MTA New York City Transit buses
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The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA, publicly known as MTA New York City Transit as part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority) operates roughly 4,784 buses within the 5 boroughs of New York City daily branded as both MTA New York City Bus, and MTA Bus. The bus system is meant to complement on top of the already existing New York City Subway, and the MTA's commuter rail service. Between 22:00 and 5:00 Request-a-Stop service is available. This means that the Bus Operator can drop you off at a location along the route that is not a bus stop (i.e; the passenger's home), as long as it's considered safe. If the location is not "safe", the bus operator will drop off at the nearest corner, provided that it's safe.
MTA Bus Company was created in early 2005 to take over routes from private bus operators; plans are to eventually merge the MTA New York City Transit buses (as well as MTA Long Island Bus) into MTA Bus.[link]
Recognizing a Bus
Buses have an easily noticeable livery. They all have a white color with a horizontal blue band. The band (usually towards the front) has the MTA logo followed by the text: New York City Bus or just plain Bus and the bus number. The number might also appear above the driver's side window, and front doors on some Orion's. Destination signs are located on the top of the front of the bus, the first window on the right side, and the route number only on the back right corner of the exterior. On some MTA bus routes, there may not be a rear sign. Also, some MTA buses might have a mix of standard MTA livery, and the livery of their former franchise operators.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.
Service Area
All 5 boroughs are covered by bus service. However, some 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 and Q110 leave Queens County 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 Hospital. The Bx16 bus runs in to Westchester County, but only for a block for each branch. The Q111 enters Nassau County to reach its part-time terminal in Cedarhurst. The Q113 serves the Nassau communities of Cedarhurst and Inwood to reach its destination in Far Rockaway. The BxM3 leaves The Bronx to reach its northern terminus in Yonkers.
Buses are identified by simply putting the first letter of the borough in front of a number. For Example, using the letter “B”, as an abbreviation for Brooklyn, and 25, the number, we'd create the B25. This system extends to all local routes. The abbreviations are:
- B: Brooklyn Bus Routes
- Bx: Bronx Bus Routes
- M: Manhattan Bus Routes
- Q: Queens Bus Routes
- S: Staten Island Bus Routes
There are cases where buses travel between 2 boroughs. In that case, the borough where the bus operates most, wins the designation. This is the case with the Bx15, while running for its most portion in The Bronx, a smaller section is serviced along 125th Street in Harlem.
All express buses carry an “X” designation in front of their number.
Some routes also have a suffix. They are often used to desigante branches or feeder routes, such as the Q65A, or a limited stop Route such as the Q10A. the R in the Q101R desingates that the bus travels to Rikers Island, home to the city's primary corectional facilty.
A MTA sister agency, Long Island Bus, gives its routes the "N" prefix to designate "Nassau County".
It should also be noted that while the MTA doesn't provide local service in Westchester County, many Bee-Line Bus System routes commonly have "W" prefixes in front of their route numbers to designate "Westchester County".
Also, many Suffolk Transit buses carry the "S" designator for Suffolk County. But since most New York City residents don't use Suffolk Transit and vice-versa, and/or the existence of the other, there is little or no confusion between the Suffolk Transit's "S" designator and Staten Island's "S" designator.
MTA Bus Company routes usually follow the same guidelines. However, two-boro routes may have multiple borough designations. The QBx1 is named so, because it travels between Flushing, Queens and Co-op City, The Bronx.
Local and Limited stop
Local and Limited stop buses provide local service within the borough. Local stop buses make all stops along a route. Limited-Stop buses however, make stops at busy transfer points, points of interest, and heavy 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. 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.
The following New York City bus routes run limited stop service:
* Indicates that service is provided daily.
The Bronx:
| Brooklyn:
| Manhattan:
| Queens:
| Staten Island:
|
The majority of all bus routes tend to operate daily between 05:00 and 1:30. Many routes however continue to run 24 hours a day, but with considerably longer headways (20 to 70 minutes, most being 60) during the late nights.
