Bx27 Extension, SI Express Bus Changes, B35 Artic Conversion, Q6 & Q69 Enhancements, and More

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/180618_1000_transit-bus.pdf

SI Express Bus Changes (188-226)

Virtually what was said but also:

* X17 Bay Ridge bus stop discontinued

* SIM30 will have a branch to Rosebank

* Swap between SIM25 and SIM26 on West Shore Expressway stops

* Some more stops saved

The Bx27 would be extended to the Soundview Ferry (227-230)

With the anticipation of the Soundview Ferry, select Bx27 trips would be extended to Clason Point Park from 6:30 AM to 10 PM daily. To be implemented in the summer.

Service Enhancements for the Q6 and Q69

All off peak service changes. Thing didn't go through my phone the first time, but basically, bus service on those two lines will not be less frequent than every 20 minutes on the Q69, and every 15 minutes on the Q6 (except for overnight)

Fall 2018 Bus Changes

*B35 will be converted to Artics

* B12 service reduced throughout the entire day on weekdays

* Reduction in AM rush and evening X27/X37 and X28/38 service

* Additional B15 service every day

* Additional Bx30 service every day

* Additional B63 service during AM and PM rush hours

[Via Garibaldi 8]

This is also interesting, especially the bullet about public comments about buying newer buses more frequently :

Summary of Public Comments Regarding Staten Island Express Bus Redesign

In May and June 2018, MTA NYC Transit presented the Staten Island express bus redesign proposal to the three Staten Island community boards. A public hearing was held on May 21, 2018.

Below is a summary of the most common comments and concerns expressed by the public.

 Maintain the existing express bus system as it is.

Staten Island's express bus service was originally designed in the 1960s, but population, work trends and the number of cars on the road have shifted significantly since then. Changes to the network evolved in a piecemeal fashion, until the MTA launched a comprehensive study in 2015 to seek answers to how we could improve the network to provide the best service to our customers. In a survey, 76 percent of riders said they support the plan with just 13 percent opposed.

 Maintain all existing bus stops.

Based on the proposed changes 72 percent of riders will use the same stop that they do today. In an effort to keep buses moving and create a more reliable trip some bus stops will be discontinued to increase the average distance between bus stops from approximately 0.25 miles to 0.4 miles. Less bus stops means buses will spend more time moving in the flow of traffic and less time accelerating and decelerating and stopped at bus stops and red traffic signals. In a survey, 61 percent of riders supported increasing the distance between bus stops while 29 percent opposed.

 Maintain a specific bus stop.

Requests to maintain a specific bus stop were reviewed by evaluating ridership, stop spacing, and land use. After analyzing individual bus stop requests, some bus stop changes were made (see Attachment 1).

 Maintain more route variants on different streets and avenues.

In a survey, more than half of Staten Island express bus riders said they do not use the same route every day. Many take the first bus that arrives in order to get into Manhattan as quickly as possible. This leads to great variability in day-to-day ridership on each individual route and creates a challenge for scheduling and managing reliable service. In order to provide better and more reliable service, less variants on a few select corridors were created to simplify the network and provide more high frequency service.

 Don’t change the names of the bus routes. Because the Staten Island express bus network underwent a comprehensive redesign, the route numbers had to be changed. The new ‘SIM’ (Staten Island to Manhattan) numbering scheme emphasizes to customers that they are being served by a brand new system, and it also makes Staten Island express service consistent with express bus service in the other boroughs (BxM for Bronx to Manhattan, BM for Brooklyn to Manhattan, and QM for Queens to Manhattan).

 Use travel paths other than FDR Drive due to persistent congestion and longer distance traveled versus other routes.

All possible travel paths were studied for directness, travel time, congestion, and reliability. On travel paths where existing bus service operates, MTA Bus Time GPS data was used to comprehensively compare average travel times. It was determined that Midtown buses traveling via Brooklyn would perform fastest and most reliably by traveling on FDR Drive.

 Maintain the Church Street and Park Place stop for subway transfers.

