The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that the date of the public hearing on the proposed final plan for the Bronx Bus Network Redesign will be on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. The public hearing precedes a vote by the MTA Board to implement the local bus service proposals in the redesign’s final plan for implementation this September while continuing to refine the plan’s express bus service proposals for implementation in 2021.

 

The public hearing schedule is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2020, at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse in the South Wing of the Lower Gallery. Registration is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. This ADA-accessible location can be reached via the  subway lines at the 161 St-Yankee Stadium or 167 St stations, or via bus by the following routes: Bx1, Bx2 to Grand Concourse/E. 165^th Street, Bx32 to Morris Avenue/E. 165^th Street, Bx6 local or SBS and Bx13 to E. 161^st Street/Sherman Avenue, or Bx35 to E. 167^th Street/Grand Concourse.

 

“We now have a rock-solid plan to improve local bus service in the Bronx, so we must build on the momentum of the Bronx bus network redesign and push forward with making these proposals a reality,” said MTA NYC Transit President Andy Byford. “Our customers are telling us that local bus service as it stands needs to be better, and I absolutely agree. We must keep moving forward for our Bronx customers.”  

 

“Our public outreach in the Bronx has been unprecedented, and it has yielded invaluable feedback that has pushed us to think differently about how our local and express buses serve the customers here,” said Craig Cipriano, Acting MTA Bus Company President and Senior Vice President for Buses of NYC Transit. “We look forward to continuing that dialogue with express bus customers as we make adjustments to that portion of the redesign, which we will implement once we and our customers are satisfied with the results.”

 

The final plan proposes up to $2 million in additional investments in the Bronx local bus network, which have largely remained unchanged since they were converted from trolley lines nearly a century ago or absorbed from private bus lines that were consolidated into the MTA decades ago. It took into consideration the routes’ performance, speed, ridership and reliability on key corridors, and how individual routes contribute to the larger network. Altogether, the proposed final plan establishes a new baseline of local bus service in the Bronx and a new foundation upon which the MTA can build as the borough continues to evolve and change. Once the redesign of the local bus network is implemented in fall 2020, the MTA will closely monitor service to ensure new levels are closely aligned with ridership and customer demand.

 

As bus customers adjust to the new local bus network redesign, the MTA will continue to refine the proposals for a new Bronx express bus network with the goal of implementation of those changes in 2021. The MTA has committed to working with local stakeholders on those proposals, and will provide an update at a later time. 

 

The final plan was developed in collaboration with NYCDOT following unprecedented levels of public outreach with communities and coordination with transit advocates, including open houses, workshops, multiple community board meetings, in-person surveys, and community events.  It also took into consideration customers’ current commuting patterns and itinerary suggestions, and requests for more direct service, fewer bus stops and improved crosstown connections. NYC Transit also identified key corridors where NYCDOT street treatments and traffic signal improvements can be implemented to expand bus priority and better support sustainable, all-day bus service when ridership demand necessitates those adjustments.

 

 

 

Under the Fast Forward plan to improve bus service, NYC Transit is redesigning the bus networks in every borough of New York City, starting with the Staten Island Express Bus Redesign that was implemented in August 2018, resulting in faster bus speeds, better reliability, and hundreds more trips during each week. The Bronx is the first borough to undergo a concurrent redesign of both the local and express routes.  The MTA used customer feedback, traffic data and analyses, on-the-ground information from employees, and collaboration with NYCDOT and NYPD to find ways to shorten bus travel times, increasing reliability and frequency for the largest number of customers. Redesigns of the Queens and Brooklyn local and express bus networks are also underway.

 

 

NYC Transit has conducted unprecedented public outreach, including hosting its first-ever virtual open house to provide information on the proposed final plan for any members of the public who were unable to attend an outreach event or community meeting in person. Additionally, NYC Transit also hosted two Fast Forward Community Conversations, six workshops, nine open houses and 13 on-street outreach events at key bus locations in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, 11 presentations to community boards in the Bronx and Manhattan, 64 social media posts, and digital signage at 200 subway stations systemwide. After the public hearing on Feb. 20, the MTA will review the feedback and comments received prior to submitting the proposed final plan for a review and vote by the MTA Board to implement the redesign later this fall. 

 

 

All public reports and presentations generated during the redesign process are posted online on a dedicated project website, which includes information on the Bronx bus network redesign, route-by-route proposals, and a future trip planning tool with proposed changes and schedules. Learn about the redesign at new.mta.info/bronxbusredesign.