The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced the release of a draft proposal for the upcoming Bronx Bus Network Redesign, the latest milestone in a customer-focused process to update both the local and express bus network to improve service and reliability, speed up buses and streamline bus routes that have not changed in decades despite major shifts to the Bronx’s population and residential, business and cultural communities.
“We have an historic opportunity to create a bus network for this city that goes where customers need to go and truly serves them,” said NYC Transit President Andy Byford. “The Bronx is undergoing a transformation, and our bus network will evolve with our customers’ needs.”
The Bronx Bus Network Redesign’s Draft Plan was the result of extensive public input and will be revised again following another round of further public input. The plan’s goals include:
- Improving bus speeds;
- Improving service reliability;
- Expanding bus priority by working with our partners at the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT);
- Improving connectivity between longtime and emerging population centers and destinations, and at transfer locations;
- Improving bus stop spacing by consolidating or removing closely-spaced and under-utilized bus stops;
- Improving connections between areas with high densities of residents with disabilities and existing and future ADA-accessible subway stations;
- Working with the NYCDOT to improve bus stop accessibility and helpful features such as real-time digital service information signs.
Under the Fast Forward plan to improve bus service, NYC Transit is redesigning the bus networks in every borough of New York City, starting with the Staten Island Express Bus Redesign that was implemented in August 2018 and has already brought noticeable improvement in bus speeds and reliability, as well as hundreds more trips during each week. Bronx is the first borough to undergo a redesign of both the local and express routes at the same time. The MTA is using customer feedback, traffic data and analyses, on-the-ground information from employees, and collaboration with NYCDOT and NYPD to find new ways to shorten bus travel times, and increase reliability and frequency for the largest number of customers. The MTA recently launched a similar redesign project for the Queens bus network.
Before drafting the proposed redesign for the Bronx, the MTA conducted a thorough study of the existing Bronx bus network, surveyed customers in person and online, and hosted six community workshops to gather feedback on customers’ current commuting patterns and itinerary suggestions. The study identified areas to target for change, such as neighborhood route improvements, individual route improvements to provide more direct service, balanced stop spacing and improved crosstown connections.
The draft proposal seeks to update the bus routes, which have largely remained unchanged since they were converted from trolley lines nearly a century ago, within the Bronx’s existing grid system. These recommendations take into consideration the service performance of each route, the speed, ridership and reliability on key corridors, and how individual routes contribute to the larger network. Recommendations were developed in collaboration with NYCDOT, with focus given to identifying key corridors where roadway treatments and traffic signal improvements can be implemented to expand bus priority and better support sustainable, all-day bus service. The details of NYCDOT’s proposed bus priority plan for the Bronx are included in the draft plan for the Bronx Bus Network Redesign.
Learn About It
The Bronx Bus Network Redesign draft plan is available to review on the MTA’s dedicated website for the project here. The website will include an online survey where customers are encouraged to comment on the draft plan.
Talk About It
The MTA will host eight public open house sessions across the Bronx in June to provide customers with information about the proposed route-specific improvements. They can ask questions and provide feedback on the proposed redesigned routes and bus stops. These open houses do not have scheduled programming, allowing customers to drop in at their convenience throughout the sessions.
The calendar of open houses is below. All sessions are 06:00 p.m. to 08:30 p.m.:
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Ft. Independence Community Center
3350 Bailey Avenue
Bx1, Bx2, Bx3, Bx10, BxM3 or 231 Street [1]
Wednesday, June 12, 2019
The Bronx Museum of the Arts – North Wing, 2nd Floor
1040 Grand Concourse
Bx1, Bx2, or 161 St-Yankee Stadium [4] [b] [d]
Monday, June 17, 2019
Bronx Community Board 12 – Carriage House
4101 White Plains Road
Bx39 or 233 St [2] [5]
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
ShopRite of Bruckner Boulevard (Bruckner Mall) – Community Space, 2nd Floor
1994 Bruckner Boulevard
Bx5, Bx36, Bx39 or Parkchester [6]
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
P.S./M.S. 71
3040 Roberts Avenue
Bx8, Bx24 or Buhre Avenue [6]
Monday, June 24, 2019
Monroe College – Kings Hall, Mintz Room
2501 Jerome Avenue
Bx1, Bx2, Bx12, Bx12-SBS, Bx32 or Fordham Road [4] [b] [d]
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Davidson Community Center
2038 Davidson Avenue
Bx32, Bx40, Bx42 or Burnside Avenue [4]
Thursday, June 27, 2019
RiverBay Corporation – Co-op City, Room 31
2049 Bartow Avenue
Bx23, Bx26, Bx28, Bx30, Bx38, BxM7, Q50 or Pelham Bay Park [6]
What’s Next?
After the workshops, the MTA will incorporate community and customer feedback to craft a final proposal. The final redesign plan will be released in September 2019, with additional community open houses scheduled to solicit a final round of public feedback. This version will include draft timetables to allow customers to see how changes might affect their trips and to submit comments and feedback before implementation.
All reports and presentations that were given to the public, the Bronx Borough Board, community boards and other interested parties are available here.
About The Bronx Bus Network
- The network has a total of 57 bus routes with approximately 2,400 bus stops within a primarily grid system. The current average bus speed is 6.58 miles per hour, continuing an overall borough-wide slowdown since May 2014.
- About 60 percent of the Bronx’s 1.5 million residents rely on public transit for their daily commutes. Nearly 16 percent of those commuters rely solely on buses. More Bronx bus customers board a bus per hour of service than any other borough in the city.
- More than 96 percent of Bronx residents live within a five-minute walk of a local, Limited, Select Bus Service or express bus stop.
- Bus stops in the Bronx are spaced very close together, leading to frequent bus stopping and longer commutes. Many of the stops are just 500 to 1,000 feet apart, which is shorter than the average bus stop spacing systemwide and far closer than peer transit systems worldwide.
