CTA New Bus Order 2020

[Shannoncvpi]

1 hour ago, Mr.cta85 said:

I get the feeling you’re probably one of those passengers who call in and complain about operators all the time for every little thing too. Those type of people have reputations around Cta and will ignore you once you call in enough times cause you’re just nitpicking and trying to get operators in trouble purposely. I stand on what I said about you being ridiculous if you think operators enjoy jerking the bus trying to make people fall cause Cta is a customer friendly business in most cases and operators can get called in the office fast due to a call in and get in trouble a lot of times because of it. So with that being said they’re not lookin for any reason to purposely do something like that because they have families to take care of and not easily trying to lose their job. And people like you make it hard to keep them because of petty call ins because you felt like the bus was too jerky smh.

Yea I got called in a while ago cuz a customer said that I hit the brakes too dam hard but when They looked at the cameras they seen why I hit the brakes hard cuz CPD once again being the big law breakers ran the light no light no nothing on just on reg patrol next time that happens imma just hit their ass

[jajuan]

On 2/10/2021 at 3:01 PM, NewFlyerMCI said:

Ugh. The next ~400 bus order better not be Nova as well

AGREED because this was CTA's chance to actually get Xcelsiors into the fleet beyond the measly two electric ones that are currently on the roster. 

On 2/10/2021 at 9:25 PM, BusHunter said:

Probably 77th too most likely. Good luck getting the buses in time before the NFs start failing. With only 400 nfs left that are 40 foot it will be rare for a garage to have nf buses and I dont believe there will be a nf only garage. While it would be interesting to see some Nova artics, the 40 foot models leave alot to be desired. It would have been interesting to buy some gilligs or even some Eldorado buses. At least Eldorado has some good ac on its buses. 

I'm really hoping they don't exercise the options out to 600 because of the crappy A/C on the current newer Novas. And yeah the older ones out of these newer models are already in more crappy condition than any of the 1000s for which the oldest are twice as old as the oldest of the 7900 series.

[strictures]

11 hours ago, YoungBusLover said:

Were there any seats available in the front of the bus? What route did this occur on along with the stop you were picked up at? 

 

I was going for the first seat behind the fold up handicapped seat. 

And yes, there are now many drivers on CTA that wait until you sit down & it's infuriating to me when the passenger decides to pass up empty seats & goes to the back of the bus while the driver waits for this dumbbell to sit. 

[strictures]

5 hours ago, Mr.cta85 said:

I get the feeling you’re probably one of those passengers who call in and complain about operators all the time for every little thing too. Those type of people have reputations around Cta and will ignore you once you call in enough times cause you’re just nitpicking and trying to get operators in trouble purposely. I stand on what I said about you being ridiculous if you think operators enjoy jerking the bus trying to make people fall cause Cta is a customer friendly business in most cases and operators can get called in the office fast due to a call in and get in trouble a lot of times because of it. So with that being said they’re not lookin for any reason to purposely do something like that because they have families to take care of and not easily trying to lose their job. And people like you make it hard to keep them because of petty call ins because you felt like the bus was too jerky smh.

Like hell I am! 

As for this:  "cause Cta is a customer friendly business in most cases"  you need to go into stand up comedy!  The worst drivers have been out of NP.  I remember when the CTA was cutting back routes several years & the NP drivers wanted to strike & none of the other garage drivers did.  I was at the Devon/Kedzie terminal & three drivers were talking & one said "We're going to shut this company down!"  They never did, but the drivers were refusing to lower the buses & stopping way out in the street, even when the curb was open at the bus stop.  That went on for a few weeks & I'm guessing there were enough complaints that the CTA managers put an end to it. 

I rarely complain about the drivers, maybe once a year, but I do complain about broken things on buses maybe once a month, like the stop request cord not working, the destination sign is broken, etc.....

[YoungBusLover]

2 hours ago, strictures said:

Like hell I am! 

As for this:  "cause Cta is a customer friendly business in most cases"  you need to go into stand up comedy!  The worst drivers have been out of NP.  I remember when the CTA was cutting back routes several years & the NP drivers wanted to strike & none of the other garage drivers did.  I was at the Devon/Kedzie terminal & three drivers were talking & one said "We're going to shut this company down!"  They never did, but the drivers were refusing to lower the buses & stopping way out in the street, even when the curb was open at the bus stop.  That went on for a few weeks & I'm guessing there were enough complaints that the CTA managers put an end to it. 

