Talk:Capital Area Transportation Authority

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Michigan Capital Area Transportation Authority is part of WikiProject Michigan, a WikiProject related to the U.S. state of Michigan.
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[edit] Updates

I've added quite a bit of information to this article in order to get it up to speed with all the other transportation authority/company pages... of course there's still a lot to do. I plan on adding information on accessibility and the bus fleet itself soon.

Shadowlink1014

  • Thank you, very much, Shadow. The page is looking impressive. I try to regularly update alot of Metro Lansing's pages, and they are getting better by the month. --Criticalthinker 01:54, 12 April 2007 (UTC)
No problem  :) --Shadowlink1014 14:52, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bus fleet

Aren't there D60LF's numbered in the 5000's also? --Shadowlink1014 23:49, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

No. There are only 7 of them. First 4 came in fall of 2003. The other 3 came in about 2.5 years later. All are 6000's.

[edit] E-mail from CATA on this page

Looks like CATA is going to be helping us with this article! I sent an e-mail to them, here is their reply:

CATA is in the process of updating the CATA Wikipedia listing. It should be completed in the next two weeks as we are in a peak project phase right now. The feature of Wikipedia that allows any and all to edit content makes it a challenge to maintain. It also undermines its credibility as Wikipedia information is not always from a knowledgeable source. Despite this, we understand many individuals use the site so we will periodically review the listing and update. Thank you for your letter.

--Shadowlink1014 14:54, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] route 19

What's deal with trolleys on this route? I've (exclusively) seen normal D40LF buses working on it - on the several occasions I came across the route. The info has to change on the front page... I think.

This Lansing City Pulse article, which was written about when the Route #4 trolley opened back last year, mentions that the trolleys are used during the day in Delhi Township. According to the article, Dragoo said this... here's the link: [1] --Shadowlink1014 22:18, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Who cares what the article says? :) Seriously, why do people on here like quoting anything published, often times plain nonsense - as long as it's published - irrespective of accuracy? Well, bottom line is: there are normal buses on the route in the afternoons.

Well, I'd consider LSJ to be reputable source; it's possible that the situation has changed since the article was written. Anyway, I'll update route 19. Thanks for the info. ^_^ --Shadowlink1014 09:15, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 4 new routes

16, 34-36 will start operation next week —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.217.121.98 (talk) 16:57:21, August 19, 2007 (UTC)

[edit] future expansion section

I suggest that the section of the article be substantially toned down and instead be incorporated into some other section of the article with just a brief mentioning of its main point, if necessary.

The section should be eliminated because it gives an impression of unwarranted optimism as to time proximity of such an implementation, when in reality it may take a couple of decades before the project is realized, IF it ever becomes realized. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.238.63.158 (talk) 17:07:08, August 19, 2007 (UTC)

I contacted CATA and they said that the study hasn't even started yet, due to lack of funding (although they had previously told me that it had...) Yeah, I'll remove it. --Shadowlink1014 23:54, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] DE60LFR

I'm pretty sure that it's the first 4 of 7 which came as hybrids. I've heard that CATA isn't expecting any more sausages of any kind. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.14.46.177 (talk) 17:58, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

6006 is a hybrid? Do you know how to tell a hybrid from a stinker? I don't, and I'm only relying on the info I got from a CATA employee, who stated that 7 sausages is all they're gonna get, and that it is the last 3 that were the regular ones. I thought, visually, they're all the same. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.252.67.58 (talk) 14:45, 1 September 2007 (UTC)
Nah, the hybrids have a redesigned, high-tech looking front and rear end, as well as a big white lump (bigger than the stinker's lump) on top of the rear. It also says "Hybrid Electic Vehicle" on the front (above the bumper) and on the rear, below the "Clean machine" logo. --Shadowlink1014 20:49, 1 September 2007 (UTC)
If you're referring to the front end of a bus depicted on the article page, then I assure you that none of the 7 buses in question have that design. All 7 buses have the same front end. There are no noticeable structural differences on exterior between 6000-6003 and 6004-6006.
If you're sure it's none of those seven, then maybe there are new buses beyond #6006? I have seen, multiple times, 60' artics with redesigned fronts like in the article's picture (that's what the "R" in DE60LFR stands for). Check out the MSU commuter route, #32... you'll see them running there. I'll try to figure out what the number ranges on those are...--Shadowlink1014 03:11, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] 6008 Facelift.

I see what's going on. That CATA employee was half right when he said that the first 4 were hybrids, and half wrong when he said there won't be any more sausages coming in. Speaking of these 7 buses, I did find the difference between 6000+ & 6004+: I saw 6004 which had no airconditioner-like block on the roof of the second section, whereas 6000+ buses have one on each section. This means that 6000+ were indeed hybrids of an earlier generation, and technically, they could be placed in a separate category as DE60LF, whereas 6004-6006 would stay in D60LF subgroup.

Now, re: 6008, I did finally see the same bus on two occasions. Yes, you were right about the new design, though it is merely a facelift pretty much. The upper portion of front end design is now reminiscent of Mercedes O 530 Citaro / Citaro G (G = "gelenk" = articulated).

Which other facelifted "gelenkbuses" did you see besides 6008? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.14.40.78 (talk) 16:36, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

You know what? Screw that DE60LF/D60LF classification... The tank on the 2nd section of 6000+ is not large enough to look like CNG. Maybe the first 4 were hybrids after all, but lets just keep them as 6000-6006 D60LF from now on, for simplicity.
I went out an looked a few days ago -- and noticed the same thing you said about the extra "block" on top of the 6000-6003. I have no idea what the difference is, maybe as you said the newer revisions of the D60LF's lack it. But yeah, let's just keep it 6000-6006 as D60LF. As for the hybrids, I recorded two DE60LFR's: 6007 and 6008. I don't know if there are any more above that though... --Shadowlink1014 04:37, 6 September 2007 (UTC)
Just saw a 6009 hybrid today... --Shadowlink1014 20:57, 6 September 2007 (UTC)