Rider groups says bus service not keeping pace

Bus service has not kept pace with increases in city riders, a study by the Straphangers Campaign shows, reporting that average weekday ridership increased 22 percent over the past decade while weekday service ...

[gotacomment]

What service? My husband, like a substantial portion of New Yorkers, doesn't work 9-to-5. On New Year's Eve 2005 he needed to catch the Q39 bus from Maspeth to Queensboro Plaza. The driver, who was rude and obnoxious on several other occasions--and to other people as well--sped right by him at 12:16 a.m. and an hour later. There's no way this driver didn't see him--my husband could see the guy laughing as he went past. Needless to say, husband didn't get home untl morning--and he wasn't celebrating, believe me. Last week on the same route, a different driver was smoking up a storm. If the passengers can't smoke, why can a driver? This is supposed to be a service for the convenience and comfort of the public. I understaand the necessity of fares and fare hikes, but it would be nice to get something for the money.

Roger Toussaint, the New Year's Eve incident was a case of a union man abusing another union man. What hve you got to say for yourself and the TWU?

[Honch]

Can't they just drive faster?

[Savior]

If they haven't already, cameras should be installed inside every bus, and random clips of footage from those cameras should be monitored to see if drivers are misbehaving and/or to see how to improve bus service. The footage also served as a deterrent to crime on the bus, especially if it is coupled with face-recognition technology (a criminal on a bus could automatically be linked to a mug shot on file in police records). If a fugitive is at large, for example, and boards a bus (or subway), they can catch him immediately. If an ex-convict mugs someone on the bus, from the camera footage the police will know exactly who did it, and can trace him down immediately.
In addition, if they haven't already, GPS should be installed on every bus so New York City Transit knows exactly where each bus is. That way, if there are any delays, they will know, and adjust accordingly. They can study traffic patterns, and improve service. They can also then provide customers who call them with better information as regards delays and schedules.

[gmr]

Maybe if the busses weren't filled with illegal aliens, things would be better.But then again, without them
the MTA would be broke!!!

[mlk]

I do not like paying for mass transit so that illegal aliens can be subsidized to go to work illegally.Most of the people on the bus are illegal aliens who do not have a right to work and live in our country.

[cracker]

Why is it that in the USELESS rag there are no questions about the fatal accident in Selden? Listen up, clowns: You are writing a newspaper, not a school paper or a church bulletin. Instead of filling space with the comments of other brainless kiddies, you should be asking 1) Why a 14 year old was in a car with other kids racing around Selden at 2:30 am? 2) Where were the parents of any of them?(note plural - parents) 3) Are the parents going to be charged? 4) What drugs & alcohol were found in the car? 5) Were any of the kiddies tested for drugs or alcohol at the hospital, and what were the results? 6) Have the phone/text records of all the parties been collected as evidence? 7)The driver (as the responsible adult in the car, over 16!) is clearly responsible for the death and all injuries, what has he been charged with? If he hasn't been charged, who does he know?
This sort of thing is always presented by new speak day as a tragic, unavoidable accident. It is not an accident under the given circumstances, it is a predictable outcome. All the little emptyheads will be out there piling trash at the crash site, but they will all be without a clue. As the good samaritan said, "Its not the controls that are at fault, I'm afraid. It's the people."

[lol]

It would take a lot more intelligence, planning and foresight than our local politicians DREAM of to have seen this coming, right?

[gotacomment]

cracker wrote:

Why is it that in the USELESS rag there are no questions about the fatal accident in Selden? Listen up, clowns: You are writing a newspaper, not a school paper or a church bulletin. Instead of filling space with the comments of other brainless kiddies, you should be asking 1) Why a 14 year old was in a car with other kids racing around Selden at 2:30 am? 2) Where were the parents of any of them?(note plural - parents) 3) Are the parents going to be charged? 4) What drugs & alcohol were found in the car? 5) Were any of the kiddies tested for drugs or alcohol at the hospital, and what were the results? 6) Have the phone/text records of all the parties been collected as evidence? 7)The driver (as the responsible adult in the car, over 16!) is clearly responsible for the death and all injuries, what has he been charged with? If he hasn't been charged, who does he know?
This sort of thing is always presented by new speak day as a tragic, unavoidable accident. It is not an accident under the given circumstances, it is a predictable outcome. All the little emptyheads will be out there piling trash at the crash site, but they will all be without a clue. As the good samaritan said, "Its not the controls that are at fault, I'm afraid. It's the people."

Go to the Long Island section of this Web site.

[Ralph Kramden]

Kentucky, you don't know much about how the MTA works. They can fire a driver (and make it stick) far easier now than ever before. The union is useless. The MTA doesn't consider a bus as producing a positive cash flow unless the bus is at full standing capacity. They don't care about you or the operators, so why do you think they'll increase service? Many of the old private bus lines are still operating on schedules in effect since the mid 80's or earlier. For example, an express bus making a return trip to Queens is given 10 minutes to travel from 6th ave & 37th Street to 57th St. & 3rd Ave. This is at midday (yes lunch hour). As tough as the MTA is on drivers over minor accidents (a broken mirror which gets you put off the road for about 3 days) is the reason most of the drivers are now "poking" along.

[Mikem]

What do you say, Suffolk? East west routes take too long and North South routes are few and far between. Suffolk Bus is missing a golden opportunity to increase ridership by a huge amount.If they can shorten travel time a touch , more people would leave their cars home.Whoever manages this entity, GET OFF YOUR DEAD ASS and do something.

[vera]

i am so sick and tired of the B37 bus. today i got off work at 4 oclock waiting for the 4:11 bus to arrive at 60th street and third ave.i waited for a half hour and some, still no bus.this bus route is terrible. when i catch this bus, the driver is late relieving the driver at 39th street. we have to sit for 10 mins waiting for a relief.by then when the relief driver shows up, im late connecting to the B75 AT 9TH ST and third ave.one time the relief busdriver on the 37 was cursed out by passengers and the driver he relieved, was visibly pissed. i wrot emails to the mta with their response as they are looking into it.and fare increases for this?