the accelerated Metro North car purchase to the Commuter Railroad portion of the next Capital Program as if it was part of the next Capital Program.
• The transfer requires State Legislative action to:
1) Create the MTA Regional Bus Company to facilitate the consolidation of the private bus operations into the MTA;
2) Redirect currently provided State operating assistance from the City to the MTA;
3) Pass the Capital Plan amendments and commit to restoring the preexisting Capital Plan allocation between the Transit Authority and the Commuter Railroads in the MTA’s next program as provided above;
4) approve setting aside the bus reserve in the MTA’s 2000-2004 Capital Program.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
David
Mark
Orion V 6090 - M60
Nova RTS 5031 - M104
NFI D60HF 5442 - Bx1 Limited
Orion VII 7667 - Bx36
NFI C40LF 953 - B61
Nova RTS 9534 - B39
Orion V 252 - Bx2 Limited
GMDD T8H-5308A 1500 - BxM9
NFI D60HF 5285 - Bx40
I covered lots of ground here. As you can guess I rode the subway quite a bit too between some of these buses. It was a great day of riding. Around 7:00 PM I was at 34th/6th about head down to the Bway-BMT for a ride to PABT when Orion VII Hybrid #6368 showed up on the M7 as a nice little bonus. Sounds a bit strange, but no complaints. Then I got Greyhound G4500 #7161 back to DC. Nice ride although there was some fool on the bus talking about NYC when it was clear that he had no idea what he was talking about.
Nice that you got your Fishbowl ride too!
B1-#4677-TMC
B16-#590-Orion V CNG
BTW, how was your PR trip?
MetroB
You'll still be able to see the museum fleet of buses & watch some of the Rodeo.
ALSO the sea plane museum is in a hangar right next door. That was icing on the cake for me.
I'm not much of a bus fan (I only work for a bus company), but I did enjoy the event.
If you absolutely have to get there by bus, don't make the mistake I made in '02 by getting off the 35 right before the bridge toll. It's an out-of-the way trek of more than a mile, and murderous on a hot day. Instead, get off the stop before by the Gateway Community Center (ring the bell when crossing the parkway overpass). You have to CAREFULLY cross Flatbush Avenue where there's no light and often speeding traffic. After you pass the Center, walk straight past some model airplane fields and down a long roadway. Eventually, you'll see a hangar on the right. The Roadeo is right behind it.
The hangar has all kinds of fascinating war-era aircraft in various stages of renovation. It's only open on Saturdays as far as I know. Last year there was a model train show going on inside as well. It made going there in a driving rainstorm worthwhile.
Da Hui
Dave
Dave
Da Hui
--Acela
--Acela
Da Hui
Da Hui
Dave
I take it that the windows on these things dont even open though, or is that the part that opens up there on the top of the window?
Which is the model that the windows open side to side? Those are the best, IMO.
I believe this is what you meant by side to side windows. As far as the actual manufacturer of the window, I don't know who it is, but the company that makes the handles to grab when opening the windows is Xcel.
I like the side to side windows cuz I love the wind in my face. It's sometimes the only thing that keeps me awake.
That's a BEAUTIFUL orange LED sign!
N23 Mineola via Harbor Rd
The inside sign/announcements had the new stops on this service. Like I said, this is the only time I've ever seen it. Anyone know why it's taking so long for them to get all the buses programmed with this route info? Does it really take that long?(I know they use satellite GPS system for the stop announcements, or so I've been told).
What really confuses me is today I took this bus home from school. It didn't have the Harbor Rd stop list, but it did have the new stop in the system at Shore Rd and George St. Doesn't make sense to me cuz this stop was added not even one week before the Harbor Rd service started.
Just so ya know, I'm not bitchin or nothin, I'm just wondering why it's taking so long and if anyone knows when the programming might be complete.
When I change my seat, I have the SENSE to open the one that wasn't jammed shut, getting a nice breeze. We have a good crowd and we let a W/C off at Jersey St then we finish the ride at St. George then catch the SI Ferry to go to Manhattan. I catch a couple of pics of the buses by South Ferry then I see brand new 6375 running on the M1 LTD so I run to the next stop and it was a pleasant and quick ride along the way and I get off at 57 St then take some more pics and then I head west on the M31 and ride to 7 Av where I take the N for the first time since the bridge opening to Pacific St and backtrack to Dekalb for some food. Then I take 8116 on the B52 to the last stop then I hop on 5122 on the B41 LTD and its a ok ride via Flatbush Av then I catch the B8 and finish my trip.
Some observations:
-Saw 4809 on the S78
-Saw 121,123,125-128,131 & 162 on Castleton local routes; mainly the S52 but 162 was on the S78
NF 845 B8
O5 6205 S53
05 127 S52
O7 6375 M1 LTD
RTS 8454 M31
R68 2849 (N)
R46 5523 (R)
RTS 8116 B52
RTS 5122 B41 LTD
NF 892 B8
Any information is greatly appreciated.
Detroit Diesel 6V92/Allision HT740 combo:
-AC Transit 1982 Neoplan AN440's
-AC Transit 1982 and 84 Gillig Phantoms
-Samtrans 1982 and 84 Phantoms
-Sacramento RT 1982 Gillig Phantoms
-Fairfield Flyer 1982 and 85 Gillig Phantoms
-Union City Transit 1982 Gillig Phantoms
Detroit Diesel 6V92/Allision HT748 combo:
-AC Transit 1989 New Flyer high floors
-SF Muni 1989 New Flyer D40's
-SF Muni 1991 New Flyer D60's
-Union City Transit 1989 Gillig Phantoms
-Samtrans 1990 New Flyer D60's
-Samtrans 1990 and 93 Gillig Phantoms
-Greyhound 1992-97 MCI MC-12's
Detroit Diesel 6V92/ZF-ECOMAT HP500 combo:
-Sacramento RT 1985 Gillig Phantoms
-YoloBUS 1985 Gillig Phantoms
-Golden Gate Transit 1990/91 TMC RTS's
Detroit Diesel 6V92/Allision V731 combo:
-Santa Clara Co. Transit 1981 Grumman 870's
-Santa Clara Co. Transit 1984 Flxible Metros
Detroit Diesel 6V92/Voith D863 combo:
-AC Transit 1990, 91 and 93 Gillig Phantoms
-Sacramento 1990 Gillig Phantoms
Detroit Diesel series 50/Allision B400R combo:
-AC Transit 1997 NABI 416's
-County Connection 1996 Gillig Phantoms
-YoloBUS 2001 NABI CNG 40LFW
-Union City Transit 1996 and 99 Gillig Phantoms
-Union City Transit 2001 CNG Orion V's
-Tridelta 1995-2001 Gillig Phantoms
-Sonoma County Transit 1996-2000 CNG Orion V's
-Greyhound 1998 MCI MC-12's
Detroit Diesel serie 50/Allision B500R combo:
-AC Transit 1996 New Flyer D60's
-Greyhound 1998 MCI 102L3's
Cummins 903/Allision V730 combo:
-Samtrans 1980 Flyer D900's
-Samtrans 1981 Flyer D901's
-AC Transit 1981 Flyer D901's
Cummins Cummins LT10/Voith D863 combo:
-VTA 1986 and 1990 Flxible Metros
-Folsom Stage Line 1991 Flxible metros
Cummins L10G/ZF-ECOMAT HP590 conbo:
-Sacramento RT 1993-96 CNG Orion V's
-YoloBUS 1993-96 GNG Orion V's
-Monterey-Salinas Transit 1996 CNG Orion V's
Cummins ISC/ZF-ECOMAT HP592 combo:
-Sacramento RT 2003CNG Orion VII's
-YoloBUS CNG 2003 Orion VII's
Cummins ISM or M11/Allision B400R combo:
-VTA 1997-99 Gillig Phantoms
-Samtrans 1998 Gillig Phantoms
-San Joaquin Regional Transit District 1999 Gillig Phantoms
-Monterey-Salinas Transit 2000 and 04 Gillig Phantoms
-AC Transit 1998 NABI 416's
-AC Transit 2000 and 03 NABI 40LFW's
-SF Muni 2001-02 Neoplan AN440's
There's a few more, but I'll call it a day.
An inspiration to compile my own list, but not now i'm sleepy.
Allen Dicion
Toronto, Canada
www.transithub.net
Cummins C8.3 w/Allison B400R
Grand River Transit (1997) Novabus LFS
Cummins ISB w/Allison AT545
Pearson Int'l Airport (YYZ) Shuttle Thomas SLF 230
YRT Thomas SLF 230
Cummins ISB w/Allison B300R
YRT Thomas SLF 235
Cummins ISB w/BAE Systems HybriDrive
Orion/BAE VII hybrid demonstrator
Cummins ISC w/Allison B400R
Grand River Transit (1999) Novabus LFS
Burlington Transit New Flyer D40i (Invero)
Cummins ISC w/Voith D864
Brampton Transit New Flyer 02XX D40LFs
Oakville Transit Orion VII
Cummins ISL w/Voith D864
Brampton Transit New Flyer 03XX D40LFs
Cummins ISM w/Allison B400R
York Region Transit 30X Orion Vs
Cummins ISM w/Voith D863
York Region Transit (ex-GO Transit) Orion V
Cummins ISM w/Voith D864
Transbus Trident (BC Transit 9036) on loan to GO Transit
Cummins L10 w/Allison HT746
GO Transit MCI 102C3
Cummins L10 w/Voith D863
Mississauga Transit Orion V
Cummins L10G w/ZH HP-590
TTC 1991 Orion V CNG (prior to retrofit)
Cummins L10G w/Allison B400R
TTC Orion (V and VI) CNGs
Cummins LTA10B w/Allison V730
TTC New Flyer D40-90 (after retrofit)
Cummins LTA10B w/Allison B400R
TTC Orion V (diesel conversion trial)
Cummins LTA10B w/ZF HP-500
TTC New Flyer D40-90 (prior to retrofit)
Cummins M11 w/Allison B400R
Grand River Transit Orion VI
Cummins-Westport C Gas Plus w/ZF HP-592
Hamilton Street Railway New Flyer C40LF
Detroit Diesel 6L7TA w/ZF HP-590
TTC Orion Ikarus III
Detroit Diesel 6V71 w/Allison HT740
Mississauga Transit Orion I
Detroit Diesel 6V71 w/Allison VH-9
TTC (1975) T6H-5307N
Detroit Diesel 6V71 w/Allison V730
TTC (1976+) GMDD T6H-5307N
TTC Flyer D901
Detroit Diesel 6V71 w/Allison V731
TTC GM/MCI TC40102N (Classics)
TTC New Flyer D40-88
Detroit Diesel 6V92 w/Allison V730
York Region Transit (ex- Salt Lake City)GMC TC40102N (Classic)
Detroit Diesel 6V92TA w/Allison HT740
GO Transit MCI 102A2
York Region Transit Orion I
Detroit Diesel 6V92TA w/Allison HT748
York Region Transit (ex-GO Transit) Orion I
Detroit Diesel 6V92TA w/Allison B400R
TTC (1991) Orion V (after retrofit)
Detroit Diesel 6V92TA w/Voith D863
Grand River Transit (1992)New Flyer D40LF
Oakville Transit Orion V
York Region Transit MCI TC40102A
Detroit Diesel 6V92TA w/Voith D864
GO Transit New Flyer D40 Suburban
Detroit Diesel 6V92TA w/ZF HP-590
TTC (1991) Orion V (prior to retrofit)
Detroit Diesel 6V92TA w/ZF HP-600
GO Transit MCI 102A2
Detroit Diesel 8V71 w/Allison HT740
GO Transit MC-9 (retired)
Detroit Diesel 8V71 w/Allison V730
Brampton Transit T8H-5307A (ex-Santa Monica)
Detroit Diesel 8V71 w/Allison V735
Hamilton Street Railway GMDD TA60102N
Detroit Diesel Series 40 w/Allison B400R
Oshawa Transit Novabus LFS
TTC Novabus LFS (sold to Barrie Transit)
Detroit Diesel Series 50 w/Allison B400R
Mississauga Transit Orion V (WMATA rejects)
Detroit Diesel Series 50 w/Allison V731RH
MTA (New York City Transit) TMC RTS
TTC Novabus RTS
Detroit Diesel Series 50 w/Voith D863
Ajax-Pickering Transit Authority Orion V
Detroit Diesel Series 50G w/Allison B400R
Grand River Transit New Flyer C40LF
Hamilton Street Railway New Flyer C40LF
Detroit Diesel Series 50 w/Allison B500R
GO Transit Orion V Suburban
OC Transpo New Flyer D60LF
York Region Transit (ex-GO Transit) Orion V
Detroit Diesel Series 50 EGR w/Allison B400R
TTC Orion VII
Detroit Diesel Series 50 EGR w/Allison B500R
GO Transit Orion V Suburban
Detroit Diesel Series 60 w/Allison B500
Coach Canada Prevost H3-45
Greyhound 102DL3
Detroit Diesel Series 60 w/Allison B500R
GO Transit MCI D4500
GO Transit Prevost LeMirage XL
This would be my list, I may have forgotten some. I have recorded most of the above.
Allen Dicion
Toronto, Canada
www.transithub.net
Happy Bidding! :)
-Fred
Also, why is it that the S58 takes so much longer than the S62 to reach Smithtown?
Look under seller id sjh50.
On that note, has WMATA had their Roadeo this year?
-F.
WMATA had theirs a couple weeks ago.
Don't forget, SEPTA's Roadeo is July 10th...there will be a flxible there...although it isn't a metro...
fopaux, i think
618
619
619
615
620
616
617
Also, 612, 613, and 614 have made apperances on V2 at some point in time. I wonder if any other G-Burg blocks have had such a sequence on them since buses generally don't venture from block to block.
Besides, G-burg is getting clogged up with all of those CNGs...
A personal observation, I saw 5705 on the 26 this afternoon. It was the first time I had seen that bus in quite a long time.
Uhhh....it already is. You need to get out more often.
On a related topic, can anyone get me stats on how much the NY MTA pays for a CNG bus on average, and on particulate emissions on CNG versus hybrid diesel? (I am aware that the cost of a hybrid diesel bus is about half a million dollars.) Thanks.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Personally the way clean or green diesel is offered and the cleaner burning engines they have today, I would also keep looking at diesel.
I don't mind CNG buses or hybrids, but if you are trying to replace your older buses with newer ones, CNGs or hybrids isn't something you want to look into.
As for hybrids being an unproven technology...was that WMATA's excuse (for CNG technology) for getting in so late on the CNG game? When they got CNGs, hybrid technology was coming out. However, nowadays, hybrid technology is definitely not unproven.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Haven't you read the early posts?
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
David
A BO showed me how the D60 stops with the retarder off, and you'd definatley know if the retarder was off.
What are retarders? TIA.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
B1-#7522-REMAN RTS
by the way,trip to Puerto rico wasnt bad. no buses and came back with broncitis.
They were Gillig SCHOOL BUSES.
David
The agreement between the City and the MTA means that the takeover is decided. It does NOT mean that the terms are settled because we were not part of that agreement. The owners are out for themselves. We must stand together against the City/MTA squeeze play.
• Job Security
The “Term Sheet” says “The MTA will assume all union employees.” That’s good. Local 100 says that all means ALL.
• United, Invincible.
We have to be united now more than ever. United inside the Private Lines - all properties, all titles, active and retired, senior and junior. United inside TWU Local 100. We already met with the ATU, and agreed to work together.
• 2 Months to Show that Riders and Workers Are In This Together
The final terms of the takeover have to be acceptable to the riding public and the Local 100 members. We are starting a 2-month intense program to demonstrate public support for adequate bus service and fair treatment for workers. We are meeting with elected officials in Queens, the Bronx and Westchester, and with community groups. Every member has to be a voice for stable, safe bus service.
• We Will Hold the Line For Local 100 Members
Local 100 members must not be disadvantaged by the takeover. That means no reduction in pensions and no reduction in benefits.
• Our work is OUR WORK
Local 100 says that the members and the properties own their work and their routes. We will follow the work and the routes wherever they wind up.
• We Decide Seniority
The seniority system is for Local 100 to determine. The affected members will vote on any seniority proposals. The MTA cannot force any new system on us.
• Full, open discussion by affected Local 100 members
Monthly membership meetings:
Tentative dates: May 21st and June 23rd.
Frequent officer meetings on all levels, including with the ATU, to map out our strategy and prepare for any MTA or company moves.
All PBL elected officers will meet twice a month:
Tentative dates: 5/11, 5/25, 6/15, 6/29.
TWU Local 100
April 28, 2004
TERM SHEET
(Agreement between New York City and MTA)
• Express and local bus service the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn currently provided by the private operators will be transferred to the MTA by July 1. 2004. The existing franchise agreements with the private operators expire on June 30, 2004.
• The MTA will be responsible for all aspects of service delivery. The City will pay the MTA the difference between the actual cost of operation, and all revenues, including subsidies, fares and advertising. This arrangement will allow the City to gain the advantage of all efficiencies generated by the consolidation while insuring that the remainder of the MTA’ s customers do not shoulder the subsidized portion of the costs of operation. The City and MTA commit that the same service standards applicable Citywide will be used to adjust service to these neighborhoods subject to the availability of equipment and personnel.
• The City will lease all its bus-related assets to the MTA including approximately 440 new buses that are currently being purchased and the two bus depots that are owned by the City. At the City’s request, the MTA will propose an amendment to its 2000-2004 Capital Plan to set aside a $322.5 million reserve that will be funded from monies currently allocated to the La Guardia subway extension but no longer slated for this project. This reserve will be utilized for the costs associated with additional fleet replacement, facilities and other necessary capital improvements for the assumed service.
• To ensure a seamless transition of service — the City will begin immediate efforts to negotiate “wind-down” agreements with the existing private operators and a joint City/MTA Task Force will be established to address legal and operational concerns. The City will be responsible for providing any additional assets necessary for the successful assumption of service to the MTA. The MTA will work jointly with the City to facilitate these issues and make best efforts to develop alternative solutions where feasible.
• The MTA will assume all union employees and will honor existing collective bargaining agreements and collective bargaining obligations until new agreements are negotiated. To effect this, the parties plan to meet with the unions in the near future.
• The MTA does not assume any preexisting liabilities, such as worker’s compensation, tort claims, environmental remediation and pension obligations. Any severance or other obligations created by virtue of the assumption of the service or the cessation of service by the private operators will not be borne by the MTA. MTA and the City will work cooperatively to insure that any such liabilities and obligations are mitigated to the maximum extent practicable.
• As part of this overall agreement, the City will support the MTA Capital Plan Amendments, including the accelerated purchase of new Metro North Railroad cars; provided however, the preexisting split between the Transit Authority and the Commuter Railroads will be restored in the MTA’s next capital program by allocating the costs of the accelerated Metro North car purchase to the Commuter Railroad portion of the next Capital Program as if it was part of the next Capital Program.
• The transfer requires State Legislative action to:
1) create the MTA Regional Bus Company to facilitate the consolidation of the private bus operations into the MTA;
2) redirect currently provided State operating assistance from the City to the MTA;
3) pass the Capital Plan amendments and commit to restoring the preexisting Capital Plan allocation between the Transit Authority and the Commuter Railroads in the MTA’s next program as provided above;
4) approve setting aside the bus reserve in the MTA’s 2000-2004 Capital Program.
Statement by Transport Workers
The latter of which had already been posted as part of the "RBC Update" message.
This was during rush hour - a Metro-North train was overdue - and the Bee-line driver said he could only wait a couple minutes, then he had to depart. "Those people are gonna want to kill me," he said to the TOR operator. The TOR bus, a Route 57 originating at Tarrytown for Nyack-Spring Valley, is basically there to serve Rockland County Metro-North riders and some of the 57s wait for specific Metro-North trains whether they're late or not. Not so with Bee-Line. Two Bee-Line routes operate from Tarrytown, the 13 and the 1T, and they are not tied to train connections. About half the 13s originate/terminate at Tarrytown train station, the rest go to/from Ossining, about 20 minutes away. In a sense the 13 is a 'crosstown' run, operating east/west along Rt 119 and Westchester Avenue from Tarrytown to Port Chester via White Plains, connecting with many other routes. The 13 is normally assigned Orions, plus an occasional Flx (I used to see a MAN Artic on Saturday nights, but I've never seen a Neoplan Artic on the 13). The 1T also originates/terminates at Tarrytown train station,operating on Broadway/Warburton Avenue to the Nos.1/9 trains ar W.242d St via downtown Yonkers. The 1T service has been cut back drastically in recent years, and currently is a Mon-Fri operation, with the last bus around 6:30 PM. The 1T usually has Flxs, occasionally got MAN Artics in the past and but I've yet to see a Neoplan Artic on a 1T. There is also a Bee-Line shuttle that operates out of Tarrytown station to the office parks along the Rt 119 corridor. They operate with vans, haven't seen a 30-foot Orion yet.
Oh and the 57 gets MCIs.
Da Hui
Yeah the 1C gets Neoplan Artics, too. I commute on the 1C everyday.
NYCT's first buses with a wheelchair LIFT were 200 of the 850 Grumman Flxibles from 1980.
David
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
David
In general, of all the buses in North America, I'd be willing to bet that the first bus with a W/C ramp would have been a D40LF from Victoria Regional Transit System, which recieved the first D40LFs (and I think the first Low Floors in NA) in 1991. Of course, I suppose somebody coulda stuck a ramp on a high floor bus, it'd just have to be damn long to keep the W/C from rolling back down it.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Da Hui
David
Da Hui
2) The state dug up $1 million to save the route. It isn't hurting the TA's budget.
And what money does "the state" have? It's our money. It will not be spent on other things, probably other things in transit. I'll bet those buses will only average ten riders each.
I'd like to see the MTA publish a cost per ride, and revenue per ride, by bus and subway route and time of day/weekend.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
The only route of the three in danger is the Q9A. The others could be modified, but the Q21 and B100 will be around in some form or fashion. I would not be surprised if the B100 isn't touched for several years.
The times periods:
1 - Midday
2 - All Day Saturday
3 - All Day Sunday
4 - AM Rush Weekday
5 - PM Rush Weekday
6 - PM Rush/Nights Weekday
7 - PM Rush/Nights Saturdays
8 - PM Rush/Nights Sundays
1. This spot is the first letter of the garage that the bus comes from. If it came from Bladensburg division, a B is here. If it came from Western division, a W is here.
A=Arlington Division
F=Four Mile Run Division
L=Landover Division
M=Montgomery Division
N=Northern Division
P=Southeast Annex
R=Royal Division
2. This spot is for the first letter or number of the route that the bus is running. Take for instance, the R2, which runs out of Bladensburg. It would say [B][R] for the first two spots. The E2, which runs out of Western, would be [W][E]. The 9A, which runs out of Four Mile Run, would be [F][9]
3. (I'm not toally sure about this) The last two spots, I believe, are strictly unique identification numbers to tell the dispatchers and supervisors exactly which particular trips on that route the bus is doing. They consist of two random numbers. For instance, I always used to ride the R2 on block [B][R][1][3].
Any bus on the even 30s would be W304. The VA numbers seem to be a bit different though. When the 14A-D was running, the block would be MA02 for example.
The 85 is out of Landover and would read: L851 or something to that effect.
The numbered routes in the WMATA system get their numbers from the trolley lines they replaced.
There was a time when there was a 30 trip at about 2 PM from Archives that was part of block WE04.
Some lines interline. The R3 from Greenbelt to Fort Totten interlines with the 80 at Fort Totten because blcok BR06 makes at least one trip to the Kennedy Center.
Michael
Washington, DC
On Saturdays, the there is some interlining on the F4 and T16 Metrobus routes. I see LF41 on a T16.
You need an abacus to figure out Ride Ons block numbering system. I don't think it has anything to do with the routes the bus is assigned.
It's just a sequential numbering system.
Michael
Washington, DC
Michael
Washington, DC
On Saturdays, the there is some interlining on the F4 and T16 Metrobus routes. I see LF41 on a T16.
You need an abacus to figure out Ride Ons block numbering system. I don't think it has anything to do with the routes the bus is assigned.
It's just a sequential numbering system.
Michael
Washington, DC
Walked down to Mineola station. Got a shot of a NYP bound M7. Walked over to SNZ Locksmith to get a trailways ticket, they said trailways went out of biz. Uh hu, sure, ok. If so, then what was that big bus that I saw 5 minutes later that said Pine Hill Trailways on the side with a destination sign reading Albany? Got a shot of that beauty as it came over the recently completed Franklin Av bridge. Only one person got on. Talked to the driver for a bit, real nice guy. Asked him bout their Islip service, he said it still runs. Good.
Tried to get some wings and a job at the wings/pizza place there at the bus stop, but they were closed. Walked over to the train station platform. Saw a lot of action there, including what I think was the tie train.
From there, got the bus to Hempstead. Tried for a job at the Greyhound terminal there, no luck. The guy there said to try PABT or Islip though. Said he seen teens wrkin at PABT in past summers. Was walkin out of the terminal when a hound goin to Islip pulled up. Got a few shots and stayed to see what part of the job would be. Don't seem to hard.
Got on the N15 to RFM. Got a mothersday gift(this is why I couldn't afford to go to Islip, needed the money for this) and an apllication to work at Halmark. Also got applications for Sam Goody and 2 candy stores.
At RFM next to the bus terminal, some radio station was holdin some sorta party, I guess a mothersday thing. Got the N78 to Mineola, then the N23 to PW. Slept the whole way from Mineola to Manhasset. I was suprised I still had all my stuff, lol.
So....anyone know of any job I can get anywhere? I hear Dell pays 7 bux an hr to wash their buses, and that's right in town. Still, the cheap person and the busfan inside me say that getting the employee discount(aka free rides) for Greyhound is too good an offer to pass up.
Hmmmmm.....how much does this mailroom job pay though? Where in NYC(I was supposed to intern in NYC originally, and I may work at PABT instead of Islip, so I'd be willing to work in NYC).
They also hirin drivers. Check out the Greyhound site.
At Long Last......
After a 1 month hiatus due to a machine swap...We present to you the TransiTALK Update.
Including on this update is SEVERAL Brand New Sections:
Las Vegas (NV)
New Orleans (LA)
Charlotte (NC)
Knoxville (TN)
Birmingham (AL)
Also in this update is 6 new sounds (3 bus and 3 rail) and 1 new movie.
Click The Bus Below to Enter The Update......
Enjoy,
Trevor Logan
Oh, thank you Trevor!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!
Trevor
Trevor
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Da Hui
The bus changes took place in April, so they probably aren't on the March map.
I walk over to Kissena Blvd and in a span of about 15 minutes, I saw 6 Q17’s and 4 Q27’s and most of those buses had at least ½ of the seats taken and one 17 and one 27 even had rush hour like crowding. Then a Q25 finally showed up and I get on 472 and ride it southbound and I see that a Q65A is coming so at least I wouldn’t have to go down to Jamaica for the E or F. I get off and to my surprise, I see suburban 581 running and the seats were nice and soft 8-) and a quick ride to the last stop at 71 Av where I take the E to 21 St/Queensbridge [due to a GO] and seeing that I can’t take the chance of waiting on the Q19A [or most buses for that matter] around 7:15pm, I decide to walk to Queens Plaza and I missed the B61 so I wait 12 minutes for the next one, 908 and it’s a mellow ride and I get off at Greenpoint Av for the G and I see it as I go downstairs, ride that to Hoyt-Schemerhorn and take 8319 on the B41 LTD then get on 847 and finish my trip.
O5 582 B8
R68A 5098 (Q)
R142 1206 (4)
NF Artic 5714 Bx1 LTD
NF Artic 5698 Bx2
NF Artic 5423 Bx42
O5 6129 Q44
QS O5 472 Q25
QS O5 581 Q65A
R32 3849 (E)
NF 908 B61
R46 6178 (G)
RTS 8319 B41 LTD
NF 847 B8
A few pictures from my trip as well. Enjoy.
Fucking gunhill....
I was almost late to school because of that.
Someone should ALSO tell the BO's at Gun Hill that VANDALISM IS NOT COOL. They need to stop vandalizing those buses, and writing random crap all over them
Da Hui
Da Hui
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Bx31 # 7667
Bx31 # 7667
Keep them coming.
Love the pictures and keep up the postings.
I have a photo of #1206. :-)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
(wrong code in first response)
I have a photo of #1206. :-)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
After making sense of the "Nightline" service of PUT (it's like another company service!) I decided to take the High St rt to Stowe and back, since it would come the soonest. My bus pulled up, number 57, and it wasn't bad...for an RTS. I could barely get in through the door as he opened it, and unfortunately I couldn't take advantage of the student fare, so I had to pay a whopping 1.25 (well, in SEPTA territory, that's dirt cheap. The funny thing about it, was that somebody said that the fares were expensive and whatnot).
Pottstown Urban Transit is similar to DASH (and capital area transit, in clemson, SC), as far as I know. It's small, and it travels through some neighborhood sidestreets (like the AT3), and it also pulls into lots of shopping centers and the Pottstown Hospital, letting people off right at the door (instead of all the way on the main road like most routes, and I'm not just talking about SEPTA). The RTS itself had great acceleration (maybe the power of a DD50?) and it wasn't a bad ride...I liked being able to open the window (something you appreciate when SEPTA is your home company). An odd thing was that both "wheelchair seats" were up - I don't know if it is usually like that or not though - I only rode one bus.
Interesting note: I overheard a lady talking with the driver (Eddie!) that the trolley (I believe there is a Chance trolley in the fleet) is actually operated on the High St Nightline on the first Friday of every month - she was surprised to see it pick her up last night. If that is true, I'd be interested in trying to get that bus whenever I get back to Pottstown (of course, this time I'd like to try the day service).
Funny stuff: This lady came on the bus...she wasn't all...there, I guess. She misinterpreted the driver as someone else (I mean, you had to be there, I guess), and the way she talked and whatnot, particularly about the squealing brakes - they should oil them, she said. She was harmless, though, but again, you had to be there.
Interesting observation - the lack of official SEPTA bus stops in the Pottstown area. I know SEPTA has some special pickup/drop off rules in Pottstown ( so it doesn't conflict with the high street route), but they could put up some signs in some places, ya know. Sigh, that's typical Frontier behavior.
All in all, it was great being able to ride another system and not having to go down I-95 or the Northeast Corridor Line to get to it. I just wish there was a connection to Reading from at least Pottstown - they are so close! Maybe one day, when The Alternative comes to life, the Pottstown exp may also be the Reading Express. I wish more communities in the area would have private transit operations like PUT, only with real buses.
More comments on PUT later...
Pottstown Urban Transit, Inc. is the name of the operator for the system that is managed by the Borough of Pottstown. Unlike the smaller municipal shuttle systems operating in SEPTA territory (SCCOOT, Doylestown DART, etc), Pottstown is classified as a Class 3 Small Urban Transit system by PennDOT, as recieves state funding as a result. I believe they also operate the school bus service for the Pottstown School District as well, but I haven't been up that way in a long time (and, from what I hear, it's probably just as well, in that Pottstown has reportedly become a high-crime area a la Norristown, Chester, Darby, etc). The 5 TMC RTS buses (built around 1990-91) and the 2 Nova RTS buses originally had roll signs, but were retrofit with Luminator flip-dot signs within the past couple of years. The TMC are scheduled for replacement sometime either later this year or early next year.
There is a special student fare for PUT of 60 cents that students have to pay...it's almost as if they (the students) are students in Philadelphia in terms of using transit to get to school.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
B4-#9313-NOVABUS
Dave.
I have 243 pics in that album.Go to pics #'s 103,116 and 218 to see fully wrapped Gilligs.
Da Hui
The real fun begins next Saturday as around 300 buses shuttle people to and from the ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE Air Show, Saturday and Sunday. Around 6:30am buses start getting into position(bus traffic jam around 9am,hehe). Right now I can't get Saturday off, but can get Sunday, so at least I can have one good bus watching day.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Before someone here gets their panties in a bunch ( I know someone here will) I am joking.
I guess in hindsight what that Houston driver did "pimp slapping" that customer, was probably done so nothing would happen to him. Hey drivers nowadays have to defend themselves and what that driver did, I don't blame him.
What is the story of the driver in Houston? I'd beat the crap out of this person too...trying to injure me over some pieces of paper...of course, that's in the world where I'm Mr. Beefy and can kick anyone's behind...
I see DART is growing well.
Is this correct? TIA.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Prob. not as much as a 40-footer. Because the New Flyer D60HF Articulated is an artic, I think the bellows divide the bus into two 30-foot halves (I would also assume because they have a tighter turning radius than the 40-footers). Therefore, I think it would take less air than say an RTS or an Orion V to rise it. And one more note: When I see a New Flyer D60HF Articulated leaning/rising, I only see the front half lean/rise. I never see the rear half lean/rise. Therefore, I assume that it takes less air to rise a New Flyer D60HF Articulated than say (as I said earlier), an RTS or an Orion V.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Prob. not as much as a 40-footer. Because the New Flyer D60HF Articulated is an artic, I think the bellows divide the bus into two 30-foot halves (I would also assume because they have a tighter turning radius than the 40-footers). Therefore, I think it would take less air than say an RTS or an Orion V to rise it. And one more note: When I see a New Flyer D60HF Articulated kneeling/rising, I only see the front half kneel/rise. I never see the rear half kneel/rise. Therefore, I assume that it takes less air to rise a New Flyer D60HF Articulated than say (as I said earlier), an RTS or an Orion V.
(Sorry, I just realized I accidentally typed "lean" instead of "kneel" when I was supposed to type "kneel".)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
It turned out that the RENK transmission is actually used for TANKs, Cruise ships, yachts and whatnot. Was there ever a time (excluding these Orion Is) where RENKs would/could actually be used for trucks/buses? How would a boat transmission work in a bus, or is it just some old form of transmission from "back in the day" (these are 1986 buses - hey, like my dying DKs!)
One RENK site - http://www.army-technology.com/contractors/propulsion/renk/
There have been a few instances of non-MAN buses being fitted, however it was rare.
The RENK Doromat 874 to my knowledge is no longer being produced, as Voith has their own models (which are considered to be superior to RENK's design).
Other than MAN's products that came to the US, I believe there were a couple orders of Orion 1's back in the late 80's/early 90's, and a few Gilligs (not sure of this) were also built with this transmission installed.
Brian Bradford
bn897@scn.org
Brooklyn, NY (yep, I'm back)
This just makes me wonder if one day I'll look back at my Neos and realize just how old they really are...
Da Hui
If these vehichles are well maintained, well designed and - free of rust and corrosion - there's really no reason to be in a hurry to replace them.
So the fact that they're old shouldn't be so important.
One final thought - when Greyhound was in hard financial times back in the late 80's, some of their buses had seen service for more than 20 years. That's over the road service and so - more than a million miles. But they were well maintained and MCI has always done a pretty good job in designing Greyhound equipment. So being old really didn't matter that much.
What I meant was that while the buses are in service (unless they were old when you are little or something) they seem to fit in perfectly, regardless of the all LED DD50/ISL/HEV low floor state of the art buses entering the fleet today. Yet, I looked back at a picture of the TMC after they have been retired for a few years, and I got so used to seeing the current fleet of Orion Vs and Gilligs that the TMCs looked like they were from another time long ago, although they were literally from another time.
Yes, you definitely will ... especially after about another 10 or 15 years and the 'new' buses that replaced your old favorites get scrapped themselves!
Jim D.
(speaking from experience)
Ridership On City Buses Outpaces Service Gains
MAY 10TH, 2004
Ridership on city buses is up, but service has not kept up, according to a new report.
The study, released Monday by the Straphangers Campaign, a transit watchdog group, found weekday ridership jumped 20 percent from September 1997 to September 2003, due in large part to free transfers with MetroCards. But the report concludes the frequency of weekday service improved by only 13 percent in that same time.
The numbers vary greatly by borough. There's a big gap in Brooklyn, with 24 percent more riders and 12 percent increased service, and Manhattan, where ridership jumped 17 percent and service lagged at 7 percent.
The disparity is less in Queens, where ridership is up 24 percent and service is up 17 percent.
Service has actually slightly outpaced ridership in the Bronx, with a 16 percent ridership increase and 18 percent for service, and on Staten Island, with 11 percent more ridership and 12 percent for service.
The Straphangers Campaign says the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s plan to cut service at a time when ridership is rising and just a year after a fare hike is outrageous.
“If they don’t have the resources to keep service at current levels and they’re looking at actually cutting service, then we have to look to the governor and the mayor to come up with the resources so people don’t have elbow-in-the-ribs crowding,” the head of the group, Gene Russianoff, said.
The MTA said it "disagrees strongly" with the argument that bus service must increase at the same rate as ridership. Most ridership growth has happened during off-peak hours, according to the MTA, and bus service is at the highest level in nearly 30 years.
For more information about the study, including ratings of specific bus routes, go to www.straphangers.org.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
The eerie thing is that this is the bus that was apparently involved in the accident! I actuall rode that very bus from Kissena & Harding to 41st Avenue on Friday.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
I saw such a bus running on the Q38 last night on Penelope avenue. Couldn't get the bus number.
and your point is?
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
I see the term here and there, but what the hell is a Balios?
Any information is greatly appreciated...
Green Bus Lines Orion 05.501 #5501-5550
MTA NYC Bus New Flyer D60HFs (#5670-5769 and Various 5300, 5400 and early 5500s)
MTA LI Bus Orion 05.501 CNG #396 and above
MTA NYC Bus Orion 07.501 CNGs #7686 and above
MTA NYC Bus Orion 05.501 #244
NY Bus Service MCI D4500 Commuter Cruiser #1800-1805
The Balios Orange LED Destination Signs appeared in MTA Orion 05.501 #522, MTA TMC RTS #8490, Green Lines Orion 05.501 #5503 and Command Bus Orion 05.501 #4961. To date the only bus in this area left with the Balios Orange LED Signs are Command #4961.
The Twin Vision Chroma LED Orange sign is currently in MTA Orion 05.501 #247.
I Hope This information helped you out!
Regards,
Trevor Logan
www.transitalk.info
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Da Hui
I also used the voice activated RideGuide for the first time. She isn't that great in my opinion but works well enough when you don't have a computer.
14's were a Glendening admin. initiative. From Gaithersburg to Bethesda/NIH via 270, then to Tyson's via 495. It was an attempt to create some circumferential service.
Both were cancelled this winter by Rob Smith, the new Metro Chair. "Below-average ridership" was cited (I know ridership was low, but I dislike the phrase. By definition, 50%, of all routes are "below average"). As it happens, the 14's were the only Metrobus service in Gaithersburg, Smith's home town and/or place of work (Ride-On covers MoCo very well).
B1-#9249-NOVABUS
B64-#9087-NOVABUS
B6#9249
http://www.tedrick.org/projects/dcbus/
(sorry, don't know how to link- std. html didn't work in the preview)
I'd like some feedback, including which routes to do next. I think I have 70, 90/92/94 and the 13's already drawn.
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
A bus of any type may be used on these shuttles. Scheduling, although predefined is rarely followed. SLD on-scene dispatching based on passenger flow is usually how these shuttles are handled. At times, full-fare round trip fares will be collected up-front. Other times not. It depends upon the event and particulars.
For specific route and timetable descriptions, see the individual event travel information website. I do have the X81/X83 route map and descriptions, but buried in a box of 'bus junk' :-)
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
4733 and 4736 are now scrapped with bad engines.
8151 is now scrapped with a bad engine.
8112 and 8135 are down and out with cracked bulkheads. However, they are not listed as scrapped.
8117 has been transferred to Zerega with a bad bulkhead.
5062 has been sent to a base shop with a cracked chassis.
Nothing new has been transferred into Fresh Pond, other than possibly some 8100's from ENY or Flatbush which I am not keeping track of due to the large, random out of sequence numbers that seem to be appearing.
BIG AL
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Now since we're talking about bus route changes and stuff, how come nobody has raised this question:
When the takeover begins, "Brooklyn67" said that there would be a blue stripe painted on the DOT buses...here's my question:
Will they RENUMBER the buses at the same time?
