Bustracker's buses

[jajuan]

Well, it appears the system could not handle that today was a holiday and that Sunday/holiday schedules are in effect. I tried this morning to get a sense of how the 12 Roosevelt was operating so that I could judge how much extra time I should give myself so I could make it to work on time. The system would only show me westbound when I needed eastbound and no buses were appearing on system. I see now that they added a message on the Bustracker homepage stating that there are issues with the system because of today's holiday schedules.

[Busjack]

Well, it appears the system could not handle that today was a holiday and that Sunday/holiday schedules are in effect. I tried this morning to get a sense of how the 12 Roosevelt was operating so that I could judge how much extra time I should give myself so I could make it to work on time. The system would only show me westbound when I needed eastbound and no buses were appearing on system. I see now that they added a message on the Bustracker homepage stating that there are issues with the system because of today's holiday schedules.

I sort of noticed the same when trying to track down 1831 (which, as my sighting at FG indicated, wouldn't have been on BusTracker anyway). There were no 56 buses, 2 20s, and initially no 63s or 55s, although later one showed up. Pretty much mouse overing a stop would indicate no predicted arrival time.

There must be some connection to run numbers, but you would think that a bus signed in as a 56 would show up somewhere, even if the run number didn't correspond with the weekday schedule.

[cta5658]

hey kevin, when will the next garage get bus tracker

[jajuan]

This is interesting. I saw 1661 in service on the 12 Roosevelt with its destination signs and run box inoperable. Once I got home I notice that it still appears on Bustracker. I thought maybe it wouldn't show up on the Tracker because of its signs and run number box not working since they implied to me that the Clever Device unit may not have been working on that bus.

[Buslover88]

hey kevin, when will the next garage get bus tracker

I know this is for Kevin, but the tracker should be installed to the next garage sometime this month.

[Busjack]

This is interesting. I saw 1661 in service on the 12 Roosevelt with its destination signs and run box inoperable. Once I got home I notice that it still appears on Bustracker. I thought maybe it would show up on the Tracker because of its signs and run number box not working since they implied to me that the Clever Device unit may not have been working on that bus.

Might have been that the Luminator controller was out, but the CD was o.k.

[Busjack]

I know this is for Kevin, but the tracker should be installed to the next garage sometime this month.

CTA Tattler has published its take on this.

[greenstreet]

hey kevin, when will the next garage get bus tracker

There won't be any routes going live on Bus Tracker in September, and they haven't made an announcement yet about whether they will release any in October, according to reports.

[Buslover88]

CTA Tattler has published its take on this.

Thanks for the link. While i'm not too happy with CTA's idea (I was hoping that more routes can be added), I think that's good that they're improving the tracker and fixing up the other buses already with the tracker.

[qwantae]

Does anynow know any idea what a next garage will be?

[jajuan]

Does anynow know any idea what a next garage will be?

From what some others have said to have discovered, no one will probably know until next month after the CTA's apparent hiatus in adding more routes for the time being. Apparently not enough TMCs and Flex 5300s have yet been retired to create the surplus of NFs and other Tracker equipped models needed at any one garage to add more routes to Bustracker in a significant number since there is a preference to add blocks of additional routes from one garage. It can be argued the additional routes can come from Kedzie, but apparently what's left at Kedzie to add is less than the number of routes CTA wishes add next. Also Kedzie and other Tracker capable garages sharing some routes with garages that still have a significant number of 1991 buses as well as NP still having the 5800s which also aren't Bustracker equipped may be complicating the addition of more routes.

[nflyer22]

Kind of weird to me, but numerous Kedzie New Flyers (mainly the old ones) are on 74th routes today, ranging from about 1124 to 1161. Also spotted 1098 on the #63 63rd route from Chicago Garage I'm assuming. Another thing is that I haven't seen too many lower 6000s on the 74th routes too. Some upper New Flyers, like 1760 and 175x also have gone back. Who knows, 74th may just become a New Flyer garage...

