Pulse (Dempster Route)

[MetroShadow]

So I've been out of the City, working in industry, for the better of the last five years, but have we seen any progress with the Dempster Line, despite the media that says "Operations in 2020...?"

Edited March 10, 2020 by MetroShadow
grammar correction.

[MetroShadow]

On 3/6/2020 at 5:39 AM, BusHunter said:

Did some investigating. Yeah those 10 buses should be for Dempster pulse. The timeline states delivery of vehicles in 2019-20 and the startup in 2020. They probably will start it without kiosks. Milwaukee pulse kiosks opened in December and we know the pulse milwaukee startup was way before that. I think Dempster pulse is going to be a hit. 

Case in point...

[NewFlyerMCI]

Glorified express buses. Either do BRT or don't do it at all. Pulse Milwaukee should've started with all stations open, all door boarding, PoP and TSP functional, which I still don't think it is, happy to be wrong on that. I'll be the first to say that dedicated bus lanes aren't the easiest thing to get started up, nor am I famililar enough with the area to know if they're truly needed, but the rest should've been done by opening or should've been added. And now we're looking at a repeat.

[artthouwill]

23 hours ago, MetroShadow said:

Case in point...

My understanding is that Dempster Pulse service won't start before 2021.  I don't think construction starts until January 2021.  Halsted Pulse is or will be in environmental and traffic analysis this year.

Back to Dempster Pulse, as this may influence where the 10 additional New Flyers will be assigned. 

[BusHunter]

Halsted Pulse will probably need CNGs when the time comes.

[NewFlyerMCI]

26 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Halsted Pulse will probably need CNGs when the time comes.

My understanding was that they were going to upgrade/retrofit existing CNG buses into Pulse service since the introduction of Pulse coincides with "reduced" service on the 352

[BusHunter]

Possibly but how are they going to put chargers on the bus? Or multicolored displays. While they could do all of this they probably need a retrofit contract to do it. They could always run pulse out of sw 95th moves fast 3 lanes each direction. The deadhead time could almost be the same. Wasnt 95 supposed to get a pulse route anyway?

[NewFlyerMCI]

7 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

Possibly but how are they going to put chargers on the bus? Or multicolored displays. While they could do all of this they probably need a retrofit contract to do it. They could always run pulse out of sw 95th moves fast 3 lanes each direction. The deadhead time could almost be the same. Wasnt 95 supposed to get a pulse route anyway?

95th St corridor is currently in the planning study stage, which started late fall 2018. And yes, they'd have to retrofit, but I imagine itd be cheaper than buying 10-15 new CNG buses

[artthouwill]

1 hour ago, BusHunter said:

Possibly but how are they going to put chargers on the bus? Or multicolored displays. While they could do all of this they probably need a retrofit contract to do it. They could always run pulse out of sw 95th moves fast 3 lanes each direction. The deadhead time could almost be the same. Wasnt 95 supposed to get a pulse route anyway?

If you mean SW running Pulse service for 352, that won't work.  Markham's infinitely closer to Harvey and Chicago Heights than Bridgeview, even  if the SW buses deadhead via I - 294.  The peak direction is NB a.m. rush, SB p.m. rush.  They can either retrofit the existing CNGs, or order 15 additional New Flyers with CNG.

[artthouwill]

I have an idea.  Since Pace's new New Flyers look more like Pulse buses, why can't Pace change the Pulse color to Purple?  It would be a matter of wrapping the buses in  Purple with a Pace Pulse logo.   Purple branding would differentiate Pulse from regular Pace buses.  The Pulse buses already ha6a light Purple tint in its interior lighting. Pace can also use purple lighting on its destination signs for Pulse.   Thoughts?

[NewFlyerMCI]

2 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I have an idea.  Since Pace's new New Flyers look more like Pulse buses, why can't Pace change the Pulse color to Purple?  It would be a matter of wrapping the buses in  Purple with a Pace Pulse logo.   Purple branding would differentiate Pulse from regular Pace buses.  The Pulse buses already ha6a light Purple tint in its interior lighting. Pace can also use purple lighting on its destination signs for Pulse.   Thoughts?

Purple with green highlights, certainly. I could get behind this for sure. I also think they could let up with the purple lightning, it's somewhat harsh

[chicagocubs6323]

6 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I have an idea.  Since Pace's new New Flyers look more like Pulse buses, why can't Pace change the Pulse color to Purple?  It would be a matter of wrapping the buses in  Purple with a Pace Pulse logo.   Purple branding would differentiate Pulse from regular Pace buses.  The Pulse buses already ha6a light Purple tint in its interior lighting. Pace can also use purple lighting on its destination signs for Pulse.   Thoughts?

You're literally describing what already exists

[artthouwill]

9 hours ago, chicagocubs6323 said:

You're literally describing what already exists

When I would see those buses at O"Hare they weren't wrapped.  I would see 2 of them running the 250.  Glad they got around to taking my idea! LOL!

