Fall Pick

[CircleSeven]

So the Fall Bus Assignments period goes into effect Tomorrow. I can't believe on the same day, it'll be the fifth anniversary of the start of the Lake Shore Drive bus changes. Look how that time flew. :lol:

[Busjack]

So the Fall Bus Assignments period goes into effect Tomorrow.

Anything significant this time, like on March 23?

[CircleSeven]

Anything significant this time, like on March 23?

As of changes like back on March, I don't think so. But there's new schedules on some routes on the CTA's website, including the 50 Damen, which were one of the routes that didn't have a new schedule posted out during the March 23rd route assignment shuffles. Their previous schedule was during Kedzie's tenure.

EDIT: On a side note, the 77 Belmont route will no longer serve the Nature Museum. The 76 Diversey will takeover that spot.

[Buslover88]

On a side note, the 77 Belmont route will no longer serve the Nature Museum. The 76 Diversey will takeover that spot.

WOW. That is big news to me since i'm a regular #76 Diversey costumer. That's kind of shocking to me (in a good way). I think i'll be taking a ride soon on this "new" #76 LOL.

[Busjack]

EDIT: On a side note, the 77 Belmont route will no longer serve the Nature Museum. The 76 Diversey will takeover that spot.

Any public notice of this (other than the need to pull down all schedules to see if there were any changes)? Nothing shows up in the Customer Alerts part of the website. This seems to be a pretty big change in that I wonder how many people will be waiting at the Belmont station for a ride to the Nature Museum?

[jajuan]

Any public notice of this (other than the need to pull down all schedules to see if there were any changes)? Nothing shows up in the Customer Alerts part of the website. This seems to be a pretty big change in that I wonder how many people will be waiting at the Belmont station for a ride to the Nature Museum?

It's mentioned under the August 29-31 weekend service change customer alert and the alert titled Events Affecting CTA Service beginning Weekend of August 29-31.

[Busjack]

It's mentioned under the August 29-31 weekend service change customer alert and the alert titled Events Affecting CTA Service beginning Weekend of August 29-31.

Now that you mentioned it, found it there, although not in the more obvious places, such as Weekday Service Changes, and Bus Customer Alerts. (The latter says at the moment "#77 Belmont No alerts at this time. "

The latter one you mentioned says:

Effective Sunday, August 31, customers traveling to and from the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum must now take the #76 Diversey bus; #77 Belmont buses will no longer serve the museum. Bus operators will make announcements regarding this change in service.

That doesn't do much good in the scenario I mentioned (waiting for a bus at the Belmont L station).

Anyone know if signs have been posted at the bus stops?

[Buslover88]

I am heading out tomorrow for personal business, but while I do, I should pass up a few #76 Diversey buses, so I will let you all know what the signs look like now for the eastbound buses. I bet they will be different.

[T8H5307A]

I drove Diversey today.... I didn't take anyone to the Nature Museum. There were people there waiting for the Belmont bus the one trip. I tried informing them that the Belmont bus does not come here anymore only Diversey does! They did not want to hear that and decided they were going to wait anyway for one to show up! The Bus stop at the Nature museum still has a 77 Belmont sign. All the 76's destination signs still showed to Sheridan. Better yet, the Clever Device was showing me 35 mins late. Apparently it was going off the old run pick schedule information! I saw buses all day with wrong signs due to this! Another lovely day at CTA! Tomorrow should be interesting too!

[Buslover88]

I drove Diversey today.... I didn't take anyone to the Nature Museum.

Which leads me to one question. Weren't you supposed to? Regardless of any passengers being picked up or not?

All the 76's destination signs still showed to Sheridan.

Well of course, doesn't it take a little while to fix the signs?

[Busjack]

Well of course, doesn't it take a little while to fix the signs?

T8H5307A's report, along with the ones in the BusTracker thread, start to indicate was is going on. By saying that he was 35 minutes off (presumably the old) schedule and saying that he did not have the proper signs, apparently neither the CD nor the Luminator controllers were programmed for the pick. Given that there should have been a date trigger for the controllers, they should have been.

[jajuan]

Which leads me to one question. Weren't you supposed to? Regardless of any passengers being picked up or not?

Well of course, doesn't it take a little while to fix the signs?

If everyone was getting off before the bus gets to the Nature Museum, how can he? I'm guessing that's what he meant when he said he didn't take any passengers to the Nature Museum. If passengers aren't staying on the bus to ride to the Nature Museum, they can't be taken there. With the time trigger apparently not working in Luminator which controls what destination signs say, thus no new signs on 76, and the Clever Device units which use current operator run information for the stop announcements, thus no announcements that the 76 now operates there, passengers won't know or believe the 76 goes there. His report of the passengers who would not take his word that the 77 no longer goes there, shows how stubborn some passengers can be no matter how much verbal explaining you do. That last part always boggles my mind because you're using CTA service, and you have a CTA employee informing you that the service at a destination has changed yet you don't believe what the employee is telling you. How smart is that people? Come on now. Who better to know that service has changed than an operator driving on a route that now serves your destination? Though the old 77 bus stop signs still being at the Nature Museum did not help this guys case in trying to get these people to believe that routes service the Museum have changed. Those at the very least should have been taken down and replaced with 76 Diversey signs.

