MTA Regional Bus Operations

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MTA Regional Bus Operations
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MTA Regional Bus Operations provides bus service in southeast New York under the public brands MTA New York City Bus, MTA Long Island Bus, and MTA Bus.[1]
Slogan Going Your Way
Parent company Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
Founded May 7, 2008[1]
Headquarters 2 Broadway (76 Broad Street)
New York, NY 10004
Locale New York metropolitan area
Service area New York City and Nassau County
Service type Local, limited-stop, bus rapid transit, and express bus service
Routes 386
Fleet 6,251 (bus-fixed route, 2007)[2][3][4]
2,116 (ADA paratransit, 2007)[5][2][3]
Operator
Chief executive Joseph A. Smith
Web site Metropolitan Transportation Authority

MTA Regional Bus Operations (referred hereafter as RBO) is the surface transit division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York) (MTA), created in 2008 to consolidate all bus operations operated by the MTA.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The history of the MTA's bus operations generally follows the history of the New York City Transit Authority, which was created in 1953 by the State of New York to take over operations then operated by the New York City Board of Transportation. The current system came into being in the mid 2000s following the MTA's assumption of services previously operated by private carriers under contract to the New York City Department of Transportation, the successor to the Board of Transportation. This brought almost all bus transportation in New York City under its control. [6]. Completed in 2006,[7] the MTA then moved to streamline its operations through consolidation of management function. To that effect, RBO was officially created in May 2008, with the president of what was then New York City Transit's Department of Buses, Joseph A. Smith, named to lead the consolidated bus operations.[1]

Currently, RBO's operational changes have been at the management level, with the creation of a unified command center and consolidation of management for all bus operations, with the aim of reducing redundancies in the agency. Other changes will include changes in the way that customers can get their information, such as via PDA.[8][9] One of the questions, however, that remains unresolved under RBO is how operations that have had funding issues historically disputed, such as Long Island Bus, will be funded by municipal government.[10]

The reorganization of bus operations into Regional Bus Operations is part of a wider reorganization of the MTA, which will also include subways and commuter rail.

[edit] Brands and service area

RBO is not currently publicly used as a brand. The current public brands are listed below:

The branding for all RBO services (except for bus #2185, which wears a special memorial scheme) is a blue stripe across the front and sides of the bus against a white base. Buses operated in Select Bus Service bus rapid transit service also have a light blue-and-white wrap below the stripe. Currently, most buses under the Long Island Bus brand also have an orange stripe with the blue stripe; future buses will have a livery like the one used within New York City.

[edit] Fleet

The RBO fleet, as of 2007, consists of over 6,200 buses of various types and models for fixed-route service, and over 2,000 vans and cabs for ADA paratransit service, providing service in New York City, Nassau County, the western edge of Suffolk County, New York, and the city of Yonkers. All vehicles (except for paratransit cabs) are fully accessible to persons with disabilities.[2][4][3]

[edit] Fares

See also: New York City transit fares

The one-way fare on any local bus operated under a brand of MTA RBO is US$2.00, payable only with coins or MetroCard (Select Bus Service fare is paid before boarding, with a receipt given). Discount passes for 1, 7, 14, or 30 days are available. MetroCard is also accepted on Westchester Bee-Line buses for travel into Westchester County. The express bus fare RBO express bus service is US$5.00. Dollar bills and half-dollar coins are not accepted for use on fixed-route travel.

The fare for ADA paratransit service is US$2.00 in New York City and US$3.75 in Nassau County. Exact fare is required.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York) (2008-05-08). MTA Moves to Streamline Bus Operations. Press release. http://www.mta.info/mta/news/releases/?en=080507-HQ15. Retrieved on 2008-10-06. 
  2. ^ a b c NYCT data from the National Transit Database
  3. ^ a b c Long Island Bus data from the National Transit Database
  4. ^ a b MTA Bus Company data from the National Transit Database
  5. ^ Atlantic Express paratransit data from the National Transit Database
  6. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (2002-06-25). "City Seeks M.T.A. Takeover Of 7 Bus Companies' Routes". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F03E7DA163EF936A15755C0A9649C8B63&scp=4&sq=mta%20takes%20over%20triboro%20coach&st=cse. Retrieved on 6 October 2008. 
  7. ^ Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York) (2006-02-20). MTA Bus Mergers Completed. Press release. http://mta.info/mta/news/newsroom/mtabus.htm. Retrieved on 2008-10-06. 
  8. ^ Yates, Maura (2008-05-07). "Streamlining Buses, Saving Cash". Staten Island Advance. http://blog.silive.com/statenislandtransportation/2008/05/streamlining_buses_saving_cash.html. Retrieved on 6 October 2008. 
  9. ^ Paul, Ari (2008-05-16). "MTA Consolidation Of Bus Units Raises Seniority Concerns". The Chief-Leader. http://www.thechief-leader.com/news/2008/0516/news/011.html. Retrieved on 6 October 2008. 
  10. ^ Steven Higashide (2008-05-12). "Long Island Bus to Find a Home as MTA Announces Regional Bus". http://blog.tstc.org/2008/05/12/long-island-bus-to-find-a-home-as-mta-announces-regional-bus/. Retrieved on 2008-10-06. 

[edit] External links

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