It is hard to imagine the modern world without private and municipal vehicles: airplanes, passenger liners, railroad trains, subways and buses. Specifically, the latter mode of transportation is one of the most popular. It was first used on New York City routes in the early twentieth century. Since then it has occupied an essential place in the public transportation network. Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers use buses to get to and from work every day. In particular, it is one of the most common modes of transportation in the Bronx, one of the largest boroughs in New York City. Read more about the Bronx bus service and its interesting features on bronx-future.com.
A brief history of public transportation in New York City
Public transportation is no surprise to us now. But there were times when it was just being introduced, and there were many discussions about its feasibility or harm. So when did the first public transportation appear? If you look for the answer on the Internet, you will find that it happened in the 19th century. In particular, in the United States as a country that was actively developing at that time and was at the forefront of science, industry and entrepreneurship among other countries. The first public transportation appeared in 1827. That year, public crews appeared in New York City, horse-drawn carriages that transported passengers between Upper and Lower Manhattan. This was followed by trams (they became most widespread in the early twentieth century), trolleybuses (they disappeared by the early 60s), and, of course, subways and buses.
Advantages and disadvantages of bus service
Drivers of private cars may complain about buses because they run in separate, dedicated lanes. However, they have many advantages for passengers. For example:
- saving money. The ticket price is $2.75 to $3 per trip. There is no need to pay for parking, pay fines, or maintain the car.
- fewer traffic jams. Imagine that instead of 1 bus, 100 cars will leave – the traffic jam is guaranteed.
- speed of movement. Buses, as we mentioned above, can drive in dedicated lanes or have an advantage on the road, making them move faster.
- environmental friendliness. Fewer engines on the road mean fewer emissions into the air.
At the same time, public transportation, in particular bus service, has some inconveniences:
- it’s not very flexible in terms of scheduling. You have to adjust to its schedule, and in a big city, with traffic jams and rush hours, it’s hard.
- excessive congestion. In the morning and evening, some routes are in high demand, which means that you have to ride in a crowded bus. We think everyone has seen this.
- delays and interruptions in traffic. Sometimes public transportation can have unpredictable changes in the schedule, which can lead to stress and loss of time for passengers.
- security. Thefts, attacks on passengers, insults and disputes are possible in public transportation. So, you need to be prepared for different situations.
- accessibility. People with disabilities can use public transportation. It has special platforms and lifts.
Connecting the Bronx and other New York City boroughs
The Bronx is located entirely on the continent, so it has to use a variety of roads and bridges to connect with other boroughs. Here are the main ones:
- The New England Thruway, which runs from the Madison Bridge along the N. and E. Bronx and into Connecticut.
- The Madison Bridge connects the Bronx through Harlem to Manhattan.
- The Bronx River Parkway connects the Bronx itself from southwest to northeast.
- The Cross Bronx Expressway connects Interstate 95 with the same highway number 87. It runs in the northern part of the Bronx.
- Two bridges over the Hudson and the East Rivers. The first connects the Bronx with New Jersey, and the second with Queens and Manhattan.
These roads and bridges provide convenient connections between the Bronx and the rest of New York City for private cars and public transportation.
Bronx bus routes
The Bronx is home to more than 1.4 million people. That’s why there is a lot of public transportation, with buses playing an essential role. All routes in the city are labeled with the first letters of the borough’s name: B – Brooklyn, Bx – Bronx, M – Manhattan, Q – Queens and S – Staten Island. The most important boroughs in the Bronx are the following: Bx1, Bx2, Bx3, Bx4, Bx4A, Bx5 and Bx6. They start in the Bronx, run along Grand Concourse Avenue and end their way in Harlem and Manhattan.
The Bx9, Bx12 and Bx22 are worth noting. They run along the Cross Bronx Expressway and connect the Bronx with Manhattan, Queens and Long Island.
The route that allows moving within the Bronx from east to west is Bx15. It starts at Grand Concourse Avenue and ends in Yonkers, New York.
There are also several buses that take passengers to places of shopping. In particular, the Bx40, Bx42 and Bx55 will take you to the Bay Plaza and The Hub shopping centers.
The Bx36 route runs along the Bronx River Parkway and connects the Bronx with Scarsdale, Mount Vernon and Pelham. In general, these are the main buses that help passengers move quickly and conveniently between the Bronx and other New York City boroughs.
Features of the Bronx bus service
Bus fares in New York City are $2.75 when paying in advance and $3 when paying on the bus. The difference is not significant, but it is there. You can also buy a weekly ticket. It gives you the right to ride any number of times and costs $33. There is also a monthly ticket that costs $127. All prices are based on the purchase of a ticket with payment via MetroCard.
Overall, there are over 5,700 buses operating on 238 bus routes in New York City. They carry about 2.5 million passengers daily. Their number, as well as the number of buses, can vary depending on the time of day, days of the week, route popularity, and other factors. One route has between 5 and 20 buses. On weekends, there are fewer buses, for example, from 5 to 15.
Some bus routes operate at night, from 00.00 to 05.00. Among the nighttime routes are the Bx39 between Wakefield and Brooklyn, the Bx41 between Williamsbridge and the Bronx, the Bx55 between Westchester Square and Manhattan, the Q44-SBS between Flushing and the Bronx, through Queens, and the Q50 between Co-op City and Queens. However, the number of buses on these routes may be limited at night compared to normal hours of the day. In addition, on some routes, buses run around the clock. To find out details about the operation of specific routes, you can visit the official website of the New York City Department of Transportation or use a mobile application that helps you plan your travels by public transportation.
To know the exact time of arrival of a bus, it is enough to come to the stop and look at the electronic scoreboard or scan the QR code located at each stop.
The city’s buses have diesel-hybrid engines or run on compressed natural gas. Thus, the bus service of the Bronx, as well as the whole of New York City, is an extremely interesting topic. It can be studied and studied further. Also, the Bronx is an integral part of the metropolis, so it’s impossible to explore its routes without touching on the bus routes of other boroughs of this big city. Well, what route do you use?
