2019 Bus Ridership Statistics

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit/subway-bus-ridership-2019

The ridership statistics are out. Looks like the old table formats (on the site) are no longer used, and you have download an excel file to view the data. From what I've seen on the MTA Bus side, the results don't look too pretty. Lots of losses, and the QM buses have seen some major losses. 

 

Here's the highest increases and decreases on the MTA bus side. I'll have the NYCT stats later on:

Top 3 Highest Ridership Increases:

MTABC:

Weekdays: 

Brooklyn Local: B100 (+0.5%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q70 SBS (+14.5%), Q18 (+9.1%), Q67 (+5.3%)

Bronx Local: Q50 (+2.2%), Bx23 (+1.9%)

Brooklyn Express: BM5 (+0.2%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Express: QM16 (+2.7%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Bronx Express: BxM18 (+0.4%)  [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

 

Weekend:

Brooklyn Local: B100 (+3.5%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q69 (+21.1%), Q70 SBS (+12.5%), Q67 (+11.4%)

Bronx Local: N/A

Brooklyn Express: BM5 (+16%), BM2 (+12.3%), BM1 (+4.0%)

Queens Express: QM4 (+16.4%), QM15 (+9.4%), QM2 (+4.9%)

Bronx Express: BxM8 (+9.4%), BxM6 (+4.7%), BxM2 (+1.9%)

 

 

Annual:

Brooklyn Local: B100 (+0.8%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q70 SBS (+14.1%), Q18 (+9.2%), Q67 (+5.5%)

Bronx Local: Q50 (+1.8%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Brooklyn Express: BM5 (+0.6%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Express: QM16 (+2.6%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Bronx Express: BxM18 (+0.3%)  [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

 

Top 3 Highest Ridership Decreases:

MTABC:

Weekdays: 

Brooklyn Local: B103 (-3.3%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A DECREASE IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q102 (-14.4%), Q19 (-13.1%), Q110 (-6.9%)

Bronx Local: N/A

Brooklyn Express: BM4 (-7.4%), BM1 (-2.2%), BM3 (-2.1%) 

Queens Express: QM25 (-18.1%), QM24/QM34 (-18.0%)

Bronx Express: BxM6 (-9.5%), BxM8 (-9.0%), BxM9 (-7.4%)

 

Weekend:

Brooklyn Local: B103 (-0.2%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A DECREASE IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q100 (-13.3%), Q110 (-7.7%), Q102 (-7.2%)

Bronx Local: Bx23 (-4.9%), Q50 (Loss of one rider, Less than 0.1%)

Brooklyn Express: BM3 (-8.3%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A DECREASE IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Express: QM5 (-1.2%), QM6 (-1.0%) 

Bronx Express: BxM4 (-10.5%), BxM3 (-8.2%), BxM10 (-7.3%)

 

 

Annual:

Brooklyn Local: B103 (-2.7%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A DECREASE IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q102 (-13.0%), Q19 (-11.3%), Q110 (-7.0%)

Bronx Local: N/A

Brooklyn Express: BM4 (-7.1%), BM3 (-2.4%), BM1 (-2.0%)

Queens Express: QM25 (-18.1%), QM24/QM34 (-18.0%), QM11 (-13.5%)

Bronx Express: BxM6 (-7.2%), BxM8 (-7.1%), BxM11 (-6.9%)

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[Q43LTD]

Top 10 by borough and express:

Bronx

Bx12

Bx1/2

Bx36

Bx9

Bx6

Bx19

Bx15

Bx40/42

Bx41

Bx7

 

Brooklyn

B46

B6

B44

B82

B35

B41

B1

B8

B38

B15

 

Manhattan

M15

M14

M101

M86

M34

M4

M60

M23

M96

M100

 

Queens

Q58

Q44

Q27

Q10

Q65

Q52/53

Q25

Q46

Q23

Q17

 

Staten Island

S79

S53

S48/98

S46/96

S44/94

S78

S74/84

S40/90

S93

S76/86

 

Express

SIM1

SIM4

X27/37

X28/38

SIM8

BxM7

SIM10

SIM3

SIM6

BxM9

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by Q43LTD
Format issues

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Not surprising. Some of those express bus declines are due to TONS of missing buses. We have it documented and logged too.

