BxM2 Revises Northbound Route In Manhattan
Yesterday afternoon, MTA Bus announced that beginning on Sunday, April 17, the northbound Manhattan route of the BxM2 would be revised. Here are the details courtesy of the press release I received:
MTA Bus Company announces that beginning Sunday, April 17 the BxM2 express bus route to Riverdale will be revised in order to provide consistent service along the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Currently, the BxM2 from Riverdale travels south on Fifth Avenue from West 106th Street, then turns west on 79th Street using the Transverse through Central Park to Columbus Avenue, then south on Columbus Avenue to Broadway serving stops along the route to drop-off customers.
On the return trip, however, the BxM2 traveled north on Broadway to Amsterdam Avenue, east on West 72nd Street to Central Park West (CPW), then north on CPW to West 96th Street and through Central Park using the 96th Street Transverse to Madison Avenue, then north on Madison Avenue. The bus traveled non-stop between CPW and West 81st Street and Madison Avenue at 99th Street. The different travel paths were an inconvenience to round-trip customers because they had to walk up to one mile to access the bus to return to Riverdale.
In order to increase customer convenience and marketability, we revised the Riverdale-bound route to operate from Broadway to Amsterdam Avenue, east on West 81st Street and through Central Park using the 79th Street Transverse (instead of the 96th Street Transverse) to Madison Avenue. This will allow access to the Upper East Side to serve bus stops on Madison Avenue proximate to the southbound stops on Fifth Avenue. We also expect customers visiting venues along the Museum Mile to benefit from the route change as well.
There would be no change in operating costs and we expect that over time, the reroute will generate increased ridership and revenue.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Darryl Irick Will Head All MTA Bus Divisions
Earlier today, MTA Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder announced that Darryl Irick will be the new head of all MTA bus divisions. Here is more courtesy of a press release I received:
Citing a depth of experience covering all areas of bus operations from maintenance to service planning, MTA Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder today named Darryl Irick to the permanent posts of MTA New York City Transit Senior Vice President of Buses, President MTA Bus Company and President MTA Long Island Bus. Irick has been the acting head of the MTA’s bus divisions since late last year when former bus head Joe Smith announced his retirement.
“That’s a lot of titles but Darryl is a perfect fit for the job of providing safe, efficient and dependable transportation for New Yorkers,” said Chairman Walder. “Darryl is taking this job at an extremely challenging time, but I know that he is strongly focused on the MTA’s goals of providing faster bus service and more real-time information for the nearly three million customers who depend on buses every day.”
Beginning his NYC Transit career in 1986 as a Bus Operator working out of the Kingsbridge Bus Depot in Manhattan’s Inwood section, Irick moved up to earn progressively more senior positions in the areas of depot management, operations planning and road operations.
A New York City resident, he is coming into this leadership role at a particularly challenging time when bus services are expected to continue to improve even in the face of severe budget constraints. He views the delivery of services as a business model and will maintain a core commitment to offer safe, customer-focused and efficient service, while overseeing improvements such as Select Bus Service, camera-enforced bus lanes and the rollout of MTA Bus Time, which provides real-time bus location information. Irick will also manage the orderly transition of LI Bus services to Nassau County’s selected operator by the end of 2011.
“The MTA’s bus customers expect a lot from us each day and it is my job to deliver. Challenging times are no excuse for falling back and making do,” said Irick. “We have done a lot, but I intend to make certain that customers see further, tangible improvements – improved communications with customers and a commitment to providing service that our customers can depend on.”
He has already faced the challenge of one of the harshest winters in the City’s history. Under his leadership, his team devised new approaches to winter storm response, resulting in a much improved response and more efficient delivery of customer information during disruptions.
In total, the MTA’s bus operations transport 2.8 million daily bus customers throughout an operating area of more than 900 square miles. The total fleet includes nearly 6,000 buses and the three divisions are supported by 18,500 employees working out of 40 facilities stretching from Yonkers to Rockville Center.
Congratulations go out to Mr. Irick. Hopefully he does a good job with bringing up the quality of every bus division under his watch & lead it to a more prosperous future. Only time will tell if he was the right man for the job.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Service Diversions 04-11-11
I have just updated the Service Diversions page by removing all of the weekend work that wrapped up by a minute ago. The planned work for this week & beyond in some cases has been moved to the forefront.
