Comments on: New Bronx Bus Saves Time, TSTC Staffer Finds

By: “I Love It”: Riders Applaud NYC’s First Bus Rapid Transit Route « Mobilizing the Region

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:44:03 +0000

[...] and easier commute along the Pelham Parkway-Fordham Road corridor. The new service, which began June 2008, shaves 11 minutes of a previous 58 minute ride largely due to key BRT elements such as pre-boarding [...]

By: Manhattan Crosstown Buses Are Again Pokiest in NYC « Mobilizing the Region

Manhattan Crosstown Buses Are Again Pokiest in NYC « Mobilizing the Region — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:09:24 +0000

[...] bus rapid transit elements like signal priority and pre-paid boarding (both of which exist on the Fordham Road Select Bus Service in the Bronx) were coming to more NYC buses in the near future. Such features won’t give [...]

By: NYC Transit Getting Buzz For Bus Improvements « Mobilizing the Region

NYC Transit Getting Buzz For Bus Improvements « Mobilizing the Region — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:09:01 +0000

[...] week, the NY Times and Daily News ran articles on the success of the Bronx Bx12 Select Bus Service, which connects Co-op City and the 6 train in the East Bronx with the A train in northern Manhattan [...]

By: MTA Begins One-Year Countdown to Another Fare Hike; Long Island Bus is Hit Hard « Mobilizing the Region

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:52:38 +0000

[...] improvements for their trouble. The MTA has nudged up service on nine subway lines and launched the Select Bus Service in the Bronx. But many riders are more affected by large system-wide problems such as worsening [...]

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:46:42 +0000

The MTA wants to talk about fare evasion? I’ve known several people who’ve gotten on the back of the Bx12 bus with that “proof of purchase” receipt and have used the same one DAYS LATER without NO ONE checking it! How about them apples?! I’m still stuck in traffic at the 207th St. Bridge and they eliminated the Sedgwick Ave. stop, which was very important to Fordham Hill and surrounding area residents! This “Select bus service” is garbage!

By: Bus rider

Bus rider — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:40:04 +0000

I agree that an off-board payment system is a great idea — but to have a mixed system where it is only accepted on some buses but not on others on the same route is a problem. People are complaining after pre-paying for SBS, but a local bus arrives first, and even after it leaves an SBS is still nowhere in sight.

To those raving about the increased speed of the SBS — keep in mind that all the SBS buses I have seen had substantially fewer passengers than local buses. Is that the way to run a bus system — to have all these buses with just a few passengers? It seems that these buses should be making more stops — such as those Limited stops that were taken away when the SBS replaced the Limited service. The entire stretch of Pelham Parkway has only 3 stops — whereas the Bay Plaza shopping center alone has 5.

By: Discussing Select Bus Service | Transit Blogger - Covering the NYC Subway & beyond

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:17:45 +0000

[...] To read her entire entry, click here. [...]

By: Second Ave. Sagas | A New York City Subway Blog » Blog Archive » As BRT rollout proceeds apace, Express Bus service receives middling marks

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:10:23 +0000

[...] week, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s Mobilizing the Region blog featured an early test-run of the BRT system. Veronica Vanterpool, TSTC’s associate director, noted that the BRT measures shaved 17 [...]

By: Howard Kelly

Howard Kelly — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:52:19 +0000

I’ve never understood why in the USA we hardly at all utilize the “proof of payment” system on transit. Everywhere I traveled in Europe (through a total of 13 countries), this system was used with much success. Purchasing and validating a ticket on your own time while waiting at the stop saves an immense amount of time for all. Europe also tended to have excellent GPS tracking on their buses, with electronic signs at the stops saying when the next bus on each route would arrive (and accurate too!) If only we could get our systems to that point, they would actually get respect and more use.

By: Bus rider

Bus rider — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:02:23 +0000

Many kinks still to be ironed out. Odd that there are 5 SBS stops around the Bay Plaza shopping center — yet only 3 stops for the entire stretch of Pelham Parkway. The other stops along that route have a reduction in the number of buses serving those areas and a wait time of half an hour would not be uncommon.

I recall a previous test of “off-board payment” in lower Manhattan about 15 years ago where bus passengers would walk through turnstiles and wait in an enclosed bus shelter. That trial period lasted a few months — never to be seen again after that.

I still wonder how the local buses will handle the number of people boarding via the back door — which is all too common at some stops — now that it is being encouraged for the SBS. I am sure some people will be confused, and others taking advantage.