[NewFlyer 230]

Don’t like the new format too much. The old one was fine and less buggy.
I’m looking at routes like the Bx1/2, Bx12, B6, B46 and a few others and it’s just shocking how these routes saw a huge drop in ridership in the span of 5 years. A lot of these routes seen the loss of over 10,000+ riders. How does the MTA explain that?

Edited April 16, 2020 by NewFlyer 230

[B35 via Church]

8 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit/subway-bus-ridership-2019

The ridership statistics are out. Looks like the old table formats (on the site) are no longer used, and you have download an excel file to view the data....

1 hour ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

Don’t like the new format too much. The old one was fine and less buggy.

I was expecting something entirely different (format-wise / appearance-wise) upon downloading the excel files....

The stats are formatted the same, it's just that they aren't displayed on a separate webpage anymore.

1 hour ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I’m looking at routes like the Bx1/2, Bx12, B6, B46 and a few others and it’s just shocking how these routes saw a huge drop in ridership in the span of 5 years. A lot of these routes seen the loss of over 10,000+ riders. How does the MTA explain that?

I don't doubt there being losses, but I do question the extent of the usage losses on the higher utilized routes, specifically.... There's no way a (and every) poor b/o can account for all the farebeating taking place on those routes....

side note: Where applicable, there has to be a way to discern the [local ridership] figures from [the LTD ridership figures or SBS ridership figures]..... Enough is enough.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

4 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

I was expecting something entirely different (format-wise / appearance-wise) upon downloading the excel files....

The stats are formatted the same, it's just that they aren't displayed on a separate webpage anymore.

I don't doubt there being losses, but I do question the extent of the usage losses on the higher utilized routes, specifically.... There's no way a (and every) poor b/o can account for all the farebeating taking place on those routes....

side note: Where applicable, there has to be a way to discern the [local ridership] figures from [the LTD ridership figures or SBS ridership figures]..... Enough is enough.

One thing I will say is the  does not have enough drivers overall to meet their schedules. I had no idea it was this bad. I think it's always been a problem, but there is a driver shortage around the country. They are always looking for more drivers, and one thing that has become abundantly clear since I started my advocacy group is this is a SERIOUS problem across the board for the  . It's one of the reasons that they are so adamant about "redesigning the network". Redesigning the network works for THEM and their bottom line. The proof is in the cuts to the frequencies in service on many lines or the merging/elimination of service. What does it do for the  ?

1. LESS FREQUENCY=LESS DRIVERS that are needed. Easier to make schedules. The "super routes" that you mentioned.... They would be maximizing ridership and their costs in terms of bus loads versus their overhead expenses, and so that is what they are fixated on. To hell with coverage... Let's get our costs down...

 

 

[Q43LTD]

I'm not digging this excel format. I liked it better when it was on the web page.

[NY1635]

I think a lot of Southeast Queens just gave up on the buses and started using the LIRR to get into Brooklyn with the Subways being used for getting into Midtown. It's no secret the QBL gets really packed at Broadway-74th and Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights till 53rd and 63rd at Lexington, or 59th at 5th Avenue. 

The Q26 actually gained riders among people who want to get in and out of Flushing but don't want to go thru Kissena or Holly Avenue. The Q27 seems to be a dud south of QCC, even more so since it's used more by people on Linden to get into Flushing or QCC. Queens Village seems to hate that route with a passion and if it wasn't for the n6 and n22, the Q27 would be cut back to Queens Village LIRR. My point being that Queens Village Residents are opting to just take the LIRR instead of relying on the Q27 to get to Hillside, or the Q36 to get to Hillside for the same subway into Manhattan. 

I am not sure of these ridership drops are happening because the Governor and Mayor aren't getting that we're moving past the 14-15 hour shift with 24/7 convenience, or that the transplants are bringing their suburban values and converting NYC into one big suburb. I feel like the transplants really want the NYC bus system to be more like Los Angeles's transportation grid and not like Paris or London with their sleek new buses but transportation problems.