Subway transfers were considered in bus stop placement, which were selected to balance bus service speed and bus stop accessibility. Riders can transfer to the A, C, E, 4, 5, N, R, and W trains at the Fulton Street bus stop and the 1, 2, and 3 trains at the Chambers Street bus stop.

 Continue to use Lexington Avenue for southbound routes from Midtown instead of 5th Avenue.

In order to provide service located as convenient to the greatest number of people as possible and to take advantage of the NYCDOT 5th Avenue double painted bus lane project being implemented in June 2018, all Midtown service traveling southbound uses 5th Avenue. However, since several routes will need to use existing layover/staging space between 3rd Avenue and Lexington Avenue, the last stop and first stop for some routes will be 57th Street and Lexington Avenue, providing direct service to riders in that area.

 Maintain service to 1st Avenue.

Service to 1st Avenue is available at 23rd Street on the SIM3, SIM6, SIM10, and SIM31. For routes using the Lincoln Tunnel, currently direct express bus service to 1st Avenue is only available on one route, the X21. In the new network, routes were chosen to balance using the fastest streets for buses and going to the most popular travel areas. Most Midtown riders are traveling to destinations north of 42nd Street, so turning left from 42nd Street to travel north helps more riders than continuing to 1st Avenue.

 Maintain the same number of routes serving the park and ride at South Beach on Father Capodanno Boulevard.

In response to feedback and data regarding the density of residents near Hylan Boulevard, it was determined to revise the SIM7 travel path to use Hylan Boulevard north of Midland Avenue instead of Father Capodanno Boulevard. Compared to the existing network, Father Capodanno Boulevard will have a similar frequency of service to today. While there will be two routes operating on the street compared to four today, the routes will be operating roughly twice as frequent.

 Continue to serve 34th Street west of 6th Avenue.

42nd Street and 34th Street were compared to determine the best way to travel for routes accessing Midtown via the Lincoln Tunnel. 42nd Street was determined to be the best path based on average travel times to and from the tunnel and rider destinations. Riders needing to access 34th Street can walk eight blocks, take a local bus, or use one of 11 subway lines that travel between 42nd Street and 34th Street in approximately two minutes. 

 Extend the Church Street/Broadway routes to terminate at Canal Street.

The terminal of the Downtown routes at Worth Street was selected based on bus stop location availability, bus staging locations, and cross-streets that are suitable for operating buses. The terminal is approximately a five minute walk from Canal Street.

 Serve the Staten Island Mall with more than one route.

The mall is served by the SIM4, SIM8, and SIM31 routes. Additionally, there will be non-stop parkand-ride service from the mall on the SIM4x and SIM8x.

 Maintain bus stops on Mill Road.

Mill Road is currently used as the terminal of the X2, X3, and X9 routes. In the redesign, no routes terminate in this location, so the staging area at Mill Road will not be utilized. By having all routes continue all the way to Eltingville Transit Center, riders will have more frequent service and ridership will be better distributed between buses. From the existing stops on Mill Road it is a five to six minute walk to stops on Hylan Boulevard at Tysens Lane and Ebbitts Street.

 Create more frequency in the reverse commute direction, especially to the College of Staten Island.

Bus service frequencies are scheduled according to MTA guidelines on ridership in order to use consistent scheduling practices citywide.

 Add mid-route detours to the SIM33 and SIM31 on Narrows Road at Targee Street, Hylan Boulevard, and Fingerboard Road.

These stops already have bus service on other routes (the SIM1, SIM7, SIM10, SIM15, and SIM35). Adding stops on the SIM31 and SIM33 would slow down service for riders on those routes.

 Create real-time tracking on the SIM23 and SIM24.

The SIM23 and SIM24 are operated by Academy Bus under contract to the City of New York. MTA and Academy are currently investigating the feasibility of implementing MTA Bus Time on the SIM23 and SIM24.  Have the MTA take over operation of the SIM23 and SIM24. The SIM23 and SIM24 are operated by Academy Bus under contract to the City of New York. While the City of New York and Academy Bus will need to adjust the route paths of the SIM23 and SIM24 to implement this plan, changing the operator of the routes is not a part of this proposal.

