Jump to content

New York City Transit buses: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Line 120: Line 120:
*[[Jackie Gleason Depot]] - ''formerly 5th Avenue Depot''
*[[Jackie Gleason Depot]] - ''formerly 5th Avenue Depot''
*[[Ulmer Park Depot]]
*[[Ulmer Park Depot]]
*[[Grand Avenue Depot]] - (compiled of the East New York and Fresh Pond Routes alike)


;Queens Division
;Queens Division

Revision as of 20:58, 7 January 2008

NYC Transit Department of Buses
(MTA New York City Bus)
File:MTANewYorkCityBus.JPG
MCI bus #2185 at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York, in a special 9/11 memorial scheme, June 2007. This bus was heavily damaged by falling debris at the WTC site on September 11, 2001.
ParentMTA
Founded1953
Headquarters2 Broadway, New York, New York
LocaleNew York City
Service areaNew York City [1]
Service typeLocal, limited-stop, and express bus service
Routes243 [2]
Stops12,499 [3]
Fleet4,597[4] (2007)
Daily ridership952,417,966 (annual)[5]
Fuel typeDiesel and compressed natural gas
OperatorMetropolitan Transportation Authority
Chief executiveJoseph Smith
WebsiteOfficial Website

The New York City Transit Deparment of Buses, a bus service of the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) and and the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA) operating as MTA New York City Bus, operates roughly 4500 buses[6] on about 200 local and 40 express routes[7] within the five boroughs of New York City in the United States. The bus system is meant to complement the MTA's rail lines - the New York City Subway, Staten Island Railway, Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad.

Where New York City Transit does not provide bus service in New York City, MTA Bus operates routes in the Bronx, southwestern Westchester, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and western Nassau County.

Operations

See also: List of bus routes in the Bronx, List of bus routes in Brooklyn, List of bus routes in Manhattan, List of bus routes in Queens, and List of bus routes in Staten Island

All five boroughs are covered by bus service. MTA New York City Transit has the authority to run buses across the city boundary, and a few routes leave city limits, albeit briefly. The Q5 and Q85 cross the Nassau County border to go the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream. The Q2 leaves Queens as they run along Hempstead Turnpike and onto the Cross Island Parkway where they re-enter city-limits. The Q46 runs along Lakeville Road in Lake Success, Nassau County upon entering Long Island Jewish Medical Center. The Bx16 bus runs in to Westchester County for two blocks in Mount Vernon and Pelham Manor. The Bx7 & the Bx10 both make their last stops at the Bronx-Westchester border. The S89 is the only route to have a stop outside state borders, terminating at the 34th Street Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station in Bayonne, New Jersey. Some Staten Island express routes run via New Jersey, but do not stop in the state.

Buses are labeled with a number and a prefix identifying the primary borough (B for Brooklyn, Bx for the Bronx, M for Manhattan, Q for Queens, and S for Staten Island). Express buses use the letter "x" rather than a borough label. Lettered suffixes can be used to designate branches or variants.

MTA Bus Company routes also follow this scheme, and MTA Long Island Bus uses "N" for Nassau County. "W" or "BL" and "S" are commonly used by the non-MTA Bee-Line Bus System (Westchester County) and Suffolk Transit (Suffolk County).

Between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM "Request-a-Stop" service is available. The Bus Operator may discharge passengers at a location along the route that is not a bus stop, as long as it is considered safe. If the location is not "safe", the bus operator will discharge passengers at the nearest safe location.[8]

Local and limited-stop service

Local and limited-stop buses provide service within a borough. While local buses make all stops along a route, limited-stop buses only make stops at busy transfer points, points of interest, and heavily used roadways. Limited stop service was first attempted with the M4 bus during rush hours in 1973, then expanded to other routes from there. The usual setup is that limited stop service runs the full route, while local services run only in the limited stop area, and the limited stop buses run local at the tail ends of the route not served by locals, similar to the operation of many subway lines.

