Here's a few of my thoughts on the MTA's Bus Performance Dashboard
So one the statistics is "Service Delivered". It basically says "the percentage of trips that are actually provided, measured at the peak load point". That last part is bolded because it does not necessarily mean that any given stop will see that percentage of its trips filled. On an express bus, the peak load point is generally the last stop before the nonstop portion (between the outer borough and Manhattan). So technically, if a trip skips a whole bunch of stops and serves the last stop before the nonstop portion, that trip counts as filled. And most likely (given that bus operators don't put up "Next Bus Please" as often as they used to), if a bus is full to capacity and bypasses the last stop, that trip (most likely) counts as filled. So pretty much, if a given trip serves any passengers on that route and passes by the peak load point, it is counted as filled. (The one thing I would wonder is, if for example, a QM5 were diverted via Fresh Meadows to cover a QM1 trip, would both trips count as filled?)
Now we get to the measure of Excess Wait Time. So let's take a route with 15 minute headways, and a stop where the rate of passenger arrival is 1 passenger per minute. If buses actually arrive evenly spaced, and the passenger arrivals follow a uniform distribution, the average wait time will be 7.5 minutes (half the headway). You will have some passengers who barely make the bus, and some who barely miss the bus, and then a lot in between. However, let's say that the buses arrive at the stop at 8:00am, 8:24am, 8:32am, 8:58am, and 9:00am. So the math works as follows:
24 passengers experienced an average 12 minute wait.
8 passengers experienced an average 4 minute wait
26 passengers experienced an average 13 minute wait
2 passengers experienced an average 1 minute wait
So cumulative wait time is (24*12)+(8*4)+(26*13)+(2*1) = 660 passenger-minutes, divided by 60 passengers = 11 minutes of average wait time. So the excess wait time at this stop would be 11-7.5 = 3.5 minutes
Notice how uneven the spacing is. 11 minutes of average wait time is the equivalent to an evenly-spaced 22 minute headway. 22/15 (or 11/7.5) = 1.467, which means effectively, the average wait time was 1.467 times longer than it was scheduled to be. But yet, after all of this math, it only shows 3.5 minutes of excess wait time. So that ratio (actual wait time/expected wait time) is just as important as the raw excess wait time numbers, because it actually captures the classic experience of "I waited 20 minutes and then 3 buses showed up at once".
Even if a line was super-frequent (say, 2 minute headways), this ratio captures the "chaos" for lack of a better term. If the effective headway is 1.467 times the scheduled headway, that means that a typical passenger experiences 1.467 times the number of scheduled passengers on the vehicle (whether it is a bus or train), or at least in the waiting area (bus stop or train station platform). And then some of them may not be able to fit into the vehicle and have to wait for the next one, so a vehicle arrival doesn't necessarily mean that the wait time ends for every single passenger in the waiting area. But then of course, you need more math to quantify that....you need to account for vehicle capacity. On the local bus or subway, it is a reasonable assumption to make that people will pack themselves onto the vehicle if necessary (I'm not condoning scheduling the service that tightly, but generally speaking, that is the behavior of passengers on those vehicles, myself included). On the express bus, the MTA schedules trips in a manner to avoid standees, but at the same time the buses can physically hold standees, so which number should you use for the capacity? Should you only take the seated capacity and when you are making the calculations, you assume that the standees would've otherwise been people who would've waited for the next bus? Or do you just go by the passenger counters/MetroCard swipes? Maybe publish both numbers?)
The one thing that does bother me on express buses is that people who let buses pass with seats in order to be at the front of the line for the next bus to get a "better seat" (on a bus that may very well end up with standees). It used to happen on the SIM8 all the time. I would get on around 7am, and maybe 2-3 people would end up letting the bus go by (at say, Christopher Lane). Then the bus would pick up people at Lambert Street and South Avenue, and continue into Manhattan with about 5 seats left. Then en-route to Manhattan around 7:30-7:40am or so, I'm seeing posts of "3 buses came with no seats". I wonder how many of those buses would've had seats if people around the 7am timeframe weren't picky about which seats they took.
Finally, the one thing (that I think may be almost impossible to quantify with official metrics, but is worth mentioning) is how many people ended up switching to a "backup option" that resulted in the trip taking longer than scheduled, but still shorter than waiting for the next bus (whether it was due to a delay or just infrequent service). If an Aspen Knolls resident checks BusTime at the time a scheduled SIM22 is supposed to arrive, finds that it is 20 minutes away and decides to take an arriving SIM25 to Arthur Kill Road/Veterans Road West and then wait 10 minutes for the S74 (as opposed to waiting 20 minutes for the SIM22 outright), is there a way to quantify the extra 10 minutes that the bus rider spent?
Saturday, September 21, 2019
NYCT Track Safety Training
I figured I'd deviate a little from talking about buses to discuss one of the most fun experiences I've had in my life: The NYC Transit track safety course. Long story short, at my job we are involved with bridge inspection, so we need to learn the rules, regulations and operating procedures of all of the railroads where we need to enter on their property to inspect the bridge. There are many railroads in NYC (CSX, Long Island Railroad, Metro-North, Amtrak, NYC Transit, Staten Island Railroad, etc) and so each one has their own course on track safety. What makes NYC Transit unique is that their course involves a supervised walk on the track, to practice what you have learned.
The course starts at 7am at an old public school in Brooklyn (P.S. 248, right between the 25th Avenue station on the D line, and the Avenue U station on the N line). You fill out some paperwork (including a liability waiver...that hopefully never is actually needed...they shred it at the end of the day once everyone is back in the classroom). We watch a little introductory video on how the system works, and then the instructors (two veteran trackworkers) hand out a booklet with all of the main rules pertaining to track safety. They put up a Powerpoint where they discuss these rules (what types of locations are considered safe "clear up" locations where there is enough space to prevent you from being struck by a train, different arrangements for where the flagmen should be standing so that they can see approaching trains with enough time to warn the workers, and also so that the train can hopefully stop if necessary, how to work around the third rail, and with some stories of workers who made mistakes that unfortunately got them injured or killed. I heard they used to have much more graphic stories and pictures/videos (the most graphic one we saw was a guy whose hand got caught in a switch, but I heard they used to put out some really nasty stuff)
So then we go out for the field portion (I love how the instructors come to class all dressed with nice suits and ties, and then a few minutes later, they change into their safety gear, grab their lanterns, and lead us out to the training area). One of the things you learn quickly is that many people become complacent....the instructor literally had to remind some people to step back from the platform edge when the train was approaching
The course starts at 7am at an old public school in Brooklyn (P.S. 248, right between the 25th Avenue station on the D line, and the Avenue U station on the N line). You fill out some paperwork (including a liability waiver...that hopefully never is actually needed...they shred it at the end of the day once everyone is back in the classroom). We watch a little introductory video on how the system works, and then the instructors (two veteran trackworkers) hand out a booklet with all of the main rules pertaining to track safety. They put up a Powerpoint where they discuss these rules (what types of locations are considered safe "clear up" locations where there is enough space to prevent you from being struck by a train, different arrangements for where the flagmen should be standing so that they can see approaching trains with enough time to warn the workers, and also so that the train can hopefully stop if necessary, how to work around the third rail, and with some stories of workers who made mistakes that unfortunately got them injured or killed. I heard they used to have much more graphic stories and pictures/videos (the most graphic one we saw was a guy whose hand got caught in a switch, but I heard they used to put out some really nasty stuff)
So then we go out for the field portion (I love how the instructors come to class all dressed with nice suits and ties, and then a few minutes later, they change into their safety gear, grab their lanterns, and lead us out to the training area). One of the things you learn quickly is that many people become complacent....the instructor literally had to remind some people to step back from the platform edge when the train was approaching
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Extending the Span of Peak Variants
As mentioned previously, I believe off-peak service overall needs to be restructured to provide more coverage on the Staten Island end (even if a particular route may have its coverage reduced on the Manhattan end). Here are some simple ways to begin the process of extending the span of some of the peak routes into the off-peak time period.
SIM4C
The primary routes that make up the SIM4C are the SIM2 & SIM4 for Downtown, and the SIM8 for Midtown. The schedule should be changed as follows:
5am SIM4C trip out of Arden Heights converted into SIM4 trip out of Annadale. Additionally, SIM4C trips leaving Arden Heights between 8:35am and 9:20am (inclusive) replaced with SIM4 trips out of Annadale. Savings reinvested to add additional SIM2 trip departing Tottenville at 8:45am, with the 9am trip shifted to depart Tottenville at 9:05am. Academy Bus should be encouraged to add a 9:00am SIM23 out of Hylan Blvd & Barclay Avenue (or preferably Pollion Avenue if it ever gets extended that way) to both provide a Midtown route along Arden Avenue and come closer to matching the span of the old X24 (a 9am SIM24 out of Hylan & Luten would also be helpful, and would also help match the span of the old X24). Otherwise, Midtown-bound riders along Arden Avenue will either have to make a transfer Downtown, or make their way to the SIM8/22 (or if they take the SIM2 to Travis, they can catch the SIM25/26 over there).
On a side note, my stance on that SIM2/24 stop is that it should be at Hylan & Huguenot, which is more centrally located than Hylan & Luten (which is basically in the middle of Wolfe's Pond Park). Academy Bus saw an increase in their subsidy from the city, and they should be made to provide adequate service. They complain that the new network caused them to reduce their revenue miles, and they haven't thought of the simple ways of getting those revenue miles back in ways that benefit the passengers.
In the evening, the SIM2 should have its span extended to operate until 9:30pm out of Chambers Street (operating every 30 minutes after 7:30pm). A 1:30pm SIM8 trip should be added out of 57th Street & Lexington Avenue, and all of the SIM4C trips departing CPS & 6th Avenue between 1:30pm and 2:35pm, and between 6:55pm and 8:55pm should be converted to SIM4 trips out of Chambers Street at those respective arrival times (so for example, the 1:30pm SIM4C trip out of CPS & 6th should become a SIM4 trip out of Chambers Street at 2:11pm). The savings would be reinvested in adding SIM4C trips out of CPS & 6th leaving at 11am, 12pm, and 1pm respectively, to provide off-peak service every 30 minutes (obviously the gap from 10:20pm to 11am is a 40 minute gap, but you get the point...service would run better than hourly).
