The new Bay Ridge bus map, effective this Sunday, June 27. The B37 is gone, the B70 is rerouted to compensate. The B1 and B64 switch places, and the B8 runs past the VA Hospital only late-night.

The doomsday cuts, the cuts that were not supposed to happen, are suddenly upon us because the State or the Federal government did not save us.  Doomsday is this Sunday. That is the day when Southern Brooklyn will lose the M-train and many bus lines, some entirely; other bus routes will lose overnight or weekend service, and some routes will be restructured. Click here for the new Brooklyn bus map, in effect starting Sunday, June 27.

The bus cuts, as they relate to Southern Brooklyn, are…

Express Buses

The X37, and X38 to Midtown will become part of the X27 and X28, respectively so that Midtown passengers will first get a sightseeing tour of Lower Manhattan adding about 15 minutes to their trip. The X29 that operates only during weekday rush hours will be eliminated entirely.

Reduced Hours

Weekend service will be lost on the B2, X27 and X28.  Overnight service will be lost on the B7, B31 and B64. The B9 and B16 will lose a few hours of service at the beginning and end of the day.

Shortened Routes

The B3 will be chopped off in Bergen Beach and will now terminate on Avenue U.  The B8 will be chopped at the VA Hospital (except during late nights when the B70 does not operate) instead of terminating at the 95th Street Station of the R-train in Bay Ridge.  The B64 will be chopped at 25th Avenue and will no longer serve Coney Island. The B4 will no longer operate on Neptune Avenue, but instead will use Avenue Z. It will also now terminate at Coney Island Hospital at all times when it operates, except on Monday through Friday between 7 AM and 10 AM and from 2 PM to 5 PM, when it will continue to serve Plum Beach.

Eliminated Routes and Restructured Bay Ridge Service

The B23 that operates along 16th Avenue and Cortelyou Road will be eliminated entirely.  The B37 will be eliminated, but the southern end of the B70 will replace it in Bay Ridge by being diverted from 8th Avenue to 3rd Avenue.  Finally, the B1 and B64 will swap routes with each other at 86th Street and 13th Avenue.  The B1 will continue along 86th Street to 4th Avenue while the B64 will serve southern 13th Avenue and western Bay Ridge Avenue.

Negative Impact – Overcrowding, Longer Waits, Longer Walks

Although a few modifications were made as a result of the public hearing held on March 3rd, these cuts are still devastating if your route is affected.  The R train will be overloaded at DeKalb Avenue and the D (West End) will be more crowded during rush hours.  Riders will be forced to endure longer walks.  Riders along Bay Ridge Avenue will also wait longer for a bus, since the B64 operates less frequently than the B1 that currently serves that street. Only a few people will benefit, those who travel along 86th Street will have a more direct trip if they have to cross 13th Avenue.  Some trips which previously required two buses to complete, will now require three buses, and for this privilege of having to take an extra bus, you will also be charged an additional fare if you don’t have an unlimited pass.

Lack Of Transparency Into Service Cut Rationale

While some cuts were probably necessary due to the MTA’s budget situation, the problem with these cuts is that a consistent methodology was not followed. The process was not transparent.  The MTA laid out criteria but never explained how they were used. The result was routes being eliminated which were more efficient than others that were retained.  For example the X27 and X28, eliminated on weekends are far more efficient than virtually every express route operated by the MTA Bus Company on weekends where weekend service is being retained.  The B4, which was originally going to be cut east of Coney Island Hospital at all times, has had some weekday service to Plumb Beach retained when it would have been more cost efficient to retain weekend service instead.

Since the MTA loses money for every rider it carries, it has no interest in making the system easier to use which would attract riders and necessitate more service. Instead, their goal is to provide less service, which reduces costs, but also reduces revenue by deterring riders, since the system becomes more difficult to use. At the same time, the City touts leave your car at home and use mass transit.

The author is a Former Director of MTA NYCT Bus Planning (1981).