MTA releases draft proposal for Bronx Bus Network Redesign
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released a draft proposal for the Bronx Bus Network Redesign that is the result of a study of the existing Bronx bus network and community outreach efforts.
MTA explains that the redesign is required to better serve the major shifts that have occurred among the Bronx’s population, residential, business and cultural communities, which are still be served by a bus network that has not changed in decades.
“We have an historic opportunity to create a bus network for this city that goes where customers need to go and truly serves them,” said NYC Transit President Andy Byford. “The Bronx is undergoing a transformation, and our bus network will evolve with our customers’ needs.”
The MTA says the Bronx Bus Network Redesign’s Draft Plan was the result of extensive public input and will be revised again following another round of further public input. The plan’s goals include:
• Improving bus speeds
• Improving service reliability
• Expanding bus priority by working with our partners at the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT)
• Improving connectivity between longtime and emerging population centers and destinations, and at transfer locations
• Improving bus stop spacing by consolidating or removing closely-spaced and under-utilized bus stops
• Improving connections between areas with high densities of residents with disabilities and existing and future ADA-accessible subway stations
• Working with the NYCDOT to improve bus stop accessibility and helpful features such as real-time digital service information signs
Every New York City borough will see its NYC Transit bus network redesigned under the Fast Forward plan, but the Bronx is the first borough to undergo a redesign of both the local and express routes at the same time. The MTA explains that it is using customer feedback, traffic data and analyses, on-the-ground information from employees and collaboration with NYCDOT and NYPD to find new ways to shorten bus travel times and increase reliability and frequency for the largest number of customers.
The draft proposal seeks to update the bus routes, which have largely remained unchanged since they were converted from trolley lines nearly a century ago, within the Bronx’s existing grid system. These recommendations take into consideration the service performance of each route, the speed, ridership and reliability on key corridors, and how individual routes contribute to the larger network. Recommendations were developed in collaboration with NYCDOT, with focus given to identifying key corridors where roadway treatments and traffic signal improvements can be implemented to expand bus priority and better support sustainable, all-day bus service. The details of NYCDOT’s proposed bus priority plan for the Bronx are included in the draft plan for the Bronx Bus Network Redesign.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
