The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) joined community leaders, elected officials, transit advocate groups and the New York City Department of Department of Transportation (DOT) at Fordham Plaza in The Bronx on Tuesday, June 21, to preview the launch of Bronx Local Bus Network redesign on Sunday, June 26.

 

According to the agency, the redesigned network brings foundational improvements that will deliver more reliable bus service, improve connections, reduce wait times and increase bus speeds. MTA officials said it is reallocating resources to the portions of the borough which are the most impacted and is laying out an adaptable framework to meet real-time travel patterns of current and future bus customers.

 

MTA chair and CEO, Janno Lieber, said that in 2019, over 420,000 customers relied on the Bronx bus network to get them to their destinations. “Making sure that all New Yorkers have equal opportunity depends on equal access to reliable transit, and buses are vital – especially for seniors, schoolkids and people who don’t live close to subways,” he said. “I am thrilled to launch a more efficient local bus network that would help deliver better service, and access to jobs, education and opportunity – both within the borough and throughout the City.”

 

Meanwhile, New York City Transit president, Richard Davey, said public transportation widens the scope of reachable destinations for education and employment. “The Bronx is one of the most bus-dependent boroughs within New York City and we look forward to these changes that will improve the quality of lives of those who rely on it,” he said. “The redesign is a huge step forward in improving our bus network, but certainly not the last.”

 

MTA officials said that over recent decades, demographics have shifted in residential and business communities, and so have travel patterns. While service adjustments were made along the way, officials said the Bronx bus redesign project provides larger-scale improvements needed to better meet the demand of today’s riders. The redesigned network consists of thirteen significantly modified routes, two new routes, and changes on most routes with regard to bus stops and schedules. According to MTA officials, the redesign focuses on the following core areas:

 

Bus stop balancing: Increasing stop spacing is an effective way that allows buses to travel at greater speeds. Bronx bus speeds are among the slowest in the nation, with distances between bus stops averaging 800 feet, compared to 1,000 to 1,680 feet, which is the international average.

 

More direct routes: Streamlining circuitous routes and adjusting routes in known areas of street congestion improves travel time due to the reduction of turns and avoidance of traffic.

 

Better connections: Route changes strengthen interborough travel to Manhattan and improve accessibility to other areas of the MTA’s transportation network, including subway stations that are ADA accessible. Improved east-west bus connections strengthen intraborough travel.

 

More all-day service: The new local bus network includes additional trips during off-peak hours, weekends, and increases service frequencies on eleven routes and nine key corridors.

 

 

MTA Bus Company acting president and New York City Transit Department of Buses senior vice president, Frank Annicaro, said the goal behind redesigning a bus network involves finding the ideal balance of incorporating redesign strategies with everyday ridership patterns.  “We are thankful for all the community members and leaders that participated in the feedback process, and the work of the project team that spent hundreds of hours reviewing and revising to deliver a modernized local bus network to the Bronx community,” he said.

 

MTA officials said the agency will continue its customer ambassador program through implementation and for two weeks following the launch to assist customers with the transition to the new bus network. Customers will continue to have access to the project website, which includes informational materials, such as route profiles, a borough-wide map with color-designated routes, a link to the trip planning tool on the homepage and the new Bronx bus schedules.

 

Officials said the redesign plan included a robust consultation process that incorporated the comments of elected officials, community organizations, and everyday riders. The MTA’s Bronx redesign project team said team members collected and extensively reviewed rounds of feedback from six activity-based workshops, nine informational open houses, 28 community board meetings, and dozens of on-street and in-station engagements to meet riders, along with thousands of comments from webmail, phone, mail, social and in-person and online surveys.

 

MTA officials said they will continue to monitor ridership patterns and incorporate necessary adjustments in the bus network to better match bus services with current and future travel demands.

 

 

New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) commissioner, Ydanis Rodriguez, said the Bronx Bus Network Redesign will speed up the commutes for hundreds of thousands of daily riders in the borough. “Working alongside the MTA, the DOT will be delivering exciting new bus projects along major corridors across the borough to get buses moving through traffic,” he said. “We thank the MTA and Mayor Adams for their support and collaboration,” he said.

