New Express Routes Coming Soon.

[Pace831]

2 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Also interesting in that none of the 25 Express Axess' don't yet have a wrap. You would think maybe they would just order them with an Express livery. Like #610 is not Express!!

I never could understand why #600 doesn't get the highway Axess' as it's a one stop ride on the highway. It probably will though soon enough. Question is will a route like #606 get them?

I do think the express wrap only exists because of the mandate that buses on the shoulder of I-55 be wrapped. On any other route, the only purpose the wrap would serve is marketing. Buses on 600, 610, 877, 888, and 895 currently do not use wrapped buses, so there is precedent to not wrap them.

2 hours ago, Busjack said:

The only thing I figure is that the wraps came off 6377-8 when they went to North Shore. Maybe use of the "authorized to use the shoulder" legend is restricted as well as mandated by the State Police.

2760, 2763 and 2764 still have their bus on shoulder wraps even though they have only been used on local routes for several years. Actually many of the 30 foot buses at Heritage have "Do Not Follow Bus on Shoulder" on the rear bumper, even unwrapped ones. That would seem to be evidence that the use of BoS wraps is not "restricted".

Did anyone ever determine what routes 6377-8 were intended for?

[Busjack]

42 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

2760, 2763 and 2764 still have their bus on shoulder wraps even though they have only been used on local routes for several years

Laziness.

42 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

Did anyone ever determine what routes 6377-8 were intended for?

Used on 619 and 620. However, as far as intent, it probably was to transfer 6600s from NS to S.

[BusHunter]

6 hours ago, Busjack said:

 

606 is not listed in the handout. More than likely, like 223, it is considered a local. 616 is listed.

That doesn't  make sense as both #606 and #616 are clones or the same type of service 

[Pace831]

I forgot to ask, does 600 interline with anything?

[west towns]

Maybe the buses only need the authorized to use shoulder on bumper and the wrap is for 'marketing'.

 

Actually if buses at ns are already marked for bos they should leave them as is so the edens service can use them in a few years

[west towns]

Just now, Pace831 said:

I forgot to ask, does 600 interline with anything?

Probably doesnt matter what 606 does now as a new run cut and changes are certain with the new service expansion.

[Pace831]

6 minutes ago, west towns said:

Maybe the buses only need the authorized to use shoulder on bumper and the wrap is for 'marketing'.

Actually if buses at ns are already marked for bos they should leave them as is so the edens service can use them in a few years

I won't be the judge of whether the wraps were kept for marketing, laziness, potential future use, or some other reason. At any rate, the 30 foot buses are not used on I-55 routes anymore.

The two buses at NS (6377-8) had their wraps removed when they were transferred from H to NS.

5 minutes ago, west towns said:

Probably doesnt matter what 606 does now as a new run cut and changes are certain with the new service expansion.

The reason I asked was because of the earlier question about why the highway coaches are not used on 600. If there is any interlining, that's probably the reason. If not, I don't know.

[jajuan]

11 minutes ago, Pace831 said:

I won't be the judge of whether the wraps were kept for marketing, laziness, potential future use, or some other reason. At any rate, the 30 foot buses are not used on I-55 routes anymore.

The two buses at NS (6377-8) had their wraps removed when they were transferred from H to NS.

The reason I asked was because of the earlier question about why the highway coaches are not used on 600. If there is any interlining, that's probably the reason. If not, I don't know.

Doesn't matter anyway since Pace is getting more Axxess Suburban buses for the new I-90 express services as stated above. So it appears the coaches won't be used on the other routes either.

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, west towns said:

Maybe the buses only need the authorized to use shoulder on bumper and the wrap is for 'marketing'.

No, I was at the meeting in Oct. 2011 when the service was authorized, and Melinda Metzger said that the wraps were required by the Illinois State Police for shoulder operation.

Director Montana insisted on the "Do not follow," which was then put on the bumper.

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, Pace831 said:

The reason I asked was because of the earlier question about why the highway coaches are not used on 600. If there is any interlining, that's probably the reason. If not, I don't know.

600 used to be a rush only, in the commuting to/from city direction (as opposed to working in Schaumburg) and ran in the other direction as a 606. It was split into its own route when it was made bidrectional.

west towns is probably correct in that if it is interlined with anything now, it won't be when the full I-90 project is implemented.

