By Joseph Morales

               The Bee-Line Bus System in Westchester County has been free to ride since June 1st. The Bee-Line System is the main public bus system in Westchester County just outside of New York City. Typically, bus systems in suburbs throughout America sometimes implement free fares for a period of time to make an attempt at making public bus service an appealing alternative in relatively car-dependent areas such as when the MTA(Macon Transit Authority) ran a similar program on its buses serving Bibb County, GA last spring. While this may have been true in Westchester County as well, this summer long policy may have a much bigger impact on many Westchester County riders given the diverse range of population densities and transit propensity of people in Westchester County cities.

 

 

              As diverse as Westchester County is, the majority of residents live in traditional suburban areas. These include towns such as Greenburgh, Eastchester and Mount Pleasant.  Some areas of the county’s bigger cities are also suburban. Though most of these areas are car-dependent, many communities are more walkable than most suburbs across America and have many destinations in a downtown or shopping plaza to which taking public transportation is a safe and feasible option. According to the Westchester County Department of Transportation website, over 65% of Westchester County residents live within walking distance of a Bee-Line bus route, making the bus an option for many.  Thus, suburban residents might want to take the bus in order to avoid elevated gas prices or just take a break from driving. Many might also be elderly residents who prefer not to drive when they don’t need to and find free bus service as a safe and convenient alternative to driving. Many residents who are going to Playland Park(one of the county’s most popular amusement parks) might consider riding the bus in order to avoid having to find parking and pay for parking at the large parking lot in the amusement park should they live near a bus route that goes there. In addition, teenagers who cannot drive due to age might also be more inclined to take advantage of the free rides to get to places such as shopping centers, community centers/libraries, and summer camps.

        While access to free public transportation might just be a helpful thing for most suburban Westchester residents, this might have a much larger impact on riders in Westchester County’s most dense urban/mixed use areas. The 4 cities of White Plains, Yonkers, New Rochelle and Mount Vernon are the 4 most densely populated cities in the county and encompass 40% of the county population according to the YouTube video for the Westchester County Transit and Mobility Plan. These cities also have the highest transit propensities in the county as well as low-income populations, particularly in Yonkers and Mount Vernon. For these riders, transit is essential to access basic necessities, jobs and other activities. Outside of the cost aspect, eliminating fares can also help reduce dwell times for buses and help riders get where they need to go faster in areas of higher ridership. According to a 2017 customer survey, only 69% of Bee-Line passengers used a MetroCard to pay their fares, meaning bus dwell times are likely made longer when riders need to use exact change in order to board the bus. A prime example of this will be on the Getty Square-242nd St corridor where many Bee-Line buses operate. Even Though those who transfer to the bus at 242nd from NYCT Subway and buses still have to pay the $2.75 on NYCT, not having to pay directly on the Bee-Line bus might reduce delays on the corridor due to shorter dwell times.  In addition, those traveling into the Bronx who need to transfer to more than one NYCT service to get to their destination have to pay one less fare, making their trips less expensive.

           As we are only one month into the free fares program it might take the rest of the summer if not longer for Westchester County to realize the full impacts of this period of free bus service. It will be interesting to know where ridership might have increased and how much more convenient and cost-effective people found it to ride the bus rather than take other modes or cancel their trips entirely.

A Bee-Line 52 bus with fare free signage next to the Eastchester-Dyre Av subway station in The Bronx.

 

A notice that the Bee-Line System is fare-free onboard one of its buses.

 

Works Cited

Westchester County Department Of Transportation. “Ride Bee-Line for Free this Summer.” https://transportation.westchestergov.com/ride-bee-line-for-free-this-summer. Accessed 11 July 2022.

 

Westchester County Government/New York Metropolitan Transportation Council. Westchester: Home, https://www.westchestermobility.org/. Accessed 11 July 2022.

 

Westchester County Government. “Playland Now Open, Season Passes Available.” Westchester County Government, https://www.westchestergov.com/previous-releases/4256-playland-opens-may-12-for-the-season. Accessed 11 July 2022.

 

“Bee-Line Bus.” Westchester Transportation, https://transportation.westchestergov.com/bee-line. Accessed 11 July 2022.

“MTA offers 41 days of free bus rides.” 41NBC News, 17 March 2022, https://www.41nbc.com/mta-offers-41-days-of-free-bus-rides/. Accessed 11 July 2022.