UPDATE: Also found 6438 on #63 63rd also in the pic.

Also saw 1118 on another route, I forgot which though, and 1110 on #44.

[Buslover88]

spotted 1098 on the #63 63rd route from Chicago Garage I'm assuming.

That is REALLY strange. I just saw it yesterday operating #53 Pulaski .

[BusExpert32]

Kind of weird to me, but numerous Kedzie New Flyers (mainly the old ones) are on 74th routes today, ranging from about 1124 to 1161. Also spotted 1098 on the #63 63rd route from Chicago Garage I'm assuming. Another thing is that I haven't seen too many lower 6000s on the 74th routes too. Some upper New Flyers, like 1760 and 175x also have gone back. Who knows, 74th may just become a New Flyer garage...

UPDATE: Also found 6468 on #63 63rd also in the pic.

Also saw 1118 on another route, I forgot which though, and 1110 on #44.

It's actually #6438 in the first picture, and I guess that would be significant, since 6438 is at 77th and 6468 is at Archer.

Also, according to the updated bus assignments page, Chicago swapped New Flyers for 6000s with 74th and Kedzie did the same as well.

[Busjack]

Also, according to the updated bus assignments page, Chicago swapped New Flyers for 6000s with 74th and Kedzie did the same as well.

That's real strange. Chicago, maybe to get rid of 5300s before 3 track ends makes sense, but converting Kedzie back from an all NF and NABI back to having some 6000s (which it had on two earlier stints) really doesn't, unless this is a signal of an impending arrival of DE60LFs.

As I said, the unpredicatable Johnny Rodz strikes again.

[wordguy]

Kind of weird to me, but numerous Kedzie New Flyers (mainly the old ones) are on 74th routes today, ranging from about 1124 to 1161. Also spotted 1098 on the #63 63rd route from Chicago Garage I'm assuming. Another thing is that I haven't seen too many lower 6000s on the 74th routes too. Some upper New Flyers, like 1760 and 175x also have gone back. Who knows, 74th may just become a New Flyer garage...

UPDATE: Also found 6468 on #63 63rd also in the pic.

Also saw 1118 on another route, I forgot which though, and 1110 on #44.

===As of this moment, it looks as if the swap is still a work in progress because there seems to be some overlap. 1155 is still operating out of Kedzie while 1161 has already migrated to 74th St.

Maybe the CTA planners have finally come to their senses and are doing the logical thing: dispersing the 6000s. At this time, it looks as if however many 6000s are going to Chicago Ave. are being swapped for 1000s. But as more NFs arrive, maybe some of the 6000s WILL start replacing 5300s.

[jajuan]

That's real strange. Chicago, maybe to get rid of 5300s before 3 track ends makes sense, but converting Kedzie back from an all NF and NABI back to having some 6000s (which it had on two earlier stints) really doesn't, unless this is a signal of an impending arrival of DE60LFs.

As I said, the unpredicatable Johnny Rodz strikes again.

Which would explain why I saw 6081 heading northbound on Kedzie at Roosevelt earlier this afternoon. It was empty with a blank destination sign, indicating to me it was heading to Kedzie garage. My thought was why does it seem that Kedzie is getting 6000s again? And from 74th of all places. It also explains why it seemed to be a heck of a lot more NFs on Ashland this morning than I would normally see on any day. I'm hoping, like Busjack suggests, that this is in preparation for Chicago and Kedzie getting DE60LFs, which would make these 6000s now at both part of the up to half to be retired and scrapped. Kedzie had finally gotten rid of its junk buses earlier this year, so I was not happy to learn that it and Chicago got more junk this weekend. From a check on Bustracker, 74th is shown to have approximately from 1100 up to at least 1157. The lowest number I saw was 1104 and the highest 1157. It also looks like the lower 1300s (1300s-1320s) have been returned to 77th. There was nothing showing up at 74th with those numbers. So Chicago swapped what it had from maybe as low as 1100 to 1121. Kedzie gave up 1122 up through its 1150s. At least Kedzie is sticking to its prior policy of not using junk on the weekends. Plus 74th fortunately has more newer equipment to use with its NF count now between it looks like 70 and 80 buses, maybe a little more.

