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Posted by
Gold_12th
on Tue Apr 22 13:32:00 2014
edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d MTA use to have the Bus History info online, many many many many years ago....
The bus system we operate today has been nearly a century in the making.
On July 13, 1907, the Fifth Avenue Coach Company began providing the city's first motor-bus service. Powered by gasoline, Fifth Avenue Coach's open-top, double-decker bus ran in Manhattan between Washington Square and 90th Street.
Like the subway system, the city's motor-bus service was first operated by private companies. On June 1, 1940, bus routes and depots operated by the bankrupt Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation were taken over by the city's Board of Transportation. Later that decade, the city assumed control over several more bus companies. Then in 1953, NYC Transit (officially, the New York City Transit Authority) was established to become responsible for operating this city-owned bus service.
The NYC Transit-operated bus system expanded significantly in 1962, when the city acquired the extensive holdings of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. The State Legislature created a new agency, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, as a subsidiary of NYC Transit.
Notable Events
1940s
Feb. 23, 1947
The city acquires the Isle Transportation Company, formerly the Staten Island Coach Company, and begins operating buses on Staten Island.
March 30, 1947
The city takes over the North Shore Bus Company and begins operating buses in Queens.
Sept. 24, 1948
The city acquires the Comprehensive Omnibus Corporation and the East Side Omnibus Company and begins operating buses in Manhattan.
1950s
June 15, 1953
The State Legislature establishes New York City Transit to oversee city owned bus and subway operations.
July 25, 1953
Tokens are used for the first time on buses and subways.
July 8, 1954
The first labor contract negotiated by NYC Transit and employee unions becomes effective.
Oct. 31, 1956
NYC Transit begins operating bus service along Church Avenue (B35) in Brooklyn when the Church Avenue trolley line is discontinued.
1960s
March 19, 1962
The New York State Legislature forms the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority, a non civil service subsidiary of NYC Transit, to take over bus operations for the bankrupt Fifth Avenue Coach Lines.
Nov. 3, 1965
NYC Transit creates the first express bus route, the R8X (today, the X8), to link Staten Island with downtown Brooklyn.
Jan. 1 - 12, 1966
A strike by unionized employees shuts down bus and subway service for 12 days.
Sept. 11, 1966
The department begins providing air conditioned bus service with the 682 vehicle fleet of Grumman 8000 series buses. (The system's first air conditioned bus was a demonstration bus, a 1959 General Motors, bus no. 100.)
March 1, 1968
The State Legislature creates the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to oversee transportation operations in 12 counties. The MTA becomes NYC Transit's parent agency.
May 14, 1968
Department of Buses activates a two way radio link between buses and its East New York Command Center.
Dec. 9, 1968
The first express-bus route between Staten Island and Manhattan begins operating.
July 1, 1969
NYC Transit introduces a reduced fare for senior citizens on buses 10 cents for a oneway local bus trip.
Aug. 31, 1969
From this day on, customers are required to pay in tokens or exact money fares, as bus operators are no longer responsible for making change.
1970s
April 29, 1973
Bx55 bus service replaces the Bronx's Third Avenue "El," which ceases operating.
Feb. 11, 1974
NYC Transit introduces limited stop bus service: on Manhattan's M15 and Queens' Q46 (formerly the Q44A).
Sept. 8, 1974
Queens Village Depot opens.
Sept. 2, 1975
Half fare for people with physical disabilities is instituted on all buses and trains. On July 1, 1976, the program was expanded to include individuals with mental disabilities.
Oct. 1, 1975
The department's first ever transfer program with a commuter railroad is inaugurated when the Bx15 begins accepting Metro North Railroad's "UniTicket."
Dec. 22, 1975
The first "kneeling" buses are placed in service.
Sept. 2, 1977
The NYCTA introduces its first "Guide A Ride" bus information signs at bus stops.
1980s
Feb. 5, 1980
The first fleet of wheelchair lift equipped buses is introduced with 200 Grumman buses.
Apr. 1 to11, 1980
A strike by unionized employees shuts down bus and subway operations for 11 days.
Aug. 9, 1981
The first General Motors RTS II 04 Advanced Design Buses are placed in service on the M16 route in Manhattan.
Sept. 13, 1981
Staten Island's Yukon Depot opens.
Jan. 1, 1982
To rescue the nation's largest public transit system from years of undercapitalization and deferred maintenance, NYC Transit launches the first of its five year Capital Improvement programs.
A second five year rebuilding program follows in 1986, and NYC Transit is currently working on its third program.
Throughout this period, the agency succeeds in managing one of the biggest capital works projects in the nation's history.
