Lawmakers Call For Expanded Select Bus Service, Bus-Only Lanes
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Local lawmakers on Thursday called for an expansion of Select Bus Service lines as more and more people take mass transit.Local lawmakers on Thursday called for an expansion of Select Bus Service lines as more and more people take mass transit.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority introduced Select Bus Service in 2008, and nine lines are currently in operation.
Select Bus Service allows commuters to dip their MetroCards into a machine on the sidewalk and enter the bus through any door, speeding up travel times. They also involve special red fast lanes that other vehicles may not use.
On Thursday, city councilmen Mark Levine (D-7th) and Ydanis Rodriguez (D-10th), along with state Sen. Adriano Espaillat (D-Manhattan/the Bronx) called for the creation of 10 new select bus routes.
The lawmakers also called for the completion of a dedicated bus lane across the entirety of 125th Street for the M60 Select Bus route.
"On 34th Street, they've got a bus-only lane the whole way. On First Avenue, they've got a bus-only lane all the way on the East Side. They've been wildly successful and incredibly popular in those neighborhoods," Levine said. "But here uptown, we're getting the short end of the stick. Here uptown, we're getting half a vote. It's simply not justice."
The lawmakers said expanded Select Bus Service is needed in particular because ridership is rising on already-overcrowded subways, and commuters need connections to new job centers citywide.
