After reading “Rapid Bus Line Premieres on Fordham Road” in your July 10-23 issue, it left me with more questions than answers. I don’t doubt that many riders using the new Select Bus Service Bx12 bus on Fordham Road will be confused. The article mentions that most riders “did not know they had to ask the bus driver for a transfer.” It’s not clear why any transfer would be required when, upon using a MetroCard, a free transfer is already automatically established on the card. The only time a paper transfer would be needed would be if original payment is not made by MetroCard. The machines at the Bx12 Select Bus Service stops accept payment prior to boarding via MetroCard as well as coins. Transfers are handled through those machines.
In addition, for those passengers whose destination is not an express stop, boarding an express bus would be of no help in speeding their ride. They would still need to take a local bus unless they didn’t mind walking from an express stop to their destination when exiting. Another inconvenience with this new SBS is the elimination of the Bx12 local service going into Manhattan. Local bus riders would have to transfer to the express service, and then be obliged to pay a second fare to board a subway in Manhattan.
In establishing this “speedier” and “more convenient” service, I wonder if the MTA thought everything through. Certainly more advance planning would be wise before attempting similar services on other bus routes.
The article also mentions that “transit workers at the stops will give assistance until July 13.” If a rider who doesn’t know the new rules travels this route for the first time on July 14 or thereafter, and there is no other rider boarding at that stop, he will not be able to get any assistance. Even if there is another rider at the stop who knows the rules, that other rider may not have enough time for explanations if he’s hurrying to board.
Wouldn’t the $10 million spent for this “speedier” service have been better used for anything else that can help prevent an upcoming fare increase? I for one wouldn’t mind a trip taking an extra few minutes and have the fare remain without an increase. Can riders have a say in this matter?
-Judy Noy
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.