Carolina Castrillon couldn’t hide her frustration. Just as she exited a bodega near East 204th Street and Webster Avenue, she saw her Bx41 bus pull away.

“Oh no!” she said. “My bus!”

Castrillon is a local mother, and one of the many local residents who catch the bus at the East 204th Street stop in Norwood. While the buses tend to be “more on time than not on time,” long waits are still fairly commonplace, especially during rush hour.

However, the Department of Transportation intends to make the commute taken by Castrillon and many like her much easier and quicker.

The DOT recently announced plans to implement Select Bus Service on Webster Avenue, one of the busiest corridors in the Bronx. The Bx41, one of the buses that run along the 5.3 mile stretch — from Gun Hill Road in Norwood to The Hub in the South Bronx — carries roughly 20,000 passengers each day. It is estimated that 71 percent of Webster Avenue residents do not own an automobile, and 61 percent of these residents commute by transit every day.

Webster isn’t as densely populated as some busy corridors. It’s mostly populated with heavy commercial buildings and auto shops. But following a rezoning of the area that encourages more residential and retail development, the total number of commuters may spike in coming years.

Already two new schools are being built on Webster Avenue, just above East 204th Street. And a longtime Webster Avenue institution, Garson’s Hardware Store, located at 2985 Webster, was recently demolished. In its place, three apartment buildings are being constructed.

In a recent presentation shown to Community Board 7, the DOT showcased its ambitious plans to make the corridor more commuter-friendly.

The hallmark of select service is that buses stop less frequently and only at major intersections. It also allows passengers to pay up front, eliminating the long lines to pay inside the buses.

For the Webster service, the DOT has already begun milling and paving near East 204th Street in order to begin the installation of specialized bus lanes for speedier travel. The new service also allows buses Transit Signal Priority, which will enable them to move quicker through critical locations. Doing so will hopefully change traffic flow patterns, the DOT says, which ultimately make conditions safer for pedestrians and help everything and everyone move more efficiently.

While the results of the DOT’s field tests have concluded that the corridor moves fairly well, it is not without areas of congestion. As a result, the DOT has proposed to make adjustments to some major intersections, like East Fordham Road and East Gun Hill Road, to help improve efficiency.

The first Select Bus to run in the Bronx was the Bx12, which has been very popular since service began in June 2008. After its installation, the DOT says travel time dropped 20 percent, which caused ridership to increase 7 percent. After the first year, over 95 percent of customers surveyed agreed that they were satisfied to very satisfied with the new service.

Over time, the 1st and 2nd avenue service routes saw a 21 percent decrease in traffic injuries. The DOT said it is hopeful that implementing the same system on Webster Avenue will yield similar results.

Lowell Green, chair of the Traffic and Transportation Committee for Community Board 7, is excited about the DOT’s proposal. Green, along with her fellow CB7 members, have been involved in working to improve Webster Avenue through the rezoning process and she feels the DOT’s plan is a “good idea.”

By the end of May, the DOT hopes to be done installing their bus lanes and pedestrian medians. They aim for select service on Webster Avenue to officially begin by the end of June. In the northwest Bronx, the BX41 Select Bus will stop at East Gun Hill Road, East 204th Street, Bedford Park Boulevard, East Fordham Road, East 180th Street and East Tremont Avenue.

To Castrillon, and the many others like her who catch the crowded Bx41 or Bx55, having the option of select service could means shorter waiting times and, ideally, a less hectic commute.