Improved Service Speeds Up Buses, Increases Ridership

The data on select bus service (SBS) in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus system are definitive: with off-board payment and bus-only lanes, buses perform better and attract more riders.

1 minute read

December 5, 2018, 8:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


New York Bus

Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock

"Crosstown bus service on the 79th Street corridor has seen increases in speed and ridership since the introduction of select bus service last year," reports Michael Garofalo.

"The M79 bus is eight percent faster on average since the M79 SBS route launched in May 2017. M79 SBS buses spend 21 percent less time paused at bus stops and five percent less time stuck in traffic that they did in the route’s previous iteration," adds Garofalo.

Those finds come via data shared recently by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The MTA reports similar improvements on other routes after SBS implementation.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018 in The Spirit

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

High-rise apartment buildings in Waikiki, Hawaii with steep green mountains in background.

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss

The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

April 6, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 10, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Bronze statue of homeless man (Jesus) with head down and arm outstretched in front of St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington D.C.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.

30 minutes ago - The New York Times

Historic stone structure surrounding natural spring in India with plaques.

Restoring Northern India’s Himalayan ‘Water Temples’

Thousands of centuries-old buildings protect the region’s natural springs and serve as community wells and gathering places.

1 hour ago - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Blue Bublr bikes parked at station on sidewalk in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Milwaukee to Double Bike Share Stations

Bublr Bikes, one of the nation’s most successful, will add 500 new e-bikes to its system.

2 hours ago - OnMilwaukee