M60 (New York City bus) explained

Box Width:300px
Subheader:125th Street−LaGuardia Airport Line
System:MTA Regional Bus Operations
Operator:New York City Transit Authority
Garage:Mother Clara Hale Depot
Vehicle:Nova Bus LFS articulated
New Flyer Xcelsior XD60 (main vehicles)
New Flyer Xcelsior XDE40 (supplemental service)
Open:September 13, 1992[1] [2]
May 25, 2014 (Select Bus Service)
Locale:Manhattan and Queens, New York, U.S.
Start:Upper West Side – Broadway  / 106th Street
Via:125th Street, Triborough Bridge, Astoria Boulevard
End:LaGuardia Airport
Length:9.4miles[3]
Stations:21[4]
Otherroutes:M125 The Hub/125th Street
M100 Broadway/Amsterdam Avenue
M101 3rd/Lexington/Amsterdam Avs/125th Street
Day:24 hours[5]
Timetable Link:M60 SBS
Annualpatronage:2,327,966 (2023)[6]
Transfers:Yes
Map State:collapsed
Previous Line:M57
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The M60 Select Bus Service is a bus route in New York City. It is part of MTA Regional Bus Operations, operated by the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MaBSTOA) under the New York City Transit brand. The M60 provides service between the Upper West Side of Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, traveling between boroughs via the RFK-Triborough Bridge. It is the only direct public transit option between Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport.

The M60 was introduced in 1992 as an airport connector and is usually advertised as such. Much of the M60's passenger load, however, is from its crosstown service along 125th Street in Harlem; the M60 is the busiest of the four bus routes that run along the 125th Street Crosstown Line ("125th Street corridor"). On May 25, 2014, the M60 was converted into a Select Bus Service (SBS) route to improve service to-and-from the airport, and service along 125th Street.

Route description and service

The M60 begins on the Upper West Side in Manhattan at West 106th and Broadway. It turns east at 120th Street, and north at Amsterdam Avenue, before turning east onto 125th Street in Manhattanville. Along 125th Street in Harlem, the M60 provides limited-stop service, with the and providing local service. At the east end of the street, it enters the Triborough Bridge, crossing into Queens. It then travels along Astoria Boulevard (the service road for the Grand Central Parkway) and 23rd Avenue to 94th Street, providing limited-stop service in the neighborhoods of Astoria and East Elmhurst. The provides local service along Astoria Boulevard, and the and along 23rd Avenue. At 94th Street, the M60 turns north and enters the airport, serving Terminals B, C, and A (in that order) before returning to Manhattan.[7]

The M60 connects with several subway lines in Manhattan–the IRT West Side Line, IND Eighth Avenue Line, IRT Lenox Avenue Line, and IRT Lexington Avenue Line–as well as the Harlem–125th Street station of the Metro-North Railroad. It also connects with the BMT Astoria Line (leading to the BMT Broadway Line) in Astoria.[8]

Stops

History

In 1991, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) held a public hearing to discuss a bus route between Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport.[9] The M60 was approved for implementation in mid-1992[10] and began service on September 13, 1992, running between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and the airport.[1] [11] [12] [13] On May 1, 1994, it was extended to Columbia University and the 116th Street subway station. The M60 was extended west along 125th Street, south on Amsterdam Avenue west on 120th Street, south on Claremont Avenue to West 116th Street, and then north on Broadway to the terminal.[14] [15] The route was extended in response to requests from residents and groups from Morningside Heights and West Harlem. 20% of M60 riders surveyed said that they had used taxis, car services, personal cars or Carey Bus before its introduction and 25% said that they walked or did not make the trip. These 45% of riders surveyed were new NYC Transit riders.[16]

In June 1995, the route was extended 0.4miles to West 106th Street and Broadway, and was rerouted to Broadway from Claremont Avenue as residents on that street believed that the route had decreased their quality of life. Three options had been considered to reroute or extend the M60: using Riverside Drive, extending the route to West 110th Street, and extending the route to West 106th Street, which was decided upon. The M60 was extended south via Broadway and West End Avenue to West 106th Street, making limited stops, and laying over at West 106th Street and Broadway. The extension provided direct service between the Upper West Side and LaGuardia.[17]