The following New York City Bus routes run limited stop service:

  • Bronx: Bx1, Bx2, Bx12, Bx41 and Bx55
  • Brooklyn: B6, B35, B41, B44, B46 and B49
  • Manhattan: M1, M2, M4, M5, M15, M98 and M101
  • Queens: Q4, Q5, Q17, Q27, Q43, Q44, Q46, Q83 and Q85
  • Staten Island: S81, S84, S86, S89, S90, S91, S92, S93, S94, S96 and S98

The majority of bus routes operate from 5:00 AM to 1:30 AM. Some routes run continuously, albeit with considerably longer headways (20 to 70 minutes, most being 60) during the late nights.[citation needed]

Express service

Express buses usually operate between Midtown Manhattan or Lower Manhattan and the other boroughs. While most express routes operate only during peak weekday hours, some routes (including the x1, x10, x27, x28, and various MTA Bus routes) run on a daily basis, from about 5:00 AM to 1:00 AM. Express buses cost more than local buses but provide extra amenities, including reading lights and reclining seats. For the most part, they use "over the road" MCI 102DLW3SS, D4500, D4501, D4500 CL, and New Flyer D45S buses, which are more suitable than local buses because of high capacity seating.

Criticism

Local buses are widely acknowledged as being notoriously slow, especially in Manhattan.[citation needed] The Straphangers Campaign, a riders' advocacy group, has since 2002 awarded the "Pokeys" (as in "slowpoke") in its annual survey of bus speed and service frequency.[9] The M34, which runs crosstown along the heavily congested 34th Street, has won the dubious honor for two years in a row (2004 and 2005). In response to this and other similar criticism, the MTA has commissioned a feasibility study for a bus rapid transit system, with a report due in 2007.[4]

History

City involvement with surface transit in the city began in September 1919, when Mayor John Francis Hylan, through the New York City Department of Plant and Structures, organized private entrepreneurs to operate "emergency" buses to replace four abandoned storage battery streetcar lines: the Madison Street Line, Spring and Delancey Streets Line, Avenue C Line, and Sixth Avenue Ferry Line.[10] Many routes were soon added, replacing lines such as the Brooklyn and North River Line (trolleys)[11] and Queens Bus Lines (buses),[12] and the DP&S also began operating trolleys in Staten Island to replace the Staten Island Midland Railway's system.[13][14] Eventually all of these routes were transferred to private management.[citation needed]

Another city acquisition was the Bridge Operating Company, which ran the Williamsburg Bridge Local trolley, acquired in 1921 by the DP&S.[15] Unlike the other lines,[citation needed] this one remained city-operated, and was replaced by the B39 bus route on December 5, 1948, by then transferred to the New York City Board of Transportation.[16]

On February 23, 1947, the Board of Transportation took over the Staten Island bus network of the Isle Transportation Company. Further acquisitions were made on March 30, 1947 with the North Shore Bus Company in Queens, and September 24, 1948 with the East Side Omnibus Corporation and Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation in Manhattan. With the city takeover of the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation's surface subsidiary, the Brooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation, on June 2, 1940,[17] the city gained a large network of trolley and bus lines, covering all of Brooklyn and portions of Queens.[18] The final Brooklyn trolleys were the Church Avenue Line and McDonald Avenue Line, discontinued on October 31, 1956,[19] though the privately-operated (by the Queensboro Bridge Railway) Queensboro Bridge Local remained until 1957.[20][21][22]

Thus, in the late 1950s, the city operated all local service in Staten Island and Brooklyn, about half the local service in Queens, and several routes in Manhattan. Several private companies operated buses in Queens, and the Avenue B and East Broadway Transit Company operated a small Manhattan system, but by far the largest system was the Fifth Avenue Coach Company and Surface Transit, which operated almost all Manhattan routes and all Bronx routes, plus two into Queens(15 Fifth Avene - Jackson Heights and TB Triborough Bridge and one within Queens (16 Elmhurst Crosstown). After a strike in 1962, the city took over operations. To avoid legal issues, a new agency, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA)was formed to operate the former Fifth Avenue Coach Lines and Surface Transit,Inc.routes. The final acquisition was in 1980, when MaBSTOA took over the Avenue B and East Broadway's routes, using MaBSTOA equipment with Avenue B red route roll signs(NYCTA acquired the 13 Grumman Flxibles that had been assigned to Avenue B and placed them in NYCTA service.[citation needed] Public takeover of the remaining Queens buses, as well as most express routes, was implemented in 2005 and 2006 by the new MTA Bus Company.

Fare

See also: New York City transit fares

The base fare for riding any local or limited stop bus route is US$2.00 one-way trip (US$1.00 for seniors and disabilities), regardless of the distance traveled. An express bus fare costs a flat US$5.00 each way (US$2.50 off-peak hours for seniors and disabilities). Fares are payable with a MetroCard or in exact change with coins (except Pennies and Half-Dollars). Only Express Bus Plus and Pay-Per-Ride (with at least a US$5.00 balance) MetroCards work on express buses. At one time, change was given by the driver on local buses. This practice ceased when the fare rose above 20¢.[23]

Dollar bills are not accepted on any MTA buses (or Bee Line buses, which use the same fare collection system), as a vacuum is used to collect coins from the fareboxes,[24] and the process would tear dollar bills.

