Bustracker's buses

[Busjack]

From the what I understand of previous reports most of the issues have been with the routes from 74th. There'll probably always be an instance here and there with a bus not showing up on the system, but they sitll have to work harder to get the bugs out of the system. That's just the nature of technology. Getting the bugs out doesn't always happen overnight, but there should be a red flag in terms of a lot of the most recent glitches happening with one garage.

However, since the RedEye reported that 74th had it internally at least from Dec. 2007, the bugs should have been worked out. Even if old buses, they got new equipment, and the bugs in the 1731-1760 range do not seem to be corrected (except that 1741 and 1748 consistently show up).

Buslover noted the disclaimer on the website, and while necessary, shouldn't become the rule.

A side note, I happened to notice yesterday that the unit the drivers log into up above the windshield has an indicator on the display showing the driver how far behind schedule his bus is during occurrences of the bus being late. It displays 'Late: x' with x being the number of minutes behind schedule. In this driver's case, he was 8 minutes off schedule.

However, it doesn't seem like the driver can do anything useful with that information. Maybe the supervisors can, but that apparently hasn't happened yet. In the absence of supervisor intervention, it may not be useful if buses are not bunched, but all are consistently off. Just seems like something for the metrics.

[jajuan]

However, since the RedEye reported that 74th had it internally at least from Dec. 2007, the bugs should have been worked out. Even if old buses, they got new equipment, and the bugs in the 1731-1760 range do not seem to be corrected (except that 1741 and 1748 consistently show up).

I'm with you on that. I meant that the instances of maybe one or two buses on a route not showing up is a part of the ongoing process of working out the bugs in the system that can still to occur from time to time. The problems with 74th having so many invisible buses are out of control. Sorry if it sounded like I was stating otherwise. On the NF front, I've been seeing other buses on the system from that range more consistently for the past couple of weeks or so. I've actually been seeing more than half of them appear on the system now. I just don't remember ever seeing 1746, 1747, 1749, 1750, 1751, 1753, 1755, 1758 or 1760.

Buslover noted the disclaimer on the website, and while necessary, shouldn't become the rule.

However, it doesn't seem like the driver can do anything useful with that information. Maybe the supervisors can, but that apparently hasn't happened yet. In the absence of supervisor intervention, it may not be useful if buses are not bunched, but all are consistently off. Just seems like something for the metrics.

That was my thinking on this as well.

[jajuan]

I saw 902 sitting broke down westbound on Roosevelt at Homan Avenue. Even though its destination sign was powered off, it still shows up on the Tracker. If you click the icon for it you get a message stating no arrival times available.

[Buslover88]

Buslover noted the disclaimer on the website, and while necessary, shouldn't become the rule.

Well, I don't like it either, but I was just stating facts.

[Busjack]

I saw 902 sitting broke down westbound on Roosevelt at Homan Avenue. Even though its destination sign was powered off, it still shows up on the Tracker. If you click the icon for it you get a message stating no arrival times available.

Might be the explanation for Kevin's Archer bus all of the sudden not making the stop.

Also, so much for the "only one hybrid breakdown" comment of Huberman's staying current.

[jajuan]

Also, so much for the "only one hybrid breakdown" comment of Huberman's staying current.

A statement that should have been thrown out the window a while ago anyway, given my observation of two 900-series hybrids suffering a breakdown, on this very same route ironically enough, within a couple of hours of each other back in late February/early March.

I mentioned it a month or so ago in a separate thread where the question camed up of if the hybrids had ever gone through a breakdown.

[BusHunter]

I'm with you on that. I meant that the instances of maybe one or two buses on a route not showing up is a part of the ongoing process of working out the bugs in the system that can still to occur from time to time. The problems with 74th having so many invisible buses are out of control. Sorry if it sounded like I was stating otherwise. On the NF front, I've been seeing other buses on the system from that range more consistently for the past couple of weeks or so. I've actually been seeing more than half of them appear on the system now. I just don't remember ever seeing 1746, 1747, 1749, 1750, 1751, 1753, 1755, 1758 or 1760.

