MTA Buses Set To Resume Front Door Boarding, Fare Collection

NEW YORK CITY — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday announced that later this month, passengers will again be permitted to board buses from the front door and will again be required to pay bus fare.

Changes are set to take effect Aug. 31, MTA officials said in a news release. Along with new boarding procedures and the reimplementation of fares comes several other changes intended to protect passengers and drivers from the new coronavirus.

The MTA said barriers of chains and vinyl curtains that are currently in place in the middle area of buses will be removed, the seat directly behind the driver will be blocked off and the white line on the floor behind which passengers must stand will be moved farther from the driver. The front two rows on express buses will also be blocked off.

Polycarbonate sliders and vinyl curtains will also be installed on 4,800 buses by the fall to help protect drivers, and 1,000 express buses will be outfitted with full-length vinyl curtains this month, the release states.

The MTA said it's also working to improve the air filtration systems of nearly 6,000 buses, outfitting them with high-density air filters, and designing dispensers so passengers can easily obtain surgical masks.

“We have a comprehensive plan to enhance the safety of our operators and customers, who have chosen the bus system over other modes of transportation throughout this pandemic,” said Craig Cipriano, MTA Bus Company President and Senior Vice President of NYC Transit’s Department of Buses. “We are tremendously grateful to our employees, who are the heroes of this pandemic. As customers continue to choose buses, we now expect them to pay the fare and remain respectful of others by wearing a mask whenever on board.”

Passengers are urged to download and use the MYmta app, which includes a capacity tracking feature that allows transit users to better plan routes with social distance in mind.

The MTA said it estimates it has lost some $159 million in fare during the pandemic, one large reason fare collection is set to resume at the end of the month.

“Riders can already pay their fare using OMNY at the rear door on all Manhattan SBS routes now and by year’s end all SBS buses will have rear door enabled contactless readers,” said Al Putre, Chief Revenue Officer of New York City Transit and OMNY Program Executive. “OMNY remains on target for system-wide reader installation by years end. Riders can utilize our contactless fare payment system, a tool that can further facilitate social distancing.”