Rockaway
JOURNAL Since 1883
www.liherald.com
JULY 16 - 22, 2026
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State, city unveil plan to speed NYC buses Faster commutes, expanded Yorkers rely on buses to get service and upgraded bus stops around this city,” Hochul said are all part of a new statewide in the release. “Now, working and city initiative that targets with Mayor Mamdani, we are some of the system's slowest advancing a bold and ambitious routes while investing in new plan to move buses faster, drabuses and transit infrastruc- matically expand bus priority, ture. reduce delays and make our Gov. K at hy H o ch u l a n d bus system the envy of the M a y o r Z o h r a n M a m d a n i world. unveiled Next Stop: Fast Buses, Officials said improving bus Better Service on July 8, a joint service is especially important plan by the city’s Department because riders are disproporof Transportation and the Met- tionately working-class resiropolitan Transpordents, women and t at i o n Au t h o r i t y people of color, with that calls for m a ny l iv i n g i n upgrades along 50 households earning priority bus corriless than $100,000 dors across the city. annually. Work on the first T h e i n i t i a t ive round of projects identifies 50 corriwill begin this year, dors where the city with a new generaand MTA will focus tion of rapid bus i nve s t m e n t s t o routes advancing in reduce delays and 2026, officials said. improve reliability. Queens Borough Kathy hochul Five routes were President Donovan New York state selected as the first Richards Jr. wel- governor phase of a next-genc o m e d t h e eration rapid bus announcement, notnetwork: the Kensing that more than ington-JFK corridor 800,000 borough residents ride s p a n n i n g B r o o k l y n a n d MTA buses each day. Queens, Northern Boulevard in “From the Queens Bus Net- Queens, Flatbush Avenue and work Redesign to the action Utica Avenue in Brooklyn and plan we're announcing today, Tremont/Cross Bronx in the we continue to make historic Bronx. investments in the speed and “For working New Yorkers, reliability of our buses,” Rich- every minute matters," Mamdaards said in a news release. “I ni said in the release. “We're look forward to the work ahead investing in faster, more reliof finally giving Queens resi- able buses because New Yorkdents that quick and effective ers deserve a transit system bus service they have always that respects their time.” deserved.” Beginning this year, those While New Yorkers make routes are expected to receive roughly 2.75 million bus trips protected bus lanes, upgraded each day — more than the com- stations with shelters, more frebined bus ridership of Los quent all-day service and other Angeles, Chicago, San Francis- improvements modeled after co and Philadelphia — buses in rapid bus systems in cities New York average only about 8 around the world. mph, making them the slowest The plan also includes major among major U.S. cities. investments in the bus fleet and “Every day, millions of New rider experience. Through the
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very day, millions of New Yorkers rely on buses to get around this city.
Marc A. Hermann/MTA)
MTA Chair & CEO Janno Lieber with Mayor Zohran Mamdani to his right presented the Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service on July 8. MTA's $68 billion capital program for 2025-29, the authority plans to purchase about 2,500 new buses, replacing roughly 40 percent of its aging fleet. Of ficials also said all-door boarding is expected to be implemented in 2027 following the full transition to tap-andride fare payment. Over the next decade, the city and MTA plan to expand accessibility improvements to 65 stops annually by 2030, install 300 new bus shelters by 2028, add seating at 875 stops each year, increase shade through tree plantings and install nearly 2,900 real-time passenger information displays citywide by 2030. Keeping bus lanes clear is another major component of the plan. Officials said automated camera enforcement has already increased bus speeds by as much as 30 percent while
reducing collisions by 20 percent. To build on those gains, the city plans to expand busmounted automated camera enforcement to 25 additional routes each year in 2026 and 2027, install 200 more stationary bus lane cameras by 2027 and increase targeted New York City Police De partment enforcement from 14 to 20 corridors beginning next year. “Our partners today ... all want to make sure that riding the bus is always faster than walking," MTA Chair and Chief Executive Officer Janno Lieber said in the release.
“They will ramp up traffic enforcement to keep streets moving.” T he plan also calls for expanded public outreach before projects begin, including community meetings, surveys and partnerships with advocacy organizations. After improvements are completed, the city and MTA said they would publicly release performance data measuring travel times, reliability and rider experience. — Jeffrey Bessen