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#53 Pulaski Extension

please do cuz apparently u dont know what the hell u talking about

I could see a plot twist coming where someone is going to lose a bunch of 8350s for 74ths 7900s more in the fashion of a milage swap. It’s been almost a year since the FG and 7 swap with the Novas, 74ths Novas are at their 10 year mark now.

The Prudentual/Aon service was originally ran by a company called CSI ( Continental Shuttle Inc). They ran 8 MC -8 coaches. That company also had the Midway Parking Lot Shuttle. That portion of the operation and its buses were purchased from Continental Air Transport as Continental Air Transport was shifting away from buses and focusing more on Airport Express shuttle van service. In the mid 1990s, CSI was purchased by Sam Van Gander ( of Van Gander Bus in Janesville, WI) and the company was renamed Greatway. They purchased 8 Dina's to run the Prudential/Aon Service. Around 1999 Sam Van Gander sold Van Gander and Greatway to Coach USA. A roof collapse at its garage at 17th and Prairie forced the Greatway operation to move in with the Keeshin operation as Keeshin was already a Coach USA owned company. Eventually the Coach USA operation moved to 4400 S Racine . The Prudential/Aon contract led them to receive a contract from Michigan Plaza which operated 4 buses. Eventually the Prudential/ Aon Dina buses were replaced by MCI J coaches until about 2016 when Prudential/Aon people decided to go green and went electric. That is when Standard Parking got the electric buses. I also have to mention that Coach USA woynd down its Charter Operations in 2011 and wound down their contract operations in 2012 to focus on their Megabus operation. I don't recall who ran the service from 2012 to 2016. My first two guesses would be Free Enterprise and Aries Charter, but I can't recall who ran it.

I wouldn't say they're done for, C still has them on the active roster. However they're currently housed at 77th awaiting materials (Parts/other Miscellaneous) to be delivered. The ZX5s for whatever reason seem to be easier to work on and maintain than the BE40s. I dont know why that is though. HFE and HFM is what they're being held for. (Hold for Materials - Hold For Engineering). Every now and then they'll move them out of the bays to other parts of SS.

Just saw a few cars running today on the blue.

https://buswatch.scj.me

Track 3 is still covered by the temporary Argyle station. Assuming that it will move over once demolition is complete.

#7157-58 (about damn time with those units), #7227-28, #7229-30, and #7233-34 were the rail cars.

there’s been artics on 36 before on a rare evening occasion #4140 was the recent artic to run on the 36 5/23/25

I can confirm that 12401 is still running, it was on 475 today. I’m not sure about 12402 though.

NP is known for trash maintenance, as far as i see NP is getting ahold of the rest of the novas with Chicago Ave. (bring 1589 back to F😏😏)

The original 1000 in the photograph had chassis number 28549 and was returned to New Flyer. The first 20 delivered (1001-1020) had chassis numbers 29081-29100. The current 1000 has chassis number 31602 which puts its delivery between 1429 (30731) and 1430 (31793) - 2nd 1000, 1429, 1430 chassis numbers from CTA official lists.

The Inquirer basically called it. The difference (now) is that the popular regional rail lines are cut due to funds owed to Amtrak ($65mil). This alone might pressure Shapiro to move the needle. Source (2) WHYY

Bumping as this seems to be "the thread" for Aries Charter buses. I've been able to photograph a fair number running routes in The Loop, a bunch seem to be running from 300 E Randolph, which makes Randolph & Michigan a great bus-spotting corner, as you can see a nice mixed fleet between CTA buses, the Aon-Pru BYDs, and Aries' Gilligs. I've included 302 here as an example, it's a 2007 Gillig BRT, secondhand from LYNX in Orlando, FL

I wasn't arguing for artics to be on the 36. I was just pointing out the flaws in EasyMoney's positions for why they don't get placed on the route very often. As pointed out before me, low artic usage on the 36 is more a function of the ridership counts and patterns don't call for anything more than 40 foot buses. It has nothing to do with the width of the roadways that are part of the route, number of turns or even the tightness of turns. If any of those had any weight, we wouldn't see the high number of artics on the 22, 151 or any of the express routes assigned to North Park. Yes you may be a bus operator working there, but as you mentioned that's been the case for a year. However, North Park has been my neighborhood area home garage for 15 years with another 15 added from having been a regular rider of North Park bus since my high school days. So I think I have a good amount of observational experience with how and why different bus types within its ever evolving roster have been deployed among its given slot of assigned routes over the years. I mention this not to flex, but to make the larger point that we all learn from each other here whether any of us be operators observing from the inside such as yourself or passengers observing things from the outside. Heck, a number of our operator members are operators because they joined our forum as teenagers and younger adults and the discussions we've had here sparked their desire to become operators or reinforced a desire that was already there.

It's a 1960s era Flxible. I don't know why a 60-year-old hulk would still be around.

