Letter to MTA: Invest in service for a successful bus network redesign
The Queens bus network redesign has presented us an opportunity to update our bus network to better serve hundreds of thousands of riders with simpler, streamlined routes and increased access to opportunity with overall faster trips.
But in order for riders to get the absolute most out of a redesigned bus network, further investments must be made to improve overall service quality. This is why we hope the consistent open communication between the MTA, riders, and transit workers that has shaped the redesign process continues to be a forum for experts, riders, and elected leaders to explore each other’s perspectives and continue working together to create and maintain a bus network that can address and adapt to the needs of today’s ridership.
Along with [elected officials/partners], we’ve drafted an open letter to MTA CEO Janno Lieber and New York City Transit President Richard Davey with 5 recommendations to ensure the success of Queens, or any other, bus network redesign.
Increase bus service frequency. Simplified bus routes and faster travel speeds are great, but without more frequent service, those improvements are overshadowed by buses arriving twice an hour off-peak.
Improve and expand bus operator facilities. With routes being combined to create a more efficient network, bus operators need proper facilities located at the terminal stops of new, longer bus routes featured in the redesigned network.
Implement all-door boarding. The less time riders spend boarding and paying, the more time they can spend traveling. With OMNY fare boxes already installed on every NYCT bus, implementing all-door boarding is the simplest way to improve bus speeds and service reliability in tandem with the redesigned network.
Measure equity and access to opportunity. Bus networks should be redesigned with an implicit imperative to improve equitable access to opportunity—places where people can access jobs, education, healthcare, and recreation—for marginalized communities. Without measuring how equitable service is in the existing network, we are unable to make decisions to intentionally improve access to reliable service for those that need it the most.
Improve community outreach efforts. This is our bus network. To successfully redesign the network, riders must be at the table throughout the entire process and regarded as expert consultants in determining how a “better, improved” bus network looks and functions. The MTA’s community outreach and engagement process should be expanded to include more in-person outreach at bus shelters and transit hubs to reach riders where they’re at to gather their feedback. There should also be a more pronounced focus on educating riders and giving them the necessary context to make informed decisions about what they want from their bus network and the trade-offs they’re willing to make for it so that riders aren’t blindsided by service changes and updates that can easily be interpreted as service cuts at first glance.