Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? (258764) | |
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(258764) | |
Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Gold_12TH on Sat Apr 14 18:56:56 2012 I have heard lots of negative complaints for both express and local routes lately, is it true? |
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(258795) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Sun Apr 15 03:20:14 2012, in response to Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Gold_12TH on Sat Apr 14 18:56:56 2012. Yes & no. It's excellent when it works but the actual SI bus schedules are flawed. There's no good reason why buses should be held up by dispatch, the MTA needs to sync new and improved bus schedules with Bustime. |
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(258801) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by LRG5784 on Sun Apr 15 11:26:17 2012, in response to Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Gold_12TH on Sat Apr 14 18:56:56 2012. The only flaw is when the buses don't have tracking and then you have to rely on the schedules themselves. Otherwise it works like a charm to me, haven't had any issues as of yet. |
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(258807) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by checkmatechamp13 on Sun Apr 15 15:50:02 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by LRG5784 on Sun Apr 15 11:26:17 2012. But then you don't know if the bus just isn't on BusTime or if it's really MIA. That's why I don't even bother. |
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(258810) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by RailBus63 on Sun Apr 15 16:44:53 2012, in response to Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Gold_12TH on Sat Apr 14 18:56:56 2012. It's human nature to complain when something goes wrong but not to day anything when a system is working properly. |
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(258817) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by LRG5784 on Sun Apr 15 21:07:02 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by checkmatechamp13 on Sun Apr 15 15:50:02 2012. Then you just wait it out. |
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(258838) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 15:02:48 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Sun Apr 15 03:20:14 2012. There's no good reason why buses should be held up by dispatch What do you mean "held up by dispatch"? |
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(258839) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 15:08:35 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by checkmatechamp13 on Sun Apr 15 15:50:02 2012. That's why I don't even bother. Are that many buses really missing from BusTime??????? |
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(258841) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Train2104 on Mon Apr 16 16:16:07 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 15:08:35 2012. Example: The S40, at 16:13, shows 5 buses, with no westbounds between St. George and South Ave.The problem seems to be a LOT more chronic on weekends than on weekdays. I've seen as few as 2 buses on the S40 and S52 on a Saturday afternoon. |
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(258842) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 16:17:49 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Train2104 on Mon Apr 16 16:16:07 2012. Well what's the official explanation? Has anyone asked NYCT why so many buses are apparently not showing up? |
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(258843) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Train2104 on Mon Apr 16 16:44:50 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 16:17:49 2012. There are rumors that drivers are breaking rules and disconnecting the system because they don't want to be tracked. |
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(258846) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 16:58:07 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Train2104 on Mon Apr 16 16:44:50 2012. Well hot-diggity that would be a cromulent scandal if there ever was one! Has anyone alerted the press? Has NYCT addressed these rumors? |
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(258848) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by checkmatechamp13 on Mon Apr 16 17:06:48 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 16:58:07 2012. I've heard drivers say that sometimes they're given a reminder to turn the tracker on if they didn't do so. |
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(258849) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 17:09:03 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by checkmatechamp13 on Mon Apr 16 17:06:48 2012. So is leaving the tracker "turned off" not a serious infraction? |
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(258852) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by checkmatechamp13 on Mon Apr 16 17:11:44 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 15:08:35 2012. "What do you mean "held up by dispatch"? "If the bus is running ahead of schedule, they tell him to wait so he gets back on schedule. The problem isn't the fact that they're being held once in a while. It's the fact that they aren't adjusting the schedules. If you're consistantly having buses on a certain route at a certain time of day being forced to wait, there's too much runtime being alloted, which is bad for both the MTA (since it's less productive) and for the passengers (since they're not getting where they need to go in as fast a time as possible) "Are that many buses really missing from BusTime???????" I've seen times when there are no buses at all in one direction and only 1 or 2 in the other direction. I don't know exactly how many buses are supposed to be on the route, but I know for a fact it's not supposed to be that few. Considering that the buses I use aren't excessively unreliable, I don't see the point. (And aside from that I don't have the capability to access BusTime at the times I use the buses) |