The Q65 seems to be gaining ridership but every time I use the route, it seems to be used more by people on 164th North of GCP or around Flushing Hospital getting into Kissena while avoiding everything past Holly Avenue. Kissena between Holly and Horace Harding has to be the worst part of the Q25 along with Main between Downtown Flushing and Union Turnpike on the Q44.

Edited April 16, 2020 by NY1635

[checkmatechamp13]

@Q43LTD The S93 finally made it into the top 10 for SI. Probably a lot of it has to do with the off-peak headway boost they gave it at the beginning of the year (though I'm a bit disappointed that it seems like a portion was just riders taken from the S53/79 rather than new riders, though it's possible those routes might've lost some ridership anyway)

@B35 via Church I agree 100%. And to add to that, the "C" and "X" routes should also be counted separately.

I mean the "X" routes can be kind of similar to their regular counterparts (in terms of riders using them interchangeably with the main route, though many do try to time themselves for the "X" if it is an option, especially in the morning). But the SIM1/3/4/33 are completely different from their off-peak "C" counterparts.

Likewise the X27/37 and X28/38 having their ridership separated.

Edited April 16, 2020 by checkmatechamp13

[Hound]

18 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

https://new.mta.info/agency/new-york-city-transit/subway-bus-ridership-2019

The ridership statistics are out. Looks like the old table formats (on the site) are no longer used, and you have download an excel file to view the data. From what I've seen on the MTA Bus side, the results don't look too pretty. Lots of losses, and the QM buses have seen some major losses. 

 

Here's the highest increases and decreases on the MTA bus side. I'll have the NYCT stats later on:

Top 3 Highest Ridership Increases:

MTABC:

Weekdays: 

Brooklyn Local: B100 (+0.5%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q70 SBS (+14.5%), Q18 (+9.1%), Q67 (+5.3%)

Bronx Local: Q50 (+2.2%), Bx23 (+1.9%)

Brooklyn Express: BM5 (+0.2%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Express: QM16 (+2.7%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Bronx Express: BxM18 (+0.4%)  [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

 

Weekend:

Brooklyn Local: B100 (+3.5%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q69 (+21.1%), Q70 SBS (+12.5%), Q67 (+11.4%)

Bronx Local: N/A

Brooklyn Express: BM5 (+16%), BM2 (+12.3%), BM1 (+4.0%)

Queens Express: QM4 (+16.4%), QM15 (+9.4%), QM2 (+4.9%)

Bronx Express: BxM8 (+9.4%), BxM6 (+4.7%), BxM2 (+1.9%)

 

 

Annual:

Brooklyn Local: B100 (+0.8%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q70 SBS (+14.1%), Q18 (+9.2%), Q67 (+5.5%)

Bronx Local: Q50 (+1.8%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Brooklyn Express: BM5 (+0.6%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Express: QM16 (+2.6%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

Bronx Express: BxM18 (+0.3%)  [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A GAIN IN THIS CATEGORY]

 

Top 3 Highest Ridership Decreases:

MTABC:

Weekdays: 

Brooklyn Local: B103 (-3.3%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A DECREASE IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q102 (-14.4%), Q19 (-13.1%), Q110 (-6.9%)

Bronx Local: N/A

Brooklyn Express: BM4 (-7.4%), BM1 (-2.2%), BM3 (-2.1%) 

Queens Express: QM25 (-18.1%), QM24/QM34 (-18.0%)

Bronx Express: BxM6 (-9.5%), BxM8 (-9.0%), BxM9 (-7.4%)

 

Weekend:

Brooklyn Local: B103 (-0.2%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A DECREASE IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q100 (-13.3%), Q110 (-7.7%), Q102 (-7.2%)

Bronx Local: Bx23 (-4.9%), Q50 (Loss of one rider, Less than 0.1%)

Brooklyn Express: BM3 (-8.3%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A DECREASE IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Express: QM5 (-1.2%), QM6 (-1.0%) 

Bronx Express: BxM4 (-10.5%), BxM3 (-8.2%), BxM10 (-7.3%)

 

 

Annual:

Brooklyn Local: B103 (-2.7%) [Note: ONLY ROUTE TO EXPERIENCE A DECREASE IN THIS CATEGORY]

Queens Local: Q102 (-13.0%), Q19 (-11.3%), Q110 (-7.0%)

Bronx Local: N/A

Brooklyn Express: BM4 (-7.1%), BM3 (-2.4%), BM1 (-2.0%)

Queens Express: QM25 (-18.1%), QM24/QM34 (-18.0%), QM11 (-13.5%)

Bronx Express: BxM6 (-7.2%), BxM8 (-7.1%), BxM11 (-6.9%)

 

These figures are meaningless due to the high & growing amount of fare evasion,esp. through the rear doors which don't get recorded.

