Bx25 and Bx26 buses

bx25, bx26
Allerton Avenue
A 2015 Nova Bus LFS (8318) on the Co-Op City-bound Bx26 on Bedford Park Boulevard in March 2019
Overview
SystemMTA Regional Bus Operations
OperatorManhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority
GarageGun Hill Depot
VehicleNova Bus LFS
Nova Bus LFS HEV
New Flyer Xcelsior XD40
Began service1928 (Bx26)
September 10, 2000 (Bx25)
June 26, 2022 (Bx25 reinstated)
Ended serviceJune 25, 2010 (Bx25)
Route
LocaleThe Bronx, New York, U.S.
Communities servedBedford Park, Allerton, Laconia, Pelham Gardens, Baychester, Co-op City
StartBedford Park - West 205th Street & Paul Avenue (Lehman College)
ViaBedford Park Boulevard, Allerton Avenue, Co-op City Boulevard (Bx25)
EndCo-op City - Bay Plaza (Bx25)
Co-op City - Earhart Lane & Erskine Place (Bx26)
Length6.8 miles (10.9 km) (Bx25)
5.7 miles (9.2 km) (Bx26)
Other routesBx28/Bx38 Gun Hill Road
Service
OperatesAll times except late nights
Annual patronage540,117 (Bx25, 2023)
589,093 (Bx26, 2023)[1]
TransfersYes
TimetableBx25 Bx26
← Bx24  {{{system_nav}}}  Bx27 →

The Bx25 and Bx26 constitute a public transit line in The Bronx. These routes primarily run on Bedford Park Boulevard and Allerton Avenue between Lehman College in Bedford Park and Co-op City.

Route description

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The Bx25 and Bx26 begin at Paul Avenue and 205th Street, looping around Harris Park. They then run south on Paul Avenue until Bedford Park Boulevard, where they run east until reaching Southern Boulevard/Kazimiroff Boulevard, continuing north and east as it becomes Allerton Avenue, heading east until Gunther Avenue, turning north there onto Bartow Avenue until reaching Baychester Avenue, where the routes split:[2]

  • The Bx25 runs north on Baychester Avenue and runs east on Co-op City Boulevard, deviating to serve Dreiser Loop, continuing south and skipping Asch Loop, turning east back onto Bartow Avenue and continuing for a short distance before turning south onto Bay Plaza Drive to terminate at AMC Bay Plaza. Westbound buses head south to Bay Plaza Boulevard, turning west and then north onto Co-op City Boulevard to return to service.[2]
A 2016 Nova Bus LFS (8351) on the Bx26 on Bedford Park Boulevard West
  • The Bx26 heads east on Bartow Avenue, deviating to serve Asch Loop, before continuing east onto Bartow Avenue as it becomes Hutchinson River Parkway East and continuing south onto Hunter Avenue to Earhart Lane-Erskine Place[2]

Along the route, there are several connections to the New York City Subway at:[2]

History

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The Bx26 began in 1928, under the Bx17 designation. On July 1, 1974, the Bx17 was extended from Allerton Avenue-Westervelt Avenue to its current terminus in Co-op City and extended from Allerton Avenue-White Plains Road to its current terminus in Bedford Park.[3]

On February 19, 1984, as part of the Bronx bus revamp,[4][5][6] the Bx17 was renamed to the Bx26.[7][8] Service on the Bedford Park branch originally ran all times except late nights, but was reduced to only run during weekday rush hours, early weekend mornings and late evenings only in December 1991. Due to the Bx26 and Bx28 having complicated service patterns, in March 2000, the MTA proposed simplifying both of them.[9] Service to Fordham Center would be replaced by the Bx28 and all Bx26 would run to/from Paul Avenue/Lehman College in Bedford Park; Bx26 Asch Loop bypass service that ran to the southern portion of Co-op City during rush hours would also be re-designated as the Bx25 to reduce rider confusion. These changes took place on September 10, 2000.[10][11] On June 25, 2010, due to a budget crisis, Bx26 service to Sections 1-2-3 were discontinued, and all Bx26 service was rerouted to serve Asch Loop, alongside the discontinuation of the Bx25.[12]

In 2017, the MTA released its Fast Forward Plan, aimed at speeding up mass transit services.[13] As part of the program, a draft plan for a reorganization of Bronx bus routes was proposed in draft format in June 2019, with a final version published in October 2019.[14][15] The draft plan proposed the truncation of the Bx26 to Asch Loop, with the Bx23 taking over all Co-op City inter-section service. The final plan removed this and instead proposed re-instating the Bx25, but it would serve sections 1-2-3 instead of Asch Loop and have its eastern terminus at Bay Plaza.[16][17] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the changes were halted for over a year.[18][19][20] The modification took place on June 26, 2022.[21][22]

References

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  1. ^ "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Bronx Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "2 BOROUGHS' BUSES GET NEW NUMBERS". The New York Times. June 20, 1974. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  4. ^ Reyes, Lennin (October 2, 2011). "Busses and Trains A Go-Go". Bronx Journal. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  5. ^ "1976 Bronx Bus Map". wardmaps.com. New York City Transit Authority. 1976. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Old MTA bus timetables http://acm.jhu.edu/~sthurmovik/Railpics/NYCSubway/Maps/Bronx_Bus_1977_Rear-1.jpg
  7. ^ "Bronx Bus Service Changes Effective February 19, 1984". New York City Transit Authority. February 1984. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  8. ^ "Bronx Bus Service Changes Effective February 19, 1984". New York City Transit Authority. February 1984. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  9. ^ March 2000 NYC Transit Committee Agenda. New York City Transit. March 21, 2000. pp. 101, 102, 103-104, 105-106, 107-108, 109-110, 111, 112, 113.
  10. ^ "Bx25 Bx26 Bx28 Improved bus service for Co-op City". New York Daily News. September 13, 2000. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  11. ^ "Bus Service Advisories". mta.nyc.ny.us. November 9, 2000. Archived from the original on November 9, 2000. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  12. ^ 2010 budget crisis information, archived February 25, 2011
  13. ^ "Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize New York City Transitt" (PDF). MTA. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  14. ^ "Draft Plan, Bronx Bus Network Redesign" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  15. ^ "Final Plan, Bronx Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2019. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  16. ^ Spivack, Caroline (October 22, 2019). "MTA's Bronx bus redesign will chop 400 stops and add new routes". Curbed NY. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  17. ^ "MTA releases final Bronx bus system overhaul proposal". ABC7 New York. October 22, 2019. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  18. ^ Duggan, Kevin (2021-08-19). "MTA revives borough bus network redesigns, starting with the Bronx – Bronx Times". Bronx Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  19. ^ "NYC officials announce ambitious plan to expand MTA bus service". ABC7 New York. 2021-08-16. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  20. ^ Duggan, Kevin (February 20, 2022). "MTA sets June date for Bronx bus redesign rollout". amNewYork. Archived from the original on February 24, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  21. ^ Duggan, Kevin (June 26, 2022). "What to know about the Bronx bus redesign". AMNewYork. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  22. ^ "MTA launches redesigned bus network in the Bronx". CBS News. June 26, 2022. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
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