I rarely complain about the drivers, maybe once a year, but I do complain about broken things on buses maybe once a month, like the stop request cord not working, the destination sign is broken, etc.....

A lot of things you listed that you may have called in about the operators already have done it some way, I don't know if customers know this but a good portion of operators have defective tickets on deck for those very issues you've pointed out, now do we always use them? It depends on the situation because with so much going on during our shift we'll forget about it until we pull in. Now as far as the complaints about the initial issue as soon as you said North Park that's all I needed to know, not to throw them under the bus but I've only met a handful of good operators from there customer service wise but nonetheless no matter what I've been told by passengers or former operators from NP is the attitudes up there are hard to deal with. I can only speak for  my time down here at 77th and my experiences with 74th but that sucks that you went through that. 

[YoungBusLover]

 

3 hours ago, strictures said:

I was going for the first seat behind the fold up handicapped seat. 

And yes, there are now many drivers on CTA that wait until you sit down & it's infuriating to me when the passenger decides to pass up empty seats & goes to the back of the bus while the driver waits for this dumbbell to sit. 

That makes sense then thank you for the clarity.

[artthouwill]

4 minutes ago, YoungBusLover said:

A lot of things you listed that you may have called in about the operators already have done it some way, I don't know if customers know this but a good portion of operators have defective tickets on deck for those very issues you've pointed out, now do we always use them? It depends on the situation because with so much going on during our shift we'll forget about it until we pull in. Now as far as the complaints about the initial issue as soon as you said North Park that's all I needed to know, not to throw them under the bus but I've only met a handful of good operators from there customer service wise but nonetheless no matter what I've been told by passengers or former operators from NP is the attitudes up there are hard to deal with. I can only speak for  my time down here at 77th and my experiences with 74th but that sucks that you went through that. 

Once upon a time, 77th had the worst reputation as not being customer friendly while Limits and North Park were the darlings of the system.  I could be wrong,  but nowadays I think North Park gets saddled with a lot of drivers that live south or west and those drivers had little to no choice but to operate up there.  If you aren't already familiar with the North side, it can be a challenge.   Add to that the traffic and density up there, combined with the fact most NP routes are downtown routes and yoy have a recipe for bad attitudes.  Obviously there are some south and west side drivers who prefer driving up north, but they tend to be more senior drivers.

With all of the passenger loads and traffic, it's easy to see why NP drivers can be quick to take off.  Heck. Brown Line operators are the fastest load and go rail operators in the system.   But it seems a lot of rookie operators get sent North.  Most CTA operators that I personally know started up there, but transferred at their first opportunity. 

[NewFlyerMCI]

On 2/13/2021 at 2:26 AM, artthouwill said:

Not sure  if its possible on CTA. but most Pace operators wait until the boarding passengers sit before pulling off from  a stop.  Would that affect running time on CTA?

I see you must've had some nice Pace operators. They need to send them to SW ?

[NewFlyerMCI]

On 2/13/2021 at 2:22 PM, strictures said:

I was going for the first seat behind the fold up handicapped seat. 

And yes, there are now many drivers on CTA that wait until you sit down & it's infuriating to me when the passenger decides to pass up empty seats & goes to the back of the bus while the driver waits for this dumbbell to sit. 

Related, It's always peeved me that some elderly passengers refuse to make use of the designated seats up front, and instead choose to take their cane or walker halfway or all the way to the back of the bus. Sometimes the seats will be empty, but other times it will be people who the seats aren't reserved for sitting there (although invisible disabilities are a thing). I'm truly surprised by how often I see something like this.

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

Related, It's always peeved me that some elderly passengers refuse to make use of the designated seats up front, and instead choose to take their cane or walker halfway or all the way to the back of the bus. Sometimes the seats will be empty, but other times it will be people who the seats aren't reserved for sitting there (although invisible disabilities are a thing). I'm truly surprised by how often I see something like this.

Reminds me of a  YouTube video on a 79th street bus where a wheelchair passenger had one priority seating area and an eldrrly man was sitting across from him in the other priority seating area.  Another wheelchair passenger boarded the bus and needed the area where the elderly man was sitting, but he would not budge.   The police wound up coming, but the man still wouldn't give up his seat.   

Legally.the man had a right to that seat.  I felt that he still could have moved to the first forward facing seats ad they are also priority seats.  It wasn't like the wheelchair passenger had another seat option.  Apparently the 2nd wheelchair passenger had no other choice but to board the next bus.