[NY1635]

16 minutes ago, Hound said:

These figures are meaningless due to the high & growing amount of fare evasion,esp. through the rear doors which don't get recorded.

The city simply doesn't want plainclothes detectives at every major transfer point with state troopers on local and state road, red light cameras everywhere, AND NYPD handing out parking tickets. 

A lot of Bronx, Staten Island, and Brooklyn residents will just destroy the brand new buses faster than the Depots can fix them.

[Q43LTD]

1 hour ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

@Q43LTD The S93 finally made it into the top 10 for SI. Probably a lot of it has to do with the off-peak headway boost they gave it at the beginning of the year (though I'm a bit disappointed that it seems like a portion was just riders taken from the S53/79 rather than new riders, though it's possible those routes might've lost some ridership anyway)

@B35 via Church I agree 100%. And to add to that, the "C" and "X" routes should also be counted separately.

I mean the "X" routes can be kind of similar to their regular counterparts (in terms of riders using them interchangeably with the main route, though many do try to time themselves for the "X" if it is an option, especially in the morning). But the SIM1/3/4/33 are completely different from their off-peak "C" counterparts.

Likewise the X27/37 and X28/38 having their ridership separated.

In the process overtaking 2 St George routes

[NY1635]

How is the B32 gaining ridership? It's the only new route that seems to gaining riders in the area it was intended to serve. 

I am not concerned about the X27 and X28, and B37. Bay Ridge Residents have said that they dislike the  train as a means to get into Midtown or Lower Manhattan. I don't think they'd care much if the X27/X28 gained more hours while the  is reduced not serving stations south of 59th Street after 9pm... 

 

[B35 via Church]

9 hours ago, NY1635 said:

I think a lot of Southeast Queens just gave up on the buses and started using the LIRR to get into Brooklyn with the Subways being used for getting into Midtown. It's no secret the QBL gets really packed at Broadway-74th and Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights till 53rd and 63rd at Lexington, or 59th at 5th Avenue. 

The Q26 actually gained riders among people who want to get in and out of Flushing but don't want to go thru Kissena or Holly Avenue. The Q27 seems to be a dud south of QCC, even more so since it's used more by people on Linden to get into Flushing or QCC. Queens Village seems to hate that route with a passion and if it wasn't for the n6 and n22, the Q27 would be cut back to Queens Village LIRR. My point being that Queens Village Residents are opting to just take the LIRR instead of relying on the Q27 to get to Hillside, or the Q36 to get to Hillside for the same subway into Manhattan. 

I am not sure of these ridership drops are happening because the Governor and Mayor aren't getting that we're moving past the 14-15 hour shift with 24/7 convenience, or that the transplants are bringing their suburban values and converting NYC into one big suburb. I feel like the transplants really want the NYC bus system to be more like Los Angeles's transportation grid and not like Paris or London with their sleek new buses but transportation problems.

The Q65 seems to be gaining ridership but every time I use the route, it seems to be used more by people on 164th North of GCP or around Flushing Hospital getting into Kissena while avoiding everything past Holly Avenue. Kissena between Holly and Horace Harding has to be the worst part of the Q25 along with Main between Downtown Flushing and Union Turnpike on the Q44.

Amazing how many falsehoods & nonsensical babble you can compile into one post....

