What Is Your Least Favorite NYC Bus Route?

[Keon Milton]

Hey, guys. Here's a fun question: What's your least favorite bus route in the five boroughs?

['89 Liberty MCI]

The Bx36 is far and away the worst bus route in the City of New York. Horrible accursed line from hell that embodies the troubled history of the [south] Bronx. Made me feel like I was in a third-world country. Makes me feel sorry for the decent, hard-working folk that must use it every day, live in the neighborhoods it serves, and deal with the violent, kicking, screaming, vitriol-spewing lowlives that ride it and live in those neighborhoods with said decent, hard-working folk.

 

Most of the neighborhoods served by this line, as well as most neighborhoods in the Bronx need some serious help. I hate this line so much. The Bx2 is also pretty bad. Too many stops, very slow, access-a-ride on crack. Often picks up 2-3 wheelchairs/walkers at once at the Hub (149 St/3 Ave).

 

The Bx10 and Bx20 generally go through nice neighborhoods, but are annoying due to their infrequency and unreliability. Bx7 too, but to a lesser extent.

 

The Bx15 and Bx19 are pretty nasty too. Too many stops, very slow, lots of wheelchairs, and very rough neighborhoods. I think you can call these access-a-rides on crack as well.

 

I could probably crack on a few (perhaps a bunch of) other bus routes, but I will chill.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Has to be a tie... X10/S48/S53/S54. All annoying routes. The S53 and S48 with the constant stops and people waiting until the last minute to get on or ringing the bell and requesting the wrong stop and not saying anything. The X10 for its hit and miss service and often times dirty buses mainly from the project folks eating and leaving a mess that sometimes get on by Targee Street and the S54 for showing up whenever it wants to. No surprise that the worse routes come from the WORST depot in the city. Castleton Depot should be shut down ASAP, rebuilt and new management should be hired from the bottom up. The only thing that has forced them to get buses to show up even is Bus Time, but the buses are still as filthy as can be. It's a shame that the is giving them new buses. There should be some sort of requirement about how depots keep their buses because the way I see it, these buses are being treated terribly and they will be garbage in a few years time.

[RookiePhenom]

From a tourists' standpoint, the Q88. In the middle of rush hour. In the middle of a thunderstorm. In the middle of Winter Break. Heading FROM Queens Center.

[checkmatechamp13]

Has to be a tie... X10/S48/S53/S54. All annoying routes. The S53 and S48 with the constant stops and people waiting until the last minute to get on or ringing the bell and requesting the wrong stop and not saying anything. The X10 for its hit and miss service and often times dirty buses mainly from the project folks eating and leaving a mess that sometimes get on by Targee Street and the S54 for showing up whenever it wants to. No surprise that the worse routes come from the WORST depot in the city. Castleton Depot should be shut down ASAP, rebuilt and new management should be hired from the bottom up. The only thing that has forced them to get buses to show up even is Bus Time, but the buses are still as filthy as can be. It's a shame that the is giving them new buses. There should be some sort of requirement about how depots keep their buses because the way I see it, these buses are being treated terribly and they will be garbage in a few years time.

 

That isn't unique to the S48 & S53, though. A lot of people ring the bell at the wrong stop and then don't say anything. I remember once on the S44, some kids were doing it to be funny, and I'm thinking "Idiots, you're slowing yourselves down as well". :mad: (Of course, there are plenty of times when people just don't look before their stop)

 

And for the S48 and S53, I always thought the constant stops were bad (especially on the S48), but as soon as I started riding Manhattan buses, I changed my tune real quick. I don't see how you can think those buses are slow, and yet you tolerate the Manhattan buses. :confused:

[B36 Via Ave U]

For me it would have to be the B4, before and after the cuts, that route has always been unreliable. Multiple times before the cuts I'd be waiting on east 16th street and Sheepshead Bay Road for the B4 only to see 5,6,7 B49's and a million B36's. These days they tend to bunch up, especially on weekends, people at CI hopsital will wait 40 mins for a B4, which happened to me on Presidents day.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

That isn't unique to the S48 & S53, though. A lot of people ring the bell at the wrong stop and then don't say anything. I remember once on the S44, some kids were doing it to be funny, and I'm thinking "Idiots, you're slowing yourselves down as well". :mad: (Of course, there are plenty of times when people just don't look before their stop)

 

And for the S48 and S53, I always thought the constant stops were bad (especially on the S48), but as soon as I started riding Manhattan buses, I changed my tune real quick. I don't see how you can think those buses are slow, and yet you tolerate the Manhattan buses. :confused:

 

Manhattan buses depending on the route can move even with the stops because folks generally know where they're going and get on and off quicker. On the SI buses though, particularly the ones that I mentioned, people are just dumb. They wait until the last minute to get up, then come shoving their way through to get off. :mad:

[checkmatechamp13]

Manhattan buses depending on the route can move even with the stops because folks generally know where they're going and get on and off quicker. On the SI buses though, particularly the ones that I mentioned, people are just dumb. They wait until the last minute to get up, then come shoving their way through to get off. :mad:

 

That's not what I've seen. Even on the famous M15 +SBS+, the bus still moved slower than any SI route I've been on.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

That's not what I've seen. Even on the famous M15 +SBS+, the bus still moved slower than any SI route I've been on.