 

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson was also happy with the new plan saying it was a great one and that The Bronx was a better borough because of it. “The MTA has now built a 21st century network that is responsive to the transit needs of communities throughout the Bronx,” she said. “The bus network redesign will truly provide a more reliable service to connect bus riders to and from many different locations including work, medical appointments, and visiting family members and friends. It will spur economic growth in our borough at a time when it is truly needed.”

 

Her praise was echoed by Bronx Chamber of Commerce president and recently appointed MTA board member, Lisa Sorin. “The Bronx applauds the MTA Bus Network Redesign implementation,” she said. “The redesign accounts for population trends and expedites service for central commercial districts, while also ensuring service is accessible for all riders. We understand that many of these service changes will impact ridership and we thank the MTA for implementing educational campaigns to ensure information is reaching our communities. This is a step forward to increasing efficiency and ensuring that MTA riders are the priority for the public transit network.”

The Bronx Bus redesign project is part of the MTA’s broader efforts to modernize and improve the bus networks across all boroughs, including modernizing bus fleets and facilities. With 60 zero-emissions, all-electric buses arriving in the next two years across six different depots, MTA officials said the agency remains committed to its goal of reaching a zero-emission bus fleet by 2040. The first of these new electric buses will begin arriving at depots in the second half of 2022 and will be at all six locations in 2023.

 

Additionally, in support of this goal, MTA officials also announced a Request for Proposal (RFP) to facilitate the development of an electric bus charging facility on Gun Hill Road in the Baychester neighborhood of The Bronx.

 

State Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey (S.D. 36) said hundreds of thousands of riders in every corner of The Bronx will now be able to enjoy improved bus service, accessibility, and reliability with increased frequencies and streamlined routes. “These changes are long overdue and will ensure riders can better access critical services and a modernized bus system that can serve our needs into the future,” he said.

 

For her part, State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (S.D. 34) said building a better Bronx starts with building a more accessible and efficient public transportation system. “The Bronx Bus Redesign Plan will do just that by providing rider-focused service, increasing frequency, improving routes, and prioritizing environmental sustainability,” she said. “This plan is a game changer for our borough, and will improve the commutes and lives of hundreds of thousands of riders in The Bronx.”

 

Another MTA aim is to improve accessibility and the customer experience. MTA officials said the agency has continued to roll out new buses with digital screens, new accessibility features such as wider doors, more flexible seating options, and ramps designed to make it easier to enter and exit the bus. In partnership with DOT, MTA officials said the agency will continue to add countdown signs at bus stops across its entire bus network to provide customers with real-time bus arrival information.

 

Yet another aim is to expand bus priority. MTA and DOT officials said they recognize that bus lanes and busways are among the most effective tools for increasing bus speeds. DOT has installed transit signal priority (TSP) to over 400 intersections throughout the city, and by the end of 2022, bus lane camera enforcement technology will be deployed to all five boroughs with additional expansion planned to increase coverage in 2023.

 

Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez (A.D. 80) agreed, saying transit deserts were defining factors between social mobility and isolation. “Communities will deteriorate without efficient and equitable access to transit,” she said. “It is the difference between positive movements within education, the workforce, beautification, investments, and community development. That is exactly what the improvements within the Bronx Bus Redesign will do.”

 

District 11 Council Member Eric Dinowitz said the new plan to reform the City’s public transit was going to critically improve the quality of life for residents and visitors in the City. “Our streets will be safer and easier to navigate through better signals, more efficient routes, and more cleanliness and lighting, immediately upgrading New Yorkers’ commuting experience,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, Riders Alliance policy & communications director, Danny Pearlstein, said that as a Bronx bus rider, he was delighted to see the redesign go ahead and he eagerly anticipated faster and more reliable service. “The new Bronx bus network will save precious time and speed commutes for hundreds of thousands of Bronx riders, overwhelmingly transit-dependent, low-income New Yorkers of color,” he said. “Along with the bus priority projects that NYC DOT is rolling out across the borough, New York City Transit’s redesign demonstrates a redoubled commitment to better service and a more equitable transit system for all New Yorkers.”