DOT and MTA Launch M86 Select Bus Service

Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and other officials at today’s M86 Select Bus Service launch on the Upper West Side. Photo: Ken Coughlin
Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg and other officials at today’s M86 Select Bus Service launch on the Upper West Side. Photo: Ken Coughlin

Electeds and other city officials today launched M86 Select Bus Service, which should reduce travel times for thousands of New Yorkers.

With 25,000 riders a day, the crosstown M86 carries more passengers per mile than any other New York City bus route. DOT first identified the line as an SBS candidate in 2009.

Unlike other Select Bus Service lines, the M86 will not have designated bus lanes. But it does have off-board fare collection and all-door boarding, which are key to keeping buses moving.

M86 SBS buses will have flashing blue destination signs so riders can distinguish them from local buses. Bus bulbs, likely to be added later, are also part of the plan.

DOT estimates the new service will speed M86 commute times by around 20 percent.

The de Blasio administration has committed to bringing 13 new Select Bus Service routes online by the end of 2017.

Photo: DOT
Photo: DOT

Photo: DOT
Photo: DOT

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There are three queue jumps on the M86 route, including this one at Fifth Avenue and 84th Street. Photo: DOT

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