I mean thinking about Jamaica Bus Lines, the GMC RTS-04s and RTS-06s are in the 500s, which if I'm not mistaken (and I know I'm not) Castleton, Queens Village, Casey Stengel and Jackie Gleason have Orion in the 500 series as well, right? Wouldn't that be a conflict OR they'll do that at another time OR a later date?
Thanks in advance.
Ray
Where renumbering is necessary, it may be some time before it is done. I base my speculation on my recollection of the Fifth Avenue to MABSTOA takeover back in the early 1960's. There was some overlap in numbering back then, but Fifth Avenue and Surface buses were not renumbered for a while. Shortly after that takeover, the TA "sent" some of its older buses (the 4510's in the 4000-4499 series) to MABSTOA. Because MABSTOA had some former Surface buses in the 4000's, the TA buses had the letter "T" placed before the number to differentiate them from any MABSTOA counterpart. In due course, MABSTOA's 4000's were renumbered.
Even within MABSTOA, Fifth Avenue and Surface has some overlapping numbers. The Surface buses were eventually renumbered, but I think that happened only months after the takeover.
Of course, today computerization may call for renumbering faster than was necessary in the 1960's.
In the early days of MABSTOA some of the Surface buses which overlapped TA numbering initially got the prefix "S" This was true of the 3000-3009 Mack C-49s which were later renumbered 4900-4909. Other C-49s originally numbered 29xx got the S because they duplicated Fifth Avenue numbers. These later joined the 49xxs.
B1-#4854-TMC
B1-#9177-NOVABUS
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Bx21 # 7723
Bx31 # 1097
Bx31 # 7688
Bx16 # 5368
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
BIG AL
Jamaica: #9250-9294 and #9342-9349.
Jamaica: #9250-9294 and #9342-9349.
Ray
What about Islip?
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Does anyone know of any big accidents that occurred (maybe Steve Hoskins or MJQoperator know)? That B/O told me that people would fall off the steps of the bus. By big accidents, I mean like during rush hour if several people flew off. TIA.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
This is why regulatory instruction to keep the front doors closed until after kneeling the bus fully completed. This way, passengers would fall into the door, not out of the bus ;-)
On a related note, one has to be careful with RTS buses, whose doors hang out. (The Orions and New Flyers have doors that are part in when they open.)
-Adam
(allisonb500r@aol.com)
Nice! Either no brakes, or a novel penalty for parking in a bus stop?
How did you get those photos, were you like right there at the right place at the right time?
How do buses get into crashes, generally???
Thank you
Theres nothing funny about that... People do get hurt in accidents you do know that already correct?
untrained and unskilled cars usually. Same way billions is lost per year in car collisions.
It happens during the winter months in the south, when SUV's from Ohio bring their lack of skills and pull out in front of a turning bus 8 feet past the stop bar at a red light.
I dont know....why dont we ask the bus? Maybe it was having a bad day or something!
B1-#7512-Reman RTS
B1-#4458-TMC(working A/C)
David
Inside the bus pic :)
Yes, 9719 did have a Neoplan sized exhaust pipe sticking out of the MIDDLE of the rear of the roofline, yet it wasn't even directly centered. All DC bustalkers especially those in the montgomery county area, keep an lookout for 9719 and possibly any other 9700s with this scary mutation.
Thanks.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Here is one more odd thing I saw today. The side destination sign for 2417 did something I have never seen before. First it read "H6", then "BROOKLAND" then "STATION", then went back to "H6". One of the few signs that didn't say "BROOKLAND"then "STADIUM".
Ride-On Orion I 5545 has not had a working sign for about 6 months now. Last I saw it, the side sign said CHARTER and the front and rear signs say nothing.
WhyMATA, gotta love them.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
May 24 Landover gets 166 buses installed with the smarttrip fareboxes
June 7th Four Mile Run will outfit 199 of their buses with the smarttrip fareboxes.
Going back though was trouble. I was either going to get the 6:12pm N21 and take it to Roslyn for the N20, or the 6:25pm N27 down to Roosevelt Field for the 22.
Well the bus assigned to do the 6:12pm never showed, until around 6:30pm. But this bus, #606 arrived and then shut down. The driver said the bus broke down. The back was all covered in soot, he said something about an oil leak. Yup, another breakdown! I guess they're really letting the 600s go now. Here's a pic of the rear, doesnt look pretty!
So I guess I was taking the 6:25pm N27. But it didnt arrive from Hempstead until 6:35pm, 20 minutes late! Driver said there was traffic. Ugh, this county is nothing but traffic!
Took an hour to get to Roosevelt Field and there was no a/c.
Summertime weather and LI Bus, not a good combination. Bring on the cold!
Sorry for bein so harsh before.
Except when it comes to Kingsbridge Artix and Gun *Cough Cough* Hill.
-Benc Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
"No crying kids in this area" STOP WRITING ON BUSES DAMMIT!!!!, on 5378
Speakers are optional on GH buses, on 5378
More employee vandalism
same here
Dead GH bus in front of school
A bunch of dead bulbs, hopefully you can see them
Busted ad panels on 5386
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Bx16 # 6118
Bx31 # 7716
Spotted on an M5 bus.
Da Hui
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
That bus was at Pier, but never with anything written on the Stop Requested Sign.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
What is that for? Is that for the traffic checkers?
Also, how convenient to write that on the sign - you shouldn't miss it. It reminds me of how a midvale driver wrote on a NABI "wait 3 seconds - stop yelling for the back door" - the NABIs have a delay in opening the rear door - I don't know why, it's pretty odd.
Chuck Greene
Sorry bout the pic quality, (my currrent phone is old, I know) but it's the only camera i've got on me most of the time, and it's pretty inconspicuous.
How many dead bulbs can you spot in this shot?
The answer is 3
Notice anything missing on this bus?
Brownie points if you can make out where I spotted this Orion 7 hybrid (635x) on thursday night
Random employee vandalism on this morning's bus (sorry, forgot the numbers)
And an ad panel that's hanging on by 3 screws on the bottom, hopefully you can make out how seperated it is (I was sitting under it)
Voice of a busfan/railfan:
Help me! I've been trapped inside a crappy-@$$ bus from the Gun *Cough Cough* Hill depot. I got on a Kings *Cough Cough* bridge depot bus, but it wasn't good either. They should be called Paupers *Cough Cough* bridge depot (although the neighborhood's okay) ! Get me to the nearest MJQ 2004 D60HF IMMEDIATELY!
I normally don't use the F word, but F*CK GH and KB.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Since GH opened we have had the best bus service in CC ever.
(The 635x buses are O6HEVs. O7HEVs start at 636x.)
In fact, here's a picture of the highest numbered Orion VI, #6359:
The federal DOT guidelines indicate that the expected life of a transit bus is 12 years. Some authorities are usually quite punctual about replacing their buses on or shortly after the 12 year anniversary (e.g., CT Transit), while others attempt to keep buses longer. It is quite rare to see an authority keep buses as long as 20 years.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-F.
Now what can we do about this crappy system? Maybe we can impress on the county to get rid of the Para-Transit vans and buy REAL buses [even the Orion II is better than the stuff they got now.], also we could tell them to run their buses on an ALL DAY schedule [Also make the buses run no longer than 1 hour apart]. And finally, CREATE SOME ROUTES THAT ACTUALLY GO SOMEWHERE! The B9 is one route that is supposed to do that, but find some way to fill in the gaps NJT leaves, not parallel or serve an area half-assed like they do now.
Sounds just like THE BUS, although the ODVs may be better than Paratransit vans...that company needs opuses.
Give them a few years, they may get better (if they don't flop out).
In fairness to Burlington County, I don't know if they plan on directly purchasing (or leasing from NJT) more buses to take the para-transit vans off BurLink and back to where they belong.
At the TransCenter, I snapped some pics of buses there (to be posted on Friday), and then I took the 3:21 14 bus, Orion V #417 (about 5 minutes late) up to Peekskill, where I originally hoped to catch the 15 to White Plains again. The journey on the 14 was extremely long (I had expected it to be 2 hours, and it was about that), and it wound through some rather suburban, borderline rural areas, especially around Cortlandt, which had some extremely scenic areas. The view from Ossining looking over Sing Sing was not too shabby either! The bus was governed to 55, and it reached 55 at several times along Route 9A. However, I arrived at Peekskill around 5:25 (the last 15 had left at 5:15), and so I had to improvise. I waited for the #16 or #18 bus to the Peekskill station, and I got on a 16 bus, a 30 foot Orion V operated by PTLA Enterprise, Inc.; NOT LIBERTY LINES TRANSIT! The ride was not too bad on this 29-seater. I then took the Metro-North train to Croton-Harmon (I like MUs over push-pulls), and waited for the local to Grand Central. At Croton Harmon (a lil OT), I was sitting next to a good-looking TriDelt girl, and I called one of my friends there. (IM me at Fishbowl 6V92TA, Allison B500R, or ENY Nova 5205 for more details.) I got on the 7 PM local to GCT (my only regret was I did not take pics of the ACMUs coming from GCT).
I got to GCT at 8:05, and JUST MISSED my Command Bus home. I then took the M2 (an 07 HEV #6369) to 57 Street, and walked to Second Avenue. There, the dispatcher informed me that my bus would not come, and that I would have to board another bus to get my regular bus home. All in all, a day that could have had some better planning, lol, but enjoyable, especially since the thunderstorm came and passed while on the 14!)
The equipment:
5211 RTS-06 B82
8297 R143 L shuttle
8180 R143 L
1465 R62 4
835 Flxible Metro B Bee Line 4
462 Orion 05.501 Bee Line 6
417 Orion 05.501 Bee Line 14
102 Orion 05.504 Bee Line 16
6103 Shoreliner I Hudson Line
8040 M1A Hudson Line Local
6369 Orion 07.501 HEV M2
473 MCI Classic TC40102A BM3
4955 Orion 05.501 CNG BM2
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Personally I liked Queens Surface.
Having visited the garages of three of the four earlier this year on a trip, I found the general condition of the Triboro fleet worse than all the rest, although Green Bus Lines wasn't far behind. On the other hand, the Jamaica Bus fleet looks surprisingly in great shape, including the oldest RTS's. But I agree that the one operator we didn't visit, Queens Surface, probably has the fleet that looks the best of all four.
As an aside, none of the four Queens operators comes close to the great shape of the NY Bus Service Fleet up in The Bronx.
Now they are tied with Green Bus
Thats my opinion
Thank You
I think Liberty Lines has always been good, but they've setpped up their game and now they're not at all far behind NYBS.
Also, does anyone know what happened to NYBS 1697?
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Da Hui
-What routes operate into the tunnel?
-What routes are still trolley coaches?
Thank you to all who answer.
I don't have my MBTA info at hand, but if memory serves me, the 71, 72, 73, 74/75 (not sure) and 77A are trolley bus operated (at least during the week - may be buses on weekends or Sundays). They all operate into the tunnel at Harvard. Some of the bus routes may also utilize the tunnel. For example, I am pretty sure the 77 bus uses the tunnel. I am not sure about other bus routes.
That is correct for outbound buses. Inbound buses are reversed - for example, inbound 77 buses arrive in the lower tunnel to discharge their passengers.
I do think that some routes get moved up to the street on the weekend, but I don't know if this is true or not. The trolley bus routes are the 71, 72, 73 and the 77A. All of the trolley bus routes are dieselized on Sundays/Holidays.
The routes do operate through the tunnel on weekends also. However, when the 71 and 73 are run with diesel buses, they load in the upper tunnel and then loop through the square on the surface to get to Mount Auburn Street and resume their outbound run.
Also, the South Piers Transitway is under construction and will use dual mode electric/natural gas busses when that opens.
Actually, the non-electric power for the dual-mode buses will be clean diesel, not natural gas. The MBTA did want an electric/CNG dual-mode bus, but was told by the builders that such a vehicle could not be built at this time.
Jim D.
This is a sad sight. It's beat up beyond all recognition, and it is being sold for salvage at a ridiculous starting price. If only I could have rode it while still in service.
On that note, does anyone know if MARTA still runs any Flxes, and what the "P" means at the end of the fleet # on the back of this bus?
-Fred
Duh...since when did any bus need keys other than a Renaissance?
-F.
NYCTA and WMATA probably would never do that as buses move around too often.
Before the decals, the NYCMTA used letter codes on their fareboxes.
1996 Nova RTS: 9244 - B6
These are the first pictures of HEV #6371 delivered to Queens Village Depot for Bus Operator training and select revenue service. More to come in the near future.
Please feel free to download them and post as you wish.
Bx16 #6118
I've already been trained on the bus and have operated it in passenger service. I'll repost my related reply in another thread.
We'll know more when they're in service as part of regular service. Until then, all opinions are based on this one vehicle, and as anyone can tell you, differences among fleet vehicles in operation can vary greatly from one to the next.
On one route? Or does it change from day to day?
I've had the opportunity to operate the bus in passenger service. Speaking from an operational standpoint, I have mixed feelings.
The atmosphere and driver asthetics:
The driver's area isn't far removed from your basic Orion design. The rear-view mirror and destination sign keypad are both distant from the seated position. The rear-view mirror cannot be adjusted from the seated position and the sign entry is difficult to review over your left shoulder. The right-side mirror is your standard narrower rectangluar dual-electric. The wipers do not operate independently of one another. The farebox and radio are placed out-of-the-way for a change and do not inhibit right-side view thanks in-part to the low farebox platform and minimal pedestal. Just about all tell-tale panel indicators are in plain sight directly ahead, as opposed to under or to the right of the steering wheel. That's a plus. There's no safety-bar (grab bar) but there is a locking 'entry door'.
Driving the bus:
Accelleration is immediate. There's initial drive power but then just as immediately, seems to dissipate as the engine struggles to maintain minimal speed. Uphill operation was strenious, as the bus barely moved above 10 MPH on any upgrade, even with a minimal to light load. Level grade proved less-than-average accelleration. Downhill, the bus moved fine. A much better suspension than the RTS, but not quite as 'boaty' as your standard Orion. With less than 400 miles on this particular HEV (6371), potholes and street damage were felt as the bus rattled but immediately recovered. The front doors are a bit faster than the RTS, but also include the safety lock preventing opening until the bus has stopped completely. Steering radius felt longer than the RTS and Orion, but the 'hard pull' felt more adequate than the RTS. That's also a plus. There is a bit more play in the HEV than both the standard Orion and RTS- something to get used to, as are the brakes. Immediate and abrupt stopping until I got the feel of it all.
Passenger Opinion:
A good majority seemed to enjoy the bus, although I'm guessing it's because they're new and different. Comments were both positive and negative, with a bulk of the negative comments being it seemed 'smaller' than the RTS. On the positive side, they liked the idea of having no steps to climb and the lower farebix to easily read their empty metrocards.
My opinion:
Eh. I'll let you know after they've 100,000 miles under their belts. I wasn't thrilled with uphill accelleration. I can't imagine it improving with age. My concern for passenger safety is the design of that bus. If you notice, the frontward interior seats are actually ground level, with your back at the sidewall. A side impact collision could result in major spinal injury due to the carelessness of any vehicle striking the bus. What once would have been a bumper wedged under the bus frame and away from your person can now result in major injury to you. An awful safety design flaw, in my opinion, for city transit buses. Especially here in New York City.
I'd driven the CNG out of Gleason when I was there. Good bus. Then again, they were relatively new at the time. No idea how they fare today from an operational standpoint. Perhaps a JGL operator can elaborate.
And believe me,there is no way in hell that there can be "no accidents" which is what is the MTA's top priority.No matter what,there will always be accidents no matter what the hell they do so they're just wasting thier damn time governing everything.And if they want the HEV and CNG buses to last thier full lives then they better start UNGOVERNING them or else they'll screw up the engines big time and then they'll have to be ordering new buses every 3 years instead of every 15 years.
Da Hui
As far as the full compliment of delivery, we haven't begun receiving it yet. You'll know when you see them :-) Sometime soon, I anticipate.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Are those flipdots???
Queens Village Depot Bus Operators being instructed on use of the wheelchair ramp and securement process, as well as the particulars of the bus.
Isn't the wheelchair "ramp" on the O7s manually operated?
http://talk.nycsubway.org/perl/read?bustalk=113534
:-)
The BMTman & I had just walked the severed part of the Mitchel Field tracks that go into the industrail area. Also went by LI Bus to see what was happening there. We knew that NimbyKiller was going to be in the area. We found him at the former location of the Friends of (steam) Engine 35 ... there is still a few pieces of equip. there. We've also been to their new location in Oyster Bay.
-Ben diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Mr rt ... the first meaning is easy !
Remember I only work for a bus company, what I love to do is ride RAPID TRANIST just for fun.
The 2nd meaning, well you'll just have to get to know me then it will be just as obvious.
This posted may become Sub-Duded once my new boss shows up :-(
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
For those who do not know, the green tabs on the wheel are lugnut tightness indicators. If one of the green tabs turns out of alignment from the rest of the green tabs, it indicates that that particular lugnut is not properly tightened.
Apparently these arent working too well for Ride On :-D
Anyone who wishes a copy of this (and other) "Making Score" newsletters, as well as the other various publications NYCT issues, simply call the number listed above and request it free of charge.
1996 nova RTs: 9102
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
4269(rehab)F14 New Carrolton
-4390(B30 bus)finishing up a B27 run
-9834 on the F4
63032 15X Greenbelt
-saw 9719 on the C2 but didn't know it was it. First saw it at the light near Beltway Plaza, couldn't see the number and didn't see its telltale sign, so I assumed it wasn't it. Then as it rounded the corner, entering the bus bays, knew it immediately, but couldn't get my camera out in time. Then for a while it just parked there, so I thought, I could get a pic, but as soon as I pulled out my camera, it took off.
-a loud 9833 on the R12
4392 B30 BWI
9952 17 Pataspco
9953 14 Annapolis(All I have seen on this route is NABIs, have never seen a Flx or Neo, why is that?)
Annapolis Transit Chance RT-52, 68 Gold A,Annapolis Mall
-crappy, piece of junk, needs to be scrapped immediately(or sold to THE BUS-and they will buy them)
-there was an altercation on another route with some teenagers over a fare dispute with one teen putting a popsicle stick in the farebox(really old school farebox-trust me's). cops were called.
AT 104 to Spa Road Transfer Center Route Red
-their SLFs are getting crappy and I think they are fairly new
AT 102 Green to....Spa Road Transfer Center
-Should have stayed on but thought route was going back the same way, which caused me to barely miss the 4:50pm 14 back to Patapsco, which was on time, but the 5:30pm bus wasn't
0072 14 Cromwell
7012 LRS North Linthicum
0270 LRS BWI(wish it was 8737-one of their few L-10 Flxs, that went to Cromwell
4391rehab B30 Greenbelt
4267 R12 New Carrolton(missed the last F14)so
Orange line 4089 lead to Landover
8824 A12, somewhere close to home
Sheesh, how lame can you get. Damn suburban thugs....
Is this the type of farebox where one just shoves dollars and coins down a long tube, where you show the driver what you're paying and then he marks it off? (Bee-Line buses operated by PTLA Enterprise, Inc. have this type of farebox on both the cutaway buses and the 30 foot Orion V buses, not like the GFI Cents-a-Bill on the Liberty Lines 40 foot buses and artics.)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Deciding to ride the privates yesterday: I started by taking the L shuttle one stop south to New Lots Ave. As soon as I got downstairs, a JFK bound B15(9074) pulls up. Fairly empty, mostly JFK employees. We pick up more employees at that "other" New Lots Ave Station and continue along our way. Pick up more employees at Elderts Lane and were off. 9074 was doing a decent job along the Conduits and the Expwy. Saw a Q11 go over us on the overpass. I noticed the B15 made two stops in which I though was airport property. I guess the B15 arent allowed to stop at the terminals only. We arrive at Terminal 4 and I was going to ride Airtrain but saw MCI classic on the Q10.
Q10#713:
Bus was hot!!! Writing all over the wall and seats. Bell worked when it wanted to. This bus did keep up with the traffic along North Conduit. All Southbound Q10s were packed!!! All had no A/C as well. I did see a mixture of RTS and Orion Vs on the Q10 line. Arrived at the Kew Gardens terminal and saw about 5 or 6 Q10s waiting to pick up pax. The line was long from the subway entrance. Went around the corner for the Q60.
Q60#240:
Another hot bus. But this bus moved down Queens Blvd. Was about 8 people on the bus. From Kew Gardens to Sutphin Blvd there were no Manhattan bound Q60s to be seen. Got off at Sutphin and walked to Jamaica Ave.
Took Q56#4984 for a few stops then walked back to 160St. Saw a lot of Jamaica Buses RTS but did not ride any. :( :(
At 160St Queens Surface bus 323 was all alone so I snapped a pic of it. After about a 10 minute wait, Orion V 434 arrived. It was operating on the Q65, the route I wanted to take.
Q65#434:
Finally a private bus with A/C. The bus did get crowded in Jamaica, but then quickly emptied at Queens Hospital Center. Nice ride along 164St. Another route where all southbound buses are scattered. Rode 434 into Flushing where I would pick up the Q66.
Q66#600:
Another hot bus. I sat down by a section where there were two open windows. This was not a good move(later). Decent speed along Northern Blvd around Shea Stadium. Bunch of HS chicks. The skies started to get dark and by the time we got to 90St, it opened up. I tried to closed my windows but it was stuck. Good thing the lady next me was getting off. I just slide over. As we approached the Queensbridge area, a couple of regulars on the bus was talking to the B/O, asking about the city takeover. He explained to the them that they was already owned by the city. Their response was, "At least there will be better service, and now I got someone to complain to." The B/O just took that last comment in stride. Got off at Queensbridge and walked to Queens Plz.
Q39#2824:
Yet another hot bus. While waiting on 28St, I noticed a lot of people(mostly females) waiting for the Q101R :(:(. 2824 came around the corner as I previously talked to the driver and he told me where to pick up the bus. This bus route have so much twist and turns, I thought that I would ended up back at QBP. This bus was crowded with mostly JHS kids. Most of the crowd stayed on the entire route, I got off at Putnam Av to catch the B20.
B20#8530:
What a surprise, yet another hot bus. The B/O came down on Forest and saw that I was standing there and waited. I guess the turnaround over by the subway station is kinda tight and congested. We do good along the Summerfield/Schaefer part of the route. It was about 10 people on the bus. At Bwy we followed a Q24 down to Bwy Jct. At Bwy Jct is where we picked up everybody. By this time, another storm was upon us, so windows were closed again. A lady kept asking the B/O to put on the A/C. When he did not respond, she went up to him where she got the no A/C answer. The bus was not all that bad even though there were standees. Decent ride to Livonia, where I get off and proceed home.
I hope the Q10,Q65, and Q66 see better service when the MTA takes it over. As far as the Q10 and Q66 goes, there is serious bus bunching due to the ridership patterns. Overall, I had a good day and will do it again. I did not ride the Jamaica buses and I think I might try to do that next time along with LIBus.
L train#8118
B15#9074
Q10#713
Q60#240
Q56#4984
Q65#434
Q66#300
Q39#2824
B20#8530
I hope the Q10,Q65, and Q66 see better service when the MTA takes it over. As far as the Q10 and Q66 goes, there is serious bus bunching due to the ridership patterns. Overall, I had a good day and will do it again. I did not ride the Jamaica buses and I think I might try to do that next time along with LIBus.
Agreed, the Q65 has been shown to be a unreliable bus. Its a fairly quick route but the waiting times are unbelievable. The Q10 is a cool route [I really like the Conduit JFK branch] and the Q66 is a so-so route.
Believe me , I'm not suprised to hear you say that about the Q65 since that route sucks @ss. The Q39 isn't so bad, except on weekend, however once at 11:00 P.M on a Saturday the Q39 did came for me around 10 mintues which isn't so bad.
Da Hui
1) Is the fare really $6.50 rt from Vince Lombardi with parking and $5 rt without parking?
2) I saw that Neoplans would be phased in on this line. Is the line currently running pure Volvo, D4500s, or a mix of equipment?
3) Does the bus run on the posted schedule or does the route default to load and go operations?
That is the fare I've paid the occasional times I use the line.
[2) I saw that Neoplans would be phased in on this line. Is the line currently running pure Volvo, D4500s, or a mix of equipment?]
Most 321's are Flxible 3000's from Fairview garage. Occasionally, especially in morning rush hours, a Volvo artic can be found. There are also a few morning runs that use buses from Howell garage (presumably after runs from Route 9 to Jersey City or PABT).
[3) Does the bus run on the posted schedule or does the route default to load and go operations?]
My experience is that they usually stick to schedule, although less so in the PM rush.
TransiTALK Update v9.20
All Multimedia Update
13 New Sounds (9 Bus & 4 Rail), 1 New Rail Movie, 5 New Desktop Wallpapers and 8 Bus Roster Updates.
Click Photo Below To Enter Update......
Enjoy!
Regards,
Trevor Logan
Ray
Trevor
Someone said the other day that now that the City has a surplus that the issue isn't money anymore, i.e. the City can buy the Cooper group properties & lease them to the TA.
What ever is going on, as far as planning the take over, is being kept very quite & hasn't gotten down to the folks in the TA who will have to do the work, or they are sworn to secrecy.
Jim D.
So we wait.
There are a whole host of variables/loose ends that are yet to be resolved.
This could play out in four ways:
1. TA supervises by remote control (because they are busy with other stuff)
2. TA sends in a small staff to each deport to be in charge.
3. TA sends in a big staff & starts restructing things in the TA way.
4. TA bites the bullet & makes major changes, e.g. moves NY Bus operation across the street.
Once they tell the union what their deal is, the other ducks will start falling into place, e.g. "privates" in all depots are now in one group, and the ATU folks are in this mix somehow (maybe TA/TWU makes some kind of deal to make them almost TWU). But then they might not do this because what purpose would it serve (route changes/consolidations). I realy dought they'll merge both Local 100 groups up front.
Even though this is speculation, I would suspect that those two operations will need a major restructuring, because of the unique circumstances.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Just the TA staff members at the privates depots is going to take a big bite out the budget.
This will require a major change of depot assignments for the Bronx depots
Thats my opinion
Thank You
...if Cooper is willing to sell them.
Don't forge that there are several members of the Cooper family, each of whom counts as four employees (one paycheck from each Cooper company). Will Transit have to pay them four salaries?
The TA is going to need to hire some support staff from the privates to sort some stuff out
Keep in mind that there is no legal obligation for MTA to do so.
Compare the DOT bus situation to getting one's roof fixed. If the roofing contractor does a lousy job, the homeowner hires a new contractor. Is the new contractor required to hire the old contractor's employees? Of course not.
Similarly, DOT is simply firing its existing transit contractors (the "private" companies) and replacing them with a new contractor (MTA).
I'll muster up the strenght to put in another 10 years as a TA employee to get the medical benifits when I retire -GRIN-
Now if the "bridge" my "private" tenure, so much the better.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25324-2004May13.html
And rideonrules, I must register at WashingtonPost in order to read and look at the pictures, so didn't see the VanHool bus picture.
I one thing I want to know is that will that third door on the AG330s be removed or kept and hopefully they keep the destination signs. I guess we will see what happens in the next couple of months to a year.
The spring? This spring? Maybe if they start this year, it will start in july for independence day.
http://www.transitgallery.com/showalbum.php?aid=329&uuid=11
Now as i'm sitting behind a bus at a red light.....I could really go for a bud. :)
That said, it seems to work on the RGRTA buses, given their livery.
In '99 I remember philly was top in tobacco consumption. And I'm not sure the ranking for alcohol, but there are in the top 10 for bar density.
So waht's prohibiting it going to do? I would say go with it!
I don't have a link to the story, but the anchorman was reporting that due to delays in manufacturing busses, the MTA won't be able to provide new busses for the private companies it wishes to absorb in July for another 9 months. If that means from July, we're looking at April 2005 at the earliest according to this report.
What was interesting was that the news story also reported that 600 busses are on order.
But I thought it was more like 425? Maybe they mean another 600 to add to the 400 something already ordered? The news story was not clear since the reporter said all of this very quickly.
No new news here.
David
However, I am still confused. How did the number jump to 600? Wasn't there a news story a few weeks back that said the MTA was purchasing 400 something busses? Is that 400 something in addition to this 600? Just wondering.
Could Take Months For MTA To Replace Aging Buses
MAY 14TH, 2004
It could be February before the MTA replaces hundreds of aging private buses.
The MTA is moving forward with plans to absorb the city's seven private bus lines by July 1st.
The agency has said it will replace 600 buses.
But at a City Council hearing Thursday, officials said because of manufacturing constraints, it will be at least nine months before new buses hit the road, and up to two years for delivery of all 600.
David
orion VII
MCI
or NFI artics if NYCT can convice them to keep the line running for a few more buses
David
Since the City does not own them, yes, unless NYBS wants to donate them to the MTA.
5326 has graffitti all over it- On the trailer by the back doors, and a big tag on the ads and a little on the windows. It has also been vandalized on the inside by your lovely Gun Hill employees, in magic marker behind the driver reads "God bless america" and under that "NO PHONES". Interior coach numbers are written in white out, and one of the windows is scratched up to the point of being opaque.
This bus would have made for some nice photos, except that my phone died this morning, so I spent the day without a (pretty crappy, even by cam phone standards but it's a 2 year old phone so hey) camera phone and watch...
Bx31 # 7726
TAKE CARE OF YOUR ARTIX GH AND KB!!!!!! YOU DEPOTS SUCK @$$ AS IN THE WORDS OF DA HUI!!!!!!!!! (well, KB at least takes cares of their RTSs)
Let's just review some things here:
KB only puts vandal shield on some of their windows on some of their buses. NovaBUS RTS #9656 once had a failed transmission and was held up for a few minutes on Kappock Street. NovaBUS RTS #8876 has a missing clearance lamp cap. New Flyer D60HF Articulated #5716 has a slanted frontal route/destination sign. One Artic (A 2003/2004 MODEL, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD) has scratchitti ALL OVER its rear windows (including the rear door windows). New Flyer D60HF Articulated #5470 has an improperly sized "5" as its left side number sticker. Another D60HF has A MISSING BELT LINE on the front half.
For a neighborhood without much crime, KB does quite a bad job of representing the personality of their home neighborhood.
>I HATE YOU, KB!!!! YOU SUCK @$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You won't believe how happy/grateful I am that mom and I go down to Manhattan every other Saturday so I can get my pix of the sexy-looking, scratchitti-free, properly cleaned, cream-filling-in-the-bellows buses that they call "sexy Artix". ;-)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Da Hui
Sorry, I forgot: "Don't mess with Da Hui or Da Hui will mess with you"'
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
1996 Nova RTS: 9230 - NIS
David
Hence my calling them "GMC/MCI" instead of simply "MCI."
David
Tomorrow, waking up at the break of dawn to get ready for work and view what I can of the bus barrage that will be going up and down my street.
BTW I heard that serveral THE BUS vehicles crashed at the MVA when they saw that Connector Orion V. They didn't believe anything like that existed that wasn't WMATA's. They haven't seen Ride On's buses since they don't terminate where Ride On does.
This is the only Q37 that I know of.
Ray
Was there ever a "Q17A" bus that ran on the present Q30 route? In one of the older bus maps I have, they make mention of this bus. I probbaly saw a "7" left behind from those days...
Another sign at 51st & Roosevelt showed that it was a bus stop for the B32. There's no such route!
Finally, I spotted a bus stop sign at 111th Street & Jamaica Avenue, which showed that it was a bus stop for the B37. Didn't know the 3rd Avenue bus served Richmond Hill as well as Sunset Park, did you?
Tow Pet Peeves
1.) Bus pulls up to stop boards 4 quicks passengers then waits 2 minutes for passenger to gather packages from bus bench then boards bus. (Southbound #35 at 35th Avenue/Bethany Home Road 1700h)
Q. Do you hold bus for passenger or leave passenger for next bus at 1728h?
2) Westbound Buses arrive on time at 1759h and 1810h however 1806h does not arrive until 1834h, all 3 buses are on the same route originating from the same start point. (Route 41 from Loloma Station Scottsdale Westbound on Indian School Road arriving at Desert Sky Mall)(1759 Holds until 1814 the departs eastbound, 1810 goes out of service to garage and 1806 continues west to EMCC)?
Q. 1st and 3rd Buses Ontime 2nd runs 28 Minutes Late, how or why is this possible (Several Regular passengers for the 1806 say this bus is late everyday M - F), same route?
Ride On Roster:
1979-81 TMC T-30 City Cruiser: #5102-5256 (Later Rehabed to 5400s, Retired)
1984 BIA Orion 01.502: #5257-5297 (Retired)
1988-89 Gillig Model 3096TB "Phantom": 5300-5356 (Being Replaced)
1990 BIA Orion 01.502: #5500-5501
1991 BIA Orion 01.502: #5502-5526
1992 BIA Orion 01.502: #5527-5538, 5540-5545
1993 BIA Orion 05.504: #5546-5547
1993 Flxible Model 40102-6CTG "Metro D" LNG: #5700-5703 (Converted to Diesel)
1994 Gillig Model 3596TB "Phantom": #5360-5362
1995 Gillig Model 3596TB "Phantom": #5363-5377
1995 OBI Orion 06.501 CNG Low Floor: #5801-5802 (Ex #5570-5571)
1996 Gillig Model 3596TB "Phantom": #5378-5397
1996 OBI Orion 05.503: #5550-5566
1996 OBI Orion 05.503 CNG: #5567-5569
1997 Gillig Model 35TB96 "Phantom": #5400-5409
1998 OBI Orion 05.503: #5572-5579
1999 Gillig Model 35TB96 "Phantom": #5410-5423
1999 OBI Orion 05.501: #5705-5725
1999-2000 OBI Orion 05.501 CNG: #5803-5822
2001 Trolley Enterprises Replica Trolley Coach: #5297-5299
2001-02 El Dorado Aero Elite: #5101-5181, 5201-5212
2003-04 OBI Orion 07.502 CNG Low Floor: #5900-5937
Hope That Helps A Little
Regards,
Trevor Logan
www.transitalk.info
Ride On Photos
5100-Diesel cutaways
5200-Gas cutaways
5300-Diesel 30ft + 35ft (last of the 30ft is being retired)
5400-Diesel 35ft
5500-Diesel 30ft + 35ft
5600-Diesel 35ft
5700-Diesel 40ft
5800-CNG 40ft
5900-CNG 35ft Low Floor
So our next order or 2 of Orion VII's will continue the 5900 series since they are CNG and 35ft.
I'll be first to admit our numbering system is messed up. LOL
year 2000 and up 40fters (including lowfloor Orion VIs, New Flyer C40LFs, and the standard floor Orion Vs) seem to be in the 2000s
Flxibles started somewhere in the 8000s and just kept on going.
Eh, that's what I've got so far - still learning!
Route Changes 5/15/2004
Due to the 5K Race on Saturday May 15th, passengers will encounter some detours on QM2, Q25 and Q65 routes beginning at 7:30am and continuing throughout the race. Signs will be posted.
Exactly what led up to 5407 (one of the 1999-2000 buses) being redone into pretty much one of the new 2003 Artics? Did something major happen to it, like a big accident, or was it a prototype for something?
P.S.: KB and GH suck @$$ (well, at least KB takes care of their RTSs)!
Once again, I say that I am grateful that I get most of my artix pix in Manhattan from the best depot in NYC, the MJQ depot.
Not only does KB do all those things I griped about, they also forget to put the reflectors on their mirrors.
A reason I will always like trainz better than busez.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
I would like to know why are there 2 buses covering one 127 trip and can't they make the 2nd 127 depart Trenton at 6:30 PM?
B1-#9231-NOVABUS
M1-#222-Orion V
BX19-#1098-NEW Flyer D60
BX2-#5442-NEW Flyer D60
Regards,
Kevin
Da Hui
Thank You
This is not the first time a L line GO has been cancelled because of someone mishap.....
Regards,
Kevin
interesting stuff
COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are the orange signs LEDs (like the late 2003/2004 New Flyer D60HF Articulateds) or flip-dots? TIA.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
http://www.transitgallery.com/data/fe9fc289c3ff0af142b6d3bead98a923/280_p11238.jpg
http://www.transitgallery.com/data/fe9fc289c3ff0af142b6d3bead98a923/280_p11239.jpg
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Correction:
BTW: In case you don't know yet, type this to turn a link into a hyperlink: <a href=url goes here>caption goes here</a>
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Shuttle buses were operating between Bedford Ave, Lorimer Street and the Hewes Street J/M Station
Thank You
I wonder how much this cost the TA this time
Thank You
I know this is BusTalk.
Most of the work was picked up by 100th street and Quill. Also, Manhattanville was in on it, even an MCH Orion V. It was interesting to see an Orion V in RTS and D60 territory.
A few pics:
100th Street Artic:
Manhattanville Nova RTS:
Enjoy!
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
JD
Also, Orion V question. Every Orion V that I know of past 1992 has a sliver behind the driver's window, however, NYCTA's windows are bigger than that. Are the driver compartment for these Orion's smaller than the rest? (I think that's what contributes to the sliver on WMATA's and Ride-On's and DASHs and...alright, let's just say DC Transit's Orion Vs (post 1995, of course - the 1992 ones for WMATA don't have a sliver, just slightly larger).
Thanks for any info - I should go up to NY one day.
The routes are:
Bx15-from West Farms Depot-operates Orion Vs & VIIs CNG, RTSs, and a few New Flyer D60 Artics.
M60-from Mother Clara Hale Depot-operates Orion Vs, VIs & VIIs-HEV
M100-from Kingsbridge Depot-operates RTSs, TMCs, NovaBuses
M101-from 100th St-operates New Flyer D60 Artics exclusively.
For MCI's the best place to find them 7 days a week is on 5th Ave in Manhattan from 57th on south. There are almost a dozen commuter express routes to Bklyn and Staten Island that travel this street-most are rush hour only. However, you can catch the X1, X10, X17, X27 & X28 all day, seven days a week.
For New Flyer C40LFs and Orion V CNGs which only operate on routes from the Jackie Gleason Depot, one of the best places to find them is in Downtown Bklyn-corner of Jay St-Smith St & Fulton St. You will find these buses on the B61, B65, B67, & B75. If you go one block south to Smith & Livingston Sts, you can grab the B37 as well.
As for the X51, this bus operates west along 34th St from the 2nd Ave to 6th Ave, then north along 6th Ave to 57th St, then east along 57th St to 2nd Ave then on into Queens. I am not sure, but I think this bus operates rush hours only, but I know that it operates weekdays only.
I hope this helps.
The Vikings run on the X51, right?
Thanks for your help! Do any of these connect with the L?
Hopefully I'll find my way up to New York one day, maybe this summer for a day of transit fanning (where can you get a daypass metrocard?)
Well, if you are a member of the human race, you should fit right in just fine. Furthermore this is 2004-get a grip and give it a rest.
As far as the X51, I don't know if the Vikings are still in service. Last that I heard, two were OOS, but 1 was active and that was about a couple of weeks ago. However if they are active, they only run on the X51.
Kingsbridge depot is okay, but as you can see those idiots forget to put mirror reflectors on their D60HFs, and Gun Hill is no better (even though that Orion V #195 looked fine).
For the artix, use the MJQ depot which maintains those routes I told you about in the first paragraph. MJQ is the best in NYC.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
As far as Artics goes, 126th and 100th St Depots are just as good at maintaining their fleets as MJQ.
However, I must admit, Kingsbridge need work. I have rode on them twice within the last 2 months. While definately not a frequent rider, but the two times that I have rode their artics, it was a culture shock.
I am not used to riding MTA buses with scratched up windows, graffiti and garbage all over the place.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
But is WF better? Most of the Bronx depots suck @$$ (i.e. Gun *Cough Cough* Hill and Kings *Cough Cough* bridge).
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
As far as MJQ being better than WF, I don't know. I have ridden several buses from WF (only on the Bx15) and I have not witnessed any neglect on their buses. I can't see why WF would treat the Bx15 better than any of it's other routes.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Alots of New Flyer 60LFs are rolling!! To see live shuttles:
http://www.transitgallery.com/buscam.php
Photo 1: Wow, what damage. Was it engine-related?
