Riders Tripping On New Low Floor Buses
For those who have rode MTA NYC Transit buses over the years, dealing with those steps has proven to be a challenge at one point or another. However the agency has been investing in new low floor buses which have a flat entrance with no steps. One would think that such a bus would prove easier for those who tripped on the older bus stairs.
However that has not been the case according to a brief report in yesterday’s New York Post by Tom Namako & Perry Chiaramonte:
You’d expect this from tourists.
But even the most veteran city bus riders can’t seem to manage the MTA’s new, low-floor buses — tripping over anticipated but nonexistent steps in and out of the vehicle — and their mistakes have brought on a sudden spike in straphanger injuries.
About 7.5 percent more riders — about 75 in all — were injured on low-floor buses from January 2009 to January 2010, as compared with the year before, transit officials said.
Riders are tripping when boarding and stepping off the new coaches.
There are handrails for boarders to grab onto, but the unsteady riders aren’t using them, said Joseph Smith, the MTA’s bus chief.
MTA board member Mark Page noted at a committee meeting yesterday, “You see steps in front of you, and you pay attention. You don’t see steps in front of you, and you launch yourself to the pavement.”The accident spike happened as the MTA introduced 861 new, low-floor buses into the system last year, officials said. The number of injuries has already leveled out from January to the present.
I found the brief report interesting as I immediately wondered if the mental psyche was the cause of these minor accidents. I think the rider’s mind has been so trained to board buses with steps, that they do not know how to react to something that is not really there. Hopefully they will make the adjustment as no one wants to see people get injured or even worse, sue the MTA for illegitimate reasons.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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LIRR/NJT Team Up For 1 Ticket Concert Access
Summer is only a few short weeks away & you know what that means, prime concert season. As always, the Meadowlands will be the host to many shows. Yesterday afternoon, the MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) announced it was teaming with New Jersey Transit (NJT) to provide 1 railroad ticket access to get to these shows. Here are the complete details:
MTA Long Island Rail Road announces a new round-trip joint (LIRR/NJT) ticket that will have its customers rocking on the rails. LIRR customers traveling to the upcoming Bon Jovi, Eagles, and Hot 97 Concerts at the Meadowlands can bypass the NJ Transit ticket line at Penn Station and buy their tickets at their home stations. The single-purchase, round-trip ticket is good for travel on the LIRR and New Jersey Transit (NJT) on concert days for the standard LIRR fare plus $10.50 for the NJT portion of travel.
Forget about traffic, bridge and tunnel tolls and parking. New Jersey Transit’s new rail line to the Meadowlands delivers concert fans to a new station at the doorstep of the stadium. Simply take a regular scheduled LIRR train to Penn Station and hop aboard a NJT train to Secaucus Junction Station. From there, NJT’s new Meadowlands shuttle train will bring fans directly to Meadowlands Station and the concert. In all, it’s about a 20-minute trip from Penn Station.
Meadowlands Concert Dates:
5/26/10 – Bon Jovi – 7:00 PM
5/27/10 – Bon Jovi – 7:00 PM
5/29/10 – Bon Jovi – 7:00 PM
6/6/10 – Hot 97 Concert – 7:00 PM
6/10/10 – Eagles – 4:30 PM
7/9/10 – Bon Jovi – 7:00 PM
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Buying “Train to the Concert” tickets:
From any Long Island Rail Road station to the Meadowlands Sports Complex, tickets can be purchased in the following ways:
At Ticket Office or Ticket Machine:
Purchase a round-trip joint ticket to the “Meadowlands” Station for off-peak travel. The price is the standard LIRR fare plus $10.50 for round-trip NJT portion of travel. NJT one-way fare is $5.25. Since NJT does not sell the joint ticket, LIRR customers are advised to purchase the special round-trip ticket prior to boarding their LIRR train.
LIRR monthly ticket holders simply need to purchase an NJT ticket to Meadowlands at Penn Station at the NJT ticket windows or ticket machines before boarding.
Travel Info:
• Remember, the LIRR and New Jersey Transit are not direct connections, so time your trip accordingly.
• After the concert, shuttle trains will run up to two hours as needed back to Secaucus Junction.
• The Meadowlands Stadium does not allow coolers or any oversized containers on their property.
• The Train to the Concert tickets are NOT VALID for any other Meadowlands event or travel.