 Enforce bus lanes/HOV lanes.

The MTA continues to work with the NYPD and city and state DOTs on enforcement and use of bus priority lanes throughout the city.

 Put a bus lane on Steuben Street.

The MTA is working with NYCDOT to identify locations where bus lanes and other bus priority treatments can be installed.

 Add tolls on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge Brooklyn-bound and tolls on the East River crossings.

Tolling is not under the authority of New York City Transit and not a part of this proposal.

 Charge fares for children if they occupy a seat.

Fare policy is set by the MTA Board and is not a part of this proposal.

 Enforce fares better.

Fare enforcement is an ongoing process and is not part of this proposal.

 Buy newer buses/keep buses cleaner.

The MTA continues to purchase vehicles to update and upgrade its fleet. As older buses are retired, maintenance and cleaning of buses becomes more successful. Most of the Staten Island express bus fleet has been replaced with new buses in recent years.

 Add bike racks to all buses.

The MTA recently piloted bike racks on the S53 and S93 bus routes on Staten Island and the bike rack program was made permanent on those routes. Further expansion of the bike rack program is unrelated to this proposal.

[T J Trainman]

What soundview ferry? 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

6 minutes ago, T J Trainman said:

What soundview ferry? 

It's technically going to be in Shorehaven, but it will be right by the Clason Point Park.  It's Ferry Service being run by NYC (DOT).  The public meeting was actually held right in the Soundview projects.  I attended the meeting for work, but very few people showed up to it.  

I honestly don't see any people from Soundview using it unless they're driving down there. The Bx27 will be $2.75, plus $2.75 for the ferry.  The people in Shorehaven will likely use it though since they have the means to afford it.

[Brillant93]

Why are the reducing service on the B12? Isn’t it a very important bus route?

[limitednyc]

1 hour ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/180618_1000_transit-bus.pdf

SI Express Bus Changes (188-226)

Virtually what was said but also:

* X17 Bay Ridge bus stop discontinued

* SIM30 will have a branch to Rosebank

* Swap between SIM25 and SIM26 on West Shore Expressway stops

* Some more stops saved

The Bx27 would be extended to the Soundview Ferry (227-230)

With the anticipation of the Soundview Ferry, select Bx27 trips would be extended to Clason Point Park from 6:30 AM to 10 PM daily. To be implemented in the summer.

Service Enhancements for the Q6 and Q69

All off peak service changes. Thing didn't go through my phone the first time, but basically, bus service on those two lines will not be less frequent than every 20 minutes on the Q69, and every 15 minutes on the Q6 (except for overnight)

Fall 2018 Bus Changes

*B35 will be converted to Artics

* B12 service reduced throughout the entire day on weekdays

* Reduction in AM rush and evening X27/X37 and X28/38 service

* Additional B15 service every day

* Additional Bx30 service every day

* Additional B63 service during AM and PM rush hours

i don't see the week day b15.

[checkmatechamp13]

6 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I honestly don't see any people from Soundview using it unless they're driving down there. The Bx27 will be $2.75, plus $2.75 for the ferry.  The people in Shorehaven will likely use it though since they have the means to afford it.

 

I mean, it's the same fare as the subway, and the existing ferry terminals on the Manhattan side have free shuttles to other parts of Midtown, so I don't see how that's any more of an issue compared to Shorehaven residents being able to afford to take the bus to the subway.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

20 minutes ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

I mean, it's the same fare as the subway, and the existing ferry terminals on the Manhattan side have free shuttles to other parts of Midtown, so I don't see how that's any more of an issue compared to Shorehaven residents being able to afford to take the bus to the subway.

Shorehaven residents get a free transfer with the local bus to the subway. There's no free transfer going from the local bus to the ferry. $2.75 for the local bus, and $2.75 for the ferry is $5.50 one way.  That's my point.  Depending on where in Soundview you are, getting to the ferry is either involved or more expensive.  When I went to the meeting, I took the BxM8 to the meeting then got a ride home to Riverdale.

