NYC Express Buses: What buses should be cut and which ones should be expanded?

[Shortline Bus 1,121]

Hey guys. Sorry if this been asked before but here a topic on NYC Express Buses: What express buses routes on either Bus or (NYCTA)should be cut and which ones should be expanded?

 

 

I start with two that imo should be expanded and cut..

 

1)Both the X-1 and BXM7 should have overnight service running every 90 minutes-2 hours.

 

2)QM-17 Far Rockaway-Midtown should be expanded to run hourly weekdays and every 90 minutes on Saturdays.

 

 

Express bus lines that imo should be reduced or cut.

 

1)The BXM6 to/from Parkchester should be an rush hour only.

The subway line and BXM10 are nearby altrnatives.

 

1a)The X-32 should be cut. Have Bronx HS of Science/NYC Board of Education pay for a 'private' bus company to operate the X-32.

 

2)X-27/28 Sunday service should be cut.

 

Feel free to debate. Thanks

Edited August 23, 2009 by Hudson River

[FamousNYLover 554]

Discontinue rush hour X25.

In place of X25, X90 should add two stops at 1st Av & 39th St and 2nd Av & 42nd St, so X90 could remain thru 1st Av tunnel.

X25 passenger transferring from M42, M104, M27/M50 east to X90 will be able to change without additional charge.

 

Does anyone know what is purpose of BxM11? I know BxM11 is service between Wakefield-241st St & Midtown Manhattan via Bronx Zoo. BxM11 is only express bus that is under elevated train.

To me, maybe this is popular commute to/from Bronx Zoo.

[Shortline Bus 1,121]

Discontinue rush hour X25.

In place of X25, X90 should add two stops at 1st Av & 39th St and 2nd Av & 42nd St, so X90 could remain thru 1st Av tunnel.

X25 passenger transferring from M42, M104, M27/M50 east to X90 will be able to change without additional charge.

 

Does anyone know what is purpose of BxM11? I know BxM11 is service between Wakefield-241st St & Midtown Manhattan via Bronx Zoo. BxM11 is only express bus that is under elevated train.

To me, maybe this is popular commute to/from Bronx Zoo.

 

 

A big factor imo why the BM11 is still around is fact, i think none of the (2)subway stations along White plains Road is ADA accessible for the disabled and wheelchair riders.

[MTR Admiralty 4]

HR, you're right about the X32. There's really NO need to operate the line. There is already a private bus company that services Bronx Science sufficiently. Plus, I'm sure the students there would be better off on the subway or the private bus. The private bus company has a liasion at school and teachers would accept lateness if the (Vallo) bus breaks down midway. Thus I believe the private bus company does a better job in terms of service, responsibility and efficiency in carrying out the commuter services between our school and Queens. The X32 schedules only 1 trip to and one trip from the school on 3 routes, IINM. The Vallo buses cover a more vast territory, ranging from Astoria all the way to Little Neck. Not only that, there are late trips, accommodating those who have extracurriculars. I don't think the MTA would want to compete like that, save the money and do something else. The X32 really isn't needed.

[Shortline Bus 1,121]

Guys while you free to mention the X32 please try to focus on the topic on Manhattan based express buses and what lines whether NYCT or MTA Bus should be expanded or cut? The student metrocard is separte issue.

Some of you have never riden on the Manhattan-outerborough buses so if you not sure also feel to skip this topic.

 

 

Also feel free to discuss whether if some or all the Manhattan based express route should be 'leased' by the MTA to private charter companies like Coach USA, Atlantic Express, etc?

[Ken S. 4]

Now that you mention it, Coach USA would be like bringing back Green Lines. I've seen some of their ratty buses in NJ. Under them, we can say goodbye to the QM15, QM22, and QM23 for starters.

[S78 via Hylan 1,076]

I say cut the X20. people can use the X4-X8 or X13, X15 and X18.

[LRG 216]

The TA is really smart because the City has been stiffing them for years. Pretty soon, the TA is going to eliminate Student Metrocards.

 

Didn't they first start the student discount fare in the 70s?

[BusOperator3319 4]

 

Now that you mention it, Coach USA would be like bringing back Green Lines. I've seen some of their ratty buses in NJ. Under them, we can say goodbye to the QM15, QM22, and QM23 for starters.

I doubt it heads will roll that would not fly with those Bus Operators over at (MTA)Bus your their runs and they might even lose their jobs Private Contractors are a waste of money and dont pay their employees what they are supposed to pay them

[Shortline Bus 1,121]

I say cut the X20. people can use the X4-X8 or X13, X15 and X18.

 

Great idea bro. X20 ranks with the X25 is the least used express bus in NYC.

[LRG 216]

Great idea bro. X20 ranks with the X25 is the least used express bus in NYC.

 

That's why the X20 runs three buses inbound and three buses outbound. There are still people who use it but declining ridership doesn't really warrant for the shut-down of its service, just reduce the hours it operates. Too bad the same can't be said for the X21; it was cut in 2002.