• SE Queens residents en masse aren't giving up on buses to [singularly take the LIRR to get to Brooklyn or singularly take the subway to get to Midtown] because the vast majority of SE Queens residents aren't that proximate to the subway or an LIRR station.... There isn't any mass exodus of those folks ubering to, or park & riding at some subway station or LIRR station either, so to try to implicate that would be just as farcical...
• Q27 isn't a "dud" south of QCC, because its usage isn't on par with the Flushing - QCC portion of the thing....
• Queens Village doesn't shun (or "hate", as you elquently put it) the Q27; don't know what ass you're pulling that one up from....
• The n6 & n22 doesn't have shit to do with the Q27 continuing to run south of LIRR Queens Village... Once upon a time, the Q83 ran to LIRR QV full time... It got discontinued, and the compromise of running Q27's down to 120th was made.... The problem isn't lack of use for the f*** of it, the problem is latent demand not being addressed along more of Springfield down there... LOL at trying to make it sound like NICE bus is keeping the Q27 afloat, south of Jamaica av....
• Whatever the hell it is you're talking about with a 14-15 hour shift (as if that describes the vast majority of today's workforce)...
• To intimate that 24/7 service in general is a convenience (instead of a NECESSITY) for NY-ers, only illustrates your blatant ignorance... Try to convince the thousands upon thousands of graveyard shift workers in this city this bullshit about a mere convenience..... Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean these people don't exist.... Nassau residents like you give that county a bad name...
• You doubt the Q65's gaining of ridership (which you can), but go on to explain what segment of the route you say it's being used at???

 

You had your moments back in the day, but it was never this consistently goofy.... IDK what's been sparking this urge to make a spectacle out of yourself by continually spouting some of the most off the wall nonsense on here in the past couple months, but something needs to be done about it.... It's not engaging, it's not funny, it's not cute, and it's not productive.

5 hours ago, NY1635 said:

How is the B32 gaining ridership? It's the only new route that seems to gaining riders in the area it was intended to serve....

B32 gains riders as the B62 loses them, that's how.

Edited April 16, 2020 by B35 via Church

[B35 via Church]

13 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

One thing I will say is the  does not have enough drivers overall to meet their schedules. I had no idea it was this bad. I think it's always been a problem, but there is a driver shortage around the country. They are always looking for more drivers, and one thing that has become abundantly clear since I started my advocacy group is this is a SERIOUS problem across the board for the  . It's one of the reasons that they are so adamant about "redesigning the network". Redesigning the network works for THEM and their bottom line. The proof is in the cuts to the frequencies in service on many lines or the merging/elimination of service. What does it do for the  ?

1. LESS FREQUENCY=LESS DRIVERS that are needed. Easier to make schedules. The "super routes" that you mentioned.... They would be maximizing ridership and their costs in terms of bus loads versus their overhead expenses, and so that is what they are fixated on. To hell with coverage... Let's get our costs down...

 ...but the kool-aid drinkers insist that us pragmatists & critical thinkers are just being neg-uh-tivv, and that the MTA will eventually right the ship when it's all said & done... I'll die a thousand deaths & then some, before that happens.... While it is true that you can take a step backward in order to move forward in life, this agency's doing nothing of the sort (especially when it comes to bus service) - it's more like taking a step forward (with tech) to take 2,3,4 steps back when it comes to completing, or adequately maintaining a respectable bus network.... Never mind waning employee retention, passive/reactive attitude regarding employee safety, an induction of prolonged commutes by way of [asinine route mergers ("super routes"), frequency decreases & span reductions], public disapproval regarding anything else as it relates to the quality of service - in conjunction with the steadily increasing fare....

Stop me when I've said enough.

Like you, I don't like smoke being blown up my ass, so there's no way I could go to those public hearings & not end up getting escorted out of the building... Anyone still continuing to believe there isn't an underlying motive shrouded behind their talking points that involve improving bus service, I've got a gorilla for sale....

11 hours ago, Q43LTD said:

I'm not digging this excel format. I liked it better when it was on the web page.

Sucks if you're on a mobile device... From a PC/laptop though, I actually prefer viewing these stats on a spreadsheet; the less time I spend on the MTA site, the better....

8 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

 @B35 via Church I agree 100%. And to add to that, the "C" and "X" routes should also be counted separately.

I mean the "X" routes can be kind of similar to their regular counterparts (in terms of riders using them interchangeably with the main route, though many do try to time themselves for the "X" if it is an option, especially in the morning). But the SIM1/3/4/33 are completely different from their off-peak "C" counterparts.