[Yankees4life]

B35 Artics in Church? Good luck with that

[checkmatechamp13]

2 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Shorehaven residents get a free transfer with the local bus to the subway. There's no free transfer going from the local bus to the ferry. $2.75 for the local bus, and $2.75 for the ferry is $5.50 one way.  That's my point.  Depending on where in Soundview you are, getting to the ferry is either involved or more expensive.  When I went to the meeting, I took the BxM8 to the meeting then got a ride home to Riverdale.

Yes, but Shorehaven residents don't need to take the local bus to reach the ferry because it's within walking distance (so they wouldn't have to pay that extra $2.75).

In any case, I think they're being pretty cheap in just extending select Bx27 trips (instead of just moving the Bx27/39 terminal to the park). It's less than a quarter mile away (basically one stop), and there are still homes within walking distance of the ferry terminal (so there's neighborhood residents in the immediate area who would benefit from the extension as well). It appears there's sufficient layover space in the park at a glance from Google Streetview.

In any case, with reference to the SI express plan, it irritates me that at the last minute, they changed the SIM33 route to operate straight down Victory & Richmond instead of using that shortcut they originally set up via Morani/Christopher. Now they have to sit in traffic, which affects real-life X10B riders (and some former X12 riders heading to Greenwich Village), in order to prevent imaginary complaints from the area (I've been to the meetings and never saw that issue brought up).

That SIM30 branch to Rosebank should be interesting. While the old X18 did see decent ridership, I suppose they feel that Downtown riders can take the local bus to either the ferry or Narrows Road (for an express bus), whereas Midtown riders have slightly fewer options (the local bus to the ferry requires an additional transfer to the subway, while for those who opt to take a bus down to Narrows Road, the SIM15/35 will not service Midtown, which especially affects those living near the S74/76). 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

9 minutes ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

Yes, but Shorehaven residents don't need to take the local bus to reach the ferry because it's within walking distance (so they wouldn't have to pay that extra $2.75).

In any case, I think they're being pretty cheap in just extending select Bx27 trips (instead of just moving the Bx27/39 terminal to the park). It's less than a quarter mile away (basically one stop), and there are still homes within walking distance of the ferry terminal (so there's neighborhood residents in the immediate area who would benefit from the extension as well). It appears there's sufficient layover space in the park at a glance from Google Streetview.

In any case, with reference to the SI express plan, it irritates me that at the last minute, they changed the SIM33 route to operate straight down Victory & Richmond instead of using that shortcut they originally set up via Morani/Christopher. Now they have to sit in traffic, which affects real-life X10B riders (and some former X12 riders heading to Greenwich Village), in order to prevent imaginary complaints from the area (I've been to the meetings and never saw that issue brought up).

That SIM30 branch to Rosebank should be interesting. While the old X18 did see decent ridership, I suppose they feel that Downtown riders can take the local bus to either the ferry or Narrows Road (for an express bus), whereas Midtown riders have slightly fewer options (the local bus to the ferry requires an additional transfer to the subway, while for those who opt to take a bus down to Narrows Road, the SIM15/35 will not service Midtown, which especially affects those living near the S74/76). 

Well here's the thing. No one showed up to the Ferry meeting in Soundview. It had the WORST attendance out of all of the meetings I went to and there were more of us there working than actual people that came, let alone spoke. It was pretty funny. The people that lived there were wondering who in the hell we were (we were dressed either business casual or had on a suit and tie, etc.) , even with signs posted everywhere, so in my mind, I don't see people from those parts of Soundview which is who the City is trying to target going down to Shorehaven. That's precisely why the meeting was held right in the projects because that's one of the densest parts of Soundview where people have limited transportation and limited money to afford things like the BxM8, though I have seen some people take the BxM8 over there. Additionally, in order for the service to work they will need people from Soundview to use it, but the is actually being pretty generous. Only a handful of people spoke in favor of the ferry while other areas like the Rockaways insisted that a shuttle bus be provided. No one is going to provide anything if people don't speak up. That's just the way it is. A few elected officials spoke, but who knows if they're even in office now to follow through on the plan. That meeting happened a few years ago (2015 I believe). 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Some other things I forgot to mention with the SI Express changes:

* SiM5X and SiM6X will be AM peak only

* SiM8 will run from 2-9 PM towards SI

 

[checkmatechamp13]

36 minutes ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Some other things I forgot to mention with the SI Express changes:

* SiM5X and SiM6X will be AM peak only

* SiM8 will run from 2-9 PM towards SI

 

They will also have a 2 hour span and run every 20 minutes.

