Riders waiting for MTA buses outside the St. George Terminal in Staten Island are all too familiar with frustrating service announcements.
As one voice on the loudspeaker said, “There will be no S40 for this boat,” followed shortly by, “Do not wait for the [S]81; it will not show for this boat.”
With nearly 100,000 riders relying on Staten Island’s local bus routes during weekdays last month, such unwelcome news has become routine for commuters.
Roberto Velez, 60, expressed the weariness that comes with these delays. “It’s bad; you’re tired; you want to get home,” he explained.
After taking the subway from Kips Bay, Manhattan, to the Staten Island Ferry, he yearned for a quicker way to reach Bull’s Head.
Waiting outside in the evening — particularly during winter months — adds to the discomfort, reinforcing the frustrations endured by local bus riders.
Many expressed their disappointment regarding Staten Island’s 19 local bus routes.
According to MTA data, last year, these routes had a 90.6% on-time record during peak hours, significantly lower than the 95.9% on-time record observed in other boroughs.
True Brunner, 33, reiterated the unpredictability of the service while waiting for a bus to New Brighton.
“I’ve found that I often need to wake up much earlier, just to guarantee that I’ll catch one of these buses to the ferry,” he lamented.
Analysis from THE CITY reveals that the excess wait times for Staten Island local bus riders are nearly double the city average in 2024.
Staten Island’s excess wait time averaged 4.1 minutes, compared to 2.2 minutes citywide.
These persistent issues with local bus service have prompted protests from Borough President Vito Fossella and the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 726, which represents New York City Transit bus operators on Staten Island.
Fossella stated that bus shortages lead to longer wait times, ultimately stranding commuters and making their journeys to and from work more time-consuming.
“The end result is the commuter is stranded, waiting longer than they need to be,” he said in a recent interview with THE CITY.
Last fall, the MTA’s Customers Count Survey highlighted a decline in customer satisfaction among local bus riders across all boroughs except The Bronx.
On Staten Island, only 44% of local bus riders reported satisfaction with the service, a 7% decrease and the lowest rating among the five boroughs.
Filippa Grisafi, a rider advocate who frequently travels between Staten Island and Manhattan, echoed the sentiments of many dissatisfied riders: “We feel abandoned.”
The issue of unreliable bus service has also attracted attention from students at the College of Staten Island and local community leaders, including a priest from an Episcopal church in Rosebank.
These voices advocate for improvements, addressing how unreliable service impacts timely attendance for classes and church services.
The Rev. Hank Tuell, rector of Saint John’s Episcopal Church, pointed out the detrimental effects of inadequate bus service on church attendance.
“I am losing church members because they cannot get to church,” he stated during an MTA board meeting.
MTA officials defended the local bus service performance, noting that Staten Island buses averaged 12.4 miles per hour in February, surpassing the citywide average of 7.8 mph.
Additionally, service delivery on Staten Island local routes improved to 92.9% between January and March, attributed in part to the hiring of 2,000 new bus operators last year.
Plans are underway to modify schedules for routes such as the S46/96 between St. George and the West Shore Plaza, and the S79 Select Bus Service connecting the Staten Island Mall with Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
An MTA spokesperson highlighted that changes are part of the agency’s broader efforts following the January implementation of congestion pricing, which introduced new tolls for motorists entering certain Manhattan areas.
“Through congestion pricing, the MTA identified opportunities to enhance service on key local and express routes on Staten Island that will roll out in the spring and summer,” said MTA spokesperson Kayla Shults.
Despite the stated improvements, Brunner, whose daily commute across various modes of transport is a complex balancing act, continues to face uncertainty.
“It’s essential to stay prepared, to remain ten steps ahead with contingency plans so I can make it where I need to be on time,” he noted, encapsulating the precarious nature of commuting on Staten Island’s bus system.
image source from：https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/04/23/staten-island-mta-bus-wait-times-slow/
