Pace Bus Moves

[rotjohns]

  On 9/26/2016 at 11:21 PM, jesi2282 said:

You can add 6208 to W as well...

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Yeah it's a wrap for the remaining Orions everywhere.  Give it 3 months.  Get your rides in now before they bite the dust (a few will be at Ravinia next year, I'd bet).

[Busjack]

  On 9/26/2016 at 11:49 PM, rotjohns said:

Yeah it's a wrap for the remaining Orions everywhere.  Give it 3 months.  Get your rides in now before they bite the dust (a few will be at Ravinia next year, I'd bet).

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Again, it certainly won't be for 6156-6161.

[artthouwill]

  On 9/26/2016 at 11:56 PM, Busjack said:

Again, it certainly won't be for 6156-6161.

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But will they stay at SW until the end or will they migrate to West? 

[rotjohns]

 

  On 9/27/2016 at 12:16 AM, artthouwill said:

But will they stay at SW until the end or will they migrate to West? 

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I can't see Pace getting those buses wrapped and ready at SW only to send them to West.  I think SW is it for 6156-6161. 

[artthouwill]

  On 9/27/2016 at 1:39 AM, rotjohns said:

 

I can't see Pace getting those buses wrapped and ready at SW only to send them to West.  I think SW is it for 6156-6161. 

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The wraps mean that they won't be retired soon.   That doesn't mean that they can't be transferred. 

[Busjack]

  On 9/27/2016 at 2:25 AM, artthouwill said:

The wraps mean that they won't be retired soon.   That doesn't mean that they can't be transferred. 

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Yes, but again it is like Forest Glen. In the past 2 years, have any 6400s been sent back, in revenue service, to 77th? Like CTA, all Pace is doing is  culling the herd.

While I am not surprised S is sending NABIs to W, since W already has a number of them, I am surprised that the 2 buses @jesi2282 said were sent there are those that were always S buses, instead of the blue ones back. Maybe they were not as worn out as others.

[Busjack]

Weird. 2686, formerly Naperville then Aurora now on 616:

Also, 2768, formerly a NW bus on 803

Looks like River may have been short.

[RJL6000]

  On 9/26/2016 at 11:21 PM, jesi2282 said:

You can add 6208 to W as well...

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Looks like some of the earliest 6162s are going to end up at West. I rode on ex-South #6175 on the #318 earlier this afternoon.

[BusHunter]

Hmm, why is #6388 on the #386??? Isn't that a NW bus.

[Busjack]

  On 9/30/2016 at 5:29 PM, BusHunter said:

Hmm, why is #6388 on the #386??? Isn't that a NW bus.

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No, a River one (NW starts with 6392). But maybe there are too many 6485s around at the moment.

[BusHunter]

  On 9/30/2016 at 5:40 PM, Busjack said:

No, a River one (NW starts with 6392). But maybe there are too many 6485s around at the moment.

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What???!!! You mean to say that's a highway eldorado. That makes no sense. Might as well send it to heritage for 855/755. That would make better sense.

[Busjack]

  On 9/30/2016 at 5:48 PM, BusHunter said:

What???!!! You mean to say that's a highway eldorado. That makes no sense. Might as well send it to heritage for 855/755. That would make better sense.

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Yep. Maybe though, like 6323 at NW when 6392 arrived, it's just there for training.

Of course, if Heritage needed it, it shouldn't have sent 6377-8 to NS.

[Pace831]

You think it's possible that highway coaches will replace the 30-footers on 895? After all, part of the route runs on the soon-to-be-upgraded NW tollway, and they'd want only the nicest buses on their showcase express service corridor.

@Busjack noted that a SW 30-footer had the "Illegal to follow bus on shoulder" decals on the rear bumper. That seems to support this theory, since those buses could still be used if a highway coach isn't available.

[Busjack]

  On 9/30/2016 at 7:02 PM, Pace831 said:

You think it's possible that highway coaches will replace the 30-footers on 895? After all, part of the route runs on the soon-to-be-upgraded NW tollway, and they'd want only the nicest buses on their showcase express service corridor.

@Busjack noted that a SW 30-footer had the "Illegal to follow bus on shoulder" decals on the rear bumper. That seems to support this theory, since those buses could still be used if a highway coach isn't available.

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That could be. I hadn't thought of that, but growth might indicate that.

I was thinking that when SW had a piece of 835, it ran Nova Classics on local routes off rush. Maybe this is something like that. Maybe we should look at WebWatch about 4 p.m.

The other thing I noticed is that WebWatch indicated a higher proportion of buses starting in the 6140s through 6161 and 30 footers on otherwise heavy SW routes like 383 and 386 (like 2825 now on 386). Maybe, SW is just short, but, again, we can check your idea later in the afternoon. 6388 was on WebWatch when BH said, but isn't now.