 

 

How could a M15 SBS move slower than any SI route when folks pay in advance before boarding?? :confused:

[checkmatechamp13]

How could a M15 SBS move slower than any SI route when folks pay in advance before boarding?? :confused:

 

That's not saying that the M15 is slow, just that the SI buses are fast. The drivers (at least the ones I caught) took their sweet time at the stops (and the passengers weren't exactly Speedy Gonzalez either), and those stupid doors on the LFSAs didn't help matters. :mad:

[Via Garibaldi 8]

That's not saying that the M15 is slow, just that the SI buses are fast. The drivers (at least the ones I caught) took their sweet time at the stops (and the passengers weren't exactly Speedy Gonzalez either), and those stupid doors on the LFSAs didn't help matters. :mad:

 

Well I don't know what you call "fast" exactly. Fast is the S54.

[checkmatechamp13]

Well I don't know what you call "fast" exactly. Fast is the S54.

 

There's a difference between "fast" and "faster". The S48 may be slow as molasses, but it's still faster than most Manhattan buses.

 

As far as what I consider "fast", I'd put most of the limiteds on the list (except maybe the S96 and S98). With a good driver, the Richmond Avenue locals can be pretty fast as well, and most routes have portions where they're fast (for instance, the S74 and S78 are pretty fast on the South Shore).

[Via Garibaldi 8]

There's a difference between "fast" and "faster". The S48 may be slow as molasses, but it's still faster than most Manhattan buses.

 

As far as what I consider "fast", I'd put most of the limiteds on the list (except maybe the S96 and S98). With a good driver, the Richmond Avenue routes can be pretty fast as well.

 

LOL... Throw in a good amount of traffic on Forest Avenue, and the S48 is just as slow as the average Manhattan local bus.

[checkmatechamp13]

LOL... Throw in a good amount of traffic on Forest Avenue, and the S48 is just as slow as the average Manhattan local bus.

 

Yeah, I've been on buses caught in traffic (mostly between Clove Road and Jewett Avenue), but overall, it's faster than a Manhattan local bus. I mean, if you rode it from end-to-end, it would probably still beat a Manhattan local bus, but it would just be slow in that particular section.

 

That's like saying the S44 is slower than a Manhattan local bus because of the times it gets caught in traffic on Morningstar Road.

[FamousNYLover]

Least Favorite:

M35

Q17 Local via Queens Community College

Q22

 

 

NICE N20 (except LTD)

NICE N22

NICE N15

[Threxx]

Least favorite BROOKLYN routes:

 

B60, B13, B25, B38, B15.

 

WORST ROUTE IN THE SYSTEM! (in my opinion)

 

M60.

[Q101 E Midtown]

From my POV:

 

B38: Traffic is a mess between Bedford and Classon.

B46: More limited are terminating at DeKalb Avenue.

B26: Neither Halsey nor Putnam is wide enough for two way bus-service IMO.

[Broadway Local]

Brooklyn Bus Route B61 is a piece of shit with its narrow roads, and trucks blocking on one-way streets in Red Hook, and schedule!

[gtNovaBusRTS9369]

My picks:

(Q3): Increasingly becoming one of my least favorite routes just by looking at it. The thing is sadly infequent as others say it is. Unless a second bus 5 minutes later comes after the 1st one I see, the buses are packed badly to a tee. What they need to do is to make sure all those are filled (I sometimes feel that some runs are missing) & perhaps (If there's room) to increase the frequency slighty a bit more.

(Q27): Always bastardized with kids (Majority of them) acting like the bus is a damn jangle. Unless you don't mind working through hell I suggest you don't ride the damned route during schools days/hours. Hence why I never use it on weekdays.

(Q30): This route is decent fine IMPO but it is as well an least favorite route. It doesn't abide by it's schedule near post school hours. I argue that that it needs to be a bit more frequent (See the Q3 tidbit for this) during peak hours. Usually later on during the PM trips for peak hours really get infrequent or not frequent enough. They should add a couple of trippers to HS to deduce congeston along the way.

