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Free Bus Rides Start on the M116 Route on Sunday

September 23, 2023 | 4:58 PM
in NEWS, OUTDOORS
44
Created by Scott Etkin.

By Scott Etkin

Commuters who take the M116 bus to and from the Upper West Side and East Harlem get to ride for free starting Sunday, September 24th, thanks to the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s “Fare Free” pilot program. The program eliminates the need for a MetroCard swipe or OMNY tap on five bus routes, one in each borough, for the next six to 12 months. 

The M116 route travels in both directions between West 106th Street (at Broadway) and East 120th Street (at Pleasant Avenue). The bus goes north/south primarily along Manhattan Avenue and crosstown at 116th Street. Buses and bus stops along the route will be marked with “Fare Free” signage to indicate that riders don’t have to pay. 

The M116 route and the four others – Bx18 A/B, B60, Q4 LCL/LTD, and S46/96 – that are included in the program were chosen based on “their minimum overlap with other bus and subway routes to limit riders’ confusion, and whether those routes were served by buses equipped with automatic passenger counters to monitor ridership effectively,” the MTA wrote in an announcement. “Other determining factors included fare evasion, service frequency, available capacity to address potential ridership increases, equity for low-income and economically disadvantaged communities, and access to employment and commercial activity.”

Elected officals quoted in the announcement highlighted how the program will bring relief to low-income New Yorkers who are struggling with the high cost of living in the city. In total, nearly 44,000 commuters use the five routes that are included in the program during weekdays.

The MTA temporarily made buses free during the height of the pandemic, but since then the agency has begun exploring more ways to limit fare evasion, such as by installing new turnstiles and keeping attendants in front of the gates at subway stations. 

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44 Comments
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Keira
Keira
1 year ago

Bravo!

6
Reply
UWCider
UWCider
1 year ago
Reply to  Keira

Bravo for what? Dont be naive, nothing if free, you’ll pay it somewhere else and more.

15
Reply
Sarah
Sarah
1 year ago
Reply to  UWCider

Yes. One of the important functions of government is to redistribute resources so that we can continue to have a functioning society.

1
Reply
chris
chris
1 year ago

Hardly anyone pays to ride the 116 bus. Only those getting on at Broadway Inn, 106.

9
Reply
A.G
A.G
1 year ago
Reply to  chris

This comment is an example of the different worlds people of different classes occupy. Plenty of people ride the m116 bus , This is a projection comment , what this really means that this particular person will not benefits so no one else should

0
Reply
ASIL
ASIL
1 year ago
Reply to  chris

the M60 too

7
Reply
Jack
Jack
1 year ago

I take a crosstown bus daily — seems like that one is free too. I’d say less than 10% of the folks I see hop on during morning rush swipe their cars as their board.

13
Reply
Robert
Robert
1 year ago

Considering the MTA admits it losses almost a billion dollars a year in fare evasion this is absurd. Unfortunately, our elected’s changed the law to make it only a civil ticket a few years ago, so no one cares. It should be put back to being a criminal summons and each person should be “run” for wants and warrants. Something else our elcted ‘s have banned NYPD from doing to fare beaters. A good number of folks wanted for serious crimes got pinched that way as well a weapons/drugs that got taken of the street

27
Reply
haloslipping
haloslipping
1 year ago
Reply to  Robert

Look, I hope everyone pays their fare. But if you are living that close to the edge that you’re skipping the fare, the $100 fine will be a real hardship.

0
Reply
Eric
Eric
1 year ago
Reply to  haloslipping

When’s the last time you saw anyone nabbed by the transit police for fare evasion? That’s as gone as the rotary phone. Rules and laws without enforcement are toothless.