Photo 2: Heh, shows what happens when you mess with the RTS. :)
Photo 3: I'm still wondering how that truck wound up like that.
The second one looks like Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing between Main and Union Streets.
I have no idea about the third.
About pic 2: Can I order an RTS sandwich with lettuce, onions, and tomatoes?
About pic 3: The picture says it all---no comment here!
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta)
Boarded Q8, paid with one card for both myself and a relative, but read error with the same card upon transfer to the Q31. I understand that the DOT bus fare is only $1.50, which is still good to transfer to a city bus, but there's no reason for it to act crazy if I put two transfers on it.
Boarded F train and paid fare, I checked to see that $2.00 were taken off the card. At the B82, the woman in front of me didn't have any money on her card. The machine said "Add $2.00." She stepped aside and so I put my card in (not for her, just for me) expecting the transfer. It took off another fare. Did the farebox think that I was her? That shouldn't have mattered though b/c it was a different card, WITH A TRANSFER ON IT.
Just getting my daily post runs.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
I felt sorry for the driver of our bus, she probably lost a good part of her layover at FTC.
On an Off-topic note- Smarty Jones won the Preakness today. You should have seen how he pulled away from the pack down the stretch!
Chuck Greene
I think at Norristown a Neo beat a NABI up the hill to Airy St (unfortunately, bus races can't be held up that hill anymore (between the 98 and 96) because a) the buses are too wide nowadays and b) there's this dumpster that goes out into the road kinda.)
Chuck Greene
Buses rode today
2:43 5758 M14D
6:48 105X M14D
7:13 1016 M102
7:54 527 QM1A
8:30 510 Q46
The 1999 Orion V's, the '93 Orion repowers, the '95 Orion CNGs, the NF Artics and the C40LF's as well as the 2000-2004 LIB Orions do sound vastly different from the inside with their a/c's running. It is a low-pitched growling sound, which is a very wierd dynamic, in that, these buses sound relatively normal from the outside.
The last group of buses that did this were the TA 8000 fishbowls with the "bat wings". It their case it was a low pitched "hummmm". In fact, the last time I checked, MTA museum bus 8466 still has working air conditioning, which means the "hummmm" sound is present on that bus to this day!
Good job in picking that up.
Mark
http://www.glue.umd.edu/~ckder/OrionV_AC.mp3
http://www.glue.umd.edu/~ckder/OrionV_NoAC.mp3
Also, for Ride-On's 2001 Orion Vs, there is this lovely sound that reminds me strongly of their Orion Is, one of the reasons I like them oh so much.
It's summer time!
Maybe it's a Thermo King thing?
Ah well, back to the drawing board. Today I had the pleasure of riding a Dorado with the a/c on, and got to hear that lovely deep hum that made me like these buses 3 years ago the first time I rode one.
What you might be hearing is the addition of the HVAC Compressors, also a new fuel or air filter can alter the sound of a bus easily.
If there is a blow out of a engine, it would be replaced with a DDC Series 50 EGR version, but even then it wont alter the sound that much to really notice the difference.
Regards,
Trevor Logan
www.transitalk.info
All of the MTA's New Flyr D60HF Galaxy Articulateds are powered by Detroit Diesel Series 50s and Allison Transmissions.
#1000-1109 are Detroit Diesel Series 50 DDEC III /Allison B500R World Transmission. #5250-5509 are Detroit Diesel Series 50 DDEC IV /Allison B500R World Transmission. #5510-5769 are Detroit Diesel Series 50 EGR DDEC IV / Allison B500R WTEC Transmission.
The only Series 60 powered Articulateds in the NYC Area are Bee Line's Neoplan AN-460 Transliner Articulateds which are Detroit Diesel Series 60 EGR DDEC IVs with Allison B500R WTEC Transmission. New Jersey Transit's Neoplan AN-459 Transliner Articulateds are CAT C-9 Engines with ZF Ecomat HP-592 Transmission.
Regards,
Da Hui
Since Trevor is in my "Favorite SubTalkers" book as Operational Engineer II, now he is in my book as The 795! :-)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Take a couple of more shots before riding 511 and its pretty congested on Cross Bay at first but then everything goes well afterwards to B 98 St then I see 4575 so I get on that for my 1st round trip. The best ride of the day for me all around so then these dumbass teens have to show off themselves and act stupid on the bus, causing unnecessary noise briefly but then its all good to Rockaway Blvd and I take my second RT. I let the Orion go and board 8257, which was the next bus to come by, good at first but went kinda slow by time we were in Broad Channel and then I just get on 568 for the trip back to Rockaway Blvd and its a good ride. To my surprise, I saw a bus with S to Rockaway Blvd, cool. Waited about 10 minutes for the Q11 to arrive and for ONCE I had a GBL bus with decent A/C, 290. We head north via Woodhaven and all is well until we notice that the back door doesn't work and plus people need better hygiene and move to the back of the bus, shit!
This one lady got very frustrated at people hogging all of the room in the front and I just shook my head b/c of this incompetence. Anyway got off at the last stop, walked over Queens Blvd, got some ice cream then boarded 10001 on the Q60 and this bus was very hot with all of the windows open. An interesting sight was with one of the windows missing the Excel sliding piece YET the window as still able to slide!! Bus got cooler as we traveled then got off at 60 St, hopped on 5678 on the M15 and rode it south with lots of traffic on 2 Av to Delancey St to wait for the B39. I notice that the L shuttle bus in Manhattan was running from Essex St to 8 Av/14 St and I saw 5180,5554 & 8615 there. Then I get on 9586, quick ride over the Willy-B then I ride 8024 on the B46 LTD and just made 800 on the B8 to finish my trip.
Some observations:
-Saw two Classics, 711 & 715 on the Q7 and Q41 respectively.
-The bad conditions of GBL just piles up. In addition to the defects I stated earlier, at least 3 buses had paper signs.
-More ex-QV 9200's are now at Jamaica.
A few pics to come later on.
The buses I saw. Enjoy.
QV: 506,511,520,8257,8352,8369,8372,8375,8378,8393,9362,9365,9373
CS: 288,298,309,568,571,634,636,641,642,669,670,677,6123,6134
JAM: 4575,8954,8956,8960,8962,8972,9255,9259,9268,9291,9543,9551,9556,9565,9566
R68A 5104 (Q)
R42 4556 (M)
R42 4761 (M)
RTS 4647 B54
R143 8266 (L)
R44 5279 (A)
O5 511 A SHUTTLE
RTS 4575 A SHUTTLE
RTS 8257 A SHUTTLE
O5 568 A SHUTTLE
GBL RTS 290 Q11
GBL RTS 10001 Q60
NF Artic 5678 M15 LTD
RTS 9586 B39
RTS 8024 B46 LTD
NF 800 B8
Enjoy!
The fourth pic was taken on the Cross Bay Blvd. (A) station where you could you're looking at the Dunkin Donuts on Rockaway Blvd. and Woodhaven Blvd.
Where was the first pic though? It looks kind of like Myrtle Av. under the (M), but Orions don't exist there.
"You were standing where the B13 and B52 stops" is what I meant to say.
Da Hui
First off came Bladensburg, 2378 was the first bus
Then came up Landover and some nopowers, 97s and their 98 surburbans
Then Arlington, Royal, Northern and Four Mile Run
I left for work before seeing Annex, Western, Southern and Montgomery, which from what I have seen and heard no sign of 9719. Maybe that will be seen tomorrow, by then it will look halfway like a Neoplan ;D.
David
Presumably NYBS would have to charge more for a Fisbowl than a school bus. Would the schools be willing to pay extra. Also would Mr. Arrigoni want to go into the charter bus business and rent out to various groups and tour operators?
Is a seperate license or permit needed for charter work, would he have to get an ICC license to take the buses out of NYS (and at what cost?). Would his insurance increase and could he get enough revenue from the charters to cover any additional costs?
Personally I think the Q9/9A, Q19/19B,Q103,Q112 and maybe a few others
David
That is (or should be) the definitive answer to everybody's questions.
However, I am curious. What your reasons why you feel the need to discontinue the routes I just mentioned?
the Q112 because the Q8 is very close to it except on South Rd
and the Q112 has less people on its buses compare to the Q8
and the 9A because it runs almost every 60 mins
someone could already get to their distination by then
2) The Q112 will not be changed. NYCDOT puts certain buses on a greatly reduced schedule if they believe they are useless.
3) The Q9 will not be changed, but the Q9A might, since it involves one bus and one driver. We don't know and the people who do aren't speaking.
4) Any credible transfer information will come from one of about 10 people on this board. I do not belong to this group of 10, but I am sure that at least one will share the goodies with me when they get it. These people will not post anything until it's double checked and approved. Until then, assume that all routes will run on July 1st, all the buses won't have blue stripes, and the Fishbowls are done. I can almost guarantee the first and I definitely can guarantee the last two.
I'm usually one of the 10 people. Unfortunately, my colleagues and I still don't have sufficient "security clearance" to know the whole NYCT-DOT story (we ask five people and get eight wrong answers), so all my information comes from the newspapers.
[These people will not post anything until it's double checked and approved.]
In my case, I won't post anything on Bus/SubTalk until it's actually made public (e.g. by being included in a pick).
No drivers are going to lose their jobs because of any route changes.
If anything more drivers will be needed in order to have the DOT routes come up to MTA guidelines and current contract regulations involving swings,reports and clearing times
Thats my opinion
Thank You
Changing how the route goes, but keeping it out of the same depot & maybe adding service wouldn't be a problem.
The Local 100 folks have been told that they will be able to follow their jobs, so if it move to an existing TA depot the TA & Local would have to get into it, I dought they want to that at this point.
Interesting is that Command Bus and Green Bus Lines are both ATU companies
Interesting is that Command is located in Brooklyn which is TWU and civil service
Interesting is that Jamaica Bus Inc. routes may end up in the Queens Division of the TA which is ATU and civil service
The only thing that Local 100 can say is that the union members of Jamaica Bus,Queens Surfice,Triboro Coach and those from Liberty Lines Express and New York Bus Service who chose to work for the MTA is that they will have a job. That's it period. They could end up in Queens, Manhattan or the Bronx but no way can say a Queens Surfice driver who works the Q-67 can follow that route if its moved to Fresh Pond Depot(Which i believe will happen)
Thats my opinion only and its my speculation
Thank You
Union 101 = put it on a flyer, say it at a meeting, leak it to the press ... opps that's Management 101 too !
The parties aren't talking much, so the union is posturing.
Union 102 = The one who talks to the troops will be who they listen to & believe. When I went for a shop steward to a supervisor I remembered that, so I became the one with the information who got it to the troops FIRST. There are always two sides to the story, so who are you going to believe, the one who gets there first has it easy, #2 has a uphill battle.
The Q112 also carries a sizable amount of passengers and also, doesn't the Q112 have faster headways than the Q8.
1-That Triboro Route Q-53 will be consolidated with Green Line Route
Q-21
2-That Triboro Route Q-19 will be consolidated with Queens Surfice Route Q-103
3-That Queens Surfice Route Q-34 will be discontinued to 149th Street with additional service being added to the Q-25 route. Service between Main Street/Rooservelt Avenue to 149th Street/Willets Point is provided by the Q-14
4- That Command Route B-100 will be consolidated with the B-2
5- That Green Line Routes Q-9A and Q-10A will be discontinued
6- That Green Line Routes Q-22 and Q-22A will be consolidated
Thats my opinion only. Any comments
Thank You
11extended to Otis/60 Av. To replace 38
New Ridgewood-Flushing service From Myrtle-Wyckoff via Palmetto, Gates, Forest Av. and Eliot to Queens Center, and then via Borden Av. (LIE service road) to College point Blvd, and then via the existing 58 route to Flushing.
58, continues down Fresh Pond Rd. and then pick up the current B13 route to Jamaica Ave and terminate. From 108th St., possibly reroute to more direct route to Flushing via Roosevelt Av.
B52 extended down Gates; picks up B13 route to Fresh Pond Rd. and terminates.
If new route above is not approved, then an alternative is to reroute 58 via Borden Ave. (LIE service road) from 69th St. to 108th St. A new service would take over the Corona Avenue segment.
18switches with 45 south of 69th and Calamus Av. to 80th St. and Eliot; then extended via Eliot to 69th, then via 69th to Metropolitan Av., then to the Metropolitan Av. M station.
45 switches to 18 route to Grand Ave. then follows current 58 route to Ridgewood.
New service would run from Queens Plaza via Queens Blvd. To Van Dam, then to Review St., 56th Av., Rust St., Flushing Av. To Metropolitan Av. then via current B38 Grandview loop to Seneca, (B38 Stanhope branch to Metropolitan would be discontinued, and all would continue via Seneca Ave.);
then to Gates or Palmetto, then Myrtle-Wyckoff terminal.
B13 reroute via old 18 more direct route via Cypress Av. and Cypress Hills St. Perhaps redesignate as 18
Or, 39 would originate at Myrtle Wyckoff, then via Seneca, Stanhope, Grandview/Woodward loop, Flushing, to 60th St. and 59th Dr. to Rust St. then via 56 Dr. to 48 St., then current route to Van Dam St.; then reroute via Queens Blvd. To Queens Plaza, then terminate at Courthouse Sq. 7 station, instead of terminating and originating at Queens Plaza, then going out of the way to Courthouse Sq. en route. 45 would pick up current 39 route via Eliot and Forest, and B26 or B54 would pick up 58 route via Madison to Fresh Pond and terminate.
Or, look at way to combine 39 and 67; eliminated route would be moved to become the new service via Queens Blvd, Van Dam, Review and 56 Dr.
55 extend to Jamaica-Van Wyck E station, or via Hillside to Sutphin Av. or 165th St. terminal.
60 Limited stops; articulated buses
10 Increase service; articulated buses, if possible.
RENUMBERING OF VASTLY DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF ROUTES;
Current———————Suggested
10A———————50 0r 110
19A———————49
19B———————89
65A———————64
101R——————100
Available Queens route numbers
49, 50, 51, 52, 57, 61, 62, 63, 64, 68, 70, 71, 73, 78, 80, 81, 82, 86, 87, 89-100, 105-110
There IS a Q110 you know...
Read the Queens Bus Map more often.
To be continued....
The Q11 extension would be to replace the 38 east of the mall (is that what you meant by 39?) The 58 passes nearby, and I considered merging them, but for now, I'm trying to leave people with the same level of service as they have now. In the public input process, they could determine if service could be cut or merged.
The Q-11 is whats called a feeder route because it feeds the following subway stations
1-Rockaway Blvd on the A Line
2-Woodhaven Blvd on the J/Z Line
3-Woodhaven Blvd on the G/R/V Line
In addition it has major traffic generators such as Queens Center Mall.
There is no need to modify the Q-11
Thats my opinion
Thank You
The 58 wouldn't run on Jamaica Av, just terminate there like the 18 used to. The purpose of that was to replace the 13's service from Fresh Pond to Cypress Hills.
B13- No, No, No, No, No, No, No!!! The B13 is fine the way is. This is by far one useful routes that Ridgewood residents have. It doesn't need to be changed
Almost a Half an hour from Palmetto to Jamaica! a long out of the way route through tight streets, hard turns, heavy traffic and parking. This is the epitome of what makes travel through, from and to Ridgewood so HORRIBLE! I was upset that they kept that route but eliminated the more direct B18, though I could see that the 18 was badly underused, but then if they had simply extended it to Spring Creek and cut back the 13, then perhaps it would have done better. So simply splitting it, with Williamsburg-Wyckoff area riders getting direct service via Cypress, and Freh Pond riders having their own service through the cemetary, all would be served.
B52- Why? Most Ridgewood residents can just take the Q58 or (M) to get to where they need to go. Most people around Fresh Pond Rd. use the (M) station anyway. A 67Av./Fresh Pond Rd terminal is crappy, Why? Because it's too small of an area to have buses terminating there, buses won't even be able to get into FP Depot!
Well, I'm taking away Wyckoff-Fresh Pond routes, so I wanted to replace them. (Same with 18). We certainly don't need that reduced. But the slow path through that area would be better served with a route that ends there, and does not have to be depended on to leave the neighborhood to places like Cypress Hills or other parts of Queens. Plus it would be better for the drivers, who wouldn't have to deadhead, or pick up the run enroute (saves riders a minute or two). It would just use the existing stops on Putnam and 67th. Many buses park in the area for a while anyway.
Q18- This one doesn't sound too bad, but I don't think there is enough ridership to make this change possible.
This was to replace the Eliot branch of the 38, in case residents over there would complain about the loss of direct service (West of the cemetary would be handled by the new 38 loop). If there is not emough riders, and people don't complain, then scrap the idea; keep the current terminal that the 45 now uses.
Q45- No, like I said before the Q58 can't really be change for the better. It doesn't need to go Metro Av.
I did this so Ridgewood could get the direct service to the Roosevelt Av/74th St. transit hub. You live in Ridgewood? You should know how hard it is to get to many of these places and corridors from here.
Q39- From Cooper Av.(current terminal) have continue until Cypress Av., go on Cypress Av. to Myrtle/Wyckoff
That would be another out of the way path. I considered making it go across to Jamaica Av., but then I would want to move it to Fresh Pond, and move the 58 or extended 45 go down Forest to Cooper. Ialso looked at merging the Cooper service with the Cypress Hills bound service, but I tried not to change those largely residential routes too much. They might object to having new service to certain areas.
Q55- No, Q55 has too many problems, this would just make it worse.
And one of those problems to me is cutting off before it reaches Jamaica, or even the E line. All of the lines that do go through to Jamaica, you have to take something else to get to. The more transfers, the more chance of missing things, etc. and the longer it takes. That's one of the many things that make it look like Ridgewood was deliberately boxed up and cut off from the rest of Queens.
Whatever "problems" you're thinking of, if they extended it, perhaps more people would ride, and then they would be motivated to improve service. (Like running more buses rush hours, instead of waiting until it is packed from the people coming from the L).
Second, the Q10 and Q60 would be EXCELLENT choices for artic buses BUT I don't know if the Q10 can make the right turn off Queens Blvd onto 83rd Av going towards JFK Airport. Also, I'm not totally sold on the Q60 with artics on 139th St between Jamaica and Archer Avs. If so, then BRING THEM ON!!! Also, I've never been on the Q11 but it could use some artics as well.
The Q55 has been talked about for I don't know how long. Leave the Q55 alone. It was talked about extending it to Jamaica Hospital via Hillside Av but it's termination was a problem...I think.
In terms of renumbering....
There is ALREADY a Q110. Check the Queens Bus Map.
Basically, just wait for about another month and then ALL of your questions OR suggestions will be answered!
Ray
Yes let the Q59 service the 62nd Drive Branch of the Q38.
The actual Q38 should be as follows start at Eliot Ave/60th Pl the right on 60th Pl, right on Metro then follow Q38 Juniper route to 63rd Drive to QB then right on QB to Jewel Ave to Q65A route to 164th Street (This one sounds too far fetched, this one may draw critiques)
B52- goin down Gates that is Torture for the street pavement and its too small for a nightmareish 8 mins interval bus up and down the street.
B57 extend please to 69th Street/LIE
Q18 should go down 69th Street to Metro Sta. Q67 rerouted
Q19 give this a Bronx terminal to Yankee Sta next to Bx13 bus stop on Jerome Ave (this sounds crazy but this sould be trial for a few months) if not then merge with Q103. If not this bus then use Q101 Rikers route to service this.
Q39- Dont touch this it is useful as is
Q43- Extend to Myrtle Ave/ Hillside many will use this bus.
Q55- Extend to Jamaica but not the 165 Term maybe Jamaica/Van Wyck
Q53- Discontinue service to Woodside terminate at 74th Terminal and move terminal to Beach 116th Boardwlk Q21 Terminal Limited Liberty Ave - Q Blvd
Q58- just let it go to Main St/ Roosevelt Ave using the Q48 stop 3 block extension
Q60 use LTD short turn at 33rd Street or Qns Plz
Q67 route to Queens Center Mall via LIE (this is really Crazy)
Q104 and B24 there is a barrier on Qns Blvd/ 48th Street that separates them what can be done?
now how bout those Express routes which one are staying which ones are going here is one:
X51 to service the QM3 Branch to Little neck keeping same hours
As for express routes, the main changes I have in mind would be to reroute all of the former Command routes from Cortelyou to Beverley, then straight to Ocean Pkway, and allow them to use that one block of the parkway past Church. Not only are Cortelyou and Church jammed with traffic, but they also are slanted slightly southward, taking you out of the way, slightly. Then the zigzag turning from street to street slows you down too, as also getting off of the Expressway so early (southbound) and winding up on McDonald and Ft Hamilton, then crossing over (no turns are allowed off of the Expwy at church, but they are at Beverley and the other streets). While they're at it, they would also reroute the X29 via Beverley to Ocean Pkwy. The McDonald stop would still be served by whatever van line picked up the old Metro Apple routes, which ran that direction anyway. (I assume they are still running).
To be continued.
Q1 remove from 165th Terminal make route useful and send to Q43 LIRR terminal and move Q43 to Metropolitan Ave- Jamaica Van Wyck make LTD service to Lefferts Blvd weekdays increase LTD service both directions.
Q2/Q3/Q4/Q5 - leave as is
Q6- reroute to Q40 terminal Sutphin- Hillside
Q7- reroute to Jamaica Ave via Rockaway Blvd end to end terminate at Farmers Blvd
Q8- merge with B12 Liberty Ave portion to Broadway Jct
Q9- extend to Cargo Area via Lincoln st- 150th Street
Q9A- reroute to New Lots Ave via Q7 Sutter Ave portion and revive Q21a route via Linden to Brookdale Hospital
Q10 - leave this alone need a schedule adjustment
Q11- rethink all branch service and reschedule with possible Ltd service
Q12- reroute to 108th Street/Roosevelt Ave (I dont know about this one)
Q13,Q14,Q15,Q16,Q17- leave this as is
Q18/Q19 already done
Q19A- need check in ridership
Q19B- move terminal to 108th/Astoria Blvd
Q20- dont touch
Q21- provide local service to compliment the Q53 Ltd kinda like a Bx15/Bx55 thing Q21 doing southern portion and Q11 doing northern end
Q22-Provide service to from one end to the other merge with Bayswater Q22A with additional school trips
Q23- maybe an extension to LGA that is too far fetched
Q24-Q28 dont touch those
Q29- same as other post to merge with Eliot Branch Q38 and serve 74th st Terminal
Q30-Q32
Q33- dont touch this
Q34-Q36
Q37- a feeder route needs new southern terminal
Q38- same as other post
Q39- same as other post
Q40 - reroute to replace 150th street portion of Q7 route
Q41- discontinue route portion pending extension of Q9A on portion of Lindenwood keep route to Lincoln st and reroute instead of using 95th Ave to Atlantic Ave
Q43 move to Jamaica Ave- Van Wyck
Q44 - already done
Q45/Q47 same as other post
Q48 - leave as is
Q49-Q52 renumber a route to this one
Q53- same as other post
Q54 - dont touch
Q55- same as other post
Q58- same as other post
Q59- same as other post
Q65A - merge with Q38
Q72- dont touch this route
Q75-Q79 dont touch those
QM10/11 merge into one route using designation X60
See what we say about this
BIG AL
Ray
Speaking of which should the Q66 be extended down 21st Street to Borden Ave/Vernon Blvd or the Borden Ave turnaround at 5th Street serves F at Qnsbridge, E/V at 23rd Ely, G at Van Alst and 7 at Vernon/Jackson ?
Magic Number : 29
Southbound:
Current route to 43rd Avenue. Left on 43rd Avenue to 50th Street. Right on 50th Street. Right on Roosevelt Avenue. Left on 48th Street to UPS Terminal.
Northbound:
From UPS terminal, left on 56th Road. Left on 50th Street. Left on 55th Avenue. Right on 48th Street. Left on 47th Avenue. Right on 47th Street, continue on current route.
The Q9/Q9A proves to be an excellent route so many. For the Q9, ridership is excellent. I wish I could say the same for the Q9A but I'll ask my mother since she rides that bus to Linden and Guy Brewer.
The Q19/Q19A are excellent routes because they bring people to Queens Plaza. The Q19 is somewhat of a "feeder" route to other bus routes.
The Q112 proves to be a good bus route. Maybe it COULD be extended but overall a good bus route.
Ray
The Q112 would be better if it was extended.
They could extend it to B 116 St using the Q21, and eliminate the Q21.
Or just extend the Q41 to the Rockaways
I did not say to discontinue the Q9, I said the Q9A.
Think about it Midtown to La Guardia
Da Hui
The Q64 would leave the York/60 terminal,follow the M57 till it gets to the bridge entrance between 1 and 2Avs on 57St then cross the bridge,LTD from QBP-82/Roosevelt then local via old Q33 route to LGA.
Da Hui
Da Hui
Da Hui
Not from Midtown and not from the Sunnyside/Woodside neighborhoods.
Only problem with joining Q32 with Q33 would subsequently be adverse affects on reliability of service.
Isn't the Q32 one of the longest (time-wise) routes now operated. By lengthening it to LGA, how much more time will you add to each trip.
How will the drivers have a break or rest area to empty their kidneys.
I think the route would have to be a limited stop or express route otherwise it will take too long and having to take it to LGA to make a plane might be dicey.
Is there a route operated to LGA now? I remember as a child in the 50's, Carey buses used to go there and briefly Olympia bus lines ran one. Does Airport Buses ( affiliate of Private Transport) run one now and could they block it in court?
All food for thought.
Olympia ran to LGA!? Weird! From where? Where else did it stop? From when to when(years)?
It pays to leave the Q-32 and Q-33 status quo
Thank You
And as for the route being to time comsuming thats BS because the Q44
takes the same amount of time or like 5 min less to go to Jamaica from the Bronx
And after the takeover I dont see why they should not let the bus
layover in front of the terminal like the Q33 does
But lets see the bigger picture
A one seat ride to the airport for one fare
Basically you can take the subway from midtown and change at the 74th Street/Rooservelt Ave complex for the bus faster than taking a one seat ride from Manhattan.
A local bus route from Penn Station to La Guardia Airport will take anywhere from 90 minuates to two hours one way.
Thats why in my opinion such a route will not work
Thank You
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
And yes, last time I looked New York Airport Service had a little office on the east side of Park Avenue between 41st and 42d Sts. Ticket machines, schedules, even an agent. I've taken it on weekend or Holiday mornings to LGA and it took 20-25 minutes. A driver told me that even in rush hour traffic you usually make the trip in 45 minutes. Not too bad, really.
One thing, though, I took NY Airport Service one July 4th morning a couple years ago and our bus broke down en route. One of the riders was really giving the driver a hard time. He was telling me (and others) that NY Airport Service was in bankruptcy proceedings, the buses were woefully undermaintained and when you broke down 'help' had to come all the way from a garage in Bklyn. He assured us we'd be sitting a long long time. Actually a relief bus showed up in about 15 minutes.
David
Thats my opinion
Thank You
Really? Yesterday I was checking out and taking pictures of the buses at AAFB. Unknowingly, I stepped out into the middle of the bus pull-up lane, an MP approached me
"You trying to get back to FedEx field?"
"No, I'm just checking out the buses here"
"Oh ok, just step back behind the ropes, I dont want you getting run over"
The MP seemed pretty loose about me checking out the buses and he didn't even question me, and look at what I got out of it http://talk.nycsubway.org/perl/read?bustalk=113839 ;-)
BTW, after giving his presentation speech, the MP onboard my bus from Branch Ave to AAFB was talking to the bus operator and how he drove his 97 MCI down to Texas. "It drove like a dream"
Maybe MPs have a little bit of a BusFan inside them?
BTW 4247 should be a bus of interest, because either the font on that bus's destination sign was programmed to be very large or that is a different LED destination sign. That was a very large SHUTTLE sign, noticeable from about six miles away.
Has the order been completed or are the D60HFs still coming in? If so, which routes/depots are they being assigned to? TIA.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
There are more coming in. Quill is done as far as I know, unless they are planning to articulate another route.
BTW: 5769's LED sign on the front is broken, it has fallen inward.
They're good like that. I bet you feel lucky to have the best depot in NYC as your home depot. :-)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
What's UTC?
BTW: I am happy to see that the crappy-@$$ Kings *Cough Cough* bridge depot will not be getting any more!
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
DNJ
7655-7679, 7682-7683, 7686-7688, 7690-7692, 7713, 7715-7716, 7718, 7720, 7722-7723, 7726, 7728.
Regards,
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
#7655-7683
#7686-7688, 7690-7692, #7713, #7715-7716, #7718-7720, #7722-7723, #7725-7726, #7728, #7730 with Orange or Yellow LED destination signs...right?
Ray
Ray
7748!
WHY IS THAT?
Any information is greatly appreciated.
7561, 7684-7685, 7689, 7693-7712, 7714, 7717, 7719, 7721, 7724, 7727, 7729, 7731-7747.
So to say up to 7760, in bus delivery reality, its not TECHNICALLY gonna happen, however bus 7760 itself MAY appear.
Regards,
The 1999 Novas and Orion V have serious flaw up to and including major Suspension issues. The NJT 1999-2000 Nova order was churned out fast, PURE CRAP. The NJ Neoplan order is being churned fast and those are having MAJOR problems up to and including Panels just falling off.
So I praise New Flyer for taking thier time because as a property I would rather you take your time and things be right, then for you to churn out fast and send me crap.
Granted some of these buses were already manufactured and sitting up at Orion but those were the missing buses between 7655 and 7682. The newer batch sporting the ZF Ecomat HP592 Trannies and Luminator Horizon LED signs are fresh off the production line and are arriving at and alarming rate. I've already spotted some with non-working signs....NOT a good sign. So I wont give Orion credit that quickly.
Regards,
Acela
Regards,
Picture taken today, about 2 hours prior to this post. Heading to Bay Ridge, it still has a Bronx Bus Map in it.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Left my house a bit late, but I made it in 20 min up to the station. Got the N23 at 10:36. Took it to Mineola, where I picked up the N41 at 11:25. Took that to HTC. Walked over to the Greyhound terminal and picked up a ticket for the 12:00 Shortline. It arrived early, but I think we left on time. Pretty empty, only about 4 other people. Driver was a really nice guy. We talked about photography(I'd been takin pictures galore, I was already on my 2nd 36 shot role by the time his bus got to HTC). The trip was really nice. Bus was very comfortable. We took the HOV lane for most of the trip(we didn't have anyone getting off at Melville, which, going eastbound, is a discharge only stop).
Got to the Islip terminal 15 minutes early. Very small terminal. Not too bad though. I was about to hand in my resume when the ticket agent said the manager would be in later and suggested I just wait and talk to him. Said he wouldn't be back for a while, so I went for some lunch. FYI. Never go to Islip on a sunday! The place is a ghost town. The only thing I could find open was a chinese restaurant(2 pizzaries, a bagel store, and 3 delies, all closed).
Walked back to the terminal and just sat for a while(it was like being in school, spacing out until you're told to do something). The manager came in around 2ish. I helped him and his wife out with unloading some stuff out of his car. We talked for a lil and seemed interested. He left and came back a few times and then we talked some more(at this point, I had missed the 2:30 Adirondack Trailways, which btw, was some weird company. Couley or something like that, purple bus. Go figure).
He took my resume, but said it was doubtful I'd be able to work at Islip, but he could probably get me something at the Brooklyn terminal, which I guess he runs also. It was this that led to a discussion about where I used to live. Turns out he lives in the same neighborhood I did, one building over from me. We talked about who we knew and what not, turns out he knows my mom(well, knows of her).
From there, I got the 3:24 Shortline. Same driver(not suprised). The whole trip we just talked. He's really a nice guy. Going west, we stopped at Melville, where 2 or 3 people got on. Just a small little P&R lot with a bus shelter. No ticket office or nothin. Cash fares from there.
Got to Hempstead on time, or maybe early, idk. I told him bout the site here, hopefully he'll check it out soon. He gave me a roll of film free(thanks alot man!). I'm lucky he did, cuz I got off, took a shot of the bus, and that was it for my 2nd roll of 36. I loaded in the one he gave me, turned around, and saw the greatest site ever. 396 on the N40 parked at HTC! I ran up and as I got closer I saw it was actually 397. I guess this is the first reported sighting of it(aside from when Qtrain said I saw it, lol). The destination sign was flickering. I got a shot of it just as it was pulling away. I turned around and there it was. 396 on the N71 Sunrise Mall. Got a shot of that as it pulled away too. I'm sure both will come out like crap, but w/e.
Got the N15 to RFM and brought my application to Sam Goody. Got back to the bus stop at 10 to 5. Right then I knew I was screwed cuz the 22 wasn't due in til 20 after(meaning only 1 minute between buses at Mineola). I was waitin for that when the N27 pulled up. Got a schedule and was askin the driver if he meets the last N23 at Roslyn, but he didn't know. It was then I turned around to a voice complementing my camera and askin if I was NIMBYkiller. Right away I knew it was Qtrain. I knew one day I'd run into him either there or at HTC. Only talked to him for about a minute when the 22 Jamaica pulled up.
Took about 5 mintues for the N22 to load up. As soon as I saw the line for the bus, I knew I wasn't gonna make the N23. Things would only get worse from there. (mistake #1, getting on the N22 instead of the N27 where I could get the 23 at Roslyn RR or have a cab pick me up for cheaper than from Mineola).
By the time we got to Old Country Rd(now 10 minutes behind schedule), the N23 was supposed to be leaving Mineola. Mistake #2: Staying on til Mineola terminal instead of getting off at Willis Av and running a few blocks up, where I probably could've caught the 23. I missed the N23, last bus of the day. Now that just sucks. lol. Was about to get a cab from there to my house, when I decided to take the train to Roslyn and get a cab from Roslyn, which would've been much cheeper.
Got my ticket as the OB train pulled up. Got on and when the C/R came, I couldn't find my ticket. I think I left it in the TVM. I was certain he would kick me off at East Williston, but thankfully, didn't.
Got off at Roslyn, appologized, and walked over to a taxi that happened to be there. 10 bux to get home from there. Oh well, got to see Naz's house. Forgot to tip the guy though, oops.
All in all, a totally kick ass trip! I can't wait to develop the pics(3 rolls, 2 36s, 1 24).
Hey, Luiz, if you there man, welcome to the boards, and thanks for the film and the great camera advice!
He also told me that the front of the bus we were on was made by MCI, while the rest of it, from the partition between the stairs to the door and the seats is made by Greyhound. Pretty cool.
2 digit numbers - All of the old Brill and St. Louis cars.
3 digit numbers - Mostly Red Arrow/Frontier Fishbowls and Flxibles both 35 and 40 foot buses. 800-909 were the AMG Trolleys in the CTD, 100-128 were the Kawasaki LRV, 130-155 are the N5 Norristown cars, 160-165 were the old 60 series Norristown cars, the 200's were the Bullet cars. The trolley numbers conflicted with the bus numbers in the Red Arrow Fleet until all of the old cars and buses were retired. The high 400's were the ex CTA cars.
11/1200's - Small buses in the CTD [30 & 35 footers]
2000's - The PCC cars. One-man stared at 2000, two man started at 2500. That explains the split in the Air and All electric fleet of cars.
3000's - Retired Green Hornet Buses
4000's - Fishbowls [the 4000's and early 4100's were retired. The rest of the fleet that got rebuilt started at 4150-4427]. In the 80's, the 35 foot RTS were numbered 4458-70, and in 2000, the Eldorados took up the 4500 series.
5000's - The 102" Fishbowls. Non AC 5000-5049, and AC 5050-99
6000's - The CTD Flxibles Red arrow Flxibles were numbered in the 200's, 300's and 400's. [285-94, 300-24, 335-59, 360-408]
7000's - Articulated buses. Volvos 7001-50, and current Neoplans 7101-7255
8000's - RTS and Neoplans. Note the only gap occurred only in the Neoplan fleet, not between the RTS and Neoplans. [RTS 8000-8284, Neoplans started at 8285 and went through 2 models up to 8584. Then the 8000's finished out started at 8601-8875. let's not forget the Volvo freak at 8590, The 35 foot Neos went into the 1300's.
9000's - the current Kawasaki SS cars
When SEPTA got the DK's the numbering system went back to 3000, and the buses were numbered consecutively [3000-3131, 3132-3251, 3252-3371, 3372-3491]
In 1996, SEPTA skipped the 4000 series [because they had those small RTS's in the 4400's] and numbered the NABI's in the 5000 series [5001-5400], and it continues to this day with the New Flyers [5401 and up to a possible 6050]. The Eldorados went into the 4500 series.
When SEPTA introduced the cutaways, they went into the 2000 series. [Although the first Breeze buses had numbers in the 300's. they were renumbered into the low 2000's.]
Now why didn't SEPTA use the 4000-4500 series for any buses?
...
Although the influx of tourists, which grows thick in spring and summer, might irritate the daily commuter, Congress had visitors in mind when it began planning "America's subway" in the late '60s. The system was designed not just to ferry bureaucrats to their government offices, but also to serve as a national example of modern, efficient urban transportation.
...
Recent offenders include 21 fifth-graders from Westview Elementary School near Muncie, Ind., seven New York State Police troopers in gray dress uniforms and the Eichel family of Chapel Hill, N.C.
My personal peeve is not the tourists standing on the wrong side, but the large crowds of them that form at the ends of the escalators. They seem completely obvlivious that dozens of people of minute, for the next several minutes, are coming down that escalator... seems the absolute worst at Pentagon City during tourist season.
I noticed that the wheelchair seats were different from the (dare I say it?) older SEPTA NABI/New Flyer seats in that they appeared to have some sort of latching system to keep the seat down. Curious to see if I was right, I put my foot underneath the seat to see if I could push it up. To my surprise, I heard the special wheelchair chime (two normal dings, then the ding-dong similar to ones on WMATA Metrorail and NYCTA subways, as well as the NABI wheelchair stop request sound - yes, they are supposed to be different than the normal ones when you push the yellow strip). I looked underneath the seat, and discovered this oversized yellow button beneath the seat.
Of course this was before my stop, I apologized and told the driver that I wanted to get off at the school (it was okay, he knows I take his bus to my school anyway - shame on me for taking SEPTA to school so often (as a result of missing/passing up my school bus)).
I wonder if the 5400s-5600s (the Allison New Flyers) have the same or similar feature, as well as the big Neos? I was wondering where the wheelchair stop request thing was for those buses.
Happy busfanning!
SEPTA doesn't provide many shuttles for many events...
Is the Lilac Festival just an average flower show, or is there something more to it than that? (probably if they are running artic shuttles).
Lilac Festival is part of flowers and it also has vendors, music, food, rides, many to name. RGRTA offers free shuttles and they use artics.
You can watch the live bus cam at Bus Cam and make sure watch the first cam and watch it this Satuday the 22nd and Sunday 23rd, you will see artics running every 5-10 minutes from 10a till 8pm.
RGRTA hosts many event shuttles, and it is a big key and help carry people around, a clever move!
Centro does the same thing in Syracuse. I agree that running these services is a smart move, because it can give a positive impression of bus service to thousands of people who otherwise would never set foot inside a bus. For example, Centro runs a huge shuttle operation for the New York State Fair in late August and early September that has grown in ridership every year - it includes a parking lot shuttle that employs 12 to 15 buses at a time and express buses from park & ride lots throughout the greater Syracuse area. You can see anything from Centro's blue early-1990's Orion V's to the newest CNG city buses and MCI commuter coaches in the fleet. Centro also runs the parking shuttles for Syracuse University football and basketball games at the Carrier Dome - the football shuttles often employ several dozen buses at a time. And during various times of the year, Centro will run special buses when conventions are in town to take attendees from the main hall downtown to the hotels located in different parts of the city.
Jim D.
Bus service upgrades to cost $1.5M
By James Goodman
Staff writer
(May 17, 2004) — The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority today announced a number of initiatives designed to make bus service more customer friendly.
