Buses
Streetsblog Basics
This Angry Dude in Queens Is Reason #283 the MTA Needs Electronic Proof-of-Payment Yesterday
Off-board fare payment is a huge time saver for the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who ride the city's Select Bus Service routes. It cuts out the time-consuming process of each passenger dipping a MetroCard one by one. But the technology that off-board payment relies on could be better.
May 8, 2017
Can Memphis Turn Around Its Struggling Bus System?
The current level of transit service in Memphis is bleak. So a week ago, 11 Shelby County public defenders took part in Bus Rider's Day, which Commercial Appeal columnist David Waters called "an exercise in empathy and, as it turned out, endurance" to understand the transportation challenges facing their clients.
May 5, 2017
The M86 Moves Faster and More People Are Riding Thanks to Queue Jumps
While bus ridership is down citywide -- and especially in Manhattan -- there are some routes that are bucking the trend. One that's gaining riders is the M86, which got a package of upgrades from DOT and the MTA in 2015. The improvements included off-board fare collection and queue jumps -- short bus lane segments that enable buses to cut ahead of other traffic at signals.
May 2, 2017
Summer Launch Planned for Bx6 Select Bus Service
Some streetscape improvements are planned for the Bronx portion of the route. The biggest changes are proposed for 161st Street, where DOT would widen sidewalks and limit eastbound traffic in the tunnel under the Grand Concourse to buses.
April 26, 2017
Queue Jumps for Buses — The Ethical Way to Cut in Line
Cutting in line is pretty much unacceptable behavior, but there's one exception to the rule: A bus carrying dozens people should go to the front of the line at traffic lights. That, as TransitCenter explains in a new video, is a "queue jump" - and NYC needs more of them.
April 25, 2017
Trump Budget Threats and the Local Anti-Transit Brigade Spike Lansing BRT
Eight years in the making, the project was undone by suburban opposition. Now, transit advocates in Michigan's capital are figuring out what can be done to improve transit while their opponents take a victory lap.
April 21, 2017
How to Hold Your Elected Officials’ Feet to the Fire for Better Bus Service
Today the Bus Turnaround Coalition released an interactive site with district-level reports cards for every State Senate, Assembly, City Council and community board district in the city. For each district you can see average bus speeds and the share of buses that bunch together and arrive at stops at the same time.
April 20, 2017
Talking Headways Podcast: The Battery Powered Electric Bus
This week's guest is Matt Horton of Proterra, a company that designs and manufactures battery powered electric buses. We cover the basics of electric buses, power consumption and recharging, the benefits and costs, as well as potential environmental effects.
April 20, 2017
While New Yorkers Abandon the Bus, Cuomo Trumpets Frills No One Asked For
Andrew Cuomo must not think much of New York City bus riders. Today the governor trumpeted the arrival of new buses with onboard Wi-Fi and USB ports -- literally the last thing bus riders say they need.
April 18, 2017
De Blasio’s Congestion Plan Will Tackle Deliveries and (Maybe) Parking
There was a little bit of everything at today's City Council transportation hearing -- and we have the highlights for you right here.
March 28, 2017