Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bus Rapid Transit

Jay Walder’s Well-Placed Priorities: Doing More With New York City Buses

“In London, you
carry nearly twice as many people in the bus system as you do on the
Underground.” In New York, the opposite is true. “We must close the gap and
make more of the bus system.”

-- Jay Walder, MTA chairman, as quoted in the New York Times

london_bus_stop.jpgImprovements like real-time arrival displays led bus ridership to grow significantly during Jay Walder's tenure at Transport for London. Photo: King Huang Chung/Flickr.

In the transit landscape inherited by Jay Walder, the MTA’s new chairman, buses are a rare
potential bright spot amidst an otherwise dismal world of funding shortages, fare hikes,
labor unrest, stalled mega-projects, and feckless
politicians. Judging from recent
remarks, Walder seems to recognize this and is poised to make better bus
service a major focus.

While it may seem obvious that
the chair of the MTA should devote considerable energy to buses, this is rarely the case. The head of the MTA is typically consumed by planning, funding, and managing
mega-projects and the capital plan. Historically, the MTA has been
heavily oriented toward subways and commuter rail. On the average weekday, the agency's
subways carry 5.2 million trips and its buses 2.4 million.

But these are not
normal times at the MTA. Walder has one year to make a big impression. After that
he will almost certainly have a new boss as governor, who will have two options: fire Walder or rehire
him. Bus improvements can be done relatively quickly and cheaply, and by
reducing delays can actually save money while resulting in better service and
higher ridership.

Buses are also attractive to
Walder because the mayor and DOT are already aggressively pushing bus corridor
improvements. DOT and the MTA have launched a successful Select Bus Service route on Fordham
Road
in the Bronx, with new routes planned and funded for First and Second Avenues in 2010. The mayor is a
good friend to have. He controls streets, parking enforcement and seats on the
MTA board.

But Select Bus Service only helps a handful of the MTA's
250 bus routes. Also needed are system-wide
improvements. Walder has identified three of these as priorities.

First is a
swipe-free or "contactless" MetroCard like London's Oyster Card, which is
waved over a sensor on buses and subways. This would reduce boarding times.

Second is GPS-based, real-time information for riders waiting at bus
stops. This would reduce uncertainty over travel times and help reduce
bunching. The MTA has struggled with GPS location for years, while similar technology has been adopted by transit systems around the world and in New York City taxis.

Third, but most
emphasized by Walder, is improved enforcement of bus stops and lanes, especially
with automated enforcement cameras. Enforcement cameras are in widespread use
in London. But here, they will require approval by the state legislature. Given
that the legislature is struggling with profound internal dysfunction, massive
state budget deficits, and a collapsing MTA capital plan, it will likely be a tough lift for bus lane cameras to win approval. It took DOT decades of effort to win its
relatively small number of red light cameras.

Regardless of the exact
improvements he undertakes, there is a powerful logic steering Jay Walder
toward bus improvements. And that is good news for long-suffering bus riders.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Judge Orders Trump to Restore $34M in Security Funding to MTA

DHS overstepped its authority when it attempted to tie money from the Transit Security Grant Program to the Trump administration's efforts to deport immigrants, Judge Lewis Kaplan said.

October 16, 2025

Friday Video: Drool Over This London School Street

That's cricket! Check out how London transformed a roadway around a big stadium into a play street.

October 16, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Gateway ‘Terminator’ Edition

President Trump abruptly announced he'd "terminated" the Gateway Tunnel project while taking aim at Chuck Schumer. Plus more news.

October 16, 2025

Trump’s Electrification Cuts are Short-Sighted: Report

EV infrastructure is far more valuable to the nation's prosperity and jobs market than the White House believes, according to a new report.

October 16, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines: Another Highway Boondoggle Erased Edition

Maybe the worm has turned on these awful boondoggles? Plus other news.

October 15, 2025

Book Excerpt Special: ‘War on Cars’ Hosts Explore Life After the Automobile

...and why it's so urgent that we work for a better future.

October 15, 2025
See all posts