UPDATE====>Just saw the earlier posts spotting 1098 and 1161 at 74th along with the return of some upper 1700s that had been at 77th, which makes sense because the 1300 number buses have been returned it seems. Kevin also responded to a Chicago operator's question about this in a separate thread started to ask about the 6000 swap there. He says that both Chicago and Kedzie are to swap out 40 NFs each. I guess it is also definite that 74th once again has all its upper 1700s back because Kevin says counting the 80 total NFs swapped in along with its 30 it already had, it should have 110 NFs after the swap. So the NF ranges at 74th should be 1082-1161 and 1731-1760. At Kedzie, I'm guessing come Monday morning those 40 6000s will be seen mostly on 12, 18, 52 and 82 if the trend still holds that 6000s are not seen in the heart of downtown (though I'm not saying this will remain to be the case) and previous Kedzie bus assignment trends after its TMC count had dropped down less than 50 are applied. That would scratch too much use on primarily NF heavy Kedzie downtown routes 7, 38, 125, 126, 143, morning 148 trips, 151 and 157 and 40 foot assignment to complement NABIs on 134, weekday 145, pm 148 trips or an even rarer 40 foot assignment on 156. I don't even put the 8 in consideration, because outside of the few TMC sightings the first couple weeks after 3/23, Kedzie has had that route NF exclusive.

[Busjack]

Yes, the 1750s are now showing up.

[nflyer22]

It's actually #6438 in the first picture, and I guess that would be significant, since 6438 is at 77th and 6468 is at Archer.

Also, according to the updated bus assignments page, Chicago swapped New Flyers for 6000s with 74th and Kedzie did the same as well.

Fixed it. Thanks for correcting me. Looked all morning on the routes to see some 6000s show up on some Kedzie and maybe #20 from Chicago, but jajuan was right, both are not using old equipment on weekends, compared to 74th routes, of which the majority are with New Flyers.

[sht6131]

It's actually #6438 in the first picture, and I guess that would be significant, since 6438 is at 77th and 6468 is at Archer.

Also, according to the updated bus assignments page, Chicago swapped New Flyers for 6000s with 74th and Kedzie did the same as well.

Is the updated bus assignment page accessible to us? If so, I would really be interested to monitor it.

[BusExpert32]

Is the updated bus assignment page accessible to us? If so, I would really be interested to monitor it.

It's on the top right corner of ChicagoBus.org's home page.

[sht6131]

It's on the top right corner of ChicagoBus.org's home page.

Thank you. I am aware of that. I thought there was a more detailed assignment listing but with all the swapping going on I suppose its impossible to do at this time.

Thanks again

[Busjack]

No bus bunching, eh?

[Buslover88]

No bus bunching, eh?

After looking at the photo you provided, I came to this conclusion: #1093 and #1128 are right behind each other (figure of speech or whatever, lol) while #6318 is at least three stops from those two buses, so to me, it doesn't appear to be bus bunching, but it could be thought of that way since the buses are almost on top of each other and the fact there is not a single bus anywhere behind or in front of those buses.

[trainman8119]

After looking at the photo you provided, I came to this conclusion: #1093 and #1128 are right behind each other (figure of speech or whatever, lol) while #6318 is at least three stops from those two buses, so to me, it doesn't appear to be bus bunching, but it could be thought of that way since the buses are almost on top of each other and the fact there is not a single bus anywhere behind or in front of those buses.

If that is not considered bus bunching to you, then what is ????? What should be noted, is that with this wonderful "toy", and with bunching supposed to be such a "high priority problem", nothing is being done to address it. To me, still a big waste of money !!!!!