SIM33C
The primary routes that make up the SIM33C are the SIM31 for Midtown, SIM32 for Downtown, and SIM33 for Greenwich Village. The schedule should be changed as follows:
The Church Street corridor needs to take priority over the West Street corridor due to its central location and connections available. The old system accomplished this by having the first few trips of the morning run as X10 trips that bypassed Narrows Road, rather than X10B trips (so the X10B and X11 had a similar span). A similar setup should take place with the SIM32/33, and generally speaking it is more desirable to extend the span of the peak variants rather than the off-peak variants, because the peak variants offer more overall coverage (both on the Manhattan end and Staten Island end)
* Shift the 6:05am SIM32 trip to depart Travis at 6:00am, and add a 5:00am, 5:20am, and 5:40am departure out of Travis. Remove the 5:00am, 5:20am, and 5:40am SIM33 trips out of Mariners Harbor, and replace them with a 5:30am SIM33 trip (this will coordinate well with the SIM32 along Gannon & SIM34 in Mariners Harbor/Graniteville in that timeframe) The only disadvantage is that those areas have to wait 30 more minutes if they want direct service to Greenwich Village, but this would still add an extra bus per hour to the Gannon corridor (3 SIM32s and 1 SIM33 instead of 3 SIM33s) around the 6am timeframe.
* Shift the 8:35am SIM32 trip to depart Travis at 8:45am. Shift the 8:00am and 8:30am SIM31 trips to depart the Eltingville Transit Center at 8:05am and 8:35am respectively. This will reduce the peak/off-peak gap between the last SIM31/32 and the first SIM33C for Midtown service and Church Street service respectively.
* In the afternoon, shift the 3:40pm SIM31 trip to depart 57th Street & Lexington Avenue at 3:30pm, and add a 2:30pm and 3pm departure from 57th Street & Lexington Avenue. Eliminate the 2:20pm and 2:40pm SIM33C trips out of CPS & 6th, add a 3:20pm SIM32 trip out of Chambers Street & Church Street, and shift the 3:55pm SIM32 trip to depart Chambers Street at 3:50pm. Combine the 3pm and 3:20pm SIM33 trips out of Union Square into a 3:10pm trip. This will eliminate the overlap between the SIM33 & SIM33C in the early PM rush, while ensuring that the Downtown section of Broadway maintains service to Gannon Avenue.
* In the evening, remove the 6:50pm and 7:10pm SIM33C trips out of CPS & 6th, shift the 6:40pm SIM33 out of Union Square to depart at 6:45pm, shift the 7pm SIM33 out of Union Square to depart at 7:05pm, and add a 7:30pm SIM33 trip out of Union Square. Also shift the 7:05pm SIM32 out of Chambers Street to depart at 7:15pm, and add a 7:45pm SIM32 out of Chambers Street.
Additionally, one thing that was gained when the SIM4C covered Gannon Avenue is that it started early in the morning and allowed riders to reach Midtown before 6am. Perhaps one additional SIM33C trip should be added leaving Mariners Harbor at 4:30am to restore this service.
SIM3C
The primary routes that make up the SIM3C are the SIM3 and SIM34.
* In the morning, combine the 8:55am and 9:15am SIM3 trips out of Port Richmond into a 9:05am SIM3 trip, and add a 9:25am SIM3C trip out of Port Richmond. This will fill in the gap in Downtown service along Watchogue Road between the last SIM34 and the first SIM3C of the morning.
* In the afternoon, eliminate the 2:10pm, 2:25pm, 2:40pm, and 2:50pm SIM3C trips out of CPS & 6th, and replace them with 2:20pm and 2:50pm SIM3 trips out of CPS & 6th. This will eliminate the overlap between the SIM3C and SIM15/34/35 Downtown.
Another simple span extension can be had by shifting the last SIM26 to depart Tottenville at 9:10am instead of 9:05am (spacing it out a bit from the last SIM25 which leaves at 9am). Additionally, the whole Hylan Blvd corridor needs restructuring with regards to....well...everything but as it relates to this post, the SIM1C should be broken up into its respective peak variants for a much longer timeframe. That span reduction on the SIM10 back in January 2019 was a huge step backwards.
If you look closely, when I chose the departure times of the routes, I tried to coordinate the service so there was no more than a 30 minute gap between peak and off-peak or vice versa. In a few cases, the gap is slightly more, but one of the other big issues with off-peak service is the lack of coordination between the SIM3C & SIM33C (in their overlapping portions, they arrive around the same time instead of being offset). By rectifying this issue, it should also help close those gaps up.
SIM30
Finally, another route that needs a span extension is the SIM30. One of the main selling points of the new network is that the span of the routes would be extended as close as possible to 5-9am and 3-7pm (presumably referring to departure times from the terminals). The SIM30 falls about an hour short of that in both directions. One of the things that is overlooked is that this route is supposed to be the Midtown alternative for X12 & X14 riders (which had a longer span than the X30). Now, one of the things that I believe needs to be done is to split the route at Jewett Avenue, and have the eastern portion run via Brooklyn (basically, take the old X16 and send it to Midtown instead of Downtown), while the western portion continues to run through New Jersey.
The current inbound span at the Forest & Jewett stop is 5:32am - 8:24am. This can be extended to an even 5am-9am by adding a 5am and a 9am trip, adjusting the 5:32am and 8:24am trips to leave at 5:30am and 8:30am respectively, and then scheduling the proper amount of service to account for the fact that riders east of Jewett Avenue would likely be on the eastern split (let's call it SIM36 for now). That would probably lead to a slight decrease in frequency, but not too much of a decrease, as the vast majority of SIM30 ridership is west of Jewett Avenue. In the afternoon, a 3:20pm trip should be added out of CPS & 6th.
With the SIM36, I'd have it depart Jewett & Post between 5:25am and 8:25am. This would get SIM30 riders along the eastern portion of the route into Midtown around the same time they get there today (and also be fairly similar to the span of the old X14). In the afternoon, buses would depart CPS & 6th between 3:30pm and 6:30pm. The span can be extended if ridership grows (right now, it starts earlier than the SIM30, but also ends earlier, but it still ends around the time the X30 used to end). Frequency would be determined based on ridership (likely all existing SIM30 riders would take it, as it's faster than taking the SIM30 to Midtown, unless there is an accident along the I-278 corridor, and then you'd have some Midtown-bound SIM35 riders who would take it, plus riders taking it at Hylan and at Fingerboard because it came before a SIM10/11). The Manhattan routing can either be up West Street & 10th/11th Avenue to 42nd Street, or up the FDR Drive, 23rd Street, and 5th/Madison Avenue.
For the old X18 (let's call it SIM18 for now), I would have it run with a span similar to what it had in 2004 (6:15am - 9am out of Targee & DeKalb, and 4:25pm - 6:25pm out of Rector Street). I would reverse the outbound route on the Staten Island end (so instead of taking Narrows Road to Targee Street and making a clockwise loop through Park Hill/Rosebank, I would have it get off at School Road and make a counterclockwise loop, ending at Richmond Road & DeKalb Street). I would also have it run up Church/Broadway to/from Chambers Street (rather than do the Downtown Loop).
In its final years, the X18 only ran from 4:30pm-6pm, hence why I said I would use something similar to the 2004 span. Again, as ridership increases, hopefully the span can be increased. One thing to consider is that by running up Church/Broadway, it should be able to take a little bit of pressure off the SIM1 (which as I've said since the beginning, should be split to operate "New Dorp via Hylan" or "Eltingville via Father Capodanno"). So if the same passengers are accommodated by a short route that ends near the Verrazzano (and travels closer to their homes) as opposed a longer route down Hylan Blvd, that is a win-win for both the passengers and the MTA.
SIM4C
The primary routes that make up the SIM4C are the SIM2 & SIM4 for Downtown, and the SIM8 for Midtown. The schedule should be changed as follows:
5am SIM4C trip out of Arden Heights converted into SIM4 trip out of Annadale. Additionally, SIM4C trips leaving Arden Heights between 8:35am and 9:20am (inclusive) replaced with SIM4 trips out of Annadale. Savings reinvested to add additional SIM2 trip departing Tottenville at 8:45am, with the 9am trip shifted to depart Tottenville at 9:05am. Academy Bus should be encouraged to add a 9:00am SIM23 out of Hylan Blvd & Barclay Avenue (or preferably Pollion Avenue if it ever gets extended that way) to both provide a Midtown route along Arden Avenue and come closer to matching the span of the old X24 (a 9am SIM24 out of Hylan & Luten would also be helpful, and would also help match the span of the old X24). Otherwise, Midtown-bound riders along Arden Avenue will either have to make a transfer Downtown, or make their way to the SIM8/22 (or if they take the SIM2 to Travis, they can catch the SIM25/26 over there).
On a side note, my stance on that SIM2/24 stop is that it should be at Hylan & Huguenot, which is more centrally located than Hylan & Luten (which is basically in the middle of Wolfe's Pond Park). Academy Bus saw an increase in their subsidy from the city, and they should be made to provide adequate service. They complain that the new network caused them to reduce their revenue miles, and they haven't thought of the simple ways of getting those revenue miles back in ways that benefit the passengers.
In the evening, the SIM2 should have its span extended to operate until 9:30pm out of Chambers Street (operating every 30 minutes after 7:30pm). A 1:30pm SIM8 trip should be added out of 57th Street & Lexington Avenue, and all of the SIM4C trips departing CPS & 6th Avenue between 1:30pm and 2:35pm, and between 6:55pm and 8:55pm should be converted to SIM4 trips out of Chambers Street at those respective arrival times (so for example, the 1:30pm SIM4C trip out of CPS & 6th should become a SIM4 trip out of Chambers Street at 2:11pm). The savings would be reinvested in adding SIM4C trips out of CPS & 6th leaving at 11am, 12pm, and 1pm respectively, to provide off-peak service every 30 minutes (obviously the gap from 10:20pm to 11am is a 40 minute gap, but you get the point...service would run better than hourly).
SIM33C
The primary routes that make up the SIM33C are the SIM31 for Midtown, SIM32 for Downtown, and SIM33 for Greenwich Village. The schedule should be changed as follows:
The Church Street corridor needs to take priority over the West Street corridor due to its central location and connections available. The old system accomplished this by having the first few trips of the morning run as X10 trips that bypassed Narrows Road, rather than X10B trips (so the X10B and X11 had a similar span). A similar setup should take place with the SIM32/33, and generally speaking it is more desirable to extend the span of the peak variants rather than the off-peak variants, because the peak variants offer more overall coverage (both on the Manhattan end and Staten Island end)
* Shift the 6:05am SIM32 trip to depart Travis at 6:00am, and add a 5:00am, 5:20am, and 5:40am departure out of Travis. Remove the 5:00am, 5:20am, and 5:40am SIM33 trips out of Mariners Harbor, and replace them with a 5:30am SIM33 trip (this will coordinate well with the SIM32 along Gannon & SIM34 in Mariners Harbor/Graniteville in that timeframe) The only disadvantage is that those areas have to wait 30 more minutes if they want direct service to Greenwich Village, but this would still add an extra bus per hour to the Gannon corridor (3 SIM32s and 1 SIM33 instead of 3 SIM33s) around the 6am timeframe.