The changes, called the Driving Excellence Initiative, will be implemented during the next 18 months and will cost about $1.5 million.
”We are no longer going to be comfortable with being good,” said Mark Aesch, the chief executive officer of RGRTA.
Each of RGRTA’s 100 busiest bus stops will have a display monitor telling riders when a bus will actually arrive. The monitors will be tied to scheduling software tracking buses.
In upcoming months, riders will be able to click onto www.rgrta.com and find out actual arrival times. And riders will be able to purchase bus passes online that will be mailed to them.
Trip planning also will be possible on the new RGRTA Web site. Riders will be able to put in the location they’re at and where they want to go. The computer will provide a printout of bus route options for the trip.
A number of kiosks will be installed, including one at the fast ferry terminal that, with the help of computers, will permit passengers to do such origin-destination planning. And riders will be able to purchase bus passes for the trip.
About 5,300 bus-stop signs will be replaced with new signs that provide more information about routes and fares.
Frequent users of buses will get a discount. Aesch said it will be like a frequent-flier discount.
Smaller buses, 22-feet long instead of the 40-footers, will be used when appropriate, in off-peak hours. They will be 50 percent more fuel-efficient. How many such buses will be purchased has not been determined.
Implementation of the changes will begin in about a month.
RGRTA has an annual budget of $58.5 million. It provides bus service to about 15 million riders a year in Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Wayne and Wyoming counties. Services will be added in Seneca County later this summer.
that sounds like a great way to get more ridership. Are these changes just in Rochester or will it go out to the suburbs as well?
Smaller buses are more fuel efficient? I guess there is a point to 30ft buses, or *shudder* cutaways.
RGRTA is doing this entirelly the county, they also manage 7 other county transt systems, RGRTA is pretty BIG!
http://www.rnews.com/Story.cfm?ID=18345&rnews_story_type=18
Seriously, what is with the lack a/c lately?
Anyway, I decided to do something different. Instead of telling you what routes I took, I will tell you the bus manufacturer and the number of the bus and see if you can figure out the routes that I rode.
I'm sure you all will figure it out. I will post the answers tonight w/ pictures.
Orion V CNG #3047
TMC #2819
Orion V #6062
Orion VII #7670
New Flyer D60LF #5462
I took the train and bus back to Rockaway. They were:
"4" - R142 #1142
"D" - R86 #2509
"A" - R44 #5351
"A Shuttle Bus" - #9259
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
I am still trying to recover from nearly catching a heat stroke from all of those hot @ss buses I rode. :)
Seriously, what is with the lack a/c lately?
Heh, I also noticed that as well. I had GBL 10001 on the Q60 on Saturday and that bus was just hot and all the windows were open [plus one that had a missing Excel sliding piece].
Not quite, but you are very close. By the way, what time were you at B. 98th St? I arrived about 10 minutes to 3 in the afternoon.
Here's a couple of pictures that I took:
I will post more later.
Ray
That's a huge font for the LED sign, though - it looks so big, and yet oddly fitting!
Ray
RESPECT THE BUSES OF WASHINGTON D.C.?
Otherwise I don't really have a 100% list of what is scrap or not, just guessing on these.
B1-#4648-TMC
B1-#9315-NOVABUS
Montgomery-7: 4332, 4337, 4344, 4366, 4367, 4369, 4372, 4373
Landover-7:4258, 4261, 4262, 4265, 4269, 4271, 4391
Northern-5:4294, 4296, 4297, 4298, 4299
Western-6:4307, 4345, 4349, 4350, 4353, 4355
Southern-9:3917, 3922, 3924, 4203, 4204, 4280, 4285,4286, 4328
Annex-3:4218, 4252, 4388
Arlington-4:4214, 4244, 4246, 4385
Royal-3:4312, 4315, 4324
Four Mile Run-10: 4211, 4224, 4227, 4233, 4236, 4237, 4287, 4288, 4292, 4293
Also Southern looks like they are now getting the LED signs. 4286 was spotted leaving the Rhode Island Avenue Station. That bus is rehabbed also.
Thank you.
Last I knew, the plan was to oust buses from the tunnel altogether and save that for the rail line. I'm certainly not anti-rail, but Seattle boasts a very unique, very effective bus system. I don't think it's fair, wise, or even practical to neglect the extensive bus system and give all the advantages to the rail line. The greatest thing about the bus tunnel is that buses from all over the region can use it. With the rail line, it will be reserved for a route that serves only a handful of areas.
As for the fleet, King County purchased 236 dual-mode (diesel and trolley) Breda articulated buses in the early 1990s. Dubbed "tunnel buses", these vehicles were designed to operate as diesels on the surface, and then hook up to the overhead upon entering the tunnel. The Bredas have had a host of problems, none of them inherent to the concept behind tunnel-surface operation, but enough to desuade Metro from buying more dual-modes. Know that the tunnel is well ventilated, so it's not impossible to see a diesel bus down there.
Most of the Bredas (5000-5235) are still in service today, a number of them repainted to Sound Transit colors for use on the Metro-operated ST Route 550. The Breda fleet will meet a variety of fates. Some will be replaced by hybrid-electric New Flyer DE60LFs, some will be retired and not replaced because of the light rail line, still others will be converted to straight trolleys to supplement the 4000-series MAN articulated trolleys.
Keep in mind that Seattle's trolleybuses effectively operate on two networks.
- The "tunnel routes" (those using the Bredas) are essentially diesel routes, as they operate under wire only in the tunnel and on diesel for rest of their distance. Tunnel routes come from all over the region. So a vehicle that starts as a diesel bus at a remote suburban park and ride might end downtown as a trolley in the tunnel. There's also a handful of city routes which use the tunnel.
- The second network is a more traditional system. Routes like 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 36, 43, 44 (probably missing a couple) travel under wire for their entire routes on the surface; they do not enter the tunnel. You won't see dual-mode Bredas on these routes, but you will see MAN articulated trolleys (1986 vinatge) and 40-foot Gillig Phantom trolleys (2001-02) which use some equipment from the old AM General trolleys. Neither of these types has dual-mode capability. As I mentioned above, some choice Bredas are being "undieselized" and moved to the non-tunnel trolley network.
I like both networks, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that tunnel buses and LRT trains can coexist in the tunnel. The tunnel has made for a truly unique operation. I hope this is helpful.
After my lesson, I decided to take a stroll down to Germantown Depot to see some sleeping Breeze cutaways. It was full of ZFers (I assume - I think I saw 577X), and there were also some new Paratransit vehicles too! Maybe we'll see them around on the street!
After missing a Neo, I got Neo 3226, a screamer! It was great, I just slid down in my seat - soon the bus was empty except for me and the driver, so I relaxed, practically taking a nap...then I saw outrageous site #2 - a NEW FLYER on the 23! I couldn't believe it. I especially didn't think I would EVER see a New Flyer on the 23.
I got my latte from a rather rude lady (I kinda regret paying money for it - it wasn't that amazing, and I had to ask for whip cream - she gave me a "" look that was rather displeasing).
When I went outside to wait for my L, I heard a whoop and clapping. I looked over and saw the Dancing Man, who was whooping and saying "yeah!" as he listened to his music and danced on the side of the street - timberlake moves and everything. That provided some entertainment until my bus came! I heard that he does that a lot - a lady on the bus said that she didnt' see him for a while, but I guess since it was so nice, you know...
As I was comfortable in my ZFer seat, I noticed for the first time how off the announcement system was. Nowhere near Church Rd it was announcing a transfer for the 27, and according to this bus, my high school is the mall. it missed two stop announcements, though - the stop for my high school and the stop for chemical rd for the metroplex.
I got off the bus (it was mine for the last stretch to the mall) and waiting for my champion to show up (guess where my violin was?). I made it up to my house where my grandmother pointed out my lack of instrument. So, I called SEPTA, but all the lines were closed. So, I worried about it all night, hopeing someone wouldn't steal it.
I called this morning - do you know there is a specific number for lost and found? It's not listed on the website or in the schedules. Anyway, thankfully, my violin was found and is being held at the Midvale depot. I'm excited at the chance to see Midvale, but I'll have to be strong in case I see my poor, dead, Neo DKs...(gulp). Hey, I wonder if they'll give me a piece of one for free, like a destination/run sign. Hmm...
Happy transit travels!
6:15 am - 403 bus from Collings and White Hore Pike to Camden Rand Transit Center.[Flx-3156]
6:41 am - RiverLINE from WRTC Camden to Trenton Station [Car 3515-part of a two car train. Didn't get the number of the other car]
7:50 am - NEC Train 3928 from Trenton to Newark - This was the bad trip. First car 6528 {an new Alsthom car] looked like poo. The interior destination sign looked like it was going to fall down at any time, part was held up [barely] with duct tape. Then the train encountered cantenary wire problems at Rahway, that added 35 minutes to an express trip that started with only 3 stops, then non-stop to Newark.
9:25 am - PATH 872 - Trip to WTC. The open area around the station is somewhat jarring, but I see the all-important signs of renewed re-building. When I no longer see daylight when the train reatces WTC, then I feel that progress is being made.
10:30 am - RTS 9194 M6 - After breakfast, had a 20 minute wait for this bus. Rode to 42 St.
11:20 am - D train to the Bronx [rode an R68, didn't get the car number]. Got off at 167 because I forgot where to get the Bx40/42.
11:40 am - Flyer 5720 Bx1 from 167/Concourse to Burnside Ave/Concourse.
12:00 noon - Flyer 5378 Bx40 From Concourse to W.Farms. 5378 had an orange LED front, and the usual flip-dot side sign. I didn't think they worked together. The bus also looked like poo as well.
12:50 pm - Orion 228 Q44 bus - Broken destination sign. Nodded off and on during the trip to Jamaica Queens.
2:10 pm - RTS 8173 Q31. Unre-powered RTS. Went to 169-Hillside. Tried that new Caribbean Fast Food place [Golden Crust], had a tasty, but spicy lunch, and finished the meal on the F train.
2:45 pm - F train - Car 5500 [R46]. Rode from 169 St to 42 St. Finished my lunch on the train.
3:25 pm - B train - car 4532 [R40m] hogged the Railfan window from 42 St to Kings Hwy. Got off to get some caffeine in me.
4:05 pm - Q train - car 5029 [R68a] Kings Highway to Prospect Park.
4:18 pm - B Train - car 4544 [R40m] Prospect Park to Atlantic Ave.
4:30 pm - 4 train - car 1182 [R142S] As I was riding this line, I remembered the old Redbirds that used to dominate on this and all of the other IRT lines. Now the R142's will be the new Redbirds [go ahead, curse me, damn me to hell for saying such blasphemy]. Rode from Atlantic Ave to Grand Central.
5:15 pm - After taking in the atmosphere in GC at 5PM , went to get on a Penn Station Bus. It was RTS 9522 on the M4. Got off at Herald Sq and walked to Penn Station Faster than the bus got there due to traffic.
5:43 pm - NJT NEC train 3965. Made this train with a minute to spare no thanks to the PIECE OF poo TICKET VENDING MACHINE. It refused to read my Visa debit card, and they are slow to boot. No wonder the NJT customer service person tried to calm me down. [I attracted her attention by loudly dropping F-bombs at the machine]
This was the GOOD trip. The train left Penn Station at 5;43, stopped at Newark at 6 pm, then FLEW like a rocket to Princeton Jct. The only bad thing [it wasn't that bad], was that car 5369 was a bit too hot. But when the train moved, the temperature got a little more bearable.
7:00 pm - RiverLINE car 3516. Uneventful trip from Trenton to Camden WRTC.
8:14 PM - 400 bus Flx 3149. Used this line because I had to wait 45 minutes for the next 403. Even with the 9 block walk, I'd get home before the 403 would get to Camden, and I got home while there was still a little daylight left. Rode from WRTC to Collings and Mt. Ephraim.
Now what do you think of that trip?
11:20 am - D train to the Bronx [rode an R68, didn't get the car number]. Got off at 167 because I forgot where to get the Bx40/42.
For the D, its Tremont Av and for the 4 its Burnside Av to get the BX40/42 but its actually better that you did take the Bx1 or 2 since you saved a one or two block walk or something like that. Plus you got a 2004 New Flyer.
12:00 noon - Flyer 5378 Bx40 From Concourse to W.Farms. 5378 had an orange LED front, and the usual flip-dot side sign. I didn't think they worked together. The bus also looked like poo as well.
Not surprised at that observation ;-).
(I have yet to ride a 35fter - I wanna hear an L10G with ZF tranny!)
-F.
Oh if only they had DD50Gs instead of the C Gas Plus...I'd love them 10X more;-)
-F.
Speaking of the 35 foot CNGs, is one still running on Y4? I haven't seen that block lately since the schedule adjustment but the last time I saw it, it did have a 35 foot CNG.
Jim D.
That's so cool. I used to live in Watervliet and worked at the old Ford Plant on Green Island in my college days doing co-op work. That's all gone , now - it was 47 years ago.
Chuck Greene
There is something close to this now though. Route 98(? I think or maybe 96 or 93 or something). Starts at central terminal 2 trips in the PM, goes up 275 and uses those us19 overpasses to right before Crossroads mall. Takes 50% less time than the 19 bus would at least. Plus, check out the sunday schedule of PSTA 19 compared to the weekday. The trip is so much quicker.
For a two seat ride, you can start in st. pete on the 19, and at tarpon springs transfer to PCPT route 19 for another 20-30 miles in Pasco county. Service to Hernando county on US 19 shoudl come in the next few years. PCPT is one dollar for the whole day.
Distance wise PSTA 19 is insane. I'm not sure about the milage on routes 18 and 52, but ridership is just as high, and end to end, it's about 2.5 hours straight.
Route 19 is like a cross county trip though, 2-3 stops along the route is a layover and the driver says you got 10 minutes, you go and stretch or find a bathroom, etc, and the engine get's shut off sometimes.
MTA to takeover Jamaica Bus,Triboro,Queens Transit and Green Bus Lines on or about July 1.
MTA to takeover most of the vehicles which are city owned but not the garages.
MTA will not take over Command,New York Bus Service and Lberty Lines Express.
Thanks in advance for any information.
Larry,RedbirdR33
David
The Bee-Line is a contract with Westchester County.
"Liberty Lines" is actually two companies:
- Liberty Lines Express, which operates several NYCDOT routes under contract, and
- Liberty Lines Transit, which operates most Westchester County DOT ("Bee-Line") routes under contract.
Only LLE would be affected by the takeover.
Since the Cooper holdings are privately held they are not obligated to post this information to the public.
Thank You
Thank You
1. MTA to takeover Jamaica Bus,Triboro,Queens Transit and Green Bus Lines on or about July 1 ... maybe.
2. MTA to takeover most of the vehicles which are city owned but not the garages ... NOT if you intend to do #1
3. MTA will not take over Command,New York Bus Service and Lberty Lines Express ... so what happens the service just stops ?
Btw, I am now getting kinda partial to the loud takeoff noise of the O7's at WF. I like them when they pass by my house and I hear the "GR-RR-RR-RR-RR-RRR" sound after the takeoff. I miss the '99 Orions that used to be at WF that GH and MCH have now. They are my faves!
Regards,
Sometimes I kinda like it though...makes the ride more interestingly musical...kinda. Artsy.
Same here I liek hearing the O7s go past ma crib also. Setting off car alarms, I also miss the 6000s but they still run on WF routes from time to time. 5250 has always had that loud sound it always sounds differnet. The engine sounds like its straning also.
It's an awful sound....
Crazy high prices, thanks to Transit, buses you ride for cheaper !!
Depends on your commute. Even with the current high gas prices, it's still cheaper for me to drive to work than take the bus, even after factoring in gas, maintenance, insurance and the cost of buying my car (I tend to keep my cars for 10 years, so the purchase price is depreciated a lot longer than people who trade their cars in sooner).
JD
Anyway, it used to be time or driving/wear and tear savings, but Transit is almost always cheaper now with those prices.
That would've been my campaign if I ever opened up a company, but for SEPTA to be cheaper than a gallon of gas? That's just rich!
Chuck Greene
In short, it's time to put up ETB wires on major routes. That is, routes where the investment will pay dividends, not Podunk, Md's Ride-One Rt5 or some BS. The supply of oil is far too volitile to place our hopes and dreams for transit improvement in the country on it's shoulders. We need our transit to be powered by something we can control, paying american workers to extract it from our own ground
Let's hope the age of the ETB and LRV are at hand and that the short reign of the oxymoronic 'Bus Rapid Transit' is at a close.
It's about time you start making sense ;-)
Point 2) Coal is the reason for the south having cheaper energy. That's going by the wayside now with a LOT of plants converting to Natural Gas. They can't stop laying pipelines, destroying the environment, etc.
Don't you also mean "Re-electrify"?, since quite a few systems abandoned ETB's over the years?
Robert
By the way Robert where are you working?
E mail me please at BarryLv11510@yahoo.com
Hope all is well
Thank You
Also, inside the garage was #8805-another one from KB sent over to ULmer Park. Also saw #8891-no Bronx Map. I asked the supervisor how many #8800's they had-he said about 15. He would not tell me the numbers of them. Guess i'll have to keep watching.
B1-#9339-NOVABUS
B82-#4649-TMCRTS
88xx- 8891-8893
92xx- 9228, 9230-9231, 9233-9236, 9238, 9240-9241, 9245-9247, 9249
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
BTW, is the b/o giving you the evil eye in the mirror in the last pic?
Chuck Greene
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
enjoy!
I remember seeing GGT with MC-5's!!! They predated their first fishbowls (actually, they were using Greyhound's fleet of fishbowls with the dogs removed and GGT logos added.) But the MC-5's were their own first buses, believe it or not.
HEY I am going on vacation next week and I think I need it. :P
I have seen quite a number of these Orion V's in service already. So I am assuming that Golden Gate Transit is currently phasing 80 of these Orion V's in quickly to replace thier 1990 TMC T80-206's"RTS"(which about 15 are at hand).
The new Orion V fleet is numbered 1501-1580....the highest number I've seen is bus #1558. So more than half
are on GGT's property. And these Orion V's also have rear wheelchair lifts as you can see
that blue thing stick to the lower window of the rear door.
POST 'EM, POST 'EM!
(Do they have blue and the colors made with it such as white? i.e. full color. If so, it must be the same thing I saw in Chicago)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Golden Gate Transit new Orion V's do have rear door wheelchair lifts
just like I said!
And I agree with you, any bus having a wide rear door doesn't always mean it has rear wheelchair lifts. Sacramento Regional Transit also have Orion V's with wide rear doors , but the lifts are in the front.
Arthur
where about in Golden Gate Park was that pic taken at ?
eddie a.
this picture was taken at Geary and 12 Ave near Golden Gate Park
in SF. As yo can see, it was heading to Downtown SF on route 10.
Jason
You mean their Transit colors. The City (DOT) is buying the buses for its contract carriers.
Robert
Are they only mainly used on the Bx34?
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
THanks
Robert
Sometimes I wish it was like it was back in the day (before my time) when everyone took mass transit. Only problem is, I wouldn't have the bus to myself anymore, but I may get my half hourly 95 service back.
the Schuylkill is horrible now, though.
Maybe that explain why I had a hard time finding air-conditioned buses lately, especially the Queens private routes.
SEPTA only pays 76 cents per gallon.
As for the transit operations getting a discount...usually they sign contracts with oil suppliers to furnish them with a year's contract of fuel for some really cheap rate, so they aren't affected (YET...) by these higher prices.
If people would get off their high throne and take mass transit (I know I'm preaching to the choir) maybe it wouldn't be so bad with the high demand and whatnot - there are too many anti transit people out there. "I might get mugged on the bus!" Yeah, right, pathetic excuse.
In this case, I almost have minimal sympathy, except for those who live nowhere near transit go to to places nowhere near transit.
Heheheh, I remember when gas was 26 cents a gallon for anyone.
I'm an old fart.
JD
Maybe this would be a great way for transit companies to promote, "Try Transit Week" (this isn't a specific time of year, is it?).
Claim: Participating in a one-day "gas out" on May 19 will help bring the retail price of gasoline down.
Status: False.
Source: http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/nogas.asp
Oh sure, you don't purchase gas on the 19th. But you'll certainly make sure your tankis full on the 18th...or refill it on the 20th.
So what good did it do.
Just another stupid ass internet scam.
I think I'll drive up to the corner gas station and fill my truck right now when I get done here.
Ray
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
When the B-9 was extended to Riis Park back in the early 80's, it was coming out of Ulmer Park, not Fifth Avenue.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
First of all, we all know the B100 will be merged with the B2 as soon as the takeover happens, probably effective with the next pick. That is a done deal.
Second, where will Flatbush put the additional buses?
The B-2 and B-100 will not be changed for the summer pick. Possibly in the system pick but nothing is set yet.
Thank You
David
Flatbush just has no room period.
In refernece to the B-100,B-103 and Q-35 nothing is going to happen in time for the summer pick.
If and when changes will be made it will take effect in September.
Thank You
David
First off, The Command Facility along with the Queens Surface facility would be transferred to the TA along with he bus and routes since THOSE two facilities are NYC DOT owned. WHICH means that if anything some routes would be transferred between garages for streamlining deadheads.
Granted, I've heard through the grapevine (BUT NOT CONFIRMED) that there is a budget for 128 more articulated buses on top of the 65 Option Order buses that is left from the 2003-04 New Flyer D60HF #5510-5769 order. AGAIN grapevined, not confirmed...So even is that IS true, there is no way in hell to say that Flatbush is getting 71 out of 128 buses.
Regards,
First off, The Command Facility along with the Queens Surface facility would be transferred to the TA along with he bus and routes since THOSE two facilities are NYC DOT owned. WHICH means that if anything some routes would be transferred between garages for streamlining deadheads.
Granted, I've heard through the grapevine (BUT NOT CONFIRMED) that there is a budget for 128 more articulated buses on top of the 65 Option Order buses that is left from the 2003-04 New Flyer D60HF #5510-5769 order. AGAIN grapevined, not confirmed...So even is that IS true, there is no way in hell to say that Flatbush is getting 71 out of 128 buses.
Regards,
BIG AL
So far the TA has changed their mind 3 times in regards to have the articulated buses at Flatbush Depot.
I will believe it when and if they are ever in the depot.
Hope you enjoy your vacation
Thank You
B1,B3,B4,B6,B31,B36,B64,B74,X27/X37,X28/X38,X29 and BM3.
Extra buses are easy for the b31-they only need 4 at the most. Run offs would be easy.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
BIG AL
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Over the past week, a key group of TA line workers (a team of TA personnel from Queens Village) spent a week up at The Oriskany Orion Bus plant to Quality Inspect the curret Orion VII order, such as driveabilit and other things.
While up there, they went around with a pad and list (5 Pages Long) of things to check out on the buses. Finding that the buses are really rattly and that one did NOT pass the "Spray" Test (Which is an apx. 15-20 minutes of high pressure water sprayed all over the bus to check for leaks). Among not passing the "Shaker" test in the beginning, you would've thought by not that things like failing the "Spray" test would be non-existant.
I Soooooo Smell a Millennium Grumman Fiasco......
Regards,
LOL!!!!!!!
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
www.transitalk.info
www.cleanairbus.tk
(Ozzy's Site on Image Station)
Thank you
www.transitalk.info
www.cleanairbus.tk
www.imagestation.com/????
(Ozzy's Site on Image Station, sorry, don't know what it is exactly)
Thank you
Da Hui
Talk about reaping the benefits. And to think these units are slated for WF, MCH, and JG. OMG!
So you can place a lot of the blame on Mr. Governor. Guaranteed, if the TA wasn't locked into this Buy-NY Pataki crap, these more than likely would've been the Proven New Flyer C40LF and DE40LF.
The 795
DEADLY BUS ACCIDENT IN THE BRONX
An NYCT bus was hit by an SUV yesterday in the Bronx. The bus, one of NYCT's brand new low floor buses from Orion bus industries, was hit on the side by an SUV.
"It was bloody mayhem" said one passenger, who was horrified as the SUV's large bumper plowed into several passengers. Sadly, 5 people have died in this accident, and 20 were injured. The occupants of the SUV were unharmed.
Many critics point to the danger of low floor bus designs, which seat passengers lower to the ground. The MTA claims it will launch an investigation into the accident, as with every accident in which a bus was involved.
Jim D.
An NYCT bus was hit by an SUV yesterday in the Bronx. The bus, one of NYCT's brand new low floor buses from Orion bus industries, was hit on the side by an SUV.
"It was bloody mayhem" said one passenger, who was horrified as the SUV's large bumper plowed into several passengers. Sadly, 5 people have died in this accident, and 20 were injured. The occupants of the SUV were unharmed.
Many critics point to the danger of low floor bus designs, which seat passengers lower to the ground. The MTA claims it will launch an investigation into the accident, as with every accident in which a bus was involved. "
That is a ridiculous idea. The construction of a transit bus is designed to protect the passenger at the expense of the vehicle that intrudes its space.
An NYCT bus was hit by an SUV yesterday in the Bronx. The bus, one of NYCT's brand new low floor buses from Orion bus industries, was hit on the side by an SUV.
"It was bloody mayhem" said one passenger, who was horrified as the SUV's large bumper plowed into several passengers. Sadly, 5 people have died in this accident, and 20 were injured. The occupants of the SUV were unharmed.
Many critics point to the danger of low floor bus designs, which seat passengers lower to the ground. The MTA claims it will launch an investigation into the accident, as with every accident in which a bus was involved.
This accident didn't actually happen, right?
JD
Thanks,
Have a great day!
No information needed now.
Cummins are cleaner than Detroit Diesel engines, more powerful and last longer. The reason why Cummins suck on LI is because LI has some SAD ass maintenance. I've even seen the DD Orion Vs on LI broken down. So don't blame Cummins for LI Bus's crap ass maintenance.
Regards,
Both Orion VII & C40s are doing good here in Brooklyn - Not many breakdowns as WF Orions.
Acela
JD
B1-#9098-NOVABUS
B8-#859-New Flyer
B1-#8690-TMC
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Da Hui
Question 1: when the Metrocard SingleRide ticket is inserted on MTA NYC Transit buses, the display on the farebox says "SingleRide" and the green light beeps. In the box that lights up behind the driver's partition which lists the type of fare paid like Adult, XFER, Pass, Student, what lights up for the SingleRide ticket when it is inserted??
Also, is the single ride ticket good on MTA Long Island Buses and do they give a free transfer with it or you have to pay 25 cents for one??
Thanks.
NOTE: If you use it first on a subway, "it's dead Jim", i.e. you won't get a Transfer to a bus.
The "Beakey Box," as it's called, shows "ADULT" when a Single Ride Ticket is used as payment of fare.
The MCI D4500 coaches that NYBS runs. Are they owned by New York Bus Service or the NYC DOT?
Thanks.
7560-7680 (7560-7561 @ Vendor), 7682-7683, 7686-7692, 7694, 7698, 7702, 7704, 7706-7707, 7710-7712, 7714-7726,7728-7732, 7747-7748
_____________________
Well after some serious dirt digging....These Orion 7s coming in AREN'T SO NEW.........Every bus in up to 7748 ARE NOT 2004 units. Every single bus that is coming in on the property were built.......
SEPTEMBER 2003
Yes, these precious so called new buses are 8+ months old. Now that means that these buses were sitting up at the Oriskany Plant for 8+ months just collecting dust. tsk tsk tsk!!!!
BIG AL
The 795
As yes the Orion 7 Production Line has stopped! Its Temporary, but it has stopped.
The 795
The Grumman Flxible issue started with a design defect, but ended with politics. Flxible fixed the A-frame problem and went on to build the very reliable 870 and Metro buses for another 15 years. Meanwhile, the New York City 870's were later pulled out of service as a public relations event after a bus burned up due to poor maintenance. NYC Transit ended up giving these buses away, which were later rebuilt by Flxible and operated for years in New Jersey, Cincinnati and elsewhere.
In my opinion, I don't think Orion is necessarily any better or worse than New Flyer, NABI, Neoplan, Nova, Gillig or any other bus manufacturer. Look around long enough and you'll find a transit operator who has had issues with one of those companies.
Jim D.
(Disclaimer - This message contains my personal views, and does not reflect the views of any of my present or former employers)
I unlike a lot people on this board, I'm posted some kinda REAL news then just the mindless babble and stupid questions that bombard this board on a daily basis.
If there is a problem with that, I will stop presenting this board with news period.
Regards,
Trevor Logan
The 795
About the Orion I model - do you have a problem with the bounce? Our SEPTA Dorados bounce around like the Orions, and they hate them because of it (I think it's a lot of fun!).
I wish I could find some way to get one of Ride-On's Orion Is, and fix it up.
The 795
I remember the first time I sat in the driver's seat of an Orion I...besides the fact I couldn't turn the wheel, I felt like I belonged there...same with the Neo and, well, New Flyer.
nah chill, news is happily wanted.
I like to post positive and negative news, posting nothing but positive gives a false view of the TA and other industry happenings. I don't like when someone is being like what's your problem. Railbus made a good statement in th process, but it came off as real stand-off-ish.
The 795
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Arthur
If my comments came across as stand-offish, I apologize. To be honest, I didn't recognize your handle. I thought perhaps you were a newbie with an axe to grind against Orion, what with all the 'precious' comments and such.
I also hope that I'm not coming off as some sort of Orion apologist. It's just that a lot of people on this board happily bash them too much. As I noted, I don't think they're any better or worse than the other manufacturers. I don't think many transit fans appreciate the difficulties faced by manufacturers these days, in the transit industry and elsewhere. Call me an optimist, but I truly believe that the majority of the workers at Orion and elsewhere are really trying to build a quality product. QC issues happen - the real test is how the manufacturer responds. I think the jury is still out regarding the Orion VII.
By all means, keep the news coming, good or bad. I agree that there is too much mindless posting that goes on here sometimes.
Respectfully,
Jim D.
No problem, bigones! I used the term precious because alot of people here act like they are the best thing since sliced bread. The are growing on me, but like a REAL transit buff, I do realize there is just some major issues with this model. It was basically slapped together fast to compete with New Flyer and the others that do Low Floor buse with platformed rears.
Its my fault for not making myself known.
Regards,
Trevor
The 795
I know right. Well its good to hear what the real issues are and no, there are no problems [with me at least] on that. I don't necessarily have a beef with Orion products although I admit I may get on the design of the O7 and such. I just speak from a riders point of view.....
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
BTW: Did New Flyer ever hold out on any transit systems? I wanna know if my favorite bus company is okay in terms of dependability (I already know that they are the USA's largest bus manufacturer.). TIA.
But still, I wish Orion didn't hold out on us letting those precious Orion VIIs collect dust. Had they not, I think I would have had some Orion VII pix by now.
You will pay Orion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
The problem is right now, is that New Flyer does not want to build anymore High Floors. The MTA is fighting, basically saying look we'll buy some low floor articulated from you however we do have a contract obligation to these last 65 Articulateds, BUT New Flyer is fighting.....So lets see what these optional articulateds appear as...
High Floors or Low Floors
Regards,
The 795
Also, I don't know if this is apparent in other New Flyers out there, but I know that SEPTA's have a problem with cracking windows. I don't think it's depot vandalism since Midvale is practically hidden from the public, but I've seen this on 5715 ( when it was a week old - still had the new bus smell), 5726, and I think there was another one as well. I remember SEPTA had to keep their 5600s in the depots (at least Midvale) because of the cracked window problem.
New Flyer is just being a bigot because it knows it's the low floor giant of the American bus industry - I don't care what anyone says, we all know it's true, and companies like SEPTA are only feeding it's already too big ego.
Hasn't New York have problems with New Flyer beforehand, maybe with the low floors?
Low floors ARE better than high floors, because of easier entry to the bus.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
How could a manufacturer not want business to keep the factory going, and money in its accounts?
Click Here
The 795
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Needs a Neo, though, lol. Or an MCI...ooh.
They have a radio commercial too - just as funny, although you can't see the guy dance.
Peace,
ANDEE
Change in the title is noted based on information supplied.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Once again, I apologize for sounding like CDTA, but the late 2003/2004 New Flyer D60HF Articulateds are my favorite buses and I want to stay with the good thought that the walls and seats of my favorite buses are nice and clean. TIA.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond1 (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-LED side blinkers, frontal blinkers, kneeler lamps, amber LED signs, and LED emergency flashers. The best places to find them are the MJQ routes: M14A/M14D (14 Street Crosstown); M23 (23 Street crosstown); M79 (79 Street Crosstown).
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a 4traintowoodlawn)
As far as where they operate, I already answered that question for you a couple of days ago.
Enjoy
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Enjoy your time of drooling in anxiousness to come to NYC. :-D
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
#5510-5595 are on the M101/102/103 (best place to see them, Lexington/3 Avs), M86
#5596-5686 are on the M15 (best place to find them), most M35s, and most M116s
#5687-5721 are in the Bronx, on the Bx1/2, Bx9, Bx41...these are harder to find...
#5722-5769 are on the M14, M23, and M79 (best place to find them in the M14, they run more frequently)
Thank you
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
1-Increase service span of the S-51 route to 24 hours a day along the entire route. Currently owl period buses terminate at Kiswick Street
Effective date is September 2004
In regards to the takeover of the DOT routes i saw several higher ups in the DOB and they told me that nothing has been decicded yet.
Thank You
That's not completely correct.
Then you look at the New Flyer C40LF order, wow how'd we sneak them shits in under the clause, well my guess is that they snuck them in with the 1999-2000 New Flyer D60HFs (#5250-5509), and if that is the case, VERY SLICK BITCHES THEY ARE!
But this is why we are stuck with these Orion 07.501s, These ARE Pataki's buses. Hands Down!!!!!!!!!
Regards,
but that doesn't mean jack compared to the way they GOT HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE..Bunk Orion..they don't deserve anymore city money....
Can you rephrase that in a way that I am able to understand?
Peace,
ANDEE
I do know the CURRENT situation is UNACCEPTABLE,due to the fact of ORION'S business practices
The term "business practice" means negiotations, contracts, paperwork, agreements, and so on and so forth. What you are Trying to say is that you do not like Orion's Manufactering Quality . Business practice does not reflect on built quality, manufactering, and worksmanship whatsoever.
If Millinimum bus would put the RTS back into production, the first year or so of the buses would have quility issues until the new workes work out the problems
-F.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Also, the artic versions would have looked MUCH better with Fishbowl front ends. On that note, did you know that Flxible almost made a New Look artic? This was during the time of the UMTA prototypes that led to the ADB, and the concept sketch was basically a bending New Look with awful AM General-like windows that took away from its styling. Apart from that, it would have been neat to see a truly "flexible" bus! :)
-F.
Allen Dicion
www.transithub.net
-F.
David
The people in charge of the depot first have to agree with the contention that a problem exists. They then bring the situation to the General Manager for the borough, who has to determine whether adding buses (as opposed to, say, authorizing additional resources to fix the buses that are already in the depot but not available for service for whatever reason) is necessary. If he determines that additional buses are needed, will fix the problem, and can physically be accommodated in the depot, he will ask the Chief Maintenance Officer to move some buses (which have to come from somewhere, probably another depot or depots) into the depot. If these buses are not of a type that is already in the depot (which could mean the same model but from a different year), then the buses will have to come with a set of parts and the Maintainers will have to be trained in the buses' repair if they are not already familiar with the buses.
This is a decision that can affect depots all over the system to one degree or another, so it is one that cannot be made lightly.
David
Ray
SHIT
BITCH
FUCK
DAMN
JACKASS
ASSHOLE
MOTHERFUCKER
Remember this is only a test
The 795
By the way, a beaver's residence and the devil's residence are only considered swearing. You may use those words in most sanctioned athletic contests freely without penalty.
-F.
-F.
When I typed it as "fcking", and clicked Preview, the post showed "fcking", so I clicked Post Message and it was STILL "fcking", but when I clicked on the post from the thread tree, it was "flowering".
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-F.
Ohhh, fuck
9:30 am - SEPTA R2 - car 119 - Market East to Wilmington. The train was two minutes late, and it ran slow to Wilmington due to Amtrak trackwork.
11:00 am - DART 6 - Gillig 459 - Wilmington Sta. To Prices Corner. I noticed one thing about the ads on DART buses, THEY SUCK! Nothing like the ads on SEPTA buses [especially the extremely cool Spider-Man 2 ad]
12:47 pm - DART 6 - Gillig 443 - After getting my DVDs at Best Buy [Smallville 2nd season, and Vol. 2 of Speed Racer], and having lunch at KFC, the money I saved on taxes basically paid for my SEPTA train fare, so I came out even. Hopped on the 6 to go to Newark.
1:30 pm - DART 33 - I'm getting a little sick of this, ANOTHER GILLIG! #425. Hope to get of and ride a NABI when I get Downtown.
2:45 pm - DART 9 - NABI 507 - Got on a high-floor NABI. They look a little better than the low-floor buses. I can't stand the door placement on the low-floors. Does anybody have an idea what type of engine/tranny mix the DART NABI's have? They sound like the SEPTA 5713 and up Flyers. Rode to the Prices' Corner Park and Ride.
3:25 pm - DART 19 - Got on another high-floor #504. That bus' engine sound was more closer to SEPTA's NABI buses. Rode from Prices'Corner to Rodney Sq.
4:05 pm - DART 35 - NABI 511 - Rode the short hop to the Amtrak Station. While waiting for the train, I was trying to see if the rare NJT bus run out of Salem County had arrived in Wilmington. I didn't see the bus, but the next time I will get the schedule, and once and for all, catch that extremely rare sight in Delaware.
4:45 pm - SEPTA R2 - car 425. Rode from Wilmington to 30th St. The train was surprisingly full for a reverse-commute run. Got off at 30th St to get my DC Tickets. So all you guys down there watch out! I'm coming down for a couple of days to hit every system in DC [except PRTC].
Observation:
I miss the Flxible Metros DART used to run. They were the handsomest buses ever seen, and at the time of retirement, they looked like they could go another 10 years, thanks to the meticulous maintenance at DART. DART's maintenace can put SEPTA, NJT, WMATA and NYCB to ultimate shame!
12:47 pm -
Just a disclaimer, if you have the misfortune to ride THE BUS, don't laugh too hard, the driver's might get offended. :P
Chuck Greene
If you rode the 15 that would have taken you past the lot where at least 10 of them are kept. You are right, they do look like they could go on longer. Unfortunately the disappearing of Flxibles will grow more and more as the years go by.
BTW, there are still unrehabbed 87s out there, saw 8725 doing an F13 this morning.
Speaking of ex-DART buses, Kraps (I mean Krapf's) began operating an ex-DART RTS about 5-6 months ago. This particular bus was purchased second hand from somewhere else (I couldn't tell from where, though), but a couple of the DART stickers (with the old DART logo) were still present. That bus still has some good speed to it, as my neck will attest to after having to deal with Pottstown Pike (I have no choice but to use their so-called transit system on Sundays since neither the 133/92 nor the R5 between Malvern and Thorndale operate on Sundays).
I had Orions both ways on the S62, ran great with the a/c on. Going back though, we hit a snag. First, we got to Port Jeff way too early so the driver shut off the bus and took a 10 min break (yeah, its a much slower way of life).
BTW a pic of an out of service bus in Port Jefferson:
Once our timepoint came we were off again, until a loud "pop
sound occurred. Originally I thought it was a flat, but the bus was going no more than 5-10mph. The driver said that it was the engine. Oh well, at least it didnt stall out like a Cummins.
We broke down on route 347 in South Setauket. Fortunately there was a place for us to pull over. The engine did have to be shut off for safety reasons. The driver thought it was a fanbelt, which was confirmed by the mechanic who came in on another bus. We only had to wait maybe 20 min for the spare bus to arrive. It was another Orion V. The driver wasnt too happy about getting that bus. Once we were on our way, I found out why. The bus had bad brakes, and the retarder wasnt working. The driver was so annoyed that she got another DEFECTIVE bus, lets just say she really did not want to talk to this busfan she was so upset. She had to call it in to dispatch, who had the gall to say (I heard over the radio) to drive the bus anyway. The B/O was furious, so upset she didnt want to talk about it at all. The bus went out of service at Smith Haven mall, fortunately I was getting off there anyway. She was so mad sometimes I thought she was talking to me but was actually talking over the radio.
