BusTalk

John Roth · Age: 72 Joined: 06 Jul 2013 Posts: 49 Location: Pasadena Md

Gonna be in Manhattan all day tomorrow. One of my goals is to find an RTS for one last ride. MTA Maryland removed them years ago.

John

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:04 pm Post subject:

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 · Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2019 7:09 pm Post subject:

John Roth · Age: 72 Joined: 06 Jul 2013 Posts: 49 Location: Pasadena Md

After two days of looking for an RTS I am back home in Maryland without seeing even one. One more common place bus that has disappeared.

John

John Roth · Age: 72 Joined: 06 Jul 2013 Posts: 49 Location: Pasadena Md

After two days of looking for an RTS I am back home in Maryland without seeing even one. One more common place bus that has disappeared.

John

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 · Posted: Sun Apr 21, 2019 12:15 pm Post subject:

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 · Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 6:46 pm Post subject:

.........anyone here know when will be the last day of revenue service for the remaining RTS buses?

Also, what depot(s) are the remaining buses currently operating out of?

Hope at least one of these faithful old workhorses will be saved from the scrap heap.....

"NYO"

frankie · Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 7:00 pm Post subject:

St. Louis has never had an RTS in it's fleet considering that it's a major metropolitan area. During the RTS era, we've had Flxibles, Neoplans and Gilligs. Currently we're 100% Gillig.

Were there any other large metro areas that never had RTS's?

Frankie

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 · Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 9:36 pm Post subject:

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 · Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 9:39 pm Post subject:

Also:

I am interested in learning, if, back in the 1980's/1990's, were there any of the MTA garages/depots that did not have RTS buses based there, and only stabled GM/FLEX NEW LOOKS/METROS, until they were finally retired?

Thanks.....

"NYO"

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 · Posted: Sat Apr 27, 2019 2:01 pm Post subject:

Just received this item from a Staten Island eBay dealer:

Metal plate from an RTS II

"RTS II"

"GMC"

"PONTIAC, MICHIGAN, USA"

On the rear of the plate are two "codes:"

Z-4401

2003301

Be cool if this was from a retired MTA unit; no matter, it's gonna look pretty cool displayed up on one of my "transit walls"........ Wink

"NYO"

(not bad for $15.00!!) Very Happy

Q65A · Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 10:03 am Post subject:

Check out the current (as of 414/19) MTA DOB depot rosters at TTMG:
http://www.ttmg.org/transitwiki/Insider%27s_Guide:_Metropolitan_Transportation_Authority_Bus_Operations_-_Depot_Summary
Usually RTSs can be found in the Brooklyn Division, which is where they first debuted in NYC in 1981 on the B-17.
There are some RTSs in the Queens Division, but none in the Bronx and Staten Island Divisions (neither of which were RTS strongholds in quite a few years).

Q65A · Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 10:05 am Post subject:

Looks as if MJQ still has 23 RTSs left, so the Manhattan Division is not yet RTS-free.

Q65A · Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 10:09 am Post subject:

Sad to say but FLA, UP and JAM appear to be the last depots still running RTSs. Not very long ago they were still running out of GA and ENY.

NEW YORK OMNIBUS 2629 · Posted: Sun Apr 28, 2019 1:23 pm Post subject:

Q65A:

Appreciate the depot information; it is clear that the long run of the faithful RTS is about to forever draw to a close; I saw these buses thousands of times each workday when I worked in lower Manhattan (1979-2003) and yet, never took so much as one photo.

I am most grateful to those forward-thinking enthusiasts who were far from idle when it came to capturing the RTS on film, over the years.

NJT's seemed (at least to me) to vanish far too soon; the last I rode were on the #22 HILLSIDE (ex-ACADEMY) about 14 years ago, before NJT cut back the #22 to Nungessers.

IMHO, it would seem (from what I gathered here on the Forum) is that most of us have the RTS as our post-New Look "favorite" (yours truly included; I also got to like the GRUMMAM/METRO, later on)

I do hope that there will be some sort of "marking" (however minor) of the passing of the RTS, when the very last one completes its final revenue run in New York.....

"NYO"