* Shift the 8:35am SIM32 trip to depart Travis at 8:45am. Shift the 8:00am and 8:30am SIM31 trips to depart the Eltingville Transit Center at 8:05am and 8:35am respectively. This will reduce the peak/off-peak gap between the last SIM31/32 and the first SIM33C for Midtown service and Church Street service respectively.
* In the afternoon, shift the 3:40pm SIM31 trip to depart 57th Street & Lexington Avenue at 3:30pm, and add a 2:30pm and 3pm departure from 57th Street & Lexington Avenue. Eliminate the 2:20pm and 2:40pm SIM33C trips out of CPS & 6th, add a 3:20pm SIM32 trip out of Chambers Street & Church Street, and shift the 3:55pm SIM32 trip to depart Chambers Street at 3:50pm. Combine the 3pm and 3:20pm SIM33 trips out of Union Square into a 3:10pm trip. This will eliminate the overlap between the SIM33 & SIM33C in the early PM rush, while ensuring that the Downtown section of Broadway maintains service to Gannon Avenue.
* In the evening, remove the 6:50pm and 7:10pm SIM33C trips out of CPS & 6th, shift the 6:40pm SIM33 out of Union Square to depart at 6:45pm, shift the 7pm SIM33 out of Union Square to depart at 7:05pm, and add a 7:30pm SIM33 trip out of Union Square. Also shift the 7:05pm SIM32 out of Chambers Street to depart at 7:15pm, and add a 7:45pm SIM32 out of Chambers Street.
Additionally, one thing that was gained when the SIM4C covered Gannon Avenue is that it started early in the morning and allowed riders to reach Midtown before 6am. Perhaps one additional SIM33C trip should be added leaving Mariners Harbor at 4:30am to restore this service.
SIM3C
The primary routes that make up the SIM3C are the SIM3 and SIM34.
* In the morning, combine the 8:55am and 9:15am SIM3 trips out of Port Richmond into a 9:05am SIM3 trip, and add a 9:25am SIM3C trip out of Port Richmond. This will fill in the gap in Downtown service along Watchogue Road between the last SIM34 and the first SIM3C of the morning.
* In the afternoon, eliminate the 2:10pm, 2:25pm, 2:40pm, and 2:50pm SIM3C trips out of CPS & 6th, and replace them with 2:20pm and 2:50pm SIM3 trips out of CPS & 6th. This will eliminate the overlap between the SIM3C and SIM15/34/35 Downtown.
Another simple span extension can be had by shifting the last SIM26 to depart Tottenville at 9:10am instead of 9:05am (spacing it out a bit from the last SIM25 which leaves at 9am). Additionally, the whole Hylan Blvd corridor needs restructuring with regards to....well...everything but as it relates to this post, the SIM1C should be broken up into its respective peak variants for a much longer timeframe. That span reduction on the SIM10 back in January 2019 was a huge step backwards.
If you look closely, when I chose the departure times of the routes, I tried to coordinate the service so there was no more than a 30 minute gap between peak and off-peak or vice versa. In a few cases, the gap is slightly more, but one of the other big issues with off-peak service is the lack of coordination between the SIM3C & SIM33C (in their overlapping portions, they arrive around the same time instead of being offset). By rectifying this issue, it should also help close those gaps up.
SIM30
Finally, another route that needs a span extension is the SIM30. One of the main selling points of the new network is that the span of the routes would be extended as close as possible to 5-9am and 3-7pm (presumably referring to departure times from the terminals). The SIM30 falls about an hour short of that in both directions. One of the things that is overlooked is that this route is supposed to be the Midtown alternative for X12 & X14 riders (which had a longer span than the X30). Now, one of the things that I believe needs to be done is to split the route at Jewett Avenue, and have the eastern portion run via Brooklyn (basically, take the old X16 and send it to Midtown instead of Downtown), while the western portion continues to run through New Jersey.
The current inbound span at the Forest & Jewett stop is 5:32am - 8:24am. This can be extended to an even 5am-9am by adding a 5am and a 9am trip, adjusting the 5:32am and 8:24am trips to leave at 5:30am and 8:30am respectively, and then scheduling the proper amount of service to account for the fact that riders east of Jewett Avenue would likely be on the eastern split (let's call it SIM36 for now). That would probably lead to a slight decrease in frequency, but not too much of a decrease, as the vast majority of SIM30 ridership is west of Jewett Avenue. In the afternoon, a 3:20pm trip should be added out of CPS & 6th.
With the SIM36, I'd have it depart Jewett & Post between 5:25am and 8:25am. This would get SIM30 riders along the eastern portion of the route into Midtown around the same time they get there today (and also be fairly similar to the span of the old X14). In the afternoon, buses would depart CPS & 6th between 3:30pm and 6:30pm. The span can be extended if ridership grows (right now, it starts earlier than the SIM30, but also ends earlier, but it still ends around the time the X30 used to end). Frequency would be determined based on ridership (likely all existing SIM30 riders would take it, as it's faster than taking the SIM30 to Midtown, unless there is an accident along the I-278 corridor, and then you'd have some Midtown-bound SIM35 riders who would take it, plus riders taking it at Hylan and at Fingerboard because it came before a SIM10/11). The Manhattan routing can either be up West Street & 10th/11th Avenue to 42nd Street, or up the FDR Drive, 23rd Street, and 5th/Madison Avenue.
For the old X18 (let's call it SIM18 for now), I would have it run with a span similar to what it had in 2004 (6:15am - 9am out of Targee & DeKalb, and 4:25pm - 6:25pm out of Rector Street). I would reverse the outbound route on the Staten Island end (so instead of taking Narrows Road to Targee Street and making a clockwise loop through Park Hill/Rosebank, I would have it get off at School Road and make a counterclockwise loop, ending at Richmond Road & DeKalb Street). I would also have it run up Church/Broadway to/from Chambers Street (rather than do the Downtown Loop).
In its final years, the X18 only ran from 4:30pm-6pm, hence why I said I would use something similar to the 2004 span. Again, as ridership increases, hopefully the span can be increased. One thing to consider is that by running up Church/Broadway, it should be able to take a little bit of pressure off the SIM1 (which as I've said since the beginning, should be split to operate "New Dorp via Hylan" or "Eltingville via Father Capodanno"). So if the same passengers are accommodated by a short route that ends near the Verrazzano (and travels closer to their homes) as opposed a longer route down Hylan Blvd, that is a win-win for both the passengers and the MTA.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Comments on April 28th Schedules
* They added some SIM1C service in the late AM rush which will alleviate some overcrowding, but why didn't they extend the span of the SIM10 back to 9:10am? Would've been more efficient (and the same applies to the PM rush)
* Still haven't fixed coordination issues between SIM3C & SIM33C for weekday inbound service.
* Still haven't addressed weekend inbound SIM4C runtime issues (excess runtime) between Huguenot/Woodrow & ETC.
* SIM6 starts from 56th & Lexington at 2pm instead of 2:35pm which is good, and it's even earlier than the X5 did (at 2:15pm)
* SIM4X/8X excess runtime issues seem to have been addressed (and they even addressed the PM runtime on the Manhattan side for the SIM4X which is good)
* Looks like they cut a couple of SIM8 buses in the AM rush (but it should be alright now that they added the Christopher Lane stop on the SIM8X).
* Their addressing the excess runtime in the evenings for the "via NJ" routes by shaving off one minute is honestly an insult to my repeated requests to have this addressed. You could shave off 6-8 minutes with no problem. The SIM8 only needs about 15-18 minutes from 57th & Lexington to 42nd & 8th on a typical weeknight, not 22 minutes. For that matter, there's also no need to add runtime to the early PM rush (those buses around 2pm)
* SIM4C should travel no further north than 23rd Street when the SIM8 operates. Same for the SIM1C vs. SIM10.
* Adjustments to the SIM25 runtimes between Tottenville and Woodrow Road (I still think they could shave off another 1-2 minutes but I guess it's a start).
* Redistribution of SIM30 trips to run a little more frequently in the early AM and a little less frequently in the late AM.
* Later SIM32 trip added at 7:05pm from Chambers.
* Still haven't fixed coordination issues between SIM3C & SIM33C for weekday inbound service.
* Still haven't addressed weekend inbound SIM4C runtime issues (excess runtime) between Huguenot/Woodrow & ETC.
* SIM6 starts from 56th & Lexington at 2pm instead of 2:35pm which is good, and it's even earlier than the X5 did (at 2:15pm)
* SIM4X/8X excess runtime issues seem to have been addressed (and they even addressed the PM runtime on the Manhattan side for the SIM4X which is good)
* Looks like they cut a couple of SIM8 buses in the AM rush (but it should be alright now that they added the Christopher Lane stop on the SIM8X).
* Their addressing the excess runtime in the evenings for the "via NJ" routes by shaving off one minute is honestly an insult to my repeated requests to have this addressed. You could shave off 6-8 minutes with no problem. The SIM8 only needs about 15-18 minutes from 57th & Lexington to 42nd & 8th on a typical weeknight, not 22 minutes. For that matter, there's also no need to add runtime to the early PM rush (those buses around 2pm)
* SIM4C should travel no further north than 23rd Street when the SIM8 operates. Same for the SIM1C vs. SIM10.
* Adjustments to the SIM25 runtimes between Tottenville and Woodrow Road (I still think they could shave off another 1-2 minutes but I guess it's a start).
* Redistribution of SIM30 trips to run a little more frequently in the early AM and a little less frequently in the late AM.
* Later SIM32 trip added at 7:05pm from Chambers.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Mariners Harbor Responses
What is the status on getting us the universal 3-legged transfers that were originally promised at the June 2018 Community Board 2 meeting? (And also getting that information published somewhere. Three months after the changes, and we’re still passing around screenshots of somebody’s email because the transfer information isn’t posted on the MTA website). Also, can we get a full list of the official transfer points between express buses (on both the Staten Island and Manhattan side. Also, have BM1/2/3/4 operators been informed that they need to accept transferring riders? Apparently, the BM1/2/3/4 are considered Queens Division even though the routes serve Brooklyn out of a depot physically located in Brooklyn and some operators have not been informed)?