• Please remember to take your tickets with you when changing trains.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Extra LIRR Trains To Start Memorial Day
Time to catch up on some blogging by starting with a press release the MTA Long Island Rail Road sent me on Monday. The press release was to announce that as usual, they will be running extra trains at the start of the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Here are the complete details:
The MTA Long Island Rail Road will kick start Memorial Day Weekend and the traditional start of summer by providing customers additional train service on Friday, May 28. The extra service includes eight additional eastbound trains between 2:04 PM and 3:49 PM for customs planning an early start to the holiday weekend. The Memorial Day Weekend also heralds the start of summer packages to Jones Beach, Long Beach and Fire Island, and a special Memorial Day Weekend package fare to Calverton National Cemetery on Saturday, May 29, for those wishing to visit the grave of a loved one.
Extra Train Service for Friday, May 28
Babylon Branch:
• 2:23 PM express to Lynbrook, then all stops to Babylon.
• 2:48 PM stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon.
• 3:31 PM express to Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon.
Port Jefferson Branch to Hicksville and Huntington:
• 2:03 PM stopping at Jamaica, Carle Place, then all stops to Huntington.
• 2:31 PM stopping at Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, then all stops to Huntington.
• 3:24 PM stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Westbury and Hicksville.
Port Washington Branch to Great Neck:
• 3:40 PM stopping at Woodside, Flushing Main St., then all stops to Great Neck.
Far Rockaway Branch:
• 3:48 PM express to Locust Manor then all stops to Far Rockaway.
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MEMORIAL DAY, MONDAY, MAY 31:
The LIRR will operate on a Sunday schedule on Memorial Day.
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SPECIAL TRIP TO CALVERTON CEMETERY, SATURDAY, MAY 29:
On Saturday, May 29, the LIRR will offer a special escorted package trip to Calverton National Cemetery for persons wishing to visit the gravesite of a friend or family member.
The LIRR’s special escorted package includes discounted round trip rail fare from Penn Station, Woodside, Atlantic Avenue Terminal, Jamaica or Mineola and air-conditioned motor coach bus transportation to the cemetery. On the way to Calverton National Cemetery, the bus will make a stop for those wanting to purchase flowers and coffee or tea. Shuttle bus service within Calverton National Cemetery will be provided to accommodate visitors to the various sections and gravesites. Customers are advised to provided their own lunch, as eating facilities are not available at Calverton.
The one-day special package fare is $34 for adults, $27.50 for children ages 5-11. The train departs Penn Station at 9:16 AM and Jamaica at 9:38 AM. Passengers from Woodside should board the 9:28 AM train and Atlantic Avenue Terminal customers should board the 9:12 AM train and transfer at Jamaica to the Ronkonkoma train. Customers from Mineola should board the 9:25 AM train and transfer at Hicksville to the Ronkonkoma train.
Passengers for Calverton should board the rear car of the train. Customers will transfer to bus service at Central Islip Station and will continue to Calverton. Return service will be on the 3:42 PM train from Ronkonkoma, stopping at Mineola (4:31 PM), Jamaica ( 4:39 PM), Woodside ( 4:50 PM) and Penn Station ( 5:01 PM). Connecting service is available at Jamaica, arriving Atlantic Avenue Terminal at 5:12 PM.
Tickets may be purchased at the following stations beginning May 21: Penn Station, Atlantic Avenue Terminal, Woodside and Jamaica. Tickets must be purchased at least 30 minutes before scheduled train departure time. Customers boarding at Mineola Station should purchase tickets in advance, since the Mineola ticket office is closed on weekends. Tickets can also be purchased at all full-service Ticket Machines between May 21 and May 27. Customers purchasing tickets from Ticket Machines should select: Deals & Getaways > LI Getaways.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Spat On Bus Drivers Take 2 Months Paid Leave
B68 turning around in the Mermaid Bus Loop. Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit.
The topic of overtime & sick time abuse has dominated this blog & the mindset of many in the transit community of late. Within the last 25 minutes, the New York Daily News issued a report about how bus drivers who were spat on took an average of two months paid leave. Pete Donohue has more:
MTA bus drivers who were spat on by riders last year got an average two months paid time off after the humiliating experiences, officials revealed Monday.
That’s because transit workers are entitled to get a paid break after an “assault” – which apparently includes spitting.
“We’re going to have to take a look and see what we’re going to do with that,” Joe Smith, senior vice president of buses for NYC Transit, told MTA board members at a committee meeting.
Some 51 drivers took an average 64 paid days off after suffering a saliva assault.
