What's left for the Optima Opus' (#500 - #544)/ Lifetime assignments, in service dates, retirements

[Busjack]

... There is a history of CTA buying buses from outlying RTA districts. Perhaps CTA can sell the Optima buses to Pace for use on outlying train station shuttles....

• What is it with people who always say Pace wants CTA's junk?
• Also, what is it with people thinking Pace needs more 30-33 foot buses when it already has 229?
• Downers' Grove having 2600s is not news; That was first reported 11 months ago.
• At this point, all feeders have Pace owned equipment.
• WTF is "espied?"

[RJL6000]

The CTA and the UofC had renegotiated the funding, and the UofC service will continue for the next several years. However, since two of the UofC routes that the 500-series Optimas were intended for use on were discontinued a few years ago, the remaining UofC routes can accommodate conventional 40-foot long, 102-inch wide buses. As a result, the continued need for 30-foot long, 99-inch wide buses has been greatly diminished.

[Busjack]

The CTA and the UofC had renegotiated the funding, and the UofC service will continue for the next several years. However, since two of the UofC routes that the 500-series Optimas were intended for use on were discontinued a few years ago, the remaining UofC routes can accomodate conventional 40-foot long, 102-inch wide buses. As a result, the continued need for 30-foot long, 99-inch wide buses has been greatly diminished.

The need is diminished, but it isn't because routes were cancelled. 170-172 still snake on narrow Hyde Park streets, although obviously CTA has gotten 40 foot buses through them since they started running 4400s part time. Bus Tracker indicates that at the moment 2 buses are NFs and one is an Optima.

173, especially, was essentially an LSD express route.

[BusHunter]

If anyone's interested, I updated the #500's lifetime assignment list to the current date on pg 1. So it should be up to date..

[nflyer22]

Thanks for the update.

When I took a summer class at U of C four years ago, I consistently used the 174 to get from the Red Line to campus. Throughout the day, there were 2 buses running on the route. While most times both buses were Optimas, Archer (back when it was operating the U of C routes) would occasionally throw in a Nova into the mix alongside an Optima, so it was possible to maneuver a 40 ft bus through, but there was some tight squeezes when a car on opposing traffic would be coming by.

I don't have a say in 170, 171, or 172 because throughout my time on campus I never rode these routes.

[patbarn350]

The CTA has what the Ventra bus looks like on their official Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/thecta

[BusHunter]

The CTA has what the Ventra bus looks like on their official Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/thecta

This bus is different than what was described at the Taste Of Chicago. This one has the seats removed in the rear with a big screen TV. I wonder if it's the other Ventra bus. (There were supposed to be two of them) Strange though, there's no Ventra machines on board, just a card reader. I would call it an information bus versus a demo bus. BTW, I heard to get a Ventra card you'll still need to pay five dollars. You won't get it free until you register your name and a rebate will come in the mail. Give an incorrect name and your five dollar rebate goes to someone else. Pretty clever!! Although there is supposed to be free handouts of cards at select locations in which you can receive a card for free, no questions asked. Locations though so far are a big secret.

[ChicagoNova]

They're seriously going to put an Optima on the #26? I'm on it right now (511).

[jajuan]

They're seriously going to put an Optima on the #26? I'm on it right now (511).

I'm not even going to try to figure that out.

[Busjack]

I'm not even going to try to figure that out.

There were those who posted a couple of years ago that a short bus was better than no bus.

[jajuan]

There were those who posted a couple of years ago that a short bus was better than no bus.

Only if you like the feeling of being in a very small tinker toy like one of those circus clowns in those tinker toy car acts seen in cartoons. I'm not one of those few from a couple years ago. Unless it's the last bus in service, anything shorter than a 40 footer for that route then no thank you.

[BusHunter]

Only if you like the feeling of being in a very small tinker toy like one of those circus clowns in those tinker toy car acts seen in cartoons. I'm not one of those few from a couple years ago. Unless it's the last bus in service, anything shorter than a 40 footer for that route then no thank you.

It beats standing on a corner with no bus. But 103rd shouldn't be that short on buses. Maybe someone out there just likes Optimas.

[jajuan]

It beats standing on a corner with no bus. But 103rd shouldn't be that short on buses. Maybe someone out there just likes Optimas.

Which is the point. There is no good reason for an Optima to be on the 26 all points of there could have been no bus aside.

[Sam92]

They're seriously going to put an Optima on the #26? I'm on it right now (511).

They've been everywhere for the past few weeks. Routes that never really used them before are now seeing them such as the 71, 111/115, 26, 28 (rush trips), and others. I think 103rd actually might be short on buses between giving up a few for summer events and the Dan Ryan shuttles and is just throwing whatever is left on routes left over. There was already the spotting of a #1525 on the J14 last week.

[jajuan]

They've been everywhere for the past few weeks. Routes that never really used them before are now seeing them such as the 71, 111/115, 26, 28 (rush trips), and others. I think 103rd actually might be short on buses between giving up a few for summer events and the Dan Ryan shuttles and is just throwing whatever is left on routes left over. There was already the spotting of a #1525 on the J14 last week.

Seeing 1525 on the J14 is one thing since it's not as unusual given 1000 series NFs have been on that route before both in its current form and when it was still 14 Jeffery Express. But when you get down to the Optimas being rolled out on downtown express runs, then yeah you are definitely right that something is going on yet again to have 103rd short of buses despite having 90 artics and about 180 NF 1000s.

[Busjack]

.... I think 103rd actually might be short on buses between giving up a few for summer events and the Dan Ryan shuttles and is just throwing whatever is left on routes left over. There was already the spotting of a #1525 on the J14 last week.

