Okay, maybe a dumb question but I just moved to Dyker and started taking the B63 to Sunset Park for work. This morning I waited at 5th Ave & Union St in front of the bodega where the pole was yesterday, but the bus just blew past me. The little bus stop sign is gone from the pole and there was some construction tape up on the corner. A couple of people were standing down near the auto glass place, maybe two blocks? I didn't want to run. Does anyone know if they moved the stop, or did the driver not see me? I don't want to chase it again tomorrow.

They moved it. There's water/sewer work on Union, so the B63 stop temporarily shifted down past the gas station/repair shop. The MTA site has a service notice, but the printed sign on the pole usually disappears after day one. If you see tape, don't stand there. Temporary stop is by the blue NYC Water sign, not far. Operators mostly won't stop at a pole with no sign, and honestly they shouldn't. Use the next one down if you're not sure.

Oh this drives me crazy, DykerNewbie!!! The temporary bus stop signs are never visible enough and then they act like we're supposed to just know. They need those orange 'BUS STOP' boards with the route numbers, not a flimsy paper on a traffic cone. Have you tried putting the MTA Bustime map on your phone? It sometimes shows the relocations before the paper signs? But not always! I had the same mess on the B61 last spring—they moved it twice in one week! If you see the blue construction board, the operator may still stop at the old spot if someone flags hard. But don't count on it.

I caught this same service change on Tuesday. A few things that usually help:

• The temporary stop is almost always on the same block or the next block in the direction of travel, marked with a black/yellow or orange 'bus stop' A-frame. If the sign is gone, look for the construction crew's blue or orange cones.
• MTA's service status page is more reliable than the printed notices for temporary relocations, but the 'Bus Time' stop list will sometimes still show the old stop until they update the database.
• If you're at a stop where the sign has been removed, operators are generally instructed not to serve it. But in practice, some drivers will stop if you flag them aggressively from the curb, especially on the B63 where stops are close together. I wouldn't rely on that.
• If you're not sure, walk to the next regular stop in the direction you're going. It adds a few minutes but beats standing at a dead pole. One caveat: The work may move again after the weekend, so check Monday morning before you leave. I'd rather be wrong at a real stop than right at a removed one.

Thanks, this is super helpful. I walked down to the temporary stop this morning and the bus did pick me up. But when we rolled past 5th & Union, someone was still waiting at the old pole and the driver actually pulled over for them too. So now I'm confused—should I just go back to the old spot since that guy got picked up? Or is it driver dependent? Also, the MTA app had no alert for the B63 when I checked last night, which didn't help. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place.

Driver dependent, but the old pole is dead as far as the route is concerned. That guy just got lucky or flagged hard enough. I've seen operators stop at old stops because they're used to it, but if a supervisor is around or a new driver has the bulletin, they'll blow past. Stay at the temporary stop. Also, the app's alerts are sometimes rolled into the general 'planned work' under the route, not the stop. I'd check bustime for the stop code, but don't overthink it.

Exactly! Don't chase the old stop just because one driver stopped! The B63 has a mix of regulars and swing drivers, and you can't count on the same person every morning. Wait, did you see if the old pole still had a bus stop flag at all? If it's bare, that's your answer. I really think they need to bolt a temporary sign to the actual pole, not a sandwich board that gets moved. Have you tried the Transit app? I've seen it update faster than MTA's own map. Also nice to hear from Ken—I didn't know operators are instructed not to serve an unsigned stop. That explains a lot!