Greyhound seats and fleet questions

[Swadian Hardcore]

The Patriot? Well, the Patriot is comfortable anyway. Those seats are Kiel Avance 2050: https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/5/005/074/17a/35149ca.jpg.

Here's an article about the seats: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140717200827-234134097-lightweight-kiel-seats-continue-to-attract-commuters-save-fuel.

They're lightweight, slimline seats that increase legroom and help save fuel, but are very hard. I found them to be very ergonomic, though I wish there was more padding. The FAINSA/Amaya seats really have tons of padding.

Again, I don't like the damp-looking grey interior walls of the bus, though I think the seats look fine. That D4500CT appears to be a MassDOT-spec low-roof version. Greyhound's two D4500CTs (#86575-86576) have the same seats. With a DD13 and IFS, this sounds like a good bus. As long as it doesn't have a flushing toilet and poor build quality.

 

[railiner]

Does that restroom door open inward or outward? I can't recall offhand, but I thought the 'D' type restrooms open inward....

 

[rickycourtney]

I meant the Premier, not the Patriot.

I thought the Premier looked comfortable until I sat on one.

With the slimline seats are you saying the backrest is hard, the seat cushion or the whole thing? I took another flight this weekend on an Alaska Airlines 737-800 equipped with Recaro slimline seats. The backrest has very little padding, but the seat cushion is very comfortable. My point is... it really doesn't matter to me how hard the backrest is as long as it's ergonomic. The seat cushion is what really matters (so it's not surprising that a bad seat cushion also happens to be what IMHO makes the Premier extremely uncomfortable).

Not sure if the door swings in or out... either way that seat in the middle of the aisle is awkward and the middle seat is uncomfortable. Not worth it to pack one extra passenger in.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

NJT wouldn't want 102-inch buses since those are harder to maneuver in urban areas. Besides, NJT also orders D4500CTs, and you know those aren't too great.

I'm a huge fan of military history, so you will not understand my analogy. I knew you wouldn't understand my analogy 'cause you like MC-9s. Swadians are too aggressive to like MC-9s.

No, I'm just not a fan of anything involving war. Sorry you feel that the MC-9s aren't "innovated", but to a lot of other people who drove and rode them they were. The 9s are still aggressively prowling the roads despite being 25-30+ years old and counting...

As for the D4500CT demo, it looks handsome and the interior looks good on top of that. Reminds me of Broward County's D4500CTs, except they use ISL engines. Sadly, I don't think Orlando will get these coaches, but remains to be seen.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

MC-9 fan, you don't have any concrete evidence proving the superiority of the MC-9 over other bus models. All you've proven is that the MC-9 is a M4 Sherman. All you've proven has been my point all along. So you're wasting my time. I know you don't have the evidence because I know the MC-9 is not the best bus ever built. A certain very popular bus model running as private buses 25 years later proves absolutely nothing other than a bus that last a long time, and lots of good buses last a long time. Don't bring up the MC-9 again. It simply leads to unending arguments. It'd be better for both of us not to bring it up.

For the purpose of avoiding quagmire arguments, I will no longer respond to posts that mention the MC-9.

The door on MCI's steel buses swings in. That includes the D's.

Yes, the Kiels have very ergonomic and very hard seat backs. The seat bottom cushions were fine. They're comfortable seats, but the seat backs could have been softer.

The middle seat is probably uncomfortable, though I've never had the misfortune to be packed in there. I think they should put it in anyway, but not count it as a revenue seat. That way, the 3 seats in the back would be occupied by no more than 2 passengers. The extra seat would just be there to stretch out on. I like sitting in the 3 seats if I get them all to myself.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

It's not nice to get defensive with people, even when they made some good points. Sorry that you're getting upset over it, but I'm standing by my points whether you agree with them or not. Anyone know what type of seats these are? I've been trying to figure it out, but so far have come up empty.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Is that Donald Trump's Clown Bus?

 

[Caesar La Rock]

Is that Donald Trump's Clown Bus?

LMAO, I use to think the same thing when I saw those.

 

[railiner]

Not sure,,,,I am by no means a 'seat authority',( ),.... but I do know that Van Hool does have a proprietary seat of their own, in addition to the other commercial brands to choose from....

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Defensive? Go buy your favorite bus and live in it if you wish! Drive it all day long. I will not listen to you. Good points without evidence is excrement. Your points aren't even good. You think they are good, but they are not.

Just pay attention.

You don't even know what I'm talking about. You don't even know what a M4 Sherman is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCYudoOgBkY.

That Van Hool has American Seating 2004.

 

[Caesar La Rock]

American Seating 2004, thank you.