Successes include replacing and overhauling the bus fleet as well as rehabilitating work facilities.
Sept. 12, 1982
To reduce transfer abuse, the agency introduces a time validated transfer.
Feb. 8, 1984
Because of design, structure and workmanship problems, 850 Grumman Flxible Model Advanced Design buses (delivered in 1980 - 1981) are removed from service.
The agency rushes to prepare 300 retired buses to meet the next day's service demands.
The long term solution comes in ordering 400 new RTS II 04 buses and contracting for the Blitz Corporation to remanufacture 350 General Motors buses (originally built between 1966 and 1973).
May 1, 1984
Express bus tokens are introduced.
Sept. 6, 1984
A new depot, the Fifth Avenue Depot, is built on the site of Brooklyn's 100 year old Fifth Avenue depot.
Oct. 5, 1984
The department establishes the division concept, creating the position of general manager to oversee all bus operations for each borough.
April 5, 1986
The first electronic fareboxes go into operation on buses.
Nov. 15, 1987
For the first time, NYC Transit local bus service (Q3) operates to JFK International Airport, while the Q5 is extended into Nassau County to serve the Green Acres Mall.
June 30, 1988
Brooklyn's Fifth Avenue Depot is renamed as Jackie Gleason Depot.
Dec. 11, 1988
When three new Archer Avenue subway stations are opened, six southeast Queens bus routes are rerouted to serve the city's first modern intermodal (bus/rail) facility at Archer Avenue and Parsons Boulevard.
May 12, 1989
NYC Transit succeeds with its five year goal of establishing graffiti free bus and subway fleets.
Sept. 10, 1989
The $50 million, 240 bus Gun Hill Depot opens in the Bronx.
1990s
May 1, 1990
New pre trip inspection procedures for bus operators are established to enhance safety system wide.
Feb. 9, 1992
The Department of Buses introduces the Route Manager Program to Manhattan's M15 route.
Route managers talk to customers at bus stops and are responsible for coordinating all route activities in order to take better care of customers.
By the end of the year, the program expands to all 201 local bus routes.
Aug. 16, 1992
After undergoing a $55 million renovation, Queens' former Flushing depot becomes the Casey Stengel Depot.
Sept. 13, 1992
M60 interborough bus service between Harlem and LaGuardia Airport starts, giving Manhattan residents a one fare ride to the airport. The M60 route is extended to Broadway/116th St on May 1, 1994, giving all Manhattan a one-fare ride to the airport.
Sept. 13, 1992
S79 interborough bus service between Staten Island and Manhattan begins.
Oct. 18, 1992
As part of the "Fare Deal" initiative, the agency introduces new bus transfer/discount fares in Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn.
New bus transfer/discount fare privileges being in Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn. Staten Island customer who transfer between local and certain express buses or local buses and the Staten Island Railway pay one fare instead of two. B74 customers in Brooklyn pay only 75 cents per trip; Q4, Q5, Q42, Q83, Q84 and Q85 customers traveling to the Jamaica Center subway station in Queens pay $1.50 for round-trip bus fare - a 40 percent savings.
Nov. 8, 1992
The agency opens a new depot the Manhattanville Depot on 132nd St and 12th Av in Manhattan.
Feb. 21, 1993
The new Kingsbridge Depot, housing 242 buses and more than 650 employees, replaces the Walnut Depot, which closes for rehabilitation.
(Walnut is scheduled to reopen in 1995 and replace the Coliseum Depot, which will close for rehabilitation.)
Sept. 23, 1993
The 146th Street Depot is officially renamed the Mother Clara McBride Hale Depot. Over a five year period, employees raise more than $61,000 for Hale House, the late Mother Hale's Harlem child care center.
Dec. 5, 1993
To improve customer security from midnight to 5 a.m., the Department of Buses introduces Request a Stop on Staten Island buses. In 1994, the program was expanded to Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Jan. 1, 1994
The agency expands transfer privileges between NYC Transit buses and private bus lines.
Oct. 31, 1994
Testing of the new automated fare collection farebox begins on the Bx55 route for customers transferring to the subway at 149 Grand Concourse.
The plan is to begin equipping Staten Island buses with this farebox by March 1995.
By mid year, the agency's entire bus fleet is scheduled to begin accepting MetroCard (as well as tokens and change) as a fare medium.
March 8, 1995
NYC Transit's bus fleet becomes 100 percent accessible to customers with disabilities.
September 1, 1995
The Department of Buses completes a major reorganization, making depots self sufficient, downsizing Division staffs in the five boroughs, and transferring primary responsibility for operating passenger service to a newly created Road Operations Division.
