MTA Proposes Bus System Overhaul for Staten Island

Anna Sanders reports on a "drastic plan" to overhaul express bus service on Staten Island. "Staten Island express buses will travel directly to and from Midtown or lower Manhattan, routes will be combined and underused stops will be eliminated," explains Sanders of the proposed plan.

"The average end-to-end route running time would be cut by about 20 minutes under the concept," according to a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) presentation to the editorial board of the Staten Island Advance earlier this week.

"The network redesign is comprised of 19 routes that will serve nearly all existing Staten Island express bus riders," adds Sanders. "Eleven routes will go to Midtown and eight will travel to downtown Manhattan, where riders can transfer to local buses or the subway."

According to the article, the MTA began an evaluation of bus service on Staten Island two years ago, in July 2015, which included public engagement. The proposed changes will now face a second round of public engagement, conducted at community board and neighborhood meetings throughout 2017.

The article elaborates on each of the variety of proposed changes—from new and simplified routes to stop consolidation.