By Joseph Morales

The MTA is redesigning the Brooklyn Bus Network with the intention of creating a new bus network with simpler, more direct routes as well as to adjust frequencies on bus routes in order to match current demand. The MTA is also adjusting or even creating new bus routes to match the travel needs of Brooklyn bus riders. 

                While this project may seem like one riders are looking forward too, express bus riders may or may not be so excited. Express buses are typically but not always designed for the purpose of getting people to and from Manhattan from areas of the city that are not served by the subway. Getting to Manhattan without these express buses would likely result in many people having to take bus rides to subway stations, which vary in length depending on where one’s starting point. As areas served by express buses in Brooklyn generally tend to be areas with higher rates of car ownership, many Brooklynites who would otherwise take these buses are likely to drive into Manhattan which can lead to more congested streets in Brooklyn as well as Manhattan. Therefore, express buses are a critical part of a Brooklyn bus network to ensure that all residents have the opportunity to conveniently travel into Manhattan without driving. 

                On one hand, the MTA is proposing to adjust the routes in both Brooklyn and Manhattan to create simpler and more direct route patterns with fewer turns in order to save riders time. In addition, they also propose to increase the distance between bus stops in order to provide faster trips. An example is shown below where the BM1, which route was simplified in order to provide more direct service from Lower Manhattan to the residential neighborhood of Mill Basin, which is about 11 miles from Lower Manhattan. The MTA also plans to increase the distance between stops on the BM1 from 1,274 feet to 1,577 feet.

                  Unfortunately, what will likely anger express bus riders is that frequency, span, as well as routing cuts were proposed for practically every express bus route including the BM1, some of them serve higher density areas than Mill Basin such as Canarsie and Spring Creek/Starrett City.The MTA is proposing to keep the same express bus network it has now with some minor routing changes. The Brooklyn express bus network has most routes running trips that only serve Lower Manhattan and another variant of the same route servicing both Lower Manhattan as well as Midtown Manhattan(Ex: BM1, BM1C). Some routes are set up to where one variant serves Lower Manhattan and another serves Midtown Manhattan(BM7, BM37)  and all trips for most routes will likely be made less frequently than they are today, with cuts scattered across all times of the day, including peak periods in some cases. Service spans were also shortened, with trips on many routes not offering as great of flexibility as to when riders can travel in and out of Manhattan outside of peak and midday hours. You can view the proposed routes and schedules here: https://new.mta.info/document/101521(pg.375-465)

                  While for the first time, many Midtown bus riders will be getting a direct trip to their destinations without passing through Lower Manhattan local streets during peak periods, their time savings may possibly be canceled by long wait times. Lower Manhattan riders may see little benefit from the proposal besides slightly faster travel times due to the MTA’s routing adjustments. Saturday service is also being discontinued on all the Downtown-Midtown routes due to low ridership. This will force these riders to either wait longer for other express buses, take buses to get to subway stations or drive into Manhattan altogether. The impact from these changes will primarily be felt in Southern Brooklyn in areas such as Mill Basin, Gravesend and Canarsie, that have little to no subway service and are far from Manhattan. 

                   Express bus service would also being practically eliminated from the Coney Island and Sea Gate area of the borough, with service to Sea Gate on the BM8, BM8c and BM38 all terminating at Cropsey Ave/Canal Ave, which is about 1.5 miles from Sea Gate. This would mean that riders here would have to take about a bus trip in order to get to subway lines to take them into Manhattan, rather than take an express bus. 

                    This is not the first time MTA officials have proposed such cuts to express bus service in bus network redesigns. In The Bronx, MTA officials proposed similar service cuts but then reversed course due to strong community opposition. Though they did say they would revisit express bus network redesign in The Bronx at a later time. However, since the rest of the borough’s bus network redesign has been completed, it is arguable the likelihood that the MTA will embark on a project that would mainly consist of service cuts that riders are almost guaranteed to oppose. While cuts have also been proposed in the Queens Bus Network Redesign, they have been mainly concentrated on weekend service and that has mainly been increasing headways on Saturdays and Sundays from 60 min-90 min. That may seem like a large increase, but it is not the same as eliminating bus service entirely on certain days. 

                    City Councilman Justin Brannan who represents a significant portion of Southwestern Brooklyn joined Southern Brooklyn Voters in a letter to NYCT(New York City Transit) President Richard Davey to argue against cuts to the X28/X38(BM8,BM38) that would keep the bus routes from serving the Coney Island or Sea Gate neighborhoods. Him and South Brooklyn voters also argued against cuts to certain local Brooklyn bus routes as well as all bus routes that serve Southern Brooklyn. 

                     The situation in regards to express buses may be hard for MTA brass to address. While express buses are often inefficient in comparison to traditional bus and subway services due to their low ridership, they are often essential in certain areas getting people to and from Manhattan quickly in a way they would not be able to otherwise. Given the MTA’s financial woes as of late, it may be hard for them to justify running as much express bus service as they do currently following bus network redesigns. As people take express buses for many reasons, an enduring question the MTA must answer throughout the bus network redesign process will be, How can we get people from outlying areas of the outer-boroughs into Manhattan quickly, efficiently and reliably?

Works Cited

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign Draft Plan.” mta.info, 10 August 2022, https://new.mta.info/document/101521. Accessed 26 January 2023.

Southern Brooklyn Voters, and Councilman Justin Brannan. “Southern Brooklyn United Against MTA Cuts.” Drove, 2022, https://www.drove.com/campaign/63cc1060b9846701601c2032. Accessed 26 January 2023.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Bronx Bus Network Redesign Draft Plan.” MTA, 11 June 2019, https://new.mta.info/sites/default/files/2019-06/410_19_BBNR%20Existing%20Report_Final_2019_v2.pdf. Accessed 26 January 2023.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “Queens Bus Network Redesign Draft Plan.” mta.info, 10 August 2022, https://new.mta.info/queens-bus-redesign-draft-plan-hi-res. Accessed 26 January 2023.