Between 1997 and 2004, the bus route had an increase in ridership of 237%,[18] leading to a decrease in trip headways from 20 minutes to 15 minutes in 1998,[19] and under 10 minutes by the 2000s. On October 12, 2009, the first luggage rack-equipped bus in the city debuted on the M60, as part of a ten-bus pilot program on airport bus services to improve passenger flow.[20] [21] [22] In 2012, 60feet articulated buses began replacing the standard 40feet buses on the route.[23] [24] In 2009, the MTA and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) identified the M60 as a potential corridor for Phase II of Select Bus Service (SBS), the city's bus rapid transit service. The M60 was identified under studies to improve crosstown service on 125th Street, which like other crosstown bus corridors was noted for slow travel speeds.[25] It was also identified as a corridor for improvement by the LaGuardia Airport Access Alternatives Analysis, which conducted with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to improve bus service to LaGuardia Airport.[26] [27] The reason for the creation of the LaGuardia Access Alternatives study was the slow bus service on the M60,, and Q72, which all went to LaGuardia Airport.[26] [27] A separate outside study in 2011 by the Regional Plan Association proposed creating dedicated busways along the Grand Central Parkway to speed up M60 service.[28]

The M60 is one of three SBS routes that were planned under the LaGuardia Alternatives Analysis.[27] The Q70 Limited became an SBS route on September 25, 2016,[29] and the route had been planned to be extended to LaGuardia Airport under the LaGuardia Alternatives Analysis.[27] However, the Bx41 extension has not been implemented yet due to a lack of funding.[30] According to the city government, the three routes" would provide "shorter term, lower cost transit improvements" for LaGuardia Airport. At the time, the airport was the New York area's only large airport without any rapid transit connections to Manhattan.[31]

Studies and community outreach for Select Bus Service upgrades were conducted through 2011, and plans to implement the M60 SBS were announced on October 11, 2012.[32] At the time, the M60 was the heaviest used of the four 125th Street crosstown buses. The plan would turn the M60 local into a limited-stop service along 125th Street, with the number of stops along the corridor reduced from eleven to six. It would add dedicated MTA bus lanes and other improvements to speed travel times, and make the fleet entirely articulated and fully equipped with luggage racks.[33]

Plans for the SBS route were scrapped in July 2013 after opposition from the Harlem community and state senator Bill Perkins, over the potential loss of parking space on 125th Street, and due to a lack of collaboration by the DOT with the community.[34] [35] [36] In October 2013, the plan was reinstated after the proposed bus lanes along 125th Street between Morningside Avenue on the West Side and Lenox Avenue in central Harlem were eliminated. The M60 SBS began service on May 25, 2014.[33] [37] An inauguration ceremony was held two days later.[38]