I was somewhat surprised myself yesterday. Bustracker only showed #1746 yesterday for NF's on the entire Ashland corridor. When I rode the #9, I noticed #1740 and #1733 on there as well as invisible. Now both of those were on the tracker when Kevin first noted the #1730's on Bustracker. I haven't seen either in the last week on the tracker. So there are a few #1730's and 40's not appearing either. #1746 started appearing late last week. I've never seen any higher than #1748 myself. BTW, I saw a hybrid first yesterday. A hybrid on the #120. That started me wondering, can an #800 clear all the low clearances on lower Wacker Drive? It looks a little tight at the entrance/exit ramp at Randolph.

[jajuan]

I was somewhat surprised myself yesterday. Bustracker only showed #1746 yesterday for NF's on the entire Ashland corridor. When I rode the #9, I noticed #1740 and #1733 on there as well as invisible. Now both of those were on the tracker when Kevin first noted the #1730's on Bustracker. I haven't seen either in the last week on the tracker. So there are a few #1730's and 40's not appearing either. #1746 started appearing late last week. I've never seen any higher than #1748 myself. BTW, I saw a hybrid first yesterday. A hybrid on the #120. That started me wondering, can an #800 clear all the low clearances on lower Wacker Drive? It looks a little tight at the entrance/exit ramp at Randolph.

The 1750's that I have seen, I've only seen appear on the Tracker just once. I do remember seeing 1752 appear on the 63 and 1757 appear on the 75. For 1757 that was a day earlier last week, last Tuesday if I remember right. As for your hybrid sighting on the 120, that is an interesting sighting because I also would be wondering how the battery pack of an 800 series hybrid would make it through the lower clearances on that portion of lower Wacker.

[sht6131]

Quick screen shots

Before:

After:

Compare the addresses.

Busjack I am sorry to say that I am embarrassed to mention that when I go to route progress there is not an address on top of the screen to copy. Your screen has an address.

Would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks

Sandy

[Busjack]

Busjack I am sorry to say that I am embarrassed to mention that when I go to route progress there is not an address on top of the screen to copy. Your screen has an address.

Would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks

Sandy

As mentioned to buslover, you then have to right click and then get the Page Properties, and copy the url from that box.

A better suggestion would be to get Firefox 3 or IE 7, where the address bar does appear in web dialogs.

[Kevin]

It also may be possible to manually show the address bar for the window. For example, in Safari I'm able to show the toolbar/address bar via the View menu. Other browsers that don't show it by default may have a similar option.

[sht6131]

It also may be possible to manually show the address bar for the window. For example, in Safari I'm able to show the toolbar/address bar via the View menu. Other browsers that don't show it by default may have a similar option.

Thanks Kevin . I will keep trying.

Sandy

[jajuan]

BusTracker revealed a bit about how the PM 148 buses get into place downtown to begin service during that first hour of service. 1201 and 1634 were in service as 12 Roosevelt buses. I happened to click on the State and Van Buren northbound bus stop about 3:20 this afternoon to see what models the next 148 buses would be. It showed 1201, a NABI and 1634 as being next in line. I though something was screwy because I just saw 1201 and 1634 showing up as eastbound Roosevelt buses. I clicked on the icon for 1201 which at the time was at the Adler Planetarium. It showed its next stops as being Van Buren, Adams and Madison on State Street in the next 7-8 mins. And sure enough right now 1201 and 1634 are NB 148's. That might explain why I saw a Roosevelt bus showing K905 for a run number Wednesday afternoon. Also a couple of the NABIs that are on the 148 this afternoon were popping in and out southbound with 148 on their icons following the 145 routing. The icons disappear though as the buses continue on the Drive past the Michigan Ave. exit.

[BusExpert32]

BTW, Has anyone noticed today on the tracker, the #6400's at FG have moved south to Archer. #6476 on #60, #6480 on #62, #6468 on #21, #6470 on #54B, #6467 on #62H, and #6479 on #x49 were some that I found on the tracker.

But #6481 is still assigned to Forest Glen as it was operating on the 92 today (with the "F" sticker, runbox number, and all), so one can speculate that any signs of a numerical consistency plan were misleading. The Nova shuffle is becoming harder to follow as each day goes by.