That was quick: 7227, 7228, 7229, 7230 are already in service, run 130.

7157 is late for its appointment, charge it a late fee

Well according to the operator in the forum who first reported this, 74th is supposed to get those 15 8350s to retire 15 New Flyers from its roster. And presumably the higher roster count down there is in part based on a need for more buses because the 49 just became of the Frequent Bus network. Yeah it's shared with NP, but 74th operates a higher number of the trips especially on the weekends. Add to that that the X49 didn't appear to see a decrease in buses needed. Oh don't forget the 47 was one first 20 Frequent Network routes at the start of CTA's spring season. Plus with the 9 also becoming a Frequent Network route later in the year, it doesn't look like 74th is seeing any roster reduction any time soon. The larger bus roster actually appears explainable and justified.

It;s been very quiet on this topic for the last 2 weeks. Here are the new Novas as of lately. 8895 6/27/25, 10:47 PM K 8883 6/27/25, 5:07 PM K 8912 6/27/25, 5:02 PM K 8872 6/27/25, 4:27 PM K 8892 6/27/25, 4:17 PM K 8899 6/26/25, 1:12 PM C 8882 6/25/25, 4:42 PM C 8893 6/24/25, 7:27 AM C 8904 6/18/25, 4:22 PM C 8881 6/16/25, 5:06 PM C 8887 6/15/25, 7:41 AM C

LOL!

Does anybody care? It's not like they hired Forrest Claypool or Rev. Acree.

The other essential problem for both 9 and 49, which came up with the lift replacement project, was that 74th was not built with lifts for artics, so it was assumed that another garage would need to be built. Could have been Fisk garage, but a data center was built there. The lifts at FG were rebuilt, but there wasn't room for 60 ft lifts there, so the school runs are out of NP. So, since there really isn't an excess of artics (because 2/3rds are rusted), you would need 25 buses (per @maths22's tracker at 3:00 p.m.) at about $50 million, plus a garage (I assume near old Archer) at $100 million, plus whatever street improvements. And I didn't charge $5 million for this consultation.

Continuing with this one for 100 NFI XE60 delivery update including the new 4th bus division construction in Homestead, One of the other new units were delivered from few weeks ago at MDT bus yard; Photo credit belongs to John T. Gamble, used with his permission. Painted in CNG livery instead of Metro Express Livery from few months ago; Unit E24542 with 4-door configuration for South Dade BRT with clear frameless Thermoguard windows similar to Broward County Units. Numbers started at #E24539 and up. Part of 60 bus order for South Dade BRT numbered #E23500s, E24500s. And #E25518 with 2 door configuration assigned for local use in South Miami Dade with clear frameless Thermoguard windows similar to Broward County Units. Part of 40 bus order numbered in #E25500s. And the 4th new bus division will be completed by next year. Hope I can get some photos of new units when I go to Miami sometime this year.

Had 1589 Lastnight Broke Down While on Western This The 5th bus (flyer) That Broke Down On Me In The Lastweek CTA Needs To Get Rid Of The Flyers And Focus On Getting New Equipment

The oldest set still yet alive. CTA needs to do something soon, they should be added the heritage fleet, they’ve served their purpose.

We all know that delays caused artics to get pulled from certain routes... This link might give more details as far as how and why. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://tram.mcgill.ca/Research/Publications/Articulated_buses.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi-7JzH3cSOAxUstokEHSz8AOkQFnoECEkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1EceqYGY6oWaf2m8dg-y8b

Instead of being quick to cut supervisors in favor centralized dispatch/technology they need to redistribute some of these guys to repeat problem areas like 77, 22, 4 and other heavy routes. Seems like back in the day even though bus bunching was bad at least more supervisors were out on the street to redirect buses and fill in gaps quicker

from an industrial area to a mall back to an industrial area. What forward thinking planners we have. 😆

Thats a good point but looking it up it's apparently still a BYD, just a different body style. If you look on BYD's website, the white one looks more like the K9M body style, while the others are K9MDs.

The white one appears to be a different model and does not have BYD plate on the front?

What’s FBN?

That is correct, as 49 USC 5323(u) starts with "...financial assistance made available under this chapter shall not be used ...." JLL received a city environmental grant for the Proterras. but as far as I know, nothing has been said about these buses. As far as what RIDE's strategy might be, maybe it is heavy trucks and school buses (although Lion going bankrupt is a bad omen) or maybe it is looking for US capital to buy the spin-off (sort of like the Tik Tok situation), but if the article I cited above is correct that RIDE is a 100% owned subsidiary of BYD,* it still comes within 49 USC 5323(u) and is not eligible for federal transit funds. ------ *Note that ride.co repeatedly says it is a "spin off" but doesn't say who the current owner is.

They also have some buses on Manheim just north of the Tri State but south of Seymour Ave.

