Have You Ever Noticed.....

[jesi2282]

Have you ever noticed how many people don't read the Destination Signs on buses?  Last week I was on X49 and we came to a stop light on a side street and a man came up to the bus and kept on hitting the door and started yelling and looked at our driver like she was crazy.

[rmadisonwi]

Many passengers don't read. Some can't read. Then again, considering the quality and accuracy of CTA's destination signs, it's no wonder that many of them don't bother to.

As for the photo you attached, I'm not sure of the location, but unless that photo was taken right in front of North Park Garage, the operator was in the wrong. Technically, *everything* is in service, even pull outs and pull ins. A bus pulling in on the 146 from Berwyn, for example, should make all stops along Foster from Sheridan to [i forget what street that is where North Park is located, just next to Kedzie], if a passenger wants to ride. If the driver fails to do so, then technically he/she could be written up for it.

[RIPTA42]

That picture is at Kimball and Bryn Mawr. The guy on the sidewalk is signalling to the driver (not banging on the door). The bus is at a red light. After I took the picture, the driver let the passenger on.

[trainman8119]

 Technically, *everything* is in service, even pull outs and pull ins.  A bus pulling in on the 146 from Berwyn, for example, should make all stops along Foster from Sheridan to [i forget what street that is where North Park is located, just next to Kedzie], if a passenger wants to ride.  If the driver fails to do so, then technically he/she could be written up for it.

Everything is not in service. First of all, many pull outs have a very limited time to get from one place to another. Stopping can create delays to a route before it ever gets started. Second, just because a bus is out on the street does not make it fair game for anybody to ride...as in the case of a mechanical run for example. Perhaps an operator is taking a bus to a location on a swap. This was argued much when I was at Pace and many people were whining that West Division pull outs were not stopping on Lake Street enroute to their start up points.

A bus not in service gives no indication where it is going, so how can someone expect to be picked up when they do not know where it is going. Finally, the lawyers don't like people on equipment when it is "not in service" (as the sign says...I mean, what does NOT IN SERVICE mean ????). It creates a potential lawsuit nightmare should something happen. This applies to all of the service divisions...Pace, Metra and CTA.

Those who don't have a clue on operational practices just don't understand this...including many in the positions of power creating policies.

[RIPTA42]

A bus not in service gives no indication where it is going, so how can someone expect to be picked up when they do not know where it is going. Finally, the lawyers don't like people on equipment when it is "not in service" (as the sign says...I mean, what does NOT IN SERVICE mean ????).

If the bus is displaying a garage name, it's a good guess that it's going back to the garage.

[Busjack]

According to Lind, the old practice was that the equipment (then mostly streetcars) were still in service on a depot run. There was also a story in the Tribune Magazine when 14 was out of 77th about people boarding on 79th St. Probably that has changed as trainman indicates.

I noticed that some Pace buses have "To Garage" and others "Out of Service." Other than layovers or deadheading to the start of the next run (which are clearly "Out of Service") is there any difference?

Also, I doubt that very few know what garage a bus is going to and where it is located. The CTA's case says what garage, but I doubt very many people know where it is.

And, of course, the destination of most 7, 60, and 126 buses is "Kedzie Garage," no matter where they are going.

[trainman8119]

I noticed that some Pace buses have "To Garage" and others "Out of Service." Other than layovers or deadheading to the start of the next run (which are clearly "Out of Service") is there any difference?

Buses going from the garage to the starting point or perhaps an end point to a start point (deadhead/interline) are "Not In Service". Buses going from the end point to the garage are "To Garage".

They essentially mean the same thing, but for insiders, it tells one if the bus is coming or going.

[rmadisonwi]

Maybe "everything" was a poor choice of a word, as, yes, a mechanically defective bus or something otherwise "Not in service" isn't open to public riding. However, there are many rules and regulations out there, some of which even go beyond CTA's ability to set policy, that require scheduled trips to be run "in service." Short running time to get to/from the terminals isn't an excuse, as that is a scheduling problem and not a policy problem.