Likewise the X27/37 and X28/38 having their ridership separated.

Right... I mean, they've put these stats out for public consumption since 2007/2008 & I'm still seeing "Bx1/2", "S46/96", "x27/37" (as you've stated), "M15Lcl/SBS", etc.... They go out of their way to specifically advertise SBS, so that same specification should be reflected when they put these stats out....

[NY1635]

I'm not ignorant, I just don't know how the MTA in general is counting ridership in general. I have to guess they are using computers but aren't using people to double check their math or rounding. It's hard to be accurate nowadays and all the MTA seems to want to do is make neat and clean images. 

[B35 via Church]

2 minutes ago, NY1635 said:

I'm not ignorant, I just don't know how the MTA in general is counting ridership in general. I have to guess they are using computers but aren't using people to double check their math or rounding. It's hard to be accurate nowadays and all the MTA seems to want to do is make neat and clean images. 

I'm not just talking about your antics in this thread & you know it... So stop it.

Regardless, if you can continue conveying commentary with some common sense (like you have in this post), you wouldn't catch flack.

Regarding the MTA, it's willful ignorance at play here... There isn't such this hardship to be as accurate as they could be.

[Q43LTD]

6 hours ago, NY1635 said:

How is the B32 gaining ridership? It's the only new route that seems to gaining riders in the area it was intended to serve. 

I am not concerned about the X27 and X28, and B37. Bay Ridge Residents have said that they dislike the  train as a means to get into Midtown or Lower Manhattan. I don't think they'd care much if the X27/X28 gained more hours while the  is reduced not serving stations south of 59th Street after 9pm... 

 

Why would the  not serve south of 59 St after 9 PM?

[B35 via Church]

1 hour ago, Q43LTD said:

Why would the  not serve south of 59 St after 9 PM?

The better question is, what does the have to do with the x27/28?

I'm for expanding bus service, but if it comes at the hands of curtailing subway coverage (which is what he's basically saying), then forget it.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

I've been a bit busy, but I've managed to compile the biggest increases and decreases (percentage-wise) on the NYCT side. Even though I dislike having to download the physical file (and thus taking up space), it's actually much easier for me to analyze the data since I can simply graph it and then look at the increases/decreases that way. Much easier than having through look through the physical table. Anyway, here's the data:

Top 3 Highest Ridership Increases:

NYCT

Weekdays: 

Brooklyn Local: B65 (+13.1%), B32 (+10.4%), B70 (+8.4%)

Bronx Local: Bx20 (+6.8%), Bx46 (+6.2%), Bx24 (+4.3%)    [NOTE: The only other route to have an increase in The Bronx was the Bx7, at 1.2%] 

Manhattan Local: M12 (+39.4%), M5 (+24.7%), M57 (+10.8%)

Queens Local: Q16 (+5.4%), Q26 (+2.7%), Q88 (+1.5%)

Staten Island Local: S93 (+16.3%), S40/S90 (+9.5%), S54 (+2.8%)    [NOTE: The only other route to have an increase in The Bronx was the S56, at 0.6%]

Brooklyn Express: X27/X37 (+0.1%)

Queens Express: N/A

 

Weekend:

Brooklyn Local: B65 (+32.7%), B32 (+28.7%), B17 (+13.4%)

Bronx Local:  Bx46 (+6.2%), Bx24 (+2.6%), Bx7 (+2.3%)    [NOTE: Only three routes in the borough to have an increase] 

Manhattan Local: M12 (+48.3%), M14 (+21.5%), M5 (+17.0%)

Queens Local: Q31 (+3.4%), Q16/Q58/Q88 (+1.5%), Q2 (+0.4%)

Staten Island Local: S40 (+16.0%), S76/S78 (+5.5%), S79 SBS (+5.3%) 

Brooklyn Express: X28 (+6.9%), X27 (+2.8%)

 

Annual:

Brooklyn Local: B65 (+17.7%), B32 (+14.2%), B70 (+6.7%)