I suggest printing out a copy before heading to your destination. If you have an internet capable handheld device, you can use it to access the mobile version of this site. The next update will be sometime on Thursday or Friday after I received the planned weekend diversions from the MTA directly.
As always, stay safe & have a wonderful week.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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The MTA Prepares For Next Budget War
A new year yet a very familiar story. The MTA is up against it financially & any sort of budget miracle seems to be a fantasy. The latest issue stems from the budget plan released by Rep. Paul Ryan last week which would cost the cash strapped agency $2.3B over a 10 year period.
While the likelihood of his plan passing is slim to none, it does not change the fact that MTA is in a huge financial bind including having no funding for the last 3 years of the current Capital Program. Erik Engquist & Jeremy Smerd of Crain’s New York have more:
This season’s budget battles, whether federal or state, spell out a common theme: funding trouble for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The budget plan of Rep. Paul Ryan that House Republicans unveiled last week would cost the MTA more than $2.3 billion over 10 years in funding for rail and bus infrastructure and security projects, Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-Brooklyn/Queens, calculates. While that plan for 2012 is unlikely to pass, cuts in federal funding for the MTA appear probable.
A larger problem for the agency is that the last three years of its five-year, $26.3 billion capital plan have no state funding, and it’s unclear how it will be raised. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who did not appropriate money for the capital plan in the new budget, has not said whether his no-new-taxes pledge applies to the MTA capital plan.
Meanwhile, state Sen. Martin Golden, R-Brooklyn, intends to introduce legislation to eliminate the 50-cent surcharge on taxi rides that goes to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s operating budget. The surcharge brought in $81 million during the state fiscal year that ended March 31.
Click here for the complete report.
Let’s face reality here, the MTA is not crying wolf here. While many feel the agency has two sets of books, wastes money that could fix this overnight, etc… the fact is these myths are not true. While the agency has waste issues, they have at least attempted to clean up that side of things lately. However even if they cleaned up every aspect & wasted not one cent, they would still be in a bind.
The state of our system from the equipment to the infrastructure, & future service depends on having money available for them to use. For over two decades, our elected officials have continued to shaft the agency of much needed cash.
While the agency was able to find a way to get things done, it mainly came at the expense of the riders. However at some point, everything will hit the fan & we could see a steep loss in our transportation network.
This is the time for people to get with the program & rally to get our elected officials to find legitimate ways to help fund the agency & end the practice of shortchanging them. If you ignore what is obviously staring you in the face, don’t cry when base fares are $3+ & 30 day unlimited cards approaching $150!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Time To Play Guess The Wi-Fi Car!
Riders of the Metro-North’s New Haven line get ready to participate in the latest game show phenomenon, “Guess The Wi-Fi”. In this game, riders will pay their fares & hope behind that magical ticket & subsequent seat is wi-fi access on your commute!
According to a brief report in Sunday’s New York Post, the MTA has secretly equipped one car on the New Haven line with wi-fi. The car is not being revealed due to the agency phasing in the project which is not complete. Here is the Post’s brief report by Annie Karni:
All aboard the MTA’s mystery Internet train.
Computer-addicted commuters who ride the Metro-North to and from Grand Central could be surfing the Web during the ride — but they don’t even know it.
One car on the New Haven line has been secretly equipped with Wi-Fi, as part of a covert three-month pilot program the MTA has rolled out, The Post has learned.
The MTA isn’t telling commuters which car is connected because the system is “not ready for prime time,” spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said.
The train car has an outside antenna that receives a cellular signal from AT&T. Inside the car, a router converts cell service to Wi-Fi.
The MTA is currently reviewing three proposals to carry Wi-Fi throughout the Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road systems and to provide 32-inch digital screens in cars for advertising and real-time updates about schedules and delays.
Installing digital screens would cost up to $38,000 per car, according to an MTA request for proposals issued last March.
I wish I could be there to see the spectacle of people whipping out their devices to see if they are the lucky winners in getting wi-fi service. Eventually the car will be revealed online & then people will flock to the car like the sheep many are & feel like they accomplished something.
If you ask me, it is not a big deal. While wi-fi service is great to have on the railroad, thanks to Optimum Wi-Fi working on the LIRR, I find the agency has more pressing things to get accomplished. While it does not sound like the cost for this project is a lot, it does seem like a waste of resources during these economic times.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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