BY PATRICK DONOHUE DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The city's first fast-track bus route - with fares paid at stops before boarding - is reeling in the straphangers. The Bx12 Select Bus Service (SBS) is carrying 30% more weekday riders than the limited-stop service it replaced, NYC Transit data show. On an average weekday, slightly more than 32,000 riders take SBS buses along the corridor between upper Manhattan and the east Bronx.
"It's much faster," social work student Jolene Wright, 35, gushed on Fordham Road Wednesday. "You get to where you are going when you need to get there. Believe me, it's good."
That rave review is consistent with a recent NYC Transit rider survey that found 98% of SBS riders were satisfied or very satisfied, officials said.
NYC Transit and the city Transportation Department hope to secure funding to implement the fast-track strategies across the city.
Those strategies include wireless technology that extends green lights for approaching buses so they don't have to stop as often.
SBS riders pay at bus stop machines that give receipts. The passengers can enter via front or rear doors, reducing boarding time, Deputy Transportation Commissioner David Woloch said.
Buses are making complete SBS runs between 207th St. in Manhattan and Co-op City in the Bronx in 47 minutes - shaving 11 minutes from travel time, Woloch said.
"We've seen a dramatic change," Woloch said.
Statistics show the service is also attracting new riders, with numbers along the Bx12 route up 10%, officials said.
Joseph Smith, NYC Transit vice president of buses, said fare-beating has slipped since SBS was launched in June. Riders risk $100 fines, handed out by NYC Transit security inspectors.
Other spots slated for SBS in the next few years include 34th St. and First and Second Aves., if there is funding.
The city's first fast-track bus route - with fares paid at stops before boarding - is reeling in the straphangers. The Bx12 Select Bus Service (SBS) is carrying 30% more weekday riders than the limited-stop service it replaced, NYC Transit data show. On an average weekday, slightly more than 32,000 riders take SBS buses along the corridor between upper Manhattan and the east Bronx.
"It's much faster," social work student Jolene Wright, 35, gushed on Fordham Road Wednesday. "You get to where you are going when you need to get there. Believe me, it's good."
That rave review is consistent with a recent NYC Transit rider survey that found 98% of SBS riders were satisfied or very satisfied, officials said.
NYC Transit and the city Transportation Department hope to secure funding to implement the fast-track strategies across the city.
Those strategies include wireless technology that extends green lights for approaching buses so they don't have to stop as often.
SBS riders pay at bus stop machines that give receipts. The passengers can enter via front or rear doors, reducing boarding time, Deputy Transportation Commissioner David Woloch said.
Buses are making complete SBS runs between 207th St. in Manhattan and Co-op City in the Bronx in 47 minutes - shaving 11 minutes from travel time, Woloch said.
"We've seen a dramatic change," Woloch said.
Statistics show the service is also attracting new riders, with numbers along the Bx12 route up 10%, officials said.
Joseph Smith, NYC Transit vice president of buses, said fare-beating has slipped since SBS was launched in June. Riders risk $100 fines, handed out by NYC Transit security inspectors.
Other spots slated for SBS in the next few years include 34th St. and First and Second Aves., if there is funding.
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