BusTalk

timecruncher · Posted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 4:08 pm Post subject: What's in a name?

Okay -- this was long overdue.

A fairly recent transit publication called Trip Planner, a quarterly publication for transit planners (and timecrunchers) of the world has a new Summer 2009 issue out, and there is a two-page spread on transit names.

Now, we all have our opinions of some of the names, acronyms, groaners and gross stupidity of the naming of some public transit agencies, so try not to grin.

The link will open the pages of the magazine from their online edition, and you must have Adobe Flash Player to make it work properly. When you open the link, scroll the pages at the bottom of the screen and click on the right arrow to pages 34-35.

There are a few eye-openers (Ben Franklin Transit up in Washington state is one), and some humorous notes in dialogue boxes. Even my beloved SORTA gets a jab... Anyway, enjoy!

http://issuu.com/tripplannermag/docs/trip_planner_summer_final

Heh. I especially like the 'CATS' and 'NOT CATS' section. Heehee! Razz

der timecruncher
Wanted to name TARC "Falls Area Rapid Transit." The acronym didn't work for our marketing people...

HwyHaulier · Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 932 Location: Harford County, MD

Timecruncher -

Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/what-s-name-that-which-we-call-rose

.................Vern.............

RailBus63 · Moderator Joined: 16 Apr 2007 Posts: 1063

Cool - my current 'hometown' system (Centro) made it into the 'Cleverly Descriptive' group.

Thanks for the link, Cliff - some of those other articles look interesting and I plan to read these.

Dieseljim · Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:36 am Post subject: Re: What's in a name?

What's in a name? The potential for me to start cracking jokes about some of the names for one thing and the acronym F.A.R.T. is a perfect example of a transit system name with considerable joke potential. I even heard one for NFT that is best left unsaid. That is only one example.I am sure there are others I cannot resist having some fun with. Lol.

Q53 Limited · Joined: 03 Aug 2009 Posts: 10

Here's some cocky names. Like Cocky Transportation in Jackson Heights, NY or Little Richie (think about Little richard or Richie in Family Matters) in Ozone Park

Hart Bus · Age: 74 Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 1150

Dieseljim

Here are some names of some long gone Western New York carriers: D&F Transit's name reflected the company's original mission to provide local transit service between the communities of Dunkirk and Fredonia,NY, for which the company derived its name. Another one is Lockport Bus Lines, which grew from a local service bus transit operation that replaced the last streetcars in Lockport to an interurban bus line that served Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Olcott,Barker, and Medina at its peak. Medina was dropped from the timetable in 1973, the company became part of NFT Metrobus in 1975. Still another is Grand Island Transit Corporation, which derived its name from the fact that its Buffalo-Niagara Falls route serviced the island community of Grand Island,NY enroute between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Right up to the end Suburban GMC 'fishbowls" were the workhorses of that line, of which Grand Island Transit had six in all, four SDM4501s one SDM5302 and one S8M5304A, the latter two changed to automatic transmissions by NFT Metrobus. Unlike the other companies I have named here, Grand Island Transit is still in business, but trading under the name of GRAND TOURS. The buses are still painted green and white, but the company only does charters and tours now. No line service since 1981.