November 2010 Observations

[Annex4421]

I swung past Annex and saw 6447 & 2209 there both had W blocks on them, they were there for repairs.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

Ride On bus # (99)5725 on November 24, 2010 at approximately 4:45 PM operating Route 70 express service from Germantown (Milestone) to Bethesda. I had the opportunity to pace this bus for several miles on southbound I-270 at speeds up to 65 mph.  I didn't think the old girl had it in her (lol)!  Besides the operator there was exactly one (1) passenger enjoying this rapid commute.   

Nice. I rode 5733 on the 74 this morning. Pretty good ride up Great Seneca. Totally forgot about the modified holiday schedule (Ride On definitely needs to probably do something to the print schedules or something. Not everyone has internet access to the pdfs). Had 5812 on the 100 today and I was the only person from GTC to SG.

Thanks for the comment.  I agree with you about the schedules for not only the 74 but also the 67 and 76.  Unfortunately none of these routes have service on weekends either but none of the bus stops have a notation that the service on these routes is Mon-Fri only.  A number of times I have driven by people waiting for the buses on weekends and I stopped and told them there was no service.  I have communicated with Ride On about posting some notice about the limited service (the 67 is also rush-hour only) on the stops and I was ignored.  Don't even start me on how this lack of weekend service denies westside Gaithersburg riders access to the closest Metro station (SG) and The Kentlands without having to go to Rockville or Lakeforest and transfer.

I see nothing on the Ride On website about the day after Thanksgiving being a reduced schedule.

I personally thought the Saturday supplemental schedules in their last incarnation (with the trip times for non-Saturday routes pretty much matching up to the regular trip times on the trips that did operate) was the best way of doing it, short of weekday service (though I'm not sure weekday service was warranted on Presidents Day or MLK Day).  My issue with the current system is that routes are running infrequently (40+ minute waits) on a schedule that bears little to no resemblance to the regular one and that currently isn't in any hardcopy form.  (DISCLAIMER:  I write this from 6000 miles away, so maybe there is more publicity, but this doesn't seem like the best method to me.)

[Annex4421]

Oh I forgot to mention there is an Orion VII at Bladensburg in the Local Colors I have no idea what # or if its a 30 0r 40ft, I spotted it last Monday, sitting in the back of the division next to an Orion V.

[Tritransit Area]

I see nothing on the Ride On website about the day after Thanksgiving being a reduced schedule.

I personally thought the Saturday supplemental schedules in their last incarnation (with the trip times for non-Saturday routes pretty much matching up to the regular trip times on the trips that did operate) was the best way of doing it, short of weekday service (though I'm not sure weekday service was warranted on Presidents Day or MLK Day).  My issue with the current system is that routes are running infrequently (40+ minute waits) on a schedule that bears little to no resemblance to the regular one and that currently isn't in any hardcopy form.  (DISCLAIMER:  I write this from 6000 miles away, so maybe there is more publicity, but this doesn't seem like the best method to me.)

I found that they have "Modified Holiday Schedule" brochures on their buses for Veteran's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr Day, and President's Day.  They just give basic overviews of how the service would work for each route (headways, etc), but you can only get the specific times and such on their website, which is understandable considering that the schedule would only be for 3 days and they have a limited budget).

[NewFlyer9736BCT]

Oh I forgot to mention there is an Orion VII at Bladensburg in the Local Colors I have no idea what # or if its a 30 0r 40ft, I spotted it last Monday, sitting in the back of the division next to an Orion V.

If it's a 40 footer, I'm gonna take a shot in the dark and say it's 2630, since that bus' GPS shows that it hasn't moved to FMR along with the rest of the 2600s. If you go by Bladensburg again anytime soon, make sure to have a camera ready to take a shot in case you see it again.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

I see nothing on the Ride On website about the day after Thanksgiving being a reduced schedule.

I personally thought the Saturday supplemental schedules in their last incarnation (with the trip times for non-Saturday routes pretty much matching up to the regular trip times on the trips that did operate) was the best way of doing it, short of weekday service (though I'm not sure weekday service was warranted on Presidents Day or MLK Day).  My issue with the current system is that routes are running infrequently (40+ minute waits) on a schedule that bears little to no resemblance to the regular one and that currently isn't in any hardcopy form.  (DISCLAIMER:  I write this from 6000 miles away, so maybe there is more publicity, but this doesn't seem like the best method to me.)

I found that they have "Modified Holiday Schedule" brochures on their buses for Veteran's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr Day, and President's Day.  They just give basic overviews of how the service would work for each route (headways, etc), but you can only get the specific times and such on their website, which is understandable considering that the schedule would only be for 3 days and they have a limited budget).

I'm willing to bet Columbus Day will be included next year. 

They used to include the departure times for additional trips (since it was Saturday Supplemental) on the timetables and also issued a brochure before the holidays in question listing the changes for all routes, which was also posted on the Internet.

[79MetroExtraMD]

I figure they might include Columbus Day, day after Thanksgiving, and the weekdays after Christmas to New Years as a cost cutting measure to provide service levels in conjunction to ridership.

[WMATAGMOAGH]

I figure they might include Columbus Day, day after Thanksgiving, and the weekdays after Christmas to New Years as a cost cutting measure to provide service levels in conjunction to ridership.

I don't see those happening this year.  And there is a cost to not running weekday service, too, that has to be factored in.

Personally, I'd find 45 minute waits during the week between Christmas and New Years to be unacceptable and more likely to drive me to my car (especially since by the same logic used to say that ridership is going to be lower on the buses, there will also be less traffic on the roads).  Ridership might be lower, but those longer headways can make getting around difficult.  The buses don't even run that infrequently on the weekend. 

[rideonrulez]

Well there is a change in plan. The weekdays between Christmas and New Years will be regular weekday with a few "trippers" that won't operate. Also as of now, MLK and Presidents Day will be going back to a "Saturday Supplemental" schedule. Since this changed happened so fast, I would'nt be a bit surprised if it changed again...

[WayneNYC]

I saw the plain-Jane all white C40LFR again near Rosslyn.  Would love to get a pic, but I always see it when I'm getting on the highway in Rosslyn.

[Tritransit Area]

Heh, oh wow!  Any idea of who is running that C40LFR?

[Annex4421]

Heh, oh wow!  Any idea of who is running that C40LFR?

Its owned by the Federal Government, Its an ex demo for MARTA. Sorry for the late response.