The SIM8 issue was brought up at the Community Board meeting (I would assume the AM span would be something like 4:30am - 9:30am). The thing is that it still does nothing for Downtown riders or midday/weekend/late evening riders.

The thing that irritates me is that they have yet to release the proposed spans and frequencies. I get that they're still in the process of finalizing them, but just let us get an idea of what you have in mind, geez....

In any case, I see that the SIM25 & SIM26 would switch off as to which one stops at Victory Blvd due to wanting to maintain a similar span as the current X22 (so it would now be the SIM26 stopping at Victory), which makes sense because the SIM26 would pretty much strictly be serving present-day X22 riders, while the SIM25 would be serving more X23 riders (and the X23 has a slightly shorter span). Still, I don't think it would be the craziest idea to have the longer span on both routes.

[Future ENY OP]

8 hours ago, Yankees4life said:

B35 Artics in Church? Good luck with that

Hope some of those spares hit the B68, B63, B43.

Church Avenue will need to be re-paved AGAIN to accommodate those artics.. 

One of Gleason's artics are in New York City already.

[B35 via Church]

- Didn't they just get through adding service to the B12 (*shrugs*).... Now they're taking away service (to give to the B15, looks like)....

- Having artics run along the B35 was a foregone conclusion.... So some of those 40' will end up going  towards (added) B63 service.....

- I can't keep up with whatever's going on with those SIM routes & I'm not going to attempt to either....

- Out of the GH routes that serve residential Co-op City, the Bx30 has been shunned for quite some time now & it's about time they started supplying that route with more service....

 

 

[Orion6025]

Will the Rosebank extension on the SIM30 get significant ridership. The x18 was useful in that it immeditately got onto the verrazano but with this sim30, all residents will have to take a tour of the north shore... Will they think it's worth the wait just to have a more comfortable express bus or would this just flop in favor of walking, driving, or taking a local bus to a nearby express bus stop?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

5 minutes ago, Orion6025 said:

Will the Rosebank extension on the SIM30 get significant ridership. The x18 was useful in that it immeditately got onto the verrazano but with this sim30, all residents will have to take a tour of the north shore... Will they think it's worth the wait just to have a more comfortable express bus or would this just flop in favor of walking, driving, or taking a local bus to a nearby express bus stop?

It's a very good question. It also seems as if not all SIM30s buses will be stopping in Rosebank, so the frequencies may not be that great either. With there being no X14 to deal with the riders in West Brighton and Westerleigh in particular, I think some people will drive. I preferred the X14 over the X30. More civilized ride and it felt shorter. If it were me, I would be getting car service over to Victory Blvd, something I used to do when I lived on the island and something many other people do in my neighborhood. Find parking on Slosson then get on at Manor Rd or Slosson and get right on the SIE. I expect the X42 to be more crowded for that reason.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

46 minutes ago, Orion6025 said:

Will the Rosebank extension on the SIM30 get significant ridership. The x18 was useful in that it immeditately got onto the verrazano but with this sim30, all residents will have to take a tour of the north shore... Will they think it's worth the wait just to have a more comfortable express bus or would this just flop in favor of walking, driving, or taking a local bus to a nearby express bus stop?

What I would consider in the future is to make a bus route to Midtown out of the two branches (so the route would start in Sunnyside, do the Sunnyside Leg to Forest Avenue, then do the Rosebank leg to Midtown. Given how the SiM30 would still be the sole Midtown bus on the North Shore during the rush, it can hold off on its own.