In January 2023, the MTA released a strategic action plan by the name of Extending Transit's Reach. As a part of this plan, the M60 SBS was scheduled to receive bike rack installation on its buses.[39]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: New York City Transit – History and Chronology. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 12, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20140108233754/http://www.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffhist.htm. January 8, 2014. dead.
  2. Web site: HISTORY OF THE BUS SYSTEM. mta.nyc.ny.us. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. January 15, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/19980127010654/http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/Bus/busfacts.htm. dead. January 27, 1998.
  3. Web site: BUS ROUTE PROFILES 2017 An Addendum to "The Other Transit Crisis: How to Improve the NYC Bus System". comptroller.nyc.gov. Office of the Comptroller. January 15, 2018. 8. December 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180115184711/https://comptroller.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/documents/Bus_Route_Profiles_2017.pdf. January 15, 2018. mdy-all.
  4. Web site: +selectbusservice 125th Street: Sunday, May 25, 2014 M60 Select Bus Service is coming!. nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation. December 25, 2015. 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151123080456/http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/2014-m60-selectbusservice-launchflyer.pdf. November 23, 2015. mdy-all.
  5. http://web.mta.info/nyct/bus/schedule/manh/m60scur.pdf. M60 SBS.
  6. Web site: Subway and bus ridership for 2023 . mta.info . April 29, 2024. May 2, 2024.
  7. Web site: Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Airline terminal relocations at LaGuardia Airport. December 13, 2017. bot: unknown. https://web.archive.org/web/20171211204813/http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/AirlineTerminalRrelocations%20at%20LaGuardiaAirport.htm. December 11, 2017.
  8. Web site: Tauranac. John. $1.50 to La Guardia? Take the M-60. The New York Times. December 26, 2015. July 13, 1997. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107045812/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/13/travel/1.50-to-la-guardia-take-the-m-60.html. January 7, 2016. mdy-all.
  9. Web site: Flegenheimer. Matt. An M.T.A. Hearing Asks: Is Everyone O.K. With This Service Increase?. The New York Times. December 26, 2015. January 23, 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170813151508/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/nyregion/good-news-gets-a-hearing-a-transit-agency-rarity.html?mtrref=query.nytimes.com&gwh=C4A5C278BDB93762F8E60277F6E57C3B&gwt=pay. August 13, 2017. mdy-all.
  10. Web site: Lorch. Donatella. More Buses and Trains Planned to Lure Riders. The New York Times. December 27, 2015. August 6, 1992. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107034502/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/06/nyregion/more-buses-and-trains-planned-to-lure-riders.html. January 7, 2016. mdy-all.
  11. Web site: Hughes. C.J.. Catching a Full-Up Plane? Take This Overstuffed Bus. The New York Times. December 26, 2015. December 25, 2008. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170828143640/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/26/nyregion/26bus.html?mtrref=query.nytimes.com&_r=0. August 28, 2017. mdy-all.
  12. Web site: More Buses and Trains Planned to Lure Riders. Lorch. Donatella. August 6, 1992. The New York Times. December 26, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107034502/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/06/nyregion/more-buses-and-trains-planned-to-lure-riders.html. January 7, 2016. mdy-all.
  13. Web site: Wade. Betsy. Betsy Wade. TRAVEL ADVISORY; A Cheap Ride From La Guardia. The New York Times. December 26, 2015. December 20, 1992. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107044511/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/20/travel/travel-advisory-a-cheap-ride-from-la-guardia.html. January 7, 2016. mdy-all.
  14. Web site: TRAVEL ADVISORY; Airport Bus Service Extended to Broadway. The New York Times. December 26, 2015. August 21, 1994. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107040545/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/21/travel/travel-advisory-airport-bus-service-extended-to-broadway.html. January 7, 2016. mdy-all.
  15. Web site: Kennedy. Randy. NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: UPPER WEST SIDE; Bus Route Stirs an Elegant Street's Ire. The New York Times. December 26, 2015. October 16, 1994. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107064348/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/16/nyregion/neighborhood-report-upper-west-side-bus-route-stirs-an-elegant-street-s-ire.html. January 7, 2016. mdy-all.
  17. Web site: Kingson Bloom. Jennifer. NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: WEST SIDE UPDATE; Victory for Claremont: Bus Shift to Broadway. The New York Times. December 27, 2015. January 22, 1995. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107045407/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/22/nyregion/neighborhood-report-west-side-update-victory-for-claremont-bus-shift-to-broadway.html. January 7, 2016. mdy-all.
  18. Web site: Son. Hugh. STANDING ROOM ONLY Uneasy riders filling city buses, report finds. Daily News (New York). December 26, 2015. May 10, 2004. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160105072316/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/standing-room-uneasy-riders-filling-city-buses-report-finds-article-1.585537. January 5, 2016. mdy-all.
  19. Web site: Rutenberg. James. INCREASE IN BUS, SUBWAY SERVICE. Daily News (New York). December 26, 2015. July 18, 1998. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160105072313/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/increase-bus-subway-service-article-1.817801. January 5, 2016. mdy-all.
  20. Web site: Donohue. Pete. MTA to give buses to LaGuardia Airports and John F. Kennedy Airport luggage racks. Daily News (New York). December 26, 2015. October 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160105073446/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mta-give-buses-laguardia-airports-john-f-kennedy-airport-luggage-racks-article-1.381006. January 5, 2016. mdy-all.
