Ridership Up, Speeds Down for Buses in New York City

"Riders are getting back on the bus, but speeds are also dropping to pre-pandemic levels because of an increase in both riders and traffic, new MTA data show," according to an article by Dave Colon. 

"Bus ridership hit a coronavirus-era high of about 1.2 million riders on July 9, up from a low of 430,000, but is still roughly half of normal ridership," reports Dave Colon regarding the slow climb of bus ridership. Bus speeds, however, "have dropped from the recent high of a citywide average of 9.2 miles per hour, down to 8.6 miles per hour, a 6.5-percent decrease."

New York City Transit Senior Vice President Craig Cipriano is cited by Colon offering several factors as explanation for the declining  bus speeds—everything from street closures for Black Lives Matter protests to increased ridership and increased congestion caused by additional cars on the streets.