[Shortline Bus 1,121]

That's why the X20 runs three buses inbound and three buses outbound. There are still people who use it but declining ridership doesn't really warrant for the shut-down of its service, just reduce the hours it operates. Too bad the same can't be said for the X21; it was cut in 2002.

 

What you view on the X25 guys especially IRG? There the Lex (6)subway lines(granted way overcrowded) and the M1 M15 and M103 to go between City Hall/Lower Manhattan area and GCT as alternatives.

[LRG 216]

What you view on the X25 guys especially IRG? There the Lex (6)subway lines(granted way overcrowded) and the M1 M15 and M103 to go between City Hall/Lower Manhattan area and GCT as alternatives.

 

It's LRG!!! ! Please remember that!

 

If people don't want to be crammed in a train that runs on a line that's pretty much at capacity, or use the bus that deals with slow traffic, then the X25 is a good alternative for those who don't want to deal with either of those and are willing to pay the premium fare.

[Shortline Bus 1,121]

It's LRG!!! ! Please remember that!

 

If people don't want to be crammed in a train that runs on a line that's pretty much at capacity, or use the bus that deals with slow traffic, then the X25 is a good alternative for those who don't want to deal with either of those and are willing to pay the premium fare.

 

LRG5784 the Daily News few years back did a story on how the X25 is often has Zero or no riders. Do you want the to run a service hardly anyone uses and loses money?

I riden on the X25 most recent in Feb. of this year and the ride had only 3 other riders besides myself.

 

here article from few years ago.

 

Empty-bus ride into debt TA cries poverty but keeps routes with few passengers

By PETE DONOHUE DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER With David Fried

 

Monday, March 3th 2003

 

 

The Transit Authority regularly runs almost-empty buses - even as it faces a cash crunch that's driving a likely 50-cent fare hike.

 

One express route through Manhattan is so seldom used that one rider likened it to having his own limousine.

 

A driver on a serene local in Queens said there are several stops along his 4-mile route at which he can't recall ever picking up a passenger.

 

And those bus routes are hardly alone.

 

The TA has identified scores of its worst money-losing bus routes, warning that too small a fare hike will result in service cuts to those lines.

 

The agency also is planning to revise bus schedules, reducing service in some cases, to save about $6 million this spring, according to TA documents.

 

With the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the TA's parent agency, facing huge deficits and likely planning to raise fares to $2, it makes critics wonder why these money-pit lines are still in operation or operating as frequently as they do.

 

"We made a commitment not to eliminate any service at all," TA spokesman Charles Seaton said. "Some people do depend on those buses. We do periodically monitor and take a look at service on all routes, including those, and make adjustments."

 

All mass transit is subsidized, with fare revenues covering just a portion of the cost of operations, and taxpayers pick up the rest of the tab. And the TA has plenty of big-time money losers.

 

The list includes the S55/56 in Staten Island, running from Huguenot to the Staten Island Mall. Farebox revenues cover just 3.55% of costs, making it the most subsidized in the city, according to TA records. Seaton said that the line is heavily used by students, whose payments are not counted.

 

Riders on the Q75, between Oakland Gardens and Jamaica, Queens, pay just 15.13% of the cost, and B71 riders, between Crown Heights and Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, cover 15.17% of expenses.

 

The TA could not say how much each line costs to operate or how much each takes in.

 

The X25, an express that runs between Grand Central Terminal and lower Manhattan, carries on average just 29 people a day, according to the TA.

 

So few people use the X25 route - which runs during the morning and evening rush hours - that the riders' $3 one-trip fare covers just 5% of the cost of operating it.

 

A TA official said the Sept. 11 terror attacks might have had some impact on the X25 ridership into lower Manhattan. But the official pointed out that it was never a heavily traveled route because it duplicates subway lines.

 

'Like a limousine'

 

On a recent run on a bitter cold morning, a plush X25 bus, with 57 soft blue and gray upholstered seats, lights above each pair of seats and luggage racks, picked up seven people across the street from Grand Central at 8:30 a.m.

 

"It's like a limousine," Matt Lucky, 31, a commodities broker from Yonkers said, his newspaper spread in front of him. "There's nobody around. You can sit and read your paper and nobody bothers you."

 

He could take the subway at half the price, but it's too crowded, he said.

 

As the quiet, comfortable bus headed south along the East River, the sun shimmering off the water, Avi Raval, a management consultant, perused his New Yorker magazine.

 

"It's pretty luxurious," Raval said. "It's relatively empty."

 

At Peter Cooper Village and the Stuyvesant Town apartment complexes, the bus picked up 14 more passengers. Many riders got off before the last stop, the World Financial Center. The empty bus headed back to a depot.

 

Seaton said express buses from Brooklyn to midtown are transformed into X25s so they serve some purpose rather than head right back to a garage empty.

 

4 miles, 9 passengers.

 

c)2009 NY Daily News, Inc.

