Chapter 3 The Transportation System - New York Metropolitan ...

Chapter 33. BusesThis section primarily focuses on localtransit operators in each county includingMTA Bus, Nassau Inter CountyExpress (NICE; formerly, MTA Long IslandBus), Suffolk Transit, the WestchesterBee-Line System, Transport of Rockland,and other providers. Also includedis information on the various commuterbuses and long-distance buses in the region.LOCAL TRANSITTable 3.5 provides total annual ridershipfor the major local bus transit providersin the NYMTC planning area. New YorkCity’s MTA bus services, NICE Bus, andWestchester Bee-Line all accept Metro-Card fare payment; passengers can transferbetween any of the three services andto New York City subways.MTA New York City Bus SystemMTA New York City Bus provides busservice throughout New York City 24hours a day, 7 days a week, via over15,000 bus stops served by 253 localand 71 express routes. (However, not allservices run at all times, or on Saturdaysand Sundays.)The launch of Select Bus Service (SBS),which incorporates several elements ofTable 3.5bus rapid transit, was a recent developmentfor local bus transit in New YorkCity. SBS generally uses a proof-ofpaymentsystem; customers prepay theirfares using ticket machines at bus stops,allowing them to board buses throughany door, reducing dwell times. Signalprioritization and designated bus lanesalso reduce travel times.The first SBS route was launched in2008 along the heavily-used Bx12 route,which begins in the Inwood section ofManhattan and traverses the Bronx.(Local Bx12 service also remains in operation.)In its first year of service, Bx12speeds increased by 20 percent along theroute, with 98 percent of riders satisfiedor very satisfied with the new service. InOctober 2010, New York City Transit(NYCT) and New York City Departmentof Transportation (NYCDOT)added SBS – along with a new, dedicatedfleet of three-door articulated buses –along its busiest route, the M15 routewhich travels along 1 st and 2 nd Avenuesin Manhattan, leading to a 9 percent increasein M15 ridership and 15-18 percentimprovement in travel times in thefirst year of operation. A modified versionof SBS was introduced along 34 thStreet in Manhattan in November 2011,in order to speed crosstown travel, andthe S79 route between Bay Ridge Brooklynand the Staten Island Mall via HylanBoulevard was launched in September2012.Other SBS routes are currently underdesign or implementation. The NostrandAvenue/Rogers Avenue B44 SBSin Brooklyn is scheduled to start servicein the latter half of 2013. B44 SBS buseswill make stops approximately every ½mile. Local B44 bus service will continueto operate 24 hours a day. implementationof a Webster Avenue (Bronx)route is scheduled to start in 2013-2014.Potential SBS corridors for improved accessto LaGuardia Airport/East Elmhurstin Queens are also under study. In addition,NYCT and NYCDOT identifiedadditional potential SBS improvementsand extensions in the 2009 Phase II BRTStudy after having identified as potentialcandidates for SBS service areas that areeither not served by the subway or seeingsignificant population growth, and corridorsalong which trips are long and slow,or subway crowding is heavy. Subsequentpublic workshops led to the selectionof 16 potential future SBS corridors in2010. Further potential improvementsto SBS service include enhanced transitsignal priority and off-board fare payment,offset or physically separated buslanes, and camera-assisted enforcementof bus lane rules.Major Bus Transit Providers, Annual Ridership, 2008‐2012*Year MTA NYC Bus NICE BusSuffolkTransitWestchesterBee‐LinePART (PutnamCounty)Transport ofRockland2008 868,005,155 32,649,109 6,699,354 32,256,000 250,300 3,884,1002009 846,464,099 30,787,662 6,462,628 31,979,682 177,600 3,682,9002010 817,137,824 30,816,889 6,531,849 32,264,688 186,867 3,534,2312011 790,079,732 30,327,226 6,708,021 31,557,909 172,781 3,405,6322012 781,978,816 29,545,079 6,538,326 32,069,161 168,331 3,390,268*"2010 NTD Data Tables." American Public Transportation Association. N.p., 2010. Web. 23 Aug. 2012. The Transportation System 3-15