 

[rickycourtney]

So I finally spotted one of the BoltBus H3-45 coaches out in the wild earlier this week. Unfortunately I was on a transit bus about a 1/4 mile behind it so that's about all I know. Too far away to see the fleet number or get a peek at the exterior. Still, I think refurbishing an older H3-45 was a smart and inexpensive way to get a nice coach on the road as BoltBus expands.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I definitely prefer riding older motorcoaches. Their seats are far more comfortable than any of Greyhound's new motorcoaches. A new bus alone is enough to justify not riding. For example, if Greyhound keeps using D4505s here, I won't ride Greyhound. If they used H3-45s, I would probably ride, unless they had the Painful Premiers.

According to Jason Futch, the BoltBus H3-45s are #6666, #6669, and #6670. #6667 and #6668 are still in plain-white livery, meaning they can run anything for Greyhound. Mostly charters, reportedly.

Greyhound should have rebuilt all their DL3s instead of buying D4505s. They could have bought only X3-45s. Unfortunately, the X3-45s still have Painful Premiers.

I've got another big gripe on Greyhound. Their drivers don't depart on time. They either board passengers, then disappear for a while before coming back to depart late, or they don't board at all until departure time, and then disappear and depart late. I'm sick and tired of drivers that are ready to go and intentionally depart late.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

It may not be that the drivers are purposely departing late. I've noticed at a lot of stations after boarding they have to go over to the office or ticket counter before leaving. I guess it's to verify or something the number of passengers. As for not boarding till departure time it's possible the bus was late getting there to begin with. I always hated getting to a stop late and the driver still sitting there after departure time because they were scheduled a break there. If your late you don't take break time, you keep going till your back on schedule.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Al Garcia actually made it even worse because he decided to take extra breaks even though he was already running late. Thankfully, we had tons of padding in the timetable, so we arrived as late as we began with. But I would have preferred to make up some time and arrive on time rather than taking the extra stops, because that D4505 was completely rotten inside.

I guess the driver has to match up his manifest or something, but in that case, he should have boarded passengers earlier and then gone into the station, come back out, and depart on time.

Not boarding till departure time happens even at the start of the run. For example, one time I was going to ride the 8311 Reno-San Francisco run and the bus was originating in Reno. There was no connection from anywhere. That D4505 had been sitting there when I got to the station. But the driver didn't start boarding until departure time. He departed 20 minutes late, then proceeded to make up the time by Sacramento. OK, at least he made up the time, but there are other cases when the driver doesn't make up any time.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

I actually explodes on a greyhound driver out in Wisconsin for being four hours late. He said it was because the bus com I.g into Chicago was late. I asked him if he just kept moving because no, I still have to give ppl a break. I told him to f off and that he was supposes to jeep running and make ppl stay on. I almost lost a job he cause the ***** insisted on taping every break that was scheduled. If there was a layover on the schedule he stayed for that length of time. I'd rather have to wait.to smoke then be too late to make a bus connection.

 

[railiner]

I must agree with some of the complaints here. Greyhound's "culture" of late is of a very 'relaxed' operation....I see driver's report late to departure gates, and begin their pretrip inspection at the time they should have started or completed loading of passenger's. And then 'find' a defect at the last minute to refuse a bus, and then have to wait for them to bring a replacement around. Other times I have seen driver's load their schedules, close the door, and then have the nerve to leave for ten or fifteen minutes to get some food and drinks to take with them. Usually, it is the NYC based driver's guilty of this tardiness....driver's heading for 'home' are generally, but not always, more 'motivated' to leave on time. I can't say for sure, but the way the driver's are paid by the hour, rather than by the mile, may have some strong bearing on this tardiness, where they are rewarded for arriving late.

As for cutting a rest stop, to make up time on a late trip....I have some mixed feelings about that. If it is during the late night hours, when most passenger's would rather sleep than get off to buy food, it is not so bad. But if it is a during a regular breakfast or dinner time, it may not be so good. Especially bad in some situations, where some passenger's connected off a late schedule, and had no chance to get something even before boarding...

And on very long trips, the driver's need a break, just to use the restroom or stretch a bit. It could be a safety issue as well.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

I have to disagree with you railiner on the breaks. I may only drive a transit bus but I must skip my breaks If I'm running late. That means I don't get a bathroom break no matter how bad I gotta go. If you don't get time to get something. Eat that's your problem. There's always machines if need be and a prepared traveler will have food and drink with them anyway.

Even getting paid by the mile won't really make a difference in lateness. Your getting paid the same. There should be penalties for drivers who are exceptionally late where it's their fault. Wether it be losing out on a trip or getting stuck on something besides your normal run. Or even do like the trucking industry at times does. Dock their pay.