We will seek to clarify the information on the website for the public, but universal 3-legged transfers would require a change in fare policy approved by the MTA Board. For the express network redesign, specific three-leg transfers were programmed to prevent someone who only paid one fare prior to August 19 from paying an additional fare under the new network.
Hopefully the MTA Board will consider that as part of the upcoming fare hike or with the smartcard technology coming out. People paying two fares to make certain trips is not acceptable, even if it was a problem that we "had before".
We never received a full report of all of the statistics that were used to justify any of the decisions made throughout the planning process (both before the August 2018 implementation and afterwards). When will such a report be available? Northeast Queens and Co-Op City received reports of over 100 pages for relatively minor changes that affected only portions of boroughs, and in the meantime, we only received a little 25 page PowerPoint. I understand that the planners wanted to keep the report simple to get the basic concepts across, but the more detailed data should be available for those who are interested. We can’t have a full discussion without statistics.
A report on the express bus redesign proposal was released in May 2017. Requests for additional information can be submitted through the FOIL Request page on the MTA website.
You guys are seriously going to make me go through the hassle of filing a FOIL request when you've had no problem releasing this type of data publicly in the past? Back when service reductions were made in 2010, there was a (fairly) detailed analysis of each individual reduction (how many people would have to walk further, how many people would have to transfer, etc). This should've been done for every single change (positive or negative, cost-increasing or cost-saving) made as part of this new network.
The entire structure of the off-peak service needs to be reevaluated. I actually like the concept of limiting the length of the express bus routes on Manhattan surface streets even during off-peak hours, and I believe that the discussion of Staten Island coverage vs. Manhattan coverage needs to be had. There are more alternatives on the Manhattan side than the Staten Island side, and so I think it makes more sense to provide express bus service to the entire swaths of neighborhoods where the only off-peak alternative is a Staten Island local bus that runs every 20-30 minutes, as opposed to duplicating Manhattan subway and local bus lines that run every 5-10 minutes. Some of the planners expressed concerns that this may be hard politically, but you know what, this is politics right here, and you can’t assume everybody has the same concerns. Back in the June 2017 Community Board 1 meeting when this plan was first presented, the primary concern wasn’t that the X12/SIM34 was cut back to Downtown, it was that we weren’t getting enough in exchange for it. We wanted later service, more frequent service, and an overnight express bus route for the North Shore, and we were told “If you didn’t have it before, you probably won’t get it now”, so on the surface, it looks like an excuse to cut service. Andy Byford said that you guys learned a lot of lessons from this restructuring, and using those lessons, we need to have that discussion about the off-peak service structure, if not now then at least when the local bus study gets completed.
Consideration was given to this idea during the planning process and there was strong opposition to eliminating the one-seat ride to Midtown for existing off-peak riders. Destinations in Manhattan are more widespread off-peak (particularly on weekends).
People are selfish and don't care about others if what they have now "works for them". What else is new? I don't care about "opposition", I care about what works. As I said, if somebody is that insistent on having a one-seat ride then they likely have a car (because otherwise, I don't see how they can live their entire life around one or two routes without ever having to make a transfer). You can set it up in a manner so that there's still some service to Midtown in the general area. (I will say this, splitting the SIM1C into the SIM1C to 23rd Street and the SIM10 can definitely work and save money if done properly. I think the SIM6 might work a little better than the SIM10 because it covers more areas on the Staten Island end, and also because Lexington Avenue generally has fewer parades and detours compared to 5th Avenue). But I think you should create multiple proposals implementing this concept (complete with a rough idea of the spans and frequencies) and put it out there for discussion. Many of the problems in this new system are because you blindly tried to hold onto some elements of the old system regardless of whether they "worked" or not, and then tried to blend those elements with elements of the new system and it created a mess.
One of the issues that has always been the case (especially on Downtown buses for some reason in my experience) is that when two buses pull into the stop at the same time, the driver in the back is afraid to open the doors because the passengers will yell at them for messing up the line. That causes delays for all of the passengers. Has there been any progress on getting platform conductors/dispatchers at busy stops to direct people to board the back bus properly and leave the driver alone?
I don’t have a response for this one yet.
OK
What is being done about excess runtime on schedules systemwide? BusTime doesn’t tell you if a bus is on-time because the schedule is actually accurate for the conditions at the time, or if the driver had to “drag the line” and operate slowly and wait at stops in order to avoid running early. With all of this emphasis on speed, it makes sense to avoid excess runtime. I had mentioned this issue on the evening SIM8, and the October schedules were the same as the August schedule in that regard.
Run time continues to be evaluated, and with comprehensive GPS data, this should not be an issue. Having not enough run time creates far more problems than excess run time so we are cautious when cutting run time.
And more runtime also costs you more money (and also increases the number of physical buses required to operate the service). You can't say "Buses being slow is a problem" and then on the other hand, not care enough to see if buses need to "drag the line" and purposely drive slow to stay on schedule. You guys are working on it for the MTA Bus express routes from Queens, and you need to do it systemwide.
Can we get real-time information on how well the HOV lane is moving? Right now, Google Maps shows the general traffic, but not the HOV lane traffic? (So the regular lanes might be congested, but the HOV lane may or may not be congested, and people need this information in order to make their travel decisions).
This suggestion should be directed to NYCDOT.
Any particular division?
On days when the travel via Brooklyn is congested, can the SIM2 & SIM4 be rerouted via the Bayonne Bridge & Holland Tunnel (along with other routes if warranted)? Right now, there’s plenty of days when traffic is backed up so badly that you can see it from the Richmond Avenue overpass, and you’ll see a whole crowd of people let SIM4 buses go by even if they work Downtown because they know on those days, the HOV lane gets backed up and it is quicker to take the SIM8 to Midtown and backtrack (which causes overcrowding on that route). If people knew the bus would take an alternate route to avoid the traffic, they would be more likely to stay on the SIM4 (which was one of the issues the planners brought up with the redesign, people switching off between routes and making it difficult to schedule proper service levels).
We have used the Holland Tunnel in the past and continue to have that as a detour option. It can be hit or miss, as delays on the V-N and/or Gowanus can cause traffic backups on the New Jersey crossings as drivers divert to other routes into Manhattan.
Fair enough.
Has any progress been made with NYCDOT restriping Deppe Place approaching Richmond Avenue to create an additional lane and ease the congestion that affects SIM3/34 riders? (Especially those who need to make local bus connections at the stop around the corner at Richmond & Armand?)
This is a question for NYCDOT.
OK
Can the SIM4X/8X be extended to the South Shore (and the SIM4/8 cut back to the SI Mall when the SIM4X/8X operate)? This would allow for more balanced loading between the routes (of course, assuming adequate service levels were provided on all variants). Right now, one of the major complaints is that service on the regular SIM4/8 was reduced, and those buses are overcrowded while the SIM4X/8X have spare capacity. This would especially be useful on the SIM8X where the SIM23/24 have been shifted to 34th Street, this would allow Arden Heights to maintain a relatively quick connection to the 42nd Street corridor (which has the less congested approach out of the Lincoln Tunnel).
The SIM4x and SIM8x do not operate frequently enough to do this. One of the major benefits of the park-and-ride service from the mall is that the scheduled departure time can be relied upon since it is the first stop. Extending the route south would eliminate that benefit. We do continue to monitor the SIM4x and SIM8x and for January 13 will be adding an additional stop on Richmond Avenue just before the expressway.
Right, but if you cut the regular SIM4/8 back to the SI Mall during the timeframe that the SIM4X/8X operate, then everybody south of the SI Mall will take the SIM4X/8X, thus increasing ridership on those routes and the amount of service justified. Somebody told me that the 7:40am SIM8X regularly has almost all of its seats taken, so I guarantee that if it were extended south, it would justify headways lower than 20 minutes. Also it makes no sense for the shorter route to operate as the super-express while the longer route operates as the "local". The SIM4/8 aren't designed for intra-island travel, so this doesn't make sense. The buses can still keep the Lamberts Lane stop and be extended further south, with some trips shifted from the SIM4/8 to the SIM4X/8X to account for the shifting ridership patterns.
Can the SIM4/4X be extended to Arden Avenue & Drumgoole Road to provide Downtown coverage for riders who used to take the X19 from that area? (Ideally even further into the South Shore, such as the SIM23 terminal or the Huguenot SIR station). This can be considered in conjunction with the restructuring mentioned above (which is why I said “South Shore”)
Downtown service to this area is provided by the SIM2. Beginning January 13 off-peak and weekend downtown service will be provided by the SIM4c extension.
The SIM2 runs down Woodrow Road. I'm talking about the area by Drumgoole Road (and remember that there's people who live south of Drumgoole Road as well and have an even further walk)
Can the outbound SIM22/23 be routed to bypass “Checkpoint” in the afternoon and use the Arden Avenue exit of the West Shore Expressway? (With proper schedule adjustments to the SIM24/25 of course) This idea seems to have worked fairly well on the SIM26 (except for the first few and last few trips in both directions, which will hopefully be remedied when the SIM25 receives a span extension)
Generally we do not like to serve an area in one direction but not in the other, but this is something we can look into further. The Checkpoint stop is very popular (as an informal park-and-ride) so we would be hesitant to reduce service to that stop for a minor time savings.
Fair enough.
The inbound SIM8 stop at Woodrow & Shotwell does not have a corresponding outbound stop. Can this be addressed?
This stop did not exist prior to the redesign. This request is currently under consideration.
OK (I see as part of the stop changes announced that it will be added)
Can a stop be added at Woodrow & Arthur Kill for the SIM8, since it has a longer span than the SIM22? (It also covers more of the Aspen Knolls development)
This request is under consideration as the existing stops are not located where the SIM8 can safely access them.
I'm assuming new stops would be added along Woodrow Road itself instead of Arthur Kill Road.
Can the SIM2/24 stop at Hylan & Luten be moved from its current desolate location to the centralized location originally proposed at Hylan & Huguenot.
Traveling north buses cannot safely make the stop at Hylan/Huguenot and turn left. The northbound and southbound stops should match where possible. Luten is also a better location for parking.
So put the northbound stop after the turn. It doesn't have to be at the S59/78 stop.
Can the Hylan & Lincoln drop-off stop on the SIM1/7/10 be moved to Hylan & Midland, for easier transfers to the S51 towards Midland Beach (the SIM5/6/9 can remain at Hylan & Lincoln since those routes already serve Midland Beach).
We do not want to split these routes apart given how many riders take the first bus that comes.