Also, don't forget that it has the lowest number 1000s thus slated for rehab, although except for those working in the garage, no one knows if that's happening.

[sw4400]

Also, don't forget that it has the lowest number 1000s thus slated for rehab, although except for those working in the garage, no one knows if that's happening.

If the rehabs have begun, they are under the radar... I don't know how the CTA is doing these, either. They should be done numerically, with 1000 getting it's rehab first and 2029 getting it's last. But maybe they'll just go garage by garage, otherwise with the splits, they'll have to pull x amount of buses from this garage, x amount from that garage, and the shuffling will be crazy.

[jajuan]

If the rehabs have begun, they are under the radar... I don't know how the CTA is doing these, either. They should be done numerically, with 1000 getting it's rehab first and 2029 getting it's last. But maybe they'll just go garage by garage, otherwise with the splits, they'll have to pull x amount of buses from this garage, x amount from that garage, and the shuffling will be crazy.

Yes it would make sense to do the rehabs in numerical order in this current case of bus rehabs whenever it is they start if they haven't already started. As for the question of shifting in terms of either reassignments or short term loans while a garage has 1000s down for rehab, the extent of any of that we can all agree depends on how many buses on average a given garage has on hand at any given time as spares. So depending on how CTA handles bus assignments as the rehabs take place and that slide rule of five or six buses down a week moves through CTA's current complement of D40LFs, there is the potential for things to get screwy.

[BusHunter]

Also, don't forget that it has the lowest number 1000s thus slated for rehab, although except for those working in the garage, no one knows if that's happening.

They were reported to have started months ago. But there's most likely delays, that's alot of parts to sequester. I'm sure when the buses return they should be noticed with the new headlights that are part of the rehab. But you do make a good point, the Optimas on #26 are probably the result of #1000's going out for rehabs/being held in. South side riders should notice less lower #1000's on the street.

[jajuan]

They were reported to have started months ago. But there's most likely delays, that's alot of parts to sequester. I'm sure when the buses return they should be noticed with the new headlights that are part of the rehab. But you do make a good point, the Optimas on #26 are probably the result of #1000's going out for rehabs/being held in. South side riders should notice less lower #1000's on the street.

If that's the case they must be doing them out of order because at least two of the lowest are on the street right now, 1002 and 1004 in service on the 26 and 1000 in service as one of the last of the downtown express runs of the 28. Looking more like there still are delays on rehab start if there are no new headlights on those three.

[Sam92]

If that's the case they must be doing them out of order because at least two of the lowest are on the street right now, 1002 and 1004 in service on the 26 and 1000 in service as one of the last of the downtown express runs of the 28. Looking more like there still are delays on rehab start if there are no new headlights on those three.

I think it's just 103rd being over worked in general seeing as its the time of the year where summer festivals require input from garages across the city in addition to running shuttles and supplemental service. #29 is using a lot of buses alone plus it's been half artic lately do to the shutdown. That can be leaving a lot of buses left during the peak. Like I said, the 71, 111/115, 28 and many other routes have been seeing optimas frequently as opposed to the weeks before the shutdown when all 92 attics at 103r were just free to be used all though they are a big help when thrown in during the rush hours at the Dan Ryan, carver trips and the 26, 28 and 29. 34 , 95E and 119 could even use a spare artic or two in the evening hours where they run every 20 min. Not saying that they need all 92 but 65-70 is a decent number. The 20 they shed could go to 77th to cover more heavier routes.

[jajuan]

I think it's just 103rd being over worked in general seeing as its the time of the year where summer festivals require input from garages across the city in addition to running shuttles and supplemental service. #29 is using a lot of buses alone plus it's been half artic lately do to the shutdown. That can be leaving a lot of buses left during the peak. Like I said, the 71, 111/115, 28 and many other routes have been seeing optimas frequently as opposed to the weeks before the shutdown when all 92 attics at 103r were just free to be used all though they are a big help when thrown in during the rush hours at the Dan Ryan, carver trips and the 26, 28 and 29. 34 , 95E and 119 could even use a spare artic or two in the evening hours where they run every 20 min. Not saying that they need all 92 but 65-70 is a decent number. The 20 they shed could go to 77th to cover more heavier routes.

Sounds good in theory in the short term after the Dan Ryan portion of the Red Line reopens. However the problem longer term is Chicago reportedly and maybe 74th could become artic capable and that won't necessarily leave 65-70 available to be assigned to 103rd.

[Busjack]

Sounds good in theory in the short term after the Dan Ryan portion of the Red Line reopens. However the problem longer term is Chicago reportedly and maybe 74th could become artic capable and that won't necessarily leave 65-70 available to be assigned to 103rd.

At which point CTA awards the contract for the 50-150 artics.

[sw4400]

At which point CTA awards the contract for the 50-150 artics.

That's presuming CTA only makes the contract for 50 artics. If they go toward the higher end of the spectrum, 150, I think they'll want two new artic-capable garages. 150 artics at 74th sounds like extreme overkill. North Park definitely has enough, Kedzie has enough and 103rd has enough for it's assigned heavy-ridership routes. I would look for Chicago or Forest Glen to be artic-capable before the full contract can be awarded.

[Busjack]

That's presuming CTA only makes the contract for 50 artics. If they go toward the higher end of the spectrum, 150, I think they'll want two new artic-capable garages. 150 artics at 74th sounds like extreme overkill. North Park definitely has enough, Kedzie has enough and 103rd has enough for it's assigned heavy-ridership routes. I would look for Chicago or Forest Glen to be artic-capable before the full contract can be awarded.

Chicago is a possibility, but as previously discussed, the layout at FG shown in the last construction report indicates that it is not getting 60 foot hoists.