Construction has begun for M79 Select Bus Service. Workers started making changes on 81st Street. Photo by Carol Tannenhauser.
The MTA has begun construction on the bus stops for the M79 bus so that service can be switched to speedier Select Bus Service where people pay before boarding. New payment kiosks need to be installed, however, and that could take awhile.
“Everyone is busy with the 2nd Avenue line at this time,” said Andrae Singh, a project manager for the MTA. “I would like to be optimistic and say the kiosk will be installed in 3-4 weeks. But that doesn’t mean the route will be up and running. The route is set to launch sometime in the Spring, maybe in April, because we have to install the whole route before we can launch the line, not just one machine. We are about 25% completed on the route.”
The M79 is notoriously slow, and more than half of each bus trip is spent delayed, crawling along, or held at a bus stop, according to the MTA. The new Select Bus Service would reduce boarding times, and the MTA may include dedicated lanes along the route. They will also eliminate the stop at 81st and Amsterdam because the sidewalk is too narrow there for kiosks to be installed. Similar changes on the M86 implemented in 2015 have reduced travel times by nearly 10%, according to the MTA.
Reducing travel time by 10% really isn’t much of an improvement!
a Second Avenue subway!!!
Good news!
I love the speedier boarding process on the select buses. It’s amazing how many people wait until they get on before rummaging through their bag to find their Metrocard.
OMG: who let this happen? I will never ride this bus again.
This is a colossal waste of time and money!
Many times I have missed the “Select” bus on 86th St. as I had to take the extra step of fiddling around with the stupid payment kiosk while the bus took off! Money would be better spent on adding more buses.
All buses should operate this way. It’s done in other countries and is a proven time-saver. The 86th Crosstown is almost enjoyable now (too much construction going on on the eastside).
The 86th street SS crosstown bus has been a life saver for me. No more long waits in bad weather and getting shoved out of the way by students as there are several entrances to get on now. IMO they’ve run consistently except for a slight backup around 2nd Avenue due to the subway construction. I don’t know about ‘fiddling around’ with the payment kiosks. You just push the start button, put in your Metro Card and take your receipt, which to me is quicker and more efficient then sitting on a bus or even worse standing in a long line while people are trying to find their Metro Cards or the correct change.
M86 “select bus” service does not seem any faster. You still stand for ten, twenty or more minutes waiting at times, then two or three buses come bunched up.
Have never understood why “limited” bus service is fine for north to south (along the avenues), but not east to west/cross town.
In general, the Select buses are a moderate improvement.
What *is* annoying is missing a bus because the driver won’t wait the extra 15 seconds for you to go through the silly ticket-getting procedure.
The MTA cops who patrol for this infraction should have Metrocard readers that could easily see that –“yes, I have the proper Metrocard and it is properly funded, I just didn’t feel like waiting around [in the rain/sleet/locust swarm] for the next 7-10 minutes for the next one to roll around. So, I just hopped on board.”
Where specifically are the drivers pulling away and not waiting? I take several select service lines and the drivers and passengers have always been very helpful in making sure that people who are already at the kiosks are getting on the bus. Yesterday a passenger actually got off the bus to show someone how to use the machine, and the only time I’ve heard a driver tell passengers to take the next bus was when it was already packed to capacity and they announced that another bus was directly behind them. I realize though that not all of the stops have the electronic boards showing you where the buses are located but I think they’re still working on that. If it’s something that’s happening consistently you can always report it to nyc.gov and go to 311 complaints.
Ditto. Especially at the Eastbound 86th/CPW stop and the Westbound 86th/5th Ave stop, drivers regularly hold the bus, especially for tourists and other riders unfamiliar with the kiosks. I’ve also hopped (well, shlepped — I’m too old to hop) off one the rear entrances to help a befuddled person encountering the kiosk for the first time.
My child uses a DOE issued Metrocard to take the M79 to school. Does anyone know how/if those work with select busses?
Same as a regular or senior MetroCard…dip it at a kiosk at the stop and get a receipt to show one of the checkers on the bus.
The real problem with the M79 is that the drivers don’t seem to pay attention to the schedule. Time after time near the start of the East-to-West route there’s a 20 minute wait and then two to four buses come within minutes of each other. I presume the drivers are hanging out at the start to snack or schmooze.
Please don’t slander our bus drivers–for the most part they are committed, safety-conscious, and courteous. Walk a mile in their moccasins, “Rider,” before you blame them for an antiquated system.