Outbound buses are drop off-only so no, people wouldn't be "taking the first bus that comes" for the express buses. That's what the local buses are for, which would remain unaffected. People are missing their connection to the S51 because of this. Unacceptable when all that's required is to shift the stop back a block.
Can the SIM23 be extended slightly to Pollion Avenue (or even Arburtus Avenue or Huguenot Avenue) to provide better service in Southeast Annadale (at little to no cost)
We can forward this request to NYCDOT and Academy Bus who control the SIM23.
Any particular division of NYCDOT? I want to make sure the affected riders can help push for this.
Can the Church Street & Park Place stop be restored for easy subway connections? I've mentioned numerous times that if somebody is on the fence about taking the subway, having them run up and down through numerous passageways instead of entering through a simple entrance isn't going to make them a huge fan of making that transfer.
We have not heard much about this stop but will make sure it is on the list to consider as we evaluate bus stop adjustments. Access to the PATH, E, 4, 5, R, and W trains is available at the Church St/Fulton St stop and access to the A, C, 1, 2, and 3 trains is available at the Church St/Chambers St stop.
I am aware of that. However, the Park Place stop is the most convenient place to transfer to the 2/3 (instead of walking to Chambers & West Broadway), and you have the flexibility to switch off between the A/C and 2/3 at that same entrance if you find out of a delay at the last minute. I know that Church Street opens up once you pass Vesey Street and there would be a time penalty for stopping at Park Place (which only affects people going to Chambers Street on the peak buses). All I'm asking is for you to be objective when you decide whether or not to keep it.
Has there been any progress made on better communications between the Port Authority and MTA regarding the closure of the Dyer Avenue bus lane?
We have held meetings with the Port Authority and continue to stress the importance of keeping the bus lane open as scheduled.
Great!
Is it possible to at least run some reverse-peak trips on the SIM2 since they're deadheading from the Charleston Depot to Manhattan anyway? Reverse-peak service in general (on the old X1/10/17 and the new SIM1C/3C/4C) is inadequate, especially considering how poor the other alternatives are. Even if those trips were short-turns to Downtown, it would help greatly.
Unfortunately this is not possible without negatively impacting peak service.
Have the buses pull out from the depot a few minutes earlier to account for the extra stops. Especially with the trips at the beginning of rush hour, those are pretty much all pull-outs (and not second trips).
Off-peak buses use Battery Place even when the Rector Street exit is open (which wasn’t the case under the old system). The timepoint should be moved back to Rector Street so they can save time and bypass Battery Place. Additionally, what is being done about the closing of that exit during rush hour? It was my understanding that the only issue was that buses couldn’t safely make it over to the right lane in time to use the exit, but apparently, that’s not the issue and the NYPD is closing the lanes of their own accord (even though that Rector Street exit is MTA/TBTA property)
Off-peak buses are instructed to use the Rector Street exit when it is open. There is no new information to provide on tunnel operations.
OK
Will the SIM25 be coordinated with the SIM26 when the span is extended? Right now, many trips depart 57th & Lexington at the same time, even though both routes serve the same general areas. In the evening, the SIM26 runs every 25-30 minutes, so the SIM25 buses should be coordinated to fill those gaps (e.g. SIM26 at 7:20pm, 7:45pm, and 8:15pm, and a SIM25 at 7:30pm, 8:00pm, and 8:30pm).
Schedules have not been finalized yet for the January service, but tentatively that is the plan.
OK
The same question applies to the SIM3C & SIM33C. Will there be any attempt at coordination between these off-peak routes so they don't arrive together?
Same as above. This will be done where possible, but given that there is not much overlap between these two routes, service will primarily be allocated to match demand patterns.
Weekday service and weekend inbound service is ridiculously uncoordinated for no reason on the draft schedule. Back-to-back buses for most of the day.
Will the SIM33C take West Street or Church Street/Broadway in Lower Manhattan (Church Street/Broadway would be better, more centrally located, more convenient for subway transfers and more similar to the old off-peak X10)?
Same route as the old X10. Church, 6th Av, 23rd St, Madison Av.
Great, but why does it terminate at CPS & 6th instead of 57th & Lexington?
What will be the turnaround route for the off-peak SIM33? Will it take Holland Avenue like the S48/98, but continue to end at South Avenue & Richmond Terrace? If it's going down Holland Avenue anyway, can a stop be considered near the Arlington Terrace Apartments? (Late at night, apparently the Request-A-Stop policy doesn't officially apply to express buses. Can we at least get that policy to apply on the drop-off portions of express buses systemwide?)
Given the way off-peak service is scheduled, all trips are pull-ins, meaning that there will not need to be a turnaround at this location.
Is this in general or for the SIM33C specifically? Also, when the schedules were written and the SIM33C is basically a copy-paste of the old X10 schedule, was it considered that Mariners Harbor is further from Manhattan (and harder to reach the highway) than Port Richmond? I know some SIM3C runs (and old X10 runs) involved an outbound trip, a deadhead, and another outbound trip.
The extension of the SIM1 & SIM34 to Houston Street has brought concerns about reliability (especially from SIM34 riders), since you have the crosstown traffic (between the Manhattan/Williamsburg Bridges and the Holland Tunnel). How will this be addressed?
The original redesign plan attempted to address these issues by avoiding the most congested areas at peak times. In response to rider feedback we have decided to extend two routes north. Houston Street was selected (instead of say 14th Street or 23rd Street) to try and minimize the impact of this extension on reliability.
So buses will sit in crosstown traffic trying to reach the terminal at West Houston Street then? I see nothing in this response that addresses what will be done about the crosstown traffic.
With the creation of the SIM11 covering the (northern) Hylan Blvd-East 23rd Street market, can the SIM10 and SIM31 be routed up West Street & 10th/11th Avenue to either 23rd Street or 34th Street (if it’s 34th Street, the SIM7/9/33 would have to be extended to 23rd Street). The SIM31 lost its West Midtown subway connections and also the flexibility to route buses through New Jersey when there’s issues in Brooklyn (which is often).
No changes to those routes are planned at this time.
Hopefully it will be reconsidered.
What is the status of splitting the SIM1/10 to operate “New Dorp via Hylan” and “Eltingville via Father Capodanno Blvd”?
There is no plan to do this as part of the January service changes.
Hopefully it will be reconsidered. It was mentioned that the SIM1 split is being worked on for April.
Friday, December 14, 2018
Comments on January 13th Schedules (Part 2)
So after a bit more review, I have identified some additional issues. Part 1 is available here.
Early Morning Gannon/Watchogue Service
So one of the things pointed out to me (thank you Kristin!) is that when the SIM4C was moved back over to Richmond Avenue, it removed the option for Gannon Avenue residents to have an express bus that could get them to Midtown in time to start work by 6am (which they didn't have before August 19th, but that doesn't mean it's acceptable). Basically, what happens is that the first X10 left Port Richmond at 5am, so they had the first SIM3 leave Port Richmond at 5am and the first SIM33 leave Mariners Harbor at 5am. The first X17 left Arden Heights at 4:05am so they had the first SIM4C leave Annadale at 4am so that the existing X17 riders could still get to Manhattan at the same time as they did before (Annadale is closer to Manhattan than Arden Heights but the SIM4C made the stops on Gannon while the X17 didn't).
I know the North Shore is physically closer to Manhattan than the South Shore & Mid-Island (which is why you have lines like the SIM8 & SIM10 having their first trips leave the terminal at 4:15am and 4:10am respectively) but yeah I do agree service should start earlier. Actually, I made an earlier point that the structure of the SIM4C (combining the busiest portions of the X10 & X17) actually makes for a good overnight route. As I said, one of the main issues with this redesign as a whole is that it wasn't clear (and still hasn't been made clear by the MTA) what the different tradeoffs are. Some people might not be happy about having to transfer to reach their destination, but if they see that in exchange, they have a longer span of service (in this case, overnight service). If I were an early-morning commuter I'd rather have an express bus that gets me Downtown where I can take the train up from there, as opposed to no express bus whatsoever.
So that being said, I showed the new schedules to my dad (who catches a SIM8 around 5am or so) and he agrees that the extra service on the SIM8 at that time is overkill. He's had to stand maybe once or twice at that time since the redesign (and part of it might've been because they eliminated the 4:15am X17J trip from Arden Heights, since they figured that the SIM8 takes a quicker route down Woodrow instead of Arthur Kill so the 4:30am SIM8 would only leave Staten Island 8 minutes later. Also with the SIM4C making extra stops on Gannon, some riders may have taken the SIM8 to avoid that as well). So anyway, he agrees that having both the SIM4C & SIM8 both running to Midtown at the frequencies they do is overkill. The simple solution is to cut those early-morning SIM4C trips back to 23rd Street (and maybe restore the early-morning frequency to the way it was before August. The X17/SIM4C ran every 30 minutes and the X17J/SIM8 ran every 15 minutes around 5am. Doing so would free up one bus from each route that could possibly be used to provide early-morning service along Gannon Avenue & Watchogue Road (and who knows, some people may currently be walking, driving, or even taking the S62 to Richmond Avenue to catch the early-morning express bus when in reality they live further east).
SIM33C Overlap/Gaps
So another issue that needs to be addressed is the gap in service between Gannon Avenue and the Church Street/Broadway corridor. Previously, the X10 (via Church Street) had its first trip out of Port Richmond at 5am, and then the X10B (via West Street) replaced it starting at 6:10am (when the X11 became the Church Street bus). Then at the end of rush hour the reverse happened (the X11 stopped running and then the X10 picked up). Those X10 (via Church Street) trips still bypassed Narrows Road (which was covered by the X14/15 for all of the X10 stops, as well as the X1/2/3/9 for Hylan Blvd and Fingerboard Road). With Church Street being the primary Downtown corridor (compared to West Street), this makes sense. So the simple solution is to have the SIM33 run up Church Street instead of West Street at anytime when the SIM32 isn't operating (so that would be the 5am, 5:20am, 5:40am, and 8:55am trips from Mariners Harbor. You can label them as SIM33C short-turns to 14th Street, since the SIM31 covers Midtown during that timeframe. There's a slight gap between the 9:11am SIM31 out of Slosson and the 9:46am SIM33C out of Slosson but during that timeframe there's still the SIM3 to Midtown as well, and of course the subway from Downtown. Maybe push the 8:00am & 8:30am SIM31 trips out of the ETC to 8:05am and 8:35am respectively to close the gap a little smoother).
