NYC Transit’s rider report cards for local buses are in — and the C minus result is a clear sign that there’s plenty of room for improvement. Earlier this year, express buses received an overall grade of C. But it’s also clear that NYC Transit is taking steps to improve bus service, as shown by several laudatory press stories.

Last 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 and has been in operation since July. According to the MTA, Select service has improved travel times by about 20%, and August ridership on the Bx12 Select was 22% higher than on the Bx12 Limited (which it replaced) in August 2007. Interviewed riders almost unanimously praised the line, which is faster because of features like pre-paid fares and traffic signal priority. However, the next Select Bus line, which will run on First and Second Avenues in Manhattan, will not begin service until 2010, according to Ted Orosz of the NYC bus rapid transit program.

NYC Transit followed that up by unveiling the first in its next order of hybrid diesel-electric buses. The new model has low floors so riders can step on without climbing stairs and a wheelchair ramp which is faster to deploy and less likely to break than a wheelchair lift. The 850-bus order will expand NYC Transit’s hybrid fleet to 1,700, making it the largest hybrid bus fleet in the world.

Finally, many members of the press and public have been captivated by the launch of a month-long trial of a double-decker bus. The bus, which holds more passengers than an “accordion-style” articulated bus while costing less, will split time on local and limited routes in Manhattan, a Yonkers-Manhattan express route, and a Staten Island-Manhattan express.

Editorial boards have given credit to NYC Transit’s new leadership team, president Howard Roberts and vice president for buses Joseph Smith (who have been in their posts for less than 18 months). The Staten Island Advance, which has been supportive of recent MTA initiatives like the creation of a Staten Island-Bayonne (NJ) bus, applauded the purchase of hybrid buses and wrote in an editorial, “the consciousness-raising at the MTA and [NYC] Transit continues. We could get used to this.”