Has anyone else noticed the Bx12 SBS starting eastbound runs that end at Fordham Plaza with the destination sign still reading PELHAM BAY? I ride from 207th/Seaman to Pelham Pkwy at White Plains Road three or four mornings a week. In the last two weeks, on Tuesday and Thursday around 8:15, the bus I boarded was announced as 'last stop Fordham Plaza' after the doors closed. The destination sign stayed on Pelham Bay, the next stop screens inside still showed Pelham Bay, and the bus dropped everyone at Fordham Plaza. There was no service notice, no paper sign in the windshield, and the MTA app still showed the next SBS arrival at White Plains Road as on time.

The driver said there was a gap westbound, but that doesn’t match what the schedule says. I don’t mind if they need to balance service, but this seems like it should be visible before you pay. Is this a regular unlisted pattern? Is there a time block when the Fordham short-turn is effectively scheduled but just not in the customer-facing info? If so, I’d rather walk to Fordham Metro-North or take the local instead of standing on a bus that kicks me off.

astoria_arch: I’ve seen the same thing from the Fordham Road/University stop. It’s not new, but it’s gotten more common during the morning rush since the fall schedule changed. A lot of the SBS tracking systems treat the bus as a single trip until a supervisor manually changes the destination code, and many operators don’t change it at Fordham because the sign update takes a few seconds while passengers are already standing at the door. When the bus turns, the next stop screens are still driven by the old trip data, so they keep saying Pelham Bay.

I’ve had drivers who make the announcement clearly and others who just open the door and say 'last stop, everybody off.' The official schedule doesn’t show a Fordham short-turn because it’s not supposed to be scheduled, it’s operational. If you’re on the westbound side, you get a bonus bus; eastbound, you’re the designated gap filler.

The only practical advice I can offer is to look at the bus before boarding: if it has a paper run box in the windshield with 'FORDHAM' or no number, that’s a bad sign. Otherwise, ask the operator before paying, especially if the waiting line is long. And yes, if you get off an SBS, don’t tap again on the local without asking for a transfer or checking your OMNY account.

Ha, they do this on the M15 SBS sometimes too, but at least the driver usually flips it to 'Houston St' before we leave 125th. The Bx12 is another animal because crosstown takes forever and the SBS lane disappears east of the Bronx River. If I’m going to Pelham Pkwy/White Plains, I honestly just take the 2 to Pelham Pkwy and walk over unless I’m carrying a cart. Fordham Plaza is a mess when one of those SBS buses dumps a full load into the local stop. App predictions for the Bx12 have never been reliable from what I’ve seen.

YES! This is my white whale. astoria_arch, I actually started keeping notes on this because I ride the Bx12 local to Pelham Bay for physical therapy two mornings a week. The Fordham Plaza short-turn is not just random!

Have you tried waiting at the eastbound side of Fordham Plaza instead of staying on the SBS? There’s almost always a local Bx12 or another SBS coming within a few minutes, but the local may actually pass the SBS after Pelham Parkway because the SBS gets stuck at Eastchester Road.

The turnbacks are usually done when a westbound bus is running late, so they’ll take an arriving eastbound and turn it at Fordham to plug the westbound gap. The problem is the car was scheduled as a Pelham Bay trip, so the auto announcements never update. The supervisors at Fordham know, but they don’t have a way to update the customer sign system from the street.

I also have a theory that these turnbacks often happen with the wrapped buses, not the newer ones, because the operators prefer to stay on the Bronx side. Have you tried the Bx12 local from 207th? It’s slower but you keep your seat.

Wait, can someone explain what a short-turn is for people like me? Is that when the bus doesn’t go all the way? I just moved near Fordham and was so confused when the bus driver told everyone to get off at Fordham Plaza. I thought I got on the wrong Bx12. I’m still learning the bus lines here. Do you get a transfer when that happens? I had already paid at the machine at the SBS stop and had no idea if the paper receipt counts on the local.

