Mayor Mamdani Unveils Ambitious Plan to Speed Up NYC Buses

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, July 9, 2026

New York City Mayor Mamdani unveiled the “next stop” Bus Action Plan to speed up bus travel by 20% along 50 slow routes across all five boroughs, including creating five rapid bus corridors with dedicated lanes and priority signals. The initiative also includes expanding bus lanes, introducing all-door boarding by 2024, and buying 2,500 new buses, with city and state agencies collaborating to improve bus maintenance and infrastructure.

New York City Mayor Mamdani announced a comprehensive initiative on Wednesday aimed at accelerating bus travel across the city by targeting improvements along 50 corridors that feature some of the slowest bus routes.

Speaking at a press event in Fort Greene alongside New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Janno Lieber, Mamdani cited the sluggish average speed of city buses—approximately 5 miles per hour—as a key issue. “Too many New Yorkers walk faster to the bus stop than the bus they finally get on actually travels,” he said.

The newly unveiled Bus Action Plan, dubbed “next stop,” seeks to enhance bus speeds by 20 percent on the identified priority corridors, potentially reducing average trip times by six minutes. The corridors span all five boroughs: 10 in the Bronx, 12 in Manhattan, 12 in Queens, 13 in Brooklyn, and three on Staten Island. Each area will undergo study and redesign to accommodate improvements.

Several projects are already underway, including the extension of the Madison Avenue bus lane in Manhattan. The plan also envisions expanding bus lanes across these corridors, supported by an enhanced automated camera enforcement system to monitor compliance.

Significantly, five corridors are earmarked for transformation into “rapid bus corridors.” These include Flatbush and Utica Avenues in Brooklyn; Northern Boulevard in Queens; a Tremont/Cross-Bronx route; and a corridor connecting Kensington to John F. Kennedy International Airport. Features planned for these routes include centrally located bus-only lanes and stops as well as possible priority traffic signals for buses. The Flatbush Avenue project is anticipated to be completed by 2030, with the others still in development.

Among other key measures, the plan calls for the MTA to implement all-door boarding by the end of 2024, enabling passengers to enter buses through multiple doors to speed passenger flow.

Mamdani, who took office last year with a platform emphasizing bus improvements, reiterated his pledge to make city buses “fast and free.” When pressed on the fare-free component, he stated the current plan addresses the speed aspect and indicated ongoing efforts toward fare elimination.

MTA Chairman Lieber expressed reservations about the fare-free proposal, citing the agency’s ongoing challenges with fare evasion. However, he praised the mayor’s support for the recent expansion of the Fair Fares program, which offers discounted fares to low-income New Yorkers.

The MTA also announced plans to purchase 2,500 new buses as part of its current five-year capital plan. As part of the joint city-state effort, the initiative includes commitments to improve maintenance across the bus fleet. Lieber underscored the importance of cooperation with union workers to ensure timely upkeep of buses, noting prior issues with incomplete maintenance records.

While the MTA operates buses, the responsibility for streets and bus-specific infrastructure rests with the city, underscoring the necessity of collaboration between city and state agencies to advance the plan’s objectives.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.