(Q46): Infrequent at times when you don't want it to be. Times in between buses are odd. Ex. Ten minutes after the previous one bus would be packed to the bone. After that though would be two-three buses running on empty by 60-70%. This pick is also mentioned for personal reasons.

[Threxx]

Brooklyn Bus Route B61 is a piece of shit with its narrow roads, and trucks blocking on one-way streets in Red Hook, and schedule!

 

The B61... an exusce of a replacement for the B75.

[B35 via Church]

the B35 LTD... the poorest excuse for a limited bus route in our system; IMO anyway.....

[S78 via Hylan]

Staten Island:

(S44) I don't take this bus as often as I used to when I lived right near it. This route suffers from bunching (evening with headways as high as 15-20 minutes), crowding, lots of farebeaters, and I think the S94 makes too many stops.

 

(S62) The issues I have with this route is lateness and sometimes bunching usually going towards St George. When I'm trying to get to the Showplace Bowling Center, It's usually up to 15 minutes late I'm guessing due to the ferry. Returning from Travis isn't the best either.

 

Brooklyn:

(B44) Only to a certain extent...

At Fulton and Nostrand, everyone AND their mother is there. They will pack up the bus like there's no tomorrow. Tons of people with shopping bags, loud kids, etc. Another annyoing factor is that people constantly ask "Is this a local or limited?" when the sign on the bus clearly says what it is.

[checkmatechamp13]

Staten Island:

(S44) I don't take this bus as often as I used to when I lived right near it. This route suffers from bunching (evening with headways as high as 15-20 minutes), crowding, lots of farebeaters, and I think the S94 makes too many stops.

 

(S62) The issues I have with this route is lateness and sometimes bunching usually going towards St George. When I'm trying to get to the Showplace Bowling Center, It's usually up to 15 minutes late I'm guessing due to the ferry. Returning from Travis isn't the best either.

 

 

Funny how I live near both of those routes.

 

For the S44, I don't think the headways are a problem. I mean, there are 15-20 minute headways on most SI routes at that time. The crowding depends on the time of day, where along the route you're talking about, and (along Richmond Avenue) its position in relation to the S59/89 (which bus came first).

 

For the S94, it's not really much faster than the S44, but I don't see what stops you can really eliminate. You have to consider that you also have people going past Jewett Avenue, and you don't want to have them walk an extra-long distance to reach a stop.

 

For the S62, I've definitely noticed bunching eastbound. I've even seen bunching westbound a few times (but it was towards the end of the route). That turn going into CSI definitely doesn't help matters. Sometimes it's smooth sailing, and other times it can take close to 10 minutes just to make that turn.

[S78 via Hylan]

Funny how I live near both of those routes.

 

For the S44, I don't think the headways are a problem. I mean, there are 15-20 minute headways on most SI routes at that time.

 

For the S62, I've definitely noticed bunching eastbound. I've even seen bunching westbound a few times (but it was towards the end of the route). That turn going into CSI definitely doesn't help matters. Sometimes it's smooth sailing, and other times it can take close to 10 minutes just to make that turn.

 

I pointed out the headways on the S44 because there is a period I think from 4-5PM coming from the mall where the headways are 10 minutes. But anyway, Mall bound isn't any better due to huge crowds at St. George usually around the time school lets out.

[checkmatechamp13]

I pointed out the headways on the S44 because there is a period I think from 4-5PM coming from the mall where the headways are 10 minutes. But anyway, Mall bound isn't any better due to huge crowds at St. George usually around the time school lets out.

 

Yeah, I've had to ride the S44 around that time. I guess those schools by the SI Mall have some kind of after-school program because those buses can get pretty crowded, though they ease up at Forest Avenue, and the bus generally gets emptier as you go further north (though it's never completely empty of course. You still have around a seated load from Port Richmond onward).

 

My brother takes the S44 trippers from his school, and he says it's amazing how many people get off at Forest Avenue. Between all the trippers, he says there can literally be 60-70 people waiting at that stop. I feel sorry for the next S48 to pull into that stop. :eek:

 

We think that some of the trippers should be S48s that go nonstop from the school to Forest Avenue. The thing is that kids in Arlington and parts of Mariners' Harbor are zoned for his school in Heartland Village, so there is definitely enough demand for trippers directly to those areas (like I said, a ton of people get off there for the S48)

 

On a side note, I've noticed S46s have always bunched eastbound for some reason. For instance, today, on a westbound S46, we passed one eastbound bus at Walker Street/Morningstar Road, one at Lake Avenue, and one at Simonson Avenue. The buses didn't look crowded, so I don't know if there are a bunch of buses that aren't on the schedule, because I'm pretty sure the schedule says buses come every 12 minutes. And this has happened at various times of the afternoon, so I don't think those are trippers or anything.