Now I know Suffolk Transit, like the NYC DOT buses, are run by private companies. I know it probably happens in MTA operations too, where dispatch threatens the driver to drive an unsafe bus. But its the driver's record and CDL on the line here, they have a right to refuse a DEFECTIVE bus, especially if it takes forever to STOP.(and let me tell you it did, who could blame the driver for being furious?)
As for the B/O, she seemed kinda mad at me for showing interest, for that I apologize, sometimes we busfans can get on B/O's nerves.
Sorry folks I am not giving any bus numbers or times to protect the identity of the B/O.
So much for thinking Suffolk Transit took better care of their buses. One thing LI Bus has never done was put a bus with bad brakes on the road and keep it in service.
I really think Suffolk Transit should join the MTA under the LI Bus division, which would eventually part of MTA regional bus.
2) MTA Regional Bus has nothing to do with improving personnel and buses. It has to do with management and funding. Long Island Bus will be cut to pieces under Regional Bus. Suffolk Transit will also be cut to pieces. When the fanfare dies down from the takeover in NYC and the city starts to cut its contributions, the formely private lines will be introduced to the knife. Nassau County will eventually pull all money from the bus system and if other counties can follow, they will do the same.
3) Some of the Suffolk carriers do mainly school bus work. Some companies think a bus is a bus. This is when things like brakes get overlooked.
Out by me, the Hampton Jitney (Southampton - SOUTH SHORE) operates the 10A, 10B, 10C and S94. Also they do a split with Sunrise Coaches (Greenport - NORTH SHORE) with the S92. However, they have NO school buses. Sunrise Coaches does though.
Finally, I hope the MTA Long Island Bus takes over Suffolk Transit because this way Suffolk Transit can run smoothly. By the way, at Hampton Jitney, those drivers drive the LOCAL bus routes there because they are on their "break". Or maybe like the NYCT, a "Swing" route or something like that?
Ray
Needless to say, I opted for the B49, which had a much smaller crowd -- large enough to fill all the seats but only most of the standing room on an RTS.
More buses, please!
It should also be noted that the short service is designed to mesh with the class dismissals at the college, with a great deal of service provided at the end of the school day at Leon Goldstein HS, which is on the campus (that's a bit later than "David of Broadway" was out there today). I don't know whether the college is in finals yet, but if it is then people aren't arriving or leaving they way they normally would, so it is possible that adjustments to the schedule need to be made by supervision to compensate. I hope that "David of Broadway" will call the Department of Buses at 1-888-NYCT-BUS to report the problem if it persists so that the adjustments (if necessary) can be made.
David
The morning rush is no different, with extended waits and bunching on both the B1 and the B49. (The bunching situation on the B49 is so bad that it's not uncommon for four buses to make the turn from Z onto E. 16th without any other vehicles intervening. The morning B1 typically only bunches in pairs.)
While on the topic of schedules, for a period in the late afternoon/early evening, when both the B1 and the B are scheduled at 10-minute headways, the eastbound B1 is scheduled to arrive at Brighton Beach precisely when the northbound B is scheduled to leave Brighton Beach. Was this an oversight? Although late afternoon/early evening is hardly the KCC peak, the B1 still carries many passengers who transfer to the B, and I doubt there are any other transfer points along the B1 (to other services with similar headways) with greater turnovers. Is there some other sort of constraint that doesn't allow the B1 scheduled to be shifted back a few minutes?
Oh, and finals begin on June 4. Classes run through June 2.
At the time the B1 schedule was written, there was no B train at Brighton Beach - it was the < Q >. The B1 schedule will be different in the summer, and the B train schedule is expected to change in the fall, but after the B1 non-summer schedule goes back into effect in September.
And yes, late afternoon/early evening is hardly the B1's time of peak riding. In fact, riding TO the college is greater than riding FROM the college in the early evening, as people arrive for night school classes.
David
If I'm wrong about that (which is not at all unlikely), couldn't the schedule have been changed for the pick that went into effect a few weeks ago?
Is the dispatcher at Mackenzie Loop authorized to send out buses (say) 2 minutes early and to have them "hold" at Brighton Beach for 2 minutes to get back on schedule? That would cut into the B/O's break between runs; I don't know if that's a problem.
Better coordination with B and Q service in the early evening hours can be considered the next time B1 service is revised, but I don't know when that will be or what the B and Q schedules will look like by then.
David
The current schedules force a few dozen people on each bus to wait a full headway for the B train (in addition to however long they had to wait for the B1). That's not as bad as forcing a crush loaded busload to wait a full headway, but that's not what I'm asking for. I don't think revising the B1 schedule to permit connections at Brighton Beach would negatively affect any other transfers along the line. Am I incorrect?
Missed connections are undesireable, even against the peak (or arguably especially against the peak, when the next train isn't just a few minutes away). They're sometimes unavoidable, but I don't see how that's the case here. I don't ask for the impossible, at least not deliberately, but I do ask for the best service that can be provided.
Again: the needs of those passengers who leave the college during the early evening hours can be considered the next time a B1 weekday schedule is written.
David
I went to Kingsborough in the early 1980s and rode the B49. One time (around 4 PM) I waited 25 minutes, and then within a 10-minute time frame 11 buses showed up. I know full well what it's like to wait for a bus at Mackenzie Loop with no idea whether one will show up.
David
While not common, I've experienced one or two 25-minute waits for the B1. Apparently service has degraded since your days at KCC: my long wait was rewarded with only 2 buses, not 11.
I agree that, with all the variables involved, this isn't a fast, easy job. As a regular rider who happens to be interested in the topic of bus scheduling, I'm just tossing out some ideas that might help improve service. The B1 in particular has so many variables that I can imagine it's a real challenge.
David
While on the topic of recovery time, is there any way to request or insist that B/O's open their doors and accept passengers during the last few minutes of their recovery time? As you know, there's no semblance of a line at these bus stops, so a passenger who doesn't fit on one bus -- who should, by rights, be ahead in line of those who don't arrive at the bus stop until after it leaves -- might not fit on the next one either (or if he's lucky enough to fit, he might still have to stand), depending on where exactly the bus stops and how pushy the rest of the crowd is. The earlier the bus starts loading, the fewer late arrivals will be able to push to the front of the line. In the rain, I wouldn't be surprised if this leads to fistfights.
Are the posted B1 and B49 schedules accurate? If it would help, I'd be glad to take notes during my commute and report discrepencies that I notice.
Absolutely. It's a requirement, as per bulletin.
"Are the posted B1 and B49 schedules accurate? If it would help, I'd be glad to take notes during my commute and report discrepencies that I notice."
I haven't looked at the Guide-A-Rides at the Loop lately, but unless the effective date is late June (of whatever year) they should be accurate. Any discrepancies should be reported to the Department of Buses.
David
By "posted" I meant online (they're dated January 2004). The Guide-a-Rides aren't very useful when I ride most often, since those rows are starred (additional service) -- although I suppose they do still provide an upper bound on scheduled headway. How bad should it be before I bother reporting it? (I'm thinking that a gap of at least 1½ times the scheduled headway would be appropriate.) And am I correct in assuming that the posted times are scheduled departure times?
As to the timetables, the ones that are online are in effect and will be until the summer schedules go into effect (which should be the last Sunday in June). The Guide-A-Rides are supposed to reflect scheduled departure times. How bad service should be before it gets reported is up to the individual customer to decide.
David
David
Thanks.
David
I'm afraid the B1 came right away this morning, and I had many seats to choose from, so I have nothing to complain about yet today. I'm about to ride again -- wish me luck.
David
Did somebody interview them to see that all of them wanted the B?
[That's not as bad as forcing a crush loaded busload to wait a full headway, but that's not what I'm asking for. I don't think revising the B1 schedule to permit connections at Brighton Beach would negatively affect any other transfers along the line.]
Adjusting the B1 schedule to allow a connection to the B will mess up someone else's connection to the Q. The problem isn't solved, only moved.
Without checking the schedules for that time of day, I know from experience earlier in the afternoon (when I usually ride -- I typically only stay until early evening on Tuesdays) that the Q leaves just a minute or two before the B, and the two often meet at Kings Highway. Neither B nor Q passengers are served well by the current B1 schedule. Adjusting the schedule might make it possible for both B and Q passengers to catch earlier trains. If not, Q passengers might still be able to take the B to Kings Highway and connect there to the Q that they had just missed at Brighton Beach, still benefitting everyone except those bound specifically for Neck Road and Avenue U.
My objection isn't that the schedule makes a convenient connection for somebody, but it isn't me. It's that it doesn't seem to make a convenient connection for anybody, and it makes a particularly inconvenient connection for many.
Then again, on any nice day I would walk on Shore Blvd (north end of KCC), to the Ocean Ave pedestrian bridge, cross bridge to Emmons Ave, and continue to walk up to Sheepshead Bay station. When the bus does show up, people would put in like less than half the fare inside the farebox, because the large amouns of change used made it impossible for the B/O to keep track who is paying the full fare. Some operators punched the chute down after each passenger instead of filling up the glass, so to speak.
I have walked on occasion, but after having been on my feet for four hours straight, I'd rather not walk a mile and a half to the subway. Then again, if the alternative is standing 15 minutes while waiting for the bus and standing another 10 minutes on a crush loaded bus, perhaps walking isn't so bad.
And one other thing. Landover is supposed to get the SMARTTRIP fareboxes installed this weekend, but I have already seen 4258 with one doing the F6 at College Park. They maybe doing their 42's now, since I didn't see any on the road today.
The BWI Gilligs are crap,but their Neos are still looking and sounding great.
I guess the other WMATA buses don't get freaked out when they see PG THE BUS because the PG County stuff isn't recognized to be real by the WMATA fleet but who really knows. I don't have a degree in Bus Psycology nor will I try to convince anyone that I do.
Da Hui
http://www.mta.info/bandt/html/throgs.htm
The bridge was named after the neighborhood. While both spellings are commonly used these days, most old timers will tell you that it's spelled with two Gs.
http://www.metro-magazine.com/t_newspick.cfm?id=9058395
Ont the other hand, the Orion VII is such a radical redesign of a low floor bus that it's either going to completely turn off alot of transit fans, or really grab them in with the boxy design or the Flx-style windows. It's just so different than everything else out there.
Ricer-like sounds + coughing sounds from the turbocharger = Nice.
WMATA buses with 6V92TA/Allison V731 and L10/Voith D863. Need I say more.
Wayne
I don't really get bored of SEPTA's New Flyers too much because I love the ambient sounds, particularly in our 5600s Allisons and 5700s ZFers, particularly when they are braking - I love the Flxible sound (WMATA 9400s - da voiths). It's nice with the ZFers that they have the "Orion" sound on them as well - of course, it's basically the same engine anyway.
I'm still waiting to ride the Orion VIIs a lot more before I make my opinion, but they are so gosh darn tall!
Chuck Greene
Everytime we mention to the drivers that new buses are coming, their eyes light up. I did a few route timings today on OmniLink and the driver I was with can't wait for both the Saturday service and the new buses. I get to do this again on June 5. It was funny seeing people's reactions to our buses going around Woodbridge/Dale City when the buses are usually sleeping over the weekend.
Am I against the right of any transit agency to protect its equipment, property, and its passengers from terrorism, danger and threats? Absolutely not. In fact, I wholeheartedly support these agencies in these efforts...especially in these intense times.
But criminallizing a totally innocent, harmless and victimless hobby pursued and enjoyed by men and women of all ages is not the answer.
Can ANYONE explain how taking pictures of a bus or train or light-rail vehicle constitutes a security threat?
The following article is in today's Daily News.
Read it.
Read it again.
And let's see if we all can put our heads together to try to convince the MTA (and other operating agencies across the USA) that their goals of protecting public transportation can be successfully achieved without penalizing law-abiding citizens who wish to continue pursuing their interest as they have been doing all along all these years and decades, without harm or inconvenience to anyone.
Photographing buses, trains, and LRVs for purely personal/hobbyist purposes does NOT pose a security threat. Never have. Never will.
New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com
Subways get shutter bugged
By PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Friday, May 21st, 2004
Smiling will still be allowed on the subways, but - sorry, tourists - taking pictures may soon be banned.
Transit officials, at the request of police, yesterday proposed prohibiting photography and videotaping in the subway system and on buses - hoping to thwart terrorists from gathering information for an attack.
It's just one of several proposed revisions to the Transit Authority's Rules of Conduct that include these other hard-to-enforce no-nos:
Walking between subway cars.
Placing a foot on a subway seat, bus seat or a platform bench.
Wearing skates, standing on a skateboard or riding a scooter.
Violators could get slapped with tickets ranging from $25 to $100.
"The world we live in has changed dramatically," TA President Lawrence Reuter said as he announced the first proposed revision of the rules in a decade. "These changes are intended to enhance security and safety."
Some riders railed against the new rules, which must be approved by the full Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board.
"All that stuff is just common New York behavior," said Patrick DeShond, 18, a college student from Brooklyn. "I think the city is so desperate for money that this is what it's come to."
Others said some of the rule changes make sense - especially penalizing those who soil seats with dirty shoes.
John Erboso, 46, a messenger from Queens, supported a photo ban, saying it's hard to tell a tourist from a terrorist. "You don't know who to trust anymore," he said.
But Christopher Dunn, associate legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, called the photo ban "grossly excessive."
"There is no reason a tourist taking a snapshot in a subway car should be interrogated by the police or face the prospect of being taken into custody," he added.
NYPD Transportation Police Chief Michael Scagnelli said police would use discretion in issuing summonses to shutterbugs. But violators could be questioned and subjected to background checks, he said, and have their film confiscated.
The TA said exemptions would be granted to the press, and others who have obtained "written authorization" from the agency to snap pictures.
With Nick Lacher
Technically, this law would not affect bus photographers standing on a public street, but realistically you know that some MTA employees and probably some NYPD officers are not going to appreciate that distinction and will hassle those photographers just the same.
This kind of stuff makes me sick to my stomach. By changing our way of life, we are giving in to the terrorists. They are winning without firing a shot.
JD
The First Amendment protects freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to petition government for redress of grievances. That's all. The hobby of photographing public conveyances does not fit into any of those categories.
Today it's your right to photograph a vehicle or building. Tomorrow it's everything you've stated in your posting.
Wake up, people! The enemy is winning.
I am not in favor of banning photography of buses and trains, and I hope that MTA does not institute such a ban. However, I do not believe that our right to take such pictures is guaranteed by the constitution. I believe that if a transit agency wants to ban photography on or in its properties, it has every right to do so, just as any other property owner can. As to whether a transit agency has the right to restrict people from taking pictures OF its properties from OTHER vantage points.....that's an entirely different matter, and I'll leave that one to the legal experts.
I don't think they have the right to do so. That's the same as if I take a pic of a trash bin, do I need to obtain permission from the City?
http://www.aclu.org/
http://www.nyclu.org/
I personally feel bad for stopping a tourist who just arrived from overseas and whips out the videocamera because they never saw a busy highway , bridge or just want to catch the beautiful NYc skyline. My Bridge is the link from J.F.K to the north .Imagine how many people I see doing this daily . We try and be selective and just advise them no Bridges and get them on thier way , but the ones who give attitude,only passports or have no paperwork have to be checked .
You Never Know!!!!!!
I bought a book at the Strand for about $8 that has lovely photographs of the world's most famnous bridges, histories, specifications, and even reproductions of plans. A person taking a photograph of a bridge is not a security threat.
Utter stupidity. I'm sorry you have to work under such conditions and play the "bad guy" :(
The Transit Authority yesterday proposed a rule that would outlaw photographing, videotaping or filming inside the subway system for security purposes.
The proposed measures were immediately slammed by watchdog and civil rights groups.
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, described the plan as "security run amok" that goes too far.
"It's excessive, its unenforceable, particularly with cell phone and pocket-sized digital cameras,"
Lieberman said. "It's incompatible with free access to information that's at the core of our democracy."
Exceptions to the ban include news photographers with Police Department credentials and others who seek advance written permission, such as movie companies.
Mark Groce, a spokesman for the Transit Authority, declined to comment on the First Amendment issues that the watchdog groups raised.
And what would happen to a tourist who wants a photo of the A train?
"If the new rules pass, they won't be allowed," Groce said.
Transit Authority president Lawrence Reuter said in a statement that the proposed rules are aimed at improving security for riders and Transit Authority employees. "The world we live in has changed dramatically..., so has our operating environment," Reuter said.
The proposed rules will undergo a 45-day public comment period. If passed, they would fall under other subway rules of conduct such as keeping one's feet off train seats or playing a radio.
Groce said it would be up to the Police Department to decide on a fine, summons or other punishment for violators.
Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign said that while he respects the city's effort to improve security, documenting life in the subway has been a New York thing.
"For decades, New Yorkers have been documenting subway life and subway conditions," Russianoff said.
Other rules proposed by the Transit Authority include banning people from walking between cars, and turnstile jumping, even if the passenger has a MetroCard.
Lieberman said that banning pictures may also be a way for the subway system to avoid scrutiny.
"This is an interference with the public right to know," Lieberman said. "Pictures are more powerful than words and the public needs to be able to have access to photography and videotapes of the subway in order to hold the city accountable for doing its job.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.
"We're not gonna take it, we're not gonna take it, we're not gonna take it anymore!"
Da Hui
Da Hui
But seriously, very well said Ozzy.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
However remember the following:
1-The new policy still requires a public hearing
2- Pictures can be obtained with the permission of the TA. I am sure that any valid collector can easily obtain permission.
So may i suggest that we practice patience and do not jump to any conclusions as yet
Speaking for myself i do get suspicious when i see people taking pictures down in the subway
Thats my opinion
Thank You
Technically, this law would not affect bus photographers standing on a public street, but realistically you know that some MTA employees and probably some NYPD officers are not going to appreciate that distinction and will hassle those photographers just the same.
This kind of stuff makes me sick to my stomach. By changing our way of life, we are giving in to the terrorists. They are winning without firing a shot.
JD
The First Amendment protects freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to petition government for redress of grievances. That's all. The hobby of photographing public conveyances does not fit into any of those categories.
Today it's your right to photograph a vehicle or building. Tomorrow it's everything you've stated in your posting.
Wake up, people! The enemy is winning.
I am not in favor of banning photography of buses and trains, and I hope that MTA does not institute such a ban. However, I do not believe that our right to take such pictures is guaranteed by the constitution. I believe that if a transit agency wants to ban photography on or in its properties, it has every right to do so, just as any other property owner can. As to whether a transit agency has the right to restrict people from taking pictures OF its properties from OTHER vantage points.....that's an entirely different matter, and I'll leave that one to the legal experts.
I don't think they have the right to do so. That's the same as if I take a pic of a trash bin, do I need to obtain permission from the City?
http://www.aclu.org/
http://www.nyclu.org/
I personally feel bad for stopping a tourist who just arrived from overseas and whips out the videocamera because they never saw a busy highway , bridge or just want to catch the beautiful NYc skyline. My Bridge is the link from J.F.K to the north .Imagine how many people I see doing this daily . We try and be selective and just advise them no Bridges and get them on thier way , but the ones who give attitude,only passports or have no paperwork have to be checked .
You Never Know!!!!!!
I bought a book at the Strand for about $8 that has lovely photographs of the world's most famnous bridges, histories, specifications, and even reproductions of plans. A person taking a photograph of a bridge is not a security threat.
Utter stupidity. I'm sorry you have to work under such conditions and play the "bad guy" :(
Ray
One I would suggest is merging the M60, the Q48, and the Q34 into a special limited-service airlink bus. Beginning at the LIRR/Airtrain in Downtown Jamaica, it would run up to Downtown Flushing, to LaGuardia, and over to 125th Street and MetroNorth. With more service and fewer stops, it could provide better service to the airport for both subway and commuter rail riders, while also providing a link between Queens' major employment centers. With the Airtrain, JFK would be included as well.
Ray
The Transit Authority yesterday proposed a rule that would outlaw photographing, videotaping or filming inside the subway system for security purposes.
The proposed measures were immediately slammed by watchdog and civil rights groups.
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, described the plan as "security run amok" that goes too far.
"It's excessive, its unenforceable, particularly with cell phone and pocket-sized digital cameras,"
Lieberman said. "It's incompatible with free access to information that's at the core of our democracy."
Exceptions to the ban include news photographers with Police Department credentials and others who seek advance written permission, such as movie companies.
Mark Groce, a spokesman for the Transit Authority, declined to comment on the First Amendment issues that the watchdog groups raised.
And what would happen to a tourist who wants a photo of the A train?
"If the new rules pass, they won't be allowed," Groce said.
Transit Authority president Lawrence Reuter said in a statement that the proposed rules are aimed at improving security for riders and Transit Authority employees. "The world we live in has changed dramatically..., so has our operating environment," Reuter said.
The proposed rules will undergo a 45-day public comment period. If passed, they would fall under other subway rules of conduct such as keeping one's feet off train seats or playing a radio.
Groce said it would be up to the Police Department to decide on a fine, summons or other punishment for violators.
Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign said that while he respects the city's effort to improve security, documenting life in the subway has been a New York thing.
"For decades, New Yorkers have been documenting subway life and subway conditions," Russianoff said.
Other rules proposed by the Transit Authority include banning people from walking between cars, and turnstile jumping, even if the passenger has a MetroCard.
Lieberman said that banning pictures may also be a way for the subway system to avoid scrutiny.
"This is an interference with the public right to know," Lieberman said. "Pictures are more powerful than words and the public needs to be able to have access to photography and videotapes of the subway in order to hold the city accountable for doing its job.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.
"We're not gonna take it, we're not gonna take it, we're not gonna take it anymore!"
Da Hui
Da Hui
But seriously, very well said Ozzy.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
1) The limited going further than the local
EXAMPLE: B44
When limited service is operating, it goes to Sheepshead Bay, while the locals turn around at Avenue U. Therefore, in order to get from a local stop on the B44 route north of Avenue U to Sheepshead Bay, you have to somehow get a limited bus (and you don't want to miss one of those at the wrong time of day). Yes, the people in Sheepshead Bay are getting an easier time and a quicker ride, but not if you're going to a local stop. Even if every other or every third local ran to Sheepshead Bay, it would be much better. Transferring at Avenue U (I'm not even sure if it's free) just doesn't seem to be enough.
2) The limited not going as far as the local
EXAMPLE: S46/96
West Shore Plaza has nothing but long, local service to St. George, but you the limiteds help only if you are north (east) of the Forest Ave turn-around. I'm sensing an imbalance. For those of you who follow subways, and not to get off topic here, it's like having the A express terminate at Euclid, while the C locals goes on to cover the Rockaways and Lefferts Blvd. Is there a free transfer here either?
The only way the current service patterns can make sense is if the population warranting them is overwhelming, which I haven't discounted.
Taking On 'The Ban' (710853)
www.nycsubway.org > SubTalk
Posted by The Joe on Fri May 21 12:45:49 2004
I just read a lot of posts here about how much everyone hates this proposed photography ban, but I don't think there's enough talk about WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.
Not taking photos or filing for a permit are not options. My motto is this: "The only way they will get me to stop taking photos is to take my camera from my cold dead hands". It's my motto because it's the truth. I'll never stop taking photos, and I take an awful lot of them within the transit system and of infrastructure around town. Filing for a permit to me is not a realistic option: not because I have a criminal record (I don't), but because I don't believe in the concept. Why should we have to pay more taxes or higher fares to pay employees to issue permits? It's wasteful big government BS at it's worst.
What I'd like to see, and I'm perfectly willing to help organize this, is a strong counterpunch to their proposed new rule.
While going to and raising a stink at their public hearings is always a good idea, I don't believe it is enough. Those meetings are on their terms, and if you want to win a war (which is what this is - it's
a war to maintain our basic rights and freedoms) we must take the fight to the streets on our terms.
For starters, I propose a mass photographer subway outing. Very simple: we all meet up at a central location, and ride around town for awhile photographing every damned little thing we care to within the system.
We contact the press and have them get their asses out. If any of you work in PR, your skills would be most helpful.
No one should be worried about the NYPD coming in and arresting a large 100-200+ crowd pof people out taking photographs peacefully within the system. They'd need buses to arrest everyone, and if they did that it would be a huge black eye PR nightmare to the city.
No one went to jail when all these nuts drank, smoked, and brought a marching band into the subways :
http://mtude.com/FreakLife/Freakshow/2003_12_GreenParty/index.php - so you can pretty much bet no one far more peaceful would get in trouble.
We put out and hand out a press release that day, filled with facts on why photography within the system can be a good thing. Besides historic value, anyone know of or have a means to look up and see if there have been cases where photos taken in the subways or viligiant photographers helped solve or prevent a crime? Being anti big brother is fine and dandy, but we need to have solid valuable reasons to back up the position. Opinions aren't enough. The more facts we can throw at this, the less realistic and thought out their position will appear. The MTA will be made to look like what it is: A bunch of paranoid idiots that don't know who their friends are.
The day is today, and the time is now. The only way we're going to stop these idiots from destroying our country is to take them on, on our terms.
We can do this.
- Friggin' Joe
thejoe@ltvsquad.com
However remember the following:
1-The new policy still requires a public hearing
2- Pictures can be obtained with the permission of the TA. I am sure that any valid collector can easily obtain permission.
So may i suggest that we practice patience and do not jump to any conclusions as yet
Speaking for myself i do get suspicious when i see people taking pictures down in the subway
Thats my opinion
Thank You
Can you tell me your days with the CDTA and UTC upstate please.
Chances are after July 1st if it does happen there will be new bus maps out.
He also used a run on sentence to ask his question.
The MTA has referred to it when justifying the difference between ridership increases and service increases, saying the service is adequate because much of the increase has been off peak and just represents filling empty seats. The knowledge is clearly there, now that tokens are eliminated and Metrocard is in use. It just hasn't been released.
NY Newsday.com
ON BUSES AND SUBWAYS
Don't ban photos
May 22, 2004
Security issues didn't stop NYC Transit from shuttering some of its subway token booths last year and removing the clerks who help keep an eye on the the system. But now officials, claiming security reasons, want to restrict photography on subways and buses.
However admirable their concern for public safety, the proposal would serve no purpose other than to deprive locals and tourists of the chance to capture an irreplaceable New York City experience.
Transit officials cite the 9/11 attacks and this year's commuter-train bombing in Madrid as justification for banning unauthorized photography. The Long Island Rail Road is contemplating a similar measure.
Anyone intent on harming people or property can commit the layout to memory. And where should the line be drawn: No sketching allowed?
NYC Transit officials say that credentialed news photographers would be exempt, as would movie companies and others with written permission. At least they give a nod to free-press privileges. But a lot of good that would do riders who stumble onto one of those oh-so-juicy New York moments. They should be free to record them, without unnecessary inconvenience and the threat of summonses.
Police officers might be inclined to look the other way for tourists, but why even put them in such a position?
Other suggested changes make a lot more sense: new rules to discourage walking between cars, putting feet on seats and jumping turnstiles.
Officials lifted a decades-old ban on spontaneous subway photography 10 years ago, after they found no good reason for it.
Yes, these are more threatening times now, but banning photography would only encourage a false sense of security. The terrorists are out there, and preventing them from photographing or filming subway images won't keep them from plying their trade.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.
Drop your $.10 worth at Newsday.com and make your thoughts known.
David
Theres so much more, perhaps you can be a bit more specific and I might give you the answer you want.
An 'Owl' or 'Hawk' are both descriptions of runs that begin after 8:00 PM. Usually, the first bus of the day, the 'graveyard bus' and Run 001 when that particular run operates along a route with 24-hour service, beginning the day anytime after 8:00 PM, but before 3:00 AM. 'Owl' is used primarilly in Brooklyn and Manhattan. 'Hawk' is used primarilly in the other boroughs. Both mean the same thing.
Some routes, such as the Q43 have two (2) Hawks. Other routes, such as the Q44 have as many as four (4) Hawks.
Additionally, the last bus of the day on a particular route that may or may not include a hawk or owl is designated 'The Boat' in MaBSTOA.
Who can tell us what the difference between 'Running Light' and 'Running Dark' are? (B/O's and employees- give the kids a chance to reply first ;-)
Also the sign...NC Rockville (obviously frozen partially). what route was it on, the 46?
Those M11 Orion Vs aren't looking very pretty nowadays...
The 1998 Orion Vs are 5572-5579. The 1996s are 5550-5569 (5567-5569 are CNG, the rest are diesel). 5570 and 5571 are the original numbers for 5802 and 5801, respectively. Those two are 1995s.
What next?
BOO!
David
Wednesday, May 19, 2004 — Driving Excellence
The Transportation Authority has announced a major new initiative enabling RGRTA to become the number one customer-focused public transportation system in the nation. A number of new services are planned to be implemented over the next 18 months as part of Driving Excellence:
Customer information displays on our busiest routes that will provide real-time information on bus arrival times.
A newly-designed Web site that will allow customers to log on in the morning and know the actual arrival time of their buses.
Bus passes may be purchased via our Web site and mailed directly to customers.
When planning a trip, customers will be able to go to our Web site, or to kiosks we are planning to install around town, for information on the best route to their destinations.
New, informative bus stop signs detailing information on routes, fares and where to go to obtain further assistance.
A customer loyalty program that will reward our most frequent riders with free transportation after reaching specific purchase levels.
Smaller, more fuel-efficient buses for those less-traveled routes.
Monthly town meetings with passengers to elicit feedback on their satisfaction with our services.
Formation of a customer advisory group.
Heated bus shelters.
Simplified fare structure.
Test ride program requiring employees to take the bus on a monthly basis and evaluate service
What do you think?
A customer loyalty program that will reward our most frequent riders with free transportation after reaching specific purchase levels.
Whoa, frequent bus miles? I'm amazed - i've never heard such a thing!
~Representative of The Alternative Transit Co.
~Rider of SEPTA Frontier...we'd never get service remotely as good as that!
Why? TIA.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
[[[[
]]]]
IIII
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
F*CK GH AND KB. >:-(
Praise MJQ and MV. :-)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
I saw the same thing on a Bx40 bus but the rear sign had the Bx12 on
it.
Yeah, I know, I know. I just wanted to say that I saw another bus with the same problem. At least the bus was there!
;-D
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
1:
2: QS #336 with a rear sign saying, 44. Not Q44, not B44, and definitely not S44, but just, 44. Picture to be posted soon.
Same reason, Bill?
Jason
Robert
Jason
M1,2,7,8,14,15,16,22,23,42,50,66,79,86,96,101,102,103,104
BX9,10,12,15,21,28,34,35,36,40,42
Staten Island S40,46,48,51,53,62,74,78
Thing 1. Point of grammar: A question should end in a question mark, as in, What routes in NYC provide 24/7 service?
Thing 2. In the time you took to post your question here, you could have gone to www.mta.info and gotten the answer. If you're as young as I think you are, then you will need to develop and refine your research skills in order to get through school, and the internet is the most powerful research tool around.
A colleague of mine at WCBS Radio will do a story on this. If you have personally had a bad experience (photos deleted, detained by police, etc; but more than being asked to stop taking pictures), email me directly as soon as possible. I will forward it to the reporter at WCBS.
http://talk.nycsubway.org/perl/read?subtalk=710940
We run via 5 Av then through the 97 St traverse and its all good to 96/B'way then I buy a Mango flavored ice from a vendor [tasted good] took some more pics then I don't do a 2nd round trip so I get 9507 on the M96 ride that to CPW sit for a while then hop on the C train to 42 St where I wait for the A train to arrive, ride it via Fulton St express to Rockaway Blvd and I get on the shuttle bus by first taking 9281 and its a good ride with good A/C; gotta love that combination. Anyway its considerably cooler in the Rockaways so there was some relief from this heat then I get on 651 and is also a cool ride although the back seat was very hot; as usual. Then I take a few pics of the buses then I hop on 6125 which had a paper sign sayig B 98 St. So I ride that then to finish the shuttle trip, I hop on 5162 and it is ice cold inside of the bus, made our trip via Cross Bay then I get on the A, get off at Hoyt St to catch the B41 LTD and its a fairly quick ride but then around Church Av this lady starts speaking in Creole out of nowhere and is just yelling for no reason whatsoever. Anyway I get off at my stop ot catch 892 then I finish my trip.
Note: The bus stop at Atlantic Av going southbound has been moved once again to where the kiosk is at for B41's only while the B67 now stops with the B45 at State St. And the B63 has a new bus stop where the B41 and B67 previously stopped.
The buses I saw on the 2 shuttle:
MJQ: 8614,8667,8990,8995,9023,9195
GH: 5293,5348,5358
MV: 5036,5125,5136,5142,9647
FP: 8559,8561,9586
JG: 914,923,979,7566
FB: 8332,8336,9384,9390,9431
KB: 1072,5432,5477
126: 5612,5651,5662,5665,5678
ENY: 5007,5206,8688
WF: 7732,8782
100: 1025,5585
UP: 9081,9082,9341
MCH: 219,6016
The buses I saw on the A shuttle:
QV: 518,4900,4911,4922,4931,4940,8364,8369,8374,9351
CS: 114,258,284,294,314,539,550,639,651,6125
JAM: 5145,5147,5156,5162,8969,9073,9266,9281,9284,9345,9557
R68A 5140 (Q)
R142 6584 (2)
RTS 5125 EXP SHUTTLE
NF 923 EXP SHUTTLE
RTS 9507 M96
R38 4036 (C)
R44 5453 (A)
RTS 9281 A SHUTTLE
O5 651 A SHUTTLE
O5 6125 A SHUTTLE
RTS 5162 A SHUTTLE
R44 5423 (A)
RTS 9417 B41 LTD
NF 892 B8
Enjoy the story and pics!
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
In non-Northeast markets, Amtrak fares are set at or below Greyhound.
And I'm glad Amtrak is cheaper.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Da Hui
Da Hui
2. How the hell can I get there? So far, it looks like I can take Greyhound/Peter Pan in the morn, but idk bout returning. Doesn't Academy run there?
You can also take the bus, Greyhound/Peter Pan does stop at the Walter Rand Tranportation Center in Camden, but its only certain trips. In most cases you have to get off in Philly, walk a block to Market St, then take a NJT bus to Camden [Walter Rand Transit Center], then either walk [a 5 block walk straight down Martin Luther King Blvd, or take the RiverLINE towards "Waterfront Entertainment Center".]
Which is the cheapest way?
However, I'd like to remind you that NJT's NEC with SNJLRTS and LIRR to NYP would take a total of 3 hours 20 minutes, with two very easy transfers, at a total cost of 25 dollars 70 cents, and it drops you right at the Tweeter Center. I'm not trying to tell you which way to go, I'm just pointing out that the train is a whole four dollars more than the bus, and in all but the NYC-PHL expresses is faster and more direct.*
I finally found a page relating to this concert you want to go tt, it doesn't sound good, WXTU is only giving tickets out to people who can get to their locations around the philadelphia region, I'd volunteer to go find you some, but a job kinda keeps me tied on one spot all day. Anyway, here's the link:
http://www.wxtu.com/template.php?recno=6&page=events&type=concert
Good Luck
*Wow, I've waited Fucking YEARS to say that! W00t the train is teh faster, teh same pri$e and goes from yuor d00r to teh event!!!1111 Thank Yuo Christy Todd Whitman!!!1111
OMGWTFBUSESFuckingSUCK!!!
Trains R0xor yuo Buses' B0xors! Eat it Ghrey Running Mutt!!!111
Just happened to go riding with some friends yesterday on NJT NEC from Newark to Trenton, where we switched to the River Line to Camden to see the "Trolleys of Southern NJ" exhibit at the Walt Whitman Art Center. The River Line is a very nice ride and you can't beat the $1.10 fare. Unfortunately, some of the weekday connection times in Trenton aren't the greatest, but the most you'll have to wait is less than 30 minutes. The weekend times may be better. Another negative - it's not always easy to figure out on which side the first River Line train out will be in Trenton. A "next train out" sign would help a great deal!
Bklyn Bus Map:
1. Still show the B12 operating on Empire Blvd past Schenectady Ave.
2. Shows the F/Q returning to Stillwell Ave with a asterisk stating that subway service will return on 5-23-04. F shuttle bus will be discontinued.
Manhattan Bus Map:
1.Shows the M14A and the M14D label across 14St.
This is the URL to a petition I authored with input from various members of our community addressing recent and past sentiment towards transit photographers. Please sign it, so we can show American transit systems that we mean no harm and that banning photography will not stop terrorists.
Also, if you have had any personal experiences with police intervention, email me so I can package them with the petition...my own DPS/FBI story will be attached, and I hope to include others.
I urge you all to do the same.
That is, unless you consider a few keystrokes from the comfort of your own home actually doing something, as opposed to taking your agenda to the streets, demonstrating in public, creating a visible campaign and contacting/visiting your local area representatives to express your concerns.
The internet has made lazy Americans even lazier. If you really feel that strongly about this issue, stop wasting time on web space posting your thoughts and concerns, and instead *do something* about it.
I also wouldn't call my message 'bitching and moaning' about anything, but instead, offering constructive criticism about the approach and methodology.
The fact is, internet petitions are useless. "Signatures" must be just that- signed by the individuals concerned, with complete full names and addresses. (Example: Who is signed simply "Mike"?) Then, they, who live in the selected area who elect such officials, who have signed a legitimate petition should be delivered to local elected representatives.
For the 50,000 potential 'signatures' you may garner on this silliness, it will do absolutely nothing to protect your rights and interests. I have already explained to you what will, yet you refuse to recognize that as well. Perhaps someday when you grow up, you'll understand how the world works.
http://www.silentmajorityny.org/get_involved/demo-flier.pdf
Of course, this specific agenda isn't transit related, but the idea would be the same. Create flyers expressing your concern, spread the word, organize a rally and demonstrate at various local governmental institutions as well as the various MTA/NYCT locations throughout the city.
Hit the major subway stations and inform the people of your position, and ask that they too attend your rally. Schedule many of these public awareness rallies, create signage and notify the media of your agenda.
That's how things get done.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
I believe you guys have the right to photograph that portion of system that's open to the general public in and from areas that are open to the general public. I don't believe, as an employee, you pose any threat to me, or the security of my job, facilities or homeland. That is, unless you decide to walk tracks or enter areas prohibited by the general public. THAT I have an issue with, but know the overwhelming majority of you fans don't engage in such activity.
This entire agenda is poor monday-morning quarterbacking born from paranoia as a knee-jerk reaction disguised as 'better security' when in reality, it's nothing more than admitting that we've lost our freedoms and is an effort to 'do something' about an issue that's not an issue at all.
In any event, when the Straphangers, NYPIRG or any other group or organization wants to get something done, they go out and do it. They don't collect signatures as a sole means of agenda. Can a petition supplement a physical agenda? Sure it can. But is it worth anything as a stand-alone campaign? Not at all. The best course of action is a course of action!
Get moving!
Most people enjoy the Express distributors -- if you ever would bother to pick it up, you'll notice that they highlight one each day and people write in their positive reactions to their friendliness all the time.
But I guess it's since you're from the North, where people prefer a cold shrug in the morning instead of a warm smile and a free newspaper.
As for my being from the North, the Express vendor gets a cold shrug from me every morning, provided he isn't off thrusting papers into people's cars.
Do they now run ads for things other than subscribing for the Post in it? It is just a large advertisement campaign anyway.
Any information is greatly appreciated.
-Busfan
-BUsfan
-BUSfan
-BUSFan
-BUSFAn
-BUSFAN
-bUSFAN
-buSFAN
-busFAN
-busfAN
-busfaN
This is a better layout from my old queens layout
beacause it only had all the MTA buses on it.
If anyone uses bahn and wants any of my layouts or has questions email me or post
One other thing, the Carmen E. Turner lot is practically empty other than the scrap buses, and those buses kept for storage are being held in the rear section of Landover, what that means I don't know, might soon find out.