The jaw-dropping statistic comes as the MTA is grappling with a massive budget deficit, laying off workers and planning for fare hikes in January.
“I don’t envy anyone [who is spat upon]… but you have to wonder if you can go home and shower off, take a nap, take off the rest of the day and maybe the next day,” MTA board member Nancy Shevell said at the meeting.
“When it gets strung out for months, you start to wonder,” Shevell said.
Click here for the complete report.
Getting spit on is a disgusting & disrespectful action that should never happen to anyone. With saying that, I can’t condone drivers abusing paid leave over the incident if that is indeed what happened. However I am starting to question whether this fight over overtime and/or sick time abuse is turning into nothing but a witch hunt against transit workers.
It seems the majority of these reports focus on “abuse” & how workers are costing the MTA money. Why not focus on the amount of waste from the MTA’s side from redundant positions to overpaying for goods & services, & the like? Some fairness would be nice!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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MTA Gas Choices Cost Taxpayers $39M
The MTA’s bus fuel contract is once again in the news & yet again it is in an unfortunate light. Back in September 2008, I wrote about how the agency was being price gouged on the contract by long time supplier Sprague Energy Corp. Fast forward to 2009 when I wrote about the agency announcing a new deal with Sprague that enabled savings which I did question. Now lets go to the present where New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released an audit on how the MTA’s bus fuel contract cost taxpayers $39M dollars. Here is the press release:
New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Company spent $39 million more than they should have on diesel fuel due to wasteful practices and improper oversight, according to a new audit issued today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. In addition, the MTA Bus Company’s records showed unexplained discrepancies in fuel delivery, quality and usage, leading auditors to conclude that the agency needs to significantly improve its fuel procurement process.
“New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Company are literally running out of gas because of their poor spending practices,” DiNapoli said. “They squandered more than $39 million of taxpayer dollars due to outdated, expensive contracts and delayed decision-making. Buses don’t need jet fuel, and taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for it. There are some clear, decisive steps to cut excessive fuel spending. The MTA should work with OGS to lower its fuel bills and maintain accurate records for how the bus fleet buys and uses fuel.”
The MTA Bus Company was created in 2004 to absorb seven private companies operating under franchises from the New York City Department of Transportation. The fleet operated 1,323 buses at the time of the audit, which covered the period between October 2006 and September 2009. Diesel fuel powers 78 percent of the fleet while 22 percent use compressed natural gas (CNG).
The diesel bus fleet can use either the widely-available diesel fuel known as ULSD#2 or ultra low sulfur diesel #1 (jet/kerosene). In 2003, the MTA signed a five-year contract with Sprague Energy Corporation to supply jet/kerosene, despite regulatory changes that would make ULSD#2 a cheaper and equally environmentally friendly alternative by 2006. Even after the expensive jet/kerosene fuel contract ended, the MTA extended their deal with Sprague by a year when they could not find other bidders to supply jet/kerosene. The contract extension cost the MTA an extra $27.5 million.
In addition, auditors noted:
* The terms of the one-year contract extension required both NYC Transit and MTA Bus to absorb a 55 cent per gallon price increase on jet/kerosene costs, while also agreeing to purchase a minimum of 50 million gallons;
* The Office of General Services (OGS) had a statewide contract for diesel and gasoline fuel that would have cost the MTA nearly 29 cents less per gallon than its contract price;
* The amount of fuel pumped from tanks did not match the amount of fuel recorded as dispensed to vehicles at four of eight MTA Bus Company depots, leading auditors to conclude that the agency could not account for fuel usage.
Auditors recommended that the MTA:
* Explore alternative contracting strategies including the use of the OGS fuel contract.
* Finalize new policies regarding fuel accountability and train personnel on the new rules;
* Account for fueling discrepancies on a daily basis; and
* Require fuel to be tested for compliance with contract specifications.
MTA officials generally agreed with the audit and switched to ULSD#2.
Click here to read the complete audit in pdf form.
Audits like these highlight the mess that is the MTA & how it does business. These are the kind of points that TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen should focus on. Focus on how it seems quite hypocritical to complain about worker salaries & such when money is being lit on fire with horrendous contracts that do no one favors outside of a select few insiders via kickbacks.
I would love to hear any legitimate defense from the MTA on how it could have ended up in such a position to begin with. Why does it seem they always pay more than the next company for the same exact products or services? Are they that inept in negotiating? This is beyond pathetic!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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