The B46 Select Bus Service will see a reduction in the number of buses on the route starting January 2020, the MTA announced.
The cost-cutting measure will save the MTA $2.4 million by reducing the frequency of buses by one-to-three minutes and by adding longer buses with a capacity for 115 commuters, up from the current bus capacity of 85, the Brooklyn Paper reports.
With over 38,000 riders per day, the B46 is the busiest route in Brooklyn and runs from Williamsburg to Mill Basin, according to the Brooklyn Paper:
The B46 SBS currently has a mix of both shorter and longer buses, and Transit Authority figures show that buses routinely arrive at stops over capacity, with buses being 108-percent full during morning rush hours on weekdays and 121-percent full on Saturday midday.
The B15, B38, and B54 bus routes are also facing proposed cuts along with 29 route changes proposed by the MTA Capital Program which the agency’s board will vote on this week, Kings County Politics reports.
The MTA’s proposed 2020 – 2024 Capital Program totals $54.8 billion, a 70 percent increase from the 2015 – 2019 program. Approximately $6 billion is going toward bus service. A final vote on the budget is expected in October.
The service has already being reduced, and it’s 20 or more minutes between buses and they super crowded as the new buses are nowhere to be seen. The service is horrible, they extended my commute over 30 minutes.