Slow buses and fast buses, a squatters help guide.

[99SL2_Modder]

2000 series - Champions. Horrible buses, but it's basically a truck with a passenger back. They move out fast. Also known as the Bristol Rush and the like.

4400-4599 - Well, any of the 4000 series...they can move out if it's the shorter bus. It's got a 6cyl, but it still always looks like the bus is just going to roll over. Avoid if possible.

5100-5399 - Avoid squatting behind any of this series bus. These buses are next up for scrapping. They're extraordinarily slow, and leak a lot of fluids on the ground. We do the best we can with fixing it, but they're just horrible.

5400-5712 - Most of these have been rehabbed with our new engines and are fast as ****. If these buses didn't have ATC on them, they'd spin tires. Some, however, still have the old engine. You can tell by the way they move out and how they sound. If they're quiet as ****, it's a rehab and will be fine to squat behind because they will move out fine in traffic.

5713-5999 - Not rehabbed. These buses still have our old 4cyl in them, but they move out a little better than the old buses. I think it's due to the gearing in the new transmission that's put into them. Not a bad squat.

7100-7299 - Articulated buses. The ones with the slinky in the middle. Do not squat. They blow up rears a lot. Locked rear +60' of articulated bus = bad. You don't want to hit into the back of +40klbs of bus.

8000+ - Same as 5400-5712's. These puppies are the ones that started the rehab. Not only do they have the better transmission, but they have the beautiful engine. Bitches are fast.

Any bus with an H after the number (8152H) - Don't even try passing it. These hybrids are the fastest buses I've seen to date. Literally, you can slam well over 60mph in a couple seconds.

There is a series call the Neoplan 40. I don't remember the numbers on them, but to my knowledge, they should almost all be scrapped by now. You'll know when you're behind one of those pieces of garbage.

Just some helpful hints. :p

[poolmike]

Thanks for the info, Mr. Christ. I'll stick with my usual plan of avoiding anything that says SEPTA.

[poolmike]

Any of their smaller machines have a Cummins 4bt or 6bt in them????

[SovXietday]

Squat behind them? I'm confused.

[Zarno]

I'm really confused too :bigeek:... a quick google/urban dictionary search didn't help much either.

[Scapegoat]

I think he means that if you need to take a crap, squat behind the slow ones so you have time to wipe. otherwise you're gonna be left out in the open when the "fast" ones take off

[cburwell]

I think he means that if you need to take a crap, squat behind the slow ones so you have time to wipe. otherwise you're gonna be left out in the open when the "fast" ones take off

That would be the preferred interpretation. :) I prefer to **** in the bushes since there is less chance of you cover driving away.

He probably means what buses it's ok to get behind on the road (because they can actually keep up with the flow of traffic).

[den9]

septa drivers are aholes, they pull over and when u pass them they try to knock u into the other lane.

i guess its better than having 2000 more drivers on the road

[poolmike]

Are the Septa drivers the a$$holes?? Or is it the ignorant f'r that is running late for work?? I hate public transportationas much as the next guy, but if the driver of a 50' long machine doesn't cut somebody off, that driver won't get too far.

[Roto]

I'm with Mike on avoiding anything SEPTA... being anywhere near one is trouble. Whether it be from morans jumping out from infront of it or it taking off on a red light...and the articulated buses...stay way clear of those...

[cburwell]

Are the Septa drivers the a$$holes?? Or is it the ignorant f'r that is running late for work?? I hate public transportationas much as the next guy, but if the driver of a 50' long machine doesn't cut somebody off, that driver won't get too far.

It's the same thing as big rigs trying to switch lanes on the highway. I see it all the time where people keep flying past them when they have their blinker on.

[poolmike]

It's the same thing as big rigs trying to switch lanes on the highway. I see it all the time where people keep flying past them when they have their blinker on.

yeh, and then the truck driver gets the bad rep. I know what Den9 is saying...it just sucks to get caught behind a bus mid-route.

[den9]

nothing pisses me off more than a trucker in the left lane, unless they are going 90 clearing all the ppl who go 55

[foss]

this is the most confusing thread ever.

[04 Turbo Spec]

nothing pisses me off more than a trucker in the left lane, unless they are going 90 clearing all the ppl who go 55

hey man lay off the truck drivers. I drive our race hauler and i hate cars now; no matter what you wanna do the cars wont let you especially when you need to get over and they keep zooming by. i have a lot of respect for the truck driver, on the road they are some of the most courteous drivers.

[martang]

If I ever see a trucker that turns on their blinker to get over in front of me I always slow down to let him in because chances are that I won't be stuck behind him for too long

[99SL2_Modder]

Any of their smaller machines have a Cummins 4bt or 6bt in them????

The only one that runs Cummins are the New Flyer and the Eldorado.

The Cummins in the New Flyer is the ISL340 (or some such). The Eldo has whatever is in the Dodge ram trucks.