[Busjack]

I suppose that after an hour or so, the potential passengers figured out that only the 76 stopped there.

I guess the question I raised above has been answered. Apparently it was a stealth switch, especially if only on a few places on the web, and no notice on the stops (not even a paper one?).

Of course, the people somehow got to the Nature Museum, if they wanted to leave it.

[Buslover88]

If everyone was getting off before the bus gets to the Nature Museum, how can he? I'm guessing that's what he meant when he said he didn't take any passengers to the Nature Museum. If passengers aren't staying on the bus to ride to the Nature Museum, they can't be taken there.

But I thought the drivers had to go their destinations regardless of passengers or not. Apparently they don't, according to you all.

His report of the passengers who would not take his word that the 77 no longer goes there, shows how stubborn some passengers can be no matter how much verbal explaining you do. That last part always boggles my mind because you're using CTA service, and you have a CTA employee informing you that the service at a destination has changed yet you don't believe what the employee is telling you. How smart is that people? Come on now. Who better to know that service has changed than an operator driving on a route that now serves your destination?

Well, I agree to a point here. I agree because he IS a CTA employee and the passengers should believe him, but I disagree a little bit because the CTA didn't tell the passengers almost until the last minute.

[Busjack]

But I thought the drivers had to go their destinations regardless of passengers or not. Apparently they don't, according to you all.

The driver should speak for himself, but all he said was "I drove Diversey today.... I didn't take anyone to the Nature Museum. " That doesn't mean that he didn't drive to the Nature Museum, and the fact that he made the trip was certainly was the case, as he said that passengers wouldn't get on there, either.

There is no implication that he short turned; instead, it implies that he drove an empty bus between Diversey and Sheridan and Fullerton and Cannon.

But, as I said, he can speak for himself.

[BusExpert32]

But I thought the drivers had to go their destinations regardless of passengers or not. Apparently they don't, according to you all.

It depends on the timing for shorturning or skipping stops. Frequently on the 78 Montrose the drivers far behind schedule don't pull into the Read Hospital, since barely anyone ever boards or exits there. Sometimes they ask passengers if they should pull in there; sometimes they don't.

[jajuan]

But I thought the drivers had to go their destinations regardless of passengers or not. Apparently they don't, according to you all.

Well, I agree to a point here. I agree because he IS a CTA employee and the passengers should believe him, but I disagree a little bit because the CTA didn't tell the passengers almost until the last minute.

I agree with you wholeheartedly that a better job should have been done in warning customers ahead of time about the change through other means than relying only on the internet to do so. My only point is that if I'm waiting for a bus that leaves my location and I get told that the location is now served by a parallel route that operates a half mile from the original one, I'm going to go ahead and take the new route and adjust the trip home accordingly. I'm not going to stand for an hour or more and wait for the original route after being told that route no longer comes to that location.

[Chicago13]

The destination signs on the 7-8 6000's I saw running on Belmont read "DIVERSEY/LKSHR". The only eastbound Nova I saw simply said "to LAKESHORE". I'm betting there weren't all that many people riding the 77 to the museum, otherwise they wouldn't have made the change.

I never could understand why they chose Belmont over Diversey to run there in the first place.

[Busjack]

I never could understand why they chose Belmont over Diversey to run there in the first place.

One reason might be that all lines stop at the Belmont station, while the Red Line does not stop at Diversey. Doesn't make much difference bus operation wise if Belmont was originally turning at Sheridan-Diversey rather than Belmont-Halsted.

I have a feeling this is one of those garage equalizing moves (i.e. 3 fewer buses needed at FG, 3 more at C).

What would make the most sense is to bring back the 74L, but maybe the people on narrow Fullerton Parkway don't want buses there anymore.

[Chicago13]

One reason might be that all lines stop at the Belmont station, while the Red Line does not stop at Diversey. Doesn't make much difference bus operation wise if Belmont was originally turning at Sheridan-Diversey rather than Belmont-Halsted.

I have a feeling this is one of those garage equalizing moves (i.e. 3 fewer buses needed at FG, 3 more at C).

What would make the most sense is to bring back the 74L, but maybe the people on narrow Fullerton Parkway don't want buses there anymore.

Fullerton Parkway I can understand. That stretch is difficult to navigate even for cars.