8
Reply
caly
caly
1 year ago
Reply to  Eric

It happens regularly on the SBS Crosstown. I really don’t understand the logic behind it. The MTA trusts customers to pay at the kiosk but then employs crews of men to board the buses and demand that riders produce a paper receipt, or an e-receipt smartphones, or be physically taken off the bus and fined for fare evasion. That began in 2010, so they’ve had 13 years to come up with a better plan. Why can’t there be consistency across all lines and locations?

1
Reply
mat
mat
1 year ago
Reply to  haloslipping

halo –
Recently saw a person trying to go over the subway turnstyle.
I offered to pay her fare.
She refused – and then successfully jumped over.

BTW here are some subway stations where someone holds open the door – and everyone just swarms in….
They are not all near the “edge”

13
Reply
Peter
Peter
1 year ago
Reply to  Robert

Those days are never coming back. This is the new normal. You’ll pay $25 to drive into midtown to cover that billion dollars. Service won’t be improved. Or they’ll just raise taxes on the ‘rich’.

18
Reply
Robert
Robert
1 year ago

And as a quick follow up. This is a test program to make bus/subways free 24/7.
This has not worked in other cities and/or countries. They quickly went back to having fares, as there was no way to come up with the several billion needed to run the system in leigh of the fare $$$ coming in. You may not have to pay a fare, but how much more are you willing to pay in taxes out of your check to cover free transit

11
Reply
Chris
Chris
1 year ago
Reply to  Robert

The city could impose a 3% payroll tax to pay for the MTA and free rides. Also the congestion pricing could be increased to 50 dollars and the gap would be closed.

1
Reply
West Ender
West Ender
1 year ago
Reply to  Chris

There is already a payroll tax imposed (on employers). It’s a percentage – less than 1% – based on the quarterly wages; paid in any quarter when wages exceed $312,500. Search for MCTMT if you want more details.

2
Reply
OPOD
OPOD
1 year ago
Reply to  Chris

Manhattan is becoming obsolete, due mostly to the “pandemic.” Why would a company rent 5 floors in midtown when you can rent a 1/4 floor keep the same address and have 90% of your workers remote? Don’t over tax wealthy people, because wealthy people have choices. When they leave they don’t come back and they take their money with them.

7
Reply
Peter
Peter
1 year ago
Reply to  Chris

People won’t spend $59 on congestion pricing. And a 3 percent payroll tax is yet another reason for companies to leave.

12
Reply
mike
mike
1 year ago
Reply to  Chris

Sure, and what will happen to jobs in the city? A lot of jobs will be moved to Jersey city, Connecticut, et cetera. Not too many companies and small businesses can and will be willing to absorb 3% increase in their payroll costs.
Meanwhile, do you really think the number of people coming to see shows in the city or go to restaurants will not decline?

6
Reply
GoRangers
GoRangers
1 year ago
Reply to  Chris

So the person, who made living honestly, let’s say 100k a year, and commuted to work regularly will now pay 3,000 per year instead of 1457 to cover the cost of free rides to people that jump. That seems fair…NOT!

13
Reply
Gin
Gin
1 year ago

Nothing will be done to alleviate fare skippers. The politicians have found their way of being money grabbers by penalizing those with personal cars. Raising the tolls, meters and, of course, congestion punishments.

11
Reply
Katherine
Katherine
1 year ago

No one was paying to ride these routes, so they just made them free. And they say crime doesn’t pay.

17
Reply
OPOD
OPOD
1 year ago

There is no such thing as a free ride. We are paying for it.

15
Reply
Jay S
Jay S
1 year ago

I wonder if cameras could catch those jumping the turnstiles. I’m tired of observing people doing this

6
Reply
Anon
Anon
1 year ago
Reply to  Jay S

They already do. How many times have the police released photos of suspects in an assault or mugging on subway platform or car and the suspect is shown mid jump over the turnstile? It’s just nothing is done about it.

8
Reply
Joanne
Joanne
1 year ago
Reply to  Jay S

I have seen stops outside the UWS where homeless people blatantly hold the emergency doors open for riders to enter the subway without paying and in exchange for $. And tons of riders take advantage.