[strictures]

2 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

Related, It's always peeved me that some elderly passengers refuse to make use of the designated seats up front, and instead choose to take their cane or walker halfway or all the way to the back of the bus. Sometimes the seats will be empty, but other times it will be people who the seats aren't reserved for sitting there (although invisible disabilities are a thing). I'm truly surprised by how often I see something like this.

I won't use that first fold up seat facing forward, because I need to use a stanchion or seat back to help get up, so I go for the first seat behind that if available.  In regard to that first fold up seat, sometimes that hanging strap has been pushed out of the way & it makes it hard for me to get up.   For a very short ride, I'll use the first sideways seat, next to the wheel well, as there's something to grab onto to get up with.

[NewFlyerMCI]

15 hours ago, artthouwill said:

Reminds me of a  YouTube video on a 79th street bus where a wheelchair passenger had one priority seating area and an eldrrly man was sitting across from him in the other priority seating area.  Another wheelchair passenger boarded the bus and needed the area where the elderly man was sitting, but he would not budge.   The police wound up coming, but the man still wouldn't give up his seat.   

Legally.the man had a right to that seat.  I felt that he still could have moved to the first forward facing seats ad they are also priority seats.  It wasn't like the wheelchair passenger had another seat option.  Apparently the 2nd wheelchair passenger had no other choice but to board the next bus.

I've seen bus drivers skip wheelchair passengers before for this reason; they don't want to make the 4-5 elderly folks in the seat have to move. I think the worst situation I've seen is a wheelchair passenger skipped simply because the bus was crowded (I assume that was the reason, people were ahead of the line, it was that bad). I imagine the scenario you described has to be a no-win situation. I'm sure the passengers were none to happy either.

This makes me wonder about the Nova's: Is that first seat behind the driver still going to be there for these new buses?

[NewFlyerMCI]

I was wondering, would it be worth it if pace orders artics for the 352? NICE Bus out on long island bought 5 XN60s a couple years back for use on their busiest, most frequent route, the n6, and my friend that lives out there said they were amazing. NICE & Pace are similar enough were such a practice might be beneficial as well, but I don't know for certain. Thoughts? I think the ridership might support it and there are no serious turns or streets that would impede the use of artics.

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

I was wondering, would it be worth it if pace orders artics for the 352? NICE Bus out on long island bought 5 XN60s a couple years back for use on their busiest, most frequent route, the n6, and my friend that lives out there said they were amazing. NICE & Pace are similar enough were such a practice might be beneficial as well, but I don't know for certain. Thoughts? I think the ridership might support it and there are no serious turns or streets that would impede the use of artics.

The 352 is pretty close to a straight line routes.  I wonder if Pace would have to adjust the loading area at Harvey's Transit Center, but I think artics on that route is a great idea.  Since they don't need a bunch, maybe they could piggyback on another agency's order.  Since CTA has a wealth of artics, Pace could purchase or lease some of the 4300s. But more than likely they'll need to piggyback on an order for CNG artics.  I didn't think Pace has any other artic worthy route.

[YoungBusLover]

2 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

I've seen bus drivers skip wheelchair passengers before for this reason; they don't want to make the 4-5 elderly folks in the seat have to move. I think the worst situation I've seen is a wheelchair passenger skipped simply because the bus was crowded (I assume that was the reason, people were ahead of the line, it was that bad). I imagine the scenario you described has to be a no-win situation. I'm sure the passengers were none to happy either.

This makes me wonder about the Nova's: Is that first seat behind the driver still going to be there for these new buses?

Operators that do that are playing a dangerous game by passing up ADA passengers becuase a majority of the time CTA will take priority over anything else when it comes to complaints being made. I get that it can a hassle at times trying to indulge in getting everyone to corporate smoothly but anytime I get a wheelchair I make everyone move regardless of what's going on becuase at the end of the day ADA passengers are the number one priority. 

[YoungBusLover]

17 hours ago, artthouwill said:

Reminds me of a  YouTube video on a 79th street bus where a wheelchair passenger had one priority seating area and an eldrrly man was sitting across from him in the other priority seating area.  Another wheelchair passenger boarded the bus and needed the area where the elderly man was sitting, but he would not budge.   The police wound up coming, but the man still wouldn't give up his seat.   

