Bus Riders Warm to Select Bus Service, Drivers Love Red Parking Lane

New York City Transit staff introduce passengers to Bx12 Select Bus Service at Broadway and Isham in Inwood

New York City Transit’s Select Bus Service made its prime time debut this morning on the Bx12 line, which connects Co-op City in the Bronx with Inwood in Upper Manhattan via Fordham Road and 207th Street. As we reported in March, NYCT’s brand of Bus Rapid Transit lets riders prepay the fare at bus stops, resulting in quicker boarding times once the aqua blue SBS bus arrives. (Fare collection is limited to MetroCards and coins; credit card functionality still to come.) Contrary to reports that the fledgling service is universally despised, the attendant we spoke with said that, aside from some confusion over how to handle transfers, customers were adjusting well.

Changing motorists’ behavior is another matter. In spite of the fresh terracotta paint and new signage, the lanes on 207th Street were full of parked vehicles. As pictured after the jump, even transit supervisors were helping themselves, to the point that the NYCT employee mentioned it as a hindrance.

Thank you, David Gantt.

Drivers, including NYCT supervisors, pack the bus lanes on Manhattan’s 207th Street

Photos: Brad Aaron