These Buses Were Crowned The Slowest And Least Reliable In NYC

NEW YORK CITY — The slowest and least reliable bus routes in the city have been crowned, according to a recently released report.

Advocates from the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) Straphangers Campaign and Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC) in its annual Pokey Awards has named the M42 as the slowest bus in the city with an average speed of 5.25 mph.

The winner of the 2025 Schleppie Award or the least reliable bus route citywide went to the Q8 route in Queens. Riders wait on average 3.62 minutes longer than the scheduled wait time between buses.

The analysis also determined the slowest, high-ridership buses in each borough, besides the M42.

• B35 route Brownsville - Sunset Park via Church Av / 39th St: 5.36 mph
• Bx35 route George Washington Bridge - West Farms Road via E 167th / W 181st St: 5.59 mph
• Q72 route LaGuardia Airport - Rego Park via 94th St / Junction Blvd: 6.08 mph
• S48 route St. George - Mariners Harbor via Forest Av: 9.19 mph

The most unreliable high-ridership bus routes in each borough are:

B15 route: Bedford-Stuyvesant - JFK AirTrain via Marcus Garvey Blvd / New Lots Av

M5 route: George Washington Bridge - 31 St & 6 Av via 5th Av / Av of Americas / Riverside Dr

Bx11 route: George Washington Bridge - Parkchester via E 170th St / E 174th St.

S76 route: St. George - Oakwood via Richmond Rd / New Dorp Ln

On a lighter note, this year's awards debuted the Mazel award for most improved routes, which went to the M79 and SIM32 routes.

You can read the full list of awards and analysis here.