However, I have said something about railfan ID cards.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Why not? Everyone else is suffering because of these "sins" in many ways - what makes transit fans exceptions to the rules of society?
You have as little right or freedom to take a picture of a bus on a street as you do a woman in a bikini on the beach. There are consequences to all actions. Those of you who scream "freedom" and "First Amendment" clearly have not studied the US Constitution, nor have you spent 5 minutes employed in law enforcement, security, or public safety. Just as an airline pilot is charged with the safety and security of those on an airplane, so is the operator of that RTS or New Flyer. If a bus operator feels someone is acting in a suspicious manner, regardless of the specific activity, they have every power to put that person off the vehicle and/or have them arrested. The New Jersey Turnpike has had a photography ban for decades. If you're caught taking pictures without written permission from the Turnpike Authority, on Turnpike property (including the rest areas), a state trooper will not only arrest you, but will confiscate the camera.
The September 11th hijackers did nothing suspicious until they were on the plane and it was in the air. But because they fully schooled themselves in the operation of Boeing 767s with pictures and classes, they even knew where and how to disable the radio systems. Who is to say that some of the questions and answers posted on message boards like this aren't giving someone the information they need to steal or hijack a bus? People have posted descriptions of how to operate electronic destination sign controls, where the engine and door switches are, and top speeds of various bus models at various agencies and companies. There are pictures all over the web from well-meaning transit employees of dashboards and instrument panels. GMC used to sell maintenance manuals that included details such as sheetmetal thickness and full wiring diagrams to anyone who inquired - no bus manufacturer today would dare.
Those of you who feel your hobby is being singled out need to step back and recognize that you are in a VERY tiny minority. My dad was a driver when I was born; I've been around buses literally my whole 40 years on this planet. But, I never put a hobby over the social well-being of my neighbors. There are far more of them than there are of us. Hundreds of transit fans have no justification to compromise millions of citizens.
I dont see people getting harassed and interrogated for taking a picture of the white house....
Before September 11th, we would have not think that 20+ cowards would hijack planes and ram into buildings.
Focusing on "just" the photography aspect is short-sighted by many of the fans who are complaining. EVERYTHING has changed. Ask the thousands of business travelers who now must take off their shoes every flight because ONE GUY had a shoe bomb. Talk to the truckers who are restricted to how they use bridges for fear of using one as a bomb a la WTC-1 or Oklahoma City. Ask the ordinary citizen who must go into a public building through a series of metal detectors and security guards.
American society as a whole was forced to change on that Tuesday in September 2001. Things we took for granted are now heavily scrutinized. Regulations that we often let slide in the past are now strictly enforced. Restricting photography of transit vehicles to approved use is PART of the change we all have to make.
But with that being said, they are doing it for all of the wrong reasons. Terrorists who want to cause harm will find other ways other than taking photos of buses. T/As for good reason have told us to watch for unattended backpacks and othe suspicious items. In Isreal where bus bombings are common, that wouldn't be the case. There are people who want to carry out such evil deeds that they are willing to end their lives to get the task accomplish. We may look for someone to leave a backpack on a bus or train, but who is to say that some ordinary looking person wearing a backpack, will just set it off with them still attached to it, achieving their task. The things that T/As don't realize is that we take our photos, unmasked, undisguised(sp?) out in the open. We are not going to lie to them and tell them that we are something we are not, we are going to be honest with them and tell them we are bus and railfans, what have we got to lie for. Before T/As consider a ban on photography, they should think if doing so will decrease any terrorist actions, it won't. Also if they do a permit to take photos idea, that wouldn't be a problem, that way they will know the real transitfans from the goons and cowards who want to inflict terror upon our country.
Finally, to make a point to T/As-If someone is determined to steal you car they will find a way to do it, regardless if you have security devices.
If she's sunbathing on a public beach, then absent a specific public ordinance prohibiting photography I can take a photograph of the public beach with her in the shot.
<<< Who is to say that some of the questions and answers posted on message boards like this aren't giving someone the information they need to steal or hijack a bus? People have posted descriptions of how to operate electronic destination sign controls, where the engine and door switches are, and top speeds of various bus models at various agencies and companies. There are pictures all over the web from well-meaning transit employees of dashboards and instrument panels. >>>
Most of this information is readily learned by simply observing the driver's actions. When I took a job as a bus driver back in the mid-1980's, I amazed my trainer by competently driving an RTS bus the very first time I sat in the seat. I was able to do that thanks to years of riding transit buses.
JD
And now that it has happened, many people are flapping their wings so hard that this issue is bound to take off and become a big flop if we don't all get together (ignoring all past strife and grudges) and do for ourselves what we've been getting the agencies to do.
I want to revive this idea of a Society, like the National Railway Historical Society, the National Model Railroad Society, or the American Civil Liberties Union - a group of like-minded individuals incorporated to improve the movement of ideas and give one face to a million people.
I propose that we stop "suggesting" that the MTA adopt some sort of photo ID system, because face it: they won't. We all know that no one there is going to drop their work and start making ID cards for us. It's blatantly obvious that they won't take such efforts because of their current plans, which are intended to "cut the bs" and just stop all of it.
My efforts in the past have dwindled as the threat of such negative actions towards our community have dwindled. But now that it is back on the rise, I think our time has come to show the transit agencies PEACEFULLY that WE MEAN NO HARM! Our presence should not cause any burden to these agencies, whatsoever. It is time that we did for ourselves, instead of waiting for them to start giving us credentials.
Once again, I am relaying the foundation for a society of transit fans, a group of people who just enjoy trains and buses, and who want to enjoy them without a bunch of problems.
My friends, it's time for some unity. We must all forget the grudges we've held against Member X and Member Y and pull in as many people as we can, to strengthen our voice. It is time, most of all, for us to rise up and make our hobby known. It's time to show America and the rest of the world that we are not terrorists, that we just want to have fun.
I ask you now, who's with me???
Then again some T/A officials probably know about these websites and just want to be a**holes about it, but if we don't say anything to them, how do we know they know. Just a thought.
And Tristan Count Me In
Allen Dicion
Toronto,Canada
www.transithub.net
1981 DD 6V-71N/Allison V731 (except 1298-1317,2281-2300 DD 6V-92TA/Allison V731)
1982 DD 6V-92TA/Allison V731
1983 DD 6V-71N/Allison V731
1984 - 1993 DD 6V-92TA/Allison V731 ('90 & '93 w/DDEC)
1994 DD S50/Allison
1996 DD S50 (except 9140-9149 w/Cummins M11)
Also 5075-5124 w/DD S50/ZF
Instead of a vehichle by vehichle blow [makes the post entirely too long], I will give a general overview of my two-day ride:
After arriving fron Philly on Amtrak, I hopped on a Red Line train from Union Station to Gallery place, then hopped on a Yellow line to Huntington. Got a Breda on the Red Line, and rode a rehabbed 2000 series on the Yellow Line.
At Huntington, hopped on FC 109 to Springfield Mall, then the 401 to Tysons Corner. had a micro-mini panic enroute when a woman shreiked at the sight of a cicada hitching a ride on another woman's blouse. The bug was knocked off, and spent the rest of the trip in the rear stairwell of the Orion V.
Does anybody have a roster of FC equipment, so I can see the breakdown of the Orion equipment? I know the 7700 and some of the 7800's are 40 ft Orion V's, but there are some 35 footers in the 7800's as well. The RTS's are in the low 7800's and the 30 foot Orions are in the 7900's.
After Lunch at Tyson's, I got on [another damn] Orion 21xx on the 3T. One things about DC area routes, they zig and zag and sometimes takes 35 minutes to do a route that another one would go down a straight line. However, seeing the traffic on Leesburg Pike, the zig-zag route and the straight-line route tends to take the same amount of time.
Got on the Orange Line [at WFC], then transferred to the Green Line to Anacostia. Got my first Flx ride on the A2, 9423. School was letting out, so I had to put up with the noisy ghetto kids in SE DC. Some thing never change, back in the 80's [when I rode the 9500 Neoplans] Condon Terrace was a hell hole, and the street hasn't changed. Rode to Southern Ave, then hopped on the Green Line back downtown. Along the way, I saw 9348 in the old scheme. That scheme looked much better than the current one, I wished WMATA never changed that scheme.
Got on the Red Line and went to Silver Spring to see the bus action at 5 PM. Saw the wild assortment of Flxibles, NABI and Neoplan Artics, Gilligs, cutaways, and the omnipresent Orions, including the rare "Hammerhead" Orion 1. Then hopped back on and went to Metro Center, then on the Blue Line to Addison Rode before they put the GO in effect. At Addison Rd, I got on the A12 and got 8773. The good thing , it was a Flx Metro B, the bad thing, the fumes backed up in the bus, I could barly stand the ride. The route along MLK Highway can be best described as an "Suburban Ghetto", highlighted by the stop at the dead and buried Landover Mall. The only thing open was Sears. WMATA would have ben better off just having a stop on Brightseat Rd, because going around that rotted corpse of a building was a waste of time. At the end of the line, Capital Plaza wasn't much better.
On the T18 from Cap Plaza to New Carrolton, we blew a interior rear tire, the explosion literally scared everybody shitless. We still made it to New Carrolton though on the Orion VI. At New Carrolton, I finally got on a Metro D 9704. The trip through Lanham looked better than the trip through Seat Pleasant/Palmer Park/Kentland. Rode to Greenbelt, then got on [another] Orion 21xx to Beltway Plaza. Got off and had dinner at Popeyes' [a artery clogger, I actually saved half for later]. Afte dinner, got on an Orion 9637 [repowered] to Greenbelt, noticing that I missed riding a CNG Flyer [that, the NABI, and the Neoplan Artic were the buses I didn't ride this weekend]. At Greenbelt, I got on a CAF train to MVSq, then hopped on a Breda on the Yellow Line to Huntington. Got off, rode the next bus [anothe Orion] to Rt. 1 and got to my motel just before the thunderstorms hit.
I will post my activities on Saturday tommorrow.
Let me know what you think.
Anyway glad you got to ride some Flxes. You probably got more Flx rides on Saturday, since I was seeing them alot.
Yesterday, I was in the Pottstown area to spend some time with my girlfriend. And, yes, there were a few adventures in transit along the way.
I was planning to take the 92/133 to Paoli, then R5 to Radnor, and the P&W to NTC to connect with the 93. I initially chose that route because I had to get to the post office on Airport Rd (which has crappy bus service - the infrequent 314).
Got to High St/Gay St to catch the 92 (2077/6016 block). Heavy congestion in West Chester combined with an accident on US 202 near King of Prussia made the 9:25am (from Parkway Shopping Center) trip about 20 minutes late. After a walk to the post office, I was planning to get a cab to get to West Chester Pike so I could stop at the bank. After about a 15 minute wait, I decided instead to walk back to Phoenixville Pike and Green Hill to try and take the 92. I missed the King of Prussia-bound bus by about a minute, so I went back to downtown West Chester (92, 4579/6019 block).
I had a few minutes to spare to catch the 12:15pm 104 to 69 St Terminal (3375/4222 block). It looked as though I'd have 5 minutes to get to the P&W, but there was heavy traffic about 2 blocks from the terminal due to major reconstruction along Market St in front of the terminal, pulling in at 12:18pm. I literally ran from the West Terminal to the P&W platform to catch the 12:20pm to Norristown. I barely made it.
Nothing eventful happened on the P&W, nor on the 2:00pm 93 to Pottstown (5334/6033 block), until we got to Sanatoga Rd. The bridge on Ridge Pike just west of Sanatoga Rd was being replaced, so we had to take a long and circuitous detour along Sanatoga and Pleasant View Rds. Sanatoga Rd is a tricky road for most vehicles, let along a 40-ft bus, with numerous curves - some of them very sharp - and some steep hills. Pleasant View Rd, however, is straighter and not as steep as Sanatoga Rd, and certain PUT trips operate to Rolling Hills via this road. Anyway, we got to Pottstown about 10 minutes late. The thing that irritated me the most is that there were no signs at Norristown nor any notice on the SEPTA web site alerting us to any detours.
After my girlfriend dropped me off at High St/Hanover St in Pottstown (after spending a few hours with her), I waited for the 7:05pm 93 to Norristown. While I was waiting for the 93, I saw PUT RTS #54 pulling over at on High St waiting for RTS #51, which appears to have had a mechanical problems. #51 was working the High St NightLine before being replaced my #54. Nova #58 was working the North End/Pottstown Center/Coventry Mall NightLine loop, BTW.
The 93 that I had been waiting for arrived 20 minutes late due to the detour, with 4529 covering 6034 block (an ElDo on the 93? WTF?). Just as the bus left Pottstown, the rains started to fall, and there were stretches where it came down pretty heavily. By the time we got to DeKalb St/Norristown TC, I think I saw more lightning than I had seen in the past few weeks combined.
At NTC, got on the 8:40pm P&W to 69 St Terminal; we actually made pretty good time. This one lady was heading back from Pottstown to Doylestown and was worried that she'd miss her 55 connection at Broad and Olney; I assured her that she'd get to Broad and Olney in plenty of time. Anyway, we got into 69 St a couple minutes early, so I had plenty of time to catch the 9:12pm 104 back to West Chester (5589/4299 block).
All in all, it was a pretty good day, SEPTA-related problems notwithstanding...
7700-7761 35 foot orion I(most have been retired)
7762-7781 40 foot Orion V(WMATA rejects)
7782-7799 40 foot Orion V circa 2000
7801-7809 30 foot Orion I(retired)
7810-7855 TMC RTS
7856-7869 40 foot Orion V(WMATA rejects)
7870-7890 40 foot Orion V(2000)
7891-7898 or 99 35 foot Orion V(2002)haven't yet seen 7899 to be sure
7901-7902 TMC Citycruiser(ex Cue 801 and 802 now retired)
7903-7917 30 foot Orion V(WMATA rejects)
7918-7929 30 foot Orion V(circa 2002)
There is rumor(to a point fact) Fairfax Connector maybe getting over 130 Orion VIIs to replace the rest of the Orion Is and the TMC RTSs.
Yeah, you're right, the 2B would be the only WMATA bus left going through Vienna.
I just have a couple of questions. How are the buses delivered from the plant? What work is done to the buses at the NEwark Bus Complex? What mubers are the garages going to get? Thanks!
MetroB
I just don't know.
I agree that MTA NYC Bus is due for a change, but suspect the white with blue stripe has been so useful, it will stay around for awhile.
MetroB
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Sara Evans
-Backseat of a Greyhound Bus
Tim McGraw
-(not sure of the name of the song, but mentions Greyhound)
(not sure of artist)
-Heads Carolina, Tails California(mentions Greyhound)
Hmm...sounds like a song was written about the Flxible Metro YEARS before it went into production. LOL!!! :)
-F.
"Does this Bus Stop at 82nd Street?", Bruce Springsteen
Hey bus driver keep the change, bless your children, give them names,
don't trust men who walk with canes
Drink this and you'll grow wings on your feet
Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine, advertiser on a downtown train
Christmas crier bustin' cane, he's in love again.
"Waiting At The Bus Stop", Bobby Sherman
Pretty little girl
Standin' on the corner
Waitin' for the bus to come
Drivin' in my car
I waved, winked, and smiled
Boy, I bet she thinks I'm dumb
I've been around this block about 15 times
I really don't know what to do
Cause you're so lovely and I'm so lonely
I wish that I could talk to you
"Double Ducth Bus", Frankie Smith
Give me a HO if you've got your funky bus fare…HO
There's a double dutch bus comin' down the street
Movin pretty fast
So kinda shuffle your feet
Get on the bus and pay your fare
And tell the driver that you're
Goin' to a Double Dutch Affair
Bus fare trans-pass
That's the way my money lasts
Ain't got no car to get around
When I go to work I've gotta go downtown
Now I've missed my train
That's a darn shame
When I'm running late no sleep's to blame
If you've gotta wife you know I'm right
Gotta special man well I can understand
Uptown, downtown everybody's getting down
Say uptown say downtown
Well I've missed my bus I know I'm late
I've gotta do something I know I hate
I'm gonna walk to work fifteen blocks
I already got a hole in my socks
Go ahead and laugh that's okay
Cause what I really wanna say
I got bad feet my corns hurt
To top it off I'm lost for work
-Fred
The wheels of the bus go round an round (X 3)
The wheels of the bus go round and round
All day long.
The people on the bus stand up, sit down (X3)
The people on the bus stand up, sit down
All day long.
The engine of the bus goes Broom-Broom-Broom (X3)
The engine of the bus goes Broom-Broom-Broom
All day long.
The driver of the bus goes Beep-Beep-Beep (X3)
The driver of the bus goes Beep-Beep-Beep
All day long.
The babies on the bus go Wha-Wah-Wah (X3)
The babies on the bus go Wah-Wah-Wah
All day long.
"A Day In The Life" (Sgt. Pepper album):
"Found my coat and grabbed my hat,
Made the bus in seconds flat..."
And from "Rambling Man" by The Allman Brothers:
"And I was born in the back seat of a Greyhound bus,
Rolling down Highway 41...."
There's more, but I don't recall the lyrics verbatim.
-F.
-F.
I forgot the artist(Skynrd???) - Lord I was born a ramblin man - born in the back seat of a greyhound bus
Three Cheers for Mr Bus Driver - 'he drinks and he smokes and he tells dirty jokes and he's slow as a turtle and wears a tight girdle, etc" - that's how we ended every grammar schgool field trip
did a search for 'bus' on a song lyrics site. knock yourselves out.
-F.
Cathy, I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh
Michigan seems like a dream to me now
It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw
I've gone to look for America
Laughing on the bus, playing games with the faces
She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy
I said be careful his bowtie is really a camera
Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat
We smoked the last one an hour ago
So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine
And the moon rose over an open field
Cathy, I'm lost, I said, though I knew she was sleeping
I'm empty and aching and I don't know why
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike
And they've all gone to look for America
Anyway, a LOT of it, since originating in NY, has random bus references. Would like to know the names of a few songs, one mentions the dude writing his chicks name on the back of a bus seat or something.
Yea, this post is worse than the one on subtalk, haha.
Speed
Smokey and the Bandit II(I thought there could never be a movie worse than this one, but then I heard they came out with a Smokey and the Bandit III).
BTW, the school used in "Room 222" was the old Los Angeles HS, before it was severly damaged in the 1971 Sylmar earthquake and subsequently rebuilt. Many years ago, L. A. High was the end of the line for Los Angeles Railway's "L" streetcar line (Olympic Blvd & Mullen Av), but by the time Room 222 was airing, it had become SCRTD's 4 line (now line 28)
Not too often you get to see a Fishbowl (San Diego Transit 1982? GMD) wrecked by an enraged T-Rex :)
Regarding "Volcano", that was a rare movie in that LACMTA was identified as such in the film. My complaint is that the fishbowl in question was numbered "3736" which is not a numbered used by MTA or predecessor SCRTD. (I think the actual number of that bus had been 3136 (1974 T8H-5307A), which was one of the last Fishbowls to run for RTD/MTA (retired 1993), seems to me since they were identifying MTA in the movie (the scenes in the Red Line tuinnels used actual Red Line cars with the official "M Metro" logo and actual fleet numbers, unlike in "Speed"), they could've used the actual MTA fleet number on the bus). But what do I know? :)
The sounds used for both the fishbowl and the Grumman at the beginning seem to be a 6V-71, but the transmission seems different than the normal VH9 or V730/731. Sounds like some old, old fishbowls I used to hear somewhere in the early 70's. (perhaps Springfield Transit. PVTA still had those in the late '80's and they sounded different). Almost at times like an 8V. Much throatier than the standard VH-9/V-730/1 familiar to NY. What transmission was that? You seem to hear it in other moveis as well. I'm sure it is a studio tape rather than the actual sound from the footage.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
There are so many more; too many to think of right now.
Badge 373 - Robert Duval takes over a Batwinged 8000 series Fishbowl and leads bad guys on a chase. He even pushes a vehicle into the East River curtesy of the power of a Fishbowl.
French Connection - Seems like Popeye Doyle is ready to sideswipe quite a few Fishbowls as he chases the bad guys under the West End line in Brooklyn in his borrowed Pontiac.
The Seven Ups - Lots of street scenes with Fishbowls, Flxibles and even a GG1 on the Hellgate tracks just to the east of Co-op city.
TV - Opening and closing scenes of the The Odd Couple
BTW, anyone know where that Fishbowl used in the movie came from ? The green paint was darker that the real TA buses and the interior was not NYCTA.
Bill "Newkirk"
I know they've got some non-stop to PABT. They've also got one on Sundays to Queens Village(I don't know where from there, it's not Hempstead or Islip, I tried both on Greyhound.com)
I think on Sundays they've got a Trailways runnin to Kingston or Albany, but I may be wrong.
And there's one thing that really gets me. Who the hell was the genious who decided to have one bus run from PABT, out to Queens Village, and then to Brooklyn!? Instead of 30 minutes, it takes 1 hr and 10 minutes. That has to be the most roundabout route on the Greyhound system. If it was PABT-Brooklyn-Queens Village, then I'd understand.
It wouldn't really take any more time I would think, and since it's a more direct routing, it may even be faster.
Also, they could make some stops in NJ before AC.
I was hoping to see atleast one bus from Islip, runnin Hempstead->Queens Village->Brooklyn->maybe a new stop on SI somewhere, then on to maybe Phili, or even Norfolk, Va via DelMarVa or w/e that peninsula is called.
http://www.ran.org/action/toolbox/demonstration.html
http://www.fair.org/activism/organize.html
Yes, B/Os from the B6,42, and 82 buses uses the Canarsie crew room for their lunch break.
Also how does one post a pic onto this site? I know this question has been asked and answered, but someone give me the rundown....
Also how does one post a pic onto this site? I know this question has been asked and answered, but someone give me the rundown....
Quick rundown:
<img src=website here>
*Remember, you have to have your own webspace in order to post your own pictures. If you don't already here are a few sites [that I know of] where you can upload your pics:
Transitgallery.com
Imagestation.com
Photobucket.com
imagestation.com
transitgallery
Similar to the M16/M34 and the M27/M50
Thank You
Ray
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
B1-#8686-TMC
B64-#8894-NOVABUS
B1-#4782-TMC
B8-#610-Orion V CNG
Da Hui
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
What sources have your received from NYCT about the MTA takeover of the Private bus routes & what are some of the changes including bus depots changes for Brooklyn & Queens on July 1st.
IAll the private routes will go Queens Vilage Depot II, Jamaica Depot II, and Fresh Pond Depot II. coming in 2007, Hah, Hah, Hah!
Basically my sources tell me that as of now no specific changes are in work at this time
Thank You
Da Hui
Since it's $1.75 now, I don't think too many people would object to a raise to $2.00, all though it was only recently brought up to 1.75(I remember about two yrs ago, I think, it was $1.40. My friends mom said she wanted it to go up to 1.50, but joked that they'd probably bring it to 1.45 first).
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
They are also used on the #77 line (White Plains TransCenter to Baldwin Place and Carmel), that's a distance of about 10 miles from north to south. Also, I believe I heard somewhere that there is one or two runs on the White Plains-Peekskill Line (I think the 11 or 27) that use the MCIs as well...but i'm not sure on that one...
I would guess they were used on teh #84 (White Plains to Kent) back when THAT route was running. Those are the south Westchester-to-north Westchester commuter routes.
More later...
The SAS
Wouldn't it be $4 unless you had an unlimited card?
Beeline = $2,
to Subway = Free Transfer,
to LIB = $2.
AFAIK only LIB allows up to 2 free transfers for trips starting and ending on LIB routes, in the same general direction.
But why is everyone assuming that there will be free transfers at all, or that there will be any changes to the fare structure? AirTrain and PATH-WTC accept MetroCards but don't have free transfers and have their own fares.
I'm not saying there won't be free transfers or a new fare structure if and when MetroCard is introduced on Bee-Line -- I'm just saying that there might not be. (I'm also not going to predict whether NYCT unlimited cards will be accepted. Perhaps Bee-Line will go with its own unlimited card, like AirTrain.) Even without transfers, MetroCard is still a useful fare medium.
Before Metrocard was accepted on LIBus the Fare was $2 when boarding in Queens, $1.50 within Nassau and no Transfers.
And When it comes to transfers, there is one Transfer in NYC. However LIB has up to TWO transfers for connecting routes.
I have a hard time believing that bee-line riders are going to take a 60 cent fare increase liying down
and that bee-line officials are going to lower the express bus fare by $1
we will see
Remember that the person reporting the story most likely does not ride the buses
Not only that, an unlimited monthly fare will go down from $75 to $70 with the addition of access to NYC and Nassau. 6 additional Counties.
IMO, Probably with Pay-Per-Ride cards only you can transfer for free from BL to NYCT in the Bronx. For those who wish to tansfer to BL from NYCT, there might be a step-up charge when transfering. Then again I don't know the BL fare. It's just guess work on my part based on currest transfers from Queens Private Bus Lines to NYCT.
Chicago uses GFI Genfare fareboxes with a Cubic Card Issuer/Reader attached on the side, so Westchester Bee-Line should be able to do the same. The two systems are interoperable with a software patch.
Brian Bradford
Brooklyn, NY
(1) Rode an AMG Trolleycoach on the #72 from Harvard about a mile outbound; returned on a conventional diesel (RTS). The a/c was out on both buses even though it was a hot day; and many other buses were observed with open windows. Is this a common problem on older MBTA buses?
(2) Are the AMG Trolleycoaches going to be replaced soon? After all, they are 28 years old.
(3) Noticed new artics (Orions?) on the #39 bus and the Silver Line? ARe they the same buses despite the different paint schemes?
Thanks to all who answer.
They are NOT AM Generals. They are the AMG's cousin, Flyer, which custom built them with the left-side doors.
(2) The Flyer trackless trolleys are to be replaced this year with Neoplan trackless trolleys, delivery was due to begin in May, I don't know if they are on schedule or behind.
(3) As Basman has already indicated in his reply, those are Neoplan artics. They only run on the 39 (Forest Hills/Copley Sq) and the Silver Line.
Mark
Regarding the older RTS buses, the 1985-87 buses (8400, 8500, 8600 and 8700 series) do not have A/C. The 1989 buses (8000, 8800 and 8900 series) had A/C retrofitted in the early 1990’s.
JD
At Huntington,I got on CAF car 5029 and rode to Reagan Nat'l Airport for a bathroom break. Got on another train 20 minutes later and rode through the GO on the line, the train switched tracks at Pentagon City, and stopped on the lower level at the Pentagon, then went over the bridge using the VA bound tracks. We arrived at L'Enfant Plaza on the SB track then switched over to the proper NB track. Arrived at Gallery Place, hopped on the Red Line, and noticed that the entire car was packed with so many teenaged kids. In fact there were hordes of them all over the system, I wondered what was going on to bring so many of them onto the system, heading into DC. I got off at Shady Grove, and noticed that the station was jammed with kids. Oh well, at least I was going in the opposite direction.
At Shady grove, I got on Ride-On CNG Orion V 5817 on the 57. As the bus was leaving, I noticed a Orion 7 pulling in, so I was slightly pissed because that was the point of going up to Gaithersburg, to ride the Orion 7. after another bathroom break at Lakeforest Mall, I finally got on an Orion 7 on the 54. I loved the ride on the 54, especially going down on Washingtonian Blvd, through the fake downtown there. What is the name of that development?
At Rockville, I got on the 49, and during the trip, overheard some kids gossiping on who gave whom a STD, I had to put up with that raunchy conversation for most of the trip. I was going to hop a Metro train there , but Metro E 4039 [Y7] arrived, and I decided to take that bus to Wheaton, and catch the Red Line there, despite the fact that I cannot really deal with the extremely long escalator at that station.
Got off the Red Line at Metro Center, then rode the Orange Line to WFC. Gor on a Scooby-Doo wrapped FC 7779 on the 905. The bus used the airport roadway, instead of the regular lanes of the Dulles Road which was cool. Rode to Herndon, got off at Herndon Pkwy/Elden St for dinner at KFC, then hopped another 905 to Reston Town Center. While waiting for the bus, I was making sure there were no cicadas trying to hop a ride on me.
I wish they would erect a more elaborate transfer terminal at Reston Town Center. It looks like something SEPTA or NJT would do than a system like Fairfax Connector. The 4 cheap bus shelters in the back of the town center looks tacky. I got on [another goddamn] Orion 7763 back to WFC, using the Airport road for the fast part of the trip.
At WFC, I took the Orange Line to Vienna, then went forward to Ballston. One thing I'm noticing about WMATA trains, they're getting dangerously close to looking like rolling pig stys. The trash is really piling up on the trains. Well, at least they havent reached the lows seen on SEPTA/NYC Subway trains, but WMATA is getting close to it.
Got off at Ballston, and went to 7/11 to get a Diet Pepsi, and took one of my favorite Metrobus runs, the 10B through Arlington. I got on another [I'm really getting tired of this shit] Orion 4210 with the old cheap-assed Vultron sign [the LED signs are MUCH better], and rode through another old neighborhood along Mt. Vernon Ave. Twenty-two years ago, this area was a borderline slum, now the area has seen a somewhat yuppified revival, with the heavy Spanish presence.
One last observation at Ballston, ART uses those dreadful cutaways, worse yet cutaways on CNG. Will this system [and PG County's THE BUS] get any REAL buses?
The final leg started when I hopped on the Blue Line to Metro Center, noticed the horde of kids going home when I transferred at Metro Center, then the Red Line to Union Station. I missed the 9 pm Amtrak, but I was in plenty of time to catch the 10 PM train to Filthydelphia.
Now what do you think of that ride?
Four mega-rides in a week [NYC, Philly, Wilmington, and DC], a feat ony I can accomplish during my vacation.
You also noticed the hoards of tourists and teenagers Saturday morning? It did make for some interesting "scenery". I got on an Orange Line at around 10:45 or so at Metro Center and took it to Smithsonian, and the number of teenage tourists on the train did catch my attention.
I think the "downtown" you describe on the 54 is Rio.
I still personally dislike orange LEDs.
That development in Gaithersburg is probably the Rio. That whole little town center went up a few years ago. Pretty common out here as the big, no personality malls are losing their appeal. Sometimes I like them, other times their a nusiance. The developers think that by building apartments and town houses, it would lessen traffic, but it really doesn't and they're usually not very transit friendly.
Ahh, Ballston, I really thought I'd miss it once we moved out here to Vienna in April. Don't miss the noise, traffic, or drunks from the bars at all! I love sitting on my balcony and hearing absolutely nothing! I do miss watching all the buses roll by, but I can see buses by looking out of my window at work. : )
Glad you had a fun time. Its tourist season at its finest here. Yeah, its making the metro a little unbearable, but they can keep spending that money and help the economy. : )
Can you seriously hear nothing from your balcony? Cicadas have enough intelligence to know which side of the river is better? ;-)
Its definitely suburbia out here. I didn't know how I'd be with it, but its nice to actually be able to drive around at certain times of the AM on a weekend and be one of the only cars out there, get to the grocery store and have a front row parking space and come home to be greeted by very friendly residents in the complex.
Yes, the tourists do make for a good laugh. Some are interesting as there were some people sitting in front of me from Boston on the Orange Line yesterday. Made me realize I forgot to tape the Red Sox game for Pam. ( I didn't hear the end of that one!) Of course on of them made the brilliant statement that the insides of the trains were orange because it was the Orange Line. Ugh, geniuses!
Suburbia certainly has its advantages, but a built up area often puts you just steps away from the Metro, an ATM, and Giant, three of the essentials for living around here. Of course, driving on roads such as River, Seven Locks, and Democracy early in the morning and late at night can be fun too!
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
There are two very large parking garages, plus some surface parking and its still not enough. 66 East in the AM and West in the PM is an absolute nightmare. Unfortunately, you could probably have the bus fare be free to shuttle people to the Metro and it wouldn't make a dent in the traffic.
Chuck Greene
Oh yea the Pentagon police was questioning some guy at the upper level, not sure why. Came back and before my 13A came they were questioning three other guys. And I say this disclaimer.
DO NOT TAKE PICTURES AT THE PENTAGON!!! The police are all over the place and these guys don't kid around, just ask someone who were apprehended by them.
My guess is that I will be working the third base side again this year. While there is no way to predict what nights will be busy and what nights won't, on a lighter night, I can socialize to some extent during the game. Of course, I still need to watch out for little kids running up to the backstop or climbing up onto the dugouts.
-F.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Yes, I do the same thing now. I enjoy living in a decent area especially since we couldn't afford it when I was a child, but these yuppies are sickening. They seem to think the world revolves around them and more. Yuk!
-Fred
-F.
People's became CVS, but that was a long time ago anyway. However, Langly Park looks nice nowadays - I'm proud that it's now my "Ride-On transfer point".
When did they reroute the buses? I remember they continued operating there until very recently, probably until just before the HellDorados came in.
However, buses don't really layover so much at Langly anyway. It seems they just drive in, maybe park for a few minutes at most, and then they are off again. I see most layovers at Silver Spring - where the drivers go, I have no idea.
Also, I guess this was the time that the 16 started to go to Takoma full time instead of just weekdays. When did that 16 service to Takoma begin anyway? Back when I rode it regularly for a purpose, it went to Langly Park only!
Anyway, I'm pretty excited for when the Purple Line comes to Langly Park (if it ever happens). I wonder what would happen to so many routes though, since the rail would be right there.
Hey Chris, isn't the Langley Park Transit Center on-site research part of the assignments for interns this year???
What was this transit center idea? Is Langley Park so busy that it would require such a terminal?
Didn't Ride-On rt 19 go to Langly Park at one time? I thought I saw a sign when I was younger at the shopping center (the old terminus for routes 15-18 back in the day).
They started painting the old apartment complex up too.
Didn't the C2 use to go to PG Plaza?
I'm not sure about the 19. I think that one always has been running where it is today. I think the original Ride On routes are still there. Of course now you have the invasion of "The Bus", but they aren't a threat to the other operators.
The Bus amuses me somewhat (I feel so bad saying that!) but I kinda like their Chumpions because they remind me so stronly of my lil Dorados at home. Too bad ODVs are the most common ones though. I'd like to ride an SLF to see how good (or bad) they are.
A funny story about the 15-18. Back before they were rerouted to Lebanon Rd, my family used to have to take the 16 from Silver Spring to get off at that exact stop, so we wouldn't have to walk all the way from the shopping center. Now all of them (the Langly Park brothers as I liked to call them since I was lil) stop at that same stop, including the 15 minutes or less rt 15, my favorite Ride-On rt (i like to call it the Langly Park express). Of course now we don't live there, but oh well - a better connection to the K6. I guess the story wasn't that funny, but there is at least a little irony...i guess.
What's at Montgomery Mall that's so amazing? It seems to be transit central (especially with Ride-On). Is it the other Mont Co's version of King of Prussia?
If this is the case, I've ridden about 2/3 of the "C2".
There aren't really that many Metrobuses at Lakeforest, is there? Aren't there 2 routes max? I only see Ride-On buses whenever I go up there (all 3 times).
I haven't been to Langley Park, I'm surprised no one has told you that yet. Silver Spring is certainly on the upswing but I haven't been over there lately, either.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Saturdays at Silver Spring are your best bet for catching a Flx...or virtually any bus that WMATA has to offer. Nice variety there!
-Fred
-F.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2479816634&category=6728&sspagename=WDVW
It looks like it's in nice shape though - I remember riding 8808, and it was in very good condition. If anyone considers getting this bus, I can say that the WMATA Flxibles of that time were generally quiet - 8808 was very quiet.
Hope my Orion 1 doesn't cost that much - I just need to figure out how to take care of it.
What do you say to ANOTHER DC BUSTALKERS' FAN TRIP....complete with A RIDE AROUND TOWN IN MY FLX? :)
Let me know!
-Fred
-Fred
-F.
-Fred
I also wouldn't be up for the whole Chinabus thing. Staying on two rails is preferible.
I've been on Acela Express a total of about 20 times including two NYC to Boston trips and one DC to Newark, NJ trip with fares ranging from 100 to 157 dollars (average fare is $128.50). Total expenses come out to $2,570.00 if you use 20 trips and $128.50 as the cost of a ticket but the expense is well worth the benefits. I arrive in convinient locations on both end (Union Station/Capitol Hill and Penn Station/Midtown) just a subway ride from my origins/destinations. Neither Chinatown is nearly as convinient, nor is the Rockville stop wherever that is. I get space to do work, stretch out, move around, eat, or just relax, as well as the occasional cab ride. If my arrangement for getting ticket submitted my Amtrak Guest Rewards number each time I traveled, (they don't), I would have already earned my first free trip quite some time ago and would be nearing my second. Seems like a far better deal to me than taking the bus, be it Greyhound or the Chinabus.
I like Amtrak, but it just isn't worth the money anymore. It was nice when the company I was with paid for my tickets, but I'd rather try out the Chinabus and make my decision. I wasn't too fond of my last trip on Amtrak from DC to Florida and back.
I'd take Chinacoach, but they don't care about Philly's Chinatown (which I have yet to visit).
Amtrak, like the air shuttles to NYC, are great when they work. Of course, if you get stuck in a major delay situation, neither one is very pleasant. I have taken a long distance bus once (from NYC to New Paltz, NY) and while I didn't mind it for the quick 90 minute trip, I would much rather Amtrak between DC and NYC and would probably fly before taking the bus. Of course, in the New Paltz scenario, I got a free ride to my final destination from New Paltz, something I would have not had if I had taken Amtrak or MNRR to Poughkeepsie, not to mention, it would have taken longer to take the train to Poughkeepsie and then get to my final destination.
And, it was a Pine Oren Hill Trailways Bus, so the decision was obvious ;-)
If you pay me however it costs to go first class, I'll give you my Guest Reward points...
(Think of how a Flxible sits, and you'll know where I got the name.)
-Fred
Wish me the best!
-F.
Chuck Greene
-Fred
Note to anyone who ever drives a bus: No matter how tired you are at the end of the night, ALWAYS park on a paved surface. NEVER PARK ON TERRA FIRMA....IT'S NOT SO FIRMA!!!
And that is the lesson I have learned. :)
-F.
-Fred
-Fred
"Mmm....Detroit Diesel 6V92TA with DDEC and Allison tranny with ATEC controls mounted on Rockwell axles....ARRH AH AHH!!!!
-F.
I've always wanted to drive a Flxible (since recently) - or at least sit in the seat.
-Fred
And for the Tim Allen quota, those babies have Cummins ISLs mounted to Voith trannies with OTR-style retarders....ARRH AH AHHH!!!! :)
-F.
Savor every bus ride on our Flxes and Neos...you never know when it may be the last (well, you have a general idea).
JD
-Fred
-Fred
~Founder of The Alternative...
Bad news: Kingsbridge doesn't seem to be getting any better.
Today, I was in Kingsbridge looking out the barber shop window, photographing the buses. NYCT NovaBUS RTSs #8813 and #9674 have defective exhaust filters, as I saw an unusual (for a clean-air bus) amount of dirty air. Nice job of helping the environment KB. :-(
However, aparently the slanted destination sign on Artic #5716 has been fixed.
Goodnight!
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Sorry, click here.
BTW: If anyone wants to see the full recap of today's little excursion, click here.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
So please tell me, why was the Orion VI the only bus in NYCT history to have a rear window but none of the younger NYCT models have a rear window? TIA.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
2.) The Air Conditioning unit on an Orion VI is mounted inside the unsually thick ceiling, rather than in the back wall.
Besides, the rear window looks like it's useless for backing and I doubt any operator can make good use of it. It's just purely to free up free wall space due to the unusual configuration.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
In Canada, the mild Canadian summer climate usually made adding AC to buses somewhat of overkill. That's why most of their buses to this day are not AC equipped, and their buses [especially their Classics, Orions and Flyers] have rear windows, though some Canadian properties have buses with AC.
The advent of roof-mounted AC units ofter means that the guts of the AC is on the roof [reason: no interference from the heat of the engines], and that spot where the AC usually goes is often a spot to put the compressor, or a storage tank of freon gas, or other cooling substance, or in the case of SEPTA buses, there's nothing there where the AC should be, because everything is on the roof.
