We will work pursue a variety of strategies to improve and expand bus service
New York City has the highest bus ridership in the United States, but the slowest buses. As the city grows and vehicles compete for the same road, more riders board buses, causing buses to operate at even slower speeds. Between 2002 and 2006 alone, bus speeds across the city slowed by 4%. (See chart above: Bus Speeds)

Because traffic routinely delays buses, travelers are often stranded at bus stops with no way to gauge whether to keep waiting or move on. Even on the best days, every rider has experienced the feeling of watching a bus pull away seconds before reaching the stop, knowing that the posted schedule may not be any guide to when the next one will arrive.

Yet buses retain enormous appeal. They offer flexibility that subways cannot match; the capital costs to start a bus service are small compared with rail transit; and they can be up and running in months, not years. With new technology already in use by the MTA, they are environmentally friendly. Many senior citizens, and others, prefer the bus to the subway to avoid climbing stairs. And buses are the most efficient use of our limited road space: one bus takes the same amount of road space as two cars, but can carry 70 people.

The key is to improve speeds and reliability. Cities around the world have begun embracing the benefits of bus travel while addressing the issues that have traditionally undercut buses' effectiveness. Dedicating bus lanes, and enforcing their exclusive use, is an important step. Another strategy is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), an overall approach that has been implemented in cities around the world. BRT uses dedicated bus lanes, fewer stops, time-saving technologies, and additional efficiency measures to make bus travel fast, reliable, and effective. (See case study on facing page: Bus Rapid Transit Around the World)

We will initiate and expand Bus Rapid Transit
Within two years, New York City and the MTA will launch five BRT routes, one in each borough. We will incorporate many of the most successful proven features from domestic and international systems, including establishing dedicated bus lanes with bright, distinctive signage. The lanes will be marked with red paint to distinguish them from regular traffic lanes, and their exclusive use by buses will be enforced rigorously. To strengthen our enforcement ability, we will seek the approval of the State Legislature to use cameras to issue fines to drivers who violate these lanes. (See photo: New York City Bus Rapid Transit Stop)

BRT service will run along the same routes as traditional buses; but, more buses will run along the routes, and stops will be spaced farther apart than local service, with stations every 10 to 15 blocks. (By contrast, regular buses often stop every two to three blocks.) Electronic message boards will provide riders with real-time updates on arrival times. As illustrated below, the savings in terms of travel times will be significant.

By 2014, we will expand BRT service by at least five additional routes. We will also implement new technologies, including giving BRT vehicles signal priority-which means traffic lights recognize approaching buses and either turn or stay green so that the buses remain on schedule. We are already working with the MTA to test this technology on Victory Boulevard on Staten Island.

Where possible, we will build sidewalk extensions that allow buses to stop without pulling over to the curb-and provide more waiting room for riders who might otherwise impede passing pedestrians. (These are being installed in Lower Manhattan this year.) We are also investigating ways to allow passengers to board and exit buses more quickly. Potential ideas include electronic smart cards and letting passengers pay their fares before boarding buses. If successful, all of these technologies could be implemented system-wide, not only on BRT routes. (See commuter profile on following page: Staten Island to Brooklyn)

Progress (as of 4/22/08):
Significant improvements have been made in the past year to each of the five chosen BRT corridor plans (with the exception of Merrick Boulevard, which was reframed into a set of bus priority improvements in Downtown Jamaica). In addition, 34th Street in Manhattan was added as a new BRT corridor, and a series of bus priority improvements are now planned for Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue in Manhattan. The first BRT corridor, on Fordham Road in the Bronx, is set to begin service in June 2008. The remaining four BRT services will be introduced between late 2008 and 2011. This program was previously funded through the Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) between the City and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Since these funds were contingent on approval of congestion pricing by the State Legislature before April 7 2007, DOT and the MTA are now pursuing federal New Starts funding to implement these corridors.

We will dedicate Bus/High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on the East River bridges
As neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens grow, congestion on some subway lines across the East River worsens. Crowding is felt most acutely at the stations nearest Manhattan, where rush hour riders are increasingly forced to let packed trains go by before finding one they can squeeze into. That's why bus service across the river would be an attractive alternative for many of these riders.

We will create new or improved bus lanes on the Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro Bridges to allow the MTA to expand local service to and from Manhattan. These lanes could also serve express buses and carpoolers. We will work with the MTA to identify the bus routes that will benefit most from these lanes, and particularly alleviate crowding on the E train, L train, and 7 train.

Progress (as of 4/22/08):
The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) implemented a bus/HOV lane on the Manhattan Bridge in August 2007. In June 2008, DOT will begin a study to improve bus access across the Queensboro Bridge, which will include investigating bus lanes on the bridge and on approach roads.

We will explore other improvements to bus service
Further opportunities to improve bus service across the system exist. Many of the technologies that will be used for BRT-traffic light priority, electronic message boards, bus bulbs-could be used by regular buses as well. Opportunities besides the East River Bridges may exist where dedicated bus lanes could significantly improve service. Adjustments to service patterns-skip-stop Express Bus service, for example, or stopping some Express Buses in Downtown Brooklyn-might also increase ridership and help to reduce congestion. Changes in traffic patterns, signal timing or street alignment might eliminate "hot spots" where buses routinely get delayed. Because they rely on City-owned streets, good bus service requires close cooperation between the City and the MTA. The City will invite the MTA to work with it to identify a wide range of opportunities, big and small, where joint efforts might provide better transit service. (See map on previous page: Express Bus Service Today

Progress (as of 4/22/08):
DOT and the MTA are working together to implement Transit Signal Priority (TSP) in at least 223 locations, allowing buses to move faster by having to stop at fewer red signals. This program was previously funded by the UPA, so DOT is now pursuing federal CMAQ funding to continue the project. DOT has also initiated the Bus Hot Spots program, applying focused BRT-type solutions to move buses more quickly through congested intersections or bottleneck areas. By the end of 2008, DOT will undertake a hot spot study of Jamaica, the City's busiest bus center, and expand bus priority treatments on 5th and Madison Avenues and 34th Street in Manhattan, which carry very high volumes of both local and express buses.