Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bus Stops

Report: Hot Bus Stops Are Overwhelmingly Concentrated in Low-Income Communities

"You're smoking hot" is definitely not a compliment to a bus rider in most low-income areas of the city.

Monica Osorio knows what it feels like to wait for a bus on a hot day in a neighborhood without bus shelters.

|File photo: Jackie Zamora

New York City's hottest bus stops are more likely to be located in low-income communities of color — including those with high bus ridership numbers — according to a new analysis of NASA heat imaging data.

For the study, Transportation Alternatives identified the 400 hottest and coolest bus stops in the city and found that people living near the hottest stops were more likely to commute by bus, were 40 percent less likely to be white and were 62 percent more likely to live below the federal poverty line.

Hot bus stops tend to be uncovered and away from trees, water or greenery — and an average 14.5 degrees hotter than their colder counterparts, which are more likely to have bus shelters and other cooling features, the report said.

The stark disparity means poorer New Yorkers of color, who also make up a larger portion of bus riders than wealthy and white New Yorkers, bear the brunt of the city's slowest-in-the-nation bus speeds and devastating "urban heat island effect."

The combination of bigger buildings, lack of trees, asphalt and transportation emissions increases New York City temperatures by 9.7 degrees, according to another recent analysis. Some 350 people die in city each year from extreme heat.

Just 32 percent of New York City bus stops have tree cover within 25 feet, as this maps shows.

"The data shows, time and time again, that wealthier and whiter communities are waiting at cooler, safer bus stops," said Transportation Alternatives Interim Co-Executive Director Elizabeth Adams. "This is a policy choice that is entirely solvable, and we hope to see our city’s leaders make real, tangible changes to protect New Yorkers from excessive heat.” 

To rectify the matter, Transportation Alternatives selected 100 "high-priority" unsheltered bus stops in predominantly low-income areas with high temps, inadequate bus service and limited transit alternatives.

Of the 100 bus stops identified, a whopping 64 percent lacked tree cover even within 25 feet. Just 32 percent of all bus stops in the city have shade from trees within 25 feet, the report said.

The group called on the city to install more bus stops with seating and shady shelters — repurposing parking when necessary to make room for bus stops — and also plant more trees. The report also called for better bus service via bus lanes, busways and other bus-speeding policies.

To get New Yorkers out of the sun faster, the MTA should run rush-hour service levels all day when the heat is at its worst, the report said.

A rep for the city Department of Transportation said the agency plans to install 300 new bus shelters in the coming years.

“When siting bus shelters, we focus on historically underserved areas, ridership data, and proximity to bus priority routes," DOT spokesman Scott Gastel said in a statement. "Many of the bus stops in this report cannot accommodate a bus shelter due to lack of space to ensure safety and accessibility, but we look forward to adding hundreds of additional bus shelters in the coming years.”

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Ugly Truth: Feds’ Canal Street Raid Pushed Aside NYPD, Safety and Free Speech

President Trump's heavily armed and masked immigration troops are turning American cities into battlegrounds — and eliminating accountability and free speech in the public realm.

October 27, 2025

Bikelashers Beware! Court Street Redesign Has Turned Chaos to Safety

Court Street's protected bike lane already shows a lot of promise. But that doesn't stop the hate.

October 27, 2025

Adams Administration Has Made It Nearly Impossible To Build Safe E-Bike Charging Stations

It's impossible to build an e-bike charging cabinet in NYC, despite city initiatives meant to boost the industry.

October 27, 2025

That’s Rich! DoorDash Supports E-Bike Speed Limit

DoorDash supports a 15-mile-per-hour speed limit, but that's easy for them to say, given that under-pressure workers will be the ones getting tickets.

October 27, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Everybody to the Limit Edition

Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani wants to keep the 15-mph Citi Bike e-bike speed limit. Plus more news.

October 27, 2025

Friday Video: Amtrak Is Way More Successful Than You Think

Why do so many people still treat Amtrak as a failure — and what would it take to deliver the rail investment that American riders deserve?

October 24, 2025
See all posts