Fast, free, & fully-funded buses are the vehicle to a more just and sustainable city.

What we’re fighting for

New York City’s buses are literally the slowest in the country—avergaging just 8MPH—and they’ve held that title for far too long. After more than a decade of advocating for a comprehensive plan to address this, Riders Alliance launched a political action arm to support a Mayoral candidate who ran on a platform centering this very issue at the core of their campaign.

Now that New Yorkers have a Mayor who’s serious about doing right by riders—releasing a massive, citywide action plan to transform bus service—we’re mobilizing a movement of working-class bus riders to leverage the power of the 1,000,000+ who depend on our buses daily to demand the necessary policy, infrastructure, and resources to make every single bus route Fast, Free, and Fully-Funded.

Why it matters

New York City buses are the slowest in the nation. For many riders, this means spending far too much time waiting for the bus, commuting to work, taking their kids to school, and more. Spotty service also means that sometimes bus riders simply can’t get to where they’re going. This is especially true for bus riders who live outside more central or wealthy areas of the city, which lack subway access, and disproportionately experience long rides and unreliable commutes. Read the stories of 50 NYC bus riders in Bus Rider Blues.

Slow buses are not just a matter of convenience — they’re a matter of racial justice and transit equity. Bus riders are primarily from working-class communities of color. They have an average income of less than $30,000 a year, 55% are immigrants, and 40% of essential workers ride the bus. From the lack of sheltered waiting areas at bus stops (in comparison to comfortable waiting environments at commuter rail stations), to the antiquated bus routes that still follow old trolley paths and haven’t been updated for speedier, more efficient service, the legacy of racism in public transit is real. The result is stark inequity between local bus services used primarily by Black and brown city residents and other modes of transit, especially the rail services used primarily by white, 9-to-5 office workers shuttling in from the suburbs, to say nothing of highway users.

The fixes are not difficult. While not every part of the city is easily accessible by subway, buses can reach nearly every block, and busways can cost as little as a can of red paint. Faster and more reliable bus service would mean that no job, school, or doctor’s office would be out of reach. Riders in every borough and neighborhood deserve access to work, education, and healthcare - without the wait.

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Resources