I know it sounds crazy, but I think they should put some 60fts in P.G County. A lot of buses here do tend to get crowded really easily, but no one seems to notice. In my opinion, I think the some 60ft buses should be here just during rush hour. I know they are on the C2,4, the J4 etc., but those are Montgomery Routes. They should get some here at Landover.
The Bus needs to learn how to go from a crawl (current fleet with too many fake wannabe transit buses) to a walk (real transit buses, even if they're Gilligs) before they can learn to run (articulated buses).
I believe hw's referring to routes such as A12 & P12 which are two of the heaviest routes in PG.
Chuck
Quote from: smithavechuck on August 23, 2008, 09:22:28 AM
I believe hw's referring to routes such as A12 & P12 which are two of the heaviest routes in PG.
Chuck
Or any of the C-routes, but they're at Montgomery and can get artics anyway. Landover could use them, but would their bizarro union be for it?
I've always wondered why WMATA has always had a low number of artics for its size and ridership. What kept them from buying more SG-310's back in the 80's or 436's in the 90's or more AN460's at the turn of the century? I know some depots can't handle them and many routes lack the ridership needed for artics, but WMATA could use several times the artics they have now.
I don't think Landover needs artics yet because they need to add more frequent service with 40 footers on there current routes. Frequency attracts riders not the size of the bus. So I pose this question to everybody here on the board, Would you rather have a bus every 15 minutes with an artic or would you rather have a bus every 10 minutes with a 40 footer? I personally would rather have the frequency over the size of a bus....
I rather have 10 minutes. Which is why the 40 line (usually 40fts) here in Baltimore is perfect for me.
I'm all for the more frequent service. Didn't Landover once have a few artics. I seem to remember seeing one on Central Ave C routes and on the C11 way back in the day.
I believe he's referring to WMATA's Landover routes...
The only thing I have in mind is the F4/F6 (and maybe the R12 and T18, but I only rode those routes like once or twice)
I haven't ridden enough Landover routes to have a say in this, but I just wanted to share what I had in mind.
(The only Landover routes I rode were the F4, F6, 84, R12, and T18)
10 minute service with 40 footers.
While not a total comparison, when they converted the M79 route in New York to artics, they cut service per MTA standards at 3 artics for every 4 standard buses. Service on the M79 is now slower than it was before the artics ran there, the trips take longer, and the NYTimes even did a race between a reporter and his wife from their apartment on the West Side to some store on the East Side, one took the bus, one walked, and the walker got there first.
The F4/F6, A12, P12, T18, B30, 87/88, 89/89M are some of the most heavily traveled routes from Landover Division. They most definitly need those new artics on the B30 and the F4/F6. I remember catching the F4 8:00 in the morning on a Sunday, and people were still standing up on the bus. They need to up the service of P.G County and fast before DUH BUS and Metro get into some real heat with residents.
Quote from: rideonrulez on August 23, 2008, 11:32:35 AM
I don't think Landover needs artics yet because they need to add more frequent service with 40 footers on there current routes. Frequency attracts riders not the size of the bus. So I pose this question to everybody here on the board, Would you rather have a bus every 15 minutes with an artic or would you rather have a bus every 10 minutes with a 40 footer? I personally would rather have the frequency over the size of a bus....
Frequent service with 40 footers for me. Also, the other problem posed is the service length with Landover routes. That 10pm cutoff just seems terrible in a county like that. I'm sure there are people who'd want to go out on Friday night without having to bum a ride or cutting their night short at 930 just to get back home.
Sure, we all like the more frequent 40 footers than the Artics, but do keep in mind...
Those 2 artics operating in place of 3 40 footers frees up an Operator for something else. It also makes the route its running extra-productive to help absorb the cost of a less productive route that people may greatly depend upon.
Quote from: 79MetroExtraMD on August 23, 2008, 04:00:32 PM
Frequent service with 40 footers for me. Also, the other problem posed is the service length with Landover routes. That 10pm cutoff just seems terrible in a county like that. I'm sure there are people who'd want to go out on Friday night without having to bum a ride or cutting their night short at 930 just to get back home.