Well the Orion 7, the 5xxx series Artics and probably the C40LF's are younger than the Orion 6. BTW a rear window most likely won't be as effective as if you just used the mirrors for reversing.
Correct - when I learned to drive a bus back in 1985, we were taught to look at the spot you were going to back into, and then use only your mirrors during the actual backup procedure, and this was tested by the DMV during the road test. To this day, I use my mirrors when I back up my car or the family minivan - I find it is much more accurate than physically turning around in the seat to back up.
JD
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
If you're saying thw WHOLE ROOF was open, then IAWTP. It would probably create a bad environment as hail could suddenly fall, and, well, ya have a broken window (?).
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Out here along the west coast in California, SF Muni, AC Transit, MST, and a few other TA's have advance design buses with rear windows where the AC unit is usually mounted. For this reason, there is no need for AC units because the temperature doesn't get very hot in the summer due to the sea breeze and fog keeping the coastal land mild.
Plus, the NF 30footer has a silly rear window, and i dont' think it's much good unless you're endanger of backing into a house.
I guess a mirror aimed at a rear window as low as on a school bus back door(emergency door) would be a different story.
05/24/04 09:39A Q165S/W 408
My question is: what's the deal with this Q165?
Ray
Da Hui
There may be an actual "Q165"! School bus routes now have NY transit style route designations, and many of them are in the hundreds!
Did you know that the spanish way of saying "NYCT New Flyer D60HF Articulated" is "TCNY New Flyer D60PA Articuló"?
I'll give ya a few other thing later, after my MNRR M7A excursion. See y'all in an hour.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Shouldn't it be - TCNY Nuevo Flyer D60PA Articuló?
Anyway, if you want to know the full way to say it, it's this:
Español: "El Tránsito de la Ciudad de Nueva York New Flyer Diesel 60 Piso Alto Articuló"
English: "New York City Transit New Flyer Diesel 60 High Floor Articulated"
Español: "TCNY New Flyer D60PA Articuló"
English: "NYCT New Flyer D60HF Articulated"
Español: Gracias para leer.
English: Thank you for reading.
Español: -Ben Diamond (t.c.c. 4trenalwoodlawn)
English: -Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Me- Excuse me sir, could you please turn on the air conditioning? It's oppressively hot on this bus
B/O- I know. The air conditioning doesn't work.
I finally learn that some of the warmer bus rides in my recent memory weren't due to mean B/O's, but crap maintainance.
I've also noticed that every GH bus that i've been on for the past week has had at least one dead flourescent tube somewhere in the bus. Anyone else notice this?
If Al Queda were to ever do something positive in the world, they'd make GH a target. Sheesh....
Anyone want more pictures?
Whether it's off or seemingly not performing to spec, report the situation by calling the Department of Buses at 1-888-NYCT-BUS (where someone is more likely to receive the complaint and do something about it than if it's posted here on BusTalk). If the HVAC was off, be sure to make that fact clear to the representative, so the complaint can be handled as a personnel matter rather than as a maintenance matter. Don't want to call? Use the feedback page of the MTA website (www.mta.info).
David
David
Notice the loose door. I also had 346 earlier that day, we had a/c but the driver shut it off. I guess LIB aint the only fleet suffering from poor maintanance. :-(
If you are speaking of lack of a/c, then no LIB is definately not the only ones. Within the past weeks, just about every bus that I stepped on or witnessed did not have a/c-the NYCDOT buses. I even experienced a few MTA buses without a/c, which truly surprised me.
Here's a couple of pictures to illustrate this:
Enjoy.
B1-#4782-TMC
Da Hui
RGRTA is getting bigger and bigger, they are in talks also adding more counties, next will be Canadauiga Transit system in 2005, maybe.
What you think of RGRTA becoming bigger and bigger?
Centro in Syracuse does this on a smaller scale – they run satellite systems in Oswego (Centro of Oswego) and Auburn (Centro of Cayuga) in addition to the main bus system (CNY Centro). Buses are occasionally transferred among the three operations.
Question - do any of RGRTA’s other operations run regular transit buses besides the Rochester city operation?
Jim D.
I was at a meeting today on the South Route 1 Corridor bus plan at the Fairfax County Government Center today. They were talking about how WMATA's Orion VI's will be decked out for this service and we voted on color schemes and things like that. Someone joked to the guy at WMATA that they keep seeing Pike Ride buses on other lines other than Columbia Pike and wondered if that was going to happen with these. He said, "If they need a bus, they'll be put on anywhere".
Speaking of, I was on the C4 this evening and this particular run had a Y8 type crowd. That meant from the Wheaton Station to Riggs Road, sardine packed was the rule. It was so crowded, the driver had to pass up people four times.
~Flxible forever...at least until 2015...
Image URL: http://www.tecsbrain.org/pictures/2000.jpg
There is always that if factor...I really don't understand why people refuse transit. I'd love for there to be a bus going right through my neighborhood - make it a lot easier to run for.
It's so sad that New York gave such a negative view of the subway nationally...
I believe there is quite a significant difference between supporting transit that will be useful for the majority and supporting transit projects just because they are transit. If transit should exist just for the purpose of existing, then the 27, 91, G1, SmartMover, and all those other really low usage routes that were discontinued so that money could be devoted to routes and lines being used by far more people should be brought back just so we can have more transit.
And now, I will go out on my bike and enjoy the peace and quiet of the Georgetown Branch Trail so long as there are no LRVs running alongside the path...
Tell me what are the benefits of building this line? I do believe that cross county transportation is needed but I don't believe that the Silver Spring to Bethesda corridor is the best place for it.
1. It will be a cross county rail line that will connect 2 ends of the Red line which is badly needed so people that do not like taking the bus will not have to go all the way to downtown DC.
2. This will also connect the Green line and Orange lines in PG county thus relieving traffic on the beltway for commuters that live in PG and work in Bethesda and even Rockville.
3. This will also take the car/bus traffic off of the overcrowded East West Highway which can not be widened due to the houses that line that street which I do not believe widening a road will relieve traffic anyways
4.It will also make University of Maryland accesible by connecting to the Red line on the West end and East end.
5. Bring rail transit to the much needed Langley Park which is one of the most transit dependent neighborhoods in the whole state.
It might bring some development to Bethesda but I doubt it will be much if not any. I really don't see why you would be opposed to this project.
The line is to start off as a single track but if ridership grows enough and I am sure it will, they will need a second track. Where will that be built? On the bike trail. I really hope that if they build the Inner Purple Line, they don't screw it up the way they messed up the Light Rail in Baltimore.
East-West Highway is overcrowded. There is no denying that. If Bethesda were to be developed more, any savings in traffic congestion would be lost. There has only been one MetroRail branch that has not exceeded original ridership projections, why should the Purple Line be the second?
While the other links the line would provide would be great (UMD, Green Line, Orange Line, Red Line branches), is Bethesda really the best place to make that connection? I think that an outer line, preferibly heavy rail, would be more advantageous to more people in the long run.
Where does Doug Duncan currently stand on the transportation issues? I'm inclined to say he is pro-Outer Purple and anti-ICC but I really can't recall at the moment. I know very well where Erlich and Van Hollen Stand, the latter did not get my vote in the primary.
They're also planning to grade-seperate for the most part, so that the train would still have time savings.
They've been planning double-track all along.
BTW, WABA has on their website a walk-through decribing how the trail and rail can co-exist.
http://www.waba.org/new/news/3166.php
The current plan last I saw was not to double track though it is inevitable that they will double track it some day...
As someone who used to "live" there, as well as someone who uses that as a regular place to get Ride-On and, er, THE BUS, it's important to have some sort of rail line connecting to the red - you can only have so much bus service in an area, and the "traffic" keeps delaying the C2 as well!
You (oren) should really go down there, even at least once, just to see Langly - it's quite a site for transit, and you'll see why people need the Purple Line.
Take my town for instance. There is so much developement going on here. New "townhomes", an office complex is being constructed, new businesses and whatnot. There is no rail line at all, so people have to drive. What does that mean? Clogged up traffic regularly!
The traffic may die down a bit if there is a rail line to take people to other points of montgomery county.
The Inner Purple Line may bring development to places other than Bethesda but Bethesda will probably be developed as well as a result of its construction. Bethesda is easy to get to as it is and was revitalized not too long ago without any new rail lines or roads being built in the area. There is little reason in my mind to believe that the Inner Purple Line would not bring more development, growth, sprawl, and traffic to Downtown Bethesda.
If so, the closest type font for that is "Chesapeake" available from http://www.railfonts.com
The number decals (for the fleet number) in gold was similar to Clarendon Condensed (or Railroad Roman Condensed). I've used these to make decals on the computer to custompaint some Corgi fishbowls.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
If MCH is getting the Hybrids now, where are those OrionV's going? I can't wait to find out.
Da Hui
I hope they cancel FP's Orion7 order, and save it for Maspeth(if it opens)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
He lives by there. And he hates GH. They stink. :-(
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
I haven't seen a GH RTS in a while, so they may be all gone or have only a few left.
4traintowoodlawn, I saw 5695 on the BX9 this afternoon with its front sign completely fallen down. You could only see the top part of the 9 and the B, at street level.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn) (grateful that he busfans the MJQ artix!)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
However, KB did fix the slanted sign on #5716.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
1-That the City and or the MTA has offered to purchase the Green Bus Lines depot on Rockaway Blvd and the Jamaica Buses Inc. depot on Brewer Blvd but were turned down by the ownership
2- That the MTA does not want to purchase the Triboro Coach depot in Jackson Heights
3- There is a big meeting on Friday for the ATU unionized workers of Command Bus and possibly Green Bus
Thank You
Thank You
It does very little or no maintaince at all.
With the exception of the Q-35 all of the work can easily operate out of the main Green Line terminal and the Q-35 can easily operate out of Flatbush
Dollars and cents wise it just does not pay to operate this depot if i ran the TA
This is just my opinion
Thank You
Unless something has changed recently, that is not true. There was a time when some construction project caused some of the buses normally stored at the main depot to be stored at the Rockaway Depot. I don't know if that construction project has finished, but there are still, a lot of buses operating light & crossing the Cross Bay Bridge en route to/from Howard Beach and beyond. That does not sound like buses coming to/from the Q21, Q22, Q22A, Q35 only.
My guess is that these buses are coming from the Q7,Q10, Q11, Q41.
As for #2 there isnt enuff space to handle lots of buses, but TA can look in the area for expansion.
#3- A big meeting that would be interesting to find out what would they have to say.
They also don't want to wait until next year for a raise.
They can offer a speader conversion to MTA pay/bennifit levels in exchange for cooperation on the reorganization and consolidation of routes and depots
The MTA by contract can continue to pay the private drivers the lower wage and bennift package
As far as our pension is concerned, it will and remain a civil service funded contributory 25/55 pension.
So, while the TWU has given their HBT control over to the MTA to take them out of the red, those of us who are ATU (and in the black quite nicely) will be forced to do the same. Yet, without the contractual incentives already received by the TWU.
When I stated ATU was the bastard red-headed stepchild of the MTA unions, I wasn't joking. There's no hope in reaching any agreement with the MTA based upon what they want to do with Regional Bus.
(Stocking up on marshmallows...)
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-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
The bus was fine, except for a HORRIBLE rattling in the engine compartment, and one of the vertical poles on the turntable felt like it was about to break off when you grabbed it.
Thumbs up for Gun Hill- One of your buses has defied your standards of poor care, and escaped the wrath of your vandal bus operators.
Up next, a picture of a GH bus that's apparantly had a large graffitti tag on it for nearly 3 months.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
ID: caseystengel
To get to school, I got NovaBUS RTS #8874 on the Bx10. For once, I thought I found a good bus out of KB, and then on the pedestrian bridge, I see the bus get going, and the rearest roof panel (covering the engine) was missing. Nice job protecting the bus' engine KB. :-(
Then, parked outside my school (and this is strange considering private buses are usually kept away from naughty little middle school vandals), I saw a tall bus (a private bus). On the sides, it said "HUMBLEWAY TRANSPORTATION CO.". WTH??????? The bus was a Vanhool and the only unit number I saw was "9".
Any comments on the situations? TIA.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Any ideas for the others
MTA’s Regional Bus Legislation
Principal Labor Problems
The principal labor problems in the MTA’s draft new Regional Bus bill are virtually the same as those in last year’s re structuring bill:
(1) New employees will not have civil service status;
(2) New employees will not be in a public pension plan, like NYCERS, but will be placed in a newly created defined benefit plan, like the one the MaBSTOA employees have;
(3) There is only limited provision for recognition of existing bargaining agents;
(4) The MTA will be able to force merger or consolidation of bargaining units against the will of the affected unions; and
(5) There is no protection against the erosion of labor standards and working conditions by virtue of implementing re-structuring.
While the MTA made an effort to address some of the transparency-related issues in last year’s re-structuring bill, none of those initiatives are included in this Regional Bus bill.
Civil Service Status: The provisions govern the rights of employees of the Regional Bus Authority and are set out in §§ 126 l-i(6) the draft bill.
Subdivision (6)(d) TA employees who are brought into the RBA who had civil service status will retain it. But § 1261- i(6)(i)(C) provides that other employees shall not have civil service status In other words, new appointees will not have to be selected on the basis of merit and fitness and will not have the job protection that civil service employees have.
If this provision were adopted, for decades to come, civil service and non-civil service employees would be working side-by-side Worse, there would be an opportunity for corruption and favoritism or other unfairness in the hiring and promotion process. There is no real need for this exclusion of RBA employees from the protection of civil service laws. For instance, MTA subways and the new MTA Bridge and Tunnels employees would continue to have civil service protection.
Pension: The draft bill provides that those current incumbents of the TA who become employees of the RBA will continue to participate in NYCERS and will continue to earn NYCERS credits for their RBA work. However, new employees will not be able to participate in NYCERS or any other governmental pension plan. See § 126 1-i(1O)(b), (c)..
Instead, the new employees will become members of a newly created “defined benefit pension plan” which will have benefits consistent with those available to MaBSTOA employees, and, in the future, their pension benefits will be consistent with pensions available for “similarly situated Tier 4 employees.” See § 126 1-i(lO)(b). In addition, The RBA will be given the option of merging the MaBSTOA plan into this newly created pension plan. See § 1261-i(1O)(d).
The MaBSTOA pension plan is woefully underfunded. The prospect that the MTA will create another such fund is not reassuring. And the prospect that the MaBSTOA fund will be merged into the newly created fund is an even worse prospect. The newly created fund will start not only with the obligation of funding all future obligations from scratch but with the albatross of the MaBSTOA’s unfunded liability added to that daunting funding obligation.
Secondly, the assurance that the participants in the new plan will receive the same benefits as “similarly situated” employees who receive Tier 4 benefits is also a problem. There is a large variety of Tier 4 plans in the pension world these days: the basic age 62/25 years of service plan, the TA’s own 25/55 plan, a city workers’ plan for retirement at age 57 with 25 years of service, and many others. Which group of employees is “similarly situated”? Is this provision intended to prevent any improvements in their pension plans? If, in the future, the unions seek improvements in the newly created plan, will this provision have to be repealed?
Once again, this pension treatment of RBA employees is at odds with the treatment accorded Subway employees in the MTA. Those employees will continue to participate in NYCERS. The accomplishment of a consolidated bus system does not require treating TA bus drivers worse than TA subways employees.
While MaBSTOA and MSBA employees are not NYCERS participants, and consolidation will require some entity to change pension treatment if there is to be uniformity, there is no reason that new employees of the RBA have to be shunted to the worst of the pension options. MSBA and MaBSTOA employees should instead be brought into NYCERS.
Union Recognition: Notwithstanding the public pronouncements of MTA spokespersons, the new statute makes only a limited commitment to recognition of the unions currently representing TA employees. Section 1261-i(6)(d)(i)(D) pro vides that RBA will extend recognition to a union when there has been a transfer of “an entire group of employees to Regional Bus Authority, thereby eliminating such other group of employees . .
This is very artfully worded. While at first, blush it would seem to assure continued recognition, in fact it does not. Only if the “entire group of employees” is transferred does recognition continue.
Bargaining Unit Protection: Again, at first glance, the language of the statute seems to preserve existing bargaining units. However, it does not.
The language significantly undermines existing law that would protect well-established bargaining units. Section 126 1- i(6)(i)(D) specifies that after employees have been transferred into the RBA, “The Regional Bus Authority and the collective bargaining representatives shall be authorized to negotiate a merger of the separate bargaining units. Should no agreement be reached, the Regional Bus Authority and/or the collective bargaining representatives may petition the public employment relations board created under section [ of the civil service law to resolve any dispute relating to the representation status of employees of the regional bus authority.” This provision actually creates an opportunity for MTA management to force mergers of bargaining units.
Furthermore, the inclusion of the provision in this statute arguably alters the standards under which PERB would evaluate such a petition. Ordinarily, a long history of representation of a unit by one union would virtually foreclose displacement of that representative or the merger of the unit with another. Management may argue that those standards are undercut by this language
Erosion of Workplace Standards: The primary danger of a consolidated bus system is that the MTA will move work around in such a way as to eliminate the earnings power and or the established working conditions of union members.
For example, if the Regional Bus Authority decided tomorrow to transfer all air conditioning repairs out of the bargaining unit, maintenance personnel would see an enormous loss of paid work, vastly reduced annual earnings, and or drastic changes in their work hours.
Plainly, re-allocations of work are sometimes necessary to improve the efficiency of any operation. However, in a work place setting where the employees are represented by a union, management is required to negotiate with the union over how such efficiencies can be accomplished without disrupting workers’ lives or drastically reducing their earnings. This principle must be included in the legislation; otherwise, management could feel emboldened to accomplish drastic changes unilaterally.
Transparency Issues: The new Regional Bus bill includes no provisions on the kind of governance and transparency issues that were very much in the public eye last summer. Even last year’s MTA proposal on re-structuring made some effort to deal with some of these issues.
Among the proposals that were previously brought forward, the following are completely left out of the Regional Bus bill:
(1) The creation of an independent budget office;
(2) Transferring the power to appoint the MTA IG from the Governor (who appoints the MTA chair and the majority of the MTA board) to an independently elected official, such as the Attorney General
(3) A proposal that the MTA be required to participate in the vendex system
(4) A proposal that the auditor of the MTA be appointed by independent public officials
Adopted from TWU Local 100
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
I walked away shaking my head. Had I still been a TWU member, I'd have run for office, but the ATU is a belly-up union without local clout. Would be a waste of my time.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
I'd like to eventually run the X24 if I can get it. It is a well-designed route. I'm sure some people would have something to say about that.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
1. Does Frankford still have a large amount of Neoplans?
2. If not, other than being retired, what garage do they operate out of?
3. Other than the 23 (I assume), what routes operate a large number of Neoplan AN440s?
Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Have fun Neofanning.
1. Frankford's 3400s are slowly being sent to Southern, apparently in exchange for what would've been Southern's allocation of 5700s (5793-5807). The non-w/c Neos are being retired, with a handful of high-3200s and soft-seat 3300s (ex-Red Arrow) remaining. Even the trackless routes are seeing buses other than Neoplans; the 66 has become virtually all 5700s, all the time. The last remaining Neo strongholds at Frankford are the 3, Frankford's portion of the 5, sometimes on the 25, and the J.
2. There are only a handful of Neos at Callowhill; they're probably going to be retired by the time Callowhill gets their allocation of 5700s and/or PCC-II cars for the 15/Girard line. The Callowhill Neos are relegated to the 15 and 46.
Comly has a few 3100s and is starting to get some 3300s from Frontier. Generally, the Neos at Comly are relegated to school trippers, though some 3100s are showing up on peak hour runs on the 14/20.
Midvale still has a lot of Neos left, mainly on the 23, 57, and 61. That, though, is starting to change. Lately, there have been more NABIs and New Flyers appearing on the 56, which used to be a Neo stronghold (mostly 3000s) until the 5700s started showing up. The soft seat 3300s and 3400s are often used on the 23 and 61. Then again, with Midvale, the Neos can show up anywhere, at any time, even on routes like the C.
Southern has a handful of 3100-3200s (non-w/c). Those buses will likely be gone by the time the hybrids arrive in the summer. The non-w/c Neos are used on Southern's portion of the 23 and 57, and occasionally on the G, but also on the 29 and 79. The 12 used to be a Neo stronghold, but since the 12 was designated a bike route, it's been all New Flyers.
The Neos out of Red Arrow show up almost all the time on the 104. With few exceptions, most of the weekday buses on the 104 are Neos. Exceptions: Some mid-day pull-ins/outs to the 119 see New Flyers, and the last three blocks of the weekday (4240 - 4:05pm and 6:35pm to West Chester, goes to 125 (normally a NABI); 4241 - 5:35pm WC Exp (normally a NABI); and 4299 - 7:07pm West Chester local (almost always a New Flyer)).
Other Neo dominated lines out of Red Arrow are the 105, 110, and 113. The 109 - once a Neo stronghold - has seen far fewer Neos since the New Flyers arrived. The Neos are also used frequently on the 114 and 118 compared to other buses.
At Frontier, most of the routes are covered by the smaller buses. The 94 and 96 generally see most of the Neos, though they can show up anywhere, depending on the day. Some days, there will be more Neos on the 93 and 98 than the other lines; other days, they'll show up on the 96 more frequently (I honestly can't recall the last time I saw a NABI on the 96) with NABIs and New Flyers on the 93 and/or 98. Occasionally, a Neo will sneak onto one of the Lower Bucks routes, usually the 127 or 129; they've even made cameo appearances on the 124/125.
3. To recap, these are the lines that are the most "Neo dominated" now that the Neoplan fleet has dwindled (at least half of the runs covered are covered by Neos on an average weekday):
Callowhill: 15, 46 (weekdays only)
Comly: School trippers only; occasional peak trips on 14/20
Frankford: 3, 5, 25, 59, 75, J
Midvale: 23, 57, 61
Southern: 5, 23, 29, 57, 79, G
Red Arrow: 104*, 105, 106, 110, 113, 114, 118
Frontier: 93, 94, 96, 98
* Much to my dismay, most of the weekday trips to West Chester are filled with Neos. =(
(Of course, the above is subject to change once the 5700s and 5800s are all in service.)
Thank you. I have a hunch that I will have a hard time finding a Neo, but seems like either Frankford Terminal, 69th Street or Norristown Terminal are the place I should go.
Thank you very much.
NABIs do run a good bit on the 96, and I've recieved New Flyers as well from time to time.
The best suggestion I can say is to ride SEPTA on WEEKDAYs - it appears that weekends the "newer" buses are out - the Saturday I went to Pottstown I saw nothing but New Flyers on the 93.
Also for Red Arrow, I thought that the 111 was a good route for Neos as well?
At Frontier, it seems that the Champions are the new "30ft" buses, and the Dorados are "35fters". I say this because the 97, which has only seen a cutaway once to my knowledge, now sees Champions regularly. I've seen some trips on the 96 (I don't know if they still do this, but the last time I took the 96 on a Wednesday, I got one) run with El Dorados. Fortunately the former Champion peak hour runs became Neo runs on the 95 (I don't see any NABIs anymore - except maybe sunday, when it doesn't serve me).
All in all, New Flyer is become the new "Neo" of SEPTA. Did you guys realize that these New Flyers are coming in the same way SEPTA's Neos did (or at least similar?). Allisons first, then ZFers...coming to dominate the fleet. There won't be as many NFs though as there were Neos at one time...
Neo4ever...
Chuck Greene
I can vouch for the number of Neos on the 94 and 98, I'm working a lot at the Ft Washington R5 station right now (subcontractor, not a SEPTA employee). At least every other bus on the 94 is a Neo, with the other half split between the other fare that Victory offers, other than the Chumpions so far.
When I made the initial observation of 5796 and 5797, that came from a reliable source, whose information is usually accurate. They could've been there for a day or two before heading to Southern.
Naturally, the other buses I saw on the 96 were NABIs - 5333 and 5322. Go figure...
For a bus that old, it was in very good shape. Fast acceleration, good riding quality, motor sound and a/c. Just as I was hoping, it performed excellent on I-476/I-76 to/from King of Prussia. Noticing that #3380 was the only Neoplan on the 123 and safely assuming that there were no Neos on the 124/125, I stayed on the bus and returned to 69th St.
Unfortunately that was the only Neoplan I rode that day because of time constraints (I did a little railfanning also), but I have no complaints. That ride was the main reason for going to Philly. Hopefully I can make it back in 3 weeks-earlier, of course so I can at least ride 2 Neoplans. LOL.
Also got a chance to ride New Flyer C40LF #5740-Nice!
Here's a couple of photos from my trip.
I have more pictures of other modes of transportation in my SEPTA Album in Transitgallery.com.
Enjoy.
that bus you rode is from 1988, basically a 16 year old. It looks like you got one of our nicer ones, but almost any 40ft Neo ride is a joy. The engine is probably the main reason why I love riding those Neos so much - I've ridden them all my life, and I still don't get bored of them (the new flyer hybrids I got bored of within the 5 minutes I rode one). I'll certainly miss our Neos when they leave us next summer.
Ah, you also got a picture of 3445, one of the Neos retrofitted with the separate rt number/destinations signs (like NJT Flxes). Of course, they never worked since day one...
Glad you had such a great trip!
That sign looks too small to display "103"
1. Engines on ANY SEPTA Neoplan AN440s
2. Engines on the SEPTA RTS (which sound like our RTS)
3. Engines on MC9s, Flxible Metro Bs, Grumman Flxibles, (I think these were 6v71 and 6v92s)
4. All new look buses-GMC or Flxible
5. The Trailways' Eagle 05s
6. LI Bus Phantom Gilligs and Diesel Orion Vs as well as MTA's Orion Vs before repowering.
The only engine from the newer buses that I like the sound of is the MTA NovaBuses (4900-5249 & 9350-9699). All other buses, INCLUDING all repowering does nothing for me.
Looks like I never took any head-shots of the PSTA gillig which I wanted to demonstrate. :(
I was hoping for a PSTA pic, but I didn't have any. Their buses are white with black mirrors sticking out the sides. The Tampa bus is hard to tell with the black on black. :(
Easier to tell the mirrors, but it's a new flyer! :(
By PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Smiling will still be allowed on the subways, but - sorry, tourists - taking pictures may soon be banned.
Transit officials, at the request of police, yesterday proposed prohibiting photography and videotaping in the subway system and on buses - hoping to thwart terrorists from gathering information for an attack.
It's just one of several proposed revisions to the Transit Authority's Rules of Conduct that include these other hard-to-enforce no-nos:
Walking between subway cars.
Placing a foot on a subway seat, bus seat or a platform bench.
Wearing skates, standing on a skateboard or riding a scooter. Violators could get slapped with tickets ranging from $25 to $100.
"The world we live in has changed dramatically," TA President Lawrence Reuter said as he announced the first proposed revision of the rules in a decade. "These changes are intended to enhance security and safety."
Some riders railed against the new rules, which must be approved by the full Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board.
"All that stuff is just common New York behavior," said Patrick DeShond, 18, a college student from Brooklyn. "I think the city is so desperate for money that this is what it's come to."
Others said some of the rule changes make sense - especially penalizing those who soil seats with dirty shoes.
John Erboso, 46, a messenger from Queens, supported a photo ban, saying it's hard to tell a tourist from a terrorist. "You don't know who to trust anymore," he said.
But Christopher Dunn, associate legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, called the photo ban "grossly excessive."
"There is no reason a tourist taking a snapshot in a subway car should be interrogated by the police or face the prospect of being taken into custody," he added.
NYPD Transportation Police Chief Michael Scagnelli said police would use discretion in issuing summonses to shutterbugs. But violators could be questioned and subjected to background checks, he said, and have their film confiscated.
The TA said exemptions would be granted to the press, and others who have obtained "written authorization" from the agency to snap pictures.
MTA Tentatively Approves Photography Ban In Subway
MAY 26TH, 2004
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority took a preliminary vote Tuesday in favor of a ban on photography and video recording in the subway system.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg opposes the plan, but transit officials say the Police Department pushed for the ban. The intention is to hamper terrorists from surveilling potential targets.
The MTA board will make a final decision after a 45-day public comment period.
“I'm sure there'll be plenty of conversation with elected officials and with community groups to talk about it,” said MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow. “And everybody who wants to make themselves heard will make themselves heard, rest assured.”
Anyone caught taking photographs or video in subway trains or stations would be questioned by police, who could issue summonses and confiscate the camera. The only exception would be for credentialed members of the media and those with written permission from the MTA.
Ray
JD
Too bad that time we went with Chris D that driver had to offer to have security escort us out...but Gaithersburg is a very nice depot, concrete and whatnot.
I need to figure out how to get there from Shady Grove Station though for the Ride-On Roadeo (what's where it is, right?). What's the fastest way up there from Langly Park as well?
What do they use for the Roadeo buses? Orion Vs?
SEPTA police occassionally patrol Midvale.
I guess they'll be wanting my memory card...
Nice variety of topics and subtopics where you may address many facets of public transportation, safety, security and current events. Apparently, owned by the originator of the 'Photo Ban Petition'.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Applicant: NYC Transit Authority
370 Jay St Rm 819
Brooklyn, NY 11201 -3814
Facility: Grand Ave Depot And Central Maint Fac Ii
48-05 Grand Avenue
Maspeth, NY 11378
Application ID: 2-6304-01443/00001
Permit(s) Applied for: Article 19 Air State Facility
Project is Located: Queens, Queens County
Project Description:
The Department has made a tentative detemination to approve an application for a new facility for the New York City Transit - Grand Avenue Depot and Central Maintenance Facility. The facility would operate two dual fuel boilers for heating; four paint spray booths subject to 6 NYCRR Part 228. NOx and VOC emissions from the facility are to be capped to below 25 tons per year. The facility is subject to 6 NYCRR Part 201-7.2.
The application, draft permit, relevant supporting materials and regulations are available for review during normal business hours at the DEC office provided in this notice. Comments of support or objection may be made by filing a written statement by the deadline date indicated. DEC may schedule a public hearing based upon an evaluation of the nature and scope of any written objections raised. Hearing notices will contain instructions on filing for party status and submitting comments.
State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) Determination:
Project is an Unlisted Action and will not have a significant impact on the environment. A Negative Declaration is on file. A coordinated review was performed.
SEQR Lead Agency:
Metropolitan Transit Authority
State Historic Preservation Act (SHPA) Determination:
A cultural resources survey has been completed. The report of the survey is on file. No archaeological sites or historic structures were identified at the project location. No further review in accordance with SHPA is required.
Coastal Management:
This project is not located in a Coastal Management area and is not subject to the Waterfront Revitalization and Coastal Resources Act.
Opportunity for Public Comment:
Comments on this project must be submitted in writing to the Contact Person no later than Mar 14 2003.
Contact: Elizabeth A Clarke
NYSDEC Region 2 Headquarters
47-40 21St Street
Long Island City, NY 11101
(718)482-4997
eaclarke@gw.dec.state.ny.us
Do you have a artist rendering on what the new Charleston Depot on Staten Island will look like when completed that you can post up.
There is some very dated information at the DEC website, but nothing new and no renderings.
Updated MTA NYC Transit, SEPTA & Ride On Pages. 7 New Bus Sounds and 2 New Rail Sounds.
Enjoy!
Click The Bus To Enter....
Regards,
Trevor Logan
The 795
SEPTA Neoplan AN440 3000's
Ride-On 5700
SEPTA ZFers (5713+)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
You can also infer that it's an HEV considering HEV buses have roof humps that aren't as HUGE as those found on CNG buses. Thanks.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
(It's mostly trains, but there are a few bus pictures in it.)
GM Delivers Nation's Largest Hybrid Bus Fleet to King County
235 hybrid buses to save 750,000 gallons annually
SEATTLE - The largest order of hybrid buses in history will start going into service this week in the Seattle area, thanks to the advanced technology of General Motors and the environmental leadership of King County.
King County Executive Ron Sims welcomed U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who was instrumental in securing federal funding for the project, along with key local and national transportation leaders and top GM executives, as they announced the delivery in a press conference today at the Seattle Seahawks Stadium.
Senator Murray, who secured $5 million in the fiscal year 2004 federal transportation funding said, "Federal funding of hybrid technology is money well spent, and I will continue to encourage other states, counties and cities across the country to get on board with similar hybrid programs for their bus fleets. I am very proud of my home state and the leadership that King County has shown in this initiative."
GM plans to roll out more than 270 of its hybrid propulsion system buses to 10 cities in 2004. These buses deliver 60 percent greater fuel economy than conventional transit buses, and can reduce certain emissions up to 90 percent. In fact, replacing 13,000 transit buses in America's nine largest cities with hybrid buses would save 40 million gallons of fuel a year.
New Flyer of Winnipeg, Manitoba manufactures the buses with diesel engines supplied by Caterpillar of Peoria, Ill.
"GM is committed to applying hybrid technology to the highest fuel consuming vehicles on the road, including mass transit buses," said Beth Lowery, GM vice president of environment and energy. "King County's decision to purchase more than 200 of these buses will save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel savings and more than 750,000 gallons of fuel each year."
Metro Transit has ordered 213 of the new hybrid diesel-electric buses. The order also includes another 22 hybrid buses for Sound Transit Regional Express. The two transit agencies need to replace more than 200 dual-mode buses that now operate in the downtown Seattle bus tunnel, as well as the surface streets throughout King County's 2,134 square miles of urban, suburban and rural roads. The current fleet of tunnel buses is aging, and a new bus is needed that can operate in the tunnel alongside a future light rail line. The new hybrids will begin going into service on June 5.
"King County is proud to be a leader in this initiative," said Sims. "These buses save energy, and are cleaner and quieter than conventional buses for the millions of people who ride our transit system."
In addition to being able to ride the GM hybrid buses, Washington residents will be able to order Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrid pickup trucks in local dealerships beginning this fall. Earlier this month, GM delivered the world's first full-size hybrid pickup to Miami-Dade County, which will take delivery of a total of 50 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab hybrid pickups for inclusion in its fleet.
"This bus, the first of its kind to come to Washington State, employs the most efficient hybrid architecture available in the world today, and is the first step in a larger GM initiative" said Tom Stephens, group vice president of GM Powertrain. "Not only are Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrid pickups available to customers in Washington State, we have developed a second generation advanced hybrid system, based on this hybrid bus technology, offering fuel economy gains of up to 35 percent on our largest sport utility vehicles."
Dennis McLerran, the executive director of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, praised King County's commitment to clean air programs.
"King County Metro Transit was one of the first partners in our regional Diesel Solutions program, which we launched three years ago," McLerran said. "They demonstrated their commitment to clean air with their leadership in this voluntary diesel retrofit program, which has become a model for other urban areas around the country. They have retrofitted many of their buses with equipment that traps diesel exhaust and are operating their entire fleet on ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, reducing toxics and fine particle emissions by up to 95 percent. They are continuing this commitment to helping us all breathe easier with this new hybrid fleet."
"This bus is the first hybrid of its kind to come to Washington State, and the first step in a larger initiative. Washington consumers will be able to order Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrid pickups this fall," said Tom Stephens, group vice president, GM Powertrain. "In addition, we have developed a second generation advanced hybrid system, based on the hybrid bus technology that offers fuel economy gains of 25-30 percent."
Today's event at the Seattle Seahawks Stadium was also the latest stop of the GM Tech Tour, where students, faculty, environmental advocates, government officials and media learn about GM's fuel cell activities, partnerships and other advanced propulsion technologies.
"Tech Tour gives people the opportunity to experience firsthand GM's advanced technologies that reduce vehicle emissions and improve efficiency," said Lowery. "We are committed to using advanced technologies to address global transportation needs."
Technical experts at the Tech Tour demonstrate current and near-term efficient, fuel-saving technologies such as gas-electric hybrids, Displacement on Demand, alternative fuel vehicles, clean diesels and others.
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs about 325,000 people globally. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 192 countries. In 2003, GM sold nearly 8.6 million cars and trucks, about 15 percent of the global vehicle market. GM's global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can be found on the company's corporate website at www.gm.com. GM's corporate responsibility web site, www.gmability.com, contains additional information about GM's environmental initiatives.
-Fred
Allen Dicion
www.transithub.net
For more pics, please visit this link...
http://www.yosemite-bus.com/hybrid.html
"New Flyer of Winnipeg, Manitoba manufactures the buses with diesel engines supplied by Caterpillar of Peoria, Ill."
Also, why CAT C9 over Detroit Diesel series 50? (The engines are about the same size (8.8 L, C9, 8.5. series 50), and the Detroit Diesel engine is actually smaller, but the C9 can be spec'd to 400 hp max, as opposed to 320 hp max for the series 50.)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
The DE60LF concept is somewhat unique amongst hybrid operations, the buses will run almost entirely on battery in the tunnel, which notably lacks the ventilation buses normally have. However the C9 engine is far larger than the Cummins little 3.8 liters that hybrids have been recieving up until now. These buses are supposedly built to correct past wrongs, but we'll see how they do. I'm hoping that with SEPTA's love of the DE40LFs, and the crappy performance of the AN460s, that perhaps before long we'll see a DE60LF here as well.
You can see KC Metro's page on them here: http://transit.metrokc.gov/am/vehicles/hy-diesel.html
and the link to the rather interesting video (which was made before they changed the Cummins engine for a Cat engine) on their site is busted, so here's a corrected one: http://winmedia.metrokc.gov/transit/HybridBus.wmv
I think both Albuquerque and Honolulu have expressed an intrest in, or placed orders for similar DE60LFs after Seattle's are delivered.
We also saw one of the new hybrid artics. It was enagaged on operator training in the bus tunnel.
Hmm, with some 40 MAN Artics still in workable order, 100 brand new Gillig Trolleys, and 230 some-odd Breda frames available to become ETBs, perhaps it's time Seattle looked into expanding their ETB network. Place routes like the 24, the 42, and other routes under the wire, perhaps look into ETB runs in Bellevue or Renton, and expand the existing routes under the wire to eliminate the need for diesel supplementary service on those lines (NO MORE GILLIG PHANTOMS ON THE 36!!!).
Now, Wait a moment!
I thought NYCT's Hybrid order was the largest, with about 325 Orion VII HEVs?
And GM building buses? No. New Flyer makes the bus bodies, installs the diesel engines, and then sends it to GM to install the HybriDrive system and then send it to King County.
I didn't think that order was going to come in so soon!
SASL
Now, Wait a moment!
I thought NYCT's Hybrid order was the largest, with about 325 Orion VII HEVs?
And GM building buses? No. New Flyer makes the bus bodies, installs the diesel engines, and then sends it to GM to install the HybriDrive system and then send it to King County.
I didn't think that order was going to come in so soon!
C
SAS
And the DE60LFs hit me by surprise too, I was expecting to have all the time in the world to hit the bustunnel at my leisure, but now it's due to close for almost a year in September 2005 already. Hopefully I'll get out there next spring to capture the DuoBuses in their last days as highway buses, shortly before they are given engine lobotomies and become Frankenbuses.
-Fred
-F.
ctrabs' roster shows the Flxes as 961-976; I assumed Criwn Heights renumbered it. Was it 770 at Red Rose?
Did that bus arrive with Alcoas, or were they retrofitted once it got to NYC?
I have no idea.
1. Of the 7 Independents, which of them run on Saturday?
2. Besides Co-Op City, where is a good place to find the independents?
3. Which of the operators run Suburban MCI Classics?
4. Lastly, do the GM Fishbowls run on Saturday?
As far as NYCTA...
1. Where is the best place to find the 7560-77?? series Orion VIIs?
2. Besides Manhattan, where can i find large amounts of NYCTA RTS Buses?
3. Besides the M14 Line, where lines do the newest New Flyer D60HFs run?
Thank you in advance
2- Eastern Queens (Union Turnpike, Parsons Blvd, 164th Street, Queens Blvd, Woodhaven Blvd @ Queens Center Mall, etc)
3- Queens Surface may run them off-peak, but I'm not sure.
4- No knowledge, sorry.
