7900-series Nova LFS - Updates

[jajuan]

1 minute ago, sw4400 said:

They did have #6462 ahead of them, which had the seats before #4150-4207 arrived. The inserts were probably in the stockrooms.

Are you really going to say that CTA just had seat inserts lying around for the better part of a decade, with very little use for them? Come on man. Now you're reaching. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, jajuan said:

A lot of us had been saying it was going to happen for that garage. It was stupid to stock that garage with nothing but the bus model set to go through retirement in the first place. 

I left CTA almost twelve years ago! It kills me to see the very same Nova buses I helped break in, still running out of the same garage!  Hardly any updates in in equipment in years!  Im finally glad to see CTA pigheaded management make sound decisions and give FG and many NW side bus riders finally new equipment!  I can finally say I can enjoy riding a Higgins bus again soon! 

[sw4400]

2 minutes ago, jajuan said:

Are you really going to say that CTA just had seat inserts lying around for the better part of a decade, with very little use for them? Come on man. Now you're reaching. 

I don't know when #6462 was switched to the seating that #4150-4207 had. But they needed to have the seat inserts for them in stock because inserts don't last forever(rips, vandalism, vomit and other bodily fluids). They need replacements on hand as long as the seats are installed on a bus model.

As far as putting out incomplete buses, I've seen Flxibles missing seat cushions, I think even a New Flyer once was missing a cushion while in service. Yet it was out there.

Let's just see what happens, jajaun..... let's not blow this out of proportion anymore, ok? We'll know in the coming days whether they get seat cushions as they continue to appear in service and as more come into service from South Shops.

[jajuan]

1 minute ago, CTA5750 said:

I left CTA almost twelve years ago! It kills me to see the very same Nova buses I helped break in, still running out of the same garage!  Hardly any updates in in equipment in years!  Im finally glad to see CTA pigheaded management make sound decisions and give FG and many NW side bus riders finally new equipment!  I can finally say I can enjoy riding a Higgins bus again soon! 

You and a lot of other folks in the FG area who pay attention to what types of buses get deployed among the garages probably feel that way. 

[jajuan]

4 minutes ago, sw4400 said:

I don't know when #6462 was switched to the seating that #4150-4207 had. But they needed to have the seat inserts for them in stock because inserts don't last forever(rips, vandalism, vomit and other bodily fluids). They need replacements on hand as long as the seats are installed on a bus model.

Yeah and 6462 is only one bus. So while they need to have parts around to fix or replace damaged ones, It's very doubtful that they had enough seat inserts to go into 58 articulated buses lying around for almost a decade just to be ready to service one bus. So again you're reaching and still trying to say Nova and CTA inspectors are not doing their jobs, 

[BusHunter]

Well I just rode #8201, and the verdict from me is....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

I can't believe it, we've been waiting this long and we get a pie in the face with these seats. The curse lives on. You know they almost had me when I first got on, the seats are actually comfortable and not hard on your butt. But what kills it is when the bus stops, now there is no friction on the seat and your butt slides with every stop. They are going to be picking people up off the floor with these seats. Plus the seats seem really cheap like the lowest possible price seat they could come up with. I hope they didn't do this cause of the electrics and wanting to save money. (they did cut 25 buses already)  I know it's public transportation but damn, you feel like 2 cents on these seats. Hopefully it's just 10 buses or something. The good news, the seats can be changed to the other ones. This plastic seat is an insert, just a really cheap one. All they have to do is swap them if they wanted to fix this.

Now I'm noticing something else on the buses. Not only does it have a stop requested button by the handicapped position (which garmon's picture shows) it has these T shaped pull cords that go down the side of the bus like you would see on a pace bus. That is not on the other ones. I tried to take a picture of it and I took the rear of #8201 Here they are

Do you see what I mean. It has them at both handicapped positions and this one opposite the rear door. Weird. Makes you wonder who's making the decisions here CTA or RTA.

 

[sw4400]

17 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Well I just rode #8201, and the verdict from me is....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

I can't believe it, we've been waiting this long and we get a pie in the face with these seats. The curse lives on. You know they almost had me when I first got on, the seats are actually comfortable and not hard on your butt. But what kills it is when the bus stops, now there is no friction on the seat and your butt slides with every stop. They are going to be picking people up off the floor with these seats. Plus the seats seem really cheap like the lowest possible price seat they could come up with. I hope they didn't do this cause of the electrics and wanting to save money. (they did cut 25 buses already)  I know it's public transportation but damn, you feel like 2 cents on these seats. Hopefully it's just 10 buses or something. The good news, the seats can be changed to the other ones. This plastic seat is an insert, just a really cheap one. All they have to do is swap them if they wanted to fix this.

