The latest report from Comptroller Brad Lander paints a less-than-stellar picture of New York City's bus system, with over half of the buses scoring a failing grade for speed and reliability. According to a Gothamist report, Manhattan buses are particularly sluggish, with 73% earning a D or F, primarily due to the congestion that cripples their pace to an average of 5 miles per hour. Lander, known for his advocacy on street safety, views the report card system as a tool "to help provide a report card system that helps us get out of life in the slow lane and get those buses moving faster," he told Gothamist.
The mayoral race in NYC has put a spotlight on bus services, with Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani proposing free bus rides to speed up service, while his opponents Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Eric Adams suggest alternate solutions to improve transit. Adams' promise includes adding a busway to 34th Street, to mitigate the sluggish commute that has attracted criticism for being slow to develop despite his independent election bid. "If the buses were free and folks could get on at the front or the back door, that makes boarding a good deal faster," Lander elaborated in his interview with Gothamist.
The MTA, facing the problem head-on, cites fare evasion as a challenge to allowing front and back door boarding, with MTA data revealing that a significant portion of riders did not pay their fares in the early part of the year. On the brighter side, the implementation of congestion pricing below 60th Street has shown improvements; bus lines in that area experienced a 9.2% boost in speed between January and June. As buses are being redesigned borough by borough, the comptroller criticizes the MTA for not publishing detailed bus data to help the public track service improvements. "The MTA agrees with Comptroller Lander that faster buses are essential for riders," wrote acting NYC Transit executive Frank Farrell, pushing for dedicated bus lanes as a large-scale solution, as per the Gothamist.
Even amidst these sweeping criticisms however, some lines are performing admirably, "The B31 in Brooklyn, which runs from Gerritsen Beach to Midwood, got an A," indicating that it's not all doom and gloom for the city's bus system.
This was mirrored in a separate report by the NYC Comptroller's Office titled "Life in the Slow Lane." Here, the in-depth analysis assessed the performance of every bus line and handed out grades based on speed, bunching, and on-time performance. The overarching finding was that a majority of buses hover around below-average standards, with only 27 lines (8%) receiving a B or higher, and a mere seven attaining an A grade.
Riders Alliance spokesman Danny Pearlstein put it succinctly, reflecting the frustration of commuters: "It's bus report card time and the results are grim. As riders know all too well, the slowest buses in America still aren't showing up for us in the way we need and deserve.” Despite the litany of challenges, efforts continue to speed up the commute and provide New Yorkers with the reliable bus service they indeed deserve, as reported by Gothamist.
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