Quote from: landoverdivision on August 23, 2008, 03:33:33 PM
They need to up the service of P.G County and fast before DUH BUS and Metro get into some real heat with residents.
Not to get into politics, but this is very much political as it would take action/more funding from the P.G. county gov't to get more service. This of course affects those residents who depend on mass transit. As much as we make fun of P.G., The BUS, the lack of service in PG county is not their fault (nor is it WMATA's fault). This is where Jack Johnson needs to be earning his keep, but too many residents do not hold him accountable. Ask around of any typical person who travel by bus in P.G. county. All will probably have complaints about the lack of service, but they'll also think the transit agency is at fault.
Landover routes would do better with more frequent service. The only route that may warrant even artic consideration would be the T18. All the other routes like the F4, P12, C22 would benefit from more service. The F4 needs more service during the midday and even some more rush hour service. The P12 needs more frequent service or even some short trips from Southern Avenue to Addison Road added in. The C22 needs more service all the way around.
Wayne, Landover did have 5242-44 back in the day and they usually would run on the F14, T18 and I believe the T16. One used to run on an all day F14 block and back when Landover Mall was open they needed it. The last F14, that had an artic was packed like a Y8 would usually be with an artic. Also buses coming from Capitol Heights to New Carrollton would be packed also. I think the F14 would also need some short trips to either Capitol Heights or Addison Road, since some of the runs leaving New Carrollton would be packed (evidence Tuesday on my last bus home). I think an F15 rush hour route that would run from New Carrollton to Capitol Heights via Sheriff Road (the part in front of my house) could be an added benefit. There used to be such service, but WMATA deemed it useless since they didn 't get much in the way of passengers (yea right-go down Sheriff Road and see how many people are waiting to ride an ODV and wonder if they needed service up that part of Sheriff Road).
I can see artics on the T18. I'm surprised Bladensburg doesn't do the T18 already.
Quote from: NGOrion on September 04, 2008, 06:33:34 PM
I can see artics on the T18. I'm surprised Bladensburg doesn't do the T18 already.
Well I suppose that would make sense as of now, instead of having every artic on the X2 (although I'm seeing a lot more 40-ft buses on the X2 lately).
But New Carrollton is pretty much pure Landover territory. CET and Landover Divisions are almost right next door, like Shady Grove Station and the Gaithersburg Division of Ride-On.
Yeah besides, I don't think it would hurt to do a few T18 or 84/85 Rush Hour trips from Bladensburg (obviously the 84/85 using 30 or 40-ft buses)
EDIT: Yeah I just remembered that Friendship Hts Station and Western Division are also pretty much next door, and Bladensburg helps out with Rush Hour runs from FH (such as the E line and 30s)
84 no, the T18 maybe. If the T18 runs every 10 minutes or even every 5 minutes during rush hour and it still gets packed then they do need artics. The 84 just needs another increase in service, during rush hour. There is (or should be) a threshold for a route to convert from a conventional 40 foot bus to an artic. I think if a route runs every 5 to 10 minutes and is packed like a sardine with that frequency, then artics should be thought of to run on that route.
I still don't get the Y8 being reduced to the frequency it has now, even with artics. If there is no artics on this route I would say every 5 minutes, artics 10 minutes. And though I took the Y8 once, I was on an artic and even that was packed from front to back. I once saw a 92(a few years back) so packed, I was surprised that people were sticking out the side of the bus and from out the roof of the bus.
But all in all we have said this to adnosium that WMATA needs more artics than they are buying now. I hope that WMATA keeps some of the better NABIs and run them on some of the routes that potentially need them.
Agreed. Unless the NABI's have become a maintenance nightmare, I think it would be a bad idea to not hold on to at least some of them. They could simply go to rush hour status like the MAN artics did in their last years. I still say that if WMATA expanded it's artic fleet to about 100, that would be huge.
At least the Neoplan artics are good, but they mainly do the 70, 71.