When paying with change, a passenger can request a MetroCard Bus Transfer. It is valid for two hours and can be used only on Local and Limited Stop buses. Bus Transfers were called "Add-A-Ride" coupons when they were first made available in the 1970s for an additional charge.

Single fares were reduced to US$1.00 from US$2.00 for non-weekday dates during the 2005 holiday season and for the week from Christmas through New Year's holiday week. As of early 2006, the MTA was considering continuing this into future holiday seasons. The plan was ultimately dropped.

Bus depots and fleet

Main article: Bus models used in New York City Transit and MTA Bus

MTA NYCT and MTA Bus operate a very diverse fleet of buses. Currently, the fleet is slowly becoming environmentally-friendly as with the NYCTA's counterpart Long Island Bus. The MTA has been purchasing newer low floor Compressed Natural Gas and Hybrid Electric buses. All diesel powered buses use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. All buses are wheelchair accessible, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

According to a DOE-NREL report, the NYCT hybrid buses operate with 37% higher average fuel economy than conventional diesels, and 88% higher fuel economy than the CNG buses. The buses all ran the same routes in NYC over a one-year period.

A third depot is set to be constructed soon on Staten Island. A sixth depot is also currently being constructed in Queens. It will belong to the Brooklyn Division.

NYCT buses are painted white with a centered horizontal blue band. Within the band is the MTA logo followed by "New York City Bus". Historically, New York City buses were green. Through the introduction of plastic seats to replace cushioned seats in the early 1960s, even the seats were green (with minor exceptions). In 1971, a change in livery to blue was conducted, including repainting of the interior seats as well as the exterior of the bus. In 1979, the blue was saved merely as trim and the majority of the exterior design was transitioned to white.[citation needed]

Facilities

Main article: Bus depots of the New York City Transit Authority

MTA New York City Transit and MaBSTOA currently operate the following out of 18 bus depots and 2 central maintenance facilities in New York City:

Maintenance and training
Bronx Division
Manhattan Division
Brooklyn Division
Queens Division
Staten Island Division

See also

References

  1. ^ MTA New York City Bus facts [1]
  2. ^ MTA New York City Bus facts [2]
  3. ^ MTA New York City Bus facts [3]
  4. ^ Top 100 Transit Bus Fleet List, Metro Magazine, 2007
  5. ^ NYCTA 2005 federal filings
  6. ^ About New York City Transit: Buses
  7. ^ MTA NYC Transit - Bus Route Information
  8. ^ MTA NYC Transit - How to Ride the Bus
  9. ^ "Forth-Annual "Pokeys" Awarded for slowest city buses" (Press release). NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign. 2005-10-26. Retrieved 2007-10-01. M34 is city's "Pokiest" Route
  10. ^ New York Times, East Side Bus Line Gets City Permit, September 19, 1919, page 6
  11. ^ New York Times, Brooklyn Bus Line Starts, October 6, 1919, page 36
  12. ^ New York Times, Queens Bus Routes Taken Over by City, September 19, 1926, page 24
  13. ^ New York Times, Says City Cleared $4,359 on Car Line, July 18, 1921, page 14
  14. ^ Zachary M. Schrag, Template:PDFlink
  15. ^ New York Times, City to Run Bridge Line, February 5, 1921, page 22
  16. ^ Bridge Cars of '04 Yielding to Buses, December 2, 1948, page 58
  17. ^ New York Times, B.M.T. Lines Pass to City Ownership, June 2, 1940, page 1
  18. ^ Railway Directory and Yearbook, 1967
  19. ^ New York Times, Trolley Era Ends Today On City-Operated Lines, October 31, 1956, page 35
  20. ^ New York Times, End Soon of Two Brooklyn Trolley Lines Will Leave City With but One Short Route, December 30, 1955, page 15
  21. ^ New York Times, Queensboro Bridge Trolley Line, Last One Here, Appears Doomed, March 20, 1957
  22. ^ New York Times, City's Last Trolley at End of Line, April 7, 1957, page 1
  23. ^ Fare information
  24. ^ Picture of the vacuuming the coins out of the fare box

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York) buses.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_York_City_Transit_buses&oldid=182807040"