image009 MTA Bus Page

 

The MTA Bus Company was formed in 2004 to assume the bus routes privately operated under contract to the NYCDOT.  Between January 2005 and February 2006, MTA Bus took over the operations of Liberty Lines Express, Queens Surface Corporation, New York Bus Service, Command Bus Company, Green Bus Lines, Jamaica Buses, and Triboro Coach Corporation.  MTA Bus route operate mainly in Queens with some routes in Brooklyn and the Bronx, and all buses are in the same blue-stripe livery as New York City Bus, with the only distinction between the two agencies being the branding on the buses themselves and on the route timetables.  Today, MTA Bus has a fleet of 1260 buses, including NovaBus RTS, Orion V and VII, New Flyer D40LF buses along with MCI highway coaches for express service.  Like New York City Bus, letters indicate the primary borough of local routes—B for Brooklyn and Q for Queens—while express routes use double letter combinations to indicate service to Manhattan—BM, BxM or QM for Brooklyn, Bronx or Queens, respectively.

 

All photos are by the webmaster unless stated otherwise.

 

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This New York Bus Service bus is a 1982 GMC T8H-5308A, seen on Third Street at Lexington Avenue, November 7, 2004.  New York Bus Service was the last transit agency in New York City to use these buses, and they were retired immediately following the MTA takeover in July 2005. (Photo by Oren Hirsch, featured on Oren’s Transit Page)

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New York Bus Service 1481 is a preserved 1982 GM New Look, shown in Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx on January 21, 2007. (Photo by Thedarkliberator)

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New York Bus Service 1606 is a 1988 MCI Classic, seen on Fifth Avenue at East 82nd Street on June 27, 2003. (Photo by Oren Hirsch)

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Liberty Lines 3067 is a 1988 MCI Classic, spotted on Third Avenue at East 79th Street on February 15, 2004. (Photo by Oren Hirsch)

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New York Bus Service 1630 is another 1988 MCI Classic 1630, seen on Fifth Avenue at 23rd Street on July 13, 2004. (Photo by Oren Hirsch)

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Queens Surface Corporation 473 is a 1999 Orion 05.501 CNG, shown on Roosevelt Island on July 15, 2004. (Photo by Oren Hirsch)

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Queens Surface Corporation 576 is another 1999 Orion V CNG, spotted on East 35th Street at Lexington Avenue on July 13, 2004. (Photo by Oren Hirsch)

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3085 is a 2005 MCI D4500, shown on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan on March 9, 2014.

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3222 is a 2006 MCI D4500CL, seen on West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan on March 9, 2014.  The MTA began purchasing MCI coaches in 1998 to use on its express routes running from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island to Manhattan.

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MTA Bus 3325 is another 2006 MCI D4500CL, shown on Third Avenue at East 85th Street on June 19, 2009. (Photo by Oren Hirsch)

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2232 is a 2008 MCI D4500CT, spotted on Battery Place in Lower Manhattan on March 10, 2014.

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2241 is another 2008 MCI D4500CT, seen on Battery Place in Lower Manhattan on March 10, 2014.  This photo shows the round headlamps used on the D4500CT coaches, compared to the rectangular headlamps used on the D4500CL.  MCI uses the “CL” designation to denote the “classic” design, while “CT” stands for “contemporary”.

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In addition to is express bus routes, MTA Bus operates local buses routes in Queens and Brooklyn using New Flyer and Orion buses.  4491 is a 2009 Orion 07.501 NG hybrid, spotted on 65th Place in Maspeth in Queens on March 10, 2014.

 

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