The city Department of Transportation has been working for almost two years to make the express bus that runs along Fordham Road a little faster. This summer the program will hit the streets.

Beginning June 29, the Bx12 Limited bus will be replaced with a new bus system that city officials say could reduce commuting time by up to 20 percent.  

Called the Bx12 SBS, or Select Bus Service, the $10 million program will make some noticeable changes to the bus line. The more visible of these changes will be the brightly painted terra cotta bus lanes in effort to remind other drivers not to use these lanes meant for public transportation. The buses will also make a few fewer stops than the Bx12 Limited.

The bus route itself will not change much, extending from Broadway and 207th Street in Upper Manhattan, across the central Bronx along Fordham Road and Pelham Parkway and ending at the Bay Plaza Mall Terminal in Co-op City. During the summer, Bx12 Select Bus Service will extend to Orchard Beach. The bus will make stops at six subway lines and two Metro-North stations.

But at the heart of this plan are two features completely new to the Bx12 Limited. First, riders will be required to pay—with MetroCards or cash—at machines in or near bus shelters before boarding. Transportation officials hope customers will pay before the bus has even arrived to avoid the delays of long lines as riders wait to pay and board. (Riders will be randomly asked to show their receipts on the bus.)

In addition, the Department of Transportation is introducing technology that will allow the buses to communicate with traffic signals, telling them to stay green a few seconds longer to let the bus through, or cutting down its red time when a bus is approaching. Called Transit Signal Priority, the program recently was tested on Staten Island. Department of Transportation officials say it reduced travel time by about 17 percent.

The city plans to install the technology at 30 intersections along six miles of Fordham Road by this summer.  

Transportation officials hope these changes will save riders time and, in turn, inspire more New Yorkers to use the city’s buses.

“If we demonstrate to our customers that they can look forward to fast, reliable service it will encourage even more New Yorkers to use mass transit to travel around the city,” said MTA Executive Director Elliot Sander in a statement released March 25.

News of these upcoming changes has been met with mixed reactions.

Riders like Joyce Jin, who takes the Bx12 to work at Fordham Plaza, worries that the bus fare machines on the street “would still be backed up” if the bus takes too long to arrive and riders change their minds about taking it. Rather than risk losing their fares if they decide not to wait, customers might not pay until they see the bus approaching, defeating the entire concept of the off-board fare collection.

While he believes the plan will have positive results, Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign, a transit advocacy group, admits, “If buses are slow, the system will fail.”.

Transportation spokesman Craig Chin said the bus fare machines will be installed inside or adjacent to bus shelters where they will not obstruct pedestrian traffic.  

Local business will be affected by the changes, too. To keep trucks from blocking bus lanes during rush hour, the Department of Transportation plans to restrict delivery time for businesses along the bus route to 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., depending on the side of the street.

Community Board 7 district manager Fernando Tirado worries this restriction could be hard on some stores, which would risk citations if they don’t comply.

Payless Shoe Source manager Kelseys Mejia said his store’s delivery truck currently comes before 9 a.m. and has a tight schedule to stick to, stopping at three Payless stores on Fordham Road.

“I don’t think [the delivery truck] is going to come by in the afternoon,” Mejia said, shaking his head.

Others, though, aren’t fazed by the change, especially since many stores, like Lane Bryant, Foot Locker and Conway, have loading docks on side streets and not on Fordham Road.

Dan Bernstein, director of the Fordham Road Business Improvement District (BID) is satisfied with the loading and unloading times, saying that they are what the BID suggested in numerous meetings with the DOT and MTA. Bernstein said he was happy he could meet with the city in advance to iron out specifics so the new plan works with the community.

“Moving people faster is great, but we want them to come here to shop,” he said.

Although conclusions about the success of the plan on Fordham Road can only be made once the program has been implemented, people are optimistic.

“I am very happy about it,” said Council Member Oliver Koppell. “I think it will be a great innovation and improvement.”