Port Authority To Create Bus Terminal Advisory Council

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is seeking bus commuters and neighbors of its Midtown bus terminal to form a new advisory council, the agency announced Tuesday.

The Port Authority Bus Terminal Advisory Council will launch in June as a 12-month pilot with members meeting every two months to discuss issues such as bus terminal operations, customer service and the impact of the terminal on neighboring communities. Applications for the council will be accepted until June 7 and can be downloaded or picked up at bus terminal information booths.

People who regularly commute through the Port Authority Bus Terminal or who live in neighborhoods near the terminal — think Hell's Kitchen and the western part of Midtown — will be eligible to join the council.

One issue that's sure to be discussed by the new council is the Port Authority's plan to eventually replace the terminal. In 2017 the Port Authority Board of Commissioners authorized the agency to begin planning the replacement of the bus terminal, but little has been heard from the agency since.

The Eighth Avenue terminal opened in 1950 and its last major upgrade was completed in 1979, according to the Port Authority. About 232,000 people commute through the terminal on weekdays and the number is set to increase to 337,000 by 2040, according to agency predictions.