What's New around here

WHAT'S NEW (Wednesday October 25 2000)
Added pages on the Seaport Connection and the forthcoming Night Owl. The troubles with the Seaport route were reported on Channel 4 recently. Also added the Route H's start date and added a picture of 7091.
Another victim of the October 3 flood was 7009. On Thursday the 5th, it was running on the Saturday schedule route 37, which operates out of Coral Way and is interlined with the 72. It was running along with Central buses on the weekday 37 schedule. As it was nearing Sunset Place and the South Miami Rail station to switch over to a 72, the engine began to lose power. it slowly lost power little by little until the engine died. The service truck was dispatched but the engine was totally frozen up. She was towed in and she was officially retired overnight. The bus had just been wrapped for Channel 39, advertising their 'Sabrina The Teenage Witch' reruns the week before. Also retired was 7007, this was done over the weekend of October 14th. For a few days 8031 came to Coral Way.
The current Power 96 wraps have been removed, and the search for the new one was held on Friday October 14 at a modeling agency on Lincoln Road. She will soon be on the buses. Yum.
This is all for now. More will come soon. And have a happy and safe Halloween!!.

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WHAT'S NEW (Wednesday January 3 2001)
Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had fun this Christmas.
At MDTA:
The Seaport Connection (route 243) and the Night Owl (route 246) began running on October 29 2000, and they have been very sucessful. The Night Owl has been a big hit with late riders, especially on the Beach portion of the route. South Beach is like New York, it never sleeps. I myself have driven this route on 2 occasions recently, and it is very busy especially during the 1 to 3 AM period. I've also run the Seaport Connection, and it has become very busy carrying Port employees during the week.
During the week of Halloween 0001 - 0020 were renumbered 2001 - 2020. Supposedly the computer system was having trouble recognizing the bus numbers, thus prompting the change.
About 15 new NABI low-floors came into Central during December 2000. They will be numbered 2021 - 2035. They arrived numberless, however. They also look different, with no top-front signal lights and standee straps in a few.
On December 21, a new Blue Bird Transhuttle CS, 1924, arrived. It features a TwinVision destination sign and a return to the old-fashioned guages due to problems with the 'all-in-one' guage on the current Blue Birds.
There have been more retirements. Coral Way has retired 7011, 7024, 7042 and 7051. Also 7056 was retired following a fatal wreck on the Busway and 112 street on 10/31/00. Central retired 8034 due to accident damage. Paratransit (B division) retired minibuses 6010 due to a blown engine and 6030 due to an electrical fire on December 8th. Central had retired 8001 and 8002, but 8001 has been brought back with a new engine and 8002 is being outfitted with one as well.
Another minor fleet move involved Paratransit van 20922, which has been re-assigned to the MDTA communications department, and is sitting in a lot in Downtown Miami (NW 2 Ave. at about 3rd Street.).
Coral Way has done 4004,4013,4025 and 9302 in the new scheme, with another artic in the paint shop now.
And 9805 is still being repaired.

WHAT'S NEW (Tuesday January 23, 2001)
Added pics of 2027 and 7044.
As of Monday February 5, 2001, the portion of the route 48 between the Downtown CBD bus terminal and the Omni bus terminal will be eliminated, and the 48 will be realigned through the CBD and into Overtown, the Jackson Memorial Hospital area, and will terminate at the Santa Clara Metrorail station. Why???? Ask Miss Cleo because I don't know.
Ahhh yummy! The new Power 96 girl has debuted on MDTA buses. This is what she looks like. Please forgive the flash going off in that special spot. That is 7038, by the way, one of the only 7000's to get the wrap this time. Other buses include 7087, 8068, 9017,9033 (incomplete), 9036, and 9330.
The number of 2000's delivered run as high as 2053 now.
The number of Blue Birds/ 'Blue Turds' delivered run as high as 1931 now.
9748, which had an engine blow-out last August, is still sitting behind the Coral Way shops, among the dumpsters.
And yes, 9805 is STILL being repaired. Enjoy.

