Northern Division getting ready for changes in March 09

Perry · 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operates the most 24 hour service out of all the garages, they operate out of harsh environments, have a small, outdated garage, you name it.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.

rideonrulez · January 31, 2009, 10:43:43 PM

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operates the most 24 hour service out of all the garages, they operate out of harsh environments, have a small, outdated garage, you name it.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...

Perry · January 31, 2009, 10:56:20 PM

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The whole FTA spare ratio is really outdated.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.

OrionFlyer · January 31, 2009, 11:32:40 PM

So how many buses does Northern have right now?

rideonrulez · January 31, 2009, 11:55:30 PM

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.

Scrabbleship · February 01, 2009, 12:20:55 AM

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...

wmata employee · February 01, 2009, 01:00:22 PM

Northern has 166 buses they are not at capacity they can hold up to 190 buses .

WMATAGMOAGH · February 01, 2009, 01:07:33 PM

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?

ChristopherF · February 07, 2009, 07:02:49 PM

Northern has some 1993 Flxibles in its garage -
9748-9763 & 977?-9785. These buses will likely have to go.

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Northern Division getting ready for changes in March 09