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2003/03/03/2003-03-03_empty-bus_ride_into_debt__ta.html

[Tricknologist 50]

1)Both the X-1 and BXM7 should have overnight service running every 90 minutes-2 hours.

 

Why every 2 hours? The slowest service shouldn't go beyond a 1 hour wait. Might as well leave those routes as is instead of having a 90-120 minute headway.

[Shortline Bus 1,121]

Why every 2 hours? The slowest service shouldn't go beyond a 1 hour wait. Might as well leave those routes as is instead of having a 90-120 minute headway.

 

You right. I mean every hour on the X1 and BXM7 between 1-5am(until 7 am Sundays/Holidays)

[rmcconnell 1]

Combine the BxM7 and BxM7A.

[Shortline Bus 1,121]

Combine the BxM7 and BxM7A.

 

Agree 110% but only on weekends/holidays. The BXM7 COOP branch during weekdays does get crowded on its own. Plus already mentioned it in my Bronx bus ideas thread.

 

http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12264&page=6

[B35 via Church 9,251]

Oh, you (Hudson) know my stance on the x25...

let the snobs that disembark @ GCT coming off the Metro North, take the subway....

 

Anyway.....

-----------------------------------------

 

Queens:

QM1/a - remain

QM2/a - remain

QM3 - somehow merge this w/ the x51.. route can run out of CP

QM4 - remain, however I think it should terminate w/ the Qm1 (fresh meadows branch)... There are people that take this to the last stop, and walk along HHE.... that's about a 5 minute extension, tops....

QM10 - remain, but should only run during the rush (see Qm12)

QM11 - remain

QM12 - extended... if feasible, have this serve Lefrak city, en route to Yellowstone Blvd... the 10 & the 12 both serve midtown manhattan.... maybe about a 10 minute extension (these run more frequent than 10's do anyway)...

QM15 - remain

QM16 - remain

QM17 - remain, and I agree that this should at least get some Saturday service...

QM18 - remain

QM21 - gone... replaced w/ x63's that (directly) serve Rochdale...

If there's not enough MCI's @ QV, then the X63 route can be split w/ BP....

QM22 - gone... ppl who live in astoria/ jackson hgts to the north have quick/easy commutes to manhattan....

QM23 - replaced with one or two QM15 runs during the day

QM24 - remain

x32 - gone

x51 - *see QM3*

x63 - expanded service, see QM21

x64 - remain

x68 - remain

 

Manhattan

x25 - gone

x90 - remain

 

Brooklyn

BM1 - remain

BM2 - remain, more service to/from Starrett city

BM3 - remain

BM4 - gone... gerritsen bch residents barely use this bus... the bulk of this route's ridership is along Ocean & Nostrand.... South of av. u, you're lucky if there's 5 ppl. on the thing....

BM5 - remain, but reduction in service.... manhattan bound buses should stop running around 9AM... Brooklyn bound buses should start running around 4pm....

x27/37 - remain, but I think there should be a reduction in (frequency of) x27 service (now THESE people are spoiled).... also, kill sunday service (x27)...

x28/38 - remain, although there should be more 28 runs that serve Sea Gate during the PM, and more 38's coming out of sea gate during the AM rush...... also, kill sunday service (x28)...

x29 - with the revamping along the Brighton, this route may become more important than what it currently is... so, remain....

 

 

>>>>> Bronx & SI to come, in a future post....

[LRG 216]

Whatever you do B35, don't even touch the X1!

But seriously, that's the best bus around.

[Shortline Bus 1,121]

Whatever you do B35, don't even touch the X1!

But seriously, that's the best bus around.

 

Lrga explain why you want the X25 to stay? B35 and I oppose it? Have you been on the x25 or any express bus before?

[LRG 216]

Lrga explain why you want the X25 to stay? B35 and I oppose it? Have you been on the x25 or any express bus before?

 

Didn't you get my reply? I'm pretty sure there are some people who rely on the bus service. If anything, they should increase the headways to every half-hour before making a drastic move to cut the service. BTW I wasn't mentioning that the X25 was the best service around, the X1 I was talking about. As for express buses, I have been on an express bus before, not the X25, but the X1, coming into Manhattan twice (one time during midday hours, the other during the evening rush), and one time going to Staten Island during the evening rush.

[Shortline Bus 1,121]

Also await B35 ideas for Bronx and Staten Island?

[B35 via Church 9,251]

lol @ LRG.... I don't think any of the Hylan/Richmond || Hylan/Fr. Capodanno routes should be touched.... so no need to worry... and I know how important that x1 is... believe me

 

 

& Hudson, they're coming, bro... give me a few

[R32 3348 10]

Guys while you free to mention the X32 please try to focus on the topic on Manhattan based express buses and what lines whether NYCT or MTA Bus should be expanded or cut?

The X32, while not Manhattan-based, is still an express bus and is still on-topic. The other discussion that came up because of it, though, wasn't.