This MTA express bus isn’t living up to its name.
Riders on the BxM9 bus in Throggs Neck are “expressing” their aggravation over what they say are constantly late buses, making them late for work.
The locals, who catch the bus at the corner of Randall and E. Tremont Avenues, claim the bus heading into Midtown Manhattan is consistently 20 minutes to a half hour late.
On Monday, May 14, the 9:47 a.m. bus arrived at 10:05 a.m.
The 10:13 a.m. bus pulled up 10:25 a.m.
Anthony Terminello, a frequent rider of the BxM9 bus, said the buses scheduled to arrive around 10 a.m. have been arriving late for about a month.
“It is a bit of a inconvenience because it is an extra twenty minutes or half hour before you can get to work, making you late.”
Terminello said express service was much better when the bus company was privately owned, before the takeover by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
“There used to be a number on the side of the bus that you could call, and a woman would pick up and call the dispatcher of the bus you were looking for,” Terminello said. “And the dispatcher would come on and tell you why the bus was late or what was happening.
“Now, you call MTA and they tell you to go to the web site, which doesn’t tell you anything. It’s hopeless!”
Judith Valenciano, another frustrated bus rider, said she also takes the express bus into Manhattan often.
“The Throggs Neck express bus is atrocious,” Valenciano said. “The only one who made things slightly better was (Councilaman Jimmy) Vacca. He really got on it, and the bus service got better for a little while, but then went right back to the way it was.”
Valenciano said she would rather make the walk to Pelham Bay and catch the bus there.
“They’re always on time there,” she said.
MTA spokeswoman Deirdre Parker said there have been no changes in the schedule.
“We have not reduced scheduled service on this route,” Parker said. “I am looking into checking with Road Control in the area to see if they are aware of any reasons for the delays.”
