Staten Island’s half-century-old express bus network lugs riders on a “tour of Staten Island” before, eventually, bringing them to Manhattan. Two years ago, Oddo asked the agency to review Staten Island’s outmoded bus network, which has remained mostly unchanged since the 1960s. A plan to overhaul the borough’s local bus routes is also in the works. Next up is a public feedback period over the next few months.

MTA Interim Executive Director Ronnie Hakim told the Advance the changes will yield “increased reliability, lower travel times, better frequency of service, better headways” for Staten Island commuters. The MTA’s plan, set for implementation in 2018, will increase service frequency on key routes, simplify routes so buses make fewer turns, reduce the number of stops in both Manhattan and Staten Island, and shift some bus travel from local streets to highways . In Manhattan, they’re often stuck in congestion getting from Lower Manhattan to Midtown, even though only 4 percent of riders get on or off in between. The routes also have too many stops - 27 on average before even leaving the island, despite the fact that 83 percent of riders board at 50 percent of those stops. Staten Island express buses, which carry riders to Manhattan job centers, are plagued by reliability problems. These changes will save people time by better aligning bus service with travel patterns - and they could be a template for bus network improvements citywide.

Staten Island’s express buses are getting a complete overhaul, MTA officials and Borough President James Oddo announced yesterday.

Express bus to manhattan