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(258853) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 17:17:23 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by checkmatechamp13 on Mon Apr 16 17:11:44 2012. If the bus is running ahead of schedule, they tell him to wait so he gets back on schedule. Thank you. So his rant about holding buses had absolutely nothing to do with BusTime. Considering that the buses I use aren't excessively unreliable You're lucky. |
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(258854) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by R36 #9346 on Mon Apr 16 18:29:34 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 17:09:03 2012. If it isn't, then it ought to be... |
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(258856) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by checkmatechamp13 on Mon Apr 16 19:41:36 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 17:17:23 2012. "Thank you. So his rant about holding buses had absolutely nothing to do with BusTime."No, because since they can see the location of buses, they can use that opportunity to change the schedules so they more accurately reflect the conditions. If you see buses going ahead of schedule and then stopping for 5 minutes, you know that the bus is only stopping because of the schedule, and so the schedule should be adjusted accordingly. I mean, if you're sitting in the central office and you're regularly seeing buses sitting at the stop for 5 minutes on a screen, wouldn't you want to investigate? |
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(258900) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Tue Apr 17 17:57:57 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by checkmatechamp13 on Mon Apr 16 19:41:36 2012. I'm not sure I follow. Who in the "central office" is supposed to be sitting around watching the BusTime screen and calculating how long buses sit in one spot? Someone from "schedules"? Shouldn't "dispatch" instead be recording bus movements, especially when they hold buses for schedule adjustments, and then providing those logs to the schedules people (or via someone else first if someone else does the analysis)? |
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(258903) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by checkmatechamp13 on Tue Apr 17 19:57:16 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Tue Apr 17 17:57:57 2012. Yeah, dispatch would be the one watching the screens, and then if they see a problem, they should have it investigated (to make sure it isn't a stop where there's a heavy load of passengers that's slowing down the buses, or something similar like a traffic condition). So they keep track of that route if it has B/Os constantly having to hold for the schedule, and then send it out to the scheduling department to see if corrective action needs to be taken. |
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(258927) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 09:07:20 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 15:02:48 2012. Very often, the operators will have to pull into a bus stop and idle for up to 5 minutes at a time. Prior to bustime, this only occurred on emptier local and express runs that were running a bit early. After bustime, buses that are fully packed with riders and limited buses, are now being held, even in the heart of rush hour and it's a huge inconvenience. The buses are also moving much slower and increased travel times are the norm after bustime as well. |
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(258929) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 09:17:50 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by checkmatechamp13 on Mon Apr 16 17:11:44 2012. he problem isn't the fact that they're being held once in a while. It's the fact that they aren't adjusting the schedules. If you're consistantly having buses on a certain route at a certain time of day being forced to wait, there's too much runtime being alloted, which is bad for both the MTA (since it's less productive) and for the passengers (since they're not getting where they need to go in as fast a time as possible)Agreed, Bustime has ruined the once speedy S53 route. The route needs a B6 or B35-esque limited asap to reduce travel times in both directions and reduce holding of local buses(S53s would be spaced further apart with I feel bad for CSI students who use the S53 daily. |
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(258930) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 09:21:30 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 09:17:50 2012. Agreed, Bustime has ruined the once speedy S53 route. The S53 route needs a B6 or B35-esque limited route asap to reduce travel times in both directions and reduce holding of local buses (S53 locals would inevitably be spaced further apart if a limited S53 existed). I feel exceptionally bad for CSI students who use the S53 daily. |
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(258934) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Wed Apr 18 12:12:40 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 09:07:20 2012. Very often, the operators will have to pull into a bus stop and idle for up to 5 minutes at a time. Prior to bustime, this only occurred on emptier local and express runs that were running a bit early. After bustime, buses that are fully packed with riders and limited buses, are now being held, even in the heart of rush hour and it's a huge inconvenience. The buses are also moving much slower and increased travel times are the norm after bustime as well. You haven't said what any of this has to do with BusTime. |
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(258935) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Wed Apr 18 12:13:25 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 09:21:30 2012. Agreed, Bustime has ruined the once speedy S53 route. How has it done that? |
