Express Bus Now Running From Bushwick to South Brooklyn

Pictured: The older, more sluggish B46 Limited bus. Photo via Kings County Politics

By Kings County Politics News Service

BROOKLYN, NY — Last Sunday, just three days after city transit officials dropped a controversial report on the impact of the B44 Select Bus Service, running the length of Nostrand Avenue from Williamsburg down to Sheepshead Bay, they rolled out the B46 Select Bus Service, running from Broadway and Dekalb Avenue in Bushwick down Malcolm X Boulevard and Utica Avenue to the borough's southern coastline.

The B46 SBS operates from 6:08 a.m. to 10:42 p.m. on weekdays, and from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on weekends.

It travels through the neighborhoods of Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, Brownsville, East Flatbush, Flatlands and Mill Basin, ending at the Kings Plaza stop. (Map below.)

As with all SBS lines, the bus will make extremely limited stops, travel in a dedicated bus lane and require customers pay their fare before boarding the bus at a fare machine, thus saving time.

“The B46 is the busiest bus route in Brooklyn and provides crucial connections to the 3, 4, A, and C trains," said Kevin Ortiz, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). "Thus, SBS is expected to bring significant improvements to the 46,000 passengers who rely on it daily. SBS will help address some overcrowding issues by improving the reliability of the bus."

“Through off-board fare collection and dedicated bus lanes, buses are less likely to bunch," Ortiz added. "When buses are spaced out more evenly, some crowding issues will be alleviated. SBS has decreased travel times 15 to 30 percent on other implemented SBS routes."

The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) issued its report on the B44 SBS last Thursday, June 30, at the start of the long Fourth of July holiday weekend — just in time for the B46 SBS to be implemented. (Both the MTA and DOT had promised they would not open any more SBS lines until the report was issued.)

The DOT/MTA report found a 15 to 31 percent improvement in travel times for the B44 SBS compared with the B44 Limited route along Brooklyn’s Nostrand Avenue.

However, the report did not address several constituent concerns — including the tiny number of stops along the route and the creation of a special express lane, which would eliminate parking spaces and block business entryways.

Senator Jesse Hamilton — representing Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope and Sunset Park — said he's excited to see new solutions to the longstanding public-transit problems.

“I am hopeful that the new Select Bus Service on the B46 will bring improvements to a vibrant part of Brooklyn," Hamilton said. "This is the beginning of the story, not the end. I will work to insure that SBS works to provide real benefits to the community."

"Many of the merchants on Nostrand Avenue have complained about SBS causing parking problems that hurt their businesses," the senator said. “The MTA promised to reassess that bus line, and I am hoping they live up to their promises. The changes on the B46 provide a promise of a better commute, and I will work to insure that we follow up with all the stakeholders to make sure the implementation is successful."

In addition to the new express bus, B46 will continue local service at all times. For more information visit MTA.info.

A version of this article originally appeared on the Kings County Politics news site