[Mr.NewFlyer1051]

2 hours ago, artthouwill said:

When I would see those buses at O"Hare they weren't wrapped.  I would see 2 of them running the 250.  Glad they got around to taking my idea! LOL!

that was way before pulse began in august now they permanently on pulse milwaukee 

[NewFlyerMCI]

20 hours ago, artthouwill said:

I have an idea.  Since Pace's new New Flyers look more like Pulse buses, why can't Pace change the Pulse color to Purple?  It would be a matter of wrapping the buses in  Purple with a Pace Pulse logo.   Purple branding would differentiate Pulse from regular Pace buses.  The Pulse buses already ha6a light Purple tint in its interior lighting. Pace can also use purple lighting on its destination signs for Pulse.   Thoughts?

 

13 hours ago, chicagocubs6323 said:

You're literally describing what already exists

 

 

4 hours ago, artthouwill said:

When I would see those buses at O"Hare they weren't wrapped.  I would see 2 of them running the 250.  Glad they got around to taking my idea! LOL!

I thought he meant a modification to the existing design where the whole bus would be purple instead of just a gradient ?

[BusHunter]

You guys lost me when you said 250. 250 is not a pulse route at least not yet. 

[chicagocubs6323]

16 minutes ago, BusHunter said:

You guys lost me when you said 250. 250 is not a pulse route at least not yet. 

I actually caught a Pulse bus on the 250 weeks ago no joke.  

[Smolensk]

I rode a Pulse bus on Route 209 last fall (October or November).  I thought it odd to use such a large bus given how few people ride that route.

And one Sunday in March (before the lockdown) I saw a Pulse bus go by displaying a Route 270 sign.  That might have been really confusing to any passengers waiting for a Rt 270 bus.  The passengers might have assumed the bus wasn't going to stop and backed away from the bus stop and then had to wait another hour for another bus.

[NewFlyerMCI]

Pulse has the logo on the Transit app, first time I’ve seen something like this (well, the J14 does have the Jump logo)

[BusHunter]

4 hours ago, NewFlyerMCI said:

Pulse has the logo on the Transit app, first time I’ve seen something like this (well, the J14 does have the Jump logo)

Hey i'm surprised the UP is on there. Was looking at the Pulse wrap the other day. Around the windows that doesn't appear to be a wrap. There's like screens over the windows, they look kind of thick. I'm surprised the buses are not dark inside. Never noticed that before.

[NewFlyerMCI]

8 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Hey i'm surprised the UP is on there. Was looking at the Pulse wrap the other day. Around the windows that doesn't appear to be a wrap. There's like screens over the windows, they look kind of thick. I'm surprised the buses are not dark inside. Never noticed that before.

All transit services in the region show up. I frequently check to see if I can take the ME back to the south side vs the 3, 4, J14 or Green lines

[trainman8119]

On 6/30/2020 at 2:20 PM, BusHunter said:

Hey i'm surprised the UP is on there. Was looking at the Pulse wrap the other day. Around the windows that doesn't appear to be a wrap. There's like screens over the windows, they look kind of thick. I'm surprised the buses are not dark inside. Never noticed that before.

The buses are dark inside. They have a depressing purple lighting. Personally, I'm not impressed one bit with this service and wish they would just return the 270 to the way it was and forget the 250. Sadly, it'll never happen.

[Tcmetro]

Purchase agreements for bus shelters and pylon signs will come before the board at the Feb 17 meeting.

https://www.pacebus.com/sites/default/files/2021-02/Public Notice Pace Board Meeting Agenda February 17 2021.pdf

[Busjack]

6 hours ago, jackathan said:

Pace will get CNG's for the Pulse system, starting with the Pulse Dempster Line. Perhaps they might as well replace the existing ElDorado Diesel buses running on the Pulse Milwaukee Line.

There's a topic for that. It isn't CTA/Proterra.

5 hours ago, BusHunter said:

Dempster Pulse is slated to run out of norrh shore, its unknown if any will run out of nw. Most likely whats now on milwaukee pulse will go to dempster. Milwaukee will get new cngs though. Whether they get the first ones remain to be seen. I see a similar thing happening as dundee outstation garage. New buses might go to the new garage and when theres enough of them the garage might open with all new buses. 

Wrong. If you watched the Jan. Board meeting, they ordered 20 Pulse buses (reference here), and it was said that the delivery was to be coordinated with Dempster Pulse. 11 diesel Pulse buses were assigned to Milwaukee (6510- 6512, 6514-6521) and it was questionable whether that many were ever necessary. The construction plan listed Dempster under both NS and NW expansion, but it's pretty clear there isn't going to be any NS expansion. But I suppose you know where the other 9 Pulse CNGs are going. Halsted already has its (20500s).

[Railguy]

The 20 are for Milwaukee and Dempster Pulse.