6
Reply
Joseph Margiotta
Joseph Margiotta
1 year ago

With free bus to subway transfers and unlimited ride MetroCards, many of these rides are effectively free anyway.

3
Reply
caly
caly
1 year ago
Reply to  Joseph Margiotta

Most of us pay over $132 a month for the unlimited Metro cards in order to get those ‘free’ transfers. How can you compare that to people who skip the fare anyway and are now being rewarded with free rides? This is how the MTA recoups their losses?

11
Reply
Joe
Joe
1 year ago

Stop the fare beaters.

19
Reply
Otis
Otis
1 year ago

Whenever I take the bus anywhere it seems that a large percentage of people get on without paying. So we don’t need these feee fares anyway.

And besides, nothing is “free”. If someone gets to ride the bus for free it just means someone else will be subsidizing this with a higher fare.

14
Reply
Bill Pearlman
Bill Pearlman
1 year ago

Very few people pay anymore. Just facing reality. No cop wants to be on video giving a citation to a POC.

16
Reply
Eric
Eric
1 year ago
Reply to  Bill Pearlman

And no cop wants the prospect of a deadly encounter with one of the fare beaters.

11
Reply
Terence
Terence
1 year ago

All this kvetching…..on a brighter note: grab a book or the Sunday Times, take the M116 to First Avenue, walk one block north to E117 and go have lunch or supper at one of the oldest and best thin crust pizzerias in all of Manhattan.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patsy%27s_Pizzeria

1
Reply
Boris
Boris
1 year ago

If the MTA is making it free because of rampant fare evasion, they should reduce service on those routes. Otherwise, they are sending out the wrong message about the societal impact of fare evasion. Reducing service might affect paying customers, but giving less service to fare beaters has certain benefits. It’s hard to argue that fare beaters deserve more of a free service. You get what you pay for as a result of your behavior.

13
Reply
Robert Spire
Robert Spire
1 year ago
Reply to  Boris

Eventually local bus service in NYC will be de jure free.

0
Reply
Boris
Boris
1 year ago
Reply to  Robert Spire

Maybe it should be and focus on fare evasion should be in the subways where serious crime is also more prevalent. It’s near impossible to find a solution to fare evasion on buses. The targeted enforcement actions on buses are not going to produce sufficient benefits systemwide. Also, imagine how much faster buses would travel if the clumsy fare-paying system were eliminated.

0
Reply
Best side?
Best side?
1 year ago

Very refreshing to read these comments and see that people aren’t really buying that this is “free” or new.

10
Reply
OPOD
OPOD
1 year ago

“The trouble with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.”
Margaret Thatcher

9
Reply
Brandon
Brandon
1 year ago

To the commenters complaining about the free route: I hope none of you are using the MTA’s senior citizen reduced-fare cards. Those, too, are giveaways subsidized by other taxpayers.

2
Reply
mat
mat
1 year ago
Reply to  Brandon

Brandon,
On the other hand, if my grandpa was paying subway fare and taxes since let’s say age 18, I guess he was subsidizing younger people, people who moved to NYC – .yes?

2
Reply
Boris
Boris
1 year ago
Reply to  mat

No, he was paying for the service he received for many years.

0
Reply
Sam
Sam
1 year ago

The real, underlying issue to all these decisions is who was voted in in the last election.
Who are you going to vote for next time NYC?

0
Reply
Las
Las
1 year ago

The fair (equitable) fare thing would be a few designated free days on all routes, for everyone.

Allowing 5 bus routes to be free is entirely unfair.

3
Reply
Pepper
Pepper
1 year ago

After October 21 st it should be easier to get a seat on the westbound M116 now that Target will be closing the East 117th Street location due to rampant theft. Be sure to send thank you notes to Andrea Stewart Cousins, Carl Heastie & Alvin Bragg.

1
Reply

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