Express
Express buses usually operate between the outer boroughs and Midtown Manhattan or Lower Manhattan. While most of the express routes only operate during peak weakday hours, some routes (X1, X10, X27, X28, 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 a few extra amenities, like reading lights, reclining seats, and under-bus luggage storage. They also use "over the road" MCI 102DLW3SS, D4500, D4501, D4500 CL/New Flyer D45S buses, which are more suitable for longer distance highway driving.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), no matter the distance of your journey. An express bus fare is a flat rate of US$5.00 one-way trip (US$2.50 off-peak hours for seniors and disabilities). Fares are payable in exact change with coins (except Pennies and Half-Dollars) or with a MetroCard. Only the Express Bus Plus MetroCard and Pay-Per-Ride (with at least a $5.00 balance) MetroCards works on express buses. Fares are payable in exact change with coins (except Pennies and Half-Dollars) or with a Day Pass. Change used to be given by the driver on local buses until the fare rose above 20¢.Dollar Bills are not accepted on any buses, as a vacuum is used to collect coins, and such process would tear dollar bills, except on some express buses where there is a slot that will accept one-dollar bills.
When paying with change, you can request to receive 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 have 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. The dates for these $1.00 fares are as follows. If successful, this may carry on for 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 MTA New York City Transit'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.
As of May 29, 2006, all buses assigned to MTA Bus' College Point and Spring Creek Depots are fully accessible, and all weekend express bus service is also fully accessible. At all other garages, 24-hour advance notice for accessible service must be arranged by calling the specific garage.
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.
Further information: MTA New York City Transit and Bus Company fleet.
Maintenance and Training
- 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 - Currently under construction, and will replace the East New York Central Maintenance Facility as a primary maintenance facility system-wide.
Facilities
Currently Operated Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority/New York City Transit Bus Depots:Bronx Division
- Gun Hill Depot
- Kingsbridge Depot
- Mother Clara Hale Depot - formerly 146th Street Depot
- West Farms Depot - formerly Coliseum Depot
Manhattan Division
- 100th Street Depot
- 126th Street Depot
- Manhattanville Depot - formerly 132nd Street Depot
- Michael J. Quill Depot - formerly West Side Depot
Brooklyn Division
- East New York Depot
- Flatbush Depot
- Fresh Pond Depot
- Jackie Gleason Depot - formerly 5th Avenue Depot
- Ulmer Park Depot
Queens Division
- Casey Stengel Depot - formerly Flushing Bus Depot
- Jamaica Depot
- Queens Village Depot
Staten Island Division
MTA Bus Facilites
Currently Operated MTA Bus Depots; Formerly, all 7 private bus lines in The Bronx, Westchester, Queens and Brooklyn.
Bronx Division
- Eastchester Depot; former New York Bus Service (NYBS) facility
- Yonkers Depot; former Liberty EXPRESS Bus (Liberty Lines Inc.) facility (actually in Westchester County, New York)
Brooklyn Division
- Spring Creek Depot; former Command Bus Company facility (All buses out of this garage are now wheelchair accessible.)
Queens Division
- College Point Depot; former Queens Surface Bus Corporation facility (All buses out of this garage are now wheelchair accessible.)
- Far Rockaway Depot; former Green Lines Bus Company satellite facility
- John F. Kennedy Depot; former Green Lines Bus Company main facility
- Baisley Park Depot; former Jamaica Buses, Inc. facility
- LaGuardia Bus Depot; former Triboro Coach Corporation facility
External links
- [Official MTA New York City Transit Bus page]
- [A New York City Transit Bus Discussion Forum]
- [Urban Transit Club (UTC) New York City Bus Roster]
- [A Photo Collection]
| [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit ] [MTA Bus]/[MaBSTOA/NYCT] Surface Transit
| |
|---|---|---|
| MaBSTOA Garages | Bronx Division: Gun Hill Depot – Kingsbridge Depot – Mother Clara Hale Depot – West Farms Depot Manhattan Division: 100th Street Depot – Manhattanville Depot – Michael J. Quill Depot | |
| MTA Bus Garages | Baisley Park Depot – College Point Depot – Eastchester Depot – Far Rockaway Depot – John F. Kennedy Depot – LaGuardia Depot – Spring Creek Depot – Yonkers Depot | |
| NYCTA Garages | Manhattan Division: 126th Street Depot Brooklyn Division: East New York Depot – Flatbush Depot – Fresh Pond Depot – Jackie Gleason Depot – Ulmer Park Depot Queens Division: Casey Stengel Depot – Jamaica Depot – Queens Village Depot Staten Island Division: Castleton Depot – Yukon Depot | |
| NYCTA Central Maintenance Facilities | East New York Central Maintenance Facility – Zerega Avenue Central Maintenance Facility | |
| Other Information | MetroCard – Bus Model Information – Other transit in NYC | |
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