Now I'm noticing something else on the buses. Not only does it have a stop requested button by the handicapped position (which garmon's picture shows) it has these T shaped pull cords that go down the side of the bus like you would see on a pace bus. That is not on the other ones. I tried to take a picture of it and I took the rear of #8201 Here they are

Do you see what I mean. It has them at both handicapped positions and this one opposite the rear door. Weird. Makes you wonder who's making the decisions here CTA or RTA.

 

Let's give them a few days, @BusHunter. I got a feeling the seats are temporary as I explained above(my standing theory is they were rushed into service because of the failing Novas(6400-6883) ), which is my theory as to why the seats are naked(and nobody wants to see a naked seat no more than they want to see a naked grandma)  Give them a few days to see what happens with 8200-8203 and the other Novas that will eventually enter FG for service.

If in the coming days and as more buses begin service, they do so with the bare blue seats, then that's the hand FG is dealt, but if 8200-8203 and future buses come in with the cloth inserts, then my theory is correct(there is that ring that does allow for a seat insert on the bus seats). Time will tell.... It has been a bad weekend for FG 1st Gen Novas so far.... a lot of holes in service on usually good routes due to breakdowns.

 

[BusHunter]

Yeah but they say priority seating on them. As ridiculous as it sounds these buses are finished, the seats are flush, there is no gap to put an insert only to remove and replace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyeH137r0gU

Now if only they did seats!!

Maybe Paul Simon is CTA's new spokesman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_H-LY4Jb2M

Another funny thought that has come to mind is that maybe the CTA are big Cubs fans. I mean the seats are blue. Now they only need to play "Go Cubs Go" when they travel down Addison.

 

 

[sw4400]

14 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Yeah but they say priority seating on them. As ridiculous as it sounds these buses are finished, the seats are flush, there is no gap to put an insert only to remove and replace.

When the day comes they come to #80 and #152, I'll get a chance to get a ride if I am lucky enough to have one as the next bus due. I do ride these routes a lot lately, and I'll get to experience the blue seats and how they are at that time.

For the immediate future, if you want to see a new Nova, best bet is stake out #77.

[BusHunter]

1 minute ago, sw4400 said:

When the day comes they come to #80 and #152, I'll get a chance to get a ride if I am lucky enough to have one as the next bus due. I do ride these routes a lot lately.

You'll get your chance. Unfortunately these new buses will comprise over half the fleet if they get 150. That will be more than enough to annoy us NW siders into submission. Right now some #6800's don't sound bad.

[sw4400]

19 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

You'll get your chance. Unfortunately these new buses will comprise over half the fleet if they get 150. That will be more than enough to annoy us NW siders into submission. Right now some #6800's don't sound bad.

If they're running.....

[BusOps]

Bushunter is correct. Those are the completed seats and no inserts will be added. The inserts are bolted on and not held on by that aluminum ring.That hole in the bottom is for drainage of liquid so it doesn't puddle in the seat. Just like there are drains in the floor of all the buses. The purpose of it is when the CTA does a deep cleaning with a power washer the water has somewhere to go. Seats that have cloth get an extractor used on them so they dry faster afterwards. This step will not have to be done of course with the new all plastic seats.

[sw4400]

29 minutes ago, BusOps said:

Bushunter is correct. Those are the completed seats and no inserts will be added. The inserts are bolted on and not held on by that aluminum ring.That hole in the bottom is for drainage of liquid so it doesn't puddle in the seat. Just like there are drains in the floor of all the buses. The purpose of it is when the CTA does a deep cleaning with a power washer the water has somewhere to go. Seats that have cloth get an extractor used on them so they dry faster afterwards. This step will not have to be done of course with the new all plastic seats.

Well it's not anything unusual for me.... it'll be a retro feel of the days of Flyer D901A's(hard plastic seats). But seats can be modified.... even these, I'm sure..... when we first got the D40LF's(1000-Series), their seats were flimsy because of an all plastic molding. That was changed to a metal backing later and retrofit to 1000 and up. Get enough customer complaints and CTA will find a way to slap some seat cushions on them, I'm sure.... CTA, like any business, doesn't want to hear the complaints.... why do you think the 7000's seating arraignment is to be what it is??? Because of complaints about the 5000's bench-style seating.

[jajuan]

7 hours ago, sw4400 said:

Well it's not anything unusual for me.... it'll be a retro feel of the days of Flyer D901A's(hard plastic seats). But seats can be modified.... even these, I'm sure..... when we first got the D40LF's(1000-Series), their seats were flimsy because of an all plastic molding. That was changed to a metal backing later and retrofit to 1000 and up. Get enough customer complaints and CTA will find a way to slap some seat cushions on them, I'm sure.... CTA, like any business, doesn't want to hear the complaints.... why do you think the 7000's seating arraignment is to be what it is??? Because of complaints about the 5000's bench-style seating.