Bronx Local: Bx46 (+7.4%) Bx20 (+6.9%),  Bx24 (+4.1%)    [NOTE: The only other route to have an increase in The Bronx was the Bx7, at 1.4%] 

Manhattan Local: M12 (+41.2%), M5 (+22.7%), M57 (+10.7%)

Queens Local: Q16 (+4.8%), Q26 (+2.7%), Q88 (+1.5%)

Staten Island Local: S93 (+16.5%), S40/S90 (+10.7%), S54 (+2.9%)    [NOTE: The only other route to have an increase in The Bronx was the S56, at 0.6%]

Brooklyn Express: X27/X37 (+0.3%)

Queens Express: N/A

 

Top 3 Highest Ridership Decreases:

NYCT

Weekdays: 

Brooklyn Local: B42 (-15.1%), B35 (-8.8%), B15 (-8.2%)

Bronx Local: Bx36 (-11.6%), Bx35 (-11.5%), Bx17 (-10.6%)

Manhattan Local: M10 (-14.8%), M7 (-11.4%), M55 (-8.3%)

Queens Local: Q56 (-8.6%), Q12 (-6.7%), Q3 (-5.2%)

Staten Island Local: S42 (-7.7%), S53 (-7.6%), S46/S96 (-4.5%)

Brooklyn Express: X28/X38 (-1.1%)

Queens Express: X68 (-6.3%), X64 (-5.8%), X63 (-0.3%)

 

Weekend:

Brooklyn Local: B42 (-19.3%), B35 (-12.6%), B84 (-7.3%)

Bronx Local: Bx36 (-13.3%), Bx35 (-10.3%), Bx17/Bx19 (-8.5%)

Manhattan Local: M10 (-17.6%), M60 SBS (-8.9%), M22 (-5.3%)

Queens Local: Q24 (-12.3%), Q56 (-11.5%), Q12 (-10.9%)

Staten Island Local: S48 (-8.3%), S46/S96 (-7.0%), S53 (-3.7%)

Brooklyn Express: N/A

 

Annual:

Brooklyn Local: B42 (-15.9%), B35 (-9.7%), B15 (-7.9%)

Bronx Local: Bx36 (-11.9%), Bx35 (-11.3%), Bx17 (-10.2%)

Manhattan Local: M10 (-15.4%), M7 (-10.0%), M60 SBS (-8.0%)

Queens Local: Q56 (-9.1%), Q12 (-7.5%), Q24 (-6.0%)

Staten Island Local: S42 (-7.5%), S53 (-5.2%), S48/S98 (-5.0%)

Brooklyn Express: X28/X38 (-0.7%)

Queens Express: X68 (-6.2%), X64 (-5.8%), X63 (-0.4%)

 

Other Notes:

• Only borough with consistent ridership increase was Manhattan. All the other boroughs had a decreases for local bus routes. 
• Staten Island Express bus routes were not counted due to multiple route and several significant service level changes as part of the SI redesign, which were conducted between August 2018 and January 2019. 
• For some reason, the S56 had an average of one weekend rider in 2019. Ghost bus?
• The S42 had an average of 9 riders per weekend, while the S66 had an average of 20 riders per weekend, due to their last trips of the week falling on a Saturday.

 

[B35 via Church]

Once upon a time, we used to have multi-page discussions about these ridership stats (including the questioning of the validity of them).... We've been incrementally getting less interested about them year after year - so much so that the main point of discussion thus far is regarding how the stats are being presented to the public

[Q43LTD]

My how times have changed. Or how this route is in the top 10 in that borough and doesn't have LTD stop service. Well the only changes were in the Bronx and Staten Island 

[checkmatechamp13]

@BM5 via Woodhaven The B65 and B17 increases (as well as the S93 increase as mentioned) were likely primarily due to the boosted off-peak frequency. (I haven't checked the MTA Bus stats. Have the Q6 & Q69 seen similar increases?)

S40/90 ridership boost is likely due to Amazon opening up.