In the PM rush, the span of the X10B was 4:06pm - 6:32pm from Park Avenue & 22nd Street and those trips arrived at Vesey Street & West Street between 4:37pm - 7:01pm (I know it started from Midtown, but the SIM3 & SIM31 cover most of those passengers at that time). The 3:20pm trip out of 57th Street (3:46pm from Park Avenue & 22nd Street) actually had a bit of overlap with the X11 (so it should've really been an X10B trip, especially since it bypassed Narrows Road, but still had the "via Narrows/via Gannon" sign, since the "via Gannon" sign was reserved for the X10B). Anyway, the SIM32 & SIM33 spans should be coordinated in both the AM and PM. (I personally favor doing so by expanding the span of the SIM32, rather than cutting back the span of the SIM33 especially SIM3/31 cover Midtown riders. Of course there is the option of running some SIM33C buses starting from 14th Street, but my general stance is that if a certain amount of capacity is required, it should be done by extending the span of the peak variants because they are more efficient and cover more areas on the Staten Island end compared to the off-peak variants)
Anyway, what I propose (for now) is as follows: Add a 3pm SIM33C out of Midtown (ugh, still don't understand why it runs out of CPS & 6th instead of 57th & Lexington), and have the 3:40pm SIM31 out of 57th & Lexington start at 3:30pm) So that fills the gaps in Midtown-Gannon Avenue service. Eliminate the 2:40pm, 3:00pm, and 3:20pm trips out of 14th Street and have the first bus depart 14th Street at 3:40pm. The 3:00pm trip out of Midtown would get to Chambers Street at 3:40pm, and then the SIM32 picks up at 3:55pm. So the span of the SIM33 would still be a little bit longer than that of the X10B (3:40pm - 6:45pm from 14th Street compared to 4:06pm-6:32pm from 23rd Street)
At the end of the PM rush, convert the 7pm SIM33 trip out of 14th Street to a SIM33C trip (so that the gap between the 6:45pm SIM32 and the 7:37pm SIM33C at Chambers Street is filled). Then cut the 6:50pm and 7:10pm SIM33C trips out of Midtown to 14th Street (since the SIM31 is still operating).
SIM3C Overlap/Gaps
The SIM3C & SIM34 don't really have any gaps between them, but during the PM rush they have a lot of overlap that should be eliminated and reinvested elsewhere. For the AM trips on the SIM34, I would move the 9:00am trip out of Mariners Harbor to depart at 9:10am, and then move the 9:35am SIM3C out of Port Richmond to depart at 9:30am (so that closes the gap between the last SIM34 and first SIM3C). Then from 9:30am - 6:30pm I would operate it every 30 minutes, and then run the last 3 buses at 7:30pm, 8:30pm, and 9:30pm (so yes, it would be a 30 minute span reduction since the last SIM3C is currently at 10pm from Port Richmond). I would have the SIM33C run every 30 minutes from Mariners Harbor from 9:15am - 6:15pm, and then 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm from Mariners Harbor. (I do believe that reverse-peak service should operate more frequently, in this case every 30 minutes, considering the marginal cost of doing so is much cheaper compared to adding additional peak trips. But if they're insisting on running reverse-peak service once per hour for now then I guess that's what we're stuck with).
I would have similar coordination between the SIM3C & SIM33C in the outbound direction and on weekends in the inbound direction (on weekends in the outbound direction I see some degree of coordination)
In the PM, I would take the 2:25pm, 2:40pm, and 2:50pm SIM3C buses from Midtown and consolidate them into a 2:40pm SIM3, to eliminate overlap with the SIM34 Downtown and provide a quicker option for Midtown riders. The remaining two trips would be reinvested elsewhere (the SIM30 could definitely use an earlier trip, maybe leaving the Midtown terminal at 3:20pm). The remaining trip can be used on either the SIM3 or SIM34 if either of them needs additional service around that time.
Hylan Blvd
Oh boy, Hylan Blvd, everybody's favorite corridor....the star of the show and the main area where the routes and schedules are an issue....so for starters the main thing I notice right off the bat is that they took an hour off the SIM10 span in the morning (last bus is now 8:10am out of the ETC instead of 9:10am) and 78 minutes off the span in the evening (last bus is now 6:38pm out of CPS/6th instead of 7:56pm). Also, a major issue is that the last few PM buses depart CPS/6th as follows: 6:06pm, 6:16pm, 6:20pm, 6:38pm. I don't know if it was a typo and the 6:20pm trip should maybe depart at 6:26pm or if maybe there's some scheduling nuance where they expect that trip to be late anyway, but all I know is I would not want to depend on that 6:38pm trip, because with an 18 minute gap and everybody scrambling to get on the last bus, I guarantee that bus will be packed and likely bypass people (forcing them to scramble to get the SIM1C, SIM6, or SIM11 and make extra, unnecessary transfers)
I expected a reduction in the frequency of SIM10 service with the introduction of the SIM11, but I definitely didn't expect a span reduction. The last SIM10 is even earlier than the last X7/9 (which both left CPS/6th at 6:45pm). Definitely a huge step backwards.
So in any case, the inbound SIM1C trips departing the ETC between 4:10am and 4:49am should definitely not extend past 14th Street, because from 23rd Street up, that's what the SIM10 is for. Also, I see 2 trips added during that timeframe (compared to the October 7th schedules). Not sure if it's actually an increase in ridership (e.g. construction workers) or if people really don't trust the new system and are leaving super-early before 5am to compensate. In the PM rush, the 2pm SIM1C out of CPS/6th should start at 14th Street to eliminate overlap with the 2pm SIM10.
In any case, the SIM10 needs to keep the original long span (and possibly receive off-peak service. Splitting the SIM1C into a SIM1C starting at 14th Street or 23rd Street, and the SIM10 would definitely work. The question is, would using the SIM6 instead of the SIM10 work better if a North Shore off-peak route covered Narrows Road? But that's for a different post). That pattern is more efficient, covers more areas, and provides quicker, more reliable service overall. Also, as another poster mentioned, with the X24/SIM23 being routed to Barclay Avenue (which it really should be extended to Pollion or Arburtus, but that's a different story) instead of New Dorp, that removes the option of a quick route directly to Midtown (the X24 was faster than the SIM10, but at least the SIM10 is faster than the SIM1C/X1.....now you're pretty much forced to get off Downtown for the subway if you want a quick route to work if you can't get to the last SIM11 in time, and then you have to transfer again to reach West Midtown, which requires another fare because the policy of "if the second route is a SIM route you get another free transfer" was not implemented and only applies to certain bus routes and Downtown subway stations). With the SIM7/9 running until 7:30pm and 7:37pm respectively they keep that aspect of the October 7th schedules (have some SIM1 trips from Downtown, and a couple of SIM1C trips covering the gap between the SIM7/9 and SIM1C off-peak service, except those SIM1C trips should start from 14th Street instead of CPS/6th)
I see they brought back the 3 minute headway in the AM rush on SIM6. Wonder what that's all about. The SIM11 serves East Midtown so if anything I would think there would be slightly less service on the SIM6. On the SIM5, it seems (at a glance, I have to double-check) like they converted a couple of those trips into SIM1 trips. Really both of those routes need increased service, especially with all the complaints of overcrowding on the SIM5.
It seems they moved a few trips from the SIM9 to the SIM7 (which makes sense because the SIM7 takes the busier, more centralized route along Hylan Blvd and goes all the way to the ETC whereas the SIM9 serves the more isolated Father Capodanno corridor and ends at Hylan & Richmond). These routes need to operate the "Eltingville via Father Capodanno" and "New Dorp via Hylan" patterns which should lead to more balanced loads (and will also be cheaper to operate since buses would start from New Dorp instead of Hylan & Richmond and it balances the frequency so that the longer route isn't running more frequently (and thus more expensively).
I see they put a couple of more trips on the SIM22 at the height of the AM rush, and that the SIM4X/8X will have an extra stop at Lamberts Lane. (That makes sense to fill up the buses, but again, I think it would be more cost-efficient to have them extended to the South Shore and have the regular SIM4/8 start from the SI Mall during those hours, because the riders traveling further get the super-express and also the frequency is a little more balanced between the 2 variants because the route with the longer runtime isn't super-frequent while the route with the shorter runtime is at a minimum 20 minute headway).
Early Morning Gannon/Watchogue Service
So one of the things pointed out to me (thank you Kristin!) is that when the SIM4C was moved back over to Richmond Avenue, it removed the option for Gannon Avenue residents to have an express bus that could get them to Midtown in time to start work by 6am (which they didn't have before August 19th, but that doesn't mean it's acceptable). Basically, what happens is that the first X10 left Port Richmond at 5am, so they had the first SIM3 leave Port Richmond at 5am and the first SIM33 leave Mariners Harbor at 5am. The first X17 left Arden Heights at 4:05am so they had the first SIM4C leave Annadale at 4am so that the existing X17 riders could still get to Manhattan at the same time as they did before (Annadale is closer to Manhattan than Arden Heights but the SIM4C made the stops on Gannon while the X17 didn't).
I know the North Shore is physically closer to Manhattan than the South Shore & Mid-Island (which is why you have lines like the SIM8 & SIM10 having their first trips leave the terminal at 4:15am and 4:10am respectively) but yeah I do agree service should start earlier. Actually, I made an earlier point that the structure of the SIM4C (combining the busiest portions of the X10 & X17) actually makes for a good overnight route. As I said, one of the main issues with this redesign as a whole is that it wasn't clear (and still hasn't been made clear by the MTA) what the different tradeoffs are. Some people might not be happy about having to transfer to reach their destination, but if they see that in exchange, they have a longer span of service (in this case, overnight service). If I were an early-morning commuter I'd rather have an express bus that gets me Downtown where I can take the train up from there, as opposed to no express bus whatsoever.
So that being said, I showed the new schedules to my dad (who catches a SIM8 around 5am or so) and he agrees that the extra service on the SIM8 at that time is overkill. He's had to stand maybe once or twice at that time since the redesign (and part of it might've been because they eliminated the 4:15am X17J trip from Arden Heights, since they figured that the SIM8 takes a quicker route down Woodrow instead of Arthur Kill so the 4:30am SIM8 would only leave Staten Island 8 minutes later. Also with the SIM4C making extra stops on Gannon, some riders may have taken the SIM8 to avoid that as well). So anyway, he agrees that having both the SIM4C & SIM8 both running to Midtown at the frequencies they do is overkill. The simple solution is to cut those early-morning SIM4C trips back to 23rd Street (and maybe restore the early-morning frequency to the way it was before August. The X17/SIM4C ran every 30 minutes and the X17J/SIM8 ran every 15 minutes around 5am. Doing so would free up one bus from each route that could possibly be used to provide early-morning service along Gannon Avenue & Watchogue Road (and who knows, some people may currently be walking, driving, or even taking the S62 to Richmond Avenue to catch the early-morning express bus when in reality they live further east).