 

[railiner]

mightyjoe1201.....how long are your trips? Are any of them 8 to 10 hours long? Do you mean to tell me, you can go that long without a break?

As for pay....when driver's are paid by the mile....the more miles they go, the higher their pay. When driver's are paid by the hour, the longer it takes them the higher their pay.

That said, they are expected to perform their run according to the schedules, but if there are delays thru no fault of their own, they do earn extra compensation for late arrivals. So they are not motivated to 'hurry', unless they want to get 'home' sooner. Greyhound's safety rules clearly state that 'safety is of the first importance', etc...that if running late, to stay late, and not speed or take chances to make up time. On the other hand, 'malingering' is something that should not be tolerated, and if a driver is chronically found at fault in that regard, they are (or should be disciplined).

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Each of.my trips are an hour-long. I get anywhere from one minute to 26 minutes between trips. That being said, it's a 12 hour day for me. I may not put the miles on they do but I do work and drive about the same in hours. I will take a min or two extra to use tags restroom if I have to. Tho I may go for four or five hours straight if I have to.

As for mileage pay, its nit what it's cracked up yo be. That's how I was paid when I drove truck. Knowing there were penalties is what would make a driver stay on time. Also, bus drivers have an easier time because they can take breaks and not lose driving time, where truck drivers lose driving time if they take to I many breaks or a shipper or receiver takes to long.

Safety always does come first. Speeding is not a way to make up time. Usually it leads to wrecks or even bein later. Lol. But they could skip breaks that are scheduled and skip any layover that's scheduled to make up the time. There should be penalties when the driver causes the route to be late because he lingered too long. When it's not his fault then no, no penalties.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

Sorry, we are assigned to a specific route which only has one bus ans one driver for the day. I forgot to mention that.

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

My opinion on breaks is that daytime meal breaks should be taken even a bus is late, but all other breaks should be cut. Of course, if the driver needs to use the restroom, he can take a break. But if he takes breaks just to let passengers smoke, while the bus is running late, that is not OK. Not everyone wants to smoke anyway. Same goes for breaks in the middle of the night.

I'm against speeding but I think a bus may need to go over the speed limit for a few seconds just to pass a slower vehicle. The more quickly that bus passes that vehicle, the safer. It minimizes the "blind spot time". That's why I'm against speed governors. With buses, you're running with free-flowing road traffic, and the extra speed may prove useful for safety.

IMHO, the best solution for pay is probably a combination. The hourly pay is bad because it rewards drivers for driving late. Mileage pay is better and should replace it. Then, of course, you also have to punish drivers who intentionally slack and delay their bus. Start with suspensions and fire them if they continue such behaviour. The relaxed, complacent attitude at Greyhound really sucks for the passengers. Employees seem like they'd rather slack than do a good job. Greyhound drivers say there's plenty of new recruits but very few stay for long. That causes the driver shortage and all kinds of other problems.

What's bad for the passengers ends up being bad for everyone at the company because passengers generate the vast majority of revenue.

 

[railiner]

Each of.my trips are an hour-long. I get anywhere from one minute to 26 minutes between trips. That being said, it's a 12 hour day for me. I may not put the miles on they do but I do work and drive about the same in hours. I will take a min or two extra to use tags restroom if I have to. Tho I may go for four or five hours straight if I have to.

So which is it? You will "take a min or two extra to use restroom if have to" or "go four or five hours straight if have to"?

Take GL schedule 4425...depart New York 2215, arrive Milesburg 0215, depart 0245, and arrive Cleveland 0650. So if you got a late start from New York for some reason not your fault,, and/or encountered fog delays along the way, you would skip the only rest stop at Milesburg to recover the time?

On your job, you have multiple opportunities (every hour) to get out of the seat, stretch, or use the restroom. Not the same as being stuck in the seat for eight hours straignt on an express run.

 

[mightyjoe1201]

I've been stuck in the seat for 8 or more hours because of construction. I also uses to drive truck and would have loads where I literally did not have time to stop and had to go for over ten hours without stopping

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

If the driver departs NYD late for reasons not of his fault, he should make the stop at Milesburg and use the restroom, then continue to CLD. The 30-minute rest stop in Milesburg is too long, and should be reduced to 15 minutes anyway. You don't need 30 minutes to use the restroom.

If the driver intentionally departs late from NYD, he should be disciplined regardless of the rest stops.

If the driver is already running late and makes excessive rest stops or extends rest stops, he should be disciplined for intentionally delaying his bus further in an attempt to get extra pay.

Unfortunately, Greyhound timetables are a huge mess and clearly show a lack of attention to timing detail. Airline timetables are much more professionally-made. Poor timetabling on Greyhound's part causes further problems. They also still have that inaccurate route map on their website.