Staten Island Express Bus Relaunches

The MTA launched their redesigned Staten Island Express bus routes in the hopes of creating faster more reliable service. "The result is a network of 21 routes — there were 26, previously — and stops spaced roughly .4 miles apart on average, compared to about .25 miles of separation in the old network," Vincent Barone reports for AM New York. Fewer stops mean buses move faster, though some commuters will have to walk farther. Representatives from the MTA say that, while any change would cause some backlash, the majority of riders will be better served by these streamlined routes.

Like other bus transit systems around the country the MTA's buses have seen falling ridership. "Bus ridership across the city has fallen by 8.5 percent since 2010, according to the city’s recent mobility report," Barone writes. Changes to the Staten Island buses are aimed in part at slowing that decline and are the first part of a larger plan that will reach all across the city