[checkmatechamp13]

58 minutes ago, Orion6025 said:

Will the Rosebank extension on the SIM30 get significant ridership. The x18 was useful in that it immeditately got onto the verrazano but with this sim30, all residents will have to take a tour of the north shore... Will they think it's worth the wait just to have a more comfortable express bus or would this just flop in favor of walking, driving, or taking a local bus to a nearby express bus stop?

I will say this: X30 ridership on the eastern end isn't the greatest. As I've mentioned, whenever I've taken the S62/92 to St. George, every single person at the stop got on the local/limited bus (meaning, nobody let a local bus go to take the express bus). However, I will say that there are days when the Verrazano Narrows Bridge gets significantly backed up, and it may very well be quicker to travel via NJ (I'll say that on a typical day, or a moderately bad day, the VZN is quicker, but the VZN at its worst is worse than the Lincoln Tunnel at its worst). Should you run a whole route/branch just as a backup? I mean if the backups are frequent enough, it may not be the craziest idea.

It will say it's definitely interesting because Stapleton is a lower-income area closer to the ferry, but the waterfront is somewhat gentrifying (but at the same time, the hipsters or whatever seem to be more interested in riding their bikes to the ferry to get around). So I doubt the Canal/Wright stop will see too many riders. The Cebra/St. Paul's stop is at the border of Stapleton & Stapleton Heights/Ward Hill, so you might see some people who are tired of dealing with the ferry taking that bus. The old X18 did see usage along Tompkins, but of course, those riders were bound for a completely different section of Manhattan. 

Interestingly enough, a few days ago, I met a woman on the X1 who said she drives from "near the ferry" (which may or may not actually mean St. George) because she can't stand taking the ferry itself (personally I'm of the same opinion), but she had the option of taking the S52 down to Narrows Road instead of driving. Also, I've seen some Facebook posts mentioning requesting an express bus from St. George. I mean there's definitely a large segment of people who think the ferry sucks (Whenever I hear somebody say "Oh, the ferry is so nice, it's a chance to unwind and watch the water" and everything, I do a double take lol), so it's definitely not the craziest idea.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 minute ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

I will say this: X30 ridership on the eastern end isn't the greatest. As I've mentioned, whenever I've taken the S62/92 to St. George, every single person at the stop got on the local/limited bus (meaning, nobody let a local bus go to take the express bus). However, I will say that there are days when the Verrazano Narrows Bridge gets significantly backed up, and it may very well be quicker to travel via NJ (I'll say that on a typical day, or a moderately bad day, the VZN is quicker, but the VZN at its worst is worse than the Lincoln Tunnel at its worst). Should you run a whole route/branch just as a backup? I mean if the backups are frequent enough, it may not be the craziest idea.

It will say it's definitely interesting because Stapleton is a lower-income area closer to the ferry, but the waterfront is somewhat gentrifying (but at the same time, the hipsters or whatever seem to be more interested in riding their bikes to the ferry to get around). So I doubt the Canal/Wright stop will see too many riders. The Cebra/St. Paul's stop is at the border of Stapleton & Stapleton Heights/Ward Hill, so you might see some people who are tired of dealing with the ferry taking that bus. The old X18 did see usage along Tompkins, but of course, those riders were bound for a completely different section of Manhattan. 

Interestingly enough, a few days ago, I met a woman on the X1 who said she drives from "near the ferry" (which may or may not actually mean St. George) because she can't stand taking the ferry itself (personally I'm of the same opinion), but she had the option of taking the S52 down to Narrows Road instead of driving. Also, I've seen some Facebook posts mentioning requesting an express bus from St. George. I mean there's definitely a large segment of people who think the ferry sucks (Whenever I hear somebody say "Oh, the ferry is so nice, it's a chance to unwind and watch the water" and everything, I do a double take lol), so it's definitely not the craziest idea.

Well of course it isn't because people take the X12 or the X14. It isn't rocket science. No one is going to sit through that long ride along Forest Avenue when they have faster alternatives. It doesn't make any sense to do that.

