Staten Island commuters may soon experience fewer express bus breakdowns and more reliable service through a new MTA initiative that Borough President Vito Fossella on July 21, days after a meeting with the transit agency about the issues.
A dedicated quality assurance (QA) team will soon be deployed across the borough, trained to make easy, on-the-spot repairs on buses — such as belt issues, broken headlights and other quick fixes that do not require buses to be taken out of service for extended periods of time.
Fossella said teams will consist of trained mechanics who will support key bus routes on Staten Island. Their tasks will include fixing small issues on the spot so buses can continue running.
The program’s goal is to minimize bus cancellations, which have left many commuters stranded on their way to work, school, home and other appointments. In June alone, more than 500 weekday MTA express bus trips were canceled, disrupting the schedules of thousands of commuters, according to the borough president’s office.
The idea for the QA team, among other ways to improve borough bus service, was sparked at a meeting Fossella had with MTA officials and local Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) representatives on July 17.
“When Staten Island express service fell to unacceptable levels, we requested a meeting with New York City Transit to discuss and to determine how to address the issue of poor bus service,” Fossella told amNewYork “Simply put, the status quo was and is unacceptable. At our meeting last week, along with the President of the ATU, they agreed. The MTA committed to improving bus service, along with a number of short and long-term solutions.”
It is unclear right now if QA teams will fix local buses in addition to express buses. Other “solutions” to improve service include the addition of 131 buses to help alleviate the current demand and training for new mechanics.
Bus riders and transit advocates have been frustrated since the MTA decided to close the borough’s makeshift Meredith Bus Depot, saying that the closure has resulted in “unnecessary stress” on the other three local garages.
“We maintain, as we did last year, that closing the Meredith Bus Depot was a mistake, and Staten Island needs a fourth depot as part of any long-term solution,” Fossella said.
Meanwhile, Staten Island commuters were pleased to hear that improvements will be made to express bus service.
“I think this is excellent news,” Michael Ferrari, an express bus rider, said. “I am glad the MTA is using real-time data from complaints to deploy mechanics to address buses with mechanical issues.”
Lynne Windsor, another Staten Island express bus rider, said she would like to see improvements related to HOV lane enforcement.
“After waiting for buses to arrive and start the commute home, to sit in standstill traffic from the middle of the Verrazzano Bridge to the Slosson Ave., exit adding at least 30 minutes to our travel time. This needs fixing,” she said.
Officials did not say when the QA program will launch. amNewYork contacted the MTA for more information and is awaiting a response.