Our Wreckers have a 13 letter **** spreader, and I don't know what the Champs have. Some V8 of some sort.

septa drivers are aholes, they pull over and when u pass them they try to knock u into the other lane.

i guess its better than having 2000 more drivers on the road

Uhh, the mechanics aren't that bad. Other than that, SEPTA doesn't have drivers, they're operators. 90% of them can't drive. over 95% of the mechanics can outdrive any of the ops on obstacle courses. It's been proven and beaten to a pulp in the Mass Transit games that go on every year. SEPTA's placed in most of them for the ability to fix buses, believe it or not.

As far as squatting, I was referring to what you MAY get stuck behind trying to drive in the city and what would be a good thing to try and go around. But those "fast" ones really are fast as **** for 40' of 28k lbs of bus. The artics? Yeah, stay away from them. Especially if it snows.

[den9]

hey man lay off the truck drivers. I drive our race hauler and i hate cars now; no matter what you wanna do the cars wont let you especially when you need to get over and they keep zooming by. i have a lot of respect for the truck driver, on the road they are some of the most courteous drivers.

i like truck drivers, they usually let you through, but when they are in the left lane for other than passing i get pissed. im almost positive its illegal.

[Roto]

truck drivers are the friendliest and courteous drivers no matter who says what. I once had to make a trip from philly to chicago and it was raining so hard it was washing my car off the road...two double-trailer fed-ex trucks let me drive between them and I went for 500 miles between the two of them and it was much safer that trying to fight the rain...

[99SL2_Modder]

Old Neo 40 footer that's currently being scrapped. They're the 3000 series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKes-iotFeo

Ikarus (now called the NABI, the 5000-5399 series)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG0eMyHV0lU (that's about 90-100 throttle at the end)

New Flyer (Cummins powered, probably about 50% throttle judging on the engine noise. From a stop. The clip starts at a green.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Xc19sVbuQ&feature=related

These are what I could find. Amateur videos are horrible sound quality, but you can get the general idea of speed from them.

[Scapegoat]

wait... someone was video taping septa buses... why?

[Signatus230]

wait... someone was video taping septa buses... why?

Thats EXACTLY what I was thinking. This is an interesting thread though. To be honest... I can't tell the difference between those three that were just video linked.

[Scapegoat]

Thats EXACTLY what I was thinking. This is an interesting thread though. To be honest... I can't tell the difference between those three that were just video linked.

neither can I, and it doesn't matter. I'm still faster than them and will attempt to pass them any time I am behind one.

[99SL2_Modder]

There's big differences between them all. Huge, in fact.

But then again, I guess it's just more noticeable to me because I work on them all the time.

Do what you do, but I'm just saying, not all of them are bad. Just watch yourself when you pass. Don't do the asshole pass and cut hard over. Give a little space, cause now that these things pick up, the Ops WILL use that to their advantage to get in to traffic.

And I have no idea why there's a million and a half SEPTA videos on youtube. If you look up SEPTA, there's a LOT of random vids.

[Action Park]

93
I used to like to ride the slinky buses when I was a youngin'. I remember that septa had some volvo buses, are they still around? Matter of fact, I think the old school slinky buses were volvo's. I also remember they had the cable bus things running a few routes(the ones that ran on the tracks with the cable above). Are those still around?
93 93/93

[GyrlSpeedRT]

Well, I know I've taken Broad Street a few times and been behind an off duty bus. I actually made better time sticking behind them than the other drivers...go figure.

[99SL2_Modder]

93
I used to like to ride the slinky buses when I was a youngin'. I remember that septa had some volvo buses, are they still around? Matter of fact, I think the old school slinky buses were volvo's. I also remember they had the cable bus things running a few routes(the ones that ran on the tracks with the cable above). Are those still around?
93 93/93

The old Volvo's are no more, unfortunately. They were a great build quality, but all of those have been axed. The new slinky's are Neoplan AN60OQ's (or, for really not wanting to say that, "Artic", " 'tic", "Slinky", or "OQ".) The other Neoplans we have are being scrapped, but the OQ is still going to be in use for awhile.

AFAIK, Volvo no longer makes buses, but I could be wrong. All our buses in the near future will be New Flyer variants. Almost all D40LF series, and maybe a 30 footer to replace the Eldorado National (which was originally designed as a 20 or 25 foot bus, which is why it looks so freakin weird and why it rides like a rocking chair).

Cable buses (aka: Trackless trolley's) were gotten rid of awhile back, but starting in Fall 2k7, IIRC, we brought them back. It's basically a New Flyer D40LF on the inside, but the exterior of the bus is friggin huge as hell. I don't work on those, however. That bus is mainly the AEEM department (electrical/teamsters union). The trolley DOES have a small engine in case it has to go off route, but AFAIK, it's pretty weak.

Well, I know I've taken Broad Street a few times and been behind an off duty bus. I actually made better time sticking behind them than the other drivers...go figure.

Off Duty buses make no stops except for lights and signs. They just want to get back to the depot so they can either A) go home or B) Play pool if they're on a swing shift (most transportation centers have a pool table for swing shift operators, along with TV's and game consoles). You'll more than likely find out how quick some of the buses really are when you run into an off duty or a NIS. Most NIS buses are mechanic drivers, however, so that's not always the case.