Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Buses

Three Hack-tastic Ideas to Fix Staten Island’s Broken Bus System

For all intents and purposes, Staten Island's bus network is broken. Which isn't surprising when you consider that the borough's 31 local routes have barely changed in the last half-century. For the most part, ancient bus lines that pre-date the Verrazano Bridge (which opened in 1964) don’t go where people actually need to get around.

manhattan_stops
In Manhattan, Staten Island express bus stops can be consolidated around areas where many passengers board or alight (the darker spots), saving a lot of time. Image: Sri Kanajan

Then there are the express bus routes that take Staten Island commuters to and from Manhattan. These are some of the city's slowest and least reliable express buses, plagued by traffic jams and stops that are spaced too close together.

At the request of Borough President James Oddo, last summer the MTA announced a full-network study of all 51 bus lines serving Staten Island.

As part of the effort, Oddo and the MTA co-sponsored a “Bus Hackathon” with TransitCenter and NYU’s Rudin Center for Transportation on Saturday. They invited teams of software developers and tech-savvy urbanists to use MTA ridership data to diagnose problems and propose solutions for the borough’s bus system. The 150 participants cranked out 15 proposals for improving bus service, from which a panel of judges selected three winners.

TransitCenter's Jon Orcutt said the hack-a-thon was a way to "get a fresh set of eyes" on the problems plaguing buses serving not just Staten Island but all of New York City. Bus ridership has continued to decline in recent years even as subway ridership climbs to historic highs.

"A lot of things are the way they are because no one's taken a look at them in a long time," Orcutt said. "This isn't rocket science, but someone has to look at it."

Here's a look at some of the most enlightening analysis from the hack-a-thon -- you'll notice a lot of overlapping ideas. (TransitCenter also posted a summary today.)

“How to Optimize Express Bus Routes in Staten Island”

Sri Kanajan showed that large numbers of riders get on and off express buses at a relatively small number of stops in Manhattan. Consolidating express bus stops in Manhattan could save passengers time with minimal impact on the walking leg of most people's trips.

"Better Than the Subway"

This proposal would re-orient the express bus network around a few trunk lines with much more frequent service than the current routes, cutting down on wait times without additional costs.

"HubNET"

In a similar vein, this submission would consolidate express bus service in a simplified network of high-frequency routes that connect several points, or hubs, on Staten Island. The team designed the network based on current ridership and the location of housing and jobs on Staten Island.

"HubNET" would route express buses to Manhattan from centralized hubs across Staten Island, allowing for a faster more efficient local bus network. Image: Noga Neeman/Tiberiu Tesileanu/Elad Mokady
"HubNET" would re-orient the express bus network to serve key locations with high-frequency service. Image: Noga Neeman/Tiberiu Tesileanu/Elad Mokady
"HubNET" would route express buses to Manhattan from centralized hubs across Staten Island, allowing for a faster more efficient local bus network. Image: Noga Neeman/Tiberiu Tesileanu/Elad Mokady

You can view all 15 submissions on the event's DevPost page.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Pedestrian on Bedford Av. Hours Before Long-Stalled Safety Redesign Begins

The driver was traveling so quickly that the victim was tossed high in the air before landing back on the car hood and being tossed to the side of the road as the killer drove off.

October 11, 2024

Manhattanites To DOT: Open Queensboro Bridge Pedestrian Path ‘Without Delay’

"It’s really inappropriate for the DOT to delay," said one member of Manhattan Community Board 6.

October 11, 2024

Council Seeks to Force DOT to Build 175 E-Bike Charging Hubs 

A new bill would force the DOT to build over 100 charging hubs, but will it be enough to keep up with demand?

October 11, 2024

Friday Video: A Vision for West 72nd Street

Maybe someday, a roadway that devotes 88 percent of its space to a tiny minority of users (drivers) could finally work for everyone. We can dream, can't we?

October 11, 2024

Friday’s Headlines: Yes, We Will Mention the Yankees Edition

We are praying for the first Subway Series since 2000. Plus other news.

October 11, 2024
See all posts