It's hard to tell how many buses they have as they don't publish a full roster. Approximately ~48 buses can be counted at their two storage lots at Grenshaw/Kolmar and Grenshaw/Kostner from aerials, but that wouldn't include any buses operating when the aerial was taken. They have a small garage also on Grenshaw, but I doubt they can do anything beyond basic maintenance there.

With regards to the BYD ban, what I could find seems to indicate it relates to public buses and public/federal funds. As such it would impose no barrier to a private operator like SP Plus operating a private corporate shuttle. They are technically "RIDE" buses, I just used BYD because it's the parent company and more known; the same way I still call them Dodge Rams even though "Ram" is technically a separate marquee now. I still suspect there's something odd with their registration, owing to the California manufacturer plates on two of the buses- notably, BYD's American factory is in California, so possibly there's some weird leasing or road-testing going on.

Why not contact Jones Lang LaSalle and find out?

If you think you have news, you don't. @Busjack has been reading all the bankruptcy court legal papers for several years, including the sale of the Proterra transit assets to Phoenix Motorcars, and the papers indicating that CTA had its contract disaffirmed but then assigned it to Phoenix. I know you didn't read any of that, and I know you never took a bankruptcy course. You didn't even read up the thread, where this is all documented. Since you are relying on "rumor" and "unreliable transit forum" (your words) you don't know if PhoenixEV is actually delivering buses or parts. All you proved is that it has a website (which I just posted and you didn't). The only thing you demonstrated is that you know how to take a screenshot on your phone.

Related to your first question, were there issues with those buses? Compared to CTA. they ran successfully. The question is what's in the SP/Prudential/Aon contract? Some contracts have stipulations regarding equipment age. It's possible that newer equipment was a stipulation for renewing the contract, though from past experiences that's usually 12 years, not 8. But perhaps the reliability of the Proterras was getting bad enough that getting new buses was seen as a better solution than trying to repair the older buses. The sale of Proterra could have factored in as well.

Applicable to several recent posts, someone said to me today: “The past is in your head. The future is in your hands.” Besides that, the questions are (1) why were the Proterras retired after only at most 8 years, and (2) when were the BYDs acquired, which is relevant to (3) how did JLL get them, when Congress barred BYD? I was going to say that we won't get answers unless someone from JLL posts here, but clicking links brought up that RIDE is an American spin-off of BYD. So, maybe it's a RIDE bus. But the House Homeland Security Committee is still investigating.

Besides that, there's I also wonder about the status of the 22 Proterra-PhoenixEV buses on the Georgia contract that are loooong overdue, and if these procurements are in lieu of that, or for additional deliveries waaaay down the road Also, Pace must be satisfied with the 2 demonstrators, although they don't seem to have been on the road lately (last time 20700 was on @maths22's tracker was 5/28). Should be an interesting Board meeting. 🙃😄😁

Copy that, I had rode 3128 as headcar to O’Hare today with the rest of the train consisted of all 3200s. 3089-90 is still there along with two more 2600s didn’t get the numbers as the set was bound for Forest Park as it passed me at a fast speed when leaving Cumberland. 3099-3100 were parked in the yard for the night at Rosemont. The yard is inches away from becoming 100% 3200s and 7000s with a few work motors, even the shop itself. On the eastbound track side, 3181-82 is chocked while put on LTH either possibly awaiting to enter service or transfer off the line. Going to take a look at Desplaines and see what’s there, I believe it’s probably more 2600s over there than Rosemont.

Today 3135 and 3136 are part of an 8 car consist being led by 3348 on the Blue Line.

Based on the drone shots posted in another thread, it has been revealed that these DE60LF buses are permanently retired and are on LTH in the boneyard: 4114, 4141, 4159, 4161, and 4202.

In 2025 you still have TMCs, Man Americana's, Flxibles, Fishbowls and 2nd Gen LFS still awaiting scrap.

Here's the updates: https://www.miamitimesonline.com/news/local/miami-dade-eyes-replacing-metromover-system-amid-rising-costs-frequent-shutdowns/article_3295ef32-7fe7-4425-b4e1-4e8149a487c1.html Metromover systems soon to be replaced https://floridapolitics.com/archives/743060-another-delay-miami-dades-upgraded-south-corridor-service-now-expected-to-roll-in-late-summer/ South Dade BRT pushed back this coming fall https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/video/tri-rail-train-collides-with-miami-dade-transit-bus-in-opa-locka/ And one unit was involved in accident by tri rail train in Opa Locka.

1103 oos due to a crash. Not my pics. The advertisement came true ?

In that there is a turnaround in Columbus Park (Central-Harrison), and this is 2 miles from that,I doubt that's the reason. From the sign, it looks like the bus has prostate cancer.

Me niether I can't wait till they get rid of them completely I drove that bus once in training and thank God that was the only time lol.