New York City Transit buses
The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) and its subsidiary, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA), operates roughly 4500 buses[1] on about 200 local and 40 express routes[2] within the five boroughs of New York City. The bus system is meant to complement the MTA's rail lines - the New York City Subway, Staten Island Rapid Transit, Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North Railroad.
The MTA also owns the MTA Bus Company, which operates routes in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, and the Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority (Long Island Bus), which operates in eastern Queens, Nassau County, and western Suffolk County. The MTA plans to merge all of its bus companies, and NYCTA's bus operations, into the MTA Bus Company.[citation needed] Suffolk County Transit, not part of the MTA, also serves Suffolk County.
Operations
All five boroughs are covered by bus service. A few routes leave city limits, albeit briefly. A few routes leave city limits, albeit briefly. The Template:NYC simplebus and Template:NYC simplebus cross the Nassau County border to go the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream. The Template:NYC simplebus leaves Queens as they run along Hempstead Turnpike and onto the Cross Island Parkway where they re-enter city-limits. The Template:NYC simplebus runs along Lakeville Road in Lake Success, Nassau County upon entering Long Island Jewish Medical Center. The Template:NYC simplebus bus runs in to Westchester County, but only for a block for each branch.
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). This identification system was adopted in the mid-1970s, prior to which buses had only a number.[citation needed] 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" 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.[3]
Local and limited-stop
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 Template:NYC simplebus 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. Some passengers may need to transfer to the limited to continue their trip, hence is where this is one of the few cases where three legged transfers exist on a Metrocard.[citation needed]
The following New York City bus routes run limited stop service:
* Indicates that service is provided daily.
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The Bronx:
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Brooklyn:
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Manhattan:
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Queens:
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Staten Island:
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The majority of bus routes operate from 05:00 AM to 01:30 AM. Some routes run continuously, albeit with considerably longer headways (20 to 70 minutes, most being 60) during the late nights.[citation needed]
Express
Express buses usually operate between the outer boroughs and Midtown Manhattan or Lower Manhattan. While most express routes only operate during peak weekday hours, some routes (including the Template:NYC simplebus, Template:NYC simplebus, Template:NYC simplebus, Template:NYC simplebus, 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. They also use "over the road" MCI 102DLW3SS, D4500, D4501, D4500 CL/New Flyer D45S buses, which are more suitable than local buses for highway service.[citation needed]
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.[1] 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.[2]
Fare
The 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 travelled. 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 $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¢.
Dollar bills are not accepted on any local buses, as a vacuum is used to collect coins, and such 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 been reduced to $1.00 from $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.
Bus depots and fleet
NYCTA 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 gas powered buses use ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. All buses in the New York City Transit fleet are wheelchair accessible, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Buses are run out of depots spread throughout the city.
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.
NYCTA 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]
Maintenance and training
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- The Zerega Avenue Central Maintenance Facility serves as a registry facility for new buses and a major maintenance and surface transportation training/instruction facility.
- The East New York Central Maintenance Facility
- The Grand Avenue/Maspeth Central Maintenance Facility is currently under construction, and will replace the East New York Central Maintenance Facility as a primary maintenance facility system-wide.
Facilities
- Bronx
- Gun Hill Depot
- Kingsbridge Depot
- Mother Clara Hale Depot - formerly 146th Street Depot
- West Farms Depot - formerly Coliseum Depot
- Manhattan
- 100th Street Depot
- 126th Street Depot
- Manhattanville Depot - formerly 132nd Street Depot
- Michael J. Quill Depot - formerly West Side Depot
- Brooklyn
- East New York Depot
- Flatbush Depot
- Fresh Pond Depot
- Jackie Gleason Depot - formerly 5th Avenue Depot
- Ulmer Park Depot
- Queens
- Casey Stengel Depot - formerly Flushing Bus Depot
- Jamaica Depot
- Queens Village Depot
- Staten Island