Legally.the man had a right to that seat.  I felt that he still could have moved to the first forward facing seats ad they are also priority seats.  It wasn't like the wheelchair passenger had another seat option.  Apparently the 2nd wheelchair passenger had no other choice but to board the next bus.

That video from Ford City was quite halrious no one wanted to budge at all. 

[NewFlyerMCI]

2 hours ago, YoungBusLover said:

Operators that do that are playing a dangerous game by passing up ADA passengers becuase a majority of the time CTA will take priority over anything else when it comes to complaints being made. I get that it can a hassle at times trying to indulge in getting everyone to corporate smoothly but anytime I get a wheelchair I make everyone move regardless of what's going on becuase at the end of the day ADA passengers are the number one priority. 

Totally understand. I think that specific day (and I'm making an assumption here) is that at least one person would've had to get off the bus (not counting the people that would've had to get off to make room for the wheelchair get on) which is why the bus driver did what they did. CTA is actually pretty good about wheelchair passengers (compared to other places I've frequent taken the bus)

[sw4400]

Shannoncvpi on the Bus Garage Rosters thread: Dam so cta already said that the new novas gone pic up at 8350 or thats just a big guess

 

Did the CTA confirm about the next model already? I don't recall reading a confirmation on the model of the next bus.

[YoungBusLover]

39 minutes ago, sw4400 said:

Shannoncvpi on the Bus Garage Rosters thread: Dam so cta already said that the new novas gone pic up at 8350 or thats just a big guess

 

Did the CTA confirm about the next model already? I don't recall reading a confirmation on the model of the next bus.

Yeah they confirmed that NovaBus would manufacture a similar model to that of the last 25 the agency received with a few new additional modifications. 

[Shannoncvpi]

On 2/15/2021 at 3:03 PM, YoungBusLover said:

Operators that do that are playing a dangerous game by passing up ADA passengers becuase a majority of the time CTA will take priority over anything else when it comes to complaints being made. I get that it can a hassle at times trying to indulge in getting everyone to corporate smoothly but anytime I get a wheelchair I make everyone move regardless of what's going on becuase at the end of the day ADA passengers are the number one priority. 

Yea they are I tell people to get up I got a wheelchair coming dome don t like it I say get up or get tf off

[Shannoncvpi]

7 minutes ago, Shannoncvpi said:

Yea they are I tell people to get up I got a wheelchair coming & to get up if they dont like it I say get up or get tf off

 

[BusHunter]

You know I was reading on chistreetsblog that the new buses will have on board advertising. So it will have something similar to transit TV that was on the Pace buses for awhile? Also cta wants to order vinyl seats with the order. So what the seats will be like the tmc seats in the 4400s? I kind of like those seats but they were easier to vandalize. Just don't order fiberglass seats they look cheap and are hard on your derriere. 

Cta continues saying they will still be going all electric by 2040. So if that is true this may be the last diesel order they will execute. Still going all electric is a real lofty goal, but it will be interesting  to see what happens to the gas industry as less of their product is being used. Will prices raise sky high? If so it may be good to order alternative fuel buses. Pace seems more realistic to me. 

Also the transit tracking screens you see in some buses being tested like #8011 will be standard on this order. Probably will be an improved version just because of technology.

[BusOps]

2 hours ago, BusHunter said:

 Also cta wants to order vinyl seats with the order. So what the seats will be like the tmc seats in the 4400s? I kind of like those seats but they were easier to vandalize. Just don't order fiberglass seats they look cheap and are hard on your derriere. 

New type of seat cushion. Maybe coming with the new bus order. More of a vinyl material with texture instead of that slick plastic seat you slip off of. Bus 8275

[Erin Mishkin Jr.]

28 minutes ago, BusOps said:

New type of seat cushion. Maybe coming with the new bus order. More of a vinyl material with texture instead of that slick plastic seat you slip off of. Bus 8275

Cool, or it could've been a relacement for the cloth cover

[BusHunter]

14 hours ago, BusOps said:

New type of seat cushion. Maybe coming with the new bus order. More of a vinyl material with texture instead of that slick plastic seat you slip off of. Bus 8275

Yeah that's probably it. They would want to test that. On the fiberglass test seats when the operator hits the brakes your rump slides. The cloth seats get nasty especially when the insert breaks down/needs replacing. Probably vinyl would be the best. They get hot in the sun. Maybe if they have tinted windows that may not be a problem.