Queens

, Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Table 40. Bus Stop Shelters in Northeast Queens
Bus Stop Shelters Number Of Shelters Number Of Bus Stops % of Bus Stops With Bus Shelter
Citywide 6,747 24,798 27.2%
All Queens Routes 2,065 8,195 25.2%
Study Area Routes 896 3,252 27.6%
CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION
The last evaluation criteria for the quality of bus service is the availability of information for customers
and the communication of this data. Three ways that the MTA shares bus schedule information with
customers are Guide‐a‐Ride canisters at bus stops, Bus Time on phones and computers, and public
timetable pamphlets with maps on buses and at www.mta.info. In partnership with NYCDOT, real‐time
information displays have been established at selected bus stops throughout the city and additional
locations are being studied.
Guide‐a‐Ride
Guide‐a‐Ride canisters contain maps and schedules of the routes serving each stop to help customer
navigation. All NYC Transit bus stops have Guide‐a‐Ride canisters and almost every MTA Bus Company
stop has them as well. Guide‐a‐Ride canisters have been installed on NYCT bus routes for many years, but
were installed on MTA Bus Company routes in the study area within the past few years. The MTA Bus
Company is working to install canisters at the few remaining bus stops where canisters are absent. The
information is updated whenever the bus schedule or bus route is changed.
Bus Time
In addition to printed Guide‐a‐Ride maps and schedules, Bus Time offers bus riders advance information
on approaching buses via the internet on computers, smartphones, and other web‐enabled devices, as
well as via SMS message from cell phones. It uses Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware and wireless
communications technology to track the real‐time location of buses. Bus Time has been available for all
Queens buses since March 2014. This technology allows riders to see how far buses are from their stop
for any given route, to predict wait times. It can also be used at home so that riders can choose to leave
just in time to meet their bus at their stop.
By taking advantage of Bus Time, riders can better decide which bus route to utilize when multiple options
exist, especially in the event of service disruptions or incidents. Riders can also take advantage of
broadcasted public service alerts through the MTA website and apps to learn about any incidents or delays
affecting service.
Printed Customer Information
Printed bus timetables and maps are available on buses and at the Customer Service Center at 3 Stone
Street in Lower Manhattan.
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