BusTalk

[Pineywoodsbus]

Well that's what a driver on the S90 told me recently. In winter they don't have any heaters or a garage for the bus that is used on that route, so it often won't start. The bus for the S90 is stored in a yard in Eastport with school buses. Yes, one bus, 5041 I believe. When it doesn't start runs are scrapped entirely or run hours late, as they have to get another bus from the HJ yard in Southampton. According to the driver, this happened just over 60 times this past winter. Yes.. 60 TIMES!
HJ doesn't have block heaters or garages for it's transit buses, but of course they do for the coaches...
Anyway that day a couple weeks ago the S90 was 45 minutes late, it was because of an a/c malfunction. Instead of 5041 there was a 9000 series Gillig on there, and I had a transfer which I had to give to the driver, apparently the HJ yard forgot to attach the transfer box!
I rode the same bus later in the day and the a/c was out too, the driver wasn't happy. Just another day at Hampton Jitney transit...where only the city snob coaches count.

[Hart Bus]

John: City snobbery has nothing to do with it, but simple economics does. From an entreprenurial standpoint, where will HJ make more money, the Motorcoaches or transit routes? Obviously it is the motorcoaches, so it makes sense to put more of their resourcess there.
Don't blame them for wanting to make money, blame Suffolk Transit for not supervising them carefully enough. It ST is smart, they'll put language in the contract to insure that the buses are well maintained, heated at night, etc. Perhaps write some substantial penalties into the next contract, enforce them, and you'll see how fast things would change.

MONEY TALKS! NOBODY WALKS! - Dennison Clothiers radio commercial of the late 1960's.