Same thing happened to me last week going to a job site near Pelham Bay Park. I got on at 207th and 10th and the driver didn’t say anything until Fordham Plaza. I had my tool bag and the last thing I wanted was to wait on another bus. I tapped the local Bx12 after and I think I got charged twice, but honestly I was too tired to check. Does the free transfer work if you use a regular MetroCard? Because the first tap was at the SBS machine, not on the bus.

I’m new to this too. Is there a way to tell before you pay if the bus is going to short-turn? The sign said Pelham Bay the whole time and the app didn’t show anything different. If I’m going to the 6 train at Pelham Bay Park, that’s a big difference from being left at Fordham. Also, do the planned work notices ever list these? I follow the MTA Weekender but I only see station and route changes, not temporary bus turnbacks.

Thanks all. bayridge_beginner, a short-turn is when a bus is turned around before the end of its route to fill a schedule gap in the other direction. It’s usually done at a major stop with a safe place to loop. just_moved_jake, the transfer on a MetroCard should work if the first tap was registered as a local bus ride, but the SBS machine receipt is a proof of payment, not a transfer. Ask the operator before you get off and they can often give you a paper transfer.

With OMNY, if the system sees the second tap as a local bus within the two-hour window, it should be a transfer, but because the SBS pre-pay is coded differently, I’ve had the second tap show up as full fare. Now I do what LES_Len suggested and ask before paying if I’m starting from 207th. The worst is when the bus is running with the 'Next Stop: Pelham Bay' screen still going after the driver says 'last stop Fordham.' That’s not a passenger error, that’s a data failure. RiverdaleRambler, I haven’t tried the local from 207th in the morning, but I may after this.

astoria_arch is right about the OMNY coding. It’s inconsistent because the SBS machine runs through a different fare media system than the local farebox, and the turnback bus may still be logged as a SBS trip. If you use a physical MetroCard, the paper transfer from the operator is the only reliable remedy.

DykerNewbie, the Weekender won’t list these because they aren’t planned works; they’re reactive service recovery. However, if you watch the bus destination sign from the curb, a Fordham Plaza turnback sometimes shows a smaller 'FORDHAM' in the sign or the operator flips it right after the last passenger boards. My own rule: if the bus is already crowded and shows Pelham Bay, I ask 'You going all the way to Pelham Bay?' before getting on. Simple and works most of the time.

LOL love that 'ask before you board' is the actual real-time API for this city. No app can save you from a dispatcher at Fordham with a clipboard. I’ve also seen Bx12 local buses that short-turn at Fordham Road/Sedgwick? Maybe just on weekends. The SBS is a blessing and a scam depending on the hour. If there’s heavy snow or the Bronx River Parkway is messed up, just avoid the whole corridor.

Wait, EastHarlem_E, I need to know more about that Sedgwick short-turn! I’ve heard operators call it 'going light to the bridge' because from Sedgwick they can turn around for the University Heights Bridge back to Manhattan. I think the short-turn code on the destination sign is 'FORDHAM' but I’ve never caught it showing in real life.

astoria_arch, if you see a bus with the wrap but no ads above the doors, that’s often one of the older assignments, and those seem to get turned at Fordham more on weekday mornings. I also ride with a printed schedule because the countdown clocks at Pelham Pkwy just show the scheduled time, not a live vehicle. Has anyone tried the Transit app with the 'go' feature for the Bx12? Mine shows the bus as a little dot on the old route until it’s back in service westbound.

Thanks, all. This has been super educational. I tried the ask-before-you-board trick this morning at Fordham and the driver looked at me like I was a cop, but he did say 'Pelham Bay, yes.' Small victories. I also checked my OMNY account after reading astoria_arch and LES_Len’s posts, and I don’t see a transfer from last week, so I think I got double-charged. Lesson learned: paper transfer next time, or wait for the local from the start.