One may wonder if the push to consolidate the Novas at two garages has also been aborted? Maybe someone from the CTA who is involved with making these decisions read some of our dislikement of the consolidation plan and brought it to attention(but not the arguement for spreading fleet types around for the busfans' liking, but for the arguement that the old and new should be evenly assigned to all garages). It would be a longshot, but things can happen. :lol:

[tobuadantoq]

But #6481 is still assigned to Forest Glen as it was operating on the 92 today (with the "F" sticker, runbox number, and all), so one can speculate that any signs of a numerical consistency plan were misleading. The Nova shuffle is becoming harder to follow as each day goes by.

One may wonder if the push to consolidate the Novas at two garages has also been aborted? Maybe someone from the CTA who is involved with making these decisions read some of our dislikement of the consolidation plan and brought it to attention(but not the arguement for spreading fleet types around for the busfans' liking, but for the arguement that the old and new should be evenly assigned to all garages). It would be a longshot, but things can happen.

That must be traded with 6709 and 6722.

[Buslover88]

Maybe someone from the CTA who is involved with making these decisions read some of our dislikement of the consolidation plan and brought it to attention

I highly doubt that. I really don't think CTA would care about what we said about it, and for that matter, I also doubt anybody from the CTA would suggest anything we said, unless it were rmadisonwi or another employee here on the forums, but I don't even think they would (no offense to anyone of course). Maybe there's just something that we don't know about what they're doing with the Novas behind closed doors.

[Busjack]

Taking a quick look this morning, a bunch around 1320 are virtually on 74 routes. See attached screenshot with 1319, 1321, and 1326.

Also 1314 on X9, 1320 on 52A, 1324 on 51 and 1325 on 44.

[Busjack]

Looking at the windows in the prior post, I don't see the &s=false in the address bar. I tried adding &s=true to a url and it didn't work (same display with or without). Did CTA discover the "unintended enhancement" (as Microsoft would have called it)?

[BusHunter]

But #6481 is still assigned to Forest Glen as it was operating on the 92 today (with the "F" sticker, runbox number, and all), so one can speculate that any signs of a numerical consistency plan were misleading. The Nova shuffle is becoming harder to follow as each day goes by.

Yeah, for some strange reason #6481 - #6486 didn't get transferred to Archer. I guess they ran out of amber Nova's to send to FG :lol:

[BusHunter]

Taking a quick look this morning, a bunch around 1320 are virtually on 74 routes. See attached screenshot with 1319, 1321, and 1326.

Also 1314 on X9, 1320 on 52A, 1324 on 51 and 1325 on 44.

So #1314 - #1328 are at 74th. I spotted #1402 on the #74 Fullerton on Saturday, so #1400 - #1404 are back at Chicago.

[Busjack]

So #1314 - #1328 are at 74th. I spotted #1402 on the #74 Fullerton on Saturday, so #1400 - #1404 are back at Chicago.

Also, 1312 just popped up on 55, 1313 on 63

[Buslover88]

Looking at the windows in the prior post, I don't see the &s=false in the address bar. I tried adding &s=true to a url and it didn't work (same display with or without). Did CTA discover the "unintended enhancement" (as Microsoft would have called it)?

They probably did as I tried it too and it didn't come up. I wish it was an "intended" enhancement.

[RJL6000]

Also, 1312 just popped up on 55, 1313 on 63

Eventually, 74th will be equipped with the former 77th NF's with the new-style seats (in addition to #1731-1760 which 74 received to begin with). 77 will keep those NF's with the old-style seats.

[BusHunter]

Eventually, 74th will be equipped with the former 77th NF's with the new-style seats (in addition to #1731-1760 which 74 received to begin with). 77 will keep those NF's with the old-style seats.

It sounds good, but by what I saw yesterday it may not be true. I spotted #1749 on the #4 and I also spotted #1754 on the #6. So it looks like 74th may be losing #1760 - #1731 in exchange for the #1300's. Talk about bad luck!!

[jajuan]

It sounds good, but by what I saw yesterday it may not be true. I spotted #1749 on the #4 and I also spotted #1754 on the #6. So it looks like 74th may be losing #1760 - #1731 in exchange for the #1300's. Talk about bad luck!!

This is one of those wait and see situations because a fair number of the NFs 74th originally received are in service this morning on 74th routes.