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(258940) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Wed Apr 18 13:14:26 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by checkmatechamp13 on Tue Apr 17 19:57:16 2012. So they keep track of that route if it has B/Os constantly having to hold for the schedule, and then send it out to the scheduling department to see if corrective action needs to be taken. That doesn't require BusTime. Yeah, dispatch would be the one watching the screens, and then if they see a problem, they should have it investigated (to make sure it isn't a stop where there's a heavy load of passengers that's slowing down the buses, or something similar like a traffic condition). I don't follow. Why do they need to watch BusTime and why do they need to investigate? If the delay is due to dispatch holding an early bus, then they know the reason already. And if it's not due to dispatch holding an early bus, then they know that it must be a problem, and when the bus passes the next dispatcher or whomever along the route, the guy will note that the bus is late and ask the driver for the reason. So what is BusTime needed for with respect to this discussion thus far? |
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(258943) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 13:40:35 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Wed Apr 18 13:14:26 2012. You're asking too many questions and not doing enough of your own critical thinking and research. Back when the SI division was having issues before BusTime and we discussed them here on BusChat, you didn't care about buses so no one should have to elaborate anything for you. |
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(258944) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Wed Apr 18 13:45:12 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 13:40:35 2012. You're asking too many questions and not doing enough of your own critical thinking and research. Excuse me?? You're criticizing me for asking legitimate questions?? Do you want me to start posting links to all the times YOU have made ridiculously stupid statements involving no critical thinking or research and for which you should have been asking questions instead of talking about things you know nothing about??? Back when the SI division was having issues before BusTime and we discussed them here on BusChat Link(s)? Also explain NOW what this has to do with BusTime. |
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(258950) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 14:28:32 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Wed Apr 18 13:14:26 2012. With the advent of Bustime, dispatchers can locate the buses in real-time. |
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(258951) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Terrapin Station on Wed Apr 18 14:33:07 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 14:28:32 2012. With the advent of Bustime, dispatchers can locate the buses in real-time. Of course they "can". But ARE they? Why don't we establish the basic details here first? You seem to be making the assumption that everyone else knows all the same details that you do. |
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(258952) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by Gold_12TH on Wed Apr 18 14:41:30 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Wed Apr 18 13:45:12 2012. Stop being a crybabay, Turtle. |
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(258961) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by checkmatechamp13 on Wed Apr 18 20:32:57 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by (SIR) North Shore line on Wed Apr 18 13:40:35 2012. Thank you.In case anybody was truly confused, and not nitpicking like he was, when I said "investigate", I meant investigate if the reason was simply because the bus had to stick to the schedule, and was capable of not sitting there for 5 minutes (obviously if you're picking up passengers, you can't drive off while they're getting on). If it's because of an issue at that particular intersection such as traffic or heavy loading, then they know to leave the schedule as is, but if buses are just sitting there solely because they're being watched then they need to adjust the schedule accordingly. |
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(258966) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by TERRapin station on Wed Apr 18 21:18:37 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by checkmatechamp13 on Wed Apr 18 20:32:57 2012. Wasn't nitpicking. My point stands. You don't seem to follow what I'm trying to say. |
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(259012) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by MainR3664 on Fri Apr 20 08:00:50 2012, in response to Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Gold_12TH on Sat Apr 14 18:56:56 2012. With some hickups, I found this a very useful service. At stps served by only one or two routes, it works as advertised. But at stops served by many routes (ex: Battery Place/Greewnwich Street), in the beginning, all you got was a listing of the routes that operate there. But lately, even that seems to have impoved.Also, at a busy local stop on Hylan Blv, the systerm kept texting me every 14 minutes, for abt 2 hours, even when I didn't need it. But the kinks seem to be getting worked out, and overall, this is a fantastic idea, IMO. |
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(259013) | |
Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island? |
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Posted by MainR3664 on Fri Apr 20 08:04:53 2012, in response to Re: Does MTA BusTime suck in Staten Island?, posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Apr 16 15:08:35 2012. In my experience, very few are missing from Bus Time. I use express buses much more frequently than local- only maybe once or twice have I seen an untracked bus show up. Except for the problems (which I'm seeing less of) that I mentioned in my other post, I think Bus Time is a great system. The world of high tech is finally delvering practical things. |
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