The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recently unveiled a plan to make bus service faster, more accessible and more comfortable.
The plan, Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service, identifies 50 priority bus corridors for improvement and launches rapid bus service along five key routes. MTA also will purchase approximately 2,500 new buses to replace 40 percent of its fleet.
NYC DOT and the MTA plan to add seating at 875 bus stops annually, install 300 new bus shelters by 2028 and expand the bus stop accessibility program to 65 stops annually by 2030. A total of 2,900 Real-Time Passenger Information displays will be installed by 2030.
The New York City Police Department will expand targeted bus lane enforcement from 14 to 20 corridors, and NYC DOT and the MTA will expand bus-mounted Automated Camera Enforcement to 50 additional routes. NYC DOT will install 200 additional stationary bus lane cameras.
New Yorkers take 2.75 million trips daily on buses, yet New York’s buses average eight miles per hour, the slowest of any major U.S. city. Riders are disproportionately working class, women and people of color, and are more likely to live in households earning less than $100,000 annually.