Interesting that Manhattan is the only borough seeing increases. For years, it was the borough that was losing ridership while the other boroughs were flat or saw increases. (The M12 I can see growing because of Hudson Yards. The M5 & M57 on the other hand, I can't think of any major development along the route that would've resulted in such an increase but in any case good for those routes)

[B35 via Church]

9 minutes ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

@BM5 via Woodhaven The B65 and B17 increases (as well as the S93 increase as mentioned) were likely primarily due to the boosted off-peak frequency. (I haven't checked the MTA Bus stats. Have the Q6 & Q69 seen similar increases?)

S40/90 ridership boost is likely due to Amazon opening up.

Interesting that Manhattan is the only borough seeing increases. For years, it was the borough that was losing ridership while the other boroughs were flat or saw increases. (The M12 I can see growing because of Hudson Yards. The M5 & M57 on the other hand, I can't think of any major development along the route that would've resulted in such an increase but in any case good for those routes)

Q6, not by much... Q69 supposedly lost riders.

With the M57, it's the West end (av) portion of the route..... With the M5 though, something must've happened where the M5 gained as many riders as it did (in conjunction with how many the M7 lost)... IDK, I haven't noticed much of a difference in (change in) usage between M7's & M5's b/w say, 34th & 72nd.... Regardless, Manhattan suddenly gaining 7k riders & The Bronx losing almost 25k (weekdays), raises suspicions to me....

 

 

 

[JubaionBx12+SBS]

18 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Once upon a time, we used to have multi-page discussions about these ridership stats (including the questioning of the validity of them).... We've been incrementally getting less interested about them year after year - so much so that the main point of discussion thus far is regarding how the stats are being presented to the public

I've come to the conclusion that the numbers are straight bogus. I'm supposed to believe that over the course of the past few years, and especially in 2019, all of the Bronx heavy hitters have been dropping riders like flies which doesn't pass the eyeball test based on observations of the buses in service and makes no sense based on how in demand the corridors in question are. It's just not grounded in reality. Take the Bx12 which the MTA says had average weekday ridership of 48,703 in 2014. That number 5 years later dropped to 40,2xx (don't know the exact number off the top of my head but I did see the numbers at work last week). This is similar tanking to what has happened with the infamous B41 and M101 except the Bx12 is just a mild example when considering the Bronx as a whole. The Bx35 and Bx36 lost 10%+ just in 2019 based on these numbers. There's no way those routes are losing the massive numbers the stats would indicate especially since they don't have half the factors working against them as say a B41 or M101.

I see that Manhattan usage has increased based on the numbers and to be honest that's even more suspicious. Combine that with subway usage going up from 2018 (and most subway trips originating in or destined for Manhattan) and it just entrenches the idea that our transit system is Manhattan centric. It's just a slap in the face to commuters who commute in the outer boroughs. Buses in Manhattan are generally slower and more likely to be replicated by a subway trip than buses in the outer boroughs so how in the world are these no longer tanking while the Bronx and Brooklyn is? The story just doesn't add up, until you look and see the major increases are coming from SBS routes (look at how the M14, 15, 23, 34, 79 and 86 did compared with the rest of Manhattan). It makes me think they envision Manhattan SBS as an extension of the subway so they are going make those routes look as good as possible.

Routes like the B6, B46, B35 can replace the Bx12 in my first paragraph and it would still apply. It's just ridiculous that the heaviest routes in two major boroughs are losing riders at 10-20% clips over the last few years while the buses on them remain crowded at low headways and are just as necessary for commuters as they were in their hey day. Something tells me that the 2014 numbers more reflect the commuting patterns in 2019 than the 2019 numbers.

I find it highly ironic that routes like the Q12, B35, B38, Bx35 and Bx36 all saw sizeable declines in 2019 and they are all recent (within the last two years) artic conversions. Not going to say the presence of artics and their accompanying factors has anything to do with these losses but it doesn't speak to the desire to increase artics across the fleet.

In good news, at least for folks who care about the B82, that route has now joined the top 10 in ridership club for 2019. It replaces the (wait for it.....) B35 which has now fallen out. The B35 not in the top 10 is one of the most shocking (or likely bogus) things about these numbers.

To show just how bad the MTA states our ridership losses to be every route in the top 10 in 2014 had over 10 million trips over the year. Now that 10 million annual trip landmark is limited to the top 5 in the numbers. There's definitely something to be said.