Staten Island’s public transportation is on the cusp of a significant upgrade, with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announcing plans to replace nearly half of the borough’s bus fleet by mid-2026.
During a New York City Transit Committee meeting on Monday, MTA officials revealed that close to 200 buses have already been replaced since 2018, with an additional 130 new buses set to join Staten Island’s fleet in the next few years.
This initiative is part of a multi-year investment aimed at addressing the challenges faced by Staten Island’s bus service, which has often been characterized by reliability issues and frequent breakdowns.
JP Patafio, a vice president at Transport Workers Union Local 100, highlighted that the influx of new buses is coming at the cost of service in other parts of the city.
The MTA is undertaking a series of swaps involving buses from Flatbush and Ulmer Park depots in Brooklyn to bring more reliable coaches to Staten Island.
Patafio argued that this approach does not adequately address the underlying issues since it does not resolve the fleet’s reliability problems across the city as a whole.
Borough President Vito Fossella, alongside the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 726, has been vocal about the inadequacies of Staten Island’s bus services, which have faced mounting complaints from riders.
Demetrius Crichlow, president of New York City Transit, emphasized the MTA’s commitment to improving service on Staten Island.
He acknowledged that customer feedback is taken seriously, stating, “When customers aren’t happy, I personally get calls, I get emails, we get letters.
If it’s a priority for them, it’s a priority for me to ensure that we continue to work as a team to provide the service that we need.”
Crichlow mentioned that New York City Transit provides 45% more buses per million riders on Staten Island compared to any other borough.
He also noted that since the implementation of congestion pricing in January, delays have decreased by 10%, while ridership has increased by 5%.
The ongoing dissatisfaction with bus service was highlighted in a statement from a Fossella spokesperson, who reported that over 1,100 bus trips have been canceled since June.
An MTA analysis revealed that Staten Island express buses maintained 87% of scheduled service during peak hours last month, significantly lower than the 96% service delivery rates in Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens.
Furthermore, MTA data indicated that Staten Island’s local bus routes had excessive wait times for riders, nearly doubling the citywide average last year.
In a downturn, local buses provided only 89% of scheduled trips during peak hours in June, while the other boroughs were managing delivery rates of 97%.
On a more positive note, the MTA’s latest
image source from：thecity
