Okay, I am losing it a little. For the third weekday in a row I've stood at Sedgwick Ave around 10:20 PM, the eastbound Bx12 SBS has come into view with 'Next stop Broadway' already on the sign, and it sails right past the stop! The countdown said it was due, the off-board kiosk took my fare, and then the driver just waves from the middle lane. Is this an actual service pattern now? I know the MTA cuts local stops late at night sometimes, but the SBS? If they're going to skip Sedgwick, they need to cover the kiosk or mark it on a sign. I ended up walking to Fordham Road in the drizzle. Has anyone else caught this or am I just missing the new stop relocation?

Oh I think I saw something like this last week! I’m new to taking the Bx12 after work—I usually get the 1 train but it was down. I waited at the same glass shelter and a bus definitely didn't stop, but I thought maybe it was full. Do SBS buses actually skip stops when they're full? I didn't know they could do that. I ended up taking the local Bx12 two stops later. Also, is the off-board kiosk the thing where you get the paper ticket? I got confused and almost boarded without one.

This happened to me too but westbound? I was at Sedgwick going toward Manhattan around 11, and the SBS just rolled by. I chased it a little like an idiot. I thought maybe because I was standing behind the kiosk and not right at the curb? My roommate said drivers only stop if you step out. But the next one did stop and the driver told me 'read the sign.' There was no sign, just a faded paper taped to the pole about local buses. Is this because of the construction on the bridge approach maybe?

big_city_beth, yes! The off-board kiosk is exactly the paper ticket thing. If you paid and they skip, that's what drives me up the wall. The SBS is not supposed to skip stops because of crowding alone without an MTA notice, but late-night supervisors sometimes short-turn or 'adjust headways' by telling operators to skip so they can make up time! That's the part the MTA doesn't publish. my_first_lease, the driver saying 'read the sign' is wild. Have you tried checking the printed schedule on the kiosk? Sometimes the late-night run has an asterisk that says 'stops at Fordham Road only.' But if there's no asterisk at Sedgwick, I'd report it. The bridge approach construction doesn't remove a stop unless they post a temporary stop relocation. Did either of you notice if the SBS used the center bus lane or the far right lane when it skipped?

Okay so 'headways' is new to me, thanks RiverdaleRambler. I looked at the kiosk today and there was definitely no asterisk—just a list of stops with Sedgwick still on it. I tried the local again and it took forever because the SBS was cruising in the center lane while the local stopped every block. Should I just walk to Fordham Road if it's late? Is that safe? I know the area gets quiet near the armory. Also, when the bus did stop, people were getting off at the center doors and the operator was yelling at them to use the back door, but the back door wasn't opening. Is that a me problem or a bus problem?

I just tried the 'wait at the curb, make eye contact, hold up the receipt' method last night. It worked—the SBS stopped! But maybe it was coincidence. The driver said they only stop if the kiosk recorded a fare? Which makes no sense because off-board isn't tied to a real-time count. Anyway then a whole group ran from the corner because they didn't know about receipts and the driver just waited. I think half of people are paying on their phone now, not the kiosk, so maybe operators don't know who's paid. Is there a way to just tap at the door on SBS? I feel like I'm still doing this wrong.

my_first_lease, that 'make eye contact, hold up receipt' gesture is honestly the only reliable late-night SBS move. I do it every time now! On some newer buses there is a door-mounted reader for OMNY, but on older SBS buses the readers are only by the back door and they don't always light up. big_city_beth, the rear door issue is because the operator has to release it after the green light; sometimes the sensor thinks someone is in the yellow caution zone. Have you tried pressing the black strip on the door itself? On the New Flyer buses it works even after the driver yells. Also, walking to Fordham Road from Sedgwick at that hour is fine if you stay on the west side of the street and cut through the little plaza at St. James, but I'd wait for the local if it's wet. The weird part is this skip was not happening in October—so either a new dispatcher is doing time runs or somebody put a temporary short-turn order in and didn't update the stop info.

Oh the black strip on the door! I saw people pushing it but I thought it was for the ramp. I'll try that tomorrow. RiverdaleRambler, do you think we should all complain to the MTA together? I don't know if it helps but maybe if three of us report the same stop around the same time they'll at least put a sign up. I don't want to be the only new person complaining about a bus that maybe I just don't know how to ride. Also, was the SBS free during the fare machine outage? I keep hearing people say don't pay if the kiosk is down, but then a fare inspector appears and everyone scatters.

Just catching up. I'm going to try one more late run tonight and flash my receipt from the kiosk. If it skips again, I'll report it to the MTA. But this whole thing is starting to feel like the smaller version of that roommates-and-boundaries-style issue—where the official rule and what people actually do are two different things. There's an older thread about that exact kind of gray-area living situation: Roommate’s partner has keys and does laundry here five nights a week—am I the lease police? Roommate’s partner has keys and does laundry here five nights a week—am I the lease police? Anyway, back to buses: if the stop is still on the sign but drivers are skipping, someone should at least tape a paper notice over Sedgwick before someone misses the last connection.