The Road Operations Division is administered by four Assistant Chief Transportation Officers, each responsible for a geographical quadrant of New York City.
September 28, 1995
NYC Transit buses in Staten Island begin to accept MetroCard. All NYC Transit buses take MetroCard by year's end.
November 12, 1995
To overcome budget shortfalls due to massive federal, state, and city cutbacks in capital and operating subsidies, the MTA Board implements a fare increase of 25 cents on subways and local routes to $1.50. Express bus fare remains the same ($4.00)
November 30, 1995
Fareboxes on NYC Transit buses in Brooklyn and Queens begin accepting MetroCard
September 19, 1996
Two MetroCard buses travel to community centers, shopping centers, and other locations to promote the fare card and help senior citizens and people with disabilities get or replenish the Reduced-Fare MetroCard.
Depot Assignments:
Bronx Division
Mother Hale: M1, M2, M7, M60, Bx33
Kingsbridge: Bx1, Bx2, Bx3, Bx7, Bx9, Bx10, Bx18, Bx20, Bx41, Bx55, M100
Walnut: Bx4, Bx5, Bx6, Bx8 (split route), Bx11, Bx13 Bx15, Bx17, Bx19, Bx21, Bx27, Bx32, Bx35, Bx36
Gun Hill: Bx8, Bx12, Bx14, Bx16, Bx22, Bx26, Bx28, Bx29, Bx30, Bx31, Bx34, Bx39, Bx40, Bx42, Bx55
Brooklyn Division:
East New York: B12, B14, B15, B17, B25, B40, B42, B43, B45, B60, B82(split route), B83, Q24, Q56
Fresh Pond: B13, B18, B20, B24, B26, B30, B38, B39, B52, B54, B57, Q54, Q55, Q58, Q59
Flatbush: B2, B7, B31, B41, B44, B46, B49, B78
Ulmer Park: B1, B3, B4, B6, B8, B36, B64, B68, B74, B82 (split route), X25 (split route), X28, X29
Jackie Gleason: B9, B11, B16, B23, B35, B37, B48, B51, B61, B63, B65, B67, B69, B70, B71, B75, B77, X25, X27
Manhattan Division:
Hudson: M6, M8, M9, M11 (split route), M14, M16, M21, M22, M23, M34, M42, Q32 (split route)
Manhattanville: M3, M4, M5, M10, M11 (split route), M18, M30, M57, M72, M98
100th St: M35, M86, M96, M101, M102, M103, M106, X90, X92
126th St: M15, M27, M31, M50, M66
Amsterdam: M79, M104, M116
Queens Division:
Casey Stengel: Q12, Q13, Q14, Q15, Q16, Q20, Q26, Q27, Q28, Q32 (split route), Q44, Q48, Q74, Q76, X32, X51
Jamaica: Q3, Q4, Q5, Q17, Q42, Q77, Q84, Q85, Q86, X63, X64
Queens Village: Q1, Q2, Q30, Q31, Q36, Q43, Q75, Q79, Q83, Q88, X68
Staten Island Division:
Castleton: S40, S42, S46, S48/98, S51, S52, S53, S54, S57, S60, S62/92, S66/S67, S76, X10, X12, X14, X16, X18, X20
Yukon: S44/94, S55/S56, S59, S61/91, S74, S78, S79, X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, X8, X9, X15, X17/X19, X31
DEPOTS
To find the soul of the Department of Buses, visit one of its 19 depots. They are a home away from home for our transportation and maintenance employees, the workplace for about 90 percent of our department.
Every minute of every day, buses pull in and out of depots throughout the city's five boroughs. They are places where employees store, wash and refuel buses, and perform routine bus maintenance.
Like fine old ballparks, many of our depots were built a century ago and retain a unique charm, style and history. Some were constructed as trolley barns, piers and warehouses, while Coliseum Depot (which will undergo rehabilitation in 1995) was built at the beginning of the century to serve as a sports arena.
But time takes its toll. Fifteen years ago, the working conditions for depot employees were bleak, with virtually all 19 depots in disrepair.
During the past decade, we've invested capital funds toward depot rehabilitation. As a result, we're making progress toward getting all 19 into good repair. Since 1986, we've rehabilitated eight depots (Mother Clara Hale, Amsterdam, 126th Street, Flatbush, Ulmer Park, Queens Village, Castleton and Yukon) and have built five new depots (Gun Hill, Kingsbridge, Manhattanville, Jackie Gleason, Casey Stengel). Two more depots--Coliseum and 100th Street--are scheduled to be reconstructed in the next three years.
