COALITION OF ASSEMBLYMEMBERS CALL FOR MTA BUS MASTER PLAN FOR NEW YORK CITY WITHIN SIX MONTHS

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and NYC Assembly colleagues call on MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota to support bus service improvements.

  Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Chairman of the Committee on Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions with oversight of the MTA, circulated a letter among his colleagues calling for bus service to be included in plans to address the transit crisis. The letter was signed by 45 members of the New York State Assembly, and has support from a variety of transit advocacy organizations as well. Included are requests for an accelerated implementation of transit signal priority, the adoption of all-door boarding technology, and a collaborative effort between NYCT, DOT, and respective communities to reexamine bus routes and street-level infrastructure such as dedicated bus lanes and bus islands.

“Two and a half million New Yorkers depend on buses to get around every day, especially those with accessibility concerns and those in outer boroughs with limited transit options. I want to make sure that the concerns of all New Yorkers are heard, even if they don’t get the same amount of media attention,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. “Transit signal priority and all-door boarding are no brainer changes that could reduce bus travel times by 25% for minimal investment. Let’s not delay any more, and bring our bus system into the 21^st Century.”

NYCT and DOT recently announced they would expand use of transit signal priority to 10 additional bus lines, but not until the year 2020. Average bus speed in New York City is seven miles per hour, even slower in high congestion areas, which lags behind most major cities in the United States. Bus ridership has steadily declined over the past decade despite a record population in New York City, as riders are forced to reckon with buses that are both slow and unreliable. Of notable exception is Select Bus Service, which has seen ridership increases of up to 30% after implementing changes that reduced travel times by over 15%.

"The Summer of Hell has made the dire state of the subway obvious, but that's just one part of the public transit meltdown riders face: buses have been in a state of slow-motion crisis for years," said Nick Sifuentes, Deputy Director of the Riders Alliance. "Fortunately, we know our state and city elected officials can fix bus service for millions of daily riders--and do it quickly and for a fraction of the cost to repair our subway system. We're glad that Assembly Member Dinowitz and his colleagues are prioritizing bus service, because riders need buses to work now more than ever."

“While the MTA recently presented new strategies to revamp citywide bus service, there is no timeline or work plan for implementing them. A top-to-bottom review, similar to what was undertaken for our ailing subway system, that examines operations, routing and technology is necessary to stop the decline in bus ridership,” said Veronica Vanterpool, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

"Buses are an integral part of our transit network, carrying millions of New Yorkers to work, school and appointments every day," said City Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez. "After a major drop in ridership over the past decade, we cannot ignore the slow and unreliable service the majority of bus routes provide. Luckily we have the solutions in hand: all-door boarding, transit signal priority and off-board fare payment can speed up commutes and bring New Yorkers back to buses and away from cars and cabs. This can be a big win for the MTA and New York City as a whole."