Bronx BP making Bx19 a priority during borough's bus redesign

After the Bx19 was crowned the slowest bus in the Bronx this past summer by a transportation advocacy group, the line is being made a priority by local elected officials in the upcoming borough bus redesign.

News 12 Staff

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Oct 1, 2019, 11:56 PM

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Updated 1,913 days ago

After the Bx19 was crowned the slowest bus in the Bronx this past summer by a transportation advocacy group, the line is being made a priority by local elected officials in the upcoming borough bus redesign.

The Bx19 bus runs from the Bronx Botanical Gardens all the way to Riverbank State Park in Manhattan. According to the Riders Alliance, it's late more than half of the time.

Riders say crowding onboard stems from the lateness of the bus, as well as service issues and congestion getting on and off.

Clyde Howard takes the Bx19 everyday and uses a walker. He says he'd like to see the seating changed with and area for those with disabilities.

Another Bx19 commuter says making the bus a select service bus would solve a lot of problems. She says not having to pay on the bus and being able to get on at any door would make things run much smoother.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and the Riders Alliance hopped on the Bx19 Tuesday to check things out and chat with riders about their concerns.

Samaya Abdus-Salaam, with the Riders Alliances group, said she wants the Bx19 to become a consistent way for people to commute.

"Making sure that service is really reliable, it's not stuck in traffic, and really that bus riders are prioritized. That's like, that would be the dream," says Abdus-Salaam.

The final plan for the Bronx bus redesign will be released in mid-October.