Well for now that's what the seats  are going to be. It shouldn't have taken all this to finally get the thought out your head that CTA rushed the buses into service and somehow allowed its own inspectors and those of Nova to not do their jobs thoroughly. A lot of folks would need to be disciplined if that were the case because by BusHunter's count, the first of this batch of buses were here in the city and down at SS for about a month at least. That's more than enough time to have completed everything that needed to be checked before deeming the buses service ready. Why would the buses have sat parked only for them to still be incomplete yesterday on their first day of service?? And the 7000s and 5000s aren't exactly the best examples of complaint resolutions since the 7000s won't get here for another three years, and the 5000s will be rolling CTA rails for another good 30 to 40 years with that bench-style seating arrangement. And if Garmon's report of passenger reaction so far is any indication, it might take some time to see any evidence of any complaining outside of the transit forum as he said folks had no real outward response to the FG 7900s. 

[Busjack]

13 hours ago, jajuan said:

Yeah the seat looks nice, but the solid blue bottoms make the seats look unfinished.

In a sense, they are similar to what was used in the late 1960s (solid green fiberglass seats on 3800s). These seem to have the drain hole grommet, as water used to collect in the bowls of the old seats (as BusOps said). They are not the 1970s era seats in sw's favorite bus (wooden inserts substituted for vinyl ones).

[Busjack]

13 hours ago, jajuan said:

I kind of doubt that they would accept and put incomplete buses on the road. The seats come with the buses, otherwise CTA would not have been able to stipulate instructions about seating arrangements during the bid stage of the procurement process

I wonder if these are made in Chicago Freedman seats or Rahm is going to plotz.

With the rest of the discussion, and Andre's comment that production was interspersed with MTA and SEPTA orders, do these buses look like they have similar specs to those being shipped to MTA or SEPTA?

[BusHunter]

Maybe people would accept them more if they went back to American Seating style seats. Unfortunately they have a contract with Freedman. We'll have to see what rider reaction is. Right now there are too few and hardly anyone has seen them. I remember no one complaining about the #5000's at first either. So now that this has happened, can you imagine electric (probably Xcelsiors or Proterras) with this type of seat. Uhh!! These will clearly be the ugliest seating in North America. For what money they are saving they are sacrificing what little luxury they have. What's next back to no AC on the buses? 

[Busjack]

4 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

So now that this has happened, can you imagine electric (probably Xcelsiors or Proterras) with this type of seat. Uhh!! These will clearly be the ugliest seating in North America. For what money they are saving they are sacrificing what little luxury they have. What's next back to no AC on the buses? 

The 700s have a different kind of seats, presumably because they are lighter.

As I noted above, this is a throwback to 1968, but those bench type seats were even uglier.

[jajuan]

Maybe with the new talk of CTA finally joining other TAs in having a heritage fleet, some of the higher ups' minds were caught in thoughts of retro styles.

[BusHunter]

3 minutes ago, jajuan said:

Maybe with the new talk of CTA finally joining other TAs in having a heritage fleet, some of the higher ups' minds were caught in thoughts of retro styles.

Ohh Sliding windows!!

[Busjack]

54 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Ohh Sliding windows!!

Oval ones. Reminds me of the Honda bus wrap with those.

[busfan2847]

8204 out on 77 today.

For some reason the 8200s are not showing up on maths22 tracker?

[BusHunter]

5 minutes ago, busfan2847 said:

8204 out on 77 today.

For some reason the 8200s are not showing up on maths22 tracker?

Ohh, then that means more than up to #8203 is at FG. I hope they run them on something else soon. This is getting old. I was laughing, because Garmon's shots were at Belmont Kimball right there where the prepaid boarding is. They could use his photo for promotional means. Why do I get the feeling #77 is going to become the next Ashland with it's sea of Nova's?

[garmon757]

29 minutes ago, busfan2847 said:

8204 out on 77 today.

For some reason the 8200s are not showing up on maths22 tracker?

I don't think he updated his system by adding the 8200s in service. 

[sw4400]

59 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Ohh, then that means more than up to #8203 is at FG. I hope they run them on something else soon. This is getting old. I was laughing, because Garmon's shots were at Belmont Kimball right there where the prepaid boarding is. They could use his photo for promotional means. Why do I get the feeling #77 is going to become the next Ashland with it's sea of Nova's?

This is where the 8200's will most likely be for the indefinite period right now. If training sessions are still ongoing, but enough Bus Operators are trained to put them on the road, then they'll all be assigned to #77 as pullouts and reliefs, as that's a heavy route that can use reliable buses(get to Kimball Blue Line WB, and you'll get a real test of seating and standee capabilities real quick). I don't know where they're at with the training of all Bus Operators. The Line Instructor I spoke with said all must be trained before they'll enter service.

I, personally don't think I'll get to experience a ride on a 8200 until July or August at the earliest.