[Pace831]

  On 9/30/2016 at 8:06 PM, Busjack said:

Maybe we should look at WebWatch about 4 p.m.

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895 is all 30 footers tonight.

6388 went to Orland Square on 379, then apparently got so far behind schedule that it was pulled from service before making it back to Midway. I don't see it on the tracker anymore when it should be going east on 79th.

[Busjack]

But 6389 is at S:

[BusHunter]

  On 9/30/2016 at 7:02 PM, Pace831 said:

You think it's possible that highway coaches will replace the 30-footers on 895? After all, part of the route runs on the soon-to-be-upgraded NW tollway, and they'd want only the nicest buses on their showcase express service corridor.

@Busjack noted that a SW 30-footer had the "Illegal to follow bus on shoulder" decals on the rear bumper. That seems to support this theory, since those buses could still be used if a highway coach isn't available.

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Ahh someone is using their noodle. Why didn't I think of that!! But they use eldorkos now. Would there be such an increase in ridership to warrant that. Really all the expressway runs should be using highway buses like #626, #757 or #888, #877 but those last two were using mci's. i don't think it would hurt them to buy a few more highway buses.

[Busjack]

  On 10/1/2016 at 4:07 PM, BusHunter said:

#888, #877

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Has been using them since 6379-6385 arrived. What I noted above that was unusual is that 6389 also showed up there.

  On 10/1/2016 at 4:07 PM, BusHunter said:

626

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Depends on when they are going to do the Edens BOS. But, again, 6377-8 are on 619, 620, which, at that rate, will rack up 500,000 miles in about 32 years.

[rotjohns]

Well, it appears that West isn't the only place the 6162s are heading.  6164, 6206, and 6214 are all running Waukegan routes right now as we speak. There must be ridership demand for bigger buses up that way.  

[Busjack]

  On 10/3/2016 at 12:08 PM, rotjohns said:

Well, it appears that West isn't the only place the 6162s are heading.  6164, 6206, and 6214 are all running Waukegan routes right now as we speak. There must be ridership demand for bigger buses up that way.  

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The issue there is always high school trips (especially since they are not out there at 8:45). Main thing that keeps the system going is that the school board buys passes rather than uses a school bus co.

[busfan2847]

  On 10/3/2016 at 12:08 PM, rotjohns said:

Well, it appears that West isn't the only place the 6162s are heading.  6164, 6206, and 6214 are all running Waukegan routes right now as we speak. There must be ridership demand for bigger buses up that way.  

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6206 and 6214 have been up there since 11/2013. 6164 moved up there some time this summer.

[artthouwill]

  On 10/3/2016 at 12:08 PM, rotjohns said:

Well, it appears that West isn't the only place the 6162s are heading.  6164, 6206, and 6214 are all running Waukegan routes right now as we speak. There must be ridership demand for bigger buses up that way.  

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There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to what buses get transferred.   Is it up to S which buses it sends, or do they make a set of buses available and the receiving garage cherry picks from that?  Same with any garage that sends buses to another garage. 

[Busjack]

  On 10/4/2016 at 11:44 PM, artthouwill said:

There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to what buses get transferred.   Is it up to S which buses it sends, or do they make a set of buses available and the receiving garage cherry picks from that?  Same with any garage that sends buses to another garage. 

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Melinda Metzger or someone working for her is in charge. Board minutes or videos indicated that she said W would get 6323+ and blue NABIs would then go to South, that CNGs would go to South, etc. Things like NS trading 6600s to H for 6249s, or all 6600s to S and getting 6477s indicate that things are too coordinated to just being "North wants some buses." Similarly, there was no coincidence that to start 722, routes running 5 buses were killed in Naperville and Downers Grove so that 5 buses could be transferred to FV. The latter (and similar stuff like the contractor on 668-669 told to turn in 30 foot buses for paratransits) also indicates that someone at headquarters exercises authority over contractors, per the contracts.

[west towns]

Im sure pace has an equipment plan based on miles age and condition of vehicles.  Like most organizations central hq most likely calls the shots not field outlets such as garages

[Busjack]

  On 10/5/2016 at 1:34 AM, west towns said:

Im sure pace has an equipment plan based on miles age and condition of vehicles.  Like most organizations central hq most likely calls the shots not field outlets such as garages

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Undoubtedly so. Also there was the video (I think in the Daily Herald), on the computer system showing the maintenance status of each bus (demonstrated at River).

I bet the only thing a garage decides is if a bus is so dead that it goes to the big roundup in South Holland.