Staten Island is long known as a place where cars rule the road.
But on Monday the attention was on its bus riders, and the state-of-the-art buses hitting the borough's streets, replacing a model now a decade old.
“There’s significant investment going on in Staten Island on both the railway but also the bus network," NYC Transit President Andy Byford said. "These buses contain modern amenities.”
There are 41 buses already on the road, and by year's end, 77 will be.
They are equipped with modern amenities, such as:
- USB charging ports
- Wi-Fi
- Safety technology, such as a pedestrian turn warning system and cameras.
- Digital screens that display where the buses are along their routes. Some buses on the island have already been equipped with these screens.
The buses will replace Orion Hybrid buses that rolled out in 2009, and the MTA says the new buses will be used on routes operating out of the Yukon Bus Depot.
They also have technology that will let interact with traffic signals, allowing them to get green lights more often, including at 53 intersections along a speedy, select bus route on Hylan Boulevard.
"Through and through, what we're seeing here is that Staten Island is the focus for infrastructure investments, Staten Island is the focus for easing commuting times, and we're not only going to set the trend for New York City, we're going to set the trend for the rest of the country," Max Rose, a Democrat who represents Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn in the U.S. House of Representatives, said at a ribbon cutting ceremony at the bus depot.
In 2021, Staten Island commuters will get 50 new coach buses for express service to Manhattan.
Like all other Staten Island buses, they'll have the OMNY tap and pay fare system, which officials demonstrated at the Yukon bus depot, and again at the Eltingville Transit Center.
Commuters there noticed a better ride.
"We definitely needed to update the buses," one rider said. "It was time.”
"Feels a little nicer to ride, for sure," said a bus rider at the Eltingville Transit Center. "Now that they have the tap with your phone that’s also really, really convenient to have."
The bus drivers, too, are giving the new model a thumbs up.
"The newer buses are definitely better, they're a smoother ride," said Karen Leonard, an MTA bus driver. "They're easier to maneuver in the streets."
Beyond buses, officials have bigger dreams for Staten Island. Studies are examining the possibility of rail or fast bus service on the West Shore and a bus rapid transit network along the burgeoning North Shore that could cut an hour-long bus trip at rush hour to mere minutes.
While Staten Island has been known as a transit desert, officials say, these upgrades will finally put them on the forefront of modern transit system.
The agency also plans to start transit studies soon and that could improve service on Staten Island in the hopes of bringing new transit options, including rail service, to the North and West shores of Staten Island.
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