1- The Bronx/Upper Manhattan
2- Eastern Queens (Jamaica and Queens Village Depots)
3- No knowledge, sorry.
The M23, last I saw, had 57xx New Flyer D60HFs with the Orange LED signs.
3. Which of the operators run Suburban MCI Classics?
-You'll find them on Liberty Lines, New York Bus Service, and MAYBE Queens Surface (one or two might sneak out). Your best bet is to ride the Bronx expresses.
4. Lastly, do the GM Fishbowls run on Saturday?
-I haven't seen Saturday Fishbowls. I doubt they run on weekends and non peak runs at all.
As far as NYCTA...
1. Where is the best place to find the 7560-77?? series Orion VIIs?
-Jackie Gleason territory. Pick a line with lots of buses (B8, B35) and you can get one within 30 minutes. You can find the Jackie Gleason routes through Yahoo or something.
2. Besides Manhattan, where can i find large amounts of NYCTA RTS Buses?
-Don't go to Staten Island. Everywhere else has oodles of RTS buses.
3. Besides the M14 Line, where lines do the newest New Flyer D60HFs run?
-M15, M23, M79, M86, and a few Bronx routes.
Do yourself a favor. Write a letter to the bus companies that you are going to ride if you want to take pictures. The police are going to treat ALL mass transit the same way. Don't give them a speech about your rights. You want to have an enjoyable day on the road instead of being treated like a terrorist.
Another question if anyone can help, in Brooklyn, what is another huge center of transit traffic besides Fulton St Mall and how could i get to it from Manhattan?
Thanks
1.Williamsburg Bridge Plaza. J train to Marcy Ave.
2.Kings Plaza Shopping Mall: 2 train to Flatbush Ave then B41 bus.
3.Bay Ridge: R train to 86St or 95St.
4.Ridgewood(Queens): L train to Myrtle Ave.
5. Bway Jct-ENY: A,C,J,L trains to Bwy Jct.
6. Coney Island: D,F,Q trains to Stillwell Ave.
5:40am Port Authority Bus Terminal
6:00am 1 Train to G.W Bridge Bus Station
7:15am 1 Train to 14th st/Union Square
8:05am Walk from 14th & 10th Ave to 14th & 2nd Ave and back to 7th
9:00am 1 Train to 23rd & 7th Avenue
9:10am Walk from 23rd & 11th ave to 23rd & 1st Ave and back to 7th
10:00am 1 Train to 42nd/ Times Square
10:10am Walk from 42nd & 10th Ave to 42nd & 2nd Ave and back to 7th
11:00am R Train to 57th & Broadway
11:10am Walk from 57th & Broadway to 57th & 3rd Ave and Back to Broadway
12:00pm R Train to Brooklyn City Hall
12:25pm Walk from City Hall to Jay St Loop and Back
2:00pm F Train to 42nd St
2:20pm E Train to 165th Bus Station (Jamaica)
3:00pm Walk from 165th Bus Station to Sulphin Blvd & Archer
3:45pm E Train to 34th St
4:20pm D Train to Fordham Plaza
5:25pm D Train to 42nd St
6:20pm 1 Train to 14th/Union Square
6:30pm M14 Bus to 14th & 2nd Ave
6:50pm M15 Bus to 42nd & 1st Ave (United Nations)
7:15pm M42 Bus to Times Square
7:45pm Port Authority Bus Terminal
* In Queens and the Bronx points, are those safe or semi safe areas?
One little tidbit...14th Street/Union Square is on the East Side, not on the West Side (it's not a stop on the #1, IOW)...
SAS
2:20pm E Train to 165th Bus Station (Jamaica)
The E only goes to Parsons Blvd. You would have to walk there, its 4-5 blocks or you can take the bus for the short distance.
3:00pm Walk from 165th Bus Station to Sulphin Blvd & Archer
Parsons/Archer is the first stop on the E.
6:30pm M14 Bus to 14th & 2nd Ave
M14 to 14th and 1 Avenue for the northbound M15
Enjoy your trip.
Total Stats:
222 Photos: 154 RTSs 11 Orion VII 30 Contractor Coaches 5 NYC Orions
12 NFI Artics, 6 NFI CNGs 4 Misc.
All of them.
2. Besides Co-Op City, where is a good place to find the independents?
The intersection of Jamaica Ave and Parsons Blvd. in Jamaica, Queens. Bus routes of Queens Surface, Green Bus Lines and Jamaica Buses, Inc. as well as MTA buses pass this intersection.
3. Which of the operators run Suburban MCI Classics?
All of them.
4. Lastly, do the GM Fishbowls run on Saturday?
No. I believe it's rush hours only.
As far as NYCTA...
1. Where is the best place to find the 7560-77?? series Orion VIIs?
Anywhere in Downtown Brooklyn-the intersections of Jay/Smith Sts. & Fulton St; and Smith & Livingston Sts.
2. Besides Manhattan, where can i find large amounts of NYCTA RTS Buses?
ALL boroughs (also the answer I gave in question #2) EXCEPT Staten Island. In Staten Island on Saturdays, its only Orion Vs and MCI D4500s.
3. Besides the M14 Line, where lines do the newest New Flyer D60HFs run?
Mostly in Manhattan-the Lexington 3rd Av buses (M101, M102, M103) and the 1st-2nd Av bus (M15).
MAY 26TH, 2004
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority took a preliminary vote Tuesday in favor of a ban on photography and video recording in the subway system.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg opposes the plan, but transit officials say the Police Department pushed for the ban. The intention is to hamper terrorists from surveilling potential targets.
The MTA board will make a final decision after a 45-day public comment period.
“I'm sure there'll be plenty of conversation with elected officials and with community groups to talk about it,” said MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow. “And everybody who wants to make themselves heard will make themselves heard, rest assured.”
Anyone caught taking photographs or video in subway trains or stations would be questioned by police, who could issue summonses and confiscate the camera. The only exception would be for credentialed members of the media and those with written permission from the MTA.
(http://www.ny1.com/ny/NewsBeats/SubTopic/index.html?topicintid=2&subtopicintid=5&contentintid=40174)
You sound about as confused as the officer who will question you in a few weeks.
Get to work. Seriously.
Have you been instructed as such?
I give ya a wave and a toot and keep on rollin' ;)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
are getting replaced by the new.....
THOSE WHO WILL GIVE UP THEIR LIBERTIES FOR SAFETY DESERVE NEITHER LIBERTY NOR SECURITY
Writing letters is good. At least you've done that much. But you, above many of the folks here know full-well what 'tactics' work when dealing with such an agency- visible public outcry that makes the agency look silly and exposes the double-edge sword for what it is.
So? Get started on forming a demonstration. What have you got to lose?
JD
Anything different about those new LIB Orions, compared to the ones before #396, other than a brighter front LED sign ?
Bill "Newkirk"
Robert
The Question is Who:
Piss In The Pond
Yeast New Pork or
126
Trevor
Da Hui
I guess as long as the bus can move, it's all ok, right?
This bus fails the pre-trip inspection and should not be in service. The rest is either cosmetic or not safety sensitive.
First off we went up to park at Wilmington to take the R2 into Philly, we got our tickets and waited for the 7:43am train....and waited.....and waited..... and waited......and waited, ah I see why some Philly transitfans call SEPTA, SEPTIC. Finally after about 30 minutes, a two car R2 came....and quickly loaded almost to capacity. After getting to two other stations, the train went express to downtown. To top that off, the train short turned one stop before we got to the one we needed, so we got off and took a waiting R6 to the next stop. The R2 train we were riding was 418 and the R6 one was 338. We then boarded subway(Market-Frankford) car 1196 to 30th street. We then got K-car LRV 9045 on the 34 to West Philly then grabbed LRV 9086 back into downtown. On car 9045 we saw 3200, apparenlty the only SEPTA Neo 40 footer with an orange LED sign.
After all of the train fun, we got back downtown and got NABI 5033 on the 21 to the 69th Street Depot(riding NABIs will be the theme of this trip). After grabbing some schedules, we then got a longer Kawasaki car 102 on the 101 and took that to Media. After getting off the 101, we then went to seek out the exPRTC buses and looked..... and looked.....and looked, we finally gave up, got some sodas, and went to catch the 110 back to 69th Street terminal. While on the 110(another NABI 5301)we passed the place where they were kept, but they were gone unfortunately(much to our dismay-actually we were kind of pissed off for doing all of that walking and they were gone). We then got Neo artic 7151 on the 65 and took that to Wissahickon terminal. I personally think the Neo artics have pretty good power, they have decent acceleration and have pretty good speed.
Still WMATA's would blow them out of the water :P. We then grabbed another freakin NABI,5327, on the 124 at Wissahickon and after some traffic on the expressway, got to King of Prussia to eat lunch and checked out the scenery ;).
After lunch, we grabbed our first New Flyer, being 5661 on the 99 to Norristown. We then promply grabbed another *&%$#@? NABI, 5322 on the 98 to Plymouth Meeting Mall. Apparently even my bladder got sick of NABIs and it was telling me to get off NOW. So at the next stop, we got off so I could answer nature's call. My bladder knew what it was doing, cause the next bus we got, which we saw earlier was El Dorado 4533 on the 98 to Plymouth Meeting Mall. We then grabbed another New Flyer, the M & M 5711 on the L going to Olney. Pressed for time we then grabbed the Broad Street express, car 51X, to City Hall then Frankford-Market train, car 1201, to 30th Street station and caught the R2, lead car 256 back to Wilmington and drove off home.
One for the WhyMATA fans, saw 4395 doing the B30, going south on I-95, and not the BW Parking Lot(which it probably was, since the B30 was coming down I-95) heading towards Greenbelt. That and passing B-more's Eastern division, I might have spotted ageless 8528 there, there was one bus with wrap arounds in a sea of LEDs taillights, I assumed it was that. Anyways, I enjoyed Philly alot some much so I want to go back late in July, and hopefully I will have my car problems fixed to do that.
If you like the scenery, take the 99 in the opposite direction - I had fun taking it to Pheonixville. The best is taking the 93 to Pottstown - ever see a trailer park? Plus, once in Pottstown, you can ride an RTS around town. They aren't bad - at least, the Novabuses aren't, and they have a reasonable price (unlike another company I know of). PUT is easy to ride, unlike NJT.
So, how do you like Frontierland? Yeah, King of Prussia is kinda an oasis in the middle of nowhere...at least it seems that way.
Ha, I saw NABI 5322 on the 98 twice yesterday - did you know that's the first NABI I ever rode - I rode it on the 110 express when it was at Victory.
The big Neos sound very powerful - they really roar, but they move off so slowly - I'd hate to have to drive them all day long. I think you may have ridden a good one, but wow, on the hills of Roxbourough, especially with the a/c - I remember riding one on the way home from MD, and it almost couldn't make it up a hill by the Metroplex (Chemical Rd, access to the Metroplex Center - risk your life with the trucks and lack of shoulder)
About the R2 - that's a reason why I don't ride Regional Rail - it's too expensive and too unreliable.
WMATA should lend SEPTA a WMATA Neo so to show what a Neo artic can do. "What was that thing that flew by? A race car, an el Dorado, a New Flyer?" "No, that was a Neo artic" "What, are you kidding me? They can't move that fast." "They can with a DD60 - as you can see, a Neo artic can definitely kick a**).
exPTRC buses...from VA? Where are those supposed to be located, and what are they operated on? Are they Orion Vs, Gilligs, Orion Is, RTS?
Ah, you saw 3200! How is it doing? It used to be a gem at Frontier - the sign was very useful at night when you'd see a bus coming down the barely lit main rd, liek Dekalb Pike (although, i never saw/rode it on the 96 - but wow, I certiainly saw it on a 98 to Norristown - it was way too late. It's funny, I saw a bus on the street - it was supposed to be the bus I was taking, but it was so late that I decided to take alternative transportation (ie, the 96) because I was afraid it wouldn't show up, and it was the last bus (10:10 - I was coming home from a football game at my old school. All I saw was 98 NORRISTOWN and the headlights - literally at first, then as I got closer I saw the outline and realized it was a Neo).
Glad you guys had fun - hopefully you enjoyed the suburban part of SEPTA - okay to fan on, hate to depend on.
Late July? Maybe I can go - no school, ha!
We still have our RTS's, but they are in the contingency fleet. A bunch are going out for cosmetic rehab to be placed into service in the Fall. I just came back from the garage area as I had to see the guys about updating the destination signs, but the guy I needed to see wasn't there. But, saw RTS 103 backed up to one of the garage bays. Usually if any of them had been going out, it was 101.
Our Orion V's are only a few years old, so they wont be anywhere else but here.
I have yet to ride PTRC. Where can I get it so I can try it out next time I'm down there? Do they go to any Metro stations (once I get on Metrorail, I can find anything).
Is there a website? Where do those operate? How much do they cost?
The website is www.prtctransit.org
So I'm like OK if the N23 comes I'll take that so 5 minutes later 352 arrives and its a quick ride except for some road work which took up 8 minutes of our traveling time. Then this lady speaks very loudly to this guy she knew and from his facial expressions and how he talked, he wished that he hadn't seen her to talked to her lmao. So we get to Mineola and then a N40 & 41 come right behind each other so I get 319 on the N41 and I noticed the "unique seats" that it has and when I heard the tranny it was a ZF! Engine/tranny combo sounded very nice and was a fast ride along the way to Freeport where I wait nearly 1/2 hour for the N36 to arrive; I mean a N62 even came before it! It starts to get a bit nippy outside then I see 224 pull into the stop and the ride is very good, mainly via Atlantic Av and that Cummins engine was loud man. Trip took about 1/2 hour-40 minutes to complete and not too many passengers on it to begin with.
Then I see that the N32 was at the next stop so at least I won't have to wait long at all so I board 359 and its a cool ride through Nassau until I get to Far Rockaway and I see a Q113 right at Central Av but I decide ot eat some food before continuing then I finish and the next 113 is approaching Beach Channel Drive and the ride was good via Brewer Blvd, passed by the JBL garage and got off at Jamaica Av to wait for the Q54. I see a moderate crowd so the bus looked like it didn't come in a while so I see 9477 arrive and its a fairly good ride and I go all the way to WBP then I get 8431 on the B44 LTD and it had a busted farebox so its a mellow ride along Nostrand Av and the bus only saved one stop over the local when we passed it at Church Av although we first saw 8317 at Empire Blvd. So got off at Newkirk Av then waited 15 minutes for the B8 then finished my trip.
NF 941 B8
R40 4284 (B)
R62A 1801 (7)
LI Bus O5 617 N20
LI Bus O5 352 N23
LI Bus O5 319 N41
LI Bus O5 224 N36
LI Bus O5 359 N32
JBL RTS 528 Q113
RTS 9477 Q54
RTS 8431 B44 LTD
NF 952 B8
As a bonus, here are a few pictures. Enjoy!
I like the last one the best...thought that picture third from the bottom, them humped buses look like they're humping each other...
ROFL
ROFL
That shot of 617 is interesting, juut for the lighting contrast...dark on the left and behind you, light on the right and in front of you...
Pretty cool...
Until next time...
The Second Avenue Stubway
Scroll through it till you find it.I have 200+ pics in that album and I forgot what the pic number is.
Da Hui
At one time, the N36 ran from Freeport to Hempstead -- travelling the same route as it does today to Lynbrook, then following the route of the N31/32 from Lynbrook to Hempstead. The N31/32 were Lynbrook to Far Rockaway only. Does anyone remember when the change to the current routing occurred?
Also, going back to the mid 70's, I think that the N36 and N37 ran as some kind of loop -- I don't think the section of Atlantic Avenue from Baldwin Harbor to Freeport was served at all. I wonder if anyone recalls exactly how that service ran.
CG
pic 1
pic 2
pic 3
pic 4
Nice bus! Really smooth ride! No creaks or groans! But check out the first pic. You'll see the tail lamp assembly is missing a piece on the side there. I heard the bus driver saying something about duct tape. I don't know if he still has the piece or if he lost it on the road.
This is an E4500 :
This is a J4500 :
And this is a G4500 :
The E4500 and J4500 looks fairly alike with moderate differences in rear end, windows, and front end. The G4500 is a completely different model. And weither or not a bus has TVs or not does NOT determine it's model. A G4500 can be ordered with or without TVs, as well as the E4500, J4500, etc.
I thought that the MCI "J" series was exclusively made for Peter Pan.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11810723&BRD=1862&PAG=461&dept_id=152512&rfi=6
Jim D.
Looks very interesting indeed.
"He noted that a large percentage of the cost of every bus in New York City is paid for by federal grant money.
Which has been what I'd been indicating here, much to the disagreement of some of the participants here.
Cooper and President of Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1056, Ken Broderick also mentioned that the private bus companies needed new equipment but never received it. Broderick also blamed Mayor Bloomberg for holding up funds, which he said could have been used to purchase new equipment. “It’s his fault. It was his responsibility,” Broderick said of Bloomberg. “They should have been using money years ago to purchase new buses. Without those new buses the service couldn’t operate and now they are trying to show that the private lines are no good.”
For those of you who don't know, Kenny Broderick is my ATU Local 1056 President. The equivalent of Roger Toussaint, Local 100 President.
In addition to this, there are eliminations and whatnot. Also, I thought the fares were basically the same region wide - I wish they would have some national structure like DC area has, but does that mean that the NYCTA would determine the price and how everything is operated?
I'm not one for big transit to take over everything - sometimes it's the little guys that keep big transit in check. Unfortunately, that's not the case here, where SEPTA controls just about everything transit related (yes, I know there are little shuttles, but who ever sees them?), and because of that, there is minimal service for maximum fares in Montgomery, Chester, and Bucks Counties.
AFA MontCo, Pa., it depends on what part of the county you're talking about. Portions of Jenkintown, Cheltenham and Abington Twps are well served (via the 22 and 55, Abington also has the 24). You could say that parts of Norristown are "well-served", but others are "under-served". Pottstown could fall into the "underserved" category, as there's no Sunday bus service by either SEPTA or PUT. Lansdale has decent service (96 bus and R5), but once you get north of there, that's not the case.
Can't say much about Bucks, except it's badly underserved, saved for Lower Bucks, but the only part of Chester County that's not "underserved" would be West Chester, and even that's a stretch.
David
I haven't seen any at Green, but that isn't to say there are none tucked away in the building . Green's will be numbered 1101-1110.
LMAO! I'm sure it will do well to match the quality(sarcastically speaking) of its Green's fleet.*shudders*
LMAO! I'm sure it will do well to match the quality(sarcastically speaking) of Green's fleet.*shudders*
HP -- 4165 --->q32
Posted by regent23 on Sat Dec 14 22:06:18 2002, in response to Thought MTA Orion 122 was Scrapped?! Think Again!, posted by MTA MCI 102-DL3 #1979 on Fri Dec 13 23:47:27 2002.
I can confirm what was said about that bus - I rode to Jackson Heights on it the night of the snowstorm - At every stop the lights would go off and the bus seemed to have a momentary loss of power. The driver filled that bus beyond maximum capacitty as everyone was heading home early - When we croseed the bridge in that weather I was concerned that we would never make it across, the bus was leaning and jerking and sounded mighty sick - I was waiting for it to stall and shut off..but it got us home.
It is in a bad state
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Re: HP -- 4165 --->q32 - Bill from Maspeth - Sun Dec 15 00:25:51 2002
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Thought MTA Orion 122 was Scrapped?! Think Again! (61240)
However, yesterday I had the most junkiest bus I ever rode from [Hudson Pier]. Whoever said 4165 is a piece of junk, boy were they right.
I rode this bus Thursday night on the Q32 run 114.
This bus was super slow, rattled, brakes made the bus jerk-making me nautious, when the front tilted downward, the bus turned off and so did the lights. The rear interlock when on off then on before you can get off and I think the driver had a difficulty with steering. When we turned onto Roosevelt Ave from Queens Blvd EAST we went up on the sidewalk and slammed back down onto the pavement.
Also I thought we were going to stall on the bridge b/c the engine was stuttering.
4165-please go to scrap. For once I can say that an Orion ride was better than an RTS.
#122 Q32
(emphasis added)
I give it a week on a Green Lines route before needing to go back to scrap, unless someone has done a miracle to get it into roadworthy condition.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
B1-#9317-NOVABUS
Kevin
Here are a couple of things I noticed about the bus.
- This one also carries paper signs in place of having the head and side signs working.
- An MTA "Take One" box hangs on the side by the front staircase.
- All interior seats (which I could see) are blue in color.
- Black text, "TRIBORO COACH CORP." on both sides, where the stripe would be, beneath the last window before the "pork chop" window.
There are a couple of surprises I won't tell you about until I post the pictures!
2. Rear view. Note the paper sign on the front.
3. Door side view 1. Note the paper sign on the side.
4. Door side view 2. Note the MTA "Take One" box.
5. Partial door side view. Note the wheelchair symbol and rectangular windows on the rear doors.
6. Driver side view. Looks like mr_brian was wrong when he said that it "doesn't have any replacement parts added onto it yet" (Post #115464). As you can see, a replacement panel by the rear side vent. It's the only red stripe that appears on this bus!
7. Partial driver side view. Look! It's a Manhattan bus map!
8. Turning onto Roosevelt Avenue.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
David
Thank You
No one will be around to feed the fish, and they'll die. They'll float around belly up for a while; eventually, someone will find them, dump them out into the toilet, wash the bowls, and buy new fish.
David
To whom it may conern,
The problem with the 9300/4900 series buses with banging from rear is as follows:
There are major defects from the manufacturer with the rod suspension. It is noted, and it's up to the L/S and the AGM to decide when it is bad enough to fix them. As a fellow union member of maintenace our hands are tied. Also, when it comes to repairs, if it is picked-up on the inspections, it is noted and made into a SOPU work order, but it's up to the L/S to okay and make servicable or not. Then, it's passed onto the BMB or BMA for repairs.
If they (the L/S or AGM ) okay it, it never makes it to the work order for repair. Another issue is this: when a bus is inspected and a work order is made (sopu), that is, it's dated with a due date. If the the items are not completed, managment wants to cover their butts, so they close the job out and never repair it. Instead, they make another work order up for it on the side, and the paperwork just gets shuffle around. Eventually it will get repaired...
But please note, Brothers & Sisters, from a BMA & BMB point of view, it's not us all the time thats causing these problems. It's the L/s & AGM who cause problems by covering their butt at our exspense. Meaning you and me.
Sorry you guys feel this way but please understand. Thank you from all of the BMAs & BMBs and Happy Holidays!
Submitted Wednesday, December 19, 2001 at 5:56:25 PM EST
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-TOm
Are you unfamiliar with the methods of the IRA? Why do you suppose those same tactics wouldn't be tried by others here? They are simple, cheap and nearly undetectable -- especially if civilians walk around with their heads up their arses.
CG
-Tom
Questions
How many Private Line buses will not be able to operate for MTA?
QUICK FIX OPTIONS (VERY LIMITED -BUT A START)
How many MTA buses are in storage now that are in condition to operate? Including Long Island Bus.
On an MTA depot by depot basis are there buses that each depot could give up to help replace the old buses? I would imagine at any given time there are good numbers of parked buses in the various MTA depots - Could some of them be moved keeping almost all buses on the road all the time? If this scheme makes sense how many buses do you think could be freed up?
Could MTA borrow or lease some buses from other cities/companies - Similar to the Metrobus loan years ago?
Artics could be used on some private routes to space out the schedule and reduce a couple of buses / Could a few be made available for that?
While who really knows until it happens - Its not everyday you can witness something like this - Its going to be fun to see how it plays out.
IMO, the interior looks better than Van Hool A330...
Enjoy~
I'm also shocked that it doesn't have any LED exterior lamps. However, I do like the Xenon headlamps.
I still think a NYCT bus (i.e. a New Flyer D60HF Articulated) looks better. I don't like the gray that this bus uses.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
I can tell the difference between Xenon headlamps and regular headlamps just by seeing the color (if it's faintly blue, it's Xenon).
As for the LED blinkers/taillamps, I can tell if its LEDs depending on the solidness of the dots. I can EASILY tell the difference between lens(es) that are tiled inside (very small) and LEDs packed in together.
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Anyway, the fuel cell system is built by Ballard, the same manufacturer for the systems in the Gillig Fuel Cell bus.
Remeber orion and mercedes benz are the same company
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
I guess you would think CNG was too, but I've never heard if any explosions with it.
One thing to note. The orion VII was developed before the merger of DC's bus units
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Chuck Greene
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Otherwise, I think someone messed up or rounded something.
This is one of the worst ones, but there are quite a few buses (out of GH, I can't say for other depots) that have incredibly banged up fareboxes. Are they getting these fareboxes off the buses that have been through the scrapper, or is there some kind of sick farebox hazing ritual going on that we don't know about?
It's very surprising to see somthing that beat up still work, but how would a farebox wind up with that kind of beating?
David
These are not instances of farebox tampering (the seals and locks are all intact). It's a case of neglect and poor storage.
I'll try and obtain more information about farebox numbering for you, and how it applies and/or is relative to the 'newness' of it.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
Robert
Robert
I wonder what routes they will be running on...
What bus company has that paint scheme all-white like that??
I'm confused.
David
No, but asking over and over and over and over will annoy everybody, which might be Busfan's true intent.
Click here to see 'em.
During my trip I was advised of their operation times by a friend and decided to take a trip on the Pelham Bay Park route during the PM rush to see if they were as good as people here say. Having waited for over an hour in the rain at 23rd Street for a Fishbowl to show up on this route I was on the verge of giving up when #1492 finally appeared at aboout 6.15pm. The ride was a really good one, and once out of the Manhattan traffic the driver used the considerable power of the bus to good effect. Gearshifts were smooth and almost impossible to detect, the ride was smooth, the seats comfortable and the acceleration swift. On top of that the driver was pleasant to all his passengers, myself included, and drove highly competently. Coming away from Pelham Bay Park on the subway I had formed a very good opinion of NYBS's operations - although the Fishbowls' design looks very much a 60s product the standard of their appearance and maintenance is superb.
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
The fishbowls aren't ADA compliant, are they? Do they kneel?
I'm definately gonna take a ride sometime soon. Maybe a fan trip.
I'm glad you enjoyed your ride. Those GMDD buses are indeed quite fast with their DD 8V-71N engines (The Classics are pretty good too). It is usually a good ride. Unfortunately they often get caught in rush hour traffic on the Bruckner Expway, but usually they get to push them up after the drawbridge. I like that with the GMDD fishbowls - you have to push them pretty hard before they hit 3rd gear which means they're at about 50 MPH once they get to the top gear.
I'm hopping to add a ferry page soon, I may have to eliminate the bus stop page, or merge it with the express bus service page.
www.freewebs.com/islandtransitli
I also have another site, www.freewebs.com/islandtransit
that site is for the Puerto Rico system I came up with, for anyone who wants to take a look there.
You can visit both of the sites, but just remember that both sites may be down every now and then for further construction.
Hope you enjoy! Please post any thoughts you may have about the service proposals.
I, on the other hand, will not bike downtown today since I can not Metro back, so I am out to explore the North Bethesda trail. Of course, if I get lazy, I might put the bike up on the front of a RO 46 and get part of the way back that way :-)
Anyone remember the Fishbowl buses that had the hammerhead destination signs on tehm, that ran here in Pittsburgh?
GSC
Roast Pork, move over!
Chuck Greene
Are you still coming down on the 19th?
Chuck Greene
I think we are going to have a great time on the "hunt". I'm looking forward to it . Come on, June 19th!
Chuck Greene
Chuck Greene
What about my e-mail?
Is there something wrong with it?
GSC
Pork Fried Rice AIN'T Oriental!
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
Do you know about the transit talk message board over at OMOT.org?...Because quite a number of posters there are from the Greater Pittsburgh Area.
Also, the "Hammerhead" Fishbowls were quite a monstrosity. I feel those signs just ruined the looks of thos great buses!
-Fred
Also, the "Hammerhead" Fishbowls were quite a monstrosity. I feel those signs just ruined the looks of those great buses!
-Fred
-F.
Chuck Greene
David
I used to watch that...when it was on...
GTC
PITTSBURGH PAT PWNS J00!
-Adam
(fishbowl6v92ta@aol.com)
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
King County leaders were scheduled to take delivery of the first of 235 buses Thursday at Seahawks Stadium. The 60-foot mass-transit vehicles, which are more expensive than standard diesel buses, deliver up to 60 percent greater fuel economy and can reduce emissions by as much as 90 percent, GM said.
The new buses will account for about 15 percent of King County Metro Transit's 1,300-vehicle fleet. Sound Transit Regional Express also will use the new vehicles.
County transit officials say they expect the hybrid buses to save roughly 750,000 gallons of fuel a year.
"These buses save energy and are cleaner and quieter than conventional buses for the millions of people who ride our transit system," said King County Executive Ron Sims.
Hybrids draw power from two energy sources, typically a gas or diesel engine combined with an electric motor. One of the ways the buses conserve fuel is by storing electricity generated when they brake, then using that electricity as a power source when the bus leaves from a stop.
King County secured $5 million in federal funding to help pay for the new buses, which the county has said cost $645,000 each -- $200,000 more than a standard bus.
"Federal funding of hybrid technology is money well spent, and I'll continue to encourage other states, counties and cities across the country to get on board with similar hybrid programs," said U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
The first group of the hybrid buses, manufactured by New Flyer of Winnipeg, Manitoba, is scheduled to join the fleet June 5. GM says the remainder will be delivered by year's end.
Caterpillar Inc. based in Peoria, Ill., is supplying the diesel engines.
GM, the world's largest automaker, and every one of its major competitors are investing heavily in hybrid technology, primarily for cars and trucks. For now only Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. sell hybrid passenger cars in the United States. GM recently began selling a "mild" hybrid pickup, and Ford is scheduled to introduce a hybrid sport utility vehicle this summer.
Already, Orange County, Calif., and Philadelphia are among the places using GM hybrid technology on transit buses. GM said more orders are pending.
BTW- Apologies for the seemingly repeat post. My news email address was bogged-down with spam and viruses :-)
The trick is to start the bus off with the electronic
propulsion system which the engine is at idle and about around 15mph or so the Diesel Engine will kick in than that will gradually increase in rpm well than both the systems are in places until it reach like over 50mph or so than the diesel engine is on full. It's very interisting and very intriguing how this stuff works. It turns out to be more efficent than diesel and has a greater performance
gain.
I drove the lone HEV (#6371) delievered to QV. It left much to be desired as far as accelleration is concerned. Then again, it was sent back to the vendor (I assume) when Cummins tech's couldn't diagnose and repair the accelleration issues on location.
The New Flyer diesels are pretty fast to begin with. The hybrids, IMHO, make the NF diesels look like slow NABIs with governors. Trust me, those hybrids can fly when given the chance (such as on the 37 between the Airport and Chester via PA 291).
KC Metro's DE60LFs are going to be slightly different from the hybrids that other TAs have ordered. As near as I can tell, they'll have a 'tunnel mode' which will increase the amount of time the bus spends on electric when accelerating. Also under this operating mode the diesel engine will provide little or no actual thrust, it'll merely operate as a generator to recharge the batteries. This is supposed to keep the emissions of the bus even lower, while simultaneously restricting it's speed. On the surface the tunnel mode will be turned off and they'll operate like a more normal hybrid. Of course since they're primarily going to serve on commuter routes, they'll end up running on highways a lot. Because of this the electric power source may end up not being used to it's fullest advantage, so it'll be interesting to see how well the DE60LFs do in Seattle. And hopefully other TAs don't judge them strictly on their performance there, since it really is an unusual role for a hybrid to fufill, zero emission tunnel bus, and high performance commuter cruiser seem to almost be mutually exclusive roles.
Perhaps a better solution would have been a D/E60LF duomode bus, with a DD60 or equivilant engine and ETB equipment. Instead of the complex and heavy system that the Bredas used with the center wheel electrically driven and the rear axle diesel driven, they could have run the electric through a modified E-drive transmission and gotten single axle diesel and electric, without the need for the hybrid equipment. But I suppose it's all a moot point anyway, although it would be interesting to see if perhaps a DE40LF with a larger battery case could be ordered to run through the tunnel on lighter duty routes.
The newsworthy part of the bus is the gm designed and engineered hybrid system
Noticed I used the words designed and engineered. That is what GM does. On your average Chevy Trailblazer, GM subcontracts out 85% of the part building to third party's who build the parts to it's specs
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PHILADELPHIA -- Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell has announced the intended disbursement of $1 million in federal homeland security funds to SEPTA, according to this release issued by the transit agency.
This latest investment of security funding will be devoted to systems and programs dedicated to providing the best security possible for SEPTA's customers and infrastructure. SEPTA has previously received $6.4 million in federal security funding.
"The safety and security of our customers and our employees is our top priority," said SEPTA General Manager Faye Moore. "We appreciate Governor Rendell's support of our efforts to enhance security over our very large transportation infrastructure," she said.
SEPTA is the sixth largest public transit system in the United States, providing public transportation services in the five-county Philadelphia area:
1,000,000 daily transit trips;
15,000 bus stops;
2,300 buses, trolleys, train cars;
1,868 route miles, and
280 subway-elevated, railroad, trolley stations.
That looks like either:
A) the world after BRT
B) more buses than there are RV's at a Nextel cup race!
I give up, how many are there?
Talk about a lot full of buses!! There had to have been several hundred motorcoaches parked at RFK, anyone know approximately how many buses were used for this shuttle?
Thanks,
Mark
How are THE BUS's Gilligs (some sort of oxymoron?) doing?
As for the Chumpions, those are ready for the scrap heap yesterday.
My niece and nephew are down this weekend and I think I made some new bus fans! We were downtown today and saw the Rolling Thunder motorcycle brigade roll through and as we were waiting, I snapped a picture of a Metrobus (to my wife's dismay) and then to even get her going anymore, my niece, who is 8 saw this neat "STARR" company bus and took a picture of that. : ) Ahh, yes, Uncle Perry is rubbing off on the kids. : )
Chuck Greene
I have a comment and a question.
First, a comment:
NJT should ASAP get Neoplan to build 700 buses [400 Suburban and 300 Transit] to replace the Flxibles ASAP. The buses, [especially the Metro B's] are falling apart fast. NJT should dispense with the bidding process since Neoplan has been building the buses to their specs for awhile now, all they have to do is to exercise an option[if they have one with Neoplan].
Now a question:
What will NJT do about those cutaways that are poaching passengers from the Bergenline Ave buses? Not only do they look like shit, but they add to the traffic congestion,and hurt ridership on the NJT bus lines[my trip up and back was 90% empty]. I notice that they also do this on the 171 and 190 lines as well. All I know is just like the Chinese buses, I will not patronize them because I fear for my safety in those buses. Cost is not an option because I have a monthly pass. What can they do about these buses?
I'm not supporting the dollar cans, but this is not a communist country. If a company wants to challenge another company, then let it be, theres nothing anyone can do about it. As long as it's legal.
Dollar vans...meh. Big transit should be able to handle that. Aren't those vans illegial now, though?
Shuttle UM and PG THE BUS operate those too. I'd like to catch one someday so I can complain about them, lol.
On the other hand, I can wait until schooltime next year.
Chuck Greene
My cousin's children were right. After looking at the site, I found that they live along the 16 and the last bus was just before 6:00 pm.
Chuck Greene
1. NJT is just now acquiring funding to replace the remaining Metro Bs (285), some 2 years behind schedule (NJT has previously replaced transits and suburbans at 13-year intervals). The Metro Ds won't be going anywhere for years, so ordering more than they have the money for is not using financial responsibility.
2. NJT can't "dispense with" the bidding process - they are a federally funded organization and thus must conform to the USDOT regulations that require bidding.
3. "Neoplan has been building the buses to their specs for awhile now"? Ummm... no. One order of 85 buses is not "for a while now", nor is it anywhere near a substantial order. The incumbent builder would be Millennium, not Neoplan. Millennium is the same management and assembly workers of the former Nova that built 825 RTSes for NJT since 1995. That is building buses to NJT specs "for a while now".
4. The only option in the Neoplan bid is for more artics, and NJT doesn't have the money to exercise it. Bid options are never for buses not originally spec'd in the order - 40-footers are not the same as 60-footers in price or construction - you can't just say "cut the price by a third" and get a 40-foot bus.
What will NJT do about those cutaways that are poaching passengers from the Bergenline Ave buses? Not only do they look like shit, but they add to the traffic congestion,and hurt ridership on the NJT bus lines[my trip up and back was 90% empty]. I notice that they also do this on the 171 and 190 lines as well. All I know is just like the Chinese buses, I will not patronize them because I fear for my safety in those buses. Cost is not an option because I have a monthly pass. What can they do about these buses?
NJT can't do anything. The cutaways on Bergenline Avenue and in Paterson are licensed to operate those routes. The only thing that would get them pulled is failure to insure or poor maintenance. As long as people flag them down, they will continue to run.
Tony M.
NJT Bus Operator
A Great bus till the end!
Red and Tan knows there Flexs are dependable!
As far as keeping the Flxibles a WHOPPING (sarcasm) 15 years, accidents do happen. But of course, if NJT was as loyal to those Flxs as you claim, they would not have gotten rid of 100 already. But hey, you can believe it's that, instead of a budget shortfall or some other financial situation that's keeping those buses rolling.
Today's buses just aren't as solid as the ones even back in MY day, and even in the same designs - the RTS became worse, as well as the Flxibles - WMATA 8800's still purring, and i'm not sure about the RTS since I was never a fan, but judging from other's "success" with them, and NJ's failures, I'm guessing it's the same thing.
Too bad people would rather have an ancient car than ride a rugged and true bus...
Neo4evr, rock on Orion Is, and do that Flxy thing Flxes...
i just hope that HEVs don't take over the transit industry completely...
*Disclaimer: Except The Buses from Red and Tan Hudson County Which are rolling tons of shit because they are abused except Buses #3219,3224,3226,3245,3190 & 3244 which are the fasted metro B's in the state!
And to note Mark's Disclamier! Tonnelle Ave is number 1 in Flex rockets! But Mark u forgot 3250!
Long Live the Flxible Brothers!
Jason
On a related note, I rode 35 (a 6V92 Flxible) this morning on the Campus Connector North, and it was smooth as butter. Although it is a bit slow starting from a dead stop, like most DD engines, it flies once you get it up to speed. Score another victory for Detroit Diesel:-)
Gosh, I wish my college had a shuttle system...anything's better than depending on SEPTA...3 buses on the weekend! Go party!
I pity the fool who goes to Shuttle UM because they want to drive the "new, bright, cool buses" (Our eight 2001 Gillig Phantoms).
Long live the Flx!
Another AMEN to one of the best buses built!
Flxes4ever...well, at least until WMATA retires their E's.
See those Flxes later this month...
Speaking of the Cummins 8.3, how come they are quiet in the Flxibles, but VERY NOISY in the RTS's?
I will pick up the rest of this comment later today.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Flxibles, but when their time is up, it's up, and their time passed a year or two ago.
I hate being the "guy who's offended" because I've ridden some crappy CTD Neos. You may have ridden a Callowhill bus, no offense to Callowhill fans. Generally, the suburban Neos are better, but seriously, when you consider that for the past year the DKs and probalby EBs have had deferred maintainance while people were waiting for the ZFers, some of them are pretty good. Some of the Neoplans could've kept on going, and especially running service on the 23...that's amazing.
I don't know much about NJT Flxibles except for the ones I've seen in the city, but I know as a rider of WMATA's B's, those Flxibles are pretty tough. I had one of my best Flxy rides last year in 8808, a 1987 (?) Flxible B. A little slow, yes, but it purred like a kitten.
The neos have a ZF transmission...voiths have the extremely long first gear.
Sometimes things need to be replaced...I know 3000 was in horrid shape in it's last year.
David
Ah, here is it...
© 2003 Cleanairbus
-Ben Diamond (a.k.a. 4traintowoodlawn)
ROFL
Carlton
Cleanairbus
Incognito
Second Avenue Stubway
Peace.
ANDEE
Second Avenue Stubway
SAS
SAS