Amsterdam Depot
Division: Manhattan
Address: 1381 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, New York 10027
History: Originally constructed in 1882 as a trolley depot, Amsterdam is one of the oldest facilities in the system. The last trolley operated out of Amsterdam in 1946. In 1947, the building was expanded and reopened as a bus garage, operated by Surface Transportation Company. After the facility was bought by the City of New York in 1962, MaBSTOA was formed and continued to operate this depot since then.
Casey Stengel Depot
Division: Queens
Address: 123-53 Willets Point Blvd., Flushing, NY 11368
History: Constructed in 1950 by the city's Board of Transportation, the depot was originally a single building known as the Flushing Depot. On Aug. 16, 1992, upon the completion of a $55 million renovation which included the creation of separate maintenance and transportation buildings, the depot was rededicated as the Casey Stengel Depot in honor of the legendary Yankees and Mets manager.
Castleton Depot
Division: Staten Island
Address: 1390 Castleton Avenue, Staten Island, New York 10302
History: Castleton Depot was constructed in the late 1940s to provide urgently needed storage space for City-owned buses on Staten Island. When Isle Transportation went bankrupt in 1947, the city's Board of Transportation (predecessor of NYC Transit) took control of the majority of Staten Island bus operations. In 1948, the Board appropriated $1.7 million to build a new depot on Staten Island. Castleton remained the only city-owned depot on Staten Island until the opening of Yukon Depot in 1981.
East New York Depot
Division: Brooklyn
Address: 1 Jamaica Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11207
History: East New York complex covers a five-acre site and at one time was a trolley-car barn. Buses began to operate out of this facility in 1931, with trolley cars being phased out in 1947. Having been acquired by the city's Board of Transportation in 1940, the building was razed by the end of the decade.. The present structure was constructed in 1950 with additional office space being added in 1962 and 1969. The construction cost was $11 million. East New York is the site of the Brooklyn Division office.
Flatbush Depot
Division: Brooklyn
Address: 4901 Fillmore Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11234
History: The area immediately north of Flatbush Depot was at one time the site of a trolley-car barn. In 1931, buses first operated from this location and were stored outside. The site was acquired by the city's Board of Transportation in 1940 and the area was razed for a new depot in 1947, with the new depot being constructed in 1950 at a cost of $1.9 million. An outdoor parking lot was added in 1965. Rehabilitation was completed in 1991.
Fresh Pond Depot
Division: Brooklyn
Address: 66-69 Fresh Pond Road, Ridgewood, NY 11385
History
One of the original uses of Fresh Pond Depot was as an elevated trolley car repair shop. In 1917, it became a trolley inspection shop and operated in that capacity until 1950. It was acquired by the city's Board of Transportation in 1940 and the area was razed for a new depot in 1957. The present depot was constructed in 1960 and is currently undergoing rehabilitation.
Gun Hill Depot
Division: Bronx
Address: 1910 Bartow Av., Bronx, NY 10469
History: Located in the northeast Bronx near Co-op City, Gun Hill is the system's only depot that NYC Transit built from scratch. Before our agency developed this land, the depot site was marshland with a row of junkyards and vacant lots. Construction was completed on Sept. 10, 1989.
Hudson Depot
Division: Manhattan
Address: 112 Eleventh Avenue, New York, NY 10011
History: This depot was built in 1952 as a shipping pier. In 1971, NYC Transit took possession of the vacant building and closed and relinquished its 12th Street depot, a former taxi garage which had housed 60 buses. The depot is expected to be operational until the year 2000, when the recently acquired Greyhound terminal is rehabilitated and a new 100th Street Depot built.
Jackie Gleason Depot
Division: Brooklyn
Address: 845 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11214
History: At the turn of the century, the site of the current Jackie Gleason Depot was a passenger terminal named Union Station. Steam trains ran from some of the outlying parts of downtown Brooklyn where they then continued their journey into Manhattan. Following that, it operated as an elevated car inspection shop from sometime in the early 1900s until approximately 1940, when it was acquired by the city's Board of Transportation. In 1944, as the Fifth Avenue Depot, it began operation as a bus garage. The present structure was built in stages, the first stage opening in 1984 and the second, final stage in May 1986. In 1988, the depot was renamed the Jackie Gleason Depot in honor of the renowned actor for his memorable role as Bus Driver Ralph Kramden in "The Honeymooners."
