Small Question About Staten Island

[EE Broadway Local]

As you may know, I've only been to Staten Island once. Enjoyed the ferry ride and SIR ride to Dongan Hills (return from Jefferson Avenue).

I'm curious - which Staten Island bus routes would be fun to busfan and which not so fun, and how is service along the North Shore?

 

For a longer day trip, buses seem the best way to explore Staten Island.

[LRG]

I've been on the S44, S53, S54, S55, S56, S59, S61, S62, S74, S79, S91 and S93 routes, and IMO they're ALL fun. But my favorite bus route to busfan is the S79, especially on an Orion 5. If you have a bus operator that knows how to haul, you'll be in for a ride, I promise, especially if it's a 6300-series O5! Not to mention that all the potholes along Hylan Boulevard will make the ride somewhat bumpy but I don't mind it too much.

 

However, some parts of the North Shore area are sketchy, specifically Port Richmond. You'll pass through housing projects along the S40/44/52 routes at Jersey Street/Richmond Terrace and on the S46/53/54 routes at Broadway and Castleton Avenue so if you have qualms riding these bus routes I don't blame you.

[checkmatechamp13]

As you may know, I've only been to Staten Island once. Enjoyed the ferry ride and SIR ride to Dongan Hills (return from Jefferson Avenue).

I'm curious - which Staten Island bus routes would be fun to busfan and which not so fun, and how is service along the North Shore?

 

For a longer day trip, buses seem the best way to explore Staten Island.

 

I would recommend the S44 (runs quickly along Richmond Avenue), S46 (has a fast stretch along South Avenue), the S89 over the Bayonne Bridge, the S53/S93, and S79 over the Verazanno-Narrows Bridge (especially the S93).

The one route that I could think of that I wouldn't recommend would be the S40. It runs fast along Richmond Terrace and passes Snug Harbor (the S44 does it on the other side), the areas are mostly industrial next to the waterfront.

Service on the North Shore is more frequent than the service on the South Shore. The buses are still less frequent than the other boroughs, but outside of rush hour, they don't get overcrowded (that's a good thing). As far as the areas that the buses pass through, they are generally pretty safe (people on the South Shore of Staten Island exaggerate about the crime rate on the North Shore). As on many other routes, there are some public housing projects along some of the North Shore routes, but they are generally smaller than most of the other ones in the city.

 

Enjoy your trip!