Riding the bus in the Bronx is about to get a whole lot better!
That’s because after years of hard work and extensive community outreach, the MTA and New York City Transit rolled out a redesigned bus network for our borough that is bringing faster, more direct bus routes and increased connectivity to transit hubs like Fordham Plaza, at 149th Street and on Burnside Avenue that will speed service for hundreds of thousands of our Bronx commuters traveling to and from their destinations.
This is a plan that I am proud of as it serves as a model for what collaboration looks like. By listening to stakeholders, elected officials and everyday Bronx bus riders at nine open houses, 28 community board meetings and six public workshops, New York City Transit has built a 21st century bus network that is responsive to the transit needs of communities throughout the Bronx.
In Co-op City, a community without direct subway access, the bus redesign will bring huge improvements from enhanced bus connections via the new Bx25 and the rerouted Bx30 and in Central Bronx, streamlined service on the Bx36, Bx40/42, will work to spur economic opportunity and connect communities across the Bronx.
Further, the Bx18, the Bx40/42 and the Bx30 – will connect riders to subways that are accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In addition to this, six crucial crosstown or inter-borough bus corridors, will provide streamlined service and increased connections.
In 2019, MTA issued a final draft of the redesign, and there was much to be excited about. But residents in my district as city councilmember, and those of others across the Bronx, expressed concerns to the MTA and to elected leaders about the consolidation and removal of certain bus stops and the re-routing of certain lines. Taking this seriously, they re-examined their plan with this feedback in mind and re-sited certain bus stops to respond to community needs and restored the existing routes of the Bx34 and Bx28.
As this plan becomes reality, I am pleased that this marks a new phase of partnership with the Bronx and the MTA. Not walking away from Bronx bus customers, they are instead committed to monitoring ridership patterns while optimizing service to match current and future demands.
And as the MTA has prepared this plan over the past several months, they will continue to be present to alert riders of coming changes and enhancements to the bus network, through extensive public outreach to ensure that we are all ready.
I welcome the arrival of a new era for buses in the Bronx and encourage Bronx residents to visit the MTA website to learn more about these changes on our reimagined Bronx bus network that is improving the efficiency and reliability of our Bronx buses.
Vanessa Gibson is the Bronx borough president, who took office on Jan. 1, 2022.