Jamaica Depot
Division: Queens
Address: 165-18 South Rd., Jamaica, NY 11433
History: Built at a cost of $500,000 by the North Shore Bus Company as a single-story brick structure, Jamaica Depot opened on July 30, 1940. The city's Board of Transportation acquired the depot in 1947, and then NYC Transit in 1953. The depot was modified in 1950 and again in 1968 with the addition of a maintenance area, second-story offices and lockerroom. But two decades of deferred facility maintenance brought the depot into disrepair. The first phase of capital rebuilding, completed in 1993, brought some structural improvements, including roof replacement. A depot upgrade in 1994 addressed many more needs. A new Jamaica Depot is being considered for 1999.
Kingsbridge Depot
Division: Bronx
Address: 4065 10th Av., New York, NY 10034
History: Reconstructed and reopened in February 1993, this modern two-building complex replaces the former Kingsbridge facility, which was erected in the 1890s as a garage for street cars and was converted for buses in 1948 by the Surface Transportation Company. After becoming a holding of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, the depot became part of MaBSTOA in 1962.
Manhattanville Depot
Division: Manhattan
Address: 666 West 133rd Street, New York, NY 10027
History: Manhattanville Depot opened on November 8, 1992. The first depot totally designed by NYC Transit engineers, it is the only depot in the Manhattan Division which can accommodate indoor parking for all buses assigned. It was constructed on the former site of the 132nd Street Depot, which was built in 1918 by the Fifth Avenue Coach Company. The 132nd Street facility was acquired by the city in 1962 and subsequently used as MaBSTOA's headquarters for over 20 years. It was finally demolished in the mid-1980s to provide the site for this new depot.
Mother Clara Hale Depot
Division: Bronx
Address: 721 Lenox Av., New York, NY 10039
History: Formerly called the 146th Street Depot, the depot underwent rehabilitation in 1990 and was renamed after Mother Clara McBride Hale on Sept. 23, 1993. The building was constructed in the 1890s as a trolley barn and consists of a four-story office structure and one-story bus storage and repair facility.
Queens Village Depot
Division: Queens
Address: 97-11 222nd St., Queens Village, NY 11428
History: Queens Village Depot was opened on Sept. 8, 1974, on the site of Dugan's Bakery. In 1987, NYC Transit invested an additional $7 million for capital improvements, such as improving lighting, employee facilities, fuel storage and bus-washing equipment. The depot is the only one in the Queens Division that is able to store the entire fleet indoors.
Ulmer Park Depot
Division: Brooklyn
Address: 24409 Harway Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11214
History: The land for Ulmer Park Depot was acquired in 1947. The depot itself was built in 1950 at a cost of $1.9 million. In addition to the bus facility building, buses are also stored in two outside parking lots. Bus hoists were modernized in 1983, while security fencing was installed three years later. By 1989, the depot was fully rehabilitated. Work included replacing depressed floor slabs and sidewalks, constructing new fuel tanks and maintenance pits, and installing new bus lifts and bus washers.
Walnut Depot
Division: Bronx
Address: 900 East 132nd Street, Bronx, NY 10454
History: The building is located in the Port Morris section of the Bronx. The depot is a former Woolworth's warehouse that was remodeled in 1984 and again in 1994 to accommodate bus transportation and maintenance operations.
Yukon Depot
Division: Staten Island
Address: 40 Yukon Avenue, Staten Island, New York 10314
History: Yukon Depot was constructed in the late 1970s after many years of searching for a suitable site for a second depot on Staten Island. Castleton Depot, the only permanent City-owned bus depot on Staten Island, had been operating beyond its capacity for many years and storing many of its buses outdoors. Additional space for Staten Island buses had been acquired in 1977 when Piers 20 and 21 (formerly Pouch Terminal) were converted into Edgewater Depot. A fire destroyed Pier 20 in 1978. Edgewater was reopened in 1983, only to be permanently abandoned in 1985 when it was found to be structurally unsafe for use as a bus depot. Yukon was completed and opened for operation on Sept. 13, 1981. It is a fully modern facility, operating and maintaining the majority of Staten Island Division's buses.
100th Street Depot
Division: Manhattan
Address: 1550 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10029
History: 100th Street Depot is a totally enclosed facility, merging both maintenance and transportation functions. But it is actually two buildings in one. The southern-most part was a trolley barn constructed in 1895 and the northern-most part was added in 1907. The depot is scheduled to be rebuilt during the next few years.
126th Street Depot
Division: Manhattan
Address: 2460 Second Av., New York, NY 10035
History: 126th Street Depot was originally built in 1949 as a bus garage for the Surface Transportation Company. In 1962, the same year that the Legislature established MaBSTOA, 126th Street was acquired by NYC Transit as a "TA" depot. It remains Manhattan's only TA depot. Two enclosed outdoor bus-parking facilities were added between 1989 and 1991. Today, the depot may be described as a single facility "under three separate roofs."
thats it.
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