SIM33C Overlap/Gaps
So another issue that needs to be addressed is the gap in service between Gannon Avenue and the Church Street/Broadway corridor. Previously, the X10 (via Church Street) had its first trip out of Port Richmond at 5am, and then the X10B (via West Street) replaced it starting at 6:10am (when the X11 became the Church Street bus). Then at the end of rush hour the reverse happened (the X11 stopped running and then the X10 picked up). Those X10 (via Church Street) trips still bypassed Narrows Road (which was covered by the X14/15 for all of the X10 stops, as well as the X1/2/3/9 for Hylan Blvd and Fingerboard Road). With Church Street being the primary Downtown corridor (compared to West Street), this makes sense. So the simple solution is to have the SIM33 run up Church Street instead of West Street at anytime when the SIM32 isn't operating (so that would be the 5am, 5:20am, 5:40am, and 8:55am trips from Mariners Harbor. You can label them as SIM33C short-turns to 14th Street, since the SIM31 covers Midtown during that timeframe. There's a slight gap between the 9:11am SIM31 out of Slosson and the 9:46am SIM33C out of Slosson but during that timeframe there's still the SIM3 to Midtown as well, and of course the subway from Downtown. Maybe push the 8:00am & 8:30am SIM31 trips out of the ETC to 8:05am and 8:35am respectively to close the gap a little smoother).
In the PM rush, the span of the X10B was 4:06pm - 6:32pm from Park Avenue & 22nd Street and those trips arrived at Vesey Street & West Street between 4:37pm - 7:01pm (I know it started from Midtown, but the SIM3 & SIM31 cover most of those passengers at that time). The 3:20pm trip out of 57th Street (3:46pm from Park Avenue & 22nd Street) actually had a bit of overlap with the X11 (so it should've really been an X10B trip, especially since it bypassed Narrows Road, but still had the "via Narrows/via Gannon" sign, since the "via Gannon" sign was reserved for the X10B). Anyway, the SIM32 & SIM33 spans should be coordinated in both the AM and PM. (I personally favor doing so by expanding the span of the SIM32, rather than cutting back the span of the SIM33 especially SIM3/31 cover Midtown riders. Of course there is the option of running some SIM33C buses starting from 14th Street, but my general stance is that if a certain amount of capacity is required, it should be done by extending the span of the peak variants because they are more efficient and cover more areas on the Staten Island end compared to the off-peak variants)
Anyway, what I propose (for now) is as follows: Add a 3pm SIM33C out of Midtown (ugh, still don't understand why it runs out of CPS & 6th instead of 57th & Lexington), and have the 3:40pm SIM31 out of 57th & Lexington start at 3:30pm) So that fills the gaps in Midtown-Gannon Avenue service. Eliminate the 2:40pm, 3:00pm, and 3:20pm trips out of 14th Street and have the first bus depart 14th Street at 3:40pm. The 3:00pm trip out of Midtown would get to Chambers Street at 3:40pm, and then the SIM32 picks up at 3:55pm. So the span of the SIM33 would still be a little bit longer than that of the X10B (3:40pm - 6:45pm from 14th Street compared to 4:06pm-6:32pm from 23rd Street)
At the end of the PM rush, convert the 7pm SIM33 trip out of 14th Street to a SIM33C trip (so that the gap between the 6:45pm SIM32 and the 7:37pm SIM33C at Chambers Street is filled). Then cut the 6:50pm and 7:10pm SIM33C trips out of Midtown to 14th Street (since the SIM31 is still operating).
SIM3C Overlap/Gaps
The SIM3C & SIM34 don't really have any gaps between them, but during the PM rush they have a lot of overlap that should be eliminated and reinvested elsewhere. For the AM trips on the SIM34, I would move the 9:00am trip out of Mariners Harbor to depart at 9:10am, and then move the 9:35am SIM3C out of Port Richmond to depart at 9:30am (so that closes the gap between the last SIM34 and first SIM3C). Then from 9:30am - 6:30pm I would operate it every 30 minutes, and then run the last 3 buses at 7:30pm, 8:30pm, and 9:30pm (so yes, it would be a 30 minute span reduction since the last SIM3C is currently at 10pm from Port Richmond). I would have the SIM33C run every 30 minutes from Mariners Harbor from 9:15am - 6:15pm, and then 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, and 10pm from Mariners Harbor. (I do believe that reverse-peak service should operate more frequently, in this case every 30 minutes, considering the marginal cost of doing so is much cheaper compared to adding additional peak trips. But if they're insisting on running reverse-peak service once per hour for now then I guess that's what we're stuck with).
I would have similar coordination between the SIM3C & SIM33C in the outbound direction and on weekends in the inbound direction (on weekends in the outbound direction I see some degree of coordination)
In the PM, I would take the 2:25pm, 2:40pm, and 2:50pm SIM3C buses from Midtown and consolidate them into a 2:40pm SIM3, to eliminate overlap with the SIM34 Downtown and provide a quicker option for Midtown riders. The remaining two trips would be reinvested elsewhere (the SIM30 could definitely use an earlier trip, maybe leaving the Midtown terminal at 3:20pm). The remaining trip can be used on either the SIM3 or SIM34 if either of them needs additional service around that time.
Hylan Blvd
Oh boy, Hylan Blvd, everybody's favorite corridor....the star of the show and the main area where the routes and schedules are an issue....so for starters the main thing I notice right off the bat is that they took an hour off the SIM10 span in the morning (last bus is now 8:10am out of the ETC instead of 9:10am) and 78 minutes off the span in the evening (last bus is now 6:38pm out of CPS/6th instead of 7:56pm). Also, a major issue is that the last few PM buses depart CPS/6th as follows: 6:06pm, 6:16pm, 6:20pm, 6:38pm. I don't know if it was a typo and the 6:20pm trip should maybe depart at 6:26pm or if maybe there's some scheduling nuance where they expect that trip to be late anyway, but all I know is I would not want to depend on that 6:38pm trip, because with an 18 minute gap and everybody scrambling to get on the last bus, I guarantee that bus will be packed and likely bypass people (forcing them to scramble to get the SIM1C, SIM6, or SIM11 and make extra, unnecessary transfers)
I expected a reduction in the frequency of SIM10 service with the introduction of the SIM11, but I definitely didn't expect a span reduction. The last SIM10 is even earlier than the last X7/9 (which both left CPS/6th at 6:45pm). Definitely a huge step backwards.
So in any case, the inbound SIM1C trips departing the ETC between 4:10am and 4:49am should definitely not extend past 14th Street, because from 23rd Street up, that's what the SIM10 is for. Also, I see 2 trips added during that timeframe (compared to the October 7th schedules). Not sure if it's actually an increase in ridership (e.g. construction workers) or if people really don't trust the new system and are leaving super-early before 5am to compensate. In the PM rush, the 2pm SIM1C out of CPS/6th should start at 14th Street to eliminate overlap with the 2pm SIM10.
In any case, the SIM10 needs to keep the original long span (and possibly receive off-peak service. Splitting the SIM1C into a SIM1C starting at 14th Street or 23rd Street, and the SIM10 would definitely work. The question is, would using the SIM6 instead of the SIM10 work better if a North Shore off-peak route covered Narrows Road? But that's for a different post). That pattern is more efficient, covers more areas, and provides quicker, more reliable service overall. Also, as another poster mentioned, with the X24/SIM23 being routed to Barclay Avenue (which it really should be extended to Pollion or Arburtus, but that's a different story) instead of New Dorp, that removes the option of a quick route directly to Midtown (the X24 was faster than the SIM10, but at least the SIM10 is faster than the SIM1C/X1.....now you're pretty much forced to get off Downtown for the subway if you want a quick route to work if you can't get to the last SIM11 in time, and then you have to transfer again to reach West Midtown, which requires another fare because the policy of "if the second route is a SIM route you get another free transfer" was not implemented and only applies to certain bus routes and Downtown subway stations). With the SIM7/9 running until 7:30pm and 7:37pm respectively they keep that aspect of the October 7th schedules (have some SIM1 trips from Downtown, and a couple of SIM1C trips covering the gap between the SIM7/9 and SIM1C off-peak service, except those SIM1C trips should start from 14th Street instead of CPS/6th)
I see they brought back the 3 minute headway in the AM rush on SIM6. Wonder what that's all about. The SIM11 serves East Midtown so if anything I would think there would be slightly less service on the SIM6. On the SIM5, it seems (at a glance, I have to double-check) like they converted a couple of those trips into SIM1 trips. Really both of those routes need increased service, especially with all the complaints of overcrowding on the SIM5.
It seems they moved a few trips from the SIM9 to the SIM7 (which makes sense because the SIM7 takes the busier, more centralized route along Hylan Blvd and goes all the way to the ETC whereas the SIM9 serves the more isolated Father Capodanno corridor and ends at Hylan & Richmond). These routes need to operate the "Eltingville via Father Capodanno" and "New Dorp via Hylan" patterns which should lead to more balanced loads (and will also be cheaper to operate since buses would start from New Dorp instead of Hylan & Richmond and it balances the frequency so that the longer route isn't running more frequently (and thus more expensively).
I see they put a couple of more trips on the SIM22 at the height of the AM rush, and that the SIM4X/8X will have an extra stop at Lamberts Lane. (That makes sense to fill up the buses, but again, I think it would be more cost-efficient to have them extended to the South Shore and have the regular SIM4/8 start from the SI Mall during those hours, because the riders traveling further get the super-express and also the frequency is a little more balanced between the 2 variants because the route with the longer runtime isn't super-frequent while the route with the shorter runtime is at a minimum 20 minute headway).
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Spans & Frequencies (Effective January 13th)
All departure times are from the terminals unless otherwise noted.
SIM1:
Inbound: 5:01am - 8:14am, every 4-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 8-10 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:50pm - 7:20pm, every 5-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM1C:
Weekday Inbound: 12:00am - 4:49am, 8:22am - 11:00pm, similar to the X1.
Weekday Outbound: 1:30am - 2:00pm, 7:24pm - 1:15am similar to the X1.