[Q43LTD]

The changes for the Q6 are nice, but they could have added expanded LTD hours

[Yankees4life]

11 hours ago, Future ENY OP said:

Hope some of those spares hit the B68, B63, B43.

Church Avenue will need to be re-paved AGAIN to accommodate those artics.. 

One of Gleason's artics are in New York City already.

Yep. That street just isn't big enough for that bus. They would have to make a bus lane just for that artic to find some space in

[Q43 Floral Park]

The finalized SIM plan has left me with one question:

Did the MTA need to cut the X13/18/20?

Basically the SIM5x/6x = X20 via Water and X20 to Midtown ; SIM30 Rosebank= Midtown X18; SIM35 = X13 via Water only.

 

[checkmatechamp13]

9 minutes ago, Q43 Floral Park said:

The finalized SIM plan has left me with one question:

Did the MTA need to cut the X13/18/20?

Basically the SIM5x/6x = X20 via Water and X20 to Midtown ; SIM30 Rosebank= Midtown X18; SIM35 = X13 via Water only.

The difference between the X20 and the SIM5X is that the SIM5X runs directly to the VZN Bridge, whereas the old X20 took a detour via the residential portions of South Beach (So in other words, people along Father Capodanno would rather wait for an X4 or X8, and people along Steuben Street or Narrows Road would only use it if it happened to come first). These buses are planned to be frequent enough (every 20 minutes) that people will actually drive to the park & ride for the purpose of catching a bus with a seat. Personally, I think it's stupid that it will skip a whopping 3 stops before it gets to the bridge, but whatever.

Aside from that, the X20 was rerouted/extended to the park-and-ride shortly before it was cut. It originally ran similar to the X18 (So in the morning, it started at Sand Lane & Father Capodanno, went up Sand Lane and continued towards the bridge. In the afternoon, it ran down Lily Pond, and then went up Sand Lane, Steuben Street, and Narrows Road South to end at Fingerboard Road). I recall a destination sign reading "Arrochar", and while the MTA isn't always accurate with neighborhood names, Arrochar is the neighborhood around Narrows & Fingerboard, while South Beach is the area around Sand Lane & Father Capodanno (or by the park & ride).

The X18 actually had decent ridership, so really, it was more of the thought of "People going Downtown can take the local bus to the ferry" (notice they didn't suggest taking a local bus to Narrows Road as an alternative in their 2010 service reductions booklet). There is demand for express service in that neighborhood, and combined with the X30's low ridership on that end of Staten Island, I guess they figured they didn't have much to lose either way (I'd be curious as to the deadhead route from Meredith, since the SIE can get crowded during rush hour, and you're technically only supposed to use the bus lane up to Slosson Avenue for intra-island trips). 

The X13 wasn't outright cut, since it was combined with the X14 (and X16 to a certain extent). It would be an outright cut if they decided to run the X14 to Midtown via the FDR Drive (meaning, continuing to bypass Water Street)

[Lawrence St]

On 6/15/2018 at 4:25 PM, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/180618_1000_transit-bus.pdf

SI Express Bus Changes (188-226)

Virtually what was said but also:

* X17 Bay Ridge bus stop discontinued

* SIM30 will have a branch to Rosebank

* Swap between SIM25 and SIM26 on West Shore Expressway stops

* Some more stops saved

The Bx27 would be extended to the Soundview Ferry (227-230)

With the anticipation of the Soundview Ferry, select Bx27 trips would be extended to Clason Point Park from 6:30 AM to 10 PM daily. To be implemented in the summer.

Service Enhancements for the Q6 and Q69

All off peak service changes. Thing didn't go through my phone the first time, but basically, bus service on those two lines will not be less frequent than every 20 minutes on the Q69, and every 15 minutes on the Q6 (except for overnight)

Fall 2018 Bus Changes

*B35 will be converted to Artics

* B12 service reduced throughout the entire day on weekdays

* Reduction in AM rush and evening X27/X37 and X28/38 service

* Additional B15 service every day

* Additional Bx30 service every day

* Additional B63 service during AM and PM rush hours

Why are they eiliminating the Bay Ridge x17 bus stops?