216 Orion VII HEV buses for NYCT

[PC2871]

I have to be honest, I was happy to see them go. The suspensions on those 4900's are horrible. The 9300's and 9500/9600's are far superior in terms of ride comfort. So it's somewhat ironic that although our fleet got a bit "older", our fleet also git a bit more comfortable at the same time.

What are the suspension BO numbers over there on those 49's?

I think the reason the 95/96xxs are superior is because on the 49xx you have the flimsy mirror mounts on the inside that vibrates like heck when the bus is idling at a stop. As for suspension being in better shape I believe it is due to the roads these buses ran on. Before they repaved springfield blvd for the extension of the Q27 Springfield Blvd south of Jamaica was a war zone and those 49xx ran over the "war zone" constantly when they get used for the  Q2 and the Q83. The 95xx and 96xx came from manhattanville. The roads they ran on didnt have as many potholes. I also believe that another difference becomes more apparent is that manhattan division gets more resources when it comes to bus care. If you ever ride a 52xx out of manhattanville and compare it to say a 52xx out of ENY you will notice the difference day and nite. Even as a passenger.

[Bob Sandewicz]

One of the many, many things I've learned from the good folks at BTN is that different bus fleets each have their own peculiar traits. I'll bet that truckers, railroaders, airline pilots, and sailors may experience similar differences in thier rides as well.
That said, when a depot receives a batch of new buses, is there any specific training/familiarization process implemented to orient the operators and maintainers assigned to that location?
Are BO's permitted the chance to get familiar with new control layouts, and to get a feel for the brake and throttle responses of new units?
Are maintainers walked through the idiosyncracies of a new design? In the case of HEV's, I would think the design and equipment differences would be significant as compared with conventional diesel-hydraulic buses.

[Bill D]

One of the many, many things I've learned from the good folks at BTN is that different bus fleets each have their own peculiar traits. I'll bet that truckers, railroaders, airline pilots, and sailors may experience similar differences in their rides as well.
That said, when a depot receives a batch of new buses, is there any specific training/familiarization process implemented to orient the operators and maintainers assigned to that location?
Are BO's permitted the chance to get familiar with new control layouts, and to get a feel for the brake and throttle responses of new units?
Are maintainers walked through the idiosyncrasies of a new design? In the case of HEV's, I would think the design and equipment differences would be significant as compared with conventional diesel-hydraulic buses.

In CT (and I'm sure almost everywhere else), a specified number of hours of training for maintenance personnel is written into the bid specifications. During pre production meetings a more detailed plan is developed, focusing on areas which maintenance personnel are unfamiliar with, or are specific to the type of bus being purchased. For example, when we received our D40LFs in 2003, our training included the multiplex electrical system, the M.A.N. axle and brake system and the wheelchair ramp system, all of which were new to us. There was also vendor training for the Thermo King AC units and the Safetyvision video system. The training is a combination of classroom and hands-on, using one of our buses, actually taking it apart and putting it back together to familiarize ourselves with the vehicle. Our training when we received the RTS fleet in 1996 followed the same procedures.  Occasionally, some personnel are sent for factory training. I had the opportunity to go to the Bluebird factory in Fort Valley, GA when we received buses from them, and to the GFI factory in Elk Grove Village, IL when Connecticut installed their fareboxes statewide.

Our driver orientation isn't as detailed, but manufacturer's representatives usually have an orientation session with small groups of operators, then our supervisors did one on one orientation, where the operator takes the bus on the road to get a feel for it.  Maintenance personnel also receive a lot of questions from the drivers, as we spend more time with the vehicles where they are first received.

There is still a lot of learning that is done on the fly as we become more familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the bus, as things come to light that weren't apparent during training.

Bill

[Bob Sandewicz]

Thanks for that info, Bill!

[TCC Senior Man]

At LaGuardia Depot about 2 weeks prior to having the Cruisers placed into service , all personnel, both Drivers and Shop, were required to be checked out on the new D4500's. The training on the new cruisers was done in 2 parts and it didn't matter which part you did first.

One part was spent with a qualified 19-A Examiner showing us all the controls and the operation of the wheelchair lift of the D-4500. The other part of the training was going out with about 5 or 6 other drivers on the cruiser. We all took turns driving the cruiser along with another qualified 19-A examiner who shows us the best ways to pull into and out of bus stops, etc.

The driving part (in my case) took about 15 minutes for each driver. Nobody was permitted to do a run with a cruiser until they were properly checked out and everyone had completed both parts of the training on the D-4500. Below is a photo of what the switch panel looks like for the cruisers.

I believe that we will receive similar training on the Hybrids before they are put into service at LaGuardia Depot. It is my understanding that training on the hybrids has already begun at Baisly Park, Depot. I think that they have 2 hybrids there for training purposes only at this time.

[Bob Sandewicz]

Thanks much to you, TCC Senior Man, for the info and photo! It sounds as if there is some degree of formal orientation presented, which I think is a very good idea.

[Driver@BTN]

That looks eerily close to your standard NYCT Nova panel, with a few exceptions. Thanks for the inside look!

By the way, how do you like that seat? I find it so much more comfortable than the others. It's wider, has much more recline adjust but doesn't extend upward enough for my taste. Still, in my opinion, that seat has been the best we've ever had. Remember the rock-hard blue seats (Jeez). Not to be outdone, the vinyl blue "pillows" we had; you remember those -- your head hit the roof upon every bump and pothole!

[PC2871]

I noticed an obvious difference from the original MTA Bus Mci Cruisers. Mainly the shape of the master run switch.

Take a look at the link to photo supplied by Express Driver.
http://gallery.bustalk.net/displayimage.php?album=42&pos=21

Notice on a MCI such as 3002 that the Master switch looks like a stove knob than the ubiquetous master run switch found on an NYCT Orion/RTS bus.

[Driver@BTN]

The TA has been modifying various switches over the last few years. The master run was a large rotary-type dial that's now the pointer-type switch in the original picture (but similar to that which you have posted). They have also been changing the kneel switch from a vertical pin to a horizontal rocker. These are the two that stand out in my mind, but there are others. I'll post an example of the old rotary master and the new kneel rocker in another follow-up thread here so as not to take this topic completely off course.