In the spring changes, this division well get a fleet of new coaches for the new S line changes effective spring pick. MORE TO COME.........
Brand new or reassigned coaches?
I really don't see the good side of giving Northern new buses...I can only hope that A) they are used, and B) VA doesn't get reinfested with 2100s. Keep those damn things across the river or I'm selling my SmarTrip and buying a car.
Quote from: Tristan on January 26, 2009, 11:51:36 AM
I really don't see the good side of giving Northern new buses...I can only hope that A) they are used, and B) VA doesn't get reinfested with 2100s. Keep those damn things across the river or I'm selling my SmarTrip and buying a car.
So you think you're too good for 2100s? And how in the hell would you get a car from selling a SmarTrip? Or was that another joke I just ruined?
Yeah, he wasn't implying selling the Smart Trip to buy a car.....
Quote from: Tristan on January 26, 2009, 11:51:36 AM
I really don't see the good side of giving Northern new buses...I can only hope that A) they are used, and B) VA doesn't get reinfested with 2100s. Keep those damn things across the river or I'm selling my SmarTrip and buying a car.
Whats wrong with giving Northern new buses?...They need to ship there Flx D's off to another depot though i was at a friends house on 16th st the other day and i saw countless metro d's that were banged up and at least 2 had busted mufflers..they were LOUD as hell....So would that have something to do with why Northern Should't get new buses?
To be politically correct: they run too much service to be able to keep their equipment maintained, and therefore it gets worn out much faster than it would at another garage. Look at any bus that has ever actually worked at Northern for a year or more, no matter where it is, it's probably in worse shape than its comrades that haven't been there.
The Neoplans are a good example of that. It didn't take long for them to look older than the NABI's that have been at Montgomery for years longer.
I Hope some of thoses busses will run on the 70 8)
Quote from: Tristan on January 26, 2009, 02:32:47 PM
To be politically correct: they run too much service to be able to keep their equipment maintained, and therefore it gets worn out much faster than it would at another garage. Look at any bus that has ever actually worked at Northern for a year or more, no matter where it is, it's probably in worse shape than its comrades that haven't been there.
Ok i get it.... so a bus is on the road for probably about 20 hours(what is the exact time frame are there buses out) and that leaves no time for the bus to be maintained..ok....thats sad...How many buses do they have? They are a indoor garage right? Yeah i seen a couple of the Neo's they look horrible Never ridden one though..
The reason to give them new coaches is because of the S line study they are supposed to get "BRT" coaches. Northern is also set to get 11 articulated buses along with Montgomery is set to get the other 11.
Just because Northern has been the "salvage yard" for Metrobus doesn't mean it has to continue in that mode. How about the following changes?
1. Hire a maintenance supt external to the agency.
2. Assign 20-25 additional buses to the division.
3. When accidents occur - as they are bound to in the city - send the bus to the Body Shop.
4. Service every bus about every 3,000 miles or so.
5. Change the attitude of the maintenance staff.
....And watch the miles between road calls increase.
Yeeah, I'm watching the late night comedy crowd as I'm typing this.
Chuck
Quote from: smithavechuck on January 30, 2009, 01:04:36 AM
2. Assign 20-25 additional buses to the division.
How would this help?? That means you have 20-25 MORE buses to maintain which means even LESS time for TLC on the equipment that is there. On top of that Northern is at capacity. ::)
True, however, all transit operations require at least a 10% spare ratio. Now if the entire fleet is serviced at least every 3,000 miles, the rate of road calls would decrease and we wouldn;t have people stating "those Neoplans always look banged up.
Metrobus is one organization. The same policies and procedures that govern FMR also apply to Northern.
I stand by my original thesis.
Chuck
Hello All
Ok Chuck stay on your side of the river dont come down here getting smart ok !!!!
A 10% spare ratio? ??? LOL, try a 20% one. No agency can operate with a 10% ratio. That means in a garage with 200 vehicles, only 20 would be available for spares.
Look, Northern probably operates the most 24 hour service out of all the garages, they operate out of harsh environments, have a small, outdated garage, you name it. I don't think the mechanics go to work thinking their going to sit on their asses all day while the buses sit there and rot. If they don't have the capacity to increase the number of vehicles, then you have the issue where the buses don't have the chance to come in and get the TLC they need.
They probably have to do a lot of the maintenance on the fly. That's just the way it is. Unless another garage can be built that is larger and can allow them to hold more buses, then this is going to happen.
Quote from: Perry on January 31, 2009, 03:39:12 PM
A 10% spare ratio? ??? LOL, try a 20% one. No agency can operate with a 10% ratio. That means in a garage with 200 vehicles, only 20 would be available for spares.
Look, Northern probably operates the most 24 hour service out of all the garages, they operate out of harsh environments, have a small, outdated garage, you name it. I don't think the mechanics go to work thinking their going to sit on their asses all day while the buses sit there and rot. If they don't have the capacity to increase the number of vehicles, then you have the issue where the buses don't have the chance to come in and get the TLC they need.
They probably have to do a lot of the maintenance on the fly. That's just the way it is. Unless another garage can be built that is larger and can allow them to hold more buses, then this is going to happen.
Ride On has a 25% spare ratio. Baltimore MTA's is even higher believe it or not. Wait this 10% number is coming from an MTA employee....
People think they know but they have NO idea...
We have about a 20% ratio and that's hard enough especially in the summer when buses start to fail due to the intense heat. We tried to get the FTA to grant us a waiver to increase the spare ratio to help us with that situation, but they basically said, "It snows in Buffalo and they don't get any special treatment", so....
The whole FTA spare ratio is really outdated. It should really be based on the size of the fleet and the natural environment, not some blanket requirement.
So how many buses does Northern have right now?
Quote from: OrionFlyer on January 31, 2009, 11:32:40 PM
So how many buses does Northern have right now?
Last I checked 178 buses which means it is at capacity.
Quote from: Perry on January 31, 2009, 10:56:20 PM
The whole FTA spare ratio is really outdated. It should really be based on the size of the fleet and the natural environment, not some blanket requirement.
Most of what the FTA does is really outdated...
Northern has 166 buses they are not at capacity they can hold up to 190 buses .
Quote from: wmata employee on February 01, 2009, 01:00:22 PM
Northern has 166 buses they are not at capacity they can hold up to 190 buses .
Shouldn't the fact that some of the 166 are artics change the limit on the number of buses they can have there?
Northern has some 1993 Flxibles in its garage -
9748-9763 & 977?-9785. These buses will likely have to go.