TheMaritimeMan Posted February 25, 2014 Report Share Posted February 25, 2014 I'd think a minor issue like that would be a simple, no-nonsense fix, compared to if, say, the frame was rotting away. They've fitted at least one of the RTS's with an electronic replacement bell, after all. I suppose they'll welcome anything as an excuse to retire an older bus, though. Speaking of the RTS's, I spotted 8981 today, so the oldest one is still in check as of 2014. I've only ever been on it once, and I'd like to get on it again so I try signaling via the tape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I went to Kings Place today and spotted 8982, 8983, 8984, and 8991. This was in the late afternoon, so it's nice to see they'll still run the older buses, even when they have enough of the newer ones to cover everything. Now, if I can find 8013 and 8014, that will be every RTS accounted for. Which is surprising considering they allegedly wanted to begin retiring the RTS's years ago. Edit: I realized I'm starting to track the Classics and RTSs here. I'm just posting them as a sort of confirmation of the validity of the roster on the Wiki, and I hope it hasn't bothered anyone. I think I'll make a Fredericton Transit Classic and RTS tracking thread, so I can post this sort of stuff there instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitpu Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I believe the older buses get run during the hours in the day where the routes run every half an hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I figured they had enough LFS's to cover the half-hour run, but I guess not if there's two buses on each route at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted March 9, 2014 Report Share Posted March 9, 2014 The other day I saw for the first time a cutaway van numbered 8122. Anyone know what it's used for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitpu Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 I believe it's just used for maintenance stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted March 10, 2014 Report Share Posted March 10, 2014 Have a look at this. CBC News on the counterfeiting of FT passes: http://www.cbc.ca/ne...rfeit-1.2566346 Hopefully they're correct in assuming that it's unlikely to happen much, if at all. I remember a fellow rider and friend of mine once telling me that he could probably fake a pass if he wanted to. I notice that the new pass design which debuted a few months ago doesn't appear to have the "COPY" that comes out in photocopies like the previous design did. Or maybe it's there and even more conspicuous. What I find as interesting as the article itself is the comments on it. It seems a LOT of people are quite disgruntled with FT in general. I've never had any sort of problem with their service, although then again FT is the first and only public transit service I've ever used, so I have nothing else to compare them to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitpu Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 They had a HUGE problem with that in Halifax a while ago... To the point where students couldn't board the bus with their student passes unless they had their student ID. The poll on that article is hilarious. The picture tells you which pass is the copy, and the poll asks you "Which one is the copy?" As for spending $700,000 on readers... I'm skeptical that it will happen. They were supposed to do a number of things that didn't end up getting done. Prime example is that the buses were all supposed to be outfitted with WiFi. They may all have it now, but when I left, one or two buses had it, and it was password protected. And the drivers didn't know the password. I don't think FT has any more problems than any other bus service. A lot of people in Fredericton think FT should be run similar to bigger transit systems, which isn't going to happen in a smaller city with a smaller budget. The only thing I would like to see change is at least a minimal service on Sundays. A lot of complaints are about times of service, but there needs to be ridership. The Two Nations Crossing bus didn't pan out because there was no ridership, yet folks complained when the route had to be scrapped. But, in my eleven years of living in transit and taking the bus daily, I've never been on a bus that didn't make it to their destination on time give or take a few minutes, assuming there was no bad weather that day or accidents along the way. Most of the drivers have been relatively friendly as well. Since moving to Halifax, I've met many drivers who were not so friendly or professional. I had one driver who was screaming obscenities at a passing car. Another time, I was running toward the bus stop in a snowstorm. The bus passes me to go to the bus stop a half a block ahead of me, and didn't stop or wait for me, and pulled away just as I reached the bus stop. And if I were to take the bus to Bayer's Lake, about a 15 minute drive from my apartment, it would take me about two hours to get there because of the transfers along the route. So considering all that, I think Frederictonians have it rather well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 They didn't point out which pass was fake until today. They kept it a secret for the poll. I