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Posted by
W.B.
on Tue May 6 06:10:34 2025
May 6, 2019 - The Book of Last Runs
Manhattan, New York
MTA - New York City Bus
After nearly 38 years of loyal service to the Transit Authority (and through three manufacturers - GMC, TMC and Nova Bus), the RTS (Rapid Transit Series) era in New York City officially ends with one last ride for Bus 5241 (built in 1999 by Nova Bus, but carrying a TMC nameplate) on Route M55 between 44th Street-Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) and Rector Street-Broadway. Regular service for the last remaining RTS's in MTA New York City Bus' fleet had come to an end on April 30, after reports in the New York Daily News during the month of March about how these onetime mainstays of the city's streets were disproportionately assigned to the poorest neighborhoods, especially in Brooklyn, whereas wealthier neighborhoods were allotted the newer models; as well as the desire of MTA to gravitate towards an all-electric bus fleet.
After a morning ceremony at the Michael J. Quill Bus Depot where the said bus was assigned, 5241 travelled slowly (beginning around 10:30 A.M.) along 42nd Street on its way towards Sixth Avenue, finally reaching the 44th Street northern terminus at 11:18 A.M. After the passengers (including this writer) paid their way and took their seats (the bus was healthily packed but not overly so), the bus departed at 11:21 A.M. Along the way, it skipped the 35th Street, 12th Street, 10th Street, University Place, Waverly Place, Bleecker Street, Spring Street and Thames Street stops; and at one point, a blind person had boarded the bus for several blocks, as well as some who were convinced that this was a regular M55 run and not the end of the line for this venerable model. This final journey lasted 54 minutes, finally arriving at Rector Street and Broadway at 12:15 P.M. Two minutes later it left that stop, heading towards Whitehall Street (between Stone and Bridge Streets) across from MTA headquarters at 2 Broadway, where it would settle around 12:23 P.M., next to fellow RTS bus 5249 and newer "clean energy" all-electric bus 0013. After about an hour, the two RTS's headed towards South Ferry and then travelled uptown sans passengers onto the Quill depot. (5249 will be housed alongside other "museum buses" at the Amsterdam depot.)
RTS' nearly 38 years of service surpasses the run of two other iconic sets of buses that were once major fixtures of New York City streets, the GM "New Looks" (36 years, 1959-95) and their "Old Look" predecessors (32 years, 1941-73).
(Sources include: "MTA NYC Transit Retires Last of 1980s-Era Buses as Modernization of Fleet Continues, Providing Customers with Better, More Reliable Service," MTA press release, May 6, 2019; "MTA Retires Last of Its Old, Diesel Burning Rapid Transit Series Buses" by Clayton Guse, Daily News (New York), May 6, 2019; "The Last RTS Bus in Circulation Makes Its Final Run" by Vincent Barone, AM New York, May 6, 2019; "MTA Retires Old Diesel Buses As It Moves Toward All-Electric Fleet" by Caroline Spivack, Curbed New York, May 6, 2019; "NYC Transit Says Goodbye to the 'Big Blues & Whites' " by Mischa Wanek-Libman, Mass Transit, May 8, 2019.)
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