1 hour ago, BusHunter said:

That doesn't  make sense as both #606 and #616 are clones or the same type of service 

606 WB is only on the Tollway between Devon-Higgins and Elmhurst Road, in short only long enough to go through the Devon Toll Plaza (free for Pace buses). It never would make it to the left lane. The vast majority of the route is local on Algonquin and Golf Roads. The main complaint, from when Heather Armstrong raised it until you did, is that it needs 40 foot transits instead of 35 foot ones.

616 at least makes it to Arlington Heights Road.

[west towns]

1 hour ago, Busjack said:

No, I was at the meeting in Oct. 2011 when the service was authorized, and Melinda Metzger said that the wraps were required by the Illinois State Police for shoulder operation.

Director Montana insisted on the "Do not follow," which was then put on the bumper.

Oct 2011 was before the 2 year demo which included restricted hours of service and i believe the full 12 + shoulder.  Maybe thats why they couldnt operate east of kedzie on the bridges as it was narrower.   So something must have happened since the hour restrictions are gone (you can see new signs without hours) and the expansion east to 94 which is clearly on the bridges.   Maybe there were more to these changes regarding the markings on the bus?

[west towns]

Could it be possible 606 and 600 will be interlined and use current transit buses?

[west towns]

Got to thinking will the edens BOS  service use Highway coaches?

[Busjack]

2 hours ago, west towns said:

So something must have happened since the hour restrictions are gone (you can see new signs without hours) and the expansion east to 94 which is clearly on the bridges.

It got expanded in the 5 years, such as going from 8 buses to 30, and being split into 850/851/855. You can look it up.

2 hours ago, west towns said:

Maybe there were more to these changes regarding the markings on the bus?

No, they were from 2011, like I said, Did I see you at the board meeting? Did you look up where the slide show was posted under that topic?

1 hour ago, west towns said:

Could it be possible 606 and 600 will be interlined and use current transit buses?

After they disconnected the two, and said 600 was part of the new service, why would they?

1 hour ago, west towns said:

Got to thinking will the edens BOS  service use Highway coaches?

Darn unlikely, as basically it would only split up the current 626. Again look up the discussion of that topic.

Main reasons I-55 uses them is that that is what route 855  had under contractors and it is a premium $4 service. This won't be.

[Busjack]

Webwatch shows 6496 going westbound on the Tollway west of Schaumburg. Maybe, even now, some are not NW buses.

 

 

[Busjack]

Update: Dundee garage may now be open:

[Busjack]

6488 seems to be going with 6390 to River:

Which it did.

[BusHunter]

2 hours ago, Busjack said:

Update: Dundee garage may now be open:

Interesting, now if only we had an updated google maps streetview pic. It does seem strange why would it go there? Then technically i wonder if the #6379's will leave river and go somewhere else. Also interesting is it's signed for the #600. This really makes me tempted to visit Rosemont tomorrow. Perhaps the #600 is being switched to Dundee operations? There going to have to do something the #6490's have no where to go because with the #6380's their in surplus territory on the tollway express' Also i'm interested if there's a difference between the #6390's and #6487's like usb chargers and stuff. I bet so.

[Busjack]

1 hour ago, BusHunter said:

Interesting, now if only we had an updated google maps streetview pic.

Only thing I can conclude is that with @Pace831's sightings in Mokena and now having to check out Dundee, Pace sure has us spread out as much as possible.

[west towns]

10 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Interesting, now if only we had an updated google maps streetview pic. It does seem strange why would it go there? Then technically i wonder if the #6379's will leave river and go somewhere else. Also interesting is it's signed for the #600. This really makes me tempted to visit Rosemont tomorrow. Perhaps the #600 is being switched to Dundee operations? There going to have to do something the #6490's have no where to go because with the #6380's their in surplus territory on the tollway express' Also i'm interested if there's a difference between the #6390's and #6487's like usb chargers and stuff. I bet so.

Let us know what you find out

[BusHunter]

Damn i wonder what happened this morning i was stuck in the flood

[Busjack]

6394 (a NW transit) making the same trip to Dundee from Schaumburg:

[BusHunter]

Sounds like we need to go to dundee instead of rosemont.

[west towns]

Is the garage accessible by a regular route?

[BusHunter]

1 hour ago, west towns said:

Is the garage accessible by a regular route?

610 maybe. You can go to Cabelas if it still exists.