agree with just about everything you said. They believe pass counterfeiting isn't a problem (which is hopefully true), so I doubt they would put out the expense for electronic readers. And if there is Wi-Fi, I wouldn't know. I'd never make use of it, anyway. Same, I've found the buses are rarely more than 3 or 4 minutes late, and never early (which would be more inconvenient), and I've found most of the drivers to be friendly, and helpful. On more than one occasion, I've gone outside just as the bus is departing the stop, and the driver (there must be at least a few who recognize me by now) stopped again well past the stop so I could get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitpu Posted March 11, 2014 Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 Someone pointed out in the comments that there are more people getting free rides by boarding the buses while the drivers are in Kings Place, and that's absolutely true. But like I said, if folks in Fredericton want to complain about Transit, they are more than welcome to try out the transit in a bigger city, where fares are a bit higher, it takes much longer to get from A to B, some of the drivers aren't as friendly, and if they see the bus departing they may as well sit down and wait for the next because that bus isn't stopping. Most of the bus drivers there will recognize a regular face. One of the perks of a smaller city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Rather surprising, I rode 8013 this morning! One member had not seen either 8013 or 8014 since the summer time, I had never seen them in the 6 months I've been using the buses, and another member said here that they were the "most problematic" of the RTS buses, so, I figured they were both retired. But alas, 8013 seems to have risen from the shadows. I spotted it again this afternoon, as well. It looked, rode, and sounded quite all right. However, there was a frequent squeak audible both inside and outside the bus - perhaps the steering. It's also notable that 8013 still has the tape, joining 8981 as the only RTS's that have not been converted to the cord. If I can find 8014, that will be every RTS FT ever bought accounted for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted March 24, 2014 Report Share Posted March 24, 2014 Just a reminder that 8921 needs to be moved to the Retired section of the wiki page. I would do it myself, but I have yet to be approved as a wiki editor. I suppose I don't have the credentials to be approved, being a new member and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted April 2, 2014 Report Share Posted April 2, 2014 I rode 8014 this morning! It too has seemingly risen from the dead like 8013. That means every RTS Fredericton ever bought is still in service as of April 2014, which is nice. 8014 looks, sounds, and rides just fine. It also still has the tape to call a stop, joining 8013 and 8981 as the only ones that do (I'm assuming, anyway - I actually have yet to ride 8984, so I have no clue about that one). 8014 has also been retrofitted with an electronic bell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROSeaboyer Posted April 3, 2014 Report Share Posted April 3, 2014 As far as I remember, 8984 has been retrofitted with the cord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitpu Posted April 5, 2014 Report Share Posted April 5, 2014 A while ago I was reading that Fredericton planned on getting a couple of artics. Does anyone know anything about that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDuke Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 The other day I saw for the first time a cutaway van numbered 8122. Anyone know what it's used for? It is one of the 3 city's wheelchair buses. 8074 and 8113 being the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted April 16, 2014 Report Share Posted April 16, 2014 A while ago I was reading that Fredericton planned on getting a couple of artics. Does anyone know anything about that? I looked through Fredericton's 2014 budget documents, and I couldn't find anything about a new bus there. Then again, I looked through the 2013 documents and didn't find anything about a new bus (8131) there, either, so evidently I'm looking in the wrong places. I'd be very surprised if Fredericton got even one artic, though. I personally don't think there would be any use for one. I ride Route 11, the most popular route, over a dozen times a week, and very rarely does a bus ever have more than a few standees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted May 28, 2014 Report Share Posted May 28, 2014 TheDuke announced on the Classic and RTS tracking page that 8961 has been retired, due to a transmission problem. This makes 8941 the last remaining Classic in Fredericton. This means the Classic era in Fredericton may end a lot sooner than I anticipated, since otherwise I expected 8961 to last at least into 2016... A new bus has also arrived, 8141, which will go into service in a month or so. Until I hear or see otherwise I'll assume it's spec'd similarly to 8131. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitpu Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Found this article. The city is planning an overhaul of the bus system. They're trying to increase bus routes in busier times and in busier areas, but they're making some horrible changes to do it, including taking away the Silverwood, Lincoln, and Lower St. Mary's and taking them off the road up to an hour earlier. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fredericton-plans-overhaul-of-transit-system-1.2685372?cmp=rss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted June 24, 2014 Report Share Posted June 24, 2014 Wow...! I'm indifferent to the proposed removal of those routes since I never use them (although I don't know what routes serve Lower St. Mary's), but I am a bit worried about ending service earlier, especially since this coming school year I have classes that end at 10 PM. And now having to relearn the numbering after I finally figured out most of the routes. It will be nice to see more frequent service, though. I can't believe, however, that they have no planned changes for Saturday or Sunday - those are the most complained-about aspects of the system! We'll see what happens, anyhow; it's just a proposal for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted July 16, 2014 Report Share Posted July 16, 2014 Emotions are high over the proposed transit changes: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fredericton-councillor-ashamed-by-transit-cuts-1.2708335 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitpu Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 I don't blame anyone for being upset over the changes. I find them absolutely ridiculous. There's still enough people who take the Lincoln/Silverwood bus to warrant using it, in my opinion, and taking the buses off an hour earlier at night is just ludicrous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted October 19, 2014 Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 Hi all; I know I haven't spoke in a while, but I'm still here, and I have some bits and pieces of info to share. Obviously, the routes and scheduling changes were implemented. 11 Carlisle was renamed 10 Carlisle, 13 Brookside Mall was renamed 12 Brookside, 15 Barker's Point was renamed 14 Barkers Point (not a typo, they actually dropped the apostrophe ), and 16 Prospect has become 17 Regent. 18 Silverwood and 20 Lincoln were left alone, despite their discontinuation being one of the focuses of the changes. I'm sure some of the routes have changed slightly, but I haven't bothered to look into that. They did decide to end routes 1-1.5 hours earlier than before. Luckily for me, my class that ends at 10 PM has never ended later than 9:30, so I've been able to catch the last bus home. I still think they shouldn't have done it, though. A friend of mine whose job was affected by the earlier end times actually started an online petition to revert the changes completely. It received over 500 signatures, and he hand-delivered it to the City of Fredericton. I haven't heard anything about it since then, though. I would have been surprised if it actually changed anything. On to the buses themselves, I seen at least a couple of the second-gen LFS's got new standee bars over the front wheel wells. They're nice, larger than the originals. They increase standee capacity by probably 3 or 4. I've also rode the new 8141 a few times (which by the way, wiki editors, needs to be added to the roster). As far as I can tell it's no different from its third-gen brethren. In keeping with its announced retirement, I haven't seen 8961 (which needs to be moved to the retired roster on the wiki). 8941 is still in service as of a couple of days ago. 8013 seems to have had its squeaky steering fixed. Also something that surprises me, about a week and a half ago, I was waiting for the bus to come after school, and up comes 8021! That's the first time, in all my time riding the buses, that I have ever witnessed an older bus running on 10 Carlisle. Then a couple of days later, I witnessed another RTS running on that route! I always figured they purposely kept the older buses off that route due to its high ridership (despite 11 Prospect being equally as popular and often serviced by the older buses), but maybe I've just never been there at the right time? Cool to see nonetheless. Also, just a funny anecdote, I got on an RTS one morning a couple of weeks ago - I think it was 8983 - and the driver alerts me that the bell quit working halfway through the route. So we had to yell when we wanted to get off at the next stop. That was amusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMaritimeMan Posted October 28, 2014 Report Share Posted October 28, 2014 I just came to campus to find 8992 broke down. It was parked at the bus stop behind McLaggan hall, with a tow truck preparing to hitch it on. Oh my! Also, I rode 8981 the other morning to find it has a very loud engine tick. I've heard this usually spells curtains for a two-stroke Detroit, don't know what it means for an S50... Edit: I rode 8992 a couple of days later. Evidently its breakdown wasn't detrimental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDuke Posted November 2, 2014 Report Share Posted November 2, 2014 Sad to report that 8941 and 8961 are now retired. They are both currently sitting at transit. I'll snag some photos this week before they disappear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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