Paid for my ticket at 2nd and 42nd. The crowd was minimal but grew quickly. We waited over 10 minutes for a bus. The MTA employee said they are supposed to come every five minutes.
After paying for my paper ticket with my unlimited monthly, the regular local bus came, but I couldn't use my metrocard there as I just used it to buy a select ticket.
When the bus finally arrived it was jam packed. It sat for a few minutes as people were standing in the doorways. Everyone was irritated and each stop was a nightmare due to the super crowded condition. Exiting and entering was difficult for all riders.
Attached is a picture of the crowded condition... the entire bus was this full.
"MTA can't get it right every time. I'm hoping this is an anomaly.. it can't get any worse!"
17 comments:
I had a different experience. I took the Select Bus on First Avenue yesterday, and it went smoothly. I used my unlimited card to buy a ticket, and the bus was about to pull away, but a nice MTA employee stopped it for me. There was a woman on the bus telling another passenger that the Select Bus is making her commute much faster, and she loves it.
I also had a good experience using it last night for the first time-- but I soon learned that the Select Bus, supposedly *replacing the M15 Limited stops* has indeed dropped the 9th st/2nd ave stop, which unfortunately is the corner on which I live. *sigh*
Yesterday morning I took the M15 downtown from 14th street. I saw the Select Service bus and ran over to put my metrocard into the machine. I got the receipt and grabbed my metrocard but the M15 select service bus pulled away before I could make it on.
The next bus that came was a regular M15. I worried that I might not be able to get on because it was just used, but it was fine. I inserted the metrocard like usual, and the machine beeped and I got onto the regular old M15 with no issues.
I got on fine so I don't know how the following happened in the story you posted: After paying for my paper ticket with my unlimited monthly, the regular local bus came, but I couldn't use my metrocard there as I just used it to buy a select ticket.
Also, a friend of mine had the same thing happen, but instead of inserting her card into the regular M15, she just showed the receipt to the driver and that was sufficient to board the bus.
it's also eliminated the Delancey stop, which also used to be Limited. SBS now stops at grand for northbound.
A good test would be to see how everything runs on 14th Street uptown in the morning. That stop is always jam packed with people. The real advantage of this system is all of them not having to insert their metrocard on the bus. I wonder how it went there this morning.
Also, a lot of the limited stops were eliminated with this system including Houston & Chrystie.
@Morgan,
Technically the M15 Limited never stopped at Houston, it stopped at 1st Street, and they've just moved the stop to 2nd Street, so that shouldn't be a problem, but I agree with you that it's ridiculous to have the southbound M15 Select make no stops between 14th St. and Grand St. There should at least be a stop near Houston.
Anon @ 12:39pm: There is a stop at Houston going Southbound. It's actually on Houston near Allen Street, before it turns right to head toward Grand St.
It's a new service that involves a pretty substantial process change both on the part of the MTA and riders. I'd expect that there will be some carnage for awhile.
In a year, I suspect that people will be adjusted to the system and it will substantially improve transit times.
(Personally, I'm also disappointed about the loss of the limited stop between 8th and 9th on First Ave., as I live very close by. But not every change can personally benefit me. It makes more sense to have the limited buses stop approximately every 10 blocks to speed up the routes.)
According the SBS brochure, passengers with the SBS receipt are allowed a free transfer onto a local M15 bus thus if the SBS doesn't arrive first but the local does, the local M15 bus driver is supposed to accept the receipt as a transfer.
But the bus drivers are NOT doing it. I got a receipt but the SBS didn't arrive for a while. But the local M15 did. I showed the driver my receipt but he said I had to get off the bus or swipe an additional fare. I showed him the brochure that states in black and white that the receipt can be used as a transfer. He refused to look at it.
I got off the bus. Another M15 local pulled up right behind it. Again, I went on board and showed the driver my SBS receipt. She wouldn't let me on the bus. I showed her the brochure that said that the receipt is a tranfer, she said she didn't care and that I needed to get off the bus.
This is a crock.
@Chris
Not according to the map I'm looking at that Grieve posted.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p2jgVV2iZVs/TKZem0-_m8I/AAAAAAAAjQY/48D01WdZaNU/s1600/P1030796.JPG
@Chris
But the MTA online brochure DOES list E. Houston as a Southbound stop, even though it's not shown on the map. Strange, but you are correct.
and @ Anonymous 5:53, you're right, the brochure says that you can transfer for free between the SBS and Local, but doesn't say when the transfer expires. Typical MTA behavior for them to not even take the time to educate the drivers.
Arrived at 8:51 at 14th and 2nd, where there was an incorrect sign saying the bus was headed to East Harlem. 2nd ave goes downtown. I waited for a bus until 9:10. Then, the bus made several stops that weren’t even on the route anymore, further slowing us down. So while I should’ve arrived at Fulton Street around 9:20, I didn’t arrive until 9:40. A man who got off wound up falling on his hands and knees as he exited the bus, whether it was because it was crowded and he fell out or because the door is high off the ground, I don’t know.
Highly disappointing.
Yeah just walked by a bus that was boarding and the driver of the bus was screaming in an older woman's face when she asked how the new system works. "You buy it BEFORE!!!!" while pointing her off the bus
That's a nice way of explaining how the new bus service works......
I cannot fking believe that stops like 9th & 2nd ave, where there are crosstown buses were removed from Select Bus Service [which is still really just limited service with some important bus stops removed]
You can board faster, but thats about it... It definitely does not get me faster to 9th/2nd ave from 116th/ 2nd Ave AND NOW that I have to transfer to a local at 14th Street the MTA can just eat my shyt.
Both the Select Bus and the Local bus M15 will accept the paper receipts for passage now. Makes life a lot easier.
The Select Bus M15 does not stop on E.72St. any longer-fyi.
The m15 select service bus is te biggest crock of sh*t. It has destroyed the reliability of the m15 bus. This use to be the best bus in NYC. Now I can wait for half an hour or more, watching select after select bus before a local or limited even comes around. F*CK YOU MTA
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