WHAT'S NEW (Saturday July 21 2001)
           Well my computer was fried for good while. And a lot's happened between January 23 and July 21, so let's get into it .....
           First the bad news....during February and March, Coral Way scrapped ALL their remaining 7000's, going in ascending numerical order beginning with 7003 around Valentine's Day and terminating with 7054, The Hybrid, around March 20th (The Hybrid of course had the new hot pink/aqua colors in the front and the old 'M' green on blue stripes on the sides and the back.). The Oddball, 7122, which was CW's only repainted 7000 (And THAT was done while she was running at Northeast.), survived until April 2. Also a Central refugee, 8069, was retired that month. Central sent 8055, 8057 and 8060 to replace some of them. The rest were replaced by the last 2000's that arrived. Coral Way's allotment, along with 2001 - 2006, was 2073 - 2096. These buses began arriving at Central in October, and were run by CE, at times without radios and fareboxes, for a while until they were outfitted and sent to their respective garages.....2021 has an amber-colored destination sign, experinmental. Also the higher numbers came without top front flashers and standee straps. Paratransit has retired 6002, 6010, 6028, 6030, 6031, 6033, 6044 and 6044. they are being replaced with the new Blue Birds, which currently number as high as 1962, with 1974 also having been delivered and is now running regularly on the 137- West Dade Connection.
           Now the good news....lots of new routes are running. On February 15 the 25 cent route 247 - Intermall Shuttle began running between Miami International and Dolphin Malls (5 minute trip.). It used Dodge vans for 2 weeks until the mall's March 1 opening, when Blue Birds began to be used. On April 15th, the 248 - Brickell Key Shuttle began to run. This route runs from the Brickell Metromover station out to (snooty) Brickell Key. Also the 267 - Ludlam Max began running, this one is from Okeechobee Metrorail Station to Miami Lakes - Miami Gardens Drive and NW 68 Ave.- via NW 67 Avenue (Ludlam Road.). Personally I think this route should be extended west on MGD (NW 186 St.) to it's end at I-75, and North on I-75 into Broward County, exiting on Sunrise Blvd. and heading east into Sawgrass Mills Mall, where there can be a Park and Ride lot. Hopefully when the new Palmetto station opens next year they'll run a route like that to feed into the Rail there. And starting this Monday July 22, the 245 - Okeechobee Connection will begin to run. This route will run from Okeechobee Station and will do a huge loop throught the Medley and Hialeah Gardens industrial parks. It will also serve the Super Wal-Mart out there.
            Now the wierd news....as I said before, CW had junked it's 7000's. Last month, 7025, 7027, and 7122 were inexplicably (but so happliy!) resurrected. 7025 has since been re-retired, and 7027 may be going to the police department, but 7122 is still running. Three weeks ago she was joined by 7127, previously CE's only surviving 7000, which was junked in May and was resurrected in June to run out of CW.....2096 was outfitted with sliding windows in May, followed by 2095 a few weeks ago. Another experiment, I guess. The latest Power 96 wrap's abruptly vanished in May, with 9033, 9356 and 9358 escaping until late June. In the end buses that had this one included 7038, 7087, 8068, 9001, 9003, 9005, 9015, 9016, 9017, 9031, 9033, 9036, 9038, 9041, 9044, 9302, 9328, 9330, 9336, 9356, 9358, etc. They even took time to unwrap 7038, which was junked with the wrap. I hope they do another one. In April Phone One began a massive marketing campaign, and 9001, 9004, 9007, 9010, 9015, 9018, 9323, 9325, 9344, 9346, 9348, 9349, 4005, 4007, and 4023 were all wrapped. In June, all but 9001, 9015, 9346 and 4023 were unwrapped. Short contract. 8071 was breifly wrapped for the Hot Smile Dentistry Group, which is run by 2 brothers. There were two sides...one side in green and the other in peach, with the picture of one dentist on one side, and a picture of his brother on the other. Nice ad.
            And 9805 and 9748 were FINALLY repaired last month and are running. They were briefly joined by 9005, which had an engine fire on Valentine's Day while running on the 38 - Busway MAX down in Florida City. that bus was repaired by April. However, 9918 is still, at a minimum, 3 to 4 months away from returning to the streets. The new front has been welded on but it's bare. A new destination sign, windshield, etc. need to arrive. Also on long term leave is 9712, which was hit by an 18 wheeler while running on the route 2 in May, and is at NE being repaired. They're awaiting a shipment of new front doors from NABI to complete the job.
           As for me I've finally become a Bus Operator now. I love the job. I was based at NE but now I'm moving back home to CW starting tomorrow. I've driven a lot of buses on the road, including 7004, 7066, 7087, 7104, 8015, 8038, 8074, 8085, 9208, 9212, 9214, 9307, 9336, 9346, 9410, 9412, 9430, 9736, 9738, 9810, 9969, 9977, 2012, etc. On routes including the 3, 11, 22, 27, 28, 77, E, H, S, etc. I'll try to update more often now. Enjoy.