  21. Web site: Hirshon. Nicholas. Travelers' delight: Luggage racks on airport bus routes off to a flying start. Daily News (New York). December 26, 2015. October 13, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160105091823/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/travelers-delight-luggage-racks-airport-bus-routes-flying-start-article-1.381225. January 5, 2016. mdy-all.
  22. News: Grynbaum. Michael M.. Bringing Storage, and Comfort, to a La Guardia-Bound Bus. December 27, 2015. The New York Times. October 12, 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170813150755/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/bringing-storage-and-comfort-to-a-la-guardia-bound-bus/?_r=0. August 13, 2017. mdy-all.
  23. Web site: MTA Bus Operations Committee Meeting July 2012. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 9, 2016. July 2012. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905232710/http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/archive/120723_1000_BUS.pdf. September 5, 2015. mdy-all.
  24. Web site: Frost. Emily. M60 Bus Layover Spot Moves to Quiet West End Ave. DNAinfo.com. December 26, 2015. Upper West Side. September 25, 2012. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160105171035/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120925/upper-west-side/m60-bus-layover-spot-moves-quiet-west-end-ave. January 5, 2016.
  25. Web site: Introduction to BUS RAPID TRANSIT PHASE II. New York City Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2009. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024528/http://web.mta.info/mta/planning/sbs/docs/intro_to_brt_phase2.pdf. March 4, 2016. mdy-all.
  26. Web site: LaGuardia Airport Access Alternatives Analysis Public Meeting #1. nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. December 24, 2015. June 22, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304211805/http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/downloads/pdf/110622_lga_aa_slides.pdf. March 4, 2016. mdy-all.
  27. Web site: LaGuardia Airport Access: Improvement Summary. Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Department of Transportation, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. December 26, 2015. 2013. December 26, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151226011834/https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/461098/lga.pdf. live.
  28. Web site: Zupan. Jeffrey M.. Barone. Richard E.. Lee. Matthew H.. Upgrading to World Class: The Future of the New York Region's Airports. Regional Plan Association. December 26, 2015. January 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924092424/http://www.rpa.org/pdf/RPA-Upgrading-to-World-Class.pdf. September 24, 2015.
  29. Web site: Q70 Becomes Select Service Bus, Gets New Name. October 2, 2016. Martinez. Jose. NY1. September 26, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160930133352/http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/transit/2016/09/26/q70-becomes-select-service-bus--becomes-laguardia-link.html. September 30, 2016. mdy-all.
  30. Web site: Bx41 on Webster Avenue Progress Report. 24. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 25, 2014. January 14, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180115184825/http://web.mta.info/mta/planning/sbs/docs/WebsterAveSBS-ProgressReport-2014.pdf#page=24. January 15, 2018. mdy-all.
  31. Web site: Bus Rapid Transit – LaGuardia Airport Access Alternatives Analysis. New York City Department of Transportation. nyc.gov. 2011-06-22. 2018-01-15. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170823190637/http://www.nyc.gov/html/brt/html/other/laguardia.shtml. August 23, 2017. mdy-all.
  32. Web site: Newman. Andy. Flights Won't Change, but Bus to La Guardia Will Get Easier. The New York Times. December 26, 2015. October 11, 2012. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171201132316/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/11/flights-wont-change-but-bus-ride-to-la-guardia-will-get-easier/?mtrref=query.nytimes.com&gwh=AD334AE05A397A9F9854D95BB440B3E6&gwt=pay. December 1, 2017. mdy-all.
  33. Web site: Transit & Bus Committee Meeting February 2014. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. February 23, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140224135856/http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/140224_1030_transit-bus.pdf. February 24, 2014. dead. February 2014.
  34. Web site: Hinds. Kate. NYC Kills Fast Bus to LGA. WNYC. December 26, 2015. July 16, 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107052330/http://www.wnyc.org/story/307060-nyc-kills-fast-bus-laguardia-airport/. January 7, 2016. mdy-all.
  35. Web site: Ranson. Jan. Harlem bus commuters hail Select Bus Service on the M60 route. Daily News (New York). December 26, 2015. October 18, 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20151226084026/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/harlem-bus-riders-hail-m60-select-ion-article-1.1489213. December 26, 2015. mdy-all.
  36. Web site: Letter to Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation. streetsblog.org. Office of State Senator Bill Perkins. December 26, 2015. March 20, 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170106190749/http://www.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/bill_perkins_sbs_letter_dot.pdf. January 6, 2017. mdy-all.
  37. Web site: Solmonow. Seth. NYC DOT, MTA and State Sen. Perkins Announce 125th St. Select Bus Service to Start in April 2014, Streetscape Improvements to be Installed Along the Entire Corridor. New York City Department of Transportation. nyc.gov. October 12, 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131012163912/http://a841-tfpweb.nyc.gov/dotpress/2013/10/125th-select-bus-service/. October 12, 2013. mdy-all.
  38. Web site: Hinds. Kate. Select Bus Service Comes to 125th Street — Sort of. WNYC. December 26, 2015. May 27, 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107122157/http://www.wnyc.org/story/select-bus-service-comes-125th-street-sort/. January 7, 2016. mdy-all.
  39. Web site: MTA Releases Extending Transit’s Reach, a Landmark Plan to Enhance Access to MTA Facilities. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. April 2, 2024. January 11, 2023.

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