Saturday Inbound: Similar to the X1
Saturday Outbound: Similar to the X1
Sunday Inbound: Similar to the X1
Sunday Outbound: Similar to the X1
SIM2:
Weekday Inbound: 4:35am - 9:00am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Weekday Outbound: 3:05pm - 8:15pm, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods (with a 45 minute gap between the 7:30pm bus and the last outbound bus at 8:15pm from Chambers Street)
SIM3:
Inbound: 5:00am - 9:15am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:10pm - 6:10pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM3C (Off-Peak)
Weekday Inbound: 9:35am - 10:00pm, every 20-60 minutes
Weekday Outbound: 10:20am - 2:50pm, 6:50pm - 1:15pm, every 20-60 minutes
Saturday Inbound: 5:30am - 9:00pm, every 20-30 minutes
Saturday Outbound: 7:15am - 12:00am, every 20-30 minutes
Sunday Inbound: 6:30am - 9:00pm, every 30 minutes until 4:00pm, then every hour until 9:00pm
Sunday Outbound: 7:55am - 10:20pm, every 30-60 minutes
SIM4:
Inbound: 5:15am - 8:25am, every 5-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:58pm - 6:45pm, every 5-8 minutes at the height of rush hour
SIM4X:
Inbound: 6:10am - 8:10am, every 20 minutes
Outbound: 4:10pm - 6:30pm, every 20 minutes
SIM4C (Off-Peak)
Weekday Inbound: 4:00am - 5:00am, and 8:35am - 7:00pm, every 15-30 minutes (and then a 45 minute gap between the 6:15pm departure and final inbound 7:00pm departure from Arden Heights)
Weekday Outbound: 10:20am - 2:30pm (every 60-70 minutes), 6:52pm - 12:00am, every 20-30 minutes . Additionally additional short-turns leave Chambers Street every 12 minutes between 3:24pm & 3:48pm and between 6:39pm and 7:27pm.
Saturday Inbound: 4:30am - 7:00pm, every 20-30 minutes
Saturday Outbound: 6:30am - 8:50pm, every 20-30 minutes
Sunday Inbound: 5:00am - 6:50pm, every 30-60 minutes
Sunday Outbound: 6:30am - 8:30pm, every 30-60 minutes
SIM5:
Inbound: 4:55am - 9:00am, every 8-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:00pm - 7:00pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM6:
Inbound: 4:50am - 8:50am, every 3-5 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:35pm - 7:50pm, every 5-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM7:
Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:30pm - 7:30pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM8:
Inbound: 4:15am - 9:00am, every 5-8 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 1:55pm - 9:00pm, every 6-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM8X:
Inbound: 6:00am - 8:00am, every 20 minutes
Outbound: 4:00pm - 7:00pm, every 20 minutes
SIM9:
Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:45pm - 7:37pm, every 15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM10:
Inbound: 4:10am - 8:10am, every 5-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:00pm - 6:38pm, every 6-8 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM11:
Inbound: 4:50am - 9:00am, every 8-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:00pm - 6:50pm, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM15:
Inbound: 4:59am - 9:20am, every 7-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:00pm - 7:20pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM22:
Inbound: 5:00am - 9:00am, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:00pm - 7:00pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM23 Inbound: 5:10am - 8:35am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes during shoulder periods.
SIM23 Outbound: 2:30pm - 7:30pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes during shoulder periods.
SIM24 Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 7-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes during shoulder periods.
SIM24 Outbound: 2:45pm - 7:30pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes during shoulder periods
SIM25:
Inbound: 4:35am - 9:00am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:10pm - 8:00pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM26:
Inbound: 4:35am - 9:05am, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:10pm - 8:15pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM30:
Inbound: 5:23am - 8:05am, every 7-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods (at height of rush hour, buses alternate between Sunnyside & Rosebank, resulting in 20-30 minute headways for each branch. During shoulder periods, all service runs to Sunnyside)
Outbound: 3:50pm - 7:00pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods (at height of rush hour, buses alternate between Sunnyside & Rosebank, resulting in 20 minute headways for each branch. During shoulder periods, all service runs to Sunnyside)
SIM31:
Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 8-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods (except for the gap between the 8am departure and final departure of the morning at 8:30am from the ETC)
Outbound: 3:40pm - 7:15pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM32:
Inbound: 6:05am - 8:35am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:55pm - 6:45pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM33:
Inbound: 5:00am - 8:55am, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:40pm - 7:00pm, every 15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM33C (Off-Peak)
Weekday Inbound: 9:15am - 10:00pm, every 20-60 minutes
Weekday Outbound: 7:10am - 2:40pm, 6:50pm - 1:20pm, every 20-60 minutes
Saturday Inbound: 5:30am - 9:00pm, every 20-30 minutes
Saturday Outbound: 7:30am - 12:10am, every 20-30 minutes
Sunday Inbound: 6:30am - 9:05pm, every 20-60 minutes
Sunday Outbound: 7:55am - 10:20pm, every 20-60 minutes
SIM34:
Inbound: 4:40am - 9:00am, every 8-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:55pm - 6:55pm, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM35:
Inbound: 5:15am - 9:00am, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:20pm - 7:05pm, every 15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM1:
Inbound: 5:01am - 8:14am, every 4-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 8-10 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:50pm - 7:20pm, every 5-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM1C:
Weekday Inbound: 12:00am - 4:49am, 8:22am - 11:00pm, similar to the X1.
Weekday Outbound: 1:30am - 2:00pm, 7:24pm - 1:15am similar to the X1.
Saturday Inbound: Similar to the X1
Saturday Outbound: Similar to the X1
Sunday Inbound: Similar to the X1
Sunday Outbound: Similar to the X1
SIM2:
Weekday Inbound: 4:35am - 9:00am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Weekday Outbound: 3:05pm - 8:15pm, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods (with a 45 minute gap between the 7:30pm bus and the last outbound bus at 8:15pm from Chambers Street)
SIM3:
Inbound: 5:00am - 9:15am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:10pm - 6:10pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM3C (Off-Peak)
Weekday Inbound: 9:35am - 10:00pm, every 20-60 minutes
Weekday Outbound: 10:20am - 2:50pm, 6:50pm - 1:15pm, every 20-60 minutes
Saturday Inbound: 5:30am - 9:00pm, every 20-30 minutes
Saturday Outbound: 7:15am - 12:00am, every 20-30 minutes
Sunday Inbound: 6:30am - 9:00pm, every 30 minutes until 4:00pm, then every hour until 9:00pm
Sunday Outbound: 7:55am - 10:20pm, every 30-60 minutes
SIM4:
Inbound: 5:15am - 8:25am, every 5-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:58pm - 6:45pm, every 5-8 minutes at the height of rush hour
SIM4X:
Inbound: 6:10am - 8:10am, every 20 minutes
Outbound: 4:10pm - 6:30pm, every 20 minutes
SIM4C (Off-Peak)
Weekday Inbound: 4:00am - 5:00am, and 8:35am - 7:00pm, every 15-30 minutes (and then a 45 minute gap between the 6:15pm departure and final inbound 7:00pm departure from Arden Heights)
Weekday Outbound: 10:20am - 2:30pm (every 60-70 minutes), 6:52pm - 12:00am, every 20-30 minutes . Additionally additional short-turns leave Chambers Street every 12 minutes between 3:24pm & 3:48pm and between 6:39pm and 7:27pm.
Saturday Inbound: 4:30am - 7:00pm, every 20-30 minutes
Saturday Outbound: 6:30am - 8:50pm, every 20-30 minutes
Sunday Inbound: 5:00am - 6:50pm, every 30-60 minutes
Sunday Outbound: 6:30am - 8:30pm, every 30-60 minutes
SIM5:
Inbound: 4:55am - 9:00am, every 8-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:00pm - 7:00pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM6:
Inbound: 4:50am - 8:50am, every 3-5 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:35pm - 7:50pm, every 5-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM7:
Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:30pm - 7:30pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM8:
Inbound: 4:15am - 9:00am, every 5-8 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 1:55pm - 9:00pm, every 6-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM8X:
Inbound: 6:00am - 8:00am, every 20 minutes
Outbound: 4:00pm - 7:00pm, every 20 minutes
SIM9:
Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:45pm - 7:37pm, every 15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM10:
Inbound: 4:10am - 8:10am, every 5-6 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:00pm - 6:38pm, every 6-8 minutes at the height of rush hour, 10-15 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM11:
Inbound: 4:50am - 9:00am, every 8-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:00pm - 6:50pm, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM15:
Inbound: 4:59am - 9:20am, every 7-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:00pm - 7:20pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM22:
Inbound: 5:00am - 9:00am, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:00pm - 7:00pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM23 Inbound: 5:10am - 8:35am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes during shoulder periods.
SIM23 Outbound: 2:30pm - 7:30pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes during shoulder periods.
SIM24 Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 7-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes during shoulder periods.
SIM24 Outbound: 2:45pm - 7:30pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes during shoulder periods
SIM25:
Inbound: 4:35am - 9:00am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:10pm - 8:00pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM26:
Inbound: 4:35am - 9:05am, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:10pm - 8:15pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM30:
Inbound: 5:23am - 8:05am, every 7-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods (at height of rush hour, buses alternate between Sunnyside & Rosebank, resulting in 20-30 minute headways for each branch. During shoulder periods, all service runs to Sunnyside)
Outbound: 3:50pm - 7:00pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods (at height of rush hour, buses alternate between Sunnyside & Rosebank, resulting in 20 minute headways for each branch. During shoulder periods, all service runs to Sunnyside)
SIM31:
Inbound: 5:00am - 8:30am, every 8-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods (except for the gap between the 8am departure and final departure of the morning at 8:30am from the ETC)
Outbound: 3:40pm - 7:15pm, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM32:
Inbound: 6:05am - 8:35am, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:55pm - 6:45pm, every 10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM33:
Inbound: 5:00am - 8:55am, every 10-15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:40pm - 7:00pm, every 15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM33C (Off-Peak)
Weekday Inbound: 9:15am - 10:00pm, every 20-60 minutes
Weekday Outbound: 7:10am - 2:40pm, 6:50pm - 1:20pm, every 20-60 minutes
Saturday Inbound: 5:30am - 9:00pm, every 20-30 minutes
Saturday Outbound: 7:30am - 12:10am, every 20-30 minutes
Sunday Inbound: 6:30am - 9:05pm, every 20-60 minutes
Sunday Outbound: 7:55am - 10:20pm, every 20-60 minutes
SIM34:
Inbound: 4:40am - 9:00am, every 8-10 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-30 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 2:55pm - 6:55pm, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15 minutes at shoulder periods
SIM35:
Inbound: 5:15am - 9:00am, every 10-12 minutes at the height of rush hour, 15-20 minutes at shoulder periods
Outbound: 3:20pm - 7:05pm, every 15 minutes at the height of rush hour, 20-30 minutes at shoulder periods
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)