Clever device question

[strictures]

In the last couple of weeks, I've boarded three buses at the starting point of the run, all of which had their engines shut down, I believe due to the timer which does that after 10 minutes of idling.

Prior to the engine shutdown, the Clever device display was working correctly on all of them, but after the driver restarted the engine, the display remained blank for the entire time I rode, in one case, to the other end of the run [192].

All the while, the audio announcement was correct for all stops & I checked my phone's transit app & it showed the bus I was on.

So what did the driver do incorrectly, that the display never returned? Is it even the driver's fault, or is their a flaw in the way the display works when the engine is restarted? Is there a way for CTA to prevent this?

I won't be able to see any replies for a few days, I'm about to enter the extreme pain zone of long necessary knee replacement!

[BusOps]

If the engine is restarted right away the display won't turn back on. The only thing the driver did wrong was he should of waited for about a minute before restarting. On the new Novas this doesn't have to be done.

[jajuan]

6 hours ago, strictures said:

In the last couple of weeks, I've boarded three buses at the starting point of the run, all of which had their engines shut down, I believe due to the timer which does that after 10 minutes of idling.

Prior to the engine shutdown, the Clever device display was working correctly on all of them, but after the driver restarted the engine, the display remained blank for the entire time I rode, in one case, to the other end of the run [192].

All the while, the audio announcement was correct for all stops & I checked my phone's transit app & it showed the bus I was on.

So what did the driver do incorrectly, that the display never returned? Is it even the driver's fault, or is their a flaw in the way the display works when the engine is restarted? Is there a way for CTA to prevent this?

I won't be able to see any replies for a few days, I'm about to enter the extreme pain zone of long necessary knee replacement!

I used to notice this a lot on the #9 at the Clark/Belle Plaine layover point and on the #X9 at the Irving Park/Fremont layover when NFs still ran on the routes due to daytime and rush hour times often having on average 3 or 4 buses each on a layover. This meant that the last buses in each of those groups could be sitting on a layover of 15 to 20 minutes before starting the next trip. Of course that meant there would be buses sitting with the engine idling long enough for automatic shutoff to kick in. Many times the operators turned the engine back on right away, and like you observed, the Clever device display wouldn't show for half to all of the trip even though audio announcements calling off route, destination and stops all worked correctly. As Busjack noted, that's because the operators turned the engine back on too fast. Those who waited a while first had the Clever device displays on their buses working properly. That's why I would see operators who were going to sit on a long layover shut the bus engine off and leave them off until their departure time came. Even though Ashland is now all new Nova until 74th gets NFs equipped with TSP, there are still operators who use the practice of cutting of the bus engine it their layover was going to be longer than the 10 minutes or so that the automatic shutoff timer would kick in.

[strictures]

On 8/18/2016 at 11:19 AM, jajuan said:

I used to notice this a lot on the #9 at the Clark/Belle Plaine layover point and on the #X9 at the Irving Park/Fremont layover when NFs still ran on the routes due to daytime and rush hour times often having on average 3 or 4 buses each on a layover. This meant that the last buses in each of those groups could be sitting on a layover of 15 to 20 minutes before starting the next trip. Of course that meant there would be buses sitting with the engine idling long enough for automatic shutoff to kick in. Many times the operators turned the engine back on right away, and like you observed, the Clever device display wouldn't show for half to all of the trip even though audio announcements calling off route, destination and stops all worked correctly. As Busjack noted, that's because the operators turned the engine back on too fast. Those who waited a while first had the Clever device displays on their buses working properly. That's why I would see operators who were going to sit on a long layover shut the bus engine off and leave them off until their departure time came. Even though Ashland is now all new Nova until 74th gets NFs equipped with TSP, there are still operators who use the practice of cutting of the bus engine it their layover was going to be longer than the 10 minutes or so that the automatic shutoff timer would kick in.

Thanks to both of you

[andrethebusman]

Automatic shutdown on NFIL's is 15 minutes. If bus shuts down because it times out, or driver shuts bus down, the Clever Device will continue to function for a good 15 minutes even if bus is NOT started up again. Clever Device is powered by batteries, not engine. However, what will shut down immediately is the Ventra reader, and when bus is turned on again, the reader has to boot back up, which takes about 20-30 seconds. Therefore, if the Ventra reader acts up for some reason, gets "stuck" or does not properly boot, you shut the bus off for a few seconds, and fire it up again, and usually Ventra reader works fine again.

[pudgym29]

This is a variance, but it involves the Clever Device.

A week ago, I was on an eastbound #77 Belmont bus (A new Nova). The signs read "to Diversey / Lake Shore", and Mr. CTA was announcing to there, but our driver was announcing at each stop he was going only to Western Ave. (I was transferring @ Kimball.)

There was bus bunching going on (Is there always?), and a bus supposedly going through to Diversey / Lake Shore could be glimpsed through the back window of the new Nova.

I wonder if there is an option in the Clever Device in which an operator can enter an alternate destination? If so, is there a list of streets, or potential short turns, which can be swiftly located, or would the street have to be typed in manually?

Edited August 24, 2016 by pudgym29
more data about the bus' run.

[Busjack]

{If you read my last response, ignore it.}

Still there is an issue whether, when opening the door, Mr. CTA was saying to Lake Shore,but the driver was shouting Mr. CTA down.

There is a script for the run in the Clever Device, and you seem to be implying that the driver was cutting the trip short compared to what was in the script.

[Johnny 5]

Hey, do you know the announcement updates for the upgraded Clever Devices started in 2014? Like for example, the updated announcement for the "Please exit through the rear doors so everyone's commute is faster" and the "Please keep your personal belongings off the seat next to you so other customers may sit down"? And also the "Thank you for riding the CTA" is also updated as well. You think it's more clear and understanding than the older version played from 2003-2014? Plus, it's not as loud than the current one, sometimes it's quiet when it plays but it can also be a little loud on some fleets of buses and the new Nova LFSs too. I'm just curious, that's all.

[BusOps]

21 hours ago, pudgym29 said:

I wonder if there is an option in the Clever Device in which an operator can enter an alternate destination? If so, is there a list of streets, or potential short turns, which can be swiftly located, or would the street have to be typed in manually?

Yes there is an option in the Clever Device to change the destination for short turns, but it is not something that can be done swiftly as you put it. So alot of operators don't cause it's easier just to tell people verbally and get back on schedule.

[Johnny 5]

Also, they need to add the voice for the "4700 West" for eastbound #76 Diversey buses, because when it reached that street, the thing "dings" and no voice played. You think they can do that?

[Busjack]

11 minutes ago, Johnny 5 said:

Also, they need to add the voice for the "4700 West" for eastbound #76 Diversey buses, because when it reached that street, the thing "dings" and no voice played. You think they can do that?

The issue is essentially whether Lee Crooks recorded a clip for that and it is still operational. For instance there is one for 642something N. Sheridan.

[andrethebusman]

There are really very few destination signs programmed into the system that aren't regularly used. For instance, Belmont has Cumberland, Harlem, Central, Blue Line, Halsted, and Diversey/Lake Shore only. This has always been a problem, for many decades only the trolley buses had readings for everywhere they could actually turn back. Not sure if PCC streetcars did, but 1960's buses definitely only had a few readings per route that were not actually used.

[Busjack]

7 minutes ago, andrethebusman said:

There are really very few destination signs programmed into the system that aren't regularly used. For instance, Belmont has Cumberland, Harlem, Central, Blue Line, Halsted, and Diversey/Lake Shore only.

So, the simple answer was it didn't have Western so the operator couldn't have keyed it, even if he went to the efforts @BusOps mentioned?

[andrethebusman]

Nope, no Western. Right now, I can't even figure out how you could turn back there with all the construction. Clybourn to Damen to Belmont?

[Busjack]

3 minutes ago, andrethebusman said:

Nope, no Western. Right now, I can't even figure out how you could turn back there with all the construction. Clybourn to Damen to Belmont?

Or maybe just up some route to the garage,

[andrethebusman]

Belmont has following pullin routes:

Belmont-Cumberland-Forest Preserve-Montrose-Central-Bryn Mawr

Belmont (from Octavia)-Harlem-Forest Preserve-Montrose-Central-Bryn Mawr

Belmont-Central-Bryn Mawr

Belmont blue line station-Kimball-Elston.

Nothing scheduled from further east.

[Busjack]

8 hours ago, andrethebusman said:

Nothing scheduled from further east.

Obviously, this wasn't scheduled.

[andrethebusman]

Turnbacks are becoming very common due to horrible delays. Belmonts are frequently turned westbound at Central so driver getting relieved for lunch eastbound gets a lunch break. Turning something EB at Western is obviously a case of 30 or more minutes late.

[pudgym29]

I figured (again, I didn't ride that far east) he was going Campbell, Roscoe, Western, Belmont. So the actual interchange with Western would be at Roscoe. Of course, this also presumed making a right turn from Western to Belmont was allowed.

[andrethebusman]

Buses frequently make turns where no turns are allowed when making switchbacks.

[jajuan]

10 hours ago, andrethebusman said:

Buses frequently make turns where no turns are allowed when making switchbacks.

I believe he was speaking in terms of the ongoing construction to reconfigure the intersection between Belmont, Western, and Clybourn. 

19 hours ago, pudgym29 said:

I figured (again, I didn't ride that far east) he was going Campbell, Roscoe, Western, Belmont. So the actual interchange with Western would be at Roscoe. Of course, this also presumed making a right turn from Western to Belmont was allowed.

The current phase of construction has both directions of traffic on the southbound side of Western providing two lanes in each